He wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. His gentleness with her made her heart squeeze. This man wasmore than she’d ever expected anyone to be. The caring in his touch warmed her.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“Watching out for me. I needed this.”
“Hey, we’re going to figure this out and keep you safe.”
She cupped the side of his face and would have kissed him had someone not knocked on the door. Brady stepped back, and she missed his warmth.
“Meeting in five,” Chase said.
Brady nodded. “Got it.”
She grabbed the pillow and blanket, and he took her by the hand, leading her into the hall. Two men she’d never seen before were waiting. They were young and held the rank of corporal. If Brady trusted them, she would trust them.
“Take her to Link’s house. You have the address.”
“Yes, Sergeant Carpenter, we’ve been informed.”
“Thank you.” He squeezed her hand, and she turned to follow the two men. The drive to Ansley’s house didn’t take long. She missed Brady, but he had to go and do his job. The door opened, and Ansley waited on the porch for her. The two MPs told her they would stay outside the house until they were relieved by two more men.
She felt better knowing the house would be secure. She didn’t think anyone would come after her here, but she hadn’t expected to be abducted in Beirut.
“Hey,” Ansley said as she pulled her into a hug.
“Thank you for allowing me to stay.”
Ansley gave her a squeeze before letting go. “Of course. I’m happy you’re here while Link is gone. It gets lonely sometimes.”
Ansley set the alarm, and Garnet felt better knowing she had another person looking out for her. It was weird being here in Ansley’s house, but she was glad she wasn’t alone.
“I’m exhausted, so I’m probably not good company right now.”
“The bed upstairs has fresh sheets.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course. Let me show you to the room. The bathroom is across the hall. I have a class at eight in the morning, but after that I’ll be free.”
Garnet hoped she slept past eight. She needed to catch up on sleep. Worry for Brady rose. He knew what he was doing, and she trusted him to stay safe, but knew wild things happened on missions.
Chapter 25
Bean caughtsleep on the flight and woke to find they were only fifteen minutes from touchdown. They were headed to Spain. The guy they’d arrested had booked a flight to Madrid. From that information, they found the man’s contact.
Hopefully, this was the end of the line, and they wouldn’t find yet another person or group behind them. They needed to cut off the funding and shut the person or group down.
They were dressed in civilian clothes and were trying to look as normal as possible. They would split up, traveling to the location in groups of two or three, convening once they arrived.
Chase addressed them minutes before landing. “This guy is probably armed. We don’t know how many people will be at his house. It’s large, with six bedrooms, and there is a wall around the property. We can’t draw attention to our activity. So everything has to go down quietly.”
“Got it,” Keel said.
Chase raised his eyebrows. “I’m not worried about you.” Chase turned to Stanley. “Take it down a notch.”
Stanley rolled his eyes. “Just because that one thing.”
