“Great. That was perfect. Now the other side.” She repeated the exercise on his right arm—fifteen repetitions.
The past few weeks had flown by. Cobra had stepped in to get new passports for both of them, enabling Kristi to get a new driver’s license, open a bank account in Denver, and have her belongings shipped from San Francisco. Samantha, Elizabeth, and Gabriela had all been there to help with groceries and meals. Malik’s Cobra buddies had done their best to buoy his spirits, their camaraderie a comfort to him.
Best of all, Tower had told Malik that he still had a job.
In her free time, Kristi had filled out job applications at area hospitals. After Nigeria, she wasn’t excited about going back to the corporate medical environment—top-down directives, daily pressure to expedite patient discharges, policies based on profit and not patient outcomes. With Malik’s encouragement, she’d started applying for jobs at nonprofit community clinics. The money wouldn’t be what it was in a hospital setting, but then she hadn’t become a nurse to get rich.
“And now your favorite—the squeeze ball.” She picked up the little black ball and placed it in his upturned palm.
“My favorite. Right.” He squeezed, his expression going tight. “If I can’t squeeze the damned ball, how will I hold a firearm?”
“It will come with time. I promise.”Kristi knew he was afraid that he wouldn’t be declared fit for duty and would find himself out of a job. She’d tried to reassure him that he was doing well, but he didn’t seem to believe her.
She couldn’t blame him. It must be discouraging for him to find himself so limited. He wasn’t used to being helpless, and right now, with restrictions on how he could use his arms, there wasn’t much he could do for himself. That overflowed into everything from eating to getting dressed to taking showers. It affected their sex life, too, forcing him to take the passive role—not that he seemed to mind getting lots of head.
She counted out the squeezes with him. “Great! It’s getting easier. I can tell.”
He nodded. “Table stretches?”
“Yep. It’s almost like you don’t need me.”
His gaze shot to hers. “That’s not true.”
She guided him through the exercise, watching to make sure he didn’t overdo the stretch or put any weight on his arms.
Tower walked in. “Can I see the two of you in my office when you finish here?”
Malik answered for both of them. “Yes, sir.”
Kristi watched Tower walk away. “Why does he want to see me?”
“No idea.”
Ten minutes later, she found herself sitting in Tower’s very nice office with its flat-screen monitor, windows overlooking the city, and black leather furniture.
“A short time ago, Corbray and I got some news from the State Department. The phones and laptop we confiscated during our raid in Lagos proved to be extremely useful. Last night, the Nigeria Police Force took down the Sky Kings in cooperation with law enforcement in several countries.”
The breath rushed from Kristi’s lungs, tears filling her eyes. “They’re gone?”
“Good fucking riddance,” Malik said.
Tower nodded. “Their leaders have been killed or arrested, and their overseas operations have been shut down. Hundreds of trafficked Nigerian women are getting medical care and therapy and being repatriated.”
Kristi wiped her tears away. “That’s the best news.
“We’re glad to hear it, sir.”
“There’s more. US forces participated in the operations in Nigeria. An element from DEVGRU was there, along with a company from the Seventy-Fifth Ranger Regiment. They were told they were there to avenge one of their own. They wanted to know they got the job done.”
“Thank you, sir.” Malik’s voice sounded tight.
Kristi reached over, squeezed his fingers, barely able to imagine how that felt for him—vengeance at the hands of his brothers in arms. “It really is over.”
Malik squeezed back. “It’s been over since the day they abducted you. They just didn’t know it.”
“Jones, I’d like to speak privately with Ms. Chang for a few minutes if you can bear to be away from her for any length of time.”
Kristi exchanged a glance with Malik, who clearly had no more idea what this was about than she did.