Page 19 of The Spy

He studied the face. “I know him.” He turned to Barlow. “But I can’t remember where. Send me everything you have on him.” He handed Barlow his card. “To this location here.”

Barlow nodded. Lucan was pleased to note he did not look to Anna for prior approval.

He sat at the back of the room with a laptop and started doing searches throughout his system. Something about that face.

And then his phone dinged. His secure line. He pulled it out of his pocket to read the message. His hands started shaking, and he nearly dropped it on the floor.

“What is it?” Anna was at his side immediately.

So many people had suffered because of him. “I should have been there.” He turned to clutch her hands. “I’m sorry, but I should have been there.”

She read the message. “This is not your fault.”

He nodded. “It is. I could have stopped them.”

“Please, Lucan. Let’s talk about this.” She paused. “Pull up this location.” She showed Barlow.

“No, I can’t look at them.”

“Get ahold of yourself.” Anna whispered in his ear. “There’s more going on here.”

He searched her eyes. They were fierce, urgent, powerful. And he remembered that face, remembered her at the training center. He blinked and then stood, clamping off his rising sorrow. “Tell me.”

She signaled and the image on Lucan’s phone filled the far wall. Someone had taken a picture of one of the orphanage safe houses burning to the ground.

Anna pointed to the corner of the screen. That man there.

Barlow zoomed in and it was the same man who had just entered Spain, Ba Tu.

“What’s in his hand?” He watched in dread as Barlow increased the zoom until the screen showed his hands, holding up an image.

Anna gripped his hand. Every nerve in Lucan’s body tightened. The man held a picture of Sammy, dressed in camo, face determined, Sammy.

The place went into an uproar. More phones flipped out, Barlow barked orders, and Anna turned to Lucan as he held her. His mind was spinning. “Wait.”

The room stopped. “They don’t know it’s Anna.”

Barlow raised an eye brow. “How do you know?”

“He would have showed a picture of the princess. This creep somehow learned that Sammy and I worked together, earlier, and that’s what she looked like back then. But I’d be willing to bet he doesn’t know who I am really or who she is on a day to day basis.”

“I’m not willing to risk that.” Barlow went back to his computer. “It’s too much of a coincidence that he entered Spain.”

“Neither am I Barlow, to be clear. But it still bares considering so we don’t get so lost in the obvious and forget to pay attention to why else they might be in Spain.”

That announcement had the chilling effect on the room he hoped it would. This man was no one to mess with, and if he was in Spain, no good would come of it.

But he couldn’t help but be alarmed with his grimy hands on a picture of Sammy.

Suddenly she stiffened beside him. “I’m going after him.”

“What?” Lucan thought he knew what she might say next and he already thought it was a bad idea.

“Let’s take him down. Send in a team, deport him ourselves.”

“My Queen.” Barlow held up a hand. “If I may…”

She sighed. “What is it Barlow?”

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