“I know,” Frank said. “We need to mitigate the risks as much as we can, which is why I’m sending you to a different safe house with extremely limited access. I can guarantee you that it’s not compromised.”

“You still think I’m working with terrorists?” Layla asked.

Her timing surprised Hunter a bit, but he understood why she was so frustrated.

“I told you before, this has nothing to do with that. Yes, the cartel wants you dead. But that has nothing to do with your activities with Al-Nidal.”

“There are no activities with Al-Nidal. The sooner you realize that, the better.”

Hunter rarely heard Layla raise her voice like this.

“Why don’t we focus on the immediate threat to your life?” Frank said.

Layla gave Hunter a frustrated glance, and he listened as she recounted their brief interrogation of the remaining attacker.

“We’ll do a full work-up on him and see what else we can find, but the cartel starting to outsource only makes things more dangerous. I’m sending you coordinates to the new safe house. I’ll have another team deploy and meet you there.”

“Roger that.” She ended the call and looked at Hunter. “What do you think?”

“Our choices are limited.”

“I’m going to give Scarlett a call. Fill her in and see if she has any ideas.”

“She’s going to toe the party line. What other option does she have?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. She’s stood by me through all the ups and downs at the Agency. If there’s a way she can help, she will.”

“Then I’m all for it.”

For the next few minutes, Hunter soaked in the conversation between the two women. It was clear that they had each other’s backs.

“Layla, I hate to say this,” Scarlett said, “but I really think you need to go off the grid. I don’t know if you can trust the Agency. Not after the safe house was compromised.”

“But then I’ll have the Agency after me too,” Layla responded.

“Okay, let me think.” Scarlett was silent for a minute. “You should go to the new safe house, but we’ll also prepare a plan B in case things get dicey again. I’ll make some calls and see what I can put together for you so you have an exit strategy if you need one.”

“I don’t want you to do anything that would put you in a bad position. I know how hard you’ve worked to climb the ladder.”

“Don’t you worry about me. I assume I can reach you on this number?” Scarlett asked.

“Yes, it’s a burner.”

“I’ll be in touch soon.”

The call ended.

“Well, I like how she thinks,” Hunter said. “You were right. She’s not afraid to rock the boat, huh?”

“You don’t get to be in her position without taking risks.”