Kazi was merciless to those who betrayed him.
Shields’ analysis made sense to Derek. “You think he’s working for Kazi and that Kazi is trying to make sure that no one can tie him to whatever he has planned.”
“I do.”
Cross stood, walked to the coffee pot for a refill. “There is the possibility that Qassim and his men attacked that village, pretending to be IS fighters to lure Ms. Hamilton outside the compound walls.”
Derek shook his head. “How could they know she’d be the one to volunteer? I think it’s more likely that Hamzad took advantage of the situation created by IS fighters and told Qassim where she’d be. He pushed Farzad to agree to the trip and volunteered to go with us.”
“So, Kazi ordered Qassim to abduct Jenna,” McManus said. “I can believe that. But whatever for?”
Motive was the missing piece.
“What could Kazi want from me?” Jenna looked overwhelmed and confused. “This makes no sense.”
For a moment, no one spoke.
Derek broke the silence. “Whatever his reasons, the prize has to be big for him to risk crossing swords with Cobra. If they had tried to take Ms. Hamilton from my vehicle, there would have been a firefight. He would have lost men, and I might have been killed or wounded. He must have known that and been ready to accept the consequences.”
Cobra had been working in Afghanistan since the day its doors opened and had an amicable relationship with Kazi. Had that changed?
“Kazi is a snake,” McManus said.
“It seems to me the most important thing is to get Ms. Hamilton out of the country,” Segal said. “We can sort out Cobra’s relationship with Kazi once she’s beyond his reach. Until then, she’s vulnerable, and that means we’re vulnerable as an organization.”
Heads nodded—all except for Jenna’s.
She looked lost, shell-shocked, miserable.
“I want a viable strategy for evacuating Ms. Hamilton by zero-eight-hundred tomorrow.” Derek stood, ending the meeting.
The staff headed back to their desks.
Only Jenna remained. “I’m going back to the U.S., then?”
“I’m sorry, Jenna. I know it’s not what you wanted.” Derek walked over to her, sat on the edge of the conference table. “Before Kazi was named governor, he was a butcher. He killed our enemies, so the U.S. rewarded him and made him powerful. If he’s willing to kill me to get to you, that’s bad news.”
Jenna got to her feet. “Thank you for saving my neck yesterday, but I don’t want you or anyone else dying for my sake.”
Derek stood, too. “None of this is your fault. Even if this is the result of what you did for that girl and her baby, it’s not your fault. You came here with the best of intentions. You’ve saved lives. You’ve done more than most people.”
She didn’t look comforted by this. “Does Farzad think I’m evil now?”
Derek shook his head. “He cares about you, Jenna. He said he thought you were a brave woman. He wanted me to tell you goodbye and that they all wished you well.”
Jenna’s chin quivered, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I care about him, too.”
Not knowing what to do, Derek drew her into his arms.
Cross stepped in. “Hey, boss, I … Oh. Sorry.”
Jenna drew away. “I’m going back to my room—if I can find the way.”
Derek walked over to Cross, cleared his throat, fighting not to bite the guy’s head off. “She’s upset.”
“I bet.”
“What do you want?”