Page 168 of Protecting You

“As the crow flies, about four miles.”

“What do you know about the island?”

“Nothing. I’m guessing it’s a tourist spot. I sent someone to…”

The door opened, and a police officer stepped in. “Got in touch with the local PD. They told me the island’s abandoned during the off-season. Far as he knows, none of the buildings are winterized.”

Gavin nodded, gazing at the screen again as if looking away might put his daughter in danger. As if watching helped.

“How long has she been there?” Callan asked.

He didn’t look up. “Ten minutes.”

Callan set up his laptop on the dining table and plugged in the thumb drive. He let it do its thing, landing on a page of code, which he scanned quickly. This had nothing to do with drones. This page was related to a personnel database.

Hopefully, nobody Ghazi had watching would realize that.

Callan stared at the black screen, the multicolored text, willing something to happen. Some code to pop up. He was tempted to type something, just to nudge her, let her know he was there.

He sat on his hands, literally, to keep from doing something stupid.

They needed to make a plan.

But for now, they waited and gathered intel and…prayed.

While time moved like sludge through a funnel.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-NINE

“Have you eaten anything, sweetheart?”

Alyssa had only been at the beach house for a few minutes, soothing little Peri and praying silently. As they’d snuggled beneath the comforter, a man had emerged from the hallway. Unlike the others, who were Americans, this one might be Iraqi, or at least Arabic, considering the swarthy skin and dark hair. He’d said something to Ghazi, though the words were too low to make out.

With a glare aimed at Alyssa, Ghazi followed him down the hallway and out of sight.

The video game was muted, the room too quiet with no sounds but the whistle of the wind outside and the ticking of a clock, a whimsical, beachy thing with colorful seashells where the numbers should be.

It was after eight on the longest day in Alyssa’s life. A day that had begun at a secluded house on a lake. What she wouldn’t give to be back at Callan’s childhood home right now. Or pretty much anywhere else in the world.

Peri was still nestled in her arms, and Alyssa reveled in her warmth, in the veryalivenessof her, praying silently, begging God for help.

The child hadn’t responded to Alyssa’s question, so she tried again. “Are you hungry?”

Alyssa worked to keep her voice level despite the tension in the room, which seemed to thicken with every tick of the second hand.

Peri nodded.

Alyssa met the eyes of the man sitting closest, the one who’d brought the blanket. He was thick-chested with curly brown hair and surprisingly blue eyes. She’d call them kind eyes, under different circumstances. “Can we have something to eat, please?”

“I offered her a sandwich.” His tone was defensive. He was a hulking man with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. Balding, though he didn’t look much older than she was.

“I’m sure she was too scared to accept it.” Alyssa worked to keep her tone even. “But she needs to eat.”

He grumbled, pushing to his feet.

The thinner man had greasy, stringy brown hair. He’d barely looked up from his video game.

Though, now that Alyssa watched, she realized…

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