Page 55 of Gwen's Delta
“Yes, the good of the many is more important. You all know this,” Sand insisted.
If not for Zip’s hand on his arm, Merlin would have decked the man. This was his woman. At some point, the petite redhead had stolen his heart. There was no way in hell he was going to let anyone put her in harm’s way.
“How are we going to handle that?” Turano asked.
“We’ll give her the money and fly you all over in a private plane. After that, it’s up to your team,” Sand answered.
Merlin didn’t like it. Hell, he abhorred the idea. Just thinking about Gwen being in the middle of this made his blood run cold. Stopping the terrorists’ plot was necessary, but involving Gwen was not. If her parents were hiding to avoid capture, there was no guarantee they’d even know Gwen was there or that they’d sacrifice themselves for their daughter.
“The plane will be ready by this evening. That should give you plenty of time to work out the details. Please keep me advised, Turano,” Sand said and left before they could ask anything else.
“What the fuck?” Merlin said. “Sorry, sir, but seriously. This is his plan? He could send more agents in. Why involve their daughter and a Delta Team?”
“My guess is that we still don’t know the entire story, probably never will. But there is a valid threat out there. I don’t like involving a civilian, but I don’t think we have a choice.”
Merlin fought for composure. “I don’t know how to explain this to Gwen. She doesn’t know her parents are spies or that I’m Delta. She will lose her mind.”
“You don’t have to say anything about your status. But I’d bet she’ll figure it out. As far as her parents, I wouldn’t tell her they’re spies or that the kidnapping is a ploy to capture them,” Turano said.
“What…” Merlin opened his mouth to object, but Turano raised his hand.
“Hear me out. If she thinks it’s real, she’ll react the way the tangos expect. We won’t have to worry about her giving something away, and it could save her life. I hope the Dedmonds come out of hiding before you get there. Although, I wouldn’t count on it. They are spooks.”
Merlin considered what his CO said, and it was all true. He didn’t like it, not even a little. Gwen might not forgive him for deceiving her. But it was a chance he would have to take.
Chapter 15
Gwen would have to remember to thank Luke when he called. Asking Destiny to come was the perfect distraction. Not that her parents were ever far from her thoughts, but some of Destiny’s stories about the passengers on her flights were hysterical. It was a relief to see some tension leave Grams’ face.
After dealing with the initial shock of the kidnapping, Gwen had let Luke’s words sink in. But waiting to hear from him was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. She’d drank so much coffee if she had one more cup she’d be able to teleport to Egypt.
The worst was not knowing if her parents were okay. When she’d looked at the photo again, it looked like they were enjoying coffee somewhere and were not imprisoned. In some ways, she blamed herself. Maybe if she’d stressed the danger more, they wouldn’t have gone to Egypt. From the moment they’d brought up the idea for the trip, she’d had a bad feeling.
“Staring at the phone won’t make it ring,” Destiny said gently.
Gwen put the cell phone on the table and sighed. “I know, but sitting here, waiting, is making me crazy. I need to do something.” Luke had been right. Asking Destiny to come to the bookstore to stay with them had helped to keep Gwen from losing her shit.
“There’s really nothing to do, is there? Your grandfather is working on gathering the money. We need to trust that Merlin will find you a plane.”
“Maybe we should open the bookstore,” Grams said. “It would give us something to do.”
Gwen had considered it, but then decided against it. “I don’t know when I’ll be leaving, Grams. It will be easier if we stay closed. A few days won’t hurt anything. People can still order online.”
“Yes, I guess that’s true. Maybe I’ll dust the shelves. All this coffee is making me jumpy.”
“Wouldn’t you rather bake?” Gwen prodded to give Grams a more useful chore. “I’m sure Destiny would love some of your sour cream coffee cake.”
Destiny smiled. “That sounds delicious, and you’re right, we’ve had plenty of coffee. We definitely deserve some cake.”
Gwen sighed in relief. The more time she spent with Destiny, the more she enjoyed her company. It was too bad she lived in Dallas like Belle.
“Excellent suggestion. Especially if Luke comes back and he brings his friends. We don’t have a lot to snack on,” Grams said as she got up from the table and started pulling ingredients out of the cabinets. “Do you want to help, Destiny? Gwen doesn’t cook or bake, not unless we want the Fire Department to come over.”
“Thanks, Grams. I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Gwen said with a wink at Destiny. It was true, but her grandmother took entirely too much delight in telling everyone.
Grams nodded as she turned on the oven. “You’re welcome. Why don’t you dust while Destiny and I bake?”
“I can take a hint. Call me if you need anything,” Gwen said, tucking her phone into her slacks.
