Audra scooted close to him, and her scent filled his nostrils. Diggs forced himself to concentrate on his research, his fingers flying over the keyboard. It took him a little while, but he was able to find what they needed. “Rashid is a wanted international terrorist, with arrest warrants in multiple countries including the United States. Crimes against humanity, drug trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking, and he’s also tied to multiple IED attacks in the Middle East and northernAfrica.”
“And the coordinates?” Reaperasked.
Diggs plugged them in and put the images on the back wall. “One is for an abandoned warehouse close to D.C. and the other is the village destroyed by the IED. It had been small, typical, led by a sheik who was the cousin of a Sudani prince. He was somebody and nobody at the same time. But the Sudan prince was one of the wealthiest men in that region of theworld.”
“And Bradshaw knew it and went after him,” King saidquietly.
"Exactly,” Diggs confirmed, "and guess where our dear old Colonel Bradshaw is rightnow?"
"D.C.” Reapersaid.
"Checked in two days ago for debriefing. He'll be looking for Rashid if he really does have the gold,” Diggssaid.
Juarez leaned forward. “Then why go afterAudra?"
Diggs frowned, "True. If he wanted her dead, he had enough time to killher."
“The man who tied me up in the house kept asking me where it was. I didn't know what he was talking about.” Audra's hand went to her face, the dark bruise there reminding Diggs how close he’d come to losingher.
"The gold, he thinks you have the gold.” Reaper got to his feet and began pacing at the end of the table. “Or he doesn't know who has the gold and he's covering all hisbases."
“If he doesn’t have the gold, then your brother was successful. He stopped Bradshaw from stealingit.”
Audra trembled. “Hewasahero.”
Diggs grabbed her hand, knowing what that revelation meant to her. “Yes, he was. And this mean’s Bradshaw is probably getting desperate if the gold has been missing this long. And it also means Rashid hasn't contacted the colonel yet for ransom." Diggs threaded his fingers to Audra's, fighting the rage boiling up when he remembered thatnight.
"Reaper, do you still trust that contact from the CIA?" Diggsasked.
“Agent K? Yeah, he’sgood.”
“Think he'd be interested in bagging an international terrorist and a colonel turned traitor to theUS?”
Reaper slammed a fist onto the table, his normally impassive face dark with anticipation. "Absolutely."
"If Bradshaw doesn't know who has the gold, we can bait him to Rashid’s warehouse,” Hickssaid.
“How do we get Rashid there?” Diggssaid.
“We advertise what he needs: large scale intercontinental missiles for sale. This is the first time he would have enough money to purchase that kind of fire power and put him into a whole other level of power in the terrorist community. He won’t be able to pass it up.” Reaper stopped pacing and faced hismen.
“What if Bradshaw senses a trap?” Hicksasked.
“Then we make the bait too sweet to pass up.” King stared straight atAudra.
Diggs’ blood froze. “No.”
He’d die before he put Audra in any kind of danger everagain.
"She doesn't have to actually go with us to the warehouse, we can just make him think she will be there. He’ll have the last person alive that can tie him to Jeremy's murder and his missing gold in the sameplace."
Audra perked up and Diggs dropped his head into his hand. He knew exactly what she was going to say before she even opened hermouth.
"No, I want to help. Jeremy is mybrother."
Diggs looked to the rest of his team for help but they all remained silent. Which meant he was fixing to have to be the bad guy, and he hated being the bad guy with her. But he had no intention of arguing in front of everyone, because there was no way Audra was going to back down from this easily. Diggs stood, pulling her to her feet behind him. "I'll be back in anhour."
Without giving her the time to argue he pulled her from the room, up the staircase, passing by Quantum's room to check and make sure Trigger was still laying on his teammates bed. And then into his bedroom, Diggs firmly shut and locked the door trapping Audra between him and the wood, placing a palm on either side of her head. "You're notgoing."
