Page 269 of The Black Trilogy

“Huge. About six and a half feet tall, muscles on muscles. But Emmy fights like a caged tiger.”

How different was this new Emmy from the Ash he’d known? Luke was glad now that he’d never got into a serious argument with her.

Turning his attention back to the screen, he listened as Nate dispatched a group to Jordan to do the necessary. The second team would fly out to Syria at the same time to prepare on the ground, and if the answer came back negative at the crash site, they planned to hit the base the following day.

He saw in Mack’s eyes that she didn’t think this story was going to have a happy ending. All the money in the world couldn’t buy the fairy tale she craved. As he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, he wondered if what he felt for her, this strange kinship mixed with heat that sizzled in his veins every time they got close, would end any better.

CHAPTER 44

THE PHONE RANG once, twice, then a crisp voice came through.

“Control room.”

I recognised Matt, one of the shift supervisors in our Richmond headquarters, although he sounded tired. Overtime or too much partying?

“Hi, it’s me. Is Nate or Nick there?”

“Nick’s not available, but Nate’s here. Who is this?”

“Come on, Matt. You’ve been working at Blackwood for, what, six years, and you don’t know what my sweet, dulcet tones sound like yet?”

“Emmy?”

Well, duh. “Who else?”

“B-b-but we all thought you were dead.”

“Do I sound dead to you? No. Anyway, when have I ever died before? That’s right. Never. Can you pass me over to Nate now?”

A few moments of silence passed before Nate came on the line. “Emmy, is that really you?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, not you as well. No, it’s a ghost. A ghost who’s learned how to use the telephone. Did Jed and Logan get out?”

“Jed’s here, but Logan’s on his way back to Syria.”

“Why’s he going there? Does he not think we stirred up enough of a hornet’s nest already?”

“He’s on his way to rescue you. And don’t worry, the hornets are well and truly furious. Congratulations.”

“Well, for goodness’ sake, call him back. And Nick, who I take it is with him? Why did you let Nick go? I already said no when he offered the first time.”

“Nick’s about as easy to stop as you when he decides he’s doing something. Hang on, let me contact everyone.”

Nate put my line on speaker, and I listened as he recalled two teams—one from Syria and one from Jordan. Smart cookies—at least they’d found the plane. I felt bad about trashing the MiG, really. I’d liked it. How much did a second-hand model cost? The running costs would be killer but the fun factor might make it worth it, plus I could seriously reduce my commuting time.

Nate interrupted my mental calculations. “Where on earth are you?”

“Welcome back, Emmy. Nice to hear from you, Emmy. How are you, Emmy?”

“It’s been nine days. The time for pleasantries ran out a week ago. Just answer the question, will you?”

“Dahab. And I would have called sooner if I’d had access to a phone that worked. But I had more important things on my mind, like not dying.”

He ignored the last part. Typical Nate. “How on earth did you get there?”

“A rough summary would be fly, walk, camel, more camel, truck, climb, boat, swim, walk. If you want more details, you’ll have to wait until I’m on a secure line.”

“Fine. When will that be?”

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