Page 7 of Fear No Evil

She sent the silver-haired, rather hefty man a practiced smile, withholding her hand lest he guessed how nervous she was. “Only over conference calls. How do you do, sir?”

“Good to see you again, Maggie.”

Gordon gestured next to a slim gentleman with a hooked nose, dark hair and eyes. “This is Charles du Lac, assistant director of the Department of Peace Operations overseen by the United Nations Secretariat. At least that’s his cover. Charles is with DGSE, the French Secret Service.”

“Enchanté.”The Frenchman held out his hand, forcing Maggie to touch her damp palm to his. He clasped her hand firmly. “I hear you went to school in Paris for a time, mademoiselle.”

“Yes.” She waited for Jake to mention he had been there with her, but he did not. “What part of France are you from, sir?”

“Please, call me Charles. I am from La Ville de Fontainebleau.”

Memories of giddy laughter and bone-deep contentment rocked Maggie. It was all she could do not to meet Jake’s eyes to see if he remembered that perfect day when they’d toured the castle and hiked in the nearby forest. “I’ve been to the châteaux there. It’s just lovely.”

Gordon interrupted. “Maggie, this is Navy SEAL Lieutenant Jake Carrigan. He’s a member of our Special Operations Group.”

As Charles released her hand, Maggie faced Jake, expecting him to say that, as a SOG, he’d already rescued her‍—twice. Instead, he just nodded, sketching her the world’s smallest smile.

She nodded stiffly back. “Lieutenant Carrigan.”

The deputy director inserted, “Charles will be working with you two on a special project.”

Oh? Maggie’s heart did a backflip as euphoria tangled with trepidation.I’m working with Jake?

The director gestured toward the briefing table. “Let’s all take a seat, shall we?”

Homing in on the seat near the end of the table, Maggie remained off-kilter when Jake took the chair directly across from her. If she extended her foot, she would touch the toe of his dress shoes‍—size thirteen, unless his feet had grown. Hinton settled into the high-backed swivel chair at the head of the table with Charles and Gordon on either side of him.

The fact that Hinton would be briefing them told Maggie this assignment was top tier. Normally, Gordon supplied her assignments.

After slipping on a pair of silver-framed reading glasses, Hinton regarded Maggie over the top of them. “Ms. Ellis, do you remember Mike Howitz and Jay Barnes? You worked with both men on your first assignment in Colombia.”

Two youngish men who’d worked closely with her on her first assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá came to mind. “Of course.” They’d been like brothers to her, showing her the ropes and making her tour in Bogotá a wonderful experience. Alarm arrowed through her. “Why? What’s happened to them?”

Hinton grimaced. “I’m sorry to say they were both abducted by theFuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombiain March of this year.”

Maggie frowned and glanced at Jake, whose poker face suggested he knew this already. “I thought the FARC disbanded years ago. Wasn’t there a peace agreement with the government, giving them seats in the House and the Senate?” She clearly remembered that happening while she was in college.

“It did.” Hinton tipped his sparse head of hair. “But a handful of dissidents, including the FARC’s second-in-command, fled to the mountains in northeast Colombia, allied themselves with the drug lords there, and have sworn to punish anyone associated with the Havana Accord, which they claim is a fraud. They’re funding themselves with drug sales and ransom money.”

Unbelievable. All that had been accomplished in the peace agreement was for naught. Poor Mike and Jay! What would happen to them?

“Howitz and Barnes were kidnapped right off the streets of Bogotá last spring. Their families have been told to wire five hundred thousand dollars apiece to pay for their release. Of course, the FBI has asked them not to pay a cent and tolet intermediaries negotiate for their loved ones’ release. That’s where you two come in.”

Finding her mouth hanging open, Maggie clicked her teeth together.

“The UN’s Department of Peace Operations is sponsoring a team to spearhead negotiations for their release.” Hinton gestured toward the Frenchman. “Mr. du Lac is a member of said team. Other volunteers include the lead negotiator, who is German, as well as an Italian, a Turk, and a French couple.” His gaze went to Maggie, then Jake. “That’s going to be your cover.”

Maggie’s blood pressure spiked. Wait, acouple? And Jake, a Frenchman? His French hadn’t been all that good twelve years ago.

Gordon seemed to read her mind. “Lieutenant Carrigan has just completed an advanced language course at The Farm. Moreover, we have a liaison agreement with the French Secret Service, who are the only folks who’ll know your true identities.”

Charles, Maggie’s CIA equivalent, sent her an encouraging smile.

“Here’s the cruncher.” The deputy director laid a pudgy hand over the documents in front of him. “We don’t have much time to prepare. You’ll need to fly to Bogotá on Monday.”

Monday! So no returning to her office in Langley next week. Maggie’s relief faltered. She’d better be ready for this. What’s more, she’d be working withJake, who would be posing as herhusband. Was this someone’s idea of a practical joke?

Gordon cleared his throat. “This being a humanitarian mission, Maggie, you won’t be able to carry any weapons or any overt communication devices of any kind.” His chocolate-brown eyes conveyed apology. He, of course, was well aware of her diagnosis.

---