Page 156 of Protecting You
Outside the library,Alyssa closed the door, then leaned against it.
Something, something deep inside told her she would never see them again.
Lord, please, please…
Just save Peri. Whatever it takes.
She pulled in a deep breath, blew it out, and set out to find Callan and her father. Whatever they were doing, she needed to know.
She was halfway across the foyer when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She glanced at the number.
Unknown.
But…
She knew who it was. And she knew what he was going to say.
Because there was only one reason for Ghazi to kidnap Peri, and that was to get Alyssa to finish the job he’d hired her to do.
She shifted, moving toward the back hallway, then out onto the patio that’d been the scene of a celebration not long before.
Her phone vibrated again.
She was afraid to answer.
But this was the price for all her foolishness. And she wasn’t about to let an innocent eight-year-old pay it.
She swiped to answer and lifted the phone to her ear. “What do you want me to do?”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
Callan itched to wrap his hands around the traitor’s throat again, only this time, he wouldn’t let up. He longed to see this gray-haired man breathe his last.
But he didn’t. Not because of any moral qualms but because he needed to focus.
Alyssa was right about that.
She’d gone with her mother and sisters, and he was glad she was safe and separate from all this craziness. But he wished she were here.
He needed her.
They were in a small, private dining room as lavish as the rest of the club. They’d pushed the table and most of the chairs to one side, then shoved Robert into a chair in the center of the space.
Callan was seated in front of him, inches away.
Grant loomed behind him, making just enough noise to remind the older man he was there. A solid intimidation tactic.
Callan and Grant hadn’t had to do much to start Robert talking. They’d threatened him, and when he’d looked at Gavin for help, Alyssa’s father had focused on Callan, saying, “Do whatever you have to do. I’ll make sure nobody interrupts.” And then he'd stepped out, closing the door behind him.
The man had spilled everything, talking so fast his words tripped over each other on their way out of his mouth.
A man who’d called himself Abraham had paid Robert to put a listening device in the small office where Gavin often conducted business.
Abraham. Very similar to Ebrahimi. As in Fatemeh Ebrahemi, the name of the woman Ghazi had loved.
It all made so much sense.
“When was that?” Callan asked.
