“I am,” Noah said definitively.
“Holy shit. The mighty have fallen. This is even better than I thought. You do know she is never, and I mean never, just going to fall in line.”
Noah laughed. “I’m aware. And when I tell Mac, I think she needs to go back with you and Avery… He is sending the plane, right?” Thom nodded. “She’s going to throw a major tantrum. My guess is we’ll need to buy new dishes.”
“Why?”
“Because my sweet, quiet girl, who likes to fuck and make my life easy—by the way, I did get one of those attributes right—has a major temper and has no problem giving it free rein. I suggest when it starts, you get behind a door somewhere and let her have it out with me.”
“We can’t really take her against her will…”
“Who says we can’t?”
“Um, everybody in law enforcement…”
“We’re not law enforcement. I need her safe, Thom. If you and Avery aren’t on board with taking her home despite her protests, I’ll fly home to Mesa, get Zara settled, then come back. We need to track Fariq and Reid closer to their home stomping grounds.”
“Fariq’s are outside of territorial waters.”
“Yes, but he likes warm, temperate waters, which puts him in this neck of the woods.”
Zara was so startled when Noah’s phone rang, she picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Ah, Zara,” came Fariq Abdal’s heavily accented voice. “I was so hoping to be able to talk to you.”
“So, you call Noah?”
“Yes. I thought I would have to go through your Mr. Taylor to speak to you. I would like to presume on an old friendship.”
“We aren’t friends, Fariq, and your flunky, Christian Reid, has put out a contract on me.”
“A most unfortunate turn of events. I figure I may well have overestimated Reid’s ability to handle things. You should know he is becoming a bit… unraveled.”
“And I could do what about that?”
“You could arrange to bring me the information. I’m quite curious as to see what’s on it before I destroy it.”
“I don’t have it. It’s with the team at Wild Mustang.”
“The thumb drive, yes, but the threat there will be eliminated shortly. You, on the other hand, I suspect, could get what I want off Thom Lynden’s computer, which is not back in Mesa. Bring the laptop to me, and I will ensure your safety as I have done in the past.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then your Mr. Taylor will become my primary target for retaliation. This is not a negotiation, Zara, it is a simple exchange… the laptop for Taylor’s life.”
“He’s a hard man to kill,” she said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.
“But I am a man of unlimited means and abilities. The laptop for Taylor’s life.”
“When and where?”
“I knew I could count on you to be reasonable, Zara. Take the laptop and find a boat. Use a burner phone and text me its number. I will send you the rendezvous coordinates. We have a deal?”
“You give me little choice, but once you have the information destroyed, you’ll leave all of us in peace?”
“If you drop the story, the contract on your life will be rescinded, and all will be as it was before.”
“I have a window of opportunity now. I’ll text you within the next two hours.”
Zara hung up the phone, grabbed Thom’s laptop, shoving it into the messenger bag he used to transport it, as well as the gun underneath the coffee table. She jotted down a quick note for Noah and went out to the sports car Thom had rented and smiled—the keys were in the ignition.
Noah and Thom were adding additional sensors along the eastern perimeter when they heard the sound of a powerful engine.
“You have the keys to the car, right?” said Noah.
“Well, no. I didn’t figure anyone was going to steal the damn car.”
“No one but Zara. Shit!”
Noah ran for the house but knew he’d be too late. He skidded to a stop as the car disappeared up the drive. He ran into the house to grab the keys to the SUV from off the desk. Instead, he found Thom’s laptop was missing and a note from Zara.
Noah,
I love you. There I said it.
Fariq is very worried about whatever information Reid let slip. He’s willing to meet with me and has agreed to trade Thom’s laptop to leave us in peace and call off the contract.
Warn them in Mesa, he may have already set something in motion to destroy the information that’s there. I raided your wallet and took the cash you have. I can make arrangements for more money off-the-grid, so I’ll be fine.
I love you. Please try not to be too pissed at me.
Zara
Thom rushed into the cottage. “She stole my car!”
“No shit. She also took my keys, your laptop, and all the cash I had on me.”
“Fuck. Then we’re stuck until Avery lands.”
“No. I’ll go hotwire the vehicle we used to get out here. We’re going to have to check in with Mac on the fly. Tell him Zara thinks Fariq may have done something at our headquarters. They should probably secure all the information and do a deep sweep for explosives.”
“Shouldn’t we stop and talk to Mac first?”
“No. This isn’t Zara’s first rodeo. She already has a head start, and I don’t intend to give her any more of one than I have to. I need you to come along to drive one of the vehicles.”
As Noah hotwired the SUV, Thom placed the call to the office and briefly filled them in. He had just finished up when Noah drove up to the front of the cottage.
“Mac said they’re getting everyone out and will stop whatever it is Fariq arranged. He wished you luck,” said Thom.
Noah noted the bemused expression on his friend’s face.
“Between asphyxiated breaths from laughing?”
Thom grinned. “Pretty much. I told him to have Avery land as planned, and we’d get in touch with her when we knew more. Zara will be okay, Noah.”
“Only until I get my hands on her… then she and I are going to have a come to Jesus meeting about her inability to follow the simplest orders.”
“You know, not all women are cut out to just follow orders.”
“They are if the right man is giving them,” Noah growled. “Sorry, it’s not you. I’m so pissed at Zara, I can’t see straight. There are people gunning for her, and she decides to go have tea with Fariq Abdal.”
“Take a breath. First, like you said, she’s experienced. My guess is this isn’t the first time someone’s wanted her dead. Second, she took the gun from under the coffee table and some ammo. Third, she has contacts in this area, the Middle East, and Africa, but so do we. We’ll find her.”
“Did you notice if she got her passport?”
“Yes, but she didn’t take yours.”
“How considerate of her,” Noah snarled. “When and where is Avery supposed to land?”
“There’s a private, undisclosed airstrip about a mile from the cottage.” Thom checked his watch. “Avery should be there in about two hours.”