"I'm thinking about a lot of things."
"Mara, we don't have the resources for a second operation. We barely made it out of the first one. Amira needs medical attention. Karim needs psychological support. We need to get them out of Iraq before Nazari mobilizes his entire network looking for them."
"I know."
"Then what are you planning?"
Mara didn't answer. Just headed for the house. Inside, Kira had Amira on a couch with a proper medical kit open. The head wound was superficial. Scalp bleeds always looked worse than they were. The boy sat next to his mother, holding her hand, watching everything with those too-old eyes.
"How are they?" Mara asked.
"Physically, they'll be fine," Kira said. "Psychologically, that's a longer conversation. But they're stable. Safe. That's what matters right now."
Mara nodded. Pulled out her phone. Hit Quinn's number.
"Talk to me," she said when Quinn answered.
"The American's not showing up in any public databases," Quinn reported. "But I've got something. The helicopter that inserted them pulled back to Erbil Air Base. Military comms are encrypted but I'm picking up chatter. They're missing a man. They know he's not at the rally point."
"Will they come back for him?"
"Unknown. Depends on protocol. Depends on whether they think he's alive or dead. Depends on whether they want to risk another team for a recovery operation."
Mara paced the small room. "Keep monitoring. I want to know the second they make a move."
"Mara, what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking we left an American operator behind. I'm thinking that's not something I'm okay with."
Quinn's voice went careful. "You're planning a rescue operation."
"I'm considering options."
"We don't have the bandwidth for this. We need to get Amira and Karim out of Iraq. That's priority one. The American has his own team. They'll handle it."
"And if they don't?"
Silence on the line.
"Keep monitoring," Mara said again. "I'll make the call when I have more information."
She ended the call. Turned to find Nadia watching her with an expression that said this conversation wasn't over.
"What?" Mara asked.
"You're going to get us killed."
"Maybe."
"Definitely. We hit one compound, extracted two civilians, and barely made it out alive. Now you want to hit it again? To rescue a Spec Ops operator who probably won't survive the next six hours anyway?"
"I want intelligence," Mara corrected. "I want to know if he's alive. I want to know if his team is moving. I want options."
"Why? Why does this matter so much?"
Mara thought about the cage. About Harry's basement. About waiting and hoping and praying that someone wouldcome. About Tallie Morningstar showing up when no one else would.
"Because someone showed up for me," she said quietly. "Because I know what it's like to be left behind. And if there's a chance, any chance, that we can be the ones who show up for him, then we have to try."
