Page 145 of Protecting You
Callan didn’t defend himself. Alyssa was alive and well, thanks to him, and Gavin knew that. “Tell me everything your NSA contact told you about what Ghazi is up to.”
He’d guessed the agency and was rewarded when the man’s lips hardened at the corners. He was good, keeping his eyes from widening, but surprise was nearly impossible to mask completely.
“Not much.” Gavin laced his fingers, tapping the pointers together. “I know he’s been in the country since at least March. I know he rented a place in Brookline, where a number of questionable people work and reside. I know the Agency has tried to listen in using long-range listening devices, but nothing actionable has come of it. They hear everyday conversations, but nothing helpful.”
“They work in the basement,” Callan said.
Now, Gavin didn’t bother hiding his surprise, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening. “Explain how you know that.”
“When you’re finished.”
“That’s all I know.” Gavin must’ve read his skepticism because he added, “We’re on the same side, Templeton.”
“It sure doesn’t feel like it.”
Gavin sat back. “What does Ghazi want from Alyssa?”
This was where it got dicey. Malcolm had explicitly told Callan that Gavin might not be trustworthy. But Malcolm hadn’t been able to dig up squat about the bombing in Kirkuk—information that should have been easy to get via military records.
Callan had been too busy to gather the intel himself, what with Dad’s heart attack and Peri, but Malcolm had been around longer and had a lot more sources than he did. If the information was out there, he should have been able to find it.
Meaning someone had gone to a lot of trouble to hide something.
There was a reason the Wright family had been targeted. Callan knew this man was the reason, and maybe that bombing was the connection.
Maybe not, but it was worth a shot.
He took a leap and prayed it wasn’t a mistake. But first…
“How long has Robert worked here?”
The question startled him. “Years. Why?”
“You trust him?”
“As much as I trust anybody. You don’t, though. That’s why you didn’t want to use my regular room.”
“If this is about you, then Ghazi could have people watching you. Robert stood out to me. He doesn’t fit the part. And at the party?—”
“The bartender.”
A man didn’t become anoldspy without knowing a thing or two.
“I’ve got security,” Gavin said. “Nobody’s going to touch your daughter or Alyssa.”
“But how much did they hear? How much did they know? I assume Ghazi has people here, which is why we did the whole engagement-and-ring show. This party was our excuse for getting out of the city. We’re trying to keep Ghazi from suspecting that she’s turned against him.”
Gavin took the information in. “I figured. That’s why I entertained your daughter. I assumed you didn’t want them to know about her. But then, when you announced your engagement?—”
“I couldn’t see another way to protect her from our lie.” He’d asked the guests not to tell Peri, and in doing so, revealed his connection to her. “Thank you for trying.”
Gavin lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “I did get you into this.” The moment of kindness passed. “Now, explain what Ghazi wants from Alyssa.”
It occurred to Callan that Gavin could’ve just asked Alyssa. Odd that he hadn’t. Odd that he’d kept his part in this secret—and continued to keep it secret from Alyssa.
Another puzzle piece that needed to be placed somewhere.
“She’s done other jobs for him in the past. She’s turned over everything he hired her to do before—nothing worrisome. But on Wednesday night, he hired her to find the name of a Russian. He only had an IP address and a vague idea of the man’s recent travel. Even without her tools…” Which reminded Callan. “Did you know her apartment was broken into?”
