CHAPTER 21
After breakfast with Nolan, Teren wanted to see Farida and check in with her hardworking office staff. Her knees were painful, but the more she walked and moved around, the less stiff they became. It was a small price to pay for her freedom. The morning was warming up, the sky cloudless, the shafts of sunlight flowing strongly across the ruffling grass of the flat land around them. Kitra throbbed with life, everyone had finished breakfast and gone to their respective places of work or schooling.
Teren loved the pulsating energy of this place, but today she appreciated it as never before. Nolan accompanied her to Farida’s office in the admin building and stayed in the background. Everyone in the building had heard that Teren had just arrived and soon, the huge office was filled with well-wishers and Teren’s friends. Laughter rang in the air, her friends hugged her, and there were a lot of tears of relief that she was alive and safe. Nolan began to understand the family atmosphere of Kitra as never before, because clearly, Teren was part of the fabric of this place. She cried with her friends and Nolan wanted to comfort her, but he realized Teren’s friends were her spiritual family, supporting her through this experience, giving their love to her. This morning over breakfast in her duplex, Nolan learned that she was rarely in touch with her real family in Kentucky. She sent them an email every three months or so, somewhat impersonal, just letting them know she was happy where she was.
When Ayman entered the noisy, joyful office, he spotted Nolan and nodded, then crooked a finger, asking Nolan to come with him. Teren was safe here, so Nolan left and met the security officer out in the highly polished hall.
“What’s up?” Nolan asked. He saw that Ayman’s face was filled with concern.
“I just got off the satellite phone with Tal over at Artemis,” he said. “Their security people have been in touch with the CIA. They’re picking up cell phone chatter out of Pakistan about Enver Uzan.”
Scowling, Nolan leaned against the metal lockers alongside the wall, arms across his chest, studying Ayman. “What kind of chatter?”
Shrugging, Ayman said, “Tal didn’t tell me her sources, but I’ve put it together. Zakir Sharan is monitored by U.S. satellites passing overhead. Every time he uses a cell phone, it’s picked up. For whatever reason, he didn’t use an encrypted one this time and the CIA picked him up talking to someone in Khartoum. The man he talked to is another officer with al-Qaeda. The CIA is running intel on him to see what they have in their database on him right now.”
“What’s the bottom line?” Nolan demanded, not liking the situation.
Ayman rubbed his jaw, giving him a worried look. “Sharan has figured out that Uzan is dead or missing in action. It’s likely he’s sent a second officer to go after Teren. I’m sorry. It’s not to be unexpected under the circumstances. Sharan still wants to go after her.”
“Sonofabitch!” Nolan allowed his arms to fall to his sides as he glared over at Ayman. “We have to get her out of here, then. He’s focused on her as a way to make a statement about Kitra and the other Delos charities in Sudan.”
“Right. Tal came to that same conclusion,” Ayman murmured. He sighed. “They want Teren back on U.S. soil, Nolan. They’re ordering her home. I’m sure when she goes to look at her emails in her office, she’ll find that order. Tal is sending a company jet right now to Khartoum’s airport. They want her out of this country as soon as possible. They want to remove the threat from Teren, as well as from Kitra.”
Clenching his teeth, Nolan knew this news would shatter Teren. This was her home. Her family. “This is going to be hard on her.”
“I know,” Ayman murmured, reaching out, patting his shoulder. “We’ll miss her as much as she’ll miss us. But Tal is right: Teren’s life is in jeopardy if she continues to remain here. Sharan isn’t going to stop trying to get to her. He sees her as a symbol, a soft target, easy to go after. Kitra is too well fortified, and he knows that. He’ll never be able to breach our walls or destroy what is here. But he can go after a lone American woman because she’s constantly outside Kitra’s walls helping medical teams in the nearby villages.”
Anger moved through Nolan along with frustration. “All right,” he growled. “Let her be with her friends for right now and I’ll tell her later.”
“Bring Teren to my office after that, please. She is like a daughter to me and my family. I think she will listen to me about the seriousness of this situation, when she might hope to convince someone here at Kitra to allow her to stay. She won’t want to hear this news, but I can impress it upon her. Better that it comes from me than from you.”
Sadness moved through Nolan. Their love was barely taking hold with one another, and now this. “You’re right. I was hoping against hope that with Uzan killed, Sharan might move on. But I figured he’d send another assassin to go after her, too. I didn’t want to go there, but here it is…”
Grimly, Ayman said, “He’s a man on a mission. He’s fixated.”
“Does Tal think Sharan will move his focus elsewhere if Teren is gone?”
Nodding, he said, “Yes, but then it becomes a scramble to find who he’s going to target next. It’s clear from the conversation the CIA taped that he wants an American man or woman working at a Delos charity. He wants to set an example. We have two other charities here in Sudan, and both have an American working with them. They could become his next targets of opportunity.”
“My thoughts also,” Nolan growled.
“No one is sure yet what target Sharan will choose or who he is going to focus on after Teren is removed from Kitra. It’s a constant worry. Wyatt is convening a high-level meeting with the NSA and CIA over at Langley right now. They’re putting all the scraps of intel and cell phone calls together, trying to figure out where Sharan might focus his hatred and attack next.”
“But the only clear piece of intel,” Nolan said, “is that Sharan is going to go after a U.S. citizen who works for Delos. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Ayman said, unhappy. “As you know, Tal and Matt killed both his sons in Afghanistan. So, from what I can see, Sharan is focused on anyone who is a U.S. citizen and works for a Delos charity. It’s just a question of where he will strike next.”
Shaking his head, Nolan muttered, “That puts Delos in a helluva bind.”
“I’ve worked with Dilara Culver, who runs Delos from their headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, for many years, Nolan. She’s the sweetest, kindest, and most generous person I have ever met. She helped build Kitra into what it’s become today. She hired me and my soldiers, putting out a lot of money to ensure that this place would be safe for those who need help and support.” Ayman shook his head. “I hate to see that it’s come to this. Sharan’s sons were evil. They were in no way Muslims. One was an opium warlord, the other dealt in kidnapping women and children and selling them into the global sex-trafficking trade.”
“Like father, like sons,” Nolan ground out.
“Yes. The planet is better off without their kind. But now, Sharan believes in an eye-for-an-eye revenge, and he’s sworn a lifelong vendetta against Delos charities around the world. He won’t give up. He’s one of the richest men in the world. He’s got the money. He can hire anyone, and he’s already got a replacement in Khartoum to go after a new target of opportunity. Again.”
Aching for Teren, Nolan rasped, “She doesn’t need this on top of just surviving that kidnapping, Ayman. It’s going to total her. You know that.”
Patting Nolan’s arm, he said gently, “Yes, and that’s why you must bring Teren to my office. This can’t wait…and she will have your support. You will help her through this.”
*
Teren wiped her eyes and gave Nolan a tender look as she walked with him down the hall toward Ayman’s office. “It’s so wonderful to see everyone again. When I was in that Land Rover, I kept thinking I’d never see you to tell you I loved you and that I’d never see anyone here at Kitra again, either.”
Nolan squeezed her hand and then released it, his heart heavy with sadness for Teren. She didn’t know what was coming, and he knew it would devastate her further. “They love you and you love them, Teren.”
“It’s so good to be back home…”
He heard the quaver in her voice and winced inwardly. Maybe it was better that Ayman tell her how her life was going to change in the next twenty-four hours. Nolan wanted to protect Teren from the new unexpected shock, but there wasn’t any way around it. He slowed his stride, pushing open Ayman’s partially opened door.
Teren smiled as she entered Ayman’s office. “Come here,” she said, opening her arms. “I just need to hug you, Uncle.”
Nolan quietly closed the door, watching Teren squeeze Ayman breathless. He knew how much of a part this man had played in her new, positive, healthy life. He was like a much-loved uncle she’d never had, but one that she needed. There was affection shining in Ayman’s dark eyes as he walked her to one of the two chairs in front of his large, wooden desk.
“Have a seat, child,” he said. Ayman gestured to Nolan to come and sit next to her.
“It’s just so good to be home,” Teren bubbled, crossing her legs, her hands in her lap, smiling at Ayman as he sat down.
“And we’re relieved you are back here with us,” Ayman told her. He became somber, opening his hands on the desk, looking into Teren’s dancing gray eyes. “Teren, we’ve learned of some new and very disturbing developments, and you need to be aware of them,” he began in a deep, gentle tone.
Nolan watched Teren’s face lose color, her eyes widening, and he felt the shock emanating from her as Ayman quietly went over the CIA information with her. Her fingers dug into the arms of the chair where she sat, and he saw the fine tension leap through her. She sat forward a little more, her shoulders drawing upward. Damn it, this wasn’t fair to her. She was barely over being kidnapped and nearly killed. At one point, she turned and looked at him after Ayman had finished.
“Is this threat real, Nolan?”
His mouth twisted. Reaching out, he placed his hand over her arm. “It’s very real, Teren. It’s not something that can be ignored.”
“B-but,” Teren stammered, looking toward Ayman’s set expression, “what does this mean? Is Kitra a target again?”
“It will be if you don’t leave,” Ayman said gently. “No one wants this, but you’ve seen what Sharan is capable of, Teren. As long as you remain at Kitra, we all remain a target.”
“Oh,” she whispered in a strained voice, her hands against her mouth. Tears burned in her eyes. She clung to Ayman’s unhappy gaze, which was filled with regret. Her heart twisted in her chest. “I won’t let Kitra be a target, Uncle. You know that.”
“I knew you would understand, my child,” Ayman said heavily. “It would be like putting your family at risk if you remained. I know how hard this is for you, Teren. You are as much a part of us as we are of you. Kitra has bloomed because you came here with your ideas, your heart, vision, and passion.”
Teren suddenly stood up, unable to remain still. She wrapped her arms around herself, pacing the office in utter turmoil. Nolan’s expression mirrored hers. He knew how much the people of Kitra meant to her heart and soul, and now she had to leave them to protect what she loved so much.
Gulping back tears, Teren tried to think through everything. She finally halted, looking at both men.
“What’s the plan, then? Tal must have one.”
“She does,” Ayman said, and he told her.
Nolan watched Teren blanch, darkness, grief, and shock coming to her eyes when Ayman finished telling her about the plan of action. He eased out of the chair, walking over to her. As he opened his arms, she came to him, and he was never more relieved. Nolan knew that this could have torn apart their fragile love that had just taken root. Instead, Teren went to him and let him hold her tightly. He felt the tension in her, felt her trying to do the right thing for the right reasons. Felt her jamming her tears of grief deep inside, trying to put on a brave face. But Teren wasn’t an operator who could put on a mask and hide how she felt. No, she lived daily on her emotions, every one of them readable to all.
She buried her face against his shoulder. Threading his fingers through her loose hair, Nolan wanted so badly to remove the pain he felt around Teren—but he couldn’t. All he could do was be there for her. After nearly dying, she was now being ripped away from the family she loved. Nolan couldn’t think of anything worse than what was happening to her right now. It was a death of another sort—and equally devastating.
Ayman slowly stood up and walked around his desk. He came and placed his hand on Teren’s sunken shoulder. “There is much hope here, Teren, even though you haven’t seen it yet. Come and sit down. There’s more, and it is good news for you.”
Nolan didn’t know what he was talking about but eased Teren out of his arms, walking her over to the chairs. He saw the anguish in her eyes.
Sitting tensely, Teren asked, “What else, Uncle?”
“Tal wants to offer you a job at Artemis, their security company. The umbrella company is Delos. She wants to offer you a position in their IT department. The website for Kitra’s store is something she wants for every Delos charity around the world. She wants you to head up that department. You would work under Alexa, her younger sister, who runs the school program. They took your vision for Kitra, and now they want to maximize it for all the other charities. It’s a good thing, Teren. You can do it safely while living in the U.S., and you’d be spreading your vision of the Internet store globally to all the other Delos charities. A store will increase the livelihood of people around the world, wherever a Delos charity is located. They’ll have money to buy more food for their families and it will also give the women of each family a way to make a living. It’s a win-win for everyone, and I think you know that.”
Miserably, Teren nodded. “That’s a wonderful position they’re offering to me,” she admitted, her voice hollow.
“And,” Ayman added, giving her a gentle smile, “we will always be in touch with you by Skype, Teren. We have that facility here. We can call you up anytime and see how you are doing—and we will want you to call us, too.”
Right now, Teren was too upset to even think about that, but she knew Ayman was trying his best to help her. “I-I’ll miss all of you so much, Uncle,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
“While you might not be here in body, Teren, in a way, you will always be with us in spirit. Your vision is important. What you’ve achieved here at Kitra you can now duplicate and spread around the world through all the other Delos charities. Think of how many more women, children, and families you will be helping! If you stayed here, that wouldn’t happen. Kitra would continue to thrive, but you’re much more than Kitra. I feel in my heart”—he pressed his hand to his chest—“that Tal really does acknowledge your global vision. And she’s supporting you. You will have your own department. You will have people working beneath you that you’ll train and guide. Good work deserves good support, and Artemis is offering all of that to you.”
She searched Ayman’s long face, heard the love in his voice for her, saw it in his warm gaze as he held hers. “It’s just so much to take in all at once,” she managed to say.
“I know. But as you have told me so many times in the past, when one door closes, another immediately opens up. And this is so, Teren, even for you. Kitra will miss you, but Artemis is opening a door to you that will help so many more people improve the quality of their lives around the world. Isn’t that a worthy cause to pursue?”
She smiled brokenly, tears running down her cheeks. “You’ve been like a wonderful, wise, loving uncle to me, Ayman.”
Tears glittered in his eyes, his mouth compressed. Placing his hand on her shoulder again, he said gruffly, “I will continue to be, if you’ll allow me that honor. You will always be our adopted child, Teren. No matter where in the world you go, you are always in our hearts and minds. We will stay in touch. That, I promise.”
*
The Gulfstream G650, part of Delos’s fleet of aircrafts, spanned the Atlantic Ocean, heading for Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. The Delos fleet had only red and yellow stripes running from nose to tail, down the center of the fuselage, to hint at its identity. The Delos symbol was nowhere in sight. That had been removed from the fleet over a year ago to prevent their planes from being easily identified or targeted precisely because they were Delos-owned jets. Now that Sharan had made a promise to destroy the global charity, security had to ramp up.
Nolan watched Teren sleeping on a leather couch placed along the opposite bulkhead from where he sat. She was covered in a warm wool blanket, her legs drawn up toward her chest. She had cried after boarding the jet at the Khartoum airport. Ayman, Farida, and all her friends had driven there to see her off. The Sudanese were people of the heart, and there were no dry eyes in the terminal. It took everything Nolan had not to cry with them. The amount of love between them and Teren had made him wonder if she would ever get over being torn away from Kitra.
She had clung to Nolan during these last twenty-four hours, adrift and grief-stricken—and he’d held her, been her anchor. He reassured her that she would make wonderful friendships of equal depth at Artemis. Weekly Skype calls to Sudan would be a gentle lifeline for Teren as she adjusted to her new job and new life. Already, Ayman and Farida had promised that they would fly to the U.S. to visit with her, and that helped Teren greatly. It tore Nolan up that her own family was incapable of supporting her at all, but he was also grateful to the Sudanese who loved her fiercely, and that love would not dim with time or space. There was a heart loyalty between them, and it would exist forever.
He looked out the oval window, the dawn rising with the aircraft at max throttle, just under Mach one, heading for the East Coast of the U.S. He’d been on the communications links that the aircraft provided. It had Wi-Fi, an encrypted satellite phone, and the latest electronic security.
Nolan had asked Wyatt to get someone to his farmhouse, and get it cleaned up and welcoming for him and Teren. It would be her new home, he hoped. Nolan knew her heart wouldn’t be focused on the farmhouse he’d bought because there was too much grief and loss for her to work through right now. But he wanted to make a home for her—a place where she could feel safe and thrive as never before. He silently promised her that even though he’d never said the words out loud.
Looking out the window of the jet, he saw the dark green of the Atlantic thirty-five thousand feet below where they flew. He saw the whitecaps, the long rows of waves moving relentlessly to some unseen destination.
Sharan was like that—an evil blot on Delos, relentless in pursuing his revenge against them. And any American working for Delos was a potential target. No one could have guessed this would happen.
The world was in an insanity spiral as far as Nolan was concerned, and darkness and evil were flourishing more and more daily. At Delos, they were going to be confronting it head-on. And thankfully, those who owned Delos were billionaires from their container shipping businesses across the globe, so they could afford to ratchet up the security of Artemus, hire the right people, and watch out for their enemies who were determined to make sure Delos wouldn’t survive.
Moving stiffly in the comfortable leather chair, Nolan found peace by gazing at Teren’s sleeping features. Her hair was caught up in a long barrette at the back of her head. She was on the wings of sleep, and for that, Nolan was grateful. He’d already talked to Tal and Wyatt about her physical and emotional state, and they understood. When a Delos limousine picked them up at the airport, they would be taken directly to his farmhouse in the country. It was peaceful and quiet—the perfect place to help her adapt to this sudden change in her life.
Nolan knew that eventually Teren would adjust. She would come to realize her life was her own once more and she wouldn’t have to keep looking over her shoulder, wondering when she’d be kidnapped again by one of Sharan or Rasari’s minions. She would create a new family within Artemis, because they really were a family company, not one of those heartless global corporations that cared nothing for the humans who worked for them.
Teren would have Nolan there, to listen to her, to hold her when she wept, to show her the beauty of this new life they could create together. Nolan believed their love would survive this and was going to fight for both of them to give it a chance. He didn’t question Teren’s love for him; he knew it was there.
Nolan held on to this hope because Teren reached for him when things got bad. She trusted him above all else.
Teren knew about the Culver family history, but he did, primarily through Matt Culver, who had been an Army Delta Force operator like him. They’d served together in Afghanistan, and sometimes his team would work either directly or indirectly with Matt’s team. Nolan had been able to share this with Teren, and he’d seen some hint of interest when he told her much more about them. He emphasized that they were a tight family, just like her family at Kitra. Then he’d seen a glimmer of hope come to Teren’s eyes. Heartened, he’d told her about Tal and Alexa, the women of the family. He filled her in on Dilara and Robert Culver, the parents of these children who ran Artemis. And Nolan had seen more hope grow in Teren’s desolate expression. More than anything, he’d tried to build the vision that she was moving from one loving family to another. Here, too, she would be a loved, respected family member, embraced and welcomed, just as she had been at Kitra.
She’d already told him on the flight that when she came back to the States, she would not go back to Kentucky to visit her family. It would just reopen that wound from the past that had never healed between them. Nolan agreed with her. They’d only want Teren back if she’d throw away who she was to fit their idea of who she should be. That wouldn’t happen.
Teren wasn’t even sure she would let them know she’d returned stateside, such was the depth of the wound within her. Nolan acquiesced to whatever she wanted to do about it. In the future, he hoped that some kind of bridge between them might be rebuilt. But he wasn’t sure. And neither was Teren. Her family, her real one, was back in Kitra. It was up to him to build her another family of equal love and caring here in Virginia.
And there was nothing Nolan wanted more.