Page 56 of Her Ruthless Protector

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It was amazing to think that Abia al Fadi was eight years younger than A.J., because she walked like a fifty-year-old woman. Where A.J. walked straight and tall with her shoulders thrown back and her head held high, this woman was bent over and looked defeated.

Abia al Fadi was twenty. She’d been married to her husband for six years, her son was five years old, and her daughter was three. She didn’t look twenty, her face looked thirty-five and her eyes looked as if she’d lived ten lifetimes.

Kane followed a half-block behind her as her son limped behind her and she carried her daughter on her hip. The little family had been walking for over an hour since leaving the prison. Zed had followed her at first, then Leo, now it was Kane’s turn. Thank God he hadn’t gone first—it had taken him too damn long to get his head in the game after those seven hours spent with A.J. in the hotel last night.

Concentrate, McNamara! No more thinking about A.J. Lancaster.

Kane watched the woman and saw her shoulders sag as she clutched the young girl to her bosom. He knew, he just knew, that the reason she was holding the girl was that she was afraid someone would snatch her.

Kane was dressed like his fellow teammates in a casual white shirt and loose pants, but unlike the others he was wearing a turban. Leo and Zed had dark hair, his was shorter and lighter so he would have stuck out without the headgear. With the turban came easier camouflaging of the communication device.

“Anything yet?” Zed asked, the question came through clear in the receiver in Kane’s ear.

“Nope,” Kane answered, his mouth barely moving. He was a half-block behind Abia and her children. They were on a more desolate street on the outskirts of Aden, far from the prison where she had visited her husband. She was hours away from her hometown of Ja’ar and now at least two miles away from the bus station that would take her back home. There had to be a reason for this.

“What are you seeing?” Kane asked Zed.

“Nothing so far.”

Zed was walking four blocks ahead of Abia. They were guessing at the route she was going to take. Meanwhile Leo was in a battered truck that was loaded with goodies, one street over. He was watching for anything out of the ordinary.

Kane continued following Abia for another fifteen minutes.

“I’ve got something,” Leo said quietly. “An SUV just went around me, it’s making a turn your way, Zed.”

“I see it,” Zed said.

“Guys, meet up, I want you mobile, Zed. I’ll keep eyes on Abia,” Kane commanded. Things were going to happen fast, he just knew it, and the faster that Zed could get to the crappy-looking motorcycle with the huge engine that was in the back of Leo’s truck, the better off they would be.

There was a screech as a dusty black SUV turned a corner and drove up parallel to Abia. She took one look and grabbed her son’s hand and backed away. A man got out and started shouting at her to come with him. Kane saw her look of fear turn to relief. She shoved her daughter at the man and he grabbed the girl, then Abia helped her son into the SUV.

“She’s going willingly,” Kane said into his mic.

“I’m coming up behind you,” Leo said.

“I’ve got them in my sights,” Zed yelled over the roar of the motorcycle engine.

The SUV was already starting down the street by the time Leo and the truck slowed down beside Kane. He grabbed the truck’s door handle and yanked it open while the vehicle was still moving. He jumped in and they peeled out after the SUV.

“Don’t follow too close,” Kane shouted at Leo. “We need to see where they’re going.”

“We can’t afford to lose them either,” Leo protested.

“We won’t. Zed’s going to keep them in his sights. Hold back, dammit.” Leo pulled his foot off the accelerator and a motorcycle with a dark-haired man sped by them.

Kane knew that the man who had approached Abia had to be one of her husband’s lieutenants, and that she must be safe, but it was still killing him. Yes, they needed to get to Barkat al Fadi’s men and find out what the fuck was going on, which targets were real, which were fake. How did they intend to take out their objectives? But still, Kane wanted to make sure that somehow, some way, Abia and her two children made it out of this whole damn mess alive.

“They’ve hit the highway,” Zed said.

“Dammit!” Kane hit the dashboard of the truck. “How crowded is it?” he asked Zed.

“Not crowded enough. We’re going to have to lay pretty far back, otherwise we’ll be spotted. I’ll take point to begin with, then I’ll fall back, and you two take over.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and they won’t go far,” Leo muttered.

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