Dutch laughed to himself thinking about how he and Malin spent so much damn time dancing around each other. They’d worked so seamlessly when they were both at the agency, why couldn’t they again?
“Tell me what you want me to do.”
“I haven’t figured that out yet.”
“Fair enough. How much time have you got?”
“Give or take three hours.”
“Let’s get at it, then.”
19
“Ready?” Dutch asked.
“I am, how about you?”
“Sure enough.”
In the last three hours, they’d decided that Abdul Ghafor no longer called the shots and they needed to stop treating him like he did. Malin would meet with him, but it wouldn’t be out in a damn vineyard. It would be inside the winery where Dutch and Doc would be close, along with as many others of the K19 team she decided she wanted to be visible.
Ghafor wasn’t armed, because that same team had taken away his weapons. There was no reason why any of them needed to be armed.
“We need to brief Doc.”
“You’re sure he’ll go along with it?”
Dutch laughed. “Oh, yeah. He’s probably struggling as much as I am to stay out of it.”
* * *
When they walked into the winery, Malin saw that Razor, Gunner, and Onyx were waiting with Doc.
“Ranger, Diesel, and Striker will be on their way as soon as we give the word,” Doc told her.
She nodded, looking around the room. “Thank you all for being here.”
“Tell us what you want us to do, Starling,” said Gunner, winking.
She felt Dutch stiffen behind her and looked over her shoulder. “Consider the source,” she murmured. “Thank you, Gunner,” she said, looking him in the eye and seeing respect mirrored back at her.
Malin outlined everything she and Dutch had discussed. “The plan is to get Ghafor to agree to testify in exchange for exile, if that’s what he’s looking for. If he wants to return to the Middle East, we’ll make that happen instead.”
“The one thing we haven’t talked about is what state his organization is in presently,” said Doc.
Malin nodded. “He’s kidnapping former CIA agents, asking for hundred-million-dollar ransoms, and recruiting women as soldiers for Allah.”
“He’s done,” said Gunner.
“He won’t choose to go back,” agreed Malin.
“Rumors of his demise, then, aren’t premature.”
Malin nodded, feeling as though Gunner was reading her mind.
“Where are we stashing him?” he asked Doc.
“We’ll find a place where it’s hotter than hell most of the year.”