Page 6 of Zero Hour

Pat went to stand beside her. “It’s true. We knew each other a long time ago.”

Richard glanced at his wife, and then at Pat. A long moment passed. “That’s why she has dark eyes, isn’t it?”

Astrid froze, like she’d been turned to stone.

Pat frowned. “What?”

Richard’s hands curled into fists. “You told me it was a genetic mutation, but it’s not. Is it?”

Astrid whispered, “Richard…don’t.”

He pointed at Pat. “She’s his, isn’t she?”

Silence.

Pat’s heart pounded in his ears. “Astrid, what the hell is he talking about?”

Her voice cracked. “I’m so sorry, Pat. I wanted to tell you a thousand times but… Izzy is yours. I was pregnant when I met Richard.”

Pat staggered back like he’d been punched in the gut.

Holy fuck.

“You should have told me,” he rasped.

Her voice was raw. “Why? What difference would it have made? By the time I found out, I had already met Richard. It would only have made things messy.”

Richard slammed his fist against the countertop, making Astrid flinch. “You lied to me all this time. I’ve raised another man’s child, put her through college.”

“Whoa! She did what she thought was best for Izzy,” Pat cut in, not liking Richard’s sudden show of aggression.

“Get out,” Richard snapped. “Get out of my house. Now.”

Pat looked to Astrid. “Are you okay?”

Her voice was a whisper. “I’m fine. You’d better go. I’ll call you later.”

Pat hesitated. Richard looked ready to explode. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. I need to talk this out with Richard.”

Pat nodded and walked out of the kitchen. He got into his car and drove the short distance home, his heart racing.

He had a daughter. A grown-up daughter.

Izzy.

Two hours later, he got a call from the police—Astrid had been in a car accident and was pronounced dead at the scene.

For the second time in his adult life, his world fell apart.

CHAPTER 3

“What do we have on Gemini?” called Pat, as he marched into the open plan office. His gaze swept over his team, most of whom were watching him warily. He couldn’t blame them. News of his altercation with Al-Jabiri had obviously spread around the office.

Blade cleared his throat. “They’re both out. No activity at their address.”

Gemini was the code name for two radicalized brothers, Mohammed and Mustafa Waheed. Blackthorn Security had them under constant surveillance, with a video feed planted inside their squalid two-bedroom apartment in a rundown neighborhood in D.C.

---