Page 29 of Protecting You

“Yefim Lavrentiy.”

“Without our say-so, she’s just going to give the guy what he wants?”

“Of course not. She’ll do what we ask. She gave the information to a CIA agent assigned to the White House. That team is looking into it. I’ll forward everything I learn. If you don’t want her to give Ghazi the name, then?—”

“Whether she does or doesn’t, she’s involved with this guy. You really think she can just walk away?” Scorn filled the man’s voice.

What was happening? Callan had had a cordial relationship with Malcolm prior to this conversation. The man had respected him, or so he’d thought.

Now, Callan was being treated like an enemy—or a fool, at the very least. But why?

“I do not think it’ll work. I was just informing you of her plan. Alyssa hasn’t told me everything she’s done for Ghazi prior to this job, but?—”

“There’s a shock.”

“—I’m sure she will, now that she’s confirmed her client’s identity. I assume Ghazi has a bigger plan at work here, and Alyssa is part of that plan. He’s not about to let her go. What he’ll use to manipulate her, I don’t know—threats of some kind, I’m sure. The point is, after she realizes one doesn’t walk away from men like Ghazi, I’m going to get her out of the city until this is all over.”

“That’s not how this is going down,” Malcolm said. “Now that she understands she’s under surveillance, she’s going to gather intel for us. She’ll continue to work for Ghazi and pass along?—”

“No.” Callan’s hands curled into fists.

“I hate to break this to you, Templeton, but you’re not the boss.”

“You might bemyboss, but you’re nothers. You have no right to expect an innocent civilian to put herself in danger. It’s not safe.”

“Innocent?Is that how you see a woman who works with a terrorist?”

“She didn’t know who he was.” He hadn’t meant to shout and worked for a calmer tone. “She’s not an operative. She’s not…” He paused to think, then tried a different tack. “Do you know who she is? Do you know who her father is?”

“Do you?” The words were a challenge.

Uh-oh. What was he missing? “Gavin Wright was next in line to run our agency.”

“Yeah. And then he retired.”

“There’s no law against that.” What did Alyssa’s father have to do with anything?

“I guess that depends on where you think his money came from. Do you really think he got as rich as he did by building a legitimate business?”

Seemed reasonable to Callan. Except…

A West Virginia cabin. A Swiss chalet. A Hawaiian house. A Paris apartment.

A standing account at this high-priced boutique hotel, a hotel known for discretion?

“Do you know how much Gavin Wright is worth?” Malcolm asked.

“Not off the top of my head.” He deadpanned the words as if he didn’t care. As if it didn’t matter.

“Estimates say somewhere between fifty and seventy-five million dollars. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more stowed in off-shore bank accounts, hidden all over the world. A guy like Wright, with contacts on every continent, would know how to make—and hide—large sums of money.”

Callan turned to face the closed door between himself and Alyssa.

Was her father into something illegal?

Was she involved?

No. Of course not.

---