Page 22 of Chasing the Past

“Anyway, I’ll bring the items over. Crime scene is searching the house for any DNA left behind but there’s a strong chemical smell. I think he cleaned it to destroy any DNA.”

“He doesn’t want us to identify him,” Declan said.

“Probably not. I’m on my way there now. I’ll see you all soon.” The call ended and Eli returned the phone to his pocket.

“I don’t understand,” Asal told him. “Why would he use my sister’s name?”

She searched Eli’s face and could see how hard it was for him to hear Sashi’s name. She couldn’t imagine how confused he was by all of this.

“There’s a reason. We’ll find it. Why don’t we get you settled into your room? Gavin, I’ll be right back. Once Will gets here, I’ll Facetime the team and we can go over what we know so far.” Eli picked up her bag once more. “I’ll show you to one of the bedrooms.” He reached the stair landing and headed down the hall. “I’ll put you next to my room in case you need me during the night.”

“I want to be part of the meeting,” Asal insisted. There were many things about her life she didn’t understand. She wanted answers.

“Of course. As soon as Will arrives, I’ll come get you.” He opened one of the doors and waited for her to go inside. Large windows afforded breathtaking views of the ocean. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon. The first snow of the season was predicted according to Eli. The storm was supposed to be a bad one.

“How are you holding up with all of this?” he asked as if reading her troubled thoughts.

“I don’t even know anymore.” Asal shivered and turned from the window. She sat on the bed. “This is all so confusing. Until today, I had no idea I even had a sister named Sashi. Now I find out Omar has a passport for me under her name. Isn’t that gruesome?” Eli sat down beside her, and she realized what she’d said. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”

“I miss her,” he said quietly, his attention on the floor.

“What was she like?” It hurt to realize she knew nothing about her sister.

Eli’s blue eyes shifted to her leaving Asal a little breathless.

“She was smart, funny and beautiful . . . And l loved her very much. I planned to ask her to marry me once we were away from Kunduz.”

She couldn’t look away.

“That night, I was so worried. When she was late, I knew something was wrong.” He looked past her to the view beyond. “When Gavin arrived, we searched for her without any luck. Thankfully, I had installed a tracker on her phone.” He swallowed deeply. “But I couldn’t get to her in time.”

Asal placed her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

His attention returned to her. “You look just like her.” The pain of that admission was there on his face. He leaned closer and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Asal’s lashes swept closed. She’d never felt this way before . . . had she? The erratic beating of her heart assured her this feeling was all because of Eli.

The bed shifted slightly as he rose. Her eyes flew open homing to his face.

“I should go and let you rest. I’ll just have a word with Gavin.” He stepped out into the hall and closed the door.

His heart still belonged to Sashi. She couldn’t imagine how painful it was to be in love with a ghost.

Chapter Eleven

Eli moved away from her room and closed his eyes. She looked so much like Sashi . . . but Asal wasn’t her and he had to keep a clear head if he was going to protect Asal from the danger coming her way.

He gathered himself and went back downstairs where Gavin had set up his laptop in the dining room. Gavin looked up when Eli entered. “I hope you don’t mind, I thought I’d check a few things before your friend arrives.”

“Not at all. I’m going to make some coffee. Looks like it’s going to be a long day.”

“Yeah, you’re right. There’s something else going on here.” Gavin squinted at the screen and Eli’s blood ran cold.

“What do you have?”

“I’m not supposed to be sharing this with you, but there’s been chatter about something huge happening soon. All indications are it will be here on US soil.”

Eli dropped to the closest seat. “This has to be related to Omar Haddad. Do you have anything recent on his activities?”

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