“He’s a good man,” she protested. But Leo could see that his words had gotten through.
“Fine, he’s a good man. Tell me who he is. It was hard enough for our men to get our guys to find this, but how did your guy come across it?”
She let go of his shirt and tried to sit back, but Leo wasn’t having any of it. She was staying where she belonged, in his arms. “I don’t know his sources. He’s a reporter. I don’t think he would ever tell anybody how he got his hands on that video. But Alistair has worked with him in the past. He vouches for him, so that’s good enough in my book.”
“Fine. But give me a name. If he has this kind of info, he might have something else that would help us. I know that your natural inclination is to keep this to yourself and try to come up with your ‘back-up’ plan, but Daisy, you need to rely on us now. Hopefully, you see that.”
He could see the conflict in her eyes. She was such a capable and strong woman. She reminded him of all the strong and capable women in his family, but she was someone whose trust had been badly broken by different people. He waited for her to make a decision. Finally, she nodded.
“Rayi Abad. He’s an Afghan reporter. He’s been smuggling out reports for years under different bylines.”
“Do you have a way to contact him?”
“He has only Skype’d me. So that’s the only incoming communication I’ve received from him. My stepfather has something, but I’m not sure he would give it to me.”
“Can I see the Skype address he used?”
Daisy nodded. She got up from the couch and Leo followed her to the desk. She pulled up the Skype conversation. Leo used the hotel stationery to write out Rayi’s Skype address. “I’m going to call my computer expert and let him work with this while you eat something, is it a deal?”
She shook her head.
Leo frowned. “What do you mean, no?”
“You have to eat, too.”
He laughed. “I will. Just let me make this call, then I will be eating right beside you.”
She let out a sigh of relief as she went back over to the coffee table. She started lifting lids off the plates.
“You did a good job choosing food. Thank you.” Her smile was half-hearted at best, still, it was something.
“I’m glad you like it. I’m just going to step out in the hall for a minute.”
She opened her mouth to ask a question, then closed it and nodded.
Leo went out in the hall and walked down to the end of the corridor to make his call.
“Kane, have some info.”
“Give it to me.”
“Reporter by the name of Rayi Abad sent Daisy the video that we saw this morning of her father being beaten.” Leo watched the hallway that led to the elevators, making sure no one came out of them.
“Shit, why the hell would someone do that?” Kane bit out.
“That’s my question. Anyway, he did. I want to know where he got the info and what his real motive was behind sending it to Daisy. He could have just told her he’d seen a video of her father or sent her a picture from the video, he didn’t need to send her the whole thing.”
“You’re right on the money, Leo. Did she give you any contact information on this guy?”
“I’ve got his Skype address. Can you find him from that?”
There was dead silence.
Leo laughed. “I’m so sorry I doubted your expertise, oh great computer genius.”
“There you go,” Kane chuckled. “Now give me his address and I shall work my magic. You are still coming back tonight, right?”
“That’s the plan, why?”
“Captain Miller came up with more info that looks somewhat promising. It’s thirty klicks from where we were last night.”
“What did she find?” Leo straightened up.
“Dogs outside a cave. No jeep, no truck. But the cave has a wide entrance; according to Miller this wouldn’t be the first time that vehicles were hidden in the caves.”
“Are we going in?” Leo asked.
“She’s been doing drone flyovers for the last four hours. She’s going to continue for another four and report back to us. If it looks promising, we’ll take another ride with Wilma tonight.”
“Gotcha.”
It felt cold in the hotel room. She couldn’t tell if it was because Leo had turned up the AC before they’d made love, or because he’d left—either way, she was cold. Daisy got up and adjusted the temperature then she drew back the sheers to let in more sun. She stood by the window, basking in the warmth as she thought about Leo’s words.
No matter what angle she looked at, she couldn’t find any upside for Rayi to upset her with the video. Yeah, what Leo said made sense—that he could have been kinder and just told her that her father was alive instead of sending her the file, but she would have demanded proof. Rayi would have known that, so wasn’t he just being expedient?
Now that she had her head pulled out of her ass and could think rationally, she realized that Leo and his team were her father’s best bet. It killed her to admit it. Knowing that she didn’t have any power in a situation was anathema for her.
With the first knock on the door, she hurried over to let Leo in.
“This is the second time you didn’t use the peephole or use the chain on the door. You need to be more safety-conscious.”
“Both times I knew it was you.”
“Use the guard chain, check the peephole, I don’t care how sure you are. Use them.”
He was right, she would counsel another woman to do the same thing. “You’re right. I promise to do that next time. Now come and eat, the food is getting cold.”
She sat down in the same place she had been and was happy when Leo took his same spot, even though it was clear she was past the point of needing comforting.
“I ordered four different dishes so we could serve ourselves family-style.”
“Who else are you inviting over?”
“You need to eat a decent amount of food. Plus there’s me. I’m a growing boy.” He winked at her.
There was something about that wink. That humor. That man.
Daisy smiled. A real smile. Not a sex-satisfied smile, not that those hadn’t been tremendously wonderful. Nope, this was a smile that said maybe time with this man, and believing in him, in his capabilities, might just work out.
“Why aren’t you filling your plate? I thought you said you liked what I’d ordered.”
“I do. I was thinking how much I like you.”
Leo coughed on the kebab he was eating. “Daisy, I sure as hell hope you kind of liked me before we hit the sheets.”
“There you go again, that’s another reason I like you, you have a great sense of humor. I do, I really do like you.” She looked at the stubble on his face, and the white gleam of his smile, and felt like she’d hit the proverbial jackpot.
“Are you going to pass me a note? Should I be careful that my lieutenant doesn’t see it?”
“You goofball.”
He pulled the empty plate out of her hand and started to fill it up.
“I could have done that.”
“But you weren’t.”
She noticed how he filled it with primarily vegetarian items. “Do you want any of the meat dishes?” he finally asked.
“Chicken,” she nodded.
He spooned some of the narenj palaw onto her plate. He seriously chose some good dishes. When her dish was full, she sat back and started to eat.
“You don’t have to watch me,” she complained. “I will finish my meal.”
“Maybe I just enjoy watching you eat.”
Daisy watched as he took a bite of his lamb dumplings. He was right, there was something sensual about watching a person eat. Just seeing how his lips closed around the tongs of his fork made her want to kiss him. Or better yet, have him take a bite out of her.
Cool it. I’m eating dinner, not getting ready to jump the man!
“I thought about what you sai
d, but I can’t figure out any sort of angle where it would behoove Rayi to show me that video out of spite. He knows who I am, what I do. He realized I could handle it, and Leo? I should have. I can’t believe I broke down like that.”
He gave her a sideways look. “Are you in the habit of lying to yourself? I’m just curious.”
She took another bite of her chicken dish and noticed that this time it tasted like sawdust. She put down her plate. “In all reality, I didn’t think it would affect me. So no, I’m not lying to myself. I didn’t know that seeing my biological dad in so much pain…realizing that he’s going to be executed, was going to…” She gulped in a deep breath, then continued. “Well, I just didn’t know it would affect me so strongly. I didn’t realize how deep a connection I had to him. Part of the reason I wanted to be the one to come over here, instead of my brothers and sister, is I could handle it if something bad were to happen because I would be less attached. This sure blew my thought process all to hell, huh?”
“You do realize it only proves you’re a deeply compassionate and loving woman.”
“Who probably should have listened to her mother when she was fifteen.” Daisy waved her hand in the air. “Okay, enough about my Daddy issues. What did you and your teammate talk about? I know you can’t tell me much of anything, but can you tell me something?”
“I have to go back to Bagram Air Base early this evening, I can tell you that. I can also tell you that my teammate is checking into Rayi, but other than that, nothing.”
“And Jim’s Russian connection?”
“I brought that to Tom’s attention yesterday. That should be the end of things.”
Daisy felt a big sense of relief. At least that was done.
“And how early is early?”
Leo looked at his watch. “I probably have to leave here in the next forty-five minutes.”
“I’m done eating, what about you?”
“Depends,” Leo smiled at her. “Do you have an activity that is more enticing than eating in mind?”
“I think I do. I really think I do.”
13
This time the Blackhawk couldn’t land anywhere close to the cave; there just wasn’t the kind of terrain coverage to hide behind. As well as not having the mountainous area for coverage, there was not going to be any high ground for Leo and Ezio to set up good sniper positions. Which sucked—really, really sucked.
Hell, Leo didn’t mind the twenty-klick hike from the Blackhawk to the cave with the sixty pounds of gear. That was a cakewalk, but not having a good position to cover his teammates? Yeah, that really chapped his hide. That’s not to say he and Ezio hadn’t come up with a plan. The drone footage had shown some rock groupings and formations that looked promising, but they wouldn’t know until they got closer.
“Hold up,” Max said over their comm system.
They could see the cliff in the distance. Max had his night-vision binoculars out, and soon everybody else did as well.
“I’m seeing three perfect hidey-holes on that cliff above the cave for sentries,” Raiden said with disgust.
“I only saw two,” Asher said. “Where’s the third?”
“Did you see the one right above the cave, dead center? It almost blends in with the mouth of the cave, so you don’t really notice it, but it’s a crease in the rock,” Raiden explained. “I don’t see anyone in there, but I’d bet my bottom dollar someone with a rifle has wormed their way back in there.”
“Got it,” Asher answered.
“Ezio and Leo. There’s your first order of business—take those guys out before we get into range. Can you do it?”
Leo looked over at Ezio and grinned. “Absolutely, Boss.”
Leo never used binoculars, not when he had the best rifle scope in the world, so he pulled his out while Ezio was doing the same thing. Without any discussion, they started determining where they could set up shop.
“I’ll take the one on the right, four klicks ahead,” Leo said.
“I’m on the left, four klicks and a few meters past that one,” Ezio stated.
“Men. Stay behind our snipers. After they get into position, I’ll give the go-ahead to move forward.” Max didn’t bother looking at each man, he knew they would do exactly what he said.
Now that they had their targets they moved faster. Soon Leo was at his rock formation. He scrambled up and had his rifle set up in no time. Raiden had been right, of course; Leo could see hands gripping an AK-47 through the crevice. That was it, but it was enough.
Leo waited until Ezio was in position as he scoured around the cave for any other potential spots where look-outs might be hiding. His rifle moved infinitesimally as he caught sight of movement inside the cave. He adjusted his scope a little more and saw two men huddled together near the mouth of the cave in some kind of in-depth conversation. Not smart, they should not be that close to the entrance. Lucky us.
Leo took a glance and saw that Ezio was set up. “You seeing what I’m seeing, Stark?” he asked his teammate. “I’ve got five—two inside the cave, three hiding above the cave.”
“I count the same,” Ezio concurred.
There was a cluster of trees a klick to the right of the cave. Coming from that angle would be the best, but they would have to veer at least seven kilometers out of their way to get there. It would require Max and the team another seven miles of hiking to avoid the open plain in front of the cave, and come at them from the trees.
Before Leo could say anything, Max was up on the rock formation with him. “Whatchya got?”
Leo handed over his rifle so Max could see what he had been seeing. “So coming at them from the left, through the trees is the best plan of attack,” Max said.
“Yeah, but it’s going to mean we start our attack at zero four hundred not zero three hundred.” Leo sighed.
Max and Leo looked at one another. They both knew that zero three hundred was the best time for an attack; the closer they got to dawn, the better chance that the men in the cave would be active.
“No choice.” Max handed the rifle back to Leo and jumped down from the perch.
“You’re in luck,” he whispered into his mic to the rest of the team. “We get more exercise. About seven more kilometers to go, instead of one.”
“Cool, I think I’ve been putting on weight.” Cullen laughed at his own joke.
“I’ve noticed,” Max said. “I want you to carry my pack.”
Cullen stopped laughing.
Leo watched as they all started off. Even though he was ninety-nine point nine percent sure they wouldn’t be noticed, he still kept watch on the Afghan look-outs to make sure they didn’t make any funny moves. Leo took it as his personal mission to keep his team alive.
Leo couldn’t explain how time worked during situations like these; it was like it slowed down to an absolute crawl and sped to warp speed. He continued to watch and saw the AK-47 change hands. He saw a third man join the other two at the mouth of the cave. Then he saw the man sitting cross-legged near the top of the cliff start to drift off to sleep.
At the same time, he watched each member of his team move closer and closer to the trees. Even from his place on the rocks, little movements made it easy for him to determine who was who. Kane would occasionally reach back and touch his backpack that held his ‘precious’ laptop. Max took the rear to watch over his chicks, while Raiden took point. Nic would occasionally speed up and then slow down, always anxious to get to where he was going. Asher never missed a step, calm cool, and collected, steady as always. Then there was Cullen, moving back and forth between the men, checking up on everyone. Yep, that was his team.
“Do you see that?” Ezio whispered.
“Yep,” Leo answered. “He’s just looking, I don’t think he sees anything,” Leo said referring to the man who had been on his stomach, hidden partly behind a bush on the cliff. He was now up on his knees with his rifle held to his shoulder. But he wasn’t aiming at Max and the team, he was pointed at Ezio and
Leo. Leo wasn’t worried, neither they nor their rifles were observable from the cliff. The man must just have a gut feeling or is checking things out.
Leo didn’t move a muscle and he knew that Ezio wasn’t either. Finally, the man went back to a prone position. When Leo felt good enough again, he peeked over at his team and saw they had made it damn near another klick. They were almost at the trees. It wasn’t until they left on the other side that things would get interesting. It was three forty-five. Leo hissed in a breath. They were cutting things really fucking close.
When a fourth man joined the three at the mouth of the cave Leo was using every swear word he knew, in every language he knew. Is everybody in the cave awake!? He watched as the fourth man said something that caused the others to laugh, then they all shushed themselves and peered around as if to make sure nobody had heard them. Good, maybe not everybody was awake.
“Four at the front of the cave to the far left, shooting the shit. Still just the three lookouts, one is asleep,” Leo said into his mic.
“Gotcha,” Max responded. “We’re heading in.”
Even though Leo knew to be looking for them, they were hard to detect, as each member of his team moved slow and low out of the line of trees. They went the twenty meters to the cliff and hung close to the side as they crept along the mouth of the cave that was wide enough to drive two trucks through side by side. God only knew how big and deep the cave itself was.
Leo did a headcount—all six were there, and they would be ghosts inside the cave. First, they had to get past the four—nope, make that three—men who were still talking. The jokester had left.
“Only three men at the mouth of the cave now,” Ezio reported.
All six men slipped into the cave one after the other, unnoticed by the three men who were still talking away. There was no movement from the lookouts because they were still focused on the terrain in front of the cave, not straight down the side of the cliff.
Leo waited for thirteen heartbeats after his team was in the cave, then watched as each of the three terrorists who had been talking were taken from behind, their mouths covered as a knife silently dispatched their lives.
Her Sensual Protector: A Navy SEAL Romance (Night Storm Book 5) Page 10