“Then we’d better get ready,” he said grimly. “Because it seems we don’t have a choice. I’ve called Novak and told him that the deadline has been upped and that I’ll be joining him at Samlir right away to help set up. I ordered Harris to pick me up in the helicopter as soon as he could make it.” He was frowning. “Dammit, I wanted to stay here and let Novak handle Samlir by himself.”

“I know you did.” She dazedly shook her head. “It’s all right. Margaret and I will be okay here. We’ve almost finished taking the photos we needed of Jubaldar. It’s only surveillance now. We don’t need you. It’s not as if we can’t take care of ourselves.”

“Heaven forbid that I even hint at that,” he said ironically. “But I’m still calling Vogel. He’s landed on the north cliffs, and his team is starting to work their way down into position to deliver the drones to Novak. He can pull someone and send him here ASAP.”

“He might just be in the way. It’s not as if anyone knows we’re here. We’ll be able to keep an eye on Jubaldar and follow any instructions you find you need to give us.” She was still puzzled. “But I can’t fathom why Reardon would suddenly strike this deal with Masenak and take Sasha and Chaos so quickly.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “I was half expecting it. Reardon has always been into power. It’s the reason he destroyed Karim and his homeland. It’s one of the reasons why he felt he had to dominate Masenak. Then Chaos appears on the scene with Masenak in control, and the bastard probably rubbed in his victory with a heavy hand. Reardon wouldn’t have been able to stand it without retaliating, so he set himself to making sure that he took everything connected to that victory away from Masenak as quickly as possible. First the deal itself, then the prompt removal of assets.”

“Everything connected…” she repeated. “Sasha.”

He nodded. “She would have been an important part of his victory. A rider for Chaos.”

She was remembering something else from that first Skype hacked by Vogel. “That wasn’t all. Masenak told Reardon that Sasha was fifteen and he usually preferred them younger.”

“Yes. Forget it. We won’t let that make a difference.”

But she couldn’t forget it. “What else did Gilroy say?”