Read Online On the Line (Special Ops) by Capri Montgomery - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Capri Montgomery
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still makes it the Middle East, but geographically I think it’s North Africa. I’m an astronomer, not a geographer, so don’t ask me to know for sure,” she said. It wasn’t her field of expertise and trying to rely on the news media to report accurately was like trying to rely on Santa Clause to bring her a new telescope for Christmas—it just wasn’t going to happen—on either account.
“Preston’s in Egypt,” Jet said.
“I don’t believe in coincidence,” Micah countered.
“So you think they went after her to get to him?” Jet asked.
They were all talking as if she were no longer sitting at the table. “That wouldn’t make sense. They have been divorced for too long with no contact with each other. Why would anybody think to go after her because of him?”
“True,” Alex nodded.
“Well…” the woman across the table from her interrupted the conversation. “Preston has been secretly going to some of Ariana’s dance shows.”
“Natalia,” Micah growled.
“It wasn’t my place to tell you before, but I thought it was important I say so now. He would always have me buy the tickets. Well technically I offered to buy them because it didn’t make any sense for him to have to pay off the guy at the front door just to see one dance. Anyway, while he is too stubborn to contact her he has gone to the last several shows with my help, and a few before he obtained my help.”
“Could you see what the other man looked like, Zahara?”
She shook her head no. “It was dark and he had something over his head. But I did get a clear look at the one who carried Ariana out. She wasn’t conscious. I don’t know how he managed that, but she wasn’t awake.”
“If I give you some pictures to look at can you tell me if you see him?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “But please hurry. I’m worried for her.”
“We’ll do what we can,” Micah said.
Micah and Jet left the room, obviously needing to talk outside of her presence. If these guys did all that Ariana implied Preston did then she wanted them on her side on this one. She didn’t think she had ever felt so anxious about anything in her life. This wasn’t just pre-show nerves about embarrassing herself by losing her clothes or missing a move in a group routine; this was life or death—possibly.
“Excuse me,” Natalia said as she got up and left the room, leaving Zahara and Alex alone.
“Maybe it was the flowers.”
“Excuse me?”
“Ariana received flowers with a request that she wait until after her first dance routine to open the card. She waited to open it because she wanted to watch me do my routine. Maybe whoever sent her the flowers took her.”
“We’ll have Natalia check on it, but I need you to stay calm and focused.”
“I am calm,” she said although she wasn’t sure she was. Her heart was still racing.
“No you’re not, Zahara. You always did that,” he pointed to her face in a circular motion.
“What?”
“That,” he said again. “That look where your eyes widen slightly, your lips part and that slight sheen of perspiration graces the hallow on your neck. You’re worried. I need you to keep your mind off the bad things that can happen and focus on finding her.”
She nodded. “Scary how well you still know me,” she said. “After all this time.”
He chuckled. “It’s not as if it has been decades. But I have missed you, Zahara. I missed what we had.”
“Me too.”
“When your mom told me you didn’t want to see me again.”
“When did she tell you that?”
“Not that long after you moved.”
She chuckled and shook her head. Her mother was looking out for her, and her heart, because she knew how much she loved Alex. She was trying to make sure there was nobody holding her back from finding and marrying another man—preferably a doctor in Alaska, much like the one her
“Preston’s in Egypt,” Jet said.
“I don’t believe in coincidence,” Micah countered.
“So you think they went after her to get to him?” Jet asked.
They were all talking as if she were no longer sitting at the table. “That wouldn’t make sense. They have been divorced for too long with no contact with each other. Why would anybody think to go after her because of him?”
“True,” Alex nodded.
“Well…” the woman across the table from her interrupted the conversation. “Preston has been secretly going to some of Ariana’s dance shows.”
“Natalia,” Micah growled.
“It wasn’t my place to tell you before, but I thought it was important I say so now. He would always have me buy the tickets. Well technically I offered to buy them because it didn’t make any sense for him to have to pay off the guy at the front door just to see one dance. Anyway, while he is too stubborn to contact her he has gone to the last several shows with my help, and a few before he obtained my help.”
“Could you see what the other man looked like, Zahara?”
She shook her head no. “It was dark and he had something over his head. But I did get a clear look at the one who carried Ariana out. She wasn’t conscious. I don’t know how he managed that, but she wasn’t awake.”
“If I give you some pictures to look at can you tell me if you see him?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “But please hurry. I’m worried for her.”
“We’ll do what we can,” Micah said.
Micah and Jet left the room, obviously needing to talk outside of her presence. If these guys did all that Ariana implied Preston did then she wanted them on her side on this one. She didn’t think she had ever felt so anxious about anything in her life. This wasn’t just pre-show nerves about embarrassing herself by losing her clothes or missing a move in a group routine; this was life or death—possibly.
“Excuse me,” Natalia said as she got up and left the room, leaving Zahara and Alex alone.
“Maybe it was the flowers.”
“Excuse me?”
“Ariana received flowers with a request that she wait until after her first dance routine to open the card. She waited to open it because she wanted to watch me do my routine. Maybe whoever sent her the flowers took her.”
“We’ll have Natalia check on it, but I need you to stay calm and focused.”
“I am calm,” she said although she wasn’t sure she was. Her heart was still racing.
“No you’re not, Zahara. You always did that,” he pointed to her face in a circular motion.
“What?”
“That,” he said again. “That look where your eyes widen slightly, your lips part and that slight sheen of perspiration graces the hallow on your neck. You’re worried. I need you to keep your mind off the bad things that can happen and focus on finding her.”
She nodded. “Scary how well you still know me,” she said. “After all this time.”
He chuckled. “It’s not as if it has been decades. But I have missed you, Zahara. I missed what we had.”
“Me too.”
“When your mom told me you didn’t want to see me again.”
“When did she tell you that?”
“Not that long after you moved.”
She chuckled and shook her head. Her mother was looking out for her, and her heart, because she knew how much she loved Alex. She was trying to make sure there was nobody holding her back from finding and marrying another man—preferably a doctor in Alaska, much like the one her
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