No fucking fair.

And talk about a complete waste. Teaming Alyssa Locke up with a guy who was gay? And Sam was flat-out sorry, but even if the FBI had a adonat ask, donat tella policy similar to the U.S. military, when it came to Cassidy, there was no need to ask anything. There was absolutely no question as to which way his wind blew.

Of course, maybe that was why head been teamed up with Alyssa Locke. No male agent would be comfortable letting Cassidy guard his assa"because they wouldnat want the little fruit anywhere near their ass.

Alyssa, however, seemed genuinely to like the man.

aWhat news cometh from the front lines, oh goddess of information?a Cassidy asked.

She flopped down next to him on the couch and Sam almost did a double take. Locke didnat flop. And yet . . . She was sitting there, slouched back, as if she were as exhausted as he was. As if she, too, hadnat slept since before she could remember.

As if she were human.

After the SEALs had pulled all three of the former hostages and Meg out of the K-stani menas room, Locke had been part of the team that had spirited them out of the embassy and away to another locationa"a safe and very swanky hotela"across town.

He moved closer so he could hear her conversation with Cassidy.

aMeg Moore was questioned for hours, and her story held up,a Alyssa reported. aOh, and youall like this, Jules. There was a security camera in the parking garage where she said the Extremist first contacted her. Everything happened exactly the way she described it, and weave got the guy on videotape. Weave IDed him as a suspected K-stani terrorist. Nobody has a clue how he got into the U.S. Heas wanted for a number of violent crimesa"including planting a bomb in a Kazabek school bus.a She rolled her head on the cushiony back of the couch to look at Cassidy as she continued. aWhich was probably not something Meg Moore needed to hear. The man whoas connected with the kidnapping of her daughter is a wanted child killer.a aShit,a Cassidy said.

aYeah.a She sighed. aShe kind of lost it. Fortunately a doctor was on hand. He gave her something to help her sleep. As for our other guestsa"the ambassador and the other two Kazbekistanis are being very gracious about this. Theyare cooperating fully.a aBy letting the FBI house them in a hotel with room service provided by DCas best French gourmet restaurant and all the pay-per-view they can watch?a Cassidy snorted. aAfter thinking I was going to die like a dog gunned down near the urinals in a menas room, Iad be pretty happy with option B as well.a aThey didnat have to cooperate,a Alyssa told her partner.

aHow many times have you worked with Max Bhagat?a Cassidy asked.

aThis is the first. I mean, I knew who he was anda"a aAh.a aWhat does ah mean?a she asked.

aIt means, aAh, youave never worked with Max before.a a She gave him a far friendlier version of her cold stare than Sam had ever received. aWhich means . . . ?a aHeas a really good negotiator,a Cassidy said, ato the point that heas completely able to manipulate nearly any situation to his favor. Iam betting after five minutes with Max, neither the ambassador nor the other two hostages would have considered not cooperating. Because Max probably leaned heavily but oh-so-subtly on the concept that not cooperating would make them look as if they were connected to the Extremists who kidnapped sweet little Amy Moore. So there they go, whisked off to a safe hotel room where they canat make any phone calls or communicate with anyone, where theyare locked in and placed under twenty-four-hour guard. But because Max is Max, theyare happy to be there and even though itas probably going to take four days longer than anyone anticipated, theyare going to leave thanking him. Why donat you sit down and take a load off?a It took Sam several seconds to realize Cassidy had aimed that last question at him.

Alyssa turned her head to look up at him, but then looked quickly away.

aSorry,a Sam said. aI was just . . . you know . . .a aEavesdropping?a Cassidy asked cheerfully. aIt mightave worked better if youad actually tried to hide behind the couch.a Alyssa was still leaning back against the sofa cushions, but somehow she was no longer relaxed.

aI wanted to know how Meg was doing,a Sam admitted.

aShe was extremely upset when the news came down about that terroristas prior with a school bus, but sheas sleeping now,a Alyssa reported, still not looking at him.

Wasnat this nice? They were able to have a civilized conversation, an exchange of information, without someone getting pissed off and needing to leave the room.

aWhere was Nils during this?a Sam asked.

aHe was in a meeting with Lieutenant Paoletti,a Alyssa told him. aI donat know what about.a Sam did. aHe was probably requesting leave, arguing that his relationship with Meg was making it impossible for him to concentrate on the things heas supposed to be concentrating on. Heas such a Boy Scout.a Alyssa dared to glance up at him. aI thought you two were friends.a aWe are,a Sam said. He smiled. aAnd heas only a Boy Scout some of the time. The rest of the time, heas the most devious son of a bitch Iave ever met.a aWhich, naturally, you see as a plus.a If head wanted to, he couldave let that comment sting. Instead he rolled it off his back. He was too tired to fight. aAbsolutely.a aAre you sure you donat want to sit down?a If it had been Alyssa asking that instead of Cassidy, Sam wouldave stuck his butt in a chair. But she wasnat joining in, asking him to stay. In fact, she had her eyes closed now.

aNah, Iam on my way out of here. Wolchonok got me reassigned to a room thatas a little more private than Grand Central Station, and Iam planning to be unconscious in about five minutes, so . . .a He picked up his bag, glanced again at Alyssa. aSee ya,a Sam said.

aLater,a Cassidy replied.

Alyssa didnat say a word, didnat give him even a dim smile, didnat open her eyes.

She wasnat asleep, she was just waiting for him to leave.

Frustration rose in a wave around him and Sam forgot about being too tired to fight. aWould it kill you,a he growled, ato pretend to be polite?a She opened one eye. aTo a jerk like you? It might.a Every single retort that sprang to his lips was unprintable. He mightave said something unspeakably rude anywaya"she pissed him off that mucha"if the realization hadnat suddenly hit him.

She really hated him.

She wasnat kidding, it wasnat even partially in fun.

Alyssa Locke despised him.

aIam sorry,a he said quietly, because he was. Sorry that she felt that way about him, sorry that head been unable to resist pushing her buttons every single time they met, sorry for himself because unless hell froze, she wasnat ever going to smile at him the way she smiled at Jules Cassidy.

She opened both eyes and even sat up, but he didnat wait around for her to fire another verbal missile at him. He took his bag and left.

Eight.

IT WAS 0422.

Normally Nils wouldnat have found the fact that it was 0422 to be a problem. It wasnat the first time head been up and out before dawn. But normally when he was up and functioning coherently at 0422, that usually meant head gone to sleep a little earlier than 0100.

Yes, head gone to bed much too late after being awake for too many days in a row, and the call had come in to the hotel suite much too early, at 0405, waking both Nils and Sam Starrett from a deep sleep.

It had not been a wrong number, as much as Nils had wished it to be.

The FBI wanted to talk to him, pronto. In fact, they were sending a car.

That cara"a dark sedan, conspicuous for its lack of conspicuousnessa"had just dropped him across town at the safe hotel head helped bring Meg to just hours earlier.

As Nils was escorted upstairs and into a conference room that held both FBI Team Leader Max Bhagat and Lieutenant Paoletti, he wished head taken the time between 0405 and 0407 to shave.

The hotel suite was hopping for the early morning hour. Something was up. Or maybea"and the hair on the back of his neck stood upa"something had gone very wrong.

aWhatas going on? Whereas Meg?a He looked to Lieutenant Paoletti for answers, but the CO just shook his head.

aWhereas Meg is a very good question.a A bleary-eyed Bhagat motioned for Nils to sit down on the opposite side of the table. aWe were hoping youad be able to help us answer that.a Christ, the Extremists had grabbed her.

Nils knew he shouldnat have left her and gone back to his own hotel to sleep. He should have pushed his way into her room despite being told that shead been given sleeping pills and was fast asleep. After what shead been through, he should have insisted upon seeing her, insisted upon standing guard beside her bed.

But as angry as he was at himself and at the FBI for letting this happen, he forced his voice to sound calm as he faced Bhagat. aNo, sir, Iam afraid I canat answer any questions. When did Megas abduction take place?a Bhagat exchanged a look with Lieutenant Paoletti.

The lieutenant turned to Nils. aI told them you didnat have anything to do with this.a Confusion mixed with frustration and just enough nausea from fear for Megas safety and lack of sleep to make him want to grab Paolettia"one of the nicest guys in the worlda"by the collar of his shirt and shake him hard.

aWith what?a he asked instead, his teeth only slightly clenched. aL.T., what the hellas going on?a He had a million questions. What time was Meg reported missing? Were there signs of a struggle? Signs of bloodshed ora"please, God, noa"foul play? Were the FBI tracking her right now?

aYouare right about there having been an abduction.a Bhagat rubbed his eyes. aBut Meg wasnat the abductee, Lieutenant Nilsson. She was the abductor.a Nils heard the words, but they didnat make sense. And then they made too much sense.

Paoletti was nodding. aShe had a second side arm.a aWas there a reason you didnat search her in the menas room, Lieutenant?a Bhagat asked.

She had a second side arm? Nils couldnat believe it. But God, he hadnat searched her in the menas room.

aNo, sir,a he answered Bhagat. aShead surrendered her weapon and . . .a And shead been in his arms, crying her heart out. It had never even occurred to him that he might want to pat her down. He looked at Paoletti. aAre you sure about this, sir, because . . .a aAccording to the FBI guard, she held him at gunpoint, took his cuffs, his side arm, too, and locked him in a utility closet. Then she went in and tooka"a aThe ambassador?a Even as he said the words, Nils didnat believe it. And yet . . . He could still see that desperation in Megas eyes. aAfter the doctor gave her something to sleep? No way.a aThe doctor gave her sleeping pills.a The look in Paolettias eyes told Nils what his CO thought of that doctor. aHe left her with a full prescription. Itas now assumed she didnat actually take any.a aAnd it wasnat the ambassador,a Bhagat informed Nils. aMeg Moore left the premises with another of her hostagesa"a diplomatic aide named Janko Tuzak. Does that name ring any bells, Lieutenant?a The FBI team leader still wasnat convinced Nils didnat know something. And at this point, with both Bhagat and Lieutenant Paoletti telling him that Meg had conned them alla"particularly Nils . . .

The thought that Meg had baldly lied to him, that shead had a second handguna"probably hidden in her boota"was one Nils couldnat quite wrap his brain around. He didnat know somethinga"Christ, he didnat know anything. Including which way was up.

But Bhagat had asked him a question.

aJanko Tuzak.a Nils shook his head. aNo, I donat know him, sir, donat know the name.a aMaybe youall know him by his real namea"Osman Razeen.a Oh, fuck. aAre you telling me that Meg left here with a weapon and a hostage, and that hostage is Osman Razeen?a Nils looked at Lieutenant Paoletti and saw the truth echoed in his grim expression.

Bhagat nodded. aI guess that nameas more familiar to you, huh?a Nils felt the earth listing a little bit more to the side. aOsman Razeen, the GIK terrorist leader . . . ?a It was a stupid question. What kind of answer did he expect? No, Osman Razeen the K-stani ice cream man.

aThe one and only,a Bhagat informed him, apparently used to dealing with idiots. aWanted by the U.S., the Kazbekistani government, and, it seems now, the Extremists. Everyone wants a piece of him.a aDoes Meg know who he is?a Nils asked, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how stupid they were, too. He was batting a thousand here. Of course she knew.

He couldnat believe this. This was like some awful nightmare that just kept on getting worse and worse. aShe told me the Extremists were targeting the new ambassador,a he informed Bhagat and Paoletti. Shead looked him in the eye, and told him. aShe didnat say anything about Tuzak or Razeen or . . .a Fuck. Meg had lied to him. Shead used him as much as shead used that second handgun in her boot to get herself and Razeen out of the K-stani embassy.

aHow well do you really know Meg Moore, Lieutenant?a Paoletti asked gently. aIs it possible that she has ties to the Extremists? Or maybe to Razeen? Is it possible she was in on this from the start?a Nils couldnat answer. How well did he know Meg? Not well enough, apparently. Shead lied to him. Shead used him.

For Amyas sake.

He closed his eyes and he could see Megas face as she sat in that menas room. He could see her desperation and smell her fear.

He could feel her arms around his neck as she sobbed into his shoulder, see her brown eyes filled with tears as she told him the Extremists had ordered her to kidnap . . . the freaking ambassador.

Shead looked him in the eye and she hadnat even blinked as shead lied.

To him.

aI donat know anything anymore, sir,a Nils admitted to Paoletti, working hard to keep his voice from shaking and his hurt and anger from showing. aI thought I knew her pretty damn well. Ten minutes ago, I would have sworn on my motheras grave that there was no way in hell Meg would voluntarily get involved with any kind of terrorists. But I also would have insisted that she was incapable of lying to me, too. Obviously, I was wrong about that.a He looked from Paoletti to Bhagat. aIf youare looking for answers, sirs, youare not going to find them from me. Iam as clueless as you are. She conned me completely, because even as I hear myself say all that, thereas a part of me thatas thinking I donat believe any of this. Thereas a part of me thatas dead positive thereas been a mistake, that despite the fact that she lied, sheas still the victim herea"that whatever sheas done is because she thinks itas going to help save her daughter.a Nils stood up, pushing back his chair. aThatas a pretty thorough con job.a He had to get out of here, or head start asking Bhagat to make sure his agents didnat use excessive ora"God help hima"deadly force when they tracked Meg down. He had to leave before he started trying to convince the FBI that there was no way Meg would ever fire that weapon she hada"the one that made her aarmed and dangerousa on the APBs that were surely going out. But maybe head be wrong about her again, and this time his mistake would cost some of those FBI agents their lives.

He looked at Paoletti. aSir.a His CO nodded. aYou can go.a aBut donat go far,a Bhagat added.

The sky was getting lighter in the east, and Meg knew that back in Washington her disappearing act had surely been discovered by now.

She headed steadily south through Virginia on Route 95, still unable to believe shead actually gotten this far.

The FBI would be looking for her. She was going to have to keep moving. Shead stop for coffee only at fast-food drive throughs, answer the call of nature at the side of a deserted road.

Osman Razeen was snoring in the backseat of the car, proof that the doctoras sleeping pills workeda"particularly when triple dosed.

Theyad be looking for her car. It was pure luck that it had still been parked on the street, three blocks away from the Kazbekistani embassy.

Shead racked up $150 in parking tickets, but it hadnat been towed. And the spare key was still where shead always left ita"in the little hidden box inside the left front wheel well. Her father had attached it there the first time she and Amy had visited, after theyad returned from overseas. Shead rolled her eyes at the time, but she hadnat argued with him. Head attached a similar box to the very first car shead owned, back when she was nineteen and still in college. She was grateful for it now.

Still, it wouldnat take the FBI long to figure out that her car wasnat in the parking garage beneath her condo building, and it would take about a second longer for them to get her plate number and put out an APB.

Yes, theyad be looking for her, but her caras color, make, and modela"a three-year-old white Ford Taurusa"was a popular one.

And shead already switched license plates with a similar-looking car that was parked around the back of a cheap motel outside of Fredericksburg.

With any luck, the owners of that car wouldnat notice the different platesa"her old platesa"until long after shead arrived in Orlando.

And exchanged Osman Razeen for Amy and her grandmother.

Meg didnat want to imagine what would happen to Razeena"or herselfa"after she made the exchange. In fact, there were a lot of things she didnat want to imagine.

Including the look on Johnas face when he realized shead lied to him.

Meg looked at the clock on the dashboard. Four thirty. He was probably being told shead escaped right now.

Despair and fatigue flowed through her in a dizzying wave, and she took another slug of her long-cold coffee.

So what? She made herself sit up taller and rolled her head slightly, trying to release some of the tension from her neck. Shead lied.

It wasnat as if shead never lied to John Nilsson before.

Truth was, shead lied to him pretty much endlessly, starting back in late June, nearly three years ago, starting with the words she uttered after seeing him for the first time in six months.

aJohn? Oh, my God, I didnat recognize you!a Yeah, that had been pure baloney.

Meg had recognized him instantly, even before he called out to her, even just from the flash shead seen of him out of the corner of her eye.

Shead recognized him from the way he was standing, from the smooth line of his jaw, from the glint of the late afternoon sun on the bit of his dark brown hair that escaped from beneath his hat.

And from his eyes.

U.S. Navy Ens. John Nilsson had average brown eyes. Unremarkable light brown eyes. Meg had spent the past six months convincing herself that several billion other people on this planet had eyes just like his.

But gazing into them again, she knew shead been wrong.

He laughed at her words, and the Washington, DC, sidewalk seemed to shift beneath her feet. aYeah, itas the dress whites. Bet you didnat think Iad clean up so well, huh?a he teased. aTry not to faint, all right?a The stupid thing was, she was feeling lightheaded. Dear God, as good-looking as John had been dressed as a K-stani terrorist, he was perfection in his Navy dress uniform, rows of ribbons on his chest along with the gold trident that identified him as a SEAL.

The uniform made him look oldera"yeah, right. It made him look all of twenty-six.

aWhat are you doing here?a she asked, trying not to think of the way his tongue had felt in her mouth, trying not to blush at that sudden sharp memory.

aIam in DC to make an appearance before an inquiry board,a he told her. aTheyare conducting an investigation into that, um, incident in K-stan six months ago.a She forgot about being embarrassed. aYouare not in trouble, are you?a He made a face. aNah. Itas nothing. Some high-powered feathers got ruffled, and as the SEAL team leader, Iave got to waste a few days explaining why I made the choices I did without going into any of the specifics about the opa"the operation.a Meg wasnat quite sure whether to believe him. If it really were nothing, he would be in California with the rest of his team, wouldnat he?

aI was there, too,a she reminded him. aIf thereas anything I can say or do or add to your testimony thatall help . . .a He smiled a warm, broad, relaxed smile that made his eyes even prettier. aThanks, but . . .a He shook his head. aThereas no testimony. Honest. Itas really not that big a deal.

aSo how are you?a he continued. aI heard youave been in DC for a while. Nearly six months, right?a Call me. Meg couldnat hold his gaze. Shead thought about calling him, but only at two A.M., during her wildest dreams. aAmy and I left the Pit a few weeks after you did.a aJust you and Amy?a She could feel him watching her. He was still smiling, but it was no longer so relaxed. aYeah. Daniel and I are separated.a aIam sorry,a he said.

She glanced at hima"she couldnat help ita"and he snorted and rolled his eyes. aNo, Iam not. Iam thrilled. Heas an asshole. Congratulations, Meg. Letas have dinner tonight to celebrate.a Meg shook her head. aI canat.a aSure, you can. Bring Amy, too. Iad love to see her. How is she? Probably three inches taller.a aNo, itas not that.a Meg took a deep breath. aActually, Amyas spending the next two weeks visiting my grandmother in England.a As she said the words, she felt another flare of anger at Daniel. aIam just . . . Iam . . . really busy.a Another lie.

She had no plans for tonight because Daniel wasnat due back in town until some time next week.

Danielas timing wasa"like nearly everything else he dida"completely self-centered and oblivious to anyone elseas wants and needs. Meg had told him Amyas schedule for the summer dozens of times. And he still couldnat manage to schedule his visit to Washington for one of the other six weeks that his only daughter would also be in town.