“We’ve got the place cleared out here,” Kane answered. “I’m calling Wilma to touch down here.”
“Was someone injured?” Ezio asked.
“Yeah,” Raiden answered. “It was Cullen bitching and whining about a flesh wound.”
“I wasn’t complaining about the wound, I was complaining about the way you doctored me up.” Leo could hear the grimace in Cullen’s voice. It was obviously worse than a flesh wound.
Leo would bet his bottom dollar that Raiden had stayed close to Cullen because he’d had one of his feelings. He was weird that way. Kind of like Kane was about his magic with computers.
“Kane, tell Wilma it’s going to be packed, that we have two prisoners we’re bringing aboard,” Ezio said.
“Got it.”
14
It was the ambassador who called her. Funny, Daisy had been expecting to hear from Leo.
“Your father has been rescued, Miss Squires. He’s at the hospital at Bagram Air Base.”
Her level of relief took her by surprise, but she didn’t have time to process it. “I’ll be there as soon as possible,” she said. She started looking around her hotel room for her purse.
“No, he has to be debriefed. You won’t be able to visit him for a couple of days. I just wanted to let you know he’s safe. We’ve already called your brother in the states.”
“What in the hell do you mean I can’t visit him right now, that’s utter bullshit.” Daisy kept the phone to her ear as she grabbed her purse and looked for her shoes. She looked in the hotel mirror and frowned.
She’d have to change; the sweatpants wouldn’t work.
“Miss Squires, I’ll try to expedite the debriefing process so you can see him sooner, but protocol needs to be observed.”
“I understand. Thank you for the call.” She hung up and called Malek.
“Malek?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Daisy winced. She couldn’t break him of that habit.
“Could I get a ride to Bagram? They rescued my father and he’s at the hospital there at the Air Base.”
“I can’t, ma’am, but my nephew can. I can send him to your hotel immediately.”
“That would be great.”
While she was talking to him, she grabbed a skirt and blouse out of the closet.
This will work.
She got dressed in record time, even had time to brush her hair and pee, before the hour-and-a-half trip to Bagram Air Force Base. She went down to the lobby and waited outside in the heat near the valet. They looked at her weirdly.
“Can I help you, ma’am?”
“I’m waiting for my ride,” she assured him.
“The hotel offers a driver for our guests.”
Malek’s nephew pulled up at that moment. The valet looked disapprovingly at his car. She didn’t care. When she went to open the door, the valet still opened it for her.
“My uncle said that you are in a hurry. Do we have to worry about people following you?” the young man asked eagerly.
“No, not this time.” At least she hoped not.
“Oh.” He was obviously disappointed. It still didn’t stop him from driving like a bat out of hell when they pulled into the Kabul traffic. Once again Daisy found herself clutching the St. Christopher medal. When they got onto the highway to Bagram, she sighed a breath of relief.
“Is your father well?” the young man asked.
“I know he’s safe,” Daisy answered. “I don’t know how injured he is. That’s why I’m going to the hospital.”
“I shall pray for him.”
“Thank you,” Daisy said sincerely.
It took them an hour and twelve minutes to get to the base, but then it took them twenty minutes to be let through the front gate. She had to invoke the name of Leo Perez. The first thirteen times they said they had never heard of him.
The fourteenth time was the charm.
Malek’s nephew was directed to park outside a rather small building that she assumed was the hospital since someone was wheeling a person out in a wheelchair. She was opening the backseat door when the other backseat door opened and Leo slid in beside her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
Was he seriously going to try and stop her from going into the hospital? Has he met me? “Not you too.”
“I’m serious, Daisy. He’s alive. But the brass and suits have to talk to him. Then there are people like us who need to find out everything they can about where he’s been so we might be able to help others one day.”
“Why can’t they do that after I spend ten minutes with him?” she asked. “And another thing. Why didn’t you answer one single phone call or text? Why did the guard at the front gate pretend you didn’t exist? What the hell, Leo?” All her feelings of abandonment came roaring up, but not hard enough that she couldn’t push them back down again.
Mostly.
“While I’m in-country, and until the mission is completed, that’s what I needed to do. I’m flying out of here in less than an hour. I swear to you, I’m going to call you as soon as I hit American soil.”
“Oh really, and I’m supposed to believe this why?” Now she was getting pretty fucking angry.
“We promised no lies. Have I lied to you yet?” he asked softly.
“You ignored me. You ghosted me. You left me in the dark. Think about how that made me feel.”
“We were supposed to be wheels-up four hours ago. I was not allowed to tell you that your father had been found or have any contact with you. But all bets are off when I’m home.”
She looked into his warm brown eyes that were willing her to believe. He was, he was willing her to believe
