Page 21 of Stand Fast

“Is this a joke?” Shah demanded, his flinty gaze cutting between her and David.

“No, it’s not,” she answered, tamping down the anger surging inside her. Did he seriously think they would make this up for fun?

Nasar made a sound of acknowledgment but didn’t speak, still studying the photos on the board. Nine of them. A damn sight fewer than the twenty-seven they’d started with a few weeks ago, but still not narrow enough.

“All the threads we’ve gathered since the hotel bombing seem to lead back to him,” Jaliya told the men, pointing at the police chief. “And we’ve managed to interview two men who claim to have proof of his involvement with The Jackal. Our legal team is working on putting together a case against him right now.”

“The whole thing is ridiculous,” Shah snapped. “He’s no more The Jackal than I am,” he said of the police chief.

“Until we can prove that, he stays on the board,” Jaliya said, steel in her voice. Sod him if he didn’t like it. She and her team were being thorough.

“It’s an insult,” Shah said, anger burning in his gaze.

Nasar turned his head and regarded her with his dark, deep-set eyes. He was one of the handful of high-ranking Afghan military officials who didn’t seem to look down on her because of her gender, but she had no illusions that he liked working with her. “You have someone willing to testify against The Jackal?”

She cleared her throat. “Not yet.” A wrinkle she was trying to iron out.

Both men had talked of having proof to indict The Jackal, yet neither of them could be persuaded to go so far as to give sworn statements or testify in court. Things worked very differently over here compared to in the U.S. A legal team was hard at work gathering enough evidence on The Jackal’s crimes so that when he was identified and captured, they could extradite him to the States to face charges there.

Nasar nodded once, his response telling her he wasn’t the least bit surprised, then turned his attention back to the board. She had the feeling that he’d already memorized every name and face on it. “A very serious accusation you’re placing on him,” he said of the chief of special police.

Shah folded his arms and gave her a hard stare.

“Yes. But there’s too much evidence to ignore his involvement on some level. At this point he’s our lead suspect,” she answered calmly.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of someone approaching the glass door to her right. Zaid and Agent Hamilton.

Her cheeks heated. When they entered the room she nodded at them by way of acknowledgment and quickly went back to studying the board while Nasar and Shah spoke to her and her boss.

The lack of progress was frustrating everybody.

Try as she might to be one hundred percent focused on the discussion at hand, part of her remained intensely aware of Zaid standing behind her and slightly to her right. It unsettled her. No matter how she tried she couldn’t forget he was there. One hot kiss and her body had become a Zaid radar.

“I’ve heard enough. Until you have something more solid on a man of his position than mere suspicion, leave me to oversee my men,” Shah said.

He’d just spun on his heel when Nasar spoke up. “I think Agent Rabani and her team are conducting a rather thorough investigation.”

Shah snorted and walked out, and Jaliya couldn’t help but smile at Nasar for the show of support. “Thank you.”

He shrugged. “An intelligent man can see that.” He and the other men left with David for another meeting on base, and Jaliya breathed out a silent sigh of relief when the door shut behind them. At least now she could relax her guard a little, without her boss and the others around.

Although nervous butterflies stirred in the pit of her stomach with Zaid so close. “Need me to go over any of that with you guys?” she asked him and Hamilton.

“No, I think we’re good,” Hamilton said. “I’m gonna follow them and listen in on the meeting with the NIU staff, so I’ll see you later,” he said to Zaid, and left.

Jaliya was torn about him leaving. Part of her was glad to have this chance to talk to Zaid in private, set things straight between them. The other was nervous as hell at being alone with him again.

Zaid stayed where he was, perusing the board one more time before settling that hot hazel gaze on her. “You find out anything more about the target of the bombing?”

He wasn’t going to like it. She didn’t like it either. “All the signs point to it being an attack on our team. Someone had apparently been asking about us while we were at breakfast in the lobby several hours earlier.”

“Casing the place and trying to lock down your location.”

She nodded. “Seems that way. They must have thought we were still in the building.”

He eyed the board once more. “Looks like your team is making good progress with the investigation.”

“We hope so.” She really should talk to him about that kiss.

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