“Whoever your information source is, they don’t miss much, do they? Are you done showing off now?” he asked.
“Damn, you don’t even sound a little bit pissed-off,” she murmured. “I like that. Are you going to tell me what you’re planning today?”
“Daisy, the only thing that’s beginning to piss me off is that you haven’t told me anything of significance. Before I side-step your questions, I’ve got more questions of my own.” He heard her huff out a laugh. “Besides inoculating Siraj’s nephew, did your dad, or any of his team, do anything else to piss off the Haqqani Network?”
“It’s still the same crap we talked about at lunch yesterday.”
“So, you came up with bupkis? I find that hard to believe.”
“Why?”
“Because you would be out of your room doing something instead of in your room eating breakfast.”
She let out a real laugh. “Okay, you’re right. My contact is getting me a meeting with somebody he says he trusts. He’s with the new arm of the Taliban who has been part of the ceasefire.”
“Are you nuts?! Just what in the hell are you planning to talk about?” Leo felt his blood pressure triple.
“I’m going to see if we can offer Siraj money in exchange for my father. It was one of the things I promised my brothers I would try to do before I left the States.”
“They’re not going to go for it.” Leo thought about how Squires had told the Imam that the prophet would be ashamed of them. There wasn’t a chance in hell that anyone would go for ransom.
“I’ve got to try.”
He had to stop this shit from going a step further.
“Daisy, it’s more than just inoculating Siraj’s nephew. He also invoked the prophet Muhammad’s name when dealing with an Imam here in Afghanistan. He told the Imam the prophet would be ashamed of him for not inoculating his family.”
He heard her groan. “Please tell me you’re making that up.”
He didn’t answer her.
“No, of course, you’re not. That’s just like Ethan Squires. He has to pour gasoline on every damned situation.”
“So you see why meeting with this decent guy from the Taliban isn’t going to do you any good, right?”
“I hate not having a back-up plan to my back-up plan. I know you Navy SEALs are supposed to be the shit, but Leo, something could go wrong. You might not find him to rescue him, have you thought of that?”
Again, he didn’t say anything.
She sucked in her breath. “You mean you have found him?”
“Daisy, you can’t meet with anybody from the Taliban. I’m going to tell Tom Ludlum to put you under house arrest.”
“He can’t do that,” she protested.
“Yes, he can. He’ll have two men put outside your door in minutes, and they won’t let you leave your room. If you protest, they’ll just take you to the embassy.”
“Don’t think I’m the only Squires out there trying to free my father. There are others trying just as hard and are just as desperate.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are one of your brothers or your sister coming to Afghanistan?”
“They don’t have to be in Afghanistan to do something reckless.”
Leo stood up straighter. “What are you talking about? Who’s doing something reckless?”
“I can’t tell you. It would betray a confidence.”
“I call bullshit. You’re too smart of a woman to just let that dribble out of your mouth unless you wanted to talk to me about it. So talk.”
Leo swore he could hear her closing her eyes and resting her head back against a chair or the headboard or something. “You’re right. I don’t know how this is going to play out. But my brother has connections with somebody who can cut through a lot of red tape and get in with the Russian embassy here in Afghanistan.”
Leo’s stomach plummeted.
“Russia, the country that was paying the Taliban-linked militants to kill American troops, that Russia? Is your brother out of his fucking mind?”
“No, he’s trying to figure out a way to start a dialogue with the Haqqani Network.”
“Then he is out of his mind. They’re killers, and your father managed to step right into the hornet’s nest. Tell your brother to back off.”
“I’m going to try.”
“Do better than try, or I’m going to have to bring Tom Ludlum into all of this.” Leo paused. “Dammit, that’s what you wanted me to do, isn’t it? That’s why you’re mentioning it, isn’t it?” Maybe she wasn’t as straightforward as he’d originally thought.
“Fuck, Leo, I don’t know. I hardly got any sleep last night. I don’t know if I’m coming or going, and my family is driving me insane. If you could just tell Tom that somebody is going to try to loop the Russian embassy into getting my father released through the embassy’s Taliban contacts, without naming names, that would be wonderful. My brother’s Russian connection isn’t well-known, so I hope to God Jim’s name won’t be brought up in this.”
“Fine, I’ll talk to Tom. Maybe he can get our state department to tell the Russians it will be detrimental to their political standing if they get involved.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “But Daisy, just because you were able to lose your tail last night, doesn’t mean you should underestimate these men. Once I tell Tom, he’ll be searching for the connection. This could get your brother in trouble.”
“For having a Russian friend?”
“If your friend is shady, and Jim has done anything shady with him, then things will get on the CIA’s radar.”
“Jim’s clean. Trust me.”
“Honey, I’m trying to. I really am. Go eat your breakfast, and I’ll call Tom.”
“Leo, you be careful out there. I know
