Page 90 of Zero Hour

Al-Jabiri’s eyes gleamed. "So, they know about that, do they?" He let out a slow, wicked chuckle. "Good. Let them try to stop it. There’s nothing they can do now. It’s too late."

Jasmine’s voice rang with defiance. "You’ll never get away with it!"

He snorted. “I already have. Besides, it’ll be even better when it hits the news that the security services knew about the attack and did nothing to stop it.”

“You disgust me,” she spat.

Anothersmack. "Shut up. Nobody asked you," Al-Jabiri snapped.

Pat’s blood ran hot. He wanted to tear through that house and rip the bastard apart.

Blade turned to him. "That’s intent. We have enough to go in now."

"We still don’t know where the bombs are. Or where they’re keeping Ryan."

Blade’s voice lowered. "Pat, if we wait too long, she’s dead."

Pat stared at the screen. “It’s not enough. Bring them in, and we’ll never find those devices. You heard him. Our only play is to wait and hope to hell they give something away.”

It’s too late.

There’s nothing they can do now.

“Shit,” Blade muttered, but he nodded.

Riad, Al-Jabiri’s cousin, stepped into view.

"Lock her in my office," Al-Jabiri ordered. "I’ll deal with her later."

Jasmine fought against Riad’s grip. "What about my son?"

Al-Jabiri didn’t even look at her.

“It’s not looking good for the kid,” Blade said.

Pat’s gut twisted. It wasn’t, but he wasn’t willing to give up hope just yet.

Later that afternoon,Pat briefed the security agencies via video conference. He kept it clinical, sticking to the facts.

"Jasmine McCarthy is inside Al-Jabiri’s house. Instead of extracting her and blowing the op, we’ve left her in play."

The Hostage Rescue Team lead’s voice was grim. "That’s a hell of a call."

Pat’s jaw tightened. "It was the only one I could make."

Jasmine.

Why the hell did she go back?

He couldn’t lose her. Not like this.

Pat forced the emotion down and focused on the mission. As soon as they took the stadium, Al-Jabiri and his cousin were finished. She just had to hold on until then.

She was strong. She’d survive this.

Pat checked his watch.

Kickoff was at fifteen hundred tomorrow.

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