Chapter 41

forty-one

DYLAN

Later that afternoon, my cell phone rang. I glanced at the caller display and frowned. “Hi, Ryan.”

“Where’s Alex?”

“He’s with Jeremy and me at the house we rented in Sunrise Bay.”

“Stay there. I had a call from the FBI. Someone tried to kidnap the man we think is Alex’s brother.”

I left the office and ran along the hallway. “Hang on a minute.” I rushed into the living room. Alex wasn’t there. “Alex!”

Jeremy ran out of the dining room. “He’s in his bedroom. What’s happened?”

“Someone tried to kidnap the man who could be Alex’s brother. Don’t let him leave the house.”

A sleep-tousled Alex appeared in the doorway. “Is he all right?”

“I don’t know. I’ll ask Ryan.” I held my cell phone to my ear. “Did you hear Alex’s question?”

“He’s okay,” Ryan replied. “The FBI has moved him to another location. If anyone from the terrorist cell contacts Alex, let me know straight away.”

“I will.” I silently mouthed, “He’s okay,” to Alex.

“We haven’t heard from the DNA lab,” Ryan said. “I’ll let you know when we get the results and I’ll send through an update tonight from the FBI.”

I nodded. “That’d be great. I’ll look out for it. Take care.”

After Ryan ended the call, I held my phone against my chest. “We have to be extra careful.”

Alex leaned against the doorframe. “Does that mean no trips to the candy store?”

I appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood, but we were in a serious situation. “We can’t risk anything happening to you.”

“I don’t want anything happening to me, either.”

Jeremy looked through the window at the quiet street. “I’ll let Connor know what’s happened.”

Alex winced as he moved his arm. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Go back to bed and get some rest,” I said gently. “We’ll let you know if anything else happens.” After Alex left the room, I stood beside Jeremy. “What do you think?”

“From what I’ve heard about the Haqani Army, they don’t attempt to kidnap someone without it being successful. They’re putting pressure on Alex, forcing him into a difficult situation. I can almost guarantee he’ll receive another email from them in the next couple of hours.”

I didn’t want to ask the next question, but I had to. “Do you think he’ll give them the program?”

“If you push the right buttons, most people will eventually crack. We need to make sure he isn’t put in that position.”

I looked over my shoulder. If Alex heard what I was about to say, he would leave. “I need to make sure he doesn’t see any emails from the Haqani Army.”

“I’ll get his laptop.” Jeremy moved toward the office.

I wasn’t happy with what I was about to do. But if I didn’t get access to his emails, more than his life could be in danger.