"Because it might tie to Qadir?" she asked.
"Well, that would certainly be one reason, but not the only one. I'd like to clear Dominic, too. Make sure he's not the next target. Because he's certainly friends with many people who appear to be on that list."
She nodded, but as he left, she couldn't help wondering if Dominic was on the list or working the list. But that didn't really make sense. What on earth would Dominic have to gain by blowing up buildings in the city? And he hadn't lost anyone in the Meridien Tower fire. But it was interesting that he was friends with two people who might have a motive for revenge. She needed to find out more about Harry Faulkner and David Hartford.
Max couldn't stop thinking about Kara. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had been on his mind so much and so often. He'd thought after the night they'd had, the edge would be off, but that wasn't the case. He just wanted her more. But she was right. The night was over, and he needed to get his head together.
After changing clothes, he texted Reza, who told him to meet him at St. Mark's Church, which was a few miles from his house. On the way, he called Kai, who had left him several messages in the last twenty-four hours.
"Finally," Kai said. "Where have you been, or do I need to ask? The pretty FBI agent seems to be your best friend these days."
There was a tart note in her voice. "Jealous?" he asked, knowing that wasn't the case since Kai had just told him she was moving in with a woman she'd met a few months earlier.
"Annoyed," she returned. "I don't like to be ignored."
"What's up?"
"I've been looking into Costa and the Novik brothers as you requested, and last night Elias Costa died in a solo car crash in southern Maine," she said.
His pulse leapt. "Seriously?"
"Someone is cleaning up or taking over," Kai said. "Have you talked to Reza again?"
"On my way to meet him now."
"What about Dominic? What does he have to say about what's going on?"
"I'm going to talk to him today, too. He's very concerned."
"He should be," Kai said. "And not just about what's happening here. I spoke to Milos," she added, referring to a mutual friend of theirs still with the agency. "He said things are heating up in Tajikistan around Dominic's project."
"What else is new?"
"What's new is that Malik Azrani was in Tajikistan last week."
Excitement ran through him at that piece of news. "Which means Qadir might be there as well. This is good. This was the plan. Flush him out, take him down."
"But you're still going to make sure that Dominic doesn't actually go. You can use his money, use his resources, use his project, but you can't risk his life."
"You don't need to remind me of that," he said. "I have no intention of risking Dominic's life, but everyone needs to think he'll show up, that the groundbreaking will happen. So, we'll stay the course."
"You haven't been on this course all week."
"Well, I need to make sure Dominic is safe here, too, and at the moment, that's the priority. I don't like that Malik's brother is here. If Malik is in Tajikistan, maybe Caleb is carrying out some part of the plan here. I gotta go. I need to talk to Reza. I'll be in touch."
After hanging up, he parked and entered the church. It was empty on a Saturday afternoon, with one older woman on her knees in the first pew. He went up the stairs and into the choir loft, where he found his old friend. He sat on the pew next to him. "Getting more creative," he said.
Reza smiled. "Confession starts in twenty minutes. Figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone."
"You're going to confession?" he asked with surprise. "Since when are you Catholic?"
"Since last year, when I met someone at a mass."
"Someone, as in a woman?"
"A beautiful woman," Reza said. "I'm who she needs me to be."
"Is this business or personal?"
