Page 75 of No Man Left Behind

They waved at Joe and Lia, then walked into the station. He turned the locks and set the security system before pulling her in for another hug. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She squeezed him hard. “I was glad to see Owen and Rachel, to make sure they were okay. But I want to be here with you.”

His heart warmed at that. “Are you sure? It might be weird knowing he’s right in the next room.”

She trembled a little but leaned back to look up at him. “Weird is a good word. It helps knowing that the cells were built securely so that he can’t escape. Mostly, it helps knowing you’re here.”

He kissed her forehead. “Let’s go in my office. I’ve got my camera feed in there so I can keep my eye on Aazar.”

“Aazar? You found out who he is?

He gestured her to the chair at the front of his desk, and he moved to sit in his regular chair. One monitor showed the cells, and he angled it away from Elina. The prisoner hadn’t moved from where he lay, staring up at the ceiling, hands resting on his belly.

Finch moved down the hall leading to the cell. Marcus had closed that door, and he wouldn’t be in any danger. In only a few moments, the dog came back and flopped onto his doggie bed.

“I’ve got quite a bit of information now. Between the car rental agency and a few of my contacts getting back to me, we know more than he expects.”

Elina blew out a breath. “That’s good news.”

Marcus nodded. “His name is Aazar Mullah. He’s the nephew of Faadir Mullah, the man who ordered the attack on Suraih. Faadir runs a large opium factory. He sends out groups of men to destroy villages and take the men to be workers.”

“Why is Aazar here in the US?”

He shrugged. “Reaching between the lines, Aazar was blamed for the failure of the mission in Suraih. No new workers for their opium factory meant Faadir was pissed.”

She twisted her hands together, and Finch bounced up from his doggie bed to lay his big head on her lap. She patted him but didn’t manage a smile. “Do you think he was one of the men who took me that night?”

Marcus moved around the desk and squatted in front of her. He took the hand that wasn’t patting Finch. “I don’t have any proof of that but I think he was.”

“You think he was planning to kill me?”

Marcus shrugged but didn’t answer directly. He feared the man had planned to kill her eventually. After he’d tortured her. “I’ll find out more once he starts to speak.”

“You think he will?”

“They all do. They get tired of the silence. Some want to brag about their exploits. Others want to blame the world for their choices. Almost all of them end up saying things to dig them in deeper.”

She nodded a few times, then turned fearful eyes to him. “Do you think Faadir will send someone else?”

He hoped not. “None of my research or contacts indicate that Faadir knows anything about this. From what I can tell, Aazar was sent here to smuggle the drugs Faadir makes. He’s one of many drug mules in the organization. A big demotion for someone who was in training to be the second in command. I think Aazar somehow found out about you being here in Phail.”

Time to tell her what else he’d found. “Aazar was in Seattle for a month before you left town. He was also in Albany last month.”

Her eyes widened. “Seriously? He somehow followed me?”

“I think it was more coincidence than anything else. Over the last few years, he’s traveled to major cities on a fairly regular schedule. Seattle and Albany are both on the list. I think he may have spotted you. Or someone else in his group did. You moved on before he expected.”

Her lips curved the tiniest amount. “I’m assuming Phail isn’t on that schedule.”

He grinned. “Nope.”

“I wonder if the mascot stuff I’ve done with Piper somehow got his attention.”

Damn, he’d hoped she wouldn’t realize that. “Possibly. He might have been searching for your face online.”

“Until we started doing the logos, I never posted anything online except under Paxi. I still don’t. But after than first night in Saloon, I know Piper posted a selfie she took of us with Nina on the website. That’s probably how he found us. I’m so sorry.”

He stood and tugged her up and into a hug. Finch wormed his nose in between them to be part of it, making Elina smile.

---