“Do you get scared or worried whenever Mason is on an op?” Luna was somewhat timid about asking for fear she might jinx the mission.
“Every single time,” Emily said. “But you have to remember they all have a ton of experience and are incredibly good at this stuff. Not to mention, they have you and the rest of OSI backing them up.”
“That’s pretty much the same thing Boone said.”
“He’s a smart guy. You should listen to him.”
“It’s so weird because, in the past, I’ve worried about the teams whenever they’re out there, putting themselves in harm’s way. But … it feels different this time.”
“Because it is. This time it’s someone you … dare I say, love?” Emily’s voice went up at the end.
Did Luna love Boone?
He made her feel special, treasured, even. She wanted to be with him all the time. She definitely loved kissing him and couldn’t wait to be intimate with him. Even if she was a little bit nervous about how that would go.
Was that what love felt like?
“Girl, don’t fry your brain thinking too deeply about that.” Emily rescued her from her mental turmoil. “I only mentioned it because of the way you look when you talk about him. And because it could be the reason you’re feeling differently about this mission.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” About the missionandabout her loving Boone.
“Now, about the mission …” Emily turned in her chair and grabbed a huge binder off her credenza. “Let’s start figuring out what those guys are going to need and how to get them where they have to be so they can take care of business and come home.”
“What’s our first step?” Luna had never been responsible for the logistical aspects of a mission—actually getting the teams where they needed to be.
Emily had created the process, established and nurtured intel connections all over the world, and built relationships withsuppliers and military leadership to ensure their operators had what they needed when they needed it. If Dark Ops needed a helicopter in a Colombian jungle, one would miraculously be there when they needed it.
That’s how Lucas became a part of Dark Ops. Dulce had been kidnapped and flown to Colombia. The team went after her, and Lucas, who lived there at the time and owned a small airstrip, provided them with an old Vietnam-era helo.
No matter where the teams were in the world, Emily always came through for them. She was also in charge of working with the operators to ensure they always had the best, most modern gear and weaponry available.
Luna had asked if she could learn her processes to better assist the Dark Ops team. Since the entire organization was continually growing, Emily welcomed having someone to back her up. Being the SME, subject matter expert, and single point of failure put a lot of pressure on her and was far from ideal for an organization like OSI.
For the next hour or so, they talked through the details, ordering the supplies the team would need, including MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), climbing bags to stow their gear, and ammunition. Now they were getting ready to call Khalid Sukher, her contact in Aliabad.
“Khalid is from Pakistan and was a combat interpreter who worked on the front lines with US forces during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In addition to English, he speaks seven other dialects from that region,” Emily said. “Because of his service during OEF, he and his family are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas, but they chose to stay in Pakistan.He’s one of my favorite people to work with in that region.” She reached out and tapped the screen of her tablet. “I’ll conference him in. I just hope he’s available to speak to us, because I’d really like to get all of these details hammered out sooner rather than later.”
There were five long tones before an older man’s face appeared on one section of the screen, along with Emily’s and Luna’s.
“Hello, my friend.” He gave them a toothy smile.
His dark brown eyes were cloudy from age, his cheeks were hollowed, and his face was lined in the most interesting way. No doubt from years of hard work and exposure to the harsh elements of war. Beneath a white kufi hat, his hair was neatly trimmed and his beard was thick and hung to the top of his chest. They were almost completely white, with only a peppering of the original dark brown remaining. There was an air of wisdom and weariness about him.
“Hi, Khalid. I want to introduce you to Luna Pannikos.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Luna.” His voice was slightly shaky but warm and kind. “Miss Emily has spoken very highly of you.”
“I’m happy to meet you, Mr. Sukher.” She hoped she pronounced his name correctly. “And I believe Emily might be slightly biased, because her brother is married to my sister.”
“Please, call me Khalid.” He placed his hand humbly to his chest and gave the tiniest bow.
“Okay. And please, call me Luna,” she said.
“Khalid, as I mentioned previously, Luna will be your stateside point of contact during this operation,” Emily said. “Before we get started, I wanted to thank you again for sending us that video. We’ve determined that the man you recorded is the person we’re looking for. Luna, why don’t you tell Khalid what you know about Udall?”
“Certainly.” She spoke a bit louder to ensure they could both hear her. “Our target is former military. He was a member of the elite Air Force special recon and was deployed to Afghanistan during OEF.”
She spent a few minutes explaining Udall’s military background and experience, his criminal charges and subsequent escape from prison. She also filled him in on the type of business he was attempting to get up and running.
