Page 82 of Zero Hour

Pat frowned. That didn’t make sense. “They wouldn’t risk taking him on a train. There are too many cameras and it’s too exposed.”

Blade agreed. “They’re holed up somewhere, waiting for new transport or orders from Al-Jabiri. He won’t risk bringing Ryan to his house. Not now he knows he’s under surveillance.”

Pat turned to Jasmine. “Don’t worry. He’s safe for now.”

She let out a shaky breath, her hands clenching in her lap.

“Boss, I’ve got an update from Phoenix,” came Anna’s voice from the main office. Pat and Blade, followed by Jasmine, assembled around her desk.

“Both Al-Jabiri and Riad haven’t left the property all day. Same with the Waheed brothers. But they’ve been on the phone constantly.”

“Getting ready for Saturday,” Blade muttered. “We still have four unidentified bombers.”

Pat turned to Jasmine. “Think back. Are you sure Al-Jabiri never met with anyone else?”

She shook her head. “No one ever came to the house. They went out every morning, but I never knew where.”

“Columbia Heights,” Blade said. “We tracked him there once. He met the Waheed brothers in the park, but no one else.”

Jasmine frowned, her brows knitting together.

“Actually…” She trailed off, biting her lip.

Pat’s eyes sharpened. “What?”

She hesitated, then flushed. “I completely forgot. Amir and Rian did meet with someone else. At the station.”

“Who?” Pat and Blade demanded in unison.

“A woman.”

Pat’s pulse ticked up a notch as the adrenaline kicked in.

“I’ve never seen her before. It was only once, but… I think I could remember her face.”

Pat turned to Anna. “Pull up the watchlist database. Show Jasmine every female suspect with terror network ties. If she’s a major player, we might already have her on file.”

Jasmine gave a quick nod.

Anna led her away while Blade exhaled. “This woman could be the key to identifying the other four bombers.”

Pat nodded. “Let’s just hope she can pick her out.”

Blade’s expression darkened. “It’s a long shot.”

Pat gritted his teeth.

Right now, a long shot was all they had.

CHAPTER 31

Jasmine clicked through photo after photo, her fingers cramping on the mouse, her eyes blurring as she scanned thousands of faces. Anna had filtered them down—women, aged thirty to fifty, all with potential terrorist ties—but the sheer volume felt endless.

She wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t. Somewhere in this sea of faces was the woman who might help them stop the attack.

Someone ordered pizza. The office smelled of melted cheese, but she could barely choke down a bite. Eating felt obscene when Ryan was out there—scared, alone, at the mercy of his kidnappers.

"You need to keep your strength up," Patrick murmured, setting a hand over hers.

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