Page 144 of Protecting You

“Who do you think got you involved in all of this?”

And there it was. The phone call Callan had received, the odd tip sending him to that restaurant the other night. The person who’d worked so hard to disguise his voice.

Alyssa’s father.

“Up until we got here, I didn’t have a clue. Why me?”

“Because you and she went to college together. Because I thought you were smart and quick on your feet. I thought you’d protect her.”

“That’s what I’ve done. That’s what I’m still trying to do.”

“Let me rephrase.” Gavin hadn’t so much as leaned away. “Protectallof her. From evil. From terrorists. That’s what I expected. Not for you to take advantage of her.”

“I didn’t.” He worked hard to keep his voice from rising. “I wouldn’t. And consideringyou’rethe one who got us into this?—”

“Not me. I’m the one trying to get you out of it. Without getting my daughter’s heart trampled to pieces in the process.”

“It’s all for show.”

Now, it was Gavin’s turn to press his lips closed.

And okay, fine. It hadn’tallbeen for show. He didn’t know about Alyssa, but his heart was definitely involved.

“Inasmuch as I’m enjoying our little showdown,sir,a woman and a child are out there—my daughter and yours—and they need protection.” Callan settled in the leather chair where he could keep one eye on Alyssa and Peri, nodding to the chair on the opposite side of the desk. “It’s time for you to tell me everything.”

The man glared a few more seconds, then plopped himself down. “You first.”

“Uh-uh. You started this circus. I want to know how you knew Alyssa was meeting with Ghazi. I want to know why you sucked me into it. I want to know everything you know.” He made a show of looking at his watch—a fairly decent brand that looked cheap compared to the one on the other man’s wrist. “And try to make it quick.”

He was pushing it, but he couldn’t let Gavin intimidate him.Start how you mean to go on. That was what Dad always told him. If he backed down now, he’d be cowering forever.

Not that it mattered. It wasn’t as if Gavin was going to be his father-in-law. But he needed the man’s respect.

He expected Gavin’s face to flush with anger, so the smile surprised him. “I’m trying to like you, Callan. I didn’t know about the kid. She’s your daughter?”

“She is. My parents were taking care of her, but my father really did have a heart attack. I was in a bind. I’d have done anything to protect her from this, but we didn’t have time to make arrangements. I ran out of options.”

“If you’d called me, I’d have found a suitable babysitter.”

“If I’d known who you were when you got me involved, I might have considered it. Why didn’t you identify yourself?”

Gavin lowered his elbows to the desk and tented his fingers. “Dariush Ghazi is a very dangerous man. I needed to make sure Alyssa was safe.”

Not an answer, but Callan didn’t push it. “How did you know they were meeting?”

“I got a tip from an old friend at another agency gathering intel on Ghazi. She told me Alyssa’s name had come up in a conversation and related the date and time of their meeting.”

“Why not just call Alyssa and tell her not to go?”

“I wasn’t supposed to know about it.”

“She’s your daughter. You think she’d turn you in?”

“I heard you were a decent agent, Templeton. If you were Ghazi, working with the daughter of a spy—and make no mistake, he targeted her for a reason—don’t you think you'd have found a way to tap her phone? I had exactly one hour before the meeting, not enough time to get to the city and protect her myself. Not another way to reach her without trusting someone else, and I had no idea who I could trust.”

“So you sent me.”

“I sent an old friend of hers who Ithoughtwould protect her.”

---