Page 77 of Close Pursuit

“You’ll help with Alex, then?” her uncle asked quickly.

“I need to know who the father of the infant we brought out with us is. And I need to find out quietly. Secretly, even.”

Charles pursed his lips. He hadn’t missed the fact that she hadn’t agreed to work on Alex, yet. “Secretly is how we operate around here, Katie. I’m sure the baby’s father is dead. Karshan was wiped out as completely as Ghun. What little satellite imagery we have of the area that night shows only two survivors egressing from the area.”

The CIA had been watching her and Alex that godawful night? The idea made her feel exposed, even now, well after the fact. Was anything anyone did private anymore?

She wasn’t sure she could trust her uncle not to use Dawn’s parentage against her, but he clearly was eager to have her recruit Alex. And how else would she ever get the information she needed about Dawn?

Reluctantly she admitted, “Dawn’s father was not Zaghastani. He was Caucasian.”

Her uncle stared at her. Score one for her…she’d actually managed to shock him.

He leaned forward and pushed a button on his phone. “I need a list of every male Caucasian observed entering the Karshan Region from April to July of last year.”

“Won’t that request cause a lot of questions?” she blurted.

“People around here don’t ask unsolicited questions if they want to keep their jobs.”

Good point. “How long will it take to get that list?”

“A day. Maybe two. Depends on how long it takes to make ID’s of anyone we haven’t already tagged. I’ll let you know as soon as I have it.”

She nodded her thanks.

“And you’ll try to bring Alex around?”

That was a nice way of describing blatant coercion. “I’ll test the waters,” she said warily.

“And report back to me?”

“Sure.” She had no illusions that obtaining the list of names wouldn’t hinge on a positive progress report with Alex.

Charles stood up. “I’d see you out myself, but I have a meeting in a few minutes.”

“Of course. Thanks for your help, Uncle Charlie,” she said brightly.

His eyes narrowed. Crud. He’d caught that she was mocking him.

“If you ever want a job here at the agency, young lady, you let me know.”

She laughed softly as she stepped out of his office.Not a chance. But it was nice to know someone in her family finally got that she wasn’t a totally brainless child.

14

Alex burst out of the law firm into bright sunshine and took a half-dozen deep, calming breaths. Christ. What was that bout of claustrophobia all about? Even four years in prison had never made him feel that trapped.

No fucking way was he getting married. The very idea freaked him out.

His eagerness to get home had nothing to do with emotional attachment to the baby or Katie, either. It was lust. Pure and simple. He wanted to get Katie naked and blow her mind?—

Dammit! He was just in lust with a girl. He would screw her brains out and get this… infatuation… out of his system.

A little calmer, he slid into his BMW and headed for home.

He was irritated beyond all reason to discover that Katie was out. It didn’t help that Sister Mary Harris smirked at his irritation.

“I’ll drive you back to the school,” he snapped.

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