Garrett headed for his vehicle just as his phone rang. It was Mac. “One of our guys spotted a white van outside a medical supply place on Parker Road.”

“What’s the address?” Garrett asked.

“Twelve twenty-nine.”

“I’m on my way.”

Garrett floored the accelerator and moved in the direction of the location. He punched in the destination as he drove. It didn’t take long for him to arrive on the scene. He spotted the other agent’s car and pulled up behind it.

Parked on the windowless side of the white cinderblock building, he got out and greeted the two other agents. “What do you have?”

“This van pulled up about ten minutes ago. We’re not sure if it’s a regular pick up or if it’s El Hashem’s men. The vehicle matches the description of the one used to kidnap Dr. Kingston.”

Falcon agents Calvin Harrington and Steve Grey remained in the car.

“Let’s wait for them to come out and we’ll follow. If we go in guns blazing I’m afraid we might not be able to learn where they’re holding the doctor.”

“Agreed,” said Harrington, a ten-year veteran agent. “We’ll take the lead. You stay close behind in case we have to switch off.”

Garrett looked at the building. “If there is any chance they’ve spotted us, pull away. I don’t want to endanger Dr. Kingston.”

“Yeah, if they suspect anything, they won’t lead us to her location.” Harrington agreed.

“Right.”

From their vantage point, they saw the men head for the truck, arms loaded with bags. “Looks like they got what they wanted,” Grey said. “Hopefully they won’t have to make a second stop.”

“Let’s get going,” Garrett said. “Stay alert.”

He jumped back into his vehicle and waited for the other agents to pull in behind the van. Then, after a short wait he vacated the parking space and followed.

He stayed further back, this way if the lead car peeled off, he could move up front and they could come back around behind him.

They went about two blocks then came to a stop sign. The lead car turned left, and Garrett went right. He’d circle around and come back behind them a few blocks up ahead.

Less than a mile away, the van stopped, opened a garage to a small house, and pulled inside. Since he hadn’t gotten a good look at the men inside the suspect vehicle, Garrett couldn’t be sure if these were the kidnappers or if he’d wasted his time.

Harrington and Grey parked down the street and Garrett turned at the corner before the house. He took out his phone and called Mac. When he answered, Garrett asked, “Who owns the building at four two nine South Mitchem Road?”

“Hold on.”

In seconds Mac’s voice traveled through the phone. “A corporation named Amir Unlimited. It appears the owner doesn’t live there. It says he’s a resident of Yemen.”

“That’s where the van pulled in. I think we might’ve found where they’re holding Haley.”

“Be careful. We have no idea how many men are in there. Let me get Tony to use his connections with the FBI to see if he can get the infrared heat detector. At least you’ll know what you’re up against.”

“Okay, but make it fast. We have no idea what’s going on in there.”

“I’m on it.”

Garrett waited for what felt like hours before his phone rang. It was Mac again. “According to Tony’s information, there are ten people in the building. The drone is limited and couldn’t distinguish anything other than that.”

“Okay, I have Harrington and Grey with me. We’re going in.”

“Be careful. You might be smart to wait and see if I can move a few more guys for backup.”

“I’ve waited long enough. We have to get her out of there.”

“Okay, contact me once she’s secure.”

He left the vehicle and met up with the other agents. “You take the front, Grey. Harrington and I will go around the back.”

“Okay,” Harrington said with a nod. “But remember, we don’t have a warrant.”

“They don’t know that,” Garrett said, trying to control the tempo of his racing heart. “And if they have the doctor it won’t matter.” He took out his gun. “Keep your earpiece in and I’ll tell you when to breach.”

The many ops he’d carried out as a SEAL automatically kicked Garrett’s body into military mode. How many times had he been sent in with his team to secure a hostage? More than he cared to count. SEALs never kept count. They just did their jobs.

He carefully rounded the corner and moved to the right. There was a window on that side of the building, but it was too grimy to see inside. So, he put his ear against the frame and listened.

Only a few muffled voices penetrated the barrier. They all appeared male, but with the low quality of sound he had no way to be sure. He dipped under the window and continued to the back door. There he waited, controlling his breathing.

Once he kicked in the backdoor, all hell would break loose. If there were ten people inside the house, he guessed at least eight were armed. That could be dangerous if Haley was, in fact, inside. Stray bullets had no targets and tended to be deadly.

With Harrington ten feet behind him, Garrett came to the next window and managed to see inside, beneath a sliver of light where the curtain didn’t cover completely. He squinted to focus better.

Haley sat tied to a chair, alone, in a small cluttered room. Fury at seeing her so helpless made his heart stop and then race with adrenaline, but he held strong. He knew what needed to be done.

He took out his Ka-Bar knife and went to work on the bottom edge of the windowsill. When it didn’t immediately give, he assumed it had either been painted or nailed shut. From the exterior, he surmised this might be a terrorist safe house.

He squinted through the dirty glass, unable to see if she was alone or not. No one appeared in sight, but that didn’t mean much. Anxious, he wanted to let her know about his presence and that he planned to get her out safely.

Harrington came up beside him. “I wouldn’t do anything to draw her attention. You can’t see the door from here. Someone is probably watching her.”

Harrington was right, and Garrett refused to blow the one chance he had to save her. “What do you suggest?” Garrett whispered. “It’s not like we can go knock on the front door.” He pressed his back against the siding and slid down. “She won’t operate in that room. They’ll probably be taking her to El Hashem soon. We have to make a move.”

“I agree.” Harrington pressed his earpiece. “Meet us at the north side of the house. We’ve found the room she’s in.”

Grey came into view and they all squatted close to the ground to make a plan. A distraction would be nice about now. “I’m calling in the police,” Garrett said. “Just to have them make their presence known.”

“That could tighten their security,” Harrington warned. “If they don’t already have a man watching the doc, a cop might do the trick.”

“That’s not what we want.”

A bump came from the house. Than another. The three men exchanged confusing glances. “What’s that?” Grey asked.

Then it happened again. Garrett eased up to take a quick glance inside. It appeared Haley was scooting the chair closer to the window. Did she know they were there, or was she trying to save herself? Both were dangerous.

He tapped lightly on the window. She stilled immediately and struggled to look behind her to see where the noise came from. It stood to reason, if she dared to move her chair around, then no one inside was watching her that closely...for now.

Again, he tried to pry the window open, but it refused to budge. Then the three men tried pushing, but they didn’t make any progress.

“We have to get inside,” Grey chanced another peek into the room. “Even if we get the window open, someone has to go in there and untie her. We can’t pull the chair out because the opening is too small.”

“And the window is too high,” Harrington added.

“Well,” Garrett growled, “I’m not leaving her in there. For all we know El Hashem could die any moment and her usefulness comes to an abrupt end.”

“We have to find another way into the building,” Grey looked around. “And we don’t really have time to call the fire department for a glass cutter.”

Garrett could hardly stand Haley being so close and yet so far away. Almost unreachable while just a few feet from him. How on earth could he manage this?

“Either of you have your Ka-Bar knives?”

“We both never leave home without them,” They both said.

“Let’s pry this open at the same time. Grey, you take the right, Harrington the left, and I’ll be in the middle. All three of us together should be able to get that window open.”

“Let’s give it a try.”

It took some effort to cut through the coats of paint and rotting wood, but soon they were ready. “On my count, lift.”

Several tries later, the window gave and moved up several inches. Garrett shoved hard, but it took all three of them to open the window enough for him to climb in. Once he managed to break into the house, he signaled her to remain silent with a finger against his lips and moved swiftly to get her untied.

Her widening eyes told him that she hadn’t expected him to be her savior and he didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. After cutting her loose, he swept her up and moved to the window where he handed her off to the two men below.

Just as he stuck one leg out, a man burst through the door shouting in Urdu. Garrett didn’t waste any time. He jumped to the ground and they ran for their vehicles.

Taking Haley with him, he secured her in the car and sped away. Grey and Harrington did a U-turn and headed in the opposite direction.

Shots rang out and Garrett shoved Haley’s head into her lap. “Stay down. We’re not out of danger yet.”

Haley’s lungs were practically paralyzed, making it difficult for her to breathe. After they put considerable distance between them and the terrorist safe house, she lifted her head to gaze out the windshield.

She slowly began to relax as the realization that she was free from the terrorists soaked in. Relieved and no longer afraid they might kill her at any moment, Haley fought tears of gratitude.

Glancing at him, she sniffed. “Fancy meeting you here.”

He continued to stare straight ahead, checking the rearview mirror periodically. “Yeah. Small world.”

“I’m glad you showed up. They were going to make me operate on a man named El Hashem. He was their leader in the attempted bombing at the airport.”

“We know that. What condition is El Hashem in? Is he going to make it?”

“Honestly, Garrett? I don’t think surgery, even in the best conditions, can save him. I feel horrible that I left him there to die, but I’m not crazy enough to think I’d walk out of there alive.”

“Good thinking.” He looked over at her, smiled, and then schooled his features. “I’m glad we were able to get you to safety.”

As usual, Garrett didn’t show much emotion. He knew exactly how to disguise his feelings. It proved nothing had changed, but she couldn’t deny her heart wanted to jump out of her chest at simply seeing his face again. She let his deep baritone voice wash over her while simply enjoying his presence.

He remained every bit as handsome as she remembered. Maybe more so, after two years. He still made her heart do strange things and her body cry out to touch him. He had medium length hair, the color a warm autumn brown, that he kept neatly trimmed in a style that required little effort to manage.

His eyes were also brown, but darker, deeper, with tiny golden flecks, and surrounded by lashes long enough to make women envious. Her gaze dropped to his lips and her chest expanded as she inhaled deeply. The heights that mouth could take her were downright sinful and just as delightful.

He, like most Falcon agents, tended to be tall, but some were lean, while other more muscular.

After several minutes, he pulled into a local convenience store, secured a parking space, then killed the engine and turned to her. “You hungry? You had anything to eat or drink lately?”

“I haven’t eaten, but I’m not hungry. Water would be wonderful.”

“Let’s go inside and see if we can’t find you something to snack on until we get on the other side of Baltimore, closer to D.C.”

He exited the car, went around to her side, and opened the door. Always the gentleman. She smiled and mumbled her thanks. Inside, they drew little attention from the other shoppers as they went about their business. She wandered down a few aisles before grabbing a candy bar then moving to the cooler on the back wall.

He had two bottles of water waiting for her. Garrett didn’t shop. When they were in a store or restaurant his eyes constantly surveilled their surroundings until he felt they were safe. She knew he always carried a gun, but she’d never seen him this intense.

“Is that all you want?” she asked, worried that he hadn’t stopped looking for her long enough to eat or drink.

“Yes, I’ll grab something later.”

They cashed out and shoved open the store’s door, he instantly hooked her arm and pulled her back inside. A white van sat in the back of the parking lot.

Had they been followed?

“What is it?” She moved closer to him and saw the van. “Is that them? How did they know we would come here?”

“I don’t know. They might have had an outside lookout.” He led her away from the door. “I’m not sure it’s El Hashem’s men. It could be someone else. Let’s wait and see what happens.”

She clutched his arm. “Garrett, I can’t go back there. If they get their hands on me, they’ll kill me.”

“I won’t let that happen. You’re safe with me.”

“I know that. I’m petrified they were able to follow us. What if they crash inside and innocent people get hurt?”

“Let’s not borrow trouble.” He casually put his arm around her shoulder and moved back toward the coolers. Since they’d paid for their items, he had a plastic bag in his hand. “Stay close and if anything happens there is an exit out the back. Run out and find a place to hide.”

He took out his phone and called Frank. “I have Haley. With ` Harrington and Grey’s help, we were able to get her safely out of the house. We’re about five miles away but it looks like they might have followed us.”

She stood close enough to hear their conversation.

“Where are you?” Garrett’s boss demanded.

“At a convenience store at the corner of Jackson and Parkland.”

“Okay. I’ll have Grey and Harrington turn around and head in your direction. They aren’t far away. Whatever you do, Garrett, don’t let them take her again.”

He glanced down at her and pulled her against his hard body. For the first time since she’d been abducted, she felt safe.

“I’ll make sure of that. She’s not going anywhere.”

El Hashem woke to the sound of his men yelling and doors slamming. He could barely breathe, and his belly was on fire with searing pain. He placed his hand on his mid-section and groaned. He hadn’t meant to, but he seemed to have so little control since he’d been shot.

For the plan to succeed, he had to be strong and stay alive. His men needed direction. He still had strategies to devise and preparations to make. He silently prayed that Allah would be kind and allow him to live long enough to see the mission through.

He had no time to die.

Zareeb briefly managed to lift his head and saw his loyal friend, Mehaza Nagi, come through the door with a glass of water. His parched lips parted, yearning for a sip of the cool liquid. He lifted his hand as Nagi drew closer.

“I’m so thirsty.”

“I hope this will bring you some comfort.”

A familiar odor made Zareeb draw back. It contained the foul medicine that Nagi insisted he take for the pain. It managed to take some of the more persistent agony away, but it also made him drowsy and he needed his wits about him.

Zareeb waved him away. “Get me water. I don’t want any of that now. I’m too thirsty.”

“This will help with that,” Nagi insisted. “It is good for you.”

Anger bubbled up inside Zareeb. Allah had appointed him the leader of the operation and Nagi had no right to order him around. He knew what helped and what did not. “I want a glass of water.” He lifted his finger in the air. “And only water.”

Nagi frowned as he turned and left the room. The argument had robbed Zareeb of all his strength, so he laid back on the cot, exhausted and sweating. He wondered if the time to die was at hand. Did Allah call to him? Could it be his time to leave this miserable life? With the pain so great, he felt ready but knew he had to complete his holy mission.

When his friend returned with a glass of clear liquid, Zareeb waited for him to lift his head so he could drink. Nagi seemed in no hurry to assist him and that caused great concern. Helpless at the moment, worry nagged in the back of his mind and he wondered if Nagi would take advantage of the situation. Injured as he was and no longer a strong, determined leader, Nagi could probably take over easily. Perhaps Nagi mistook him as weak and would use the opportunity to turn the men against him.

After a moment, Nagi smiled and put his hand beneath Zareeb’s head, lifting his mouth to the rim of the glass. “Here my friend, drink your fill.”

Zareeb gulped the water loudly, thankful to Allah for the refreshing and blessed water. His parched throat felt most grateful. When he finished, he waved his hand and his loyal friend lowered his head to the pillow.

“What was all the noise I heard earlier?”

Nagi’s eyes dropped to the floor, unable to look at him. “The doctor escaped.”

Zareeb’s eyes blazed with fury. Now all could be lost, and their journey here would be for nothing. It displeased him that Nagi had allowed Dr. Kingston to escape. It was true that he didn’t want her touching him, but if surgery was their only option then they needed her. They had far greater plans. He turned his head aside. “I’m not pleased you were unable to keep her confined. Bring her back here.”

Nagi’s retort was insolent. “She was the best in the area. Perhaps the only one that could save you, and you were reluctant to allow her to touch you.”

Zareeb dragged in a harsh breath then turned to look at Nagi. “I want her back.”

“Then you are prepared to allow her to perform the surgery?” Nagi asked with a smile. “Thank Allah,” he lifted his eyes and hands towards the heavens. “She’s needed to save your life.” Nagi turned and paced the floor, his hands folded behind his back. “We probably cannot take another doctor. It’s too dangerous. The hospitals are being guarded day and night.

Caution filled Zareeb’s chest. “Do as I say. Get that woman back, no matter the cost, and make certain she is alive.” He averted his gaze. “I will let her do the surgery and then kill her for her arrogance.”

“That is not so easily done. A man who works for Falcon Securities helped her to escape. It’s doubtful we’ll get anywhere close to her now.”

While making plans for the bombing, Zareeb had been cautioned about Falcon agents. They were the biggest obstacle they had to face. Again, and again, people warned him to make sure that the agency didn’t get a hint of what they were up to.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what they’d done. Now the agency had been dragged into their operation. “How could you be so foolish, Nagi. You know, in Syria we were warned not to get involved with those men. They are dangerous to us. Everyone knows that.”

Nagi held out his arms, pleading, his face sad. “I didn’t intentionally do anything. How was I to know they’d send a Falcon agent to take her from us? I didn’t know who took her until Sa’id told me he recognized the agents from a picture he saw in your belongings.”

Zareeb tightened his lips as the pain intensified. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Sa’id is lying. I have no pictures of a Falcon agent.”

“I’m sure you are correct. However, Sa’id claims the picture is of the agent who, many years ago, took that American politician into custody after he was arrested in Saudi Arabia. It was that man who Sa’id pointed out.”

His pain grew to the point he could no longer continue the conversation and he clutched his stomach, moaning, “You must find her and bring her back. We have much to accomplish.”