Page 113 of Fatal Mistake
“Looks like he wants to make a trade,” Kaci said. “That’s a good sign.”
“Good sign. How can this be good? Our country never gives in to terrorists’ demands, much less frees an ISIS operative.”
“It’s good because if Keeler wants Meer bad enough, he’s not going to harm Tara.”
Cal’s anguish eased a fraction.
“Send me the photo so I can take a good look at it,” Kaci said.
Cal forwarded the picture to Kaci, who wirelessly transferred it to her computer. She put it on the big screen and used a magnifying tool to search the background. She let the tool hover over traditional Indian clothing hanging on the walls.
“Unique India Arts?” he asked.
“Let’s check their website for matching clothes.” Kaci brought up the site. She flipped through clothing in their online store, finding several outfits matching the ones on the wall.
“Good. Good. Keeler’s likely taken her to their warehouse.”
“And Max will soon have our warrant to raid the place.”
“We’ll need a plan,” Cal said, his mind already on ways to breach the building while ensuring Tara remained unharmed. “We can dress an agent in a hijab and have her sit in the car so Keeler can see her from the front door and think she’s Meer. I’ll go to the door and tell him I’ve cuffed her in the car and won’t allow her inside until I have some assurance that Tara is unharmed. While I keep him occupied, the team can enter through the back and disarm him.”
“Sounds like it could work.”
Cal could visualize the scenario in his mind. See himself at the front door, the team in the back, sneaking inside. Easing up to Keeler, and then…oh, yeah, then they would test the veracity of Keeler’s bravado.
* * *
Dulles Airport area
Oren continued to flip through television channels and pace the room. Tara had asked him several times to disarm June’s bomb, but he’d refused, as he planned to use it as additional leverage in convincing Cal to release Nabijah.
“Why hasn’t your Secret Agent Man responded to my text?” Oren stopped moving to glare at her. “Or doesn’t he care about you?”
There was nothing she could say, but she had been wondering the same thing.
A sick grin twisted his mouth. “Wouldn’t it be ironic if he doesn’t care? You’d finally find out what it’s like not to lead your charmed life and have a man reject you.”
“I’ve been rejected.”
“I doubt it.”
She’d never actually had a man choose someone over her, but Nolan rejected her in the most important way, by turning against her. She would never tell Oren about Nolan, though, so she opted to remain silent.
He faced the television again. The same reporter appeared on-screen with an update, but she rehashed her prior report.
“Still no news on Nabijah,” he muttered.
“What’s there to say beyond the fact that she’s been arrested?”
Oren looked up, a puzzled expression on his face. Perhaps he knew something about the bombing, and he expected the reporter to figure out the information and share it with the public, making him seem like a hero in his sick mind. As Shane had said, Oren sought attention, which could mean he wanted to hear his name on the news.
She met his gaze. “You’re not waiting for them to mention you, are you? Because I’m sure Cal and his team would never share Nabijah’s connection to the Lone Wolf Bomber.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t like that name. Stop using it.”
“Or what?” She had less fear of angering him now that he wanted to free Nabijah and wouldn’t kill her or June until that happened.
He glared at her but didn’t speak, perhaps because he didn’t know what to say when his plan wasn’t going as well as he’d hoped.
