Page 65 of With One Breath (Blackhawk Security)

“That was a stupid threat,” Mel said. “I’m sure they didn’t believe you’d do it.”

“I meant every word. And I think they realized that.”

Mel shook her head, but her mouth twitched. “With, um, ovaries like that, If you choose to stay with the CIA, you’ll be the Director someday,” she said.

Laila shook her head. “I don’t want to be the Director of the CIA.” She shuddered. “Too much responsibility for people’s lives.”

“So you’re leaving the agency?”

“Jase told me you’d send me home. That there was no way I could stay in Afghanistan. And I joined the CIA specifically to teach girls who’d been forbidden to go to school. So, yes. I’ll resign and go home. I’m hoping that the families from Al Kamen can be resettled in Madison, Wisconsin. That’s where I live, and there’s an Afghani community there, as well. I’ll be able to stay in touch with them. Help them settle in. It’s going to be a huge adjustment for them.”

“I think that can be arranged. We’ll have to do some background checks before we can allow them into the U.S., but with the situation here in Afghanistan degenerating so quickly, we’ll send them to the relocation center closest to Madison so you can stay in touch with them. And when they’re cleared, they’ll be moved to your city.”

“Thank you, Mel. I really appreciate that.”

“You’re a hell of an agent, Laila. I’m sorry to lose you, but I suspect there won’t be many CIA agents left in this country in a few weeks. And none of them will be schoolteachers in small villages.”

Laila knew what Mel was saying. Only the professional agents would stay. Even the SpecOp guys like Jase and Dev and Cody would be flown out of the country. “Before you explain the plan to me, I have another concern,” Laila said.

“What’s that?” Mel asked.

Laila wrapped her arms around herself. “Why were the Taliban so intent on capturing me?” she asked. “I was a teacher in a school that six girls attended. I wasn’t doing anything suspicious -- I was very careful to do nothing a normal teacher wouldn’t do. Jase said there were fifty or sixty Taliban soldiers searching for me in those caves. That’s a lot of men and a lot of effort for one unimportant teacher.”

Mel nodded slowly. “You’re right. Do you have any ideas?”

“I wondered if they somehow knew I was a CIA agent.”

Even before she finished, Mel was shaking her head. “The only people who knew you were an agent were me and the Director of the CIA. Jase, because he trained you. And Dev and Cody, after I sent them to extract you.

“My boss here in Kabul knows I have agents acting as teachers, but he doesn’t know your identities or locations. I have... had teachers in other villages as well, but they’ve been extracted, too.” She pursed her lips and stared into the distance. “Capturing a female CIA agent would be quite a coup for the Taliban. And they would have made a real spectacle of your rape, torture and murder.”

“There’s no way someone could have found out?” Laila asked.

“Only if they broke into my office, broke into my desk and went through my files. Even then, they would only have known your location. Not your name. I didn’t put that in writing.”

Laila shrugged one shoulder. “It’s been bugging me -- why were they so intent on capturing me? Especially if they’re gearing up for a big fight for Afghanistan.”

Mel nodded slowly. “That’s a good point, Laila. I’ll give it some thought.”

“Do you think it could have had something to do with that Taliban recruiter that showed up in the village?”

Mel bounced a pencil on the desk and pursed her lips. Finally nodded slowly. “It’s possible one of the men at the meeting mentioned the American woman who was teaching some girls. That could have triggered it.”

She’d never know for sure. Taking a deep breath, Laila asked, “Okay, then, what’s the plan for me?”

“You’ll be here for a few days. We have to arrange transportation for your group and some others. Jase mentioned a plan, and I’ll see how that plays out. You might get on a plane a lot more quickly. You’ll get a hazardous duty check and you’ll have an exit interview. The number one rule is you can never talk about what you did here.”

“I can’t even tell people I was a schoolteacher?”

Mel was already shaking her head. “Hell, no. People suspect we enlist schoolteachers as CIA agents, but I’m not going to confirm that. Keep your mouth closed. Tell no one, even your closest friends and family, that you worked for the CIA. Is that clear?”

Laila nodded. “Yeah. It is.”

Mel pushed back from her desk. “Go take a shower, get something to eat and get some rest. Your families will be settling into their apartments, but you can visit with them tomorrow. And get your belongings together. Your orders to leave could come any time, and you need to be ready. Once we get your belongings from Al Kamen, they’ll be shipped to your home address.”

“Will do.” Laila stood up. “It’s been a pleasure working for you, Mel. Good luck in whatever you do after Afghanistan.”

“Thanks, Laila.” She jerked her head toward the door. “I think there’s a SpecOps guy waiting for you. You’re in room 17. Jase is in 15.”

As Mel looked down at her desk and touched the locked file drawers, Laila stood up, her heart pounding with anticipation.

“Thanks, Mel,” she managed to say in a normal tone of voice. Her heart raced and desire rushed through her veins. Jase.

As Laila stepped out of Mel’s office and into the hall, she bumped into a grey man in a grey suit who blended into the grey wall behind him. “Sorry,” she said quickly.

He nodded briefly without even looking at her as he reached for Mel’s door. Scowled when he found it locked and rapped at the door.

Mel opened it. Sighed. “Cliff. Come on in.”

---