Page 227 of Dark Angel
As the team ushered out the hostages, Gabriel escorted Halston’s parents over to her. Halston threw her arms around her mom. A huge hug for her mom, then one for her dad.
“I’m sorry you had to go through this,” Halston said.
“We’re okay,” her mom replied. “We’re tougher than we look.”
“You’re riding back with me,” Halston said to them.
“Thank you,” her mom replied.
“Where are we going?” her dad asked.
“To a place where you’ll be safe,” Halston replied.
“After this, I’m not sure we’re safeanywhere,” her dad said.
“Dr. Devereux and Dr. Devereux, I’m Gabriel Santini. Let’s get you out.”
Halston’s dad shook his head. “I need assurance we’re being protected by a US-sanctioned group.”
“Dad,” Halston said. “They’re SWAT, and I’m coming with you.”
“Dr. Devereux, we got you,” Gabriel said. “But you and Dr. Devereux are smart to push back.”
“How did you know I have a Ph.D.?” Sonya Devereux asked.
“I’m going to marry your daughter, so I did my homework. You have a Ph.D. in linguistics from MIT. Your husband also got his Ph.D. from MIT.”
Their mouths dropped open.
They shifted from him to Halston, then him again.
Halston just smiled. When he peered into her eyes, he felt hopeful for the first time in his life.
To get them through this harrowing ordeal, he would lean on that.
23
THE LIE AND THE TRUTH
HALSTON
Halston wanted to take a moment to acknowledge what Gabriel had just said, but she wasn’t ready to float on a fluffy white cloud just yet. There were too many moving parts to navigate through first.
She didn’t know how much work the scientists had completed. Nor was she confident they could reverse whatever damage they had done. She knew nothing about power grids, but from what she had gleaned, the situation was not good. For the immediate moment, she’d focus on getting them out of this hellhole.
One step at a time.
“I’ll meet you at the SUV,” she said to Gabriel. “I need to talk to Bulgrov.”
“Don’t believe a word he says,” Gabriel warned.
Halston didn’t trust Bulgrov, but she needed answers. At the moment, he was the only one who had them. She made her way toward him. He was sitting in a chair while two SWAT examinedhis wounds through his torn clothes. Slash and Greystone stood guard over him.
“Excuse me,” she called out, her Russian accent back in play.
The man Halston didn’t recognize stepped away from Bulgrov. “I’m Rebel. Rebel Dillinger. You’ve been staying at my hotel.”
She nodded. “I’m Minka Kotov, the ambassador’s assistant. Can I talk to him?”
