Bulletproof & Locked, Loaded and SEALed

  “Not over the telephone. Are you on a cell phone?”

  “Yes, but…” She put a hand over her mouth. “But I have complete privacy.”

  He choked out something between a laugh and a sob. “There is no privacy with these people.”

  “What people? Who are they?”

  “Meet me tonight.”

  “Tonight?”

  Austin nodded. He’d be with her every step of the way.

  “Ten o’clock. I’ll be wearing a baseball cap you Americans like so much, a Boston Red Sox cap and a red scarf.”

  Austin glanced at the clock. They had four hours to kill.

  “Ten o’clock. Where?”

  “Hamid’s favorite place in Boston…and come alone.”

  Patel ended the call, leaving her with her mouth hanging open.

  “Cryptic but not very practical.” He scratched the stubble on his chin, as his stomach growled.

  Sophia placed his phone on the table and traced its edges with the tip of her finger. “I know exactly where he means.”

  “Dr. Fazal’s favorite place in Boston? A restaurant? A park?” God, he hoped it was a restaurant.

  “The Old North Church.” She scooted forward in her seat, her eyes shining. “That was also Patel’s way of assuring me he was Dr. Fazal’s friend. A friend would know that about him.”

  “Wouldn’t the church be closed at ten o’clock at night?”

  “I don’t imagine he means inside the church.”

  “Which is a shame because it would be a lot easier to keep watch in an enclosed area.”

  “He told me to come alone.” She sucked in her bottom lip, her eyebrows forming a V over her nose.

  He swept his phone from the table and saved the recording of the conversation. “You can’t think I’m going to let you go meet him by yourself.”

  “If he sees you, he might take off.”

  “He’s not gonna see me.” He pocketed his phone. “Is there someplace outside the church where you think he’s going to be, or are you supposed to wander aimlessly around the perimeter looking for a Red Sox fan?”

  “Across from the church’s main entrance there’s a small square. There are also a few benches beneath some trees before you get to the square. He could be there. Unless there’s an event at the church tonight, there won’t be many tourists mingling around.”

  “We’re going to check it out before the meeting—on our way to get something to eat. I’m starving. I can sort out a plan to watch you to make sure nobody tries to disrupt your conversation with Patel. You might try to ask him his real name while you’re at it.”

  “Should I tell him about you?”

  “See how the conversation goes. If he has information, we need to know about it. He might be relieved to turn it over to us, and we can offer protection.”

  “Your protection didn’t help Dr. Fazal.”

  His jaw tightened as he turned away from her. He didn’t need any reminders of his failure. He could manage that on his own.

  * * *

  SOPHIA JUMPED OUT of the chair and it tipped over and hit the floor. She reached Austin’s stiff back in two steps and reached out for his shoulder. He flinched when she squeezed it.

  “I’m so sorry, Austin. I didn’t mean to imply that it was your failure. You did everything you could, and you almost reached Dr. Fazal in time. I-if your commanding officers had sent you in sooner, I know you would’ve saved him—because you saved me.”

  He did a half turn, and her hand was pressed just above his thudding heart. She had the strongest desire to cup his hard jaw in her palm and ease the pain that flashed from his eyes.

  He really had cared about Dr. Fazal, and he felt his loss almost as keenly as she did.

  His thick, stubby lashes fell over his eyes as if to protect his private thoughts from her. “Okay, yeah. I know you didn’t mean it that way.”

  She gave his chest a pat before stepping back. She usually liked keeping her distance from people, even men she was dating, but something about Austin Foley lured her in. It couldn’t be because they had anything in common, because it sounded like he’d come from a wholesome background of family, fresh air and farm animals, and she’d come from…dysfunction, grime and animals of a different kind.

  “Let’s eat. You said you were starving, and now that I have my meeting with Patel, I’ve recovered my appetite. We can walk to the church from here.”

  “Maybe to do our initial surveillance followed by dinner, but when we go back for the meeting we have to drive.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because I’m not carrying a sniper rifle case along the Freedom Trail.”

  “Sniper rifle?”

  “I’m going to cover you, Sophia, the best way I know how. If anyone gets near you…they’re gone.”

  “What if they have the same idea and take me out before you even know they’re in the area?”

  “They’re not going to take you out. They need you. They want to question you. They didn’t need Ginny.”

  She puffed up her cheeks and blew out a breath. How could Austin get away with shooting someone on a Boston street corner? This would have to be covered up at a high level, but then it had taken high-level personnel to authorize a navy SEAL to operate stateside.

  She had a feeling she didn’t want to know any more.

  “We can eat at Faneuil Hall—lots of choices there. We can walk or take the T from the church.”

  “I’ll let you lead the way. Just as long as we’re back at the hotel by nine o’clock, so I can get ready. Right now I’m going to shave and brush my teeth, unless you want to freshen up first.” He stopped at the entrance to the bathroom.

  “You go ahead. I’m going to make some phone calls to Anna and Morgan. Someone has to tell them about Ginny.”

  As Austin closed the bathroom door, she grabbed the framed picture of her and Dr. Fazal that she’d taken from the floor of his office and traced the crack on the glass that ran through his body. “I know you didn’t want me to contact Patel, but Austin’s here now—and he’s going to make everything okay.”

  * * *

  SOPHIA PUSHED AWAY her plate with her half-eaten meal and dug her elbows into the table. “Do you think you’ll be able to see what’s going on from the top of that building at night?”

  “My scope has night vision.” Austin aimed his fork at her plate. “Are you going to finish that fish?”

  “Help yourself. I can’t eat another bite.”

  “If you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to meet Patel. I’ll meet him. If he clams up, I’ll take him in. He’s involved in whatever got Dr. Fazal killed, and our intelligence agencies have every right to question him.”

  “That doesn’t mean he’s going to talk to you.” She took a sip of water. “He wants to talk to me. I’m sure he’ll be more open with me, and then if you want to pick him up later, you can do so.”

  “Oh, I’m sure the FBI is going to want to pick him up later.” He sawed off the edge of the salmon and popped it in his mouth. “You sure you don’t want to eat the rest of this? You hardly touched your food.”

  “I’m too nervous to eat.” Her gaze swept from his empty plate to her own, which he was in the process of emptying. “I guess nerves don’t affect your appetite.”

  “I’m not nervous.”

  “You do this all the time?”

  “In the middle of an American city? Uh, no.” He signaled to the waitress. “Do you want dessert?”

  “I’ll have a bite of whatever you’re having.” She twisted the napkin in her lap. “So, this is a new experience for you, too, but you’re not anxious about it.”

  “It’s a job. It has to be done. I’m the one who has to do it.”

  He smiled
at the approaching waitress as if they’d just been talking about the weather. “Can we get the caramel apple pie—and two forks?”

  “Coming right up.”

  Five minutes later she watched Austin dig into that pie as if he wasn’t going to be watching the Old North Church through the scope of a rifle.

  Shoving the plate toward her, he said, “Try it.”

  She picked up her fork and then reached forward to dab a spot of caramel from his chin with the tip of her finger.

  His eyes darkened for a moment to a murky, unfathomable green. She plunged her fork into a glob of ice cream.

  “Make sure you get the apples, caramel and nuts.”

  The gooey sweetness exploded in her mouth and she closed her eyes and rolled her lips inward. “That’s yummy. Can we just sit here, finish this delectable dessert and forget about Patel?”

  “You can.” He rested the tines of his fork on the edge of the plate. “I already told you, Sophia. I’ll take care of this. The FBI will get info out of Patel—one way or the other.”

  “He wants to talk to me. If he’d wanted to bring US intelligence into this, he would’ve called you. I’m sure Dr. Fazal had you guys on speed dial.”

  “If he had, he didn’t use it after making contact with Patel. Maybe if he’d called us first, we… I could’ve moved in sooner.”

  “There must be some reason he didn’t after that first call, and I’m going to find out why tonight.” She stuffed another piece of pie in her mouth before she could chicken out—besides, she had a navy SEAL sniper watching her back.

  Austin paid the check, and if they weren’t on their way to a meeting that could result in someone’s death, this would’ve been a pretty damn good date—better than the Spark dates she’d been on.

  When they hit the sidewalk, Austin stretched and said, “Let’s take the T back to the hotel.”

  Yeah, because he had to get his rifle ready to shoot someone.

  The short ride on the T brought them back to the hotel faster than she expected, faster than she wanted.

  They got to the room, and Austin pulled a case that looked more secure than Fort Knox from the closet.

  “If you didn’t want to heighten the suspicions of the hotel staff—” she rapped her knuckles on the hard case “—I think you failed.”

  “I don’t care if their suspicions are heightened. I just don’t want them getting inside.”

  “What if they just hauled away the whole thing?”

  “Impossible. It has a GPS tracker on it. They can give it a try though.” He stuffed a black cap into his pocket. “Do you want to run through the plan once more?”

  “We’re going to park in the structure down the block, and then split up at the building on the corner. You’re going to find your way to the roof of the building, and I’m going to keep walking toward the church. I’ll come up from the right-hand side, and if I don’t see Patel, with his baseball cap and scarf, I’ll pace a few times in front of the church.”

  “What’s the signal if you see anyone but Patel approaching you?”

  “One if by land and two if by sea?”

  “Funny. Tell me.”

  “I’m going to raise my scarf over my head, like this.” She grabbed her scarf on either side and pulled it up toward her head.

  “That’s right.”

  “And you’re going to take out the interloper.”

  “Take him out as in kill him? No. Let’s just say I’ll make him think twice before approaching you.”

  “Where were you during my formative years?”

  “If I’d have known you and known you needed protection? I would’ve delivered.”

  He’d made the pronouncement with a half smile on his face, but she believed him.

  “Are you the eldest of the three brothers and two sisters?”

  He nodded as he hoisted the case from the bed.

  “You must’ve protected them, too—scared the stuffing out of your sisters’ boyfriends and put the bullies in place who were picking on your brothers.”

  Her words had wiped the smile from his face, casting a shadow over his features. He shrugged. “I never cared who my sisters dated.”

  She’d said something wrong but didn’t know what. She was supposed to be the complicated one. “Okay, then. Let’s do this.”

  She picked up the framed photo again, and this time a piece of glass fell out and hit the carpet. “I’m going to get a new frame for this.”

  “Where was that taken?” Austin leaned over her shoulder.

  “It was at a conference in Chicago, where I won an award. H-he was so proud of me. Nobody has ever been proud of me like that, and I doubt ever will again.”

  He took the frame from her hands and placed it on the credenza. “Don’t sell yourself short, Sophia. You’re about to do something pretty amazing right now.”

  “I just hope Peter Patel has some answers.”

  As they walked through the hotel, only a few people gave Austin’s case a second glance. Probably thought he was the trombone player for the Boston Pops.

  When they got to his rental car in the hotel parking lot, Austin did a thorough search of the vehicle. They drove to the church in silence.

  Sophia couldn’t stop her leg from bouncing, so she settled for closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. She didn’t want to meet Patel only to faint at his feet.

  Austin found parking on the first floor of the structure and retrieved his weapon from the trunk of the car.

  “Remember, if anything happens, you take off running back to the car—unless you’re being followed. Then you run toward the street and the most populated area you can find.”

  “Got it.” She saluted, but she felt like throwing up.

  He must’ve seen the look before because he cupped her face with one hand. “I’ll be watching you. I’ll keep you safe.”

  “I know.” She’d never been surer of anything in her life.

  He held her hand as they left the structure and as they strolled down the sidewalk just like any other couple on a date.

  Then he gave her fingers a squeeze and slipped into the building where he’d be watching her from the roof.

  Loosening her scarf around her neck, she followed the red line on the sidewalk that marked the Freedom Trail, traversed by millions of tourists every year.

  The white walls of the Old North Church gleamed in the darkness and she focused on the beacon of light the church represented. Nothing would happen to her here, not at Dr. Fazal’s favorite place in all of Boston.

  He’d loved the story of Paul Revere and his midnight ride. He respected rebels. He’d been one himself.

  A couple walked toward her and veered left toward the square. Sophia let out a sigh and then sucked it back in when she saw a lone figure in a baseball cap sitting on a bench under the trees across from the church’s entrance. Was his scarf red?

  The lights around the church didn’t extend that far, so she squinted into the darkness. Should she call out? He hadn’t seemed to notice her—hadn’t made a move.

  Sophia glanced over her shoulder. Several feet behind her, two women walked up to the gate surrounding the church and peered through the bars. Then they wandered toward the street.

  Sophia straightened her spine and marched toward Patel, who hadn’t yet lifted his head. Did he want her to identify herself?

  “Mr. Patel?” She slowed her steps.

  He didn’t budge.

  She swiped her tongue across her dry lips. “Mr. Patel?”

  She got within five feet of the bench when the smell hit her full force—the same odor from Dr. Fazal’s office, the same odor from that nightmarish afternoon when she was four years old.

  She gagged and stumbled forward, falling to her knees in
front of Patel.

  Then she noticed it—blood dripping from his neck, soaking his red scarf, pooling beneath the bench.

  So. Much. Blood.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Austin’s pulse flickered in his throat. What was she doing?

  Through his scope, he saw Sophia crouch in front of the figure on the bench. Were they talking? The man, Patel, still had his head down, his chin practically resting on his chest.

  Sophia now blocked his view of Patel’s body, but it looked like she’d taken his hand in hers. What the hell was going on?

  He did a quick sweep of the surrounding area. The couple who’d strolled into the quad was still sitting there, their backs to Sophia and Patel. After the two women who’d peeked in at the church, nobody else had come along.

  He brought Sophia and Patel back into focus. She cranked her head over her shoulder. His heart skipped a beat and he sucked in a breath.

  Something had gone wrong.

  His muscles tensed as he got ready to push off the wall. Then another figure came into his sights. A man had come around the corner, moving at a brisk clip, his hand in his pocket, his focus on Sophia.

  Austin got the man in his crosshairs, and then he adjusted his aim downward and fired off a shot. The cement post in front of the man exploded.

  The stranger jumped back, his head twisting from side to side.

  Austin muttered under his breath, “You’re not getting anywhere near her, you SOB.”

  He squeezed the trigger again and another cement post shattered into pieces. One of them must’ve hit the guy, because he jerked like a puppet and grabbed his leg.

  Sophia lurched to her feet and Austin silently yelled at her to run. She must’ve heard him.

  As the man stumbled back and the couple in the square jumped to their feet, Sophia took off. Patel remained on the bench, and Austin could now see a dark stain spreading across his front.

  The stranger had taken one step toward Sophia’s retreating figure and then thought better of it. He spun around and limped off in the other direction.

  Austin could no longer see Sophia and just hoped to hell she was heading back to the car in the lot. He kept watch for several more seconds.