“So what now?”Nora asks.“Are you going to track him down?”
“Yes.”And when I do, I’m going to take him apart, one piece of flesh and bone at a time—but I don’t tell Nora that.Instead I explain, “His cohort admitted to last seeing Majid in Tajikistan, so that’s where we’ll start our search.Apparently, he’s managed to gather a sizable group of new followers in the last few months, injecting fresh blood into Al-Quadar.”
That last tidbit worries me quite a bit.Though we’ve done serious damage to the terrorist group over the past couple of months, the Al-Quadar organization is so spread out that there could still be a dozen functional cells throughout the world.Combined with the new recruits, these cells could be just powerful enough to be dangerous—and, according to the intelligence Peter got from his contacts, Majid is getting ready for something big… something in Latin America.
He’s preparing to strike back at me.
He won’t penetrate the security of the estate, of course, but just the possibility of these motherfuckers coming within a hundred miles of Nora makes me livid with rage and awakens the fear that I can’t quite shake.
The stark, irrational fear of losing her.
There are two-hundred-plus highly trained men guarding the compound and dozens of military-grade drones sweeping the area.Nobody can touch her here, but that doesn’t change the way I feel, doesn’t quell the primitive panic gnawing at my insides.All I want to do is grab Nora and carry her as far away as possible, to a place where no one will ever find her… where she will be mine and mine alone.
But there is no place like that anymore.My enemies know about her, and they know that she’s important to me.I’ve proven that by coming after her before.If they still want the explosive—and I am certain that they do—they will try to get her, again and again, until they are completely wiped out.
Overkill or not, given this new information, I need to take additional precautions to ensure Nora’s safety.
I need to make sure I always have a connection to her.
“What are you thinking?”Nora asks, a concerned expression on her face, and I realize that I’ve been staring at her for a couple of minutes without saying anything.
I force myself to smile.“Nothing much, my pet.I just want to make sure you’re safe, that’s all.”
“Why wouldn’t I be safe?”She looks more puzzled than worried.
“Because there is a rumor Majid may be planning something in Latin America,” I explain as calmly as I can.I don’t want to frighten her, but I do want her to understand why I have to take these precautions.
Why I have to do what I’m about to do to her.
“You think they’re coming here?”Her face pales a bit, but her voice remains steady.“You think they’re going to try to attack the estate?”
“They might.It doesn’t mean they will succeed, but they will most likely try.”Reaching across the table, I close my fingers around her delicate hand, wanting to reassure her with my touch.Her skin is chilled, betraying her agitation, and I massage her palm lightly to warm it up.“That’s why I want to make sure that I can always find you, baby—that I can always know where you are.”
She frowns, and I feel her hand growing even colder before she pulls it out of my grasp.“What do you mean?”Her voice is even, but I can see the pulse at the base of her throat beginning to quicken.As I had anticipated, she’s not overjoyed with the idea.
“I want to put some trackers on you,” I explain, holding her gaze.“They will be embedded in a couple of places on your body, so if you’re ever stolen from me, I would be able to locate you right away.”
“Trackers?You mean… like GPS chips or something?Like something you would use to tag cattle?”
My lips tighten.She’s going to be difficult about this, I can already tell.“No, not like that,” I say evenly.“These trackers are currently classified and intended specifically for human use.They will have GPS chips, yes, but they will also have sensors that measure your heart rate and body temperature.This way I will always know if you’re alive.”
“And you will always know where I am,” she says quietly, her eyes dark in her pale face.
“Yes.I will always know where you are.”The thought fills me with immense relief and satisfaction.I should’ve done this weeks ago, as soon as I retrieved her from Illinois.“It’s for your own safety, Nora,” I add, wanting to emphasize that point.“If you had these trackers when you and Beth were taken, I would’ve found you right away.”
And Beth would still be alive.I don’t say that last part, but I don’t need to.At my words, Nora flinches, like I just struck her a blow, and pain flashes across her face.
She recovers her composure a second later, however.“So let me get this straight…” She leans forward, placing her forearms on the table, and I see that her fingers are tightly laced together, her knuckles white with tension.“You want to implant some chipsinside my bodythat will tell you where I amallthe time—just so I’ll be safe on a remote compound that has more security than the White House?”
Her tone is heavy with sarcasm, and I feel my temper rising in response.I indulge her in many things, but I will not take risks with her safety.It would’ve been easier if she’d chosen to cooperate, but I’m not about to let her reluctance deter me from doing the right thing.
“Why, yes, my pet, that’s right,” I say silkily, getting up from my chair.“That’s exactly what I want.You’re getting these trackers today.Now, in fact.”
15
Nora
Stunned,I stare at Julian, my heartbeat roaring in my ears.A part of me can’t believe he’s going to do this to me against my will—tag me like some dumb animal, depriving me of any semblance of privacy and freedom—while the rest of me is screaming that I’m an idiot, that I should’ve known that a tiger doesn’t change his stripes.
