Gianna frowned. “I believe she’s twenty-nine.”
“And pretty?”
“She’s not a naïve girl, if that’s what you’re getting at. She was an elite soldier for a decade before signing on with Manhunters. She’s sufficiently seasoned.”
“In warfare, maybe,” Paige said, patting Gianna’s hand. “But you haven’t met Austin Hix. He’s got his own brand of charm. As a former CIA operative, you know exactly how men like that operate. Your undercover may not be naïve, but she’s a soldier, Gianna. Not exactly schooled in the ways of a chameleon like Hix.”
Gianna couldn’t argue with that point. Seeing beneath a complex façade took practice and skill. And sometimes, even that wasn’t enough to see a person’s true intentions.
“That doesn’t negate her observations that Mirabella is happy and well adjusted,” she told Paige.
“Gianna, she’s barely five years old,” Paige said with the you’re-not-a-mother-you-don’t-understand lilt in her tone. “Give her a box of crayons and she thinks she’s in heaven. The poor little thing has no idea what kind of danger surrounds her or the challenges in her future. Hix is mixed up with some shadow governments and even less credible companies. He’s training mercenaries, for God’s sake. And we both know how much harm a well-trained rogue paramilitary entity can cause in a country.”
Gianna shook her head. “Paige—”
“They’re only a short drive from the Nicaraguan border,” Paige cut in, her voice taking on the firm deliberation Gianna had seen the woman use while in meetings surrounded by generals. “Their economy is unstable, and civil unrest is on the rise. Hix has traveled to Managua twice since he ripped Mirabella from her warm bed in Georgetown and dragged her into a Third World country.”
“Costa Rica isn’t exactly in the same Third World category as Nicaragua—”
“That’s immaterial when Hix takes Mirabella everywhere he travels, which includes highly unstable countries.” She barreled over Gianna, another familiar tactic she’d seen Paige use on the Senate floor. “As the daughter of a rich American—an American who could easily anger those in power—Mirabella is at extremely high risk for kidnapping.”
“Okay, I hear you.” Gianna put her hand out and added her own force to the conversation. “Don’t get yourself all worked up. I’m here to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
Paige exhaled and rubbed her temple. “I’m so sorry, dear. This is all so stressful and heartbreaking. My father’s not well, and he’s been asking for Mirabella. My husband is in such a depression that the only time I see a glint in his eyes any more is when we look through Mirabella’s baby albums. She is the angel at the center of our family, and she needs to be back where she belongs—within the safety of the United States and comfort of a home where she will get the best of everything life has to offer.”
“Change a few words,” Roman muttered, pulling Gianna from the moment, “and she could be rallying the Senate into a government shutdown.”
Sparks of both amusement and annoyance teased Gianna’s mind.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Paige told Gianna, pushing to her feet. “I still have two more meetings before I can head home. I need to get back.”
Gianna stood. “It’s almost eight o’clock.”
“No rest for the wicked, darling.” Paige smiled, slid her arm through Gianna’s, and pulled her into step beside her. “And you’re certainly not one
to talk.”
“Amen,” Roman chimed in.
They strolled toward the Capitol building, where it stood strong and bright against the night sky. The sight never failed to pulse pride through Gianna’s veins. Even after all these years of slipping through back doors or slicing through red tape, it was all worth it in the end.
“So, tell me about these rumors,” she told Paige. “I’m hearing your name linked with Castillo’s quite a bit lately. His popularity is skyrocketing.”
“He’s a voice of reason in the storm,” Paige said. “And he’s electric. One of the strongest politicians to grace the Hill in decades.”
“A voice that may be putting in a bid for the White House in the next primary?”
Paige grinned. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Oh, I highly doubt that,” Gianna teased. “Though it’s an exciting time to be Paige Seaver, no? Surely he’d offer you a prominent spot on his White House staff.”
“A girl can dream.”
Gianna gave Paige’s arm a squeeze. “Does this girl dream of her name on the VP ticket?”
Paige laughed. A deep, rich laugh that told Gianna the answer was a big fat yes.
Before they parted ways at the steps to the Capitol, Paige made Gianna promise to update her every day until the team brought Mirabella home. And Gianna watched the woman meet up with colleagues as she climbed the stairs and headed into the Capitol building.