Page 36 of Reclaimed (Hostage Rescue Team)

“I know you’re frustrated, and so am I. We were all hoping this latest location you guys checked out would give us something solid.”

“It was…disappointing.” Understatement of the decade.

“I wanted to update you on our status. Taya’s been a big help so far with helping fill in some blanks between Qureshi’s network and the ATB. We’ve got more background intel on Hadad as well.”

Adam gripped the phone tighter and waited.

“He’s thirty years old, former Syrian Army. Known hardliner who’s been looking for a convenient target within Jordan and this summit gave him the perfect chance to act on it. He’s an up-and-comer in the organization, looking to make his mark, and he’s got quite the reputation for cruelty already. To put it to you straight, he’s one evil bastard. His family was killed by a joint Jordanian/U.S. airstrike ten months ago. That’s when he defected and pledged his allegiance to the ATB. So for him, this is personal.”

Shit. None of that came as much of a shock because Adam had already been fearing the worst about him, but this intel wasn’t good news for Summer and the others and it upped the stakes. If this was personal for Hadad, negotiations weren’t possible.

“I get it.” He rubbed at his eyes, his head spinning. Hadad was a warped, sadistic son of a bitch, and he had Summer. “Any more word on a possible location? Or proof of life?” Something. Anything to give him hope that she was still alive.

“Not yet but we’re doing everything we can to get both of those. And if they’d killed the hostages they would have made a statement by now. They’re not going to keep quiet about something like that.”

“Yeah,” he muttered. Hadad and his followers no doubt had something special in mind for their captives. He scrubbed a hand over his sweaty hair.

“Taya helped confirm some of the players we’ve suspected are linked between the ATB and Qureshi’s old network. They’ve got ties throughout Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Syria. Most of their funding comes from drug and human trafficking.”

Adam grunted to show he was still listening. He knew Taya had been given to one of Qureshi’s fighters as a wife. That was so fucked-up. “What do the analysts think? Is Hadad going to want to barter Summer for money?” He couldn’t bring himself to saysell her.

“They think it’s unlikely.”

But shewaslikely still alive. He had to hold onto that. “Thanks for the update.”

“I’ll let you know if we find anything else.”

Adam handed the phone back to DeLuca, who was watching him closely. “Anything?” his commander asked.

He repeated what the director had told him. “They think she and the others are still alive.”

No one said anything to that. Adam leaned his head back again. Fuck, he was tired. As tired as he could ever remember being, even through SF selection and on his toughest missions in Afghanistan. “I want to go to her hotel,” he blurted.

Behind the wheel, Evers glanced at him in the rearview mirror in surprise. “What for?”

He shrugged, fought the urge to snap at him. What did the reasons matter? “I just do.”

Evers shot a questioning look at DeLuca, who nodded his consent. “Let’s go.”

At the front desk it only took a minute after flashing his FBI badge and explaining the situation for the hotel manager to personally escort him to the elevator. Vance came up with him while the others stayed in the lobby.

Adam put the keycard in the lock, waited for the little light to turn green. He cracked the door open and Vance’s voice startled him out of his thoughts.

“You want me to wait out here?”

Adam looked back at him, having forgotten he was even there. God, he was definitely losing it. “Yeah, man. Thanks.”

“No worries.” He stood with his back up against the wall beside the door, as though he planned on guarding it. Which he likely did.

Flipping on the light, Adam shut the door behind him and took a deep breath, something easing inside him. His team was awesome and all the guys had been really supportive so far, but it was a relief to be alone for a while.

He glanced around the empty room. Just an ordinary hotel room, yet as he drew in another deep breath he swore he could detect the faint scent of Summer’s perfume in the air.

In the middle of the room the bed was freshly made and there were fresh vacuum marks on the carpet, so housekeeping obviously had been in recently.

Next to the bathroom stood a sink and vanity where some of Summer’s toiletries were laid out. He walked over to it and stood there for a moment, looking at each item.

Her toothbrush was sticking up out of the glass she’d placed it in. The little bag holding her makeup and the powder she used to try and diminish her freckles with lay beside her brush and hair straightener. A pair of pearl earrings he’d given her for their first anniversary sat beside a tube of toothpaste.

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