“It’s not your fault. I didn’t mean it like that. I just hate feeling like I’m responsible. They were there to protect me.”
He glanced at her. “They knew the dangers when they signed up to be Agency security. We have to figure out how the Agency safe house got compromised.”
“I know. I don’t really want to believe that anyone on the inside would sell me out, but given the progression of events, I don’t think we can turn a blind eye to that possibility.”
“If that’s true, though, maybe we shouldn’t accept whatever they provide you next.”
“You’re forgetting that they still want to keep me under surveillance.”
“Let them clean up the mess that just happened and see whether they want to put another security team in the line of fire.”
“I don’t want to put another team there, but I don’t think I’m going to have much choice in the matter.”
Hunter was uncomfortable with this entire setup. Something seemed incredibly wrong to him, but he couldn’t figure out where the greatest threat was coming from, and that was essential to being able to keep Layla safe.
When her cell phone rang, it startled him, but he tried to play it cool.
“Yes,” she answered, putting it on speaker.
“I’m getting reports from our people at the safe house now,” Frank said. “What in the world happened? It’s a complete bloodbath.”
“We were ambushed,” Hunter said. “We’re fortunate to be alive. Those men were professionals and were not messing around.”
“That’s evident from the two dead bodies of my men,” Frank shot back.
“With all due respect,” Hunter said, “your men were doing their jobs, and their brave actions saved our lives.”
“I know,” Frank said. “We need to mitigate the risks as much as we can, which is why I’m sending you to a different safe house with extremely limited access. I can guarantee you that it’s not compromised.”
“You still think I’m working with terrorists?” Layla asked.
Her timing surprised Hunter a bit, but he understood why she was so frustrated.
“I told you before, this has nothing to do with that. Yes, the cartel wants you dead. But that has nothing to do with your activities with Al-Nidal.”
“There are no activities with Al-Nidal. The sooner you realize that, the better.”
Hunter rarely heard Layla raise her voice like this.
“Why don’t we focus on the immediate threat to your life?” Frank said.
Layla gave Hunter a frustrated glance, and he listened as she recounted their brief interrogation of the remaining attacker.
“We’ll do a full work-up on him and see what else we can find, but the cartel starting to outsource only makes things more dangerous. I’m sending you coordinates to the new safe house. I’ll have another team deploy and meet you there.”
“Roger that.” She ended the call and looked at Hunter. “What do you think?”
“Our choices are limited.”
“I’m going to give Scarlett a call. Fill her in and see if she has any ideas.”
“She’s going to toe the party line. What other option does she have?”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. She’s stood by me through all the ups and downs at the Agency. If there’s a way she can help, she will.”
“Then I’m all for it.”
For the next few minutes, Hunter soaked in the conversation between the two women. It was clear that they had each other’s backs.
“Layla, I hate to say this,” Scarlett said, “but I really think you need to go off the grid. I don’t know if you can trust the Agency. Not after the safe house was compromised.”
“But then I’ll have the Agency after me too,” Layla responded.
“Okay, let me think.” Scarlett was silent for a minute. “You should go to the new safe house, but we’ll also prepare a plan B in case things get dicey again. I’ll make some calls and see what I can put together for you so you have an exit strategy if you need one.”
“I don’t want you to do anything that would put you in a bad position. I know how hard you’ve worked to climb the ladder.”
“Don’t you worry about me. I assume I can reach you on this number?” Scarlett asked.
“Yes, it’s a burner.”
“I’ll be in touch soon.”
The call ended.
“Well, I like how she thinks,” Hunter said. “You were right. She’s not afraid to rock the boat, huh?”
“You don’t get to be in her position without taking risks.”
“This is good. If she can find you a separate safe house not linked to the Agency, I’m all for it.”
“I still can’t believe the safe house got compromised. If not a CIA leak, then how?”
“Maybe they were able to track the Agency security detail somehow.”
“I guess it’s not crazy to think that the cartel could have someone on the Agency payroll.” She blew out a breath.
He was more concerned about the fact that the cartel was implementing desperate measures by outsourcing their business to the Russians. Were they really that bent on revenge at all costs? It appeared that way.
“You’re too quiet,” Layla said.
“I’m sorry. I just hate you being in harm’s way and me feeling so completely helpless to stop it.”
“Hunter, what are you talking about? You did stop it. I’m probably only alive right now because of you taking out that other attacker, and I thank God He brought you back into my life.”
There it was. Once again she believed God was at work here. The question was whether he did. His reconnection with Layla had caused a stirring inside of him about his faith. He was still trying to work through his issues, but there had been a change—even if he had been initially resistant to it. “I think you may be right.”
She smiled at him. “Worldly explanations only get you so far sometimes.”
“True, but it’s easy to focus on being rational and only seeing what’s in front of you.” He wondered how far he should open up. Considering the circumstances of the night, he decided to go for it. “Experiencing you
