Target For Ransom

by Laura Scott

  Guilt flashed in his eyes. “No.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Jordan wasn’t going to trust anything Slater had to say.

  Outside, the air never smelled so fresh, the sun never looked so bright, and the breeze never felt so soft. Jordan handed the second trigger over to Sun and rushed over to where Diana, Bryn, and Meira were standing.

  They hadn’t left the park after all.

  In some corner of his mind, he noted that Elam had set the bird bomb off to the side before going over to embrace Meira.

  He turned his attention to his family. “Diana, Bryn.” He drew them close. “We’re safe now. It’s over.”

  “Thanks to God,” Diana murmured.

  “Yes, absolutely,” he agreed.

  “I’m glad God was watching over us, but that was really scary,” Bryn added, curling her fingers into his T-shirt as if she might never let go. “I don’t want to go on a roller coaster ride after all.”

  That made him laugh. “We’ll find something else fun to do, okay?” He eased back so he could look at Diana. “If your mom is okay with that.”

  Diana smiled. “Very okay with that.”

  There was no privacy here, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. “Diana, I love you. I’ve always loved you, even when I thought you were dead. Will you please give me a second chance?”

  “Yeah, Mom, please?” Bryn piped up.

  “Oh, Jordan.” Diana’s eyes were bright with unshed tears. “I love you too. But I don’t know what my future holds. Our witness protection cover has been blown, and I’m sure they’ll want me and Bryn to relocate.”

  “If they do, I’ll give up my company and go with you,” he said without hesitation. “But we’re not using Frank Carlson from the US Marshals Service. I asked Slater if he paid the guy, and he denied it, but I don’t believe him.”

  She shivered. “I agree.”

  “I’ll make sure Yates takes care of Carlson, but I don’t think we’ll need the program, Diana. Tariq is gone, and we have Fadia. I’m not sure if Mustaf has been captured or not, but if he managed to escape, I don’t think he’ll be returning to the US anytime soon.”

  Hope flickered in her gaze. “You really think so?”

  “I do. But it has to be your decision.” He wasn’t letting her go. Not this time.

  Not ever.

  “I’ll try Yates again.” He pulled out his phone and winced when he saw several missed messages. The sound of a helicopter grew louder, and he lifted his head to the sky, unsurprised to see a black chopper with the FBI logo stamped on it landing in the parking lot of the amusement park.

  “I’m sure that’s Clarence Yates.” He smiled wearily at Diana and Bryn. “We have a few loose ends to tie up here.”

  “Jordan?” Diana surprised him by drawing him down for a kiss. He hauled her close, uncaring that their daughter was grinning at them with a knowing look. When they broke apart to breathe, he had to find a way to draw his scattered thoughts together. “I love you,” Diana said before he could speak. “And we choose to stay with you, right, Bryn?”

  “Right,” Bryn said with an enthusiastic nod. “Cause you’re the best at keeping us safe.”

  It hurt a bit to know how much fear his daughter had faced since this nightmare began, and he silently vowed to do whatever was necessary to help her get through this. “I love you, Bryn.”

  “I love you, too, Daddy.” Bryn wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned against him.

  With the two women he loved the most on either side of him, he waited for Clarence Yates to approach. “Sir? We have Slater in custody along with Fadia Mustaf, Ahmed’s sister. We have reason to believe Fadia has orchestrated her brother’s release and undermined her husband Tariq with this terrorist attack while disguised as a man. This park and all the others in the area need to stay closed until the K-9 team finds and locates all the bombs, although we have two of them so far.”

  “Is that so?” Yates offered a rare grin. “Well, Ahmed Mustaf never made it out of the country, we captured him on a private plane in Richmond. This has been a good day all around.”

  “A good day for Security Specialists, Incorporated too,” Sun said, joining them.

  “Yes.” Yates sobered. “Thanks, Jordan and Sun. There are several threads we’ll need to tie up, but you did very good work here. Our country owes you a great debt for the service you provided today.”

  “That reminds me.” Jordan gestured to where Elam and Meira were standing. “Elam and Meira Nagi need immunity and new identities. We wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without them.” He glanced at Bryn. “I’ll fill you in later in more detail on the roles Diana Phillips and our daughter Bryn played in all of this, but Meira and Elam rescued my daughter. Helping them is the least we can do.”

  “I don’t have a problem with that.” Yates stared for a moment at Diana and Bryn, then swept his gaze over the amusement park. “Kids,” he muttered, shaking his head with disbelief. “It’s so wrong they targeted kids. I’m glad you were able to prevent this tragedy.”

  “Me too.” He glanced at Diana and Bryn, humbled to know he had a future with them.

  The family God had returned to him.

  Dear Reader

  I hope you enjoyed Target For Ransom, the second book in the Security Specialists, Inc. series. I had a great time writing Jordan, Diana, and Bryn’s story, and my goal was to make this book full of action and suspense. I had the wonderful opportunity to tour the FBI and the CIA a few years ago while in Washington, DC, and learned from them how important knowing foreign languages, such as Farsi and Russian, were to the security of our nation. From that moment, the idea for Security Specialists, Inc. was born.

  I’m blessed to have such wonderful readers like you! As you know, reviews are very important to authors, and I would very much appreciate you taking the time to leave a review from the vendor where you purchased the book.

  If you’re wondering about Sun’s story, I’m working hard on her story and have included the first chapter for you to preview. I’ll provide updates on my website, newsletter, and Facebook as to when Target For Revenge might be available.

  Lastly, I adore hearing from my readers! I can be contacted through my website at https://laurascottbooks.com. Also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/laurascottbooks/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/laurascottbooks. Lastly, please take a moment to sign up for my newsletter, not only do I provide new release information but I offer a free novella exclusive to all subscribers. This free book is not available for purchase on any platform.

  Until next time,

  Laura Scott

  Target For Revenge

  Chapter One

  * * *

  January 18 – 7:04 p.m. – Washington, DC

  “You’re up to your pretty eyeballs in danger.”

  A deep voice from the shadows sent Sun Yin into instant attack mode. She executed a roundhouse kick, aiming high and hitting her mark. A muffled oomph gave her a surge of satisfaction. She danced to the side and kicked again, only this time her foot was deflected away, sending her off-balance. With the grace of a ballet dancer, she spun and found her center before striking again, determined to neutralize the threat.

  “Sun! It’s me, Mack.”

  His words came a second too late, her next kick hit him square in the chest. He grunted but didn’t strike back, although if the man in the shadows really was Mack Remington, he could have easily held his own against her.

  “Stop already! I didn’t come here to hurt you.”

  She went still, every sense on alert. It was impossible to see his face clearly in the darkness. If he hadn’t come to harm her, why was he lurking in the shadows outside her house? “Where did we meet?”

  “The Mensa roundtable in Geneva, Switzerland.”

  Sun let out a deep breath and relaxed her guard. No one knew the details of her Mensa group meetings, except those who were there. “Why hide in the shadows? I could have killed you.”
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  “Yeah, right.” He stepped forward, revealing his tall, broad-shouldered frame and light blond hair. He dismissed her assertion with a wave of his hand. “We’ve sparred too many times for you to beat me. I know your tricks.”

  They’d often fought as teens, verbally and physically, so there was an element of truth to his statement. She stared at him, trying to understand why Mack was here in Washington, DC. The last time she’d seen him was more than five years ago, at her last Mensa roundtable. They’d practically grown up together in the Mensa school they’d both attended, until they’d gone their separate ways.

  “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Mack asked.

  “No.” She and Mack had spent more time fighting than getting along, and she was in the middle of a case. She wasn’t in the mood for a trip down memory lane. “Why are you here? What makes you think I’m in danger?” She didn’t point out that her job with Security Specialists, Inc. put her in danger every single day.

  “Sun, please. Let’s go inside.” Mack glanced around the area. It was dark and cold, a hint of December snow in the air. “We need to talk.”

  She didn’t move. “About what?”

  He blew out his breath, a puff of smoke forming in the crisp air. “You’re being targeted. Someone is going to great lengths to find you.”

  A shiver of apprehension shimmied down her spine. “How do you know?”

  “Because they found and attacked me.” Mack’s voice turned grim. “Thankfully, I managed to get away relatively unscathed. They underestimated my martial arts training. I came here to warn you.”

  “You played into their hand,” Sun said in a rare spurt of anger. “You led them straight to me.”

  “No, I did not. Give me a little credit, will you? I took precautions to avoid being followed.”

  She didn’t believe him. Oh, sure, he’d tried his best not to be followed, but Mack wasn’t an undercover operative the way she was. Her current role within Security Specialists, Inc. had taught her a lot about staying under the radar.

  “Thanks for the warning.” She was anxious for him to leave. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  When she moved toward the door, he caught her arm. She could feel the heat of his hand through the sleeve of her coat. It took all her willpower not to toss him over her shoulder like a bag of bricks.

  “Sun, please. I’m worried about you.” Mack hesitated, then added, “I think they’re searching for your mother.”

  Her heart stopped, her breath froze in her chest. Her mother escaped North Korea long ago. But the current regime maintained lengthy memories and did not tolerate defectors.

  If there was the slightest possibility her mother was in danger, Sun needed to be prepared. “Come inside, then.”

  “Gee, thanks.” Mack’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on her, but she ignored it.

  Moving quickly now, she unlocked the door and went inside, Mack following close behind her. As always, she did a quick sweep of her house, looking for anything that may have been disturbed.

  Paranoid? Maybe, but if Mack was telling the truth, there was good reason to be. Returning to the kitchen, she flipped on a light and faced Mack.

  Oddly enough, he looked older, wiser, and more muscular than she remembered. In her mind, he was always the pesky kid who constantly nagged her. Kind of like an older brother she didn’t have.

  The way her pulse kicked up proved she wasn’t as immune to him as she’d have liked. Brother, remember? She needed to keep him firmly in the annoying friend bucket. Steeling her resolve, she tipped her chin. “Start at the beginning.”

  Mack pulled out a chair and sat, rubbing the center of his chest where one of her kicks had landed. “You’ve been practicing.”

  She stared up at the ceiling for a moment, praying for patience. “If you’re not going to tell me what you know, then leave. I’ll figure it out on my own.”

  “Still stubborn, aren’t you?” Mack offered a crooked smile. “I’ve missed your sass.” When she scowled, he went on. “I was in Central Park, New York, when two men attacked me. They held me in place, punching and hitting me as they demanded to know where you were. I didn’t fight back right away because I wanted to know what they wanted. They used your full name, Sun Yin-lee. When I got as much information as I could, I fought back and got away. Still, I heard enough of their personal conversation to be concerned.”

  “Like what?” Intrigued, Sun dropped into a seat across from him.

  “They mentioned a traitor going by the name of Hana Yin-lee.” Mack’s expression turned serious. “I remembered you mentioning your mother’s name was Hana.”

  “Yes.” Her voice sounded faint, and she worked hard not to show her deep visceral reaction to the news. “What language were they speaking?”

  “A North Korean dialect.” Mack leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “This is serious stuff, Sun. They’re seeking revenge.”

  The knot of fear in her stomach tightened. “Revenge against my mother? Or me?”

  “I don’t know,” Mack admitted. “Likely both. This must have something to do with those who are devoted to Kim Jong-un.”

  Her stomach tightened to the point she felt sick. Kim Jong-un was known to be a brutal dictator when it came to finding and executing those he considered traitors. He had no qualms about doing so, even boasting about killing members of his family.

  Living here, halfway across the globe in the United States of America, wouldn’t protect her if Kim Jong-un wanted her or her mother dead.

  “I need to warn her of the danger,” Sun murmured, thinking fast. She hadn’t seen her mother in years, on purpose to keep her safe. The timing couldn’t be worse as the FBI had hired Security Specialists, Inc. to find intel on a potential nuclear threat coming from North Korea.

  A coincidence? She didn’t believe in them.

  “I agree,” Mack said. “When do we leave?”

  “We?” She gaped at him in surprise, momentarily forgetting he was there. “This is my problem, not yours.”

  “Wrong answer.” Mack’s expression tightened, and for the first time, she realized how far he’d come from the prankster he’d once been. He was only two years older but looked very much like a man determined to do what he felt was best. “I was attacked, Sun, which means we’re in this together.”

  Every instinct in her body rebelled against the idea of teaming up with Mack, but there was no denying that he was in danger too.

  Because of her.

  And the regime’s insatiable thirst for revenge.