He could tell the other guy’s gut was screaming something, and he had a feeling it wasn’t good news.
Newton glanced around the room before blowing out a slow breath. “If I were a betting man, which for the record, I’m not, I’d say we need to look into the Syrian government.”
“Syria?” Several voices came together at the same time.
“The man you killed”—Newton looked directly at Jason—“was Abdul Qasim, correct?”
Jason sat up a little straighter. “Correct.”
“As I’m sure you know, Qasim led the raids in Djibouti the day you and McQueen’s team went in. He’s also believed to be responsible for several others in the months prior. His group, the Alhukkam, or The All Mighty, took control over Port Sudan early this year. Shortly after, they made some sort of deal with Syria, handing that control over to them.”
“That makes no sense.” Becca’s brows grew close together. “Why would they go through all that trouble just to hand over the very thing they’d fought so hard for?”
“They’re terrorists, Miss Scott. Most of what they do doesn’t make any sense.”
“Except, it does.” Jason’s wheels began to spin. “If the Yemeni group is somehow working for or with Syria, there may be a hell of a lot more at play here than a bunch of nutjobs looking for attention.”
“What are you thinking, Boss?” Dax turned his attention to Jason.
“I’m thinking maybe that’s why Moore was killed. Maybe he heard or saw something he wasn’t supposed to. Hell, it’s possible the raid could’ve been a cover designed specifically to hide the fact that Moore was their target, all along.”
“That’s a hell of a leap to make, Ryker.” Newton looked directly at him. “You got anything to back it up?”
He thought back to Sophie’s account of what had happened in that room before he and Alpha Team got there. “Actually, I might.”
Jason recounted Sophie’s statement for the others in the room. He told them about how Qasim put a gun to her head and threatened to shoot her if she didn’t call Moore to lure him there.
“Son of a bitch.” Admiral Newton threw his hands on his hips. “Why am I just now hearing about this?”
“It was need to know, Admiral.” Jason remained unaffected by the other man’s outburst. “At the time, the theory was that Qasim wanted Moore because of his status as a journalist. Which fit with the way those groups work. Kidnap an American journalist, plaster their face all over the news, then post his execution live for the world to see.”
“Except they didn’t post it live,” Asher pointed out the obvious. “They didn’t post it anywhere.”
Jason shook his head. “No. they didn’t. Which brings us back full circle. We need to figure out why Qasim was looking for Moore. We solve that mystery, we find the bastards who killed him.”
“What do we do about the press?” Dax asked
Jason sighed. “We write up a statement for the press. Notify his familyfirst, and then release the statement.”
Damn it, he didnotwant Sophie hearing about this on some breaking news alert. But even if he texted Jake and asked him to keep her away from the T.V. or radio, she had a phone. Like most Americans with that form of technology, she most likely had hers set to receive notifications whenever a big story like this one broke.
His only hope was to leave now and try to make it to Jake’s ranch before the press release went out.
As he gathered his things, another thought hit. One that sent a shot of fear racing down his spine.
If the Syrian government was behind Moore’s death, it was possible Sophie and the rest of her volunteer group could be in danger, as well.
And the hits just keep on coming.
With that thought in mind, he stood and started for the door. “I’ll be working on this from home,” he informed his team and Admiral Newton before exiting the room. “If any of you need me, you know how to contact me.”
The immediate and intense need to get to her was damn near overwhelming. Schooling his expression as best he could, Jason said his goodbyes and left.
By the time he got to Jake’s, dusk was beginning to settle in. He was five miles from the secluded ranch when his own phone dinged with the dreaded notification.
When Sophie met him at the door, it took all of two seconds to realize she already knew.
“Is it true?” she asked, big wells of tears holding steady in her pretty brown eyes.