“We just will,” Asher jumped in. “It’s our job.”
“But—”
“Eden, you gotta trust us, we know what we’re doing. Can you do that?”
Another long pause.
“It goes against my nature, but I’ve got to believe in something. This is a shitstorm. Please just make sure you come through for these people. Please.”
Chapter 5
Leland clapped his hand on Eden’s shoulder after the line was disconnected. “They’re good. I might not know these men in particular, but I’ve served with SEALs before, and I believe in them. They’ll come through, just watch.”
Eden was able to muster up a fake smile. Blindly believe in her dad? Her brothers? Hell, even Lori or Jenny, absolutely. But these guys? Hell, no. It was up to her and whoever else she deemed worth a damn.
After Leland turned to talk to the other two men, Eden looked around the room to see who else might have half a brain cell during a crisis. Carlson was a definite yes, despite the fact his boss was a sniveling weasel who had abandoned everybody and headed for Aruba. Probably Patel. The bank guards? Too soon to tell. Leland with his military background sounded good… She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, trying to relieve the pressure building up in her sinuses.
Suzanne, who was resting against the arm of the couch beside Eden, tugged at Eden’s sleeve. She glanced up and saw that the men were deep in conversation. When she turned back to Suzanne, the woman made a gesture with her hand indicating she didn’t want them involved.
Curious.
Eden scooched over so she could hear Suzanne.
“I,” Suzanne started to cough. Eden looked at her and noted that blood was seeping through the sky-blue pashmina.
Dammit!
“Use the notepad, Señora.” She nodded to the pad of paper Suzanne had grabbed from her purse.
The woman started to shake her head in defiance and more blood seeped. She let out a slight moan of pain, not enough to get the men’s attention, but enough for Eden’s eyes to light up.
Suzanne held up her hand to ward off the admonishment she was about to receive, and instead picked up the notepad and a pen.
Tear this up after you’ve read it, she wrote in Spanish.
Eden nodded.
In the car, before I was shot, I texted my bank security passwords to my nephew. He’s a hacker. He’ll help the SEAL team to get into the bank.
Eden took the written page, folded it, and put it in her skirt’s little pocket. Then she bent close to Señora Azua’s ear. In an almost non-existent whisper, she asked, “Why didn’t you say this in front of the men?”
I don’t trust Becker or Carlson.
Eden closed her eyes and prayed for strength. Really? We have a traitor in our midst? What the hell? That made no sense, why would anyone be on Maduro’s payroll? What could possibly be in it for them?
She took the paper the Señora had written on and shoved it next to the other piece of paper.
Eden made sure the men were still not looking at them, then whispered to Suzanne again. “Why wouldn’t you trust them?”
Too many things went wrong while the Nomad Security Company was in charge. Becker hasn’t been working in Venezuela’s best interests during meetings. It’s almost as if he has investments with Maduro.
Holy shit! That put an entirely different spin on a meeting she had translated between Becker, Dr. Nilsson, and the head of the Central bank.
Looking at the men out of the corner of her eye, Eden skipped the pocket of her skirt and actually shoved that piece of paper inside her bra, which was deeper than her pockets.
“Leland?” Eden whispered.
Suzanne gave her a thumbs up.
Thank God. She really liked the man and had been counting on him as an asset.
“Hector?”
Suzanne rolled her eyes, then wrote on her notepad.
He’s useless. Guards are good. See if Torres is here. He’s excellent.
The woman slumped back onto the arm of the sofa. She was spent. So was Eden. What the hell? Two possible traitors? There they were, the three of them, acting like fraternity buddies. All the time she’d been pretty sure Becker had known French and had been pleading ignorance so he could get out of talking to Schlessinger, but she’d never guessed that he’d had this much of a grasp of Spanish. Definitely not enough for the three of them to be conversing in it. How could I have missed all of those red flags?
Suzanne grasped Eden’s hair and pulled her head down so she could whisper in her ear. “Family emergency code word is burning.”
Suzanne’s eyes fluttered closed and she slowly slid sideways against the back cushion of the couch.
Dammit. What did that mean? Code word? Sure, I had a code word with Jenny and Lori when we were ten, but the Azua’s have one now? What the hell?
Eden grasped her hand and Suzanne gave a slight squeeze. Then she gestured for Eden to come close again. “I told you, no talking,” Eden whispered vehemently.
“Is Señora Azua okay?” Carlson asked.
“She’s conscious. Just tired. I think rest is the best thing for her.”
Leland got up from his chair and towered over the sofa. “Do you mind?” motioning for Eden to get out of the way. “I’m going to reposition her.” He gently picked Suzanne up into his arms.
Eden snagged the two decorative pillows from the couch and placed them at one end so that he could lie her down in a more comfortable position. After he was done, she watched as he took off his suit jacket and laid it over the woman.
Before she
