stood watch, ready to take Buzz to safety, Amal stole a glance at Chas and murmured, “You weren’t even near the house when it exploded, were you?”
“No,” he said, “I saw it all after I dropped the scooter off.”
“Was the intel from your contact here?”
Chas knew Amal could sense more than he wanted her to and replied brusquely, “Yes. And we never had this conversation.”
“Understood,” she said. “I know how to keep my mouth shut. Mahmoud depends on it.”
“Don’t breathe a word of this to Mahmoud, either,” Chas said sternly. Then added, “And thank you for all you’ve done. I couldn’t have done it without your backup. I owe you one.”
“You owe me nothing. Except to tell Mahmoud that I was helpful to you. What I do, it is all for Mahmoud,” she said, her face softening. For an instant, Chas wondered if there was more to Amal’s wistful tone than gratitude. Then Susannah and Buzz approached, and they took off for the safe house with all due speed.
‡‡‡
THE SECOND AJ GOT Susannah’s text, she sighed with relief, then went into action mode. First she called Mahmoud, who managed to get reception even though he was in a remote part of the desert. Mahmoud then contacted Amal to coordinate getting Susannah, Chas, and Buzz on a chartered flight back to Tangier. Next, AJ called the Boss, who in turn called the FBI to update Fritz, and together they decided to get Buzz, Susannah, and Chas back to the States the following day. It was a narrow escape, and they were all on high alert. They would have to be especially careful until they got Buzz back to America, where the FBI would offer full protection. Until that time, they were on shaky ground.
AJ took a breath and looked at the screens in front of her. She had made sure to have GPS connected to all their cell phones, and there was a screen monitoring each step taken by every member of the Bod Squad. The screen was a full map of the earth, each member of the Bod Squad a different-colored blinking light. Each section of the map could be expanded if more details were needed. Another screen showed detailed topographical maps of Friouato Grotto (Taza), Johannesburg, and Tangier; a third and fourth screen showed various camera hookups in coordinating locations in real time. It had been an exceptionally scary moment for AJ, and she was dealing with it by drinking wine straight from the bottle and wolfing down chocolate in every form it came in. She figured if her laptop were chocolate, she’d eat that, too. She turned up the jazz, took another swig, and finished a bag of chocolate-covered almonds before bursting into tears. Then she immediately wiped her eyes and got back to work.
‡‡‡
LISA BEE AND JACKSON had stopped at a hotel in Fes for a few more hours of sleep. Even though they had caught a couple of winks back at Mahmoud’s, Jackson knew Lisa Bee could use a few more. Besides, it had been a long drive over bumpy terrain.
Jackson knew the owner of this hotel—he was another friend Jackson had grown up with. He figured this would be a nice treat for Lisa Bee along the way; it was a beautifully designed getaway with dark wood, inlaid ceramics, and colored hanging fabrics. In addition, he recalled, they served an impressive continental breakfast, which would help them fuel up for the rest of their mission.
His friend Ali met them on the way in with a huge hug and a smile and showed them to their rooms; Ali knew they were only stopping in and were short on time. Even so, he and Jackson were thrilled to see each other and caught up a bit when Lisa Bee went off to sleep. There was a beautiful gathering area in the middle of the hotel, with wood benches and colored poufs, where Ali said he’d leave breakfast. As to why they were stopping through so last-minute and for such a short time, Ali didn’t ask. Jackson figured Ali knew him well enough to know there was a good reason. He didn’t even seem to mind being woken in the middle
“No,” he said, “I saw it all after I dropped the scooter off.”
“Was the intel from your contact here?”
Chas knew Amal could sense more than he wanted her to and replied brusquely, “Yes. And we never had this conversation.”
“Understood,” she said. “I know how to keep my mouth shut. Mahmoud depends on it.”
“Don’t breathe a word of this to Mahmoud, either,” Chas said sternly. Then added, “And thank you for all you’ve done. I couldn’t have done it without your backup. I owe you one.”
“You owe me nothing. Except to tell Mahmoud that I was helpful to you. What I do, it is all for Mahmoud,” she said, her face softening. For an instant, Chas wondered if there was more to Amal’s wistful tone than gratitude. Then Susannah and Buzz approached, and they took off for the safe house with all due speed.
‡‡‡
THE SECOND AJ GOT Susannah’s text, she sighed with relief, then went into action mode. First she called Mahmoud, who managed to get reception even though he was in a remote part of the desert. Mahmoud then contacted Amal to coordinate getting Susannah, Chas, and Buzz on a chartered flight back to Tangier. Next, AJ called the Boss, who in turn called the FBI to update Fritz, and together they decided to get Buzz, Susannah, and Chas back to the States the following day. It was a narrow escape, and they were all on high alert. They would have to be especially careful until they got Buzz back to America, where the FBI would offer full protection. Until that time, they were on shaky ground.
AJ took a breath and looked at the screens in front of her. She had made sure to have GPS connected to all their cell phones, and there was a screen monitoring each step taken by every member of the Bod Squad. The screen was a full map of the earth, each member of the Bod Squad a different-colored blinking light. Each section of the map could be expanded if more details were needed. Another screen showed detailed topographical maps of Friouato Grotto (Taza), Johannesburg, and Tangier; a third and fourth screen showed various camera hookups in coordinating locations in real time. It had been an exceptionally scary moment for AJ, and she was dealing with it by drinking wine straight from the bottle and wolfing down chocolate in every form it came in. She figured if her laptop were chocolate, she’d eat that, too. She turned up the jazz, took another swig, and finished a bag of chocolate-covered almonds before bursting into tears. Then she immediately wiped her eyes and got back to work.
‡‡‡
LISA BEE AND JACKSON had stopped at a hotel in Fes for a few more hours of sleep. Even though they had caught a couple of winks back at Mahmoud’s, Jackson knew Lisa Bee could use a few more. Besides, it had been a long drive over bumpy terrain.
Jackson knew the owner of this hotel—he was another friend Jackson had grown up with. He figured this would be a nice treat for Lisa Bee along the way; it was a beautifully designed getaway with dark wood, inlaid ceramics, and colored hanging fabrics. In addition, he recalled, they served an impressive continental breakfast, which would help them fuel up for the rest of their mission.
His friend Ali met them on the way in with a huge hug and a smile and showed them to their rooms; Ali knew they were only stopping in and were short on time. Even so, he and Jackson were thrilled to see each other and caught up a bit when Lisa Bee went off to sleep. There was a beautiful gathering area in the middle of the hotel, with wood benches and colored poufs, where Ali said he’d leave breakfast. As to why they were stopping through so last-minute and for such a short time, Ali didn’t ask. Jackson figured Ali knew him well enough to know there was a good reason. He didn’t even seem to mind being woken in the middle
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