Page 25 of Reclaimed (Hostage Rescue Team)

Celida took a step back as if she was going to leave, but Taya stepped over and wrapped her up in a hug. “You thought you’d get away without a goodbye hug? I don’t think so.”

Laughing, Celida gave her a quick squeeze in return. “You’re as bad as Zoe.”

That made her smile, because not only was Bauer’s wife Tuck’s cousin, she was also Celida’s best friend. “I’ll take that as a compliment. I love her.”

“She’s hard not to love,” Celida agreed. “Now go on, you guys will be boarding soon.”

Taya stayed close to Agent Thatcher as they made their way through security—expedited by more government paperwork—and to their gate for the first leg of the trip. She tended to make friends easily but she was so nervous she was afraid if she opened her mouth she’d just start babbling about nothing and didn’t want to annoy her escort.

It wasn’t until they were onboard and buckled into their seats that Agent Thatcher relaxed her guard. “First class, huh?” Taya mused with a smile, pulling out her phone to text Nathan.

“Oh yeah, they pulled out all the stops for you.”

Just about to push back from the gate, she told him.

Leaning back in the spacious first class seat, the other woman looked at Taya. “I know this isn’t easy. Going back over there after everything that happened before.”

Taya glanced at her in surprise. The woman had definitely been briefed on Taya’s past, but the way she’d said that made it sound like she was talking from experience.

“They picked me to be your escort for a reason,” she went on, settling her arms across her middle. “Back when I was in the Air Force I was stationed at Bagram during my last tour. I was out in a remote village one day providing security during a medical outreach program when we were attacked. I was taken prisoner, along with my now husband and the Secretary of Defense.”

Shocked, Taya turned fully in her seat to face Maya, her mouth falling open. “That was you?” she asked, incredulous. “I remember seeing that story when it hit the news.” The story had been huge and she’d followed it closely, never realizing she’d face a similar fate a few short years later.

The woman nodded. “The man who orchestrated the attack was named Khalid, but he operated under orders from someone named Rahim.”

Oh yeah, she knew all about that asshole. “The American who defected and became a warlord in Afghanistan. And set off a dirty nuke outside Langley.”

Agent Thatcher inclined her head in acknowledgement. “He had close ties to Qureshi’s network,” she added, those mysterious sea-green eyes studying Taya.

A chill went up her spine as the connection hit home. “Wow, I…didn’t expect this.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet. Anyway, that’s why they sent me. And also, my husband’s a PJ.”

Now Taya’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?” There weren’t that many of them out there, active or retired, so it seemed like an incredible coincidence.

She smiled, showing a hint of white teeth. “Yeah. Our guys probably know each other.”

“It’s a small community, for sure, so I bet they do too.” Taya leaned back against the seat with a smile, suddenly feeling a thousand times more relaxed about everything. “Life is so weird sometimes.”

“Tell me about it. And since we’ve got so much in common, you’d better call me Maya. If you call me Agent Thatcher after everything I just told you, I’ll be totally insulted.”

“Well we can’t have that. Maya it is.”

“I’ve watched a lot of your speeches over the past few months, by the way. My favorite was the one you gave to the UN envoy on behalf of Amnesty International. Everything you said was dead on, and you put into words so perfectly what it’s like to be a female captive over there. I’m a huge fan.”

Her cheeks heated. “Oh, well. Thanks. I feel like it’s my duty, you know? To give a voice to all the women who don’t have one. And I feel like I owe it to the friends I met during my time over there and…lost. If I can help get Summer and the others back, I’ll feel even better.”

Maya reached over and gave her knee a reassuring squeeze. “I get it. Totally. It’s why I wanted to become an FBI agent. To help stomp out terrorist networks and make the world a better place,” she added with a sharp grin that reminded her a little of Celida.

I wish I knew how to make the world a better place.She was doing her best but sometimes it felt like her efforts were in vain.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as the flight attendants began their safety demonstration. Taya checked her phone for messages but Nathan hadn’t responded. Maybe he was in a meeting, or maybe they’d gotten a lead to follow and were out looking for Summer and the others.

Taya could only hope that was the case.

She switched her phone to airplane mode and put it back in her carryon. Maybe once she reached London there would be some good news.

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