Page 10 of Commander

Chapter Three

A little beforeseven in the evening, I cleared security, and my car pulled up the private driveway leading to the entrance of the residence.

The fitting had turned into a lot more fun than I’d expected and included three more bottles of champagne. I was a little tipsy, with my senses dulled enough to handle the parental encounter awaiting me inside.

As an only child, I’d always wanted siblings, and my friends had turned into the family I dreamed of having. Those ladies would cut a bitch if anyone fucked with me.

I sighed.

If only Ameera was there, she’d have made it the ideal fitting. I missed her so much and couldn’t stop the worry that constantly plagued me whenever I thought about her, which was often. When the girls had asked about her, I’d made up some excuse, saying she had to finish up a project in South Africa and couldn’t get out of the assignment in time for the wedding. The girls were used to Ameera’s international assignments that kept her out of the country for months at a times, so my excuse was believable. I hated lying, but what else was I supposed to do?

I was at the mercy of her captors, but if given the opportunity, I’d skip my wedding to get her back.

What sucked was that Ameera had only been in Geneva to resign from Solon. I was her North American director but we all reported to the international directing board who were in Geneva, and they required an in-person debriefing when tendering a resignation.

Years of working two time-consuming jobs had taken their toll on her, and she needed a change. One that wouldn’t require espionage and always looking over her shoulder. Her goal was to take over her mother’s fashion house and deal with the temperamental models instead of terrorists.

She’d never made it to her meeting. Instead, five minutes after she’d left her hotel, she was taken by the remaining members of a sleeper group Solon had brought down.

Now it was over three months later, and we still hadn’t gotten her back. I could only hope and pray she was okay.

The car passed over a speed bump, jostling me out of my brooding.

I released a deep breath and pulled out my compact.

Time to get my game face on and ready myself to survive the night.

I could do it. Many people had in-law issues. I could deal with my father-in-law.

The door opened, and I scooted over. Casey offered me his hand as I stepped out.

“Is everyone here?” I asked Casey.

“I received word both families are waiting for you and Mr. Kumar in the Yellow Oval Room.”

Straightening the pleats on my floor-length dress, I glanced toward the gardens. From my angle, I could see the windows of the Oval Office. Ashur would be in his meeting with the House Republicans.

Hopefully, the discussion would go smoothly, and they wouldn’t run over. The last thing I wanted to do was be in a room with Minesh Kumar without Ashur. Minesh had turned my life upside down and ruined any chance of marrying for love.

I should have gotten over the past by now, but it was hard to do when the man took every opportunity to insult me and turn his nose up whenever I was in his vicinity.

I’d held my tongue for the last two years, wanting to keep the peace for Ashur’s and Samina’s sakes. They both had political careers where reporters and potential challengers were looking to find any dirt on their personal lives. Any whiff of my discourse with my father-in-law could lead to people snooping into my background more than they already had, and I had enough on my plate as it was.

“This way, Ms. Zain.”

I studied Casey as I followed him through the entryway of the residence. He wasn’t the only Solon agent I’d seen working in the White House since Ashur took office. Solon had men and women stationed in every government across the globe.

Yes, the organization’s goal sounded idealistic, and maybe it was, but when any government had any say in an organization, there was always bureaucracy to slow things down. And what we did was time sensitive and could mean the difference between life and death. And then there was the fact that we toed the line of legal and illegal means of accomplishing our objectives.

Shit, I had to stop thinking I was still part of Solon. I couldn’t afford the ramifications of anyone finding out what I’d spent my time doing for the last ten years.

A tall, middle-aged, balding man approached Casey. I had never met him before, and I thought I’d met all the staffers. He shuffled back and forth in his too-tight suit, making me think he’d been a few pounds lighter when he’d bought his clothes.

After a few words, he glanced in my direction and then back at Casey. He then pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, dabbed his face, and left without a backward glance.

Whatever Casey said to him had scared the living shit out of him enough that he couldn’t run away fast enough.

“Do I want to know what that was all about?” I asked, seeing a bit of agitation on Casey’s face.

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