Page 26 of No Fear

“No.” He had considered it. But he’d promised his team they would be the ones to end this, and he wasn't going back on his word. “It has to be us, Tess, for all the reasons you just listed. They came after not just the team, but people they care about. I just want to be sure this isn’t a trap.”

“They want Raven’s blood, Sam.”

“I know that. Is there more than what’s on this report? What else can you tell me?”

The silence made his gut clench.

“Tess?”

“The intel is about the Aziz brothers being back in Daram, right?”

“Yes. They’ve been in hiding for months, and suddenly they both show up somewhere they know we’d be monitoring? Sounds a lot like a trap to me.” Reborn must know Raven would come after them.

“I agree, but there was no chatter on this. The intel came from a source close to the brothers.”

“Who’s the source?”

A sigh echoed in his ear. “I can’t tell you.”

“Fuck, Tess, come on, we-”

She cut him off. “No, Sam. I don’t care what history we have. I can’t tell you. He’s been under a while, got close. He’s trusted, and everything he has supplied so far has been good. The brothers have been seen in Daram. They are regrouping. Quietly. Rallying more support. Gearing up to overthrow the government.”

Sam closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, unsure whether Tess’s endorsement of the intel made him feel any better.

“You know a lot about this considering you’re not assigned to it.”

“I made it my business to know.”

“Why?”

“You really have to ask? Because it’s you, Sam. Your team.”

Fuck. She cared more than he ever deserved.

“I appreciate you looking out for me.”

Tess gave a small laugh. “Somebody has to.”

“Something feels off, Tess. It’s why I called. I just wanted your take. What about Omar Aziz’s daughter, Asma?”

“Still in Pakistan. Eyes are on her, should dad or uncle decide to visit.”

“Has anyone spoken to her?”

“After Lazir was captured, yes. She gave nothing, and cannot be linked to what Lazir or his father and uncle are involved in. She wasn't in Daram. Asma is legally in Pakistan, raising her son.”

“Yeah, I guess it makes sense. Omar is protecting his daughter and grandson by leaving them there. Keeping them clean. What about money? We uprooted their little system of laundering through their hotel, so how is this regrouping being funded?”

“Come on, Sam. The hotel was just a means to launder. Omar Aziz is a smart man. You can bet he has money stashed in offshore accounts that we haven’t found yet. He’s probably emptied them and gone back to old school cash. Easier to stay hidden that way.”

Sam sighed. Tess was right. Omar Aziz was smart. Which was why he felt so uneasy about this intel. They’d stayed undetected for months, even with CIA having an agent close to them.

“I need a meet with the guy on the inside,” Sam said.

“CIA will never agree to that.”

“I’m not planning to ask them. You know who it is. You can set it up. Just the three of us.”