Page 40 of Protecting You
“Should I have refused? I don’t know how I could have.”
“He didn’t give you a choice. And now we’re going to have to go through with it. And pray the Lord brings us out the other side.”
CHAPTERNINE
Ten minutes after she’d ended the call with Ghazi, Alyssa dragged her suitcase out of her bedroom to the door.
It took all her energy not to let her fear show. But she was terrified enough that she thought about calling her father.
Dad would never let her walk into danger. He’d find a way to get her out of this, whateverthiswas.
But Callan hadn’t suggested bringing her dad in, and Michael had warned against it, which she still didn’t understand.
And frankly, Dad had never seen her as anything but a nuisance. The last thing she wanted was to reinforce his negative impression of her. Not only was she in trouble, it was trouble of her own making, working for a terrorist.
What kind of fool got herself into a situation like this?
If things got out of hand, if she started to feel like she was in over her head, then she’d reach out to her father. Until then, she’d go along with Callan’s plan. Not that she knew much about it. Get information for his boss at the CIA. Malcolm, he’d said. What information, and how she was supposed to get it, she had zero idea.
Just like she didn’t know what information Ghazi wanted from her.
She felt like she was walking through a gray mist. Nothing was clear. Nothing was certain. And when she tried to understand, the mist just slipped through her fingers.
She hated this.
When she neared Callan’s closed door, she heard his voice, but his words were low and muffled.
She moved to the living area and perched on a chair, opening her phone to check her email.
“I’m doing my best.”
That came through loud and clear, sounding both angry and defensive.
His door swung open. He rolled out a suitcase he must’ve gotten from his apartment the night before and left it next to hers. When he turned and saw Alyssa, he attempted a smile, but it was tight. Still talking into his phone, he said, “Listen—” And then was quiet as he stepped into his room. He didn’t close the door this time. “I hear what you’re saying, and if I could…” Silence, then, “Yes, I would. I’m trying.”
Alyssa moved into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water, mostly to give Callan his space.
The rest of his conversation was muffled. A moment later, he appeared in the doorway. “Sorry about that.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yup. You ready?”
So…no explanation for the phone call, not that it was any of her business. She twisted the cap back onto her water bottle, shoved it in her laptop bag, and slipped on her jacket. “Let’s go.”
Pulling her suitcase, she led the way to the elevator.
She felt safe here at the Rooming House. Out there, she’d be exposed and vulnerable. If not for Callan’s presence beside her, she wouldn’t have the courage to leave.
She stopped at the counter in the lobby, thanked Jonathan and returned their keys, then joined Callan at the door.
His eyebrows lowered. “You okay?”
“Sure. Great.”
His smirk told her he wasn’t buying it. They stepped past the doorman and into the cool April air. Though the sun was out this morning, the buildings blocked its light.
They met an Uber, despite the fact that the hotel where they’d told Ghazi to pick them up was just a few blocks away and the walk across Harvard Square would be lovely.
