Page 78 of Gwen's Delta
As Zip’s words sank in, worry slid down Gwen’s spine and goose bumps broke out on her chilled skin. She murmured, “You should have gone with them. They’re going to need you.”
“No, I’m right where I need to be. Would I like to be there helping? Sure. But keeping you safe is just as important.”
Gwen snorted. “No way. If there’s an explosion, countless innocent people will die. I’m just one person.”
“Maybe, but you mean the world to Merlin, and that’s enough for me,” Zip answered.
Was Zip right? Did she mean the world to Luke? Her heart warmed at the thought. Gwen had realized she was in love with him when they’d sat on her sofa, chatting in the moonlight. Or at least, that’s when she had admitted it herself. But did Luke really feel the same about her? He had better make sure he stayed safe, so she could find out.
Finally, they arrived at the plane and got the gear loaded and stowed. Now, they had to wait. Gwen couldn’t sit still and paced the length of the airplane, stopping frequently to check the windows for any approaching vehicles.
Zip tried to get her to eat something, and when she refused, he gave up and placed a bottle of water on the table. The thought of swallowing anything made her gag, and acid roiled in her stomach. Sure, the team trained hard for missions like this, but something could still go wrong. Panic strummed along her nerves, waiting for the opportunity to explode. Only her slow, even breaths held it in check.
Finally, Gwen sat down and took a swig of the water. “What are you looking for?”
“A TV. I know there has to be one, but I can’t find a user manual for this model, either,” Zip responded as he continued his search, going from one control pad to another. After a few more minutes, a portion of the ceiling slid open, and a screen dropped through the opening. He pushed more buttons, and the television turned on with the local news.
“Do you speak Egyptian?” Gwen asked as Zip sat down in the seat next to her.
“Nope, it’s not one of my languages. But we’ll know if something blows up even if we can’t understand what they’re saying.”
Gwen didn’t know which was worse—pacing and not knowing anything, or being glued to the TV, hoping nothing happened. Her anxiety increased as each minute ticked by. It wasn’t four in the afternoon—yet. But that didn’t do much to ease her worry. But the huge Delta sitting next to her remained calm. If he could do it, then so could she.
A red banner appeared on the screen, and the news anchor tossed to a female reporter standing across the street from the Presidential Palace. Chaos reigned all around her as she gave her update. Even though Gwen couldn’t understand a word, dread pooled in her stomach.
“Can you understand anything she’s saying?” Gwen turned toward Zip.
His expression looked grim. “Not much. I recognized a few words here and there. I think they’re reporting that there is a gas leak at the palace.”
“Is that good?” Gwen needed to hear something positive soon, or she would lose it.
“It’s not bad. It got the palace cleared out, so it’ll be easier for them to search.”
“But it’s almost four…” The reality of what she’d said hit her in the chest like a sucker punch. She pushed a fist against the pain, willing her heart to slow down.
She couldn’t lose Luke without telling him she loved him.
Chapter 21
By the time Merlin and the team arrived at the palace, it was absolute chaos. The police worked on clearing the building and the grounds. If locals observed standard protocol, they should have worked with the secret service to evacuate the Egyptian president and the US secretary of state first.
The presidential palace was enormous, and there wasn’t enough time to search everywhere even with the help of the local police. Merlin wished he’d had time to review the layout of the palace. It would have helped him figure out where the bomb was hidden.
Officials had scheduled the press conference for sixteen hundred hours. It had to be the location, that’s where Merlin would put it for the most impact. If Rashad took out the Egyptian president and the US secretary of state, he’d make an enormous impact, especially since the world press was there to cover the event.
Merlin grabbed one of the police officers by the arm. “Where is the press conference?”
“In the central hall under the dome. Through there.” He pointed.
The Deltas navigated through the throng of people to make their way to the central hall. It was huge and extravagant. Persian rugs lined the floor, and twenty-two columns surrounded the hall. A dais was directly under the dome in the center of the room.
Merlin checked his watch. They were running out of time. Speaking into his comms, he said, “We have five zero mikes to locate the device. If we can’t find it by then, get the hell out of here.”
“Copy that.”
Merlin searched the dais. If Rashad wanted to guarantee the death of President el-Sisi, it would be the logical place to plant the bomb. He tore apart the podium and the sound system. Then he searched under the elevated platform, but he couldn’t find the device anywhere.
Woof searched the columns at the edge of the room. Depending on how they built the palace, one strategically placed detonation would take down the entire room, dome included. But so far, Woof had come up empty, too.
