“It doesn’t bother me,” she murmured, sneaking another glance at the man who was looking at her like she would be as good to eat as the lunch they were preparing. “Sometimes it’s nice to be normal.”
Malin had no doubt that Merrigan knew exactly what she meant. Until recently, the woman had been a high-ranking MI-6 agent and, from what she’d heard, was now the managing partner of K19 Security Solutions.
Merrigan smiled and handed her a bowl of salad that Malin set on the table.
“She makes me eat salad first,” Doc told both men.
“Don’t worry, I have panini ready to go under the press, and there’s pie fresh out of the oven.”
* * *
As she, Sofia, and Merrigan cleaned up from lunch, Malin saw Doc motion to Dutch and Onyx. The three men walked out of the room, leaving her with a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Something was up; she could sense it.
“Oh, dear,” Merrigan murmured, obviously picking up on the same thing she did.
When Dutch came back into the kitchen, Malin turned to face him, drying her hands on a towel. “What’s happened?”
“We don’t know all the details yet, but there’s been an ambush.”
Merrigan dropped the dish she had been drying, and it shattered on the tile floor. “Sorry,” she said, bending to pick up the pieces.
“I’ll get it in a minute,” Doc said, holding out his hand for her to stand.
“Tell us, Kade,” Merrigan said to her husband.
When he looked over and said, “Ghafor is dead,” Malin felt her knees go weak and grabbed the counter. Suddenly Dutch was by her side.
“What about the team?” Merrigan asked.
“Striker has been transported via medical helicopter. They’re transporting Ranger by ambulance. Monk and Diesel were able to take down the two shooters.”
“Who are they?” Malin asked.
“They haven’t been identified yet.”
“What is Striker’s condition?” Merrigan asked.
“He’s in surgery now,” answered Doc.
When Dutch touched her arm, Malin turned and let him take her into his arms.
The ramifications of what Ghafor’s death meant raced through her mind. Who had killed him? More importantly, how had they found him? Wouldn’t K19 have held him in the securest of locations? If four operatives couldn’t keep him safe, what did that mean for her? Her biggest question, though, was whether Striker had been able to get Ghafor to talk, and if so, was it enough for her to be able to prove at least part of the conspiracy she’d uncovered?
“We’ll transport the four of you to the airfield,” Doc said directly to Dutch and Onyx.
“I’m leaving?”
“Until we know who the shooters were and get a handle on how they located our team, yes. You are leaving.”
“No,” said Malin. “I need to know what Striker knows before I go anywhere.”
Dutch looked into her eyes. “Malin…”
“Kade,” said Merrigan, putting her hand on her husband’s arm. “This is her mission to complete.”
“What about the safe house in Harmony?” asked Dutch.
“You’ll be safer at the ranch,” Kade said to Dutch before turning to Malin. “It’s less than two hours from here. We’ll keep you briefed on what we learn in real time.”