Page 45 of Her Sensual Protector

Leo saw him considering his words. He whispered to the other man, who shook his head vehemently. But the man with the knife continued to talk. Leo could hear him talking about their families. Finally, the man with the gun let his arm drop. It was enough; Ezio and Leo jumped into the truck and rushed the men.

The Haqqani terrorists dropped their unconscious prisoners and held up their hands. “Max,” Leo called into his mic. “We’ve got the doc and the reporter.”

“We’ve got the place cleared out here,” Kane answered. “I’m calling Wilma to touch down here.”

“Was someone injured?” Ezio asked.

“Yeah,” Raiden answered. “It was Cullen bitching and whining about a flesh wound.”

“I wasn’t complaining about the wound, I was complaining about the way you doctored me up.” Leo could hear the grimace in Cullen’s voice. It was obviously worse than a flesh wound.

Leo would bet his bottom dollar that Raiden had stayed close to Cullen because he’d had one of his feelings. He was weird that way. Kind of like Kane was about his magic with computers.

“Kane, tell Wilma it’s going to be packed, that we have two prisoners we’re bringing aboard,” Ezio said.

“Got it.”

14

It was the ambassador who called her. Funny, Daisy had been expecting to hear from Leo.

“Your father has been rescued, Miss Squires. He’s at the hospital at Bagram Air Base.”

Her level of relief took her by surprise, but she didn’t have time to process it. “I’ll be there as soon as possible,” she said. She started looking around her hotel room for her purse.

“No, he has to be debriefed. You won’t be able to visit him for a couple of days. I just wanted to let you know he’s safe. We’ve already called your brother in the states.”

“What in the hell do you mean I can’t visit him right now, that’s utter bullshit.” Daisy kept the phone to her ear as she grabbed her purse and looked for her shoes. She looked in the hotel mirror and frowned.

She’d have to change; the sweatpants wouldn’t work.

“Miss Squires, I’ll try to expedite the debriefing process so you can see him sooner, but protocol needs to be observed.”

“I understand. Thank you for the call.” She hung up and called Malek.

“Malek?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Daisy winced. She couldn’t break him of that habit.

“Could I get a ride to Bagram? They rescued my father and he’s at the hospital there at the Air Base.”

“I can’t, ma’am, but my nephew can. I can send him to your hotel immediately.”

“That would be great.”

While she was talking to him, she grabbed a skirt and blouse out of the closet.

This will work.

She got dressed in record time, even had time to brush her hair and pee, before the hour-and-a-half trip to Bagram Air Force Base. She went down to the lobby and waited outside in the heat near the valet. They looked at her weirdly.

“Can I help you, ma’am?”

“I’m waiting for my ride,” she assured him.

“The hotel offers a driver for our guests.”

Malek’s nephew pulled up at that moment. The valet looked disapprovingly at his car. She didn’t care. When she went to open the door, the valet still opened it for her.