“So the plan’s to dangle Millie out as bait to get this woman to come out of hiding?” Butch says. “How exactly is that going to work?”
“Agent Marsh and I are getting married,” Alex says, smiling broadly.
“You’re doing what now?” I say, the anger rising in my voice.
“Fake married, of course.” He smiles down at Millie, who I notice is not returning the smile. “Part of my job as the new head of Middle Eastern operations is to improve relations with the Pakistan government. I’ve been spending a lot of time there. I let it drop that I was getting married. They invited me to bring my wife to stay at the beautiful Serena Hotel in Islamabad. It’s the perfect place for us to be right now. Azayiz worked at the hotel spa before we took her under protective custody. She still has a lot of contacts there. The news will get back to her that Nejra’s daughter is in town on her honeymoon. We expect she’ll move heaven and earth for a chance to see Millie.”
“Honeymoon in Islamabad,” Hawk says, shaking his head. “Bold choice.”
“When did we decide this strategy?” All eyes—including mine—turn to Millie. Her tone is even enough to fool most of the room, but I’m definitely hearing the edge she gets when she’s about to lose it on someone.
Alex turns toward her. “Did you and George not talk about this assignment? I was assuming he told you everything.”
“We definitely talked,” she says slowly. “But I’m pretty sure he left out the part about me acting as an undercover bride.”
“It’s a good cover, Millie. Trust me on that. I’ve been doing this for a while. It’s solid.” Alex smiles at her uneasily. From the look on his face, I’m guessing he picked up on the edge in her voice, too. I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.
“It might be a good plan if she left on her own. That remains to be seen,” Millie says. “But if she was taken, me being there will be of absolutely no consequence to anyone. Unless you want to swap me for her.”
Alex laughs until he sees the look on Millie’s face. “No one is swapping anyone.”
“Because after what I did to their network earlier this year,” she continues, “I’m sure I’d be an attractive capture for them.”
“Millie, we don’t think the broader network even knows you were in on that takedown—even knows who you are. No one walked out of that house alive,” Alex says. “You’ll be fine. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”
“No, we’re not. We won’t let anyone get near her,” I say, quickly adding. “Or you.”
Alex turns and looks at me. “Master Chief, you’re not on this mission as our bodyguards. We’ll be fine. We know how to protect ourselves. You’re coming along to rescue Azayiz once we find her.”
“We can do both,” I say, locking my eyes with his.
“No. You really can’t,” he says as he starts to walk over to me. “We can’t have you close to us in the hotel, or you’ll blow our cover.”
“Our mission is always to protect our assets in a hostile country—in addition to whatever other elements are added,” I say. “We’re great multitaskers.”
“The government of Pakistan provides protection for me, and we also have the hotel security. Your team will stay at the embassy until Azayiz’s location is determined. Then we’ll call you in,” he says.
“My team,” I say slowly, “is going to be in the hotel with you. My mission. My call. End of discussion.”
He closes the distance between us, still smiling that bullshit smile. “Our mission. Together. If you’re in the hotel, you’ll blow our cover. You will put us more at risk than if you stay at the embassy. It’s only ten minutes away if we need you. Your job is to secure the HVT once identified, not to act as our cover.”
Culver starts to say something, but stops when Millie says, “No, Alex. No. Part of the team is in the hotel with us. They’re covert special operators. They know how to stay hidden. They won’t blow anything. And I would feel better if they’re ten seconds from us instead of ten minutes. They can be cover for us and still secure the target.”
“Millie, you’re more than capable of defending yourself and I will protect you if you need backup. This isn’t your call,” Alex says as he walks back toward her. I want to kill him so badly right now.
“It is my call,” she says. “All of this is my call. If you want to use me as bait to catch my great-aunt, then we’re going to do it how I want it done. If not, you can find someone else. I’ll leave right now and fly back to San Diego. I’ve never wanted to be a part of this.”
Alex looks from Millie to me. “One of them can stay in the hotel on a different floor.”
“Same floor. Adjoining room. As many as they think is necessary. Their call. Not ours,” Millie says.
He turns back around to look at her. “Millie.”
Culver steps between them. “Agent Laskin, I know this is your first time working with us directly, so just to update you on protocol, we are solely responsible for how we man a mission. We appreciate your input, but we will decide how to proceed. I agree with Agent Marsh. We will have a few of our operators in an adjoining room. They’ll stay out of your way unless you need them.”
Alex takes a deep breath as he heads to the computer at the head table. He flips a few pictures up on the screen. “This is the last picture we have of Azayiz, and this man is her son, Fareed.”
Millie lets out a soft gasp. All eyes turn to her. She looks at Alex. “So no one left the house alive, huh?”
“We were told no,” Alex says slowly.
Millie walks up to the screen and points at Fareed’s picture. “He drove the car the day I was kidnapped. He helped Yusef Hadzic take me,” she says. “So that means they definitely know I was there that day. Everyone knows—so much for me not being a target.”