Nathan thought for a moment. “I still say we go out to Utah. But let’s keep a close eye on developments in the Nichole Dalton case. General, can you add her to the list? See what your sources can dig up?”

“I report to the secretary of the navy. He’s friends with the NSA’s director.”

“Will the secretary of the navy keep your inquiry confidential?” Nathan asked.

“He will if I ask him to.”

“What about the NSA’s director?”

“I can’t guarantee that. All I can do is ask a friend to ask a friend. You know the drill.”

“It’s your call, General.”

Thorny grunted, obviously still upset about his murdered Marine.

“Is it possible the Hungarian government might be involved in both cases?” Harvey asked.

“It’s a possibility,” Nathan conceded. “Pretty bold move if they are. Hiring Montez to torture and murder a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil?”

“Gentlemen, I need to step into a meeting,” Holly said. “I’ll be back in touch shortly. Nice meeting you, General, Major.”

“SAC Simpson,” Thorny said, “the pleasure’s been mine. Great work on the NCIC search. Sharp thinking.”

“Thank you, General,” she said. “Nathan, I’ll call you with anything new. Have a safe flight.”

Nathan ended the call.

“Make sure you copy my office on that police report when Simpson sends it to you. If Montez or his goons killed my Marine, I want that Nicaraguan’s skin hanging on my wall.”

Nathan looked away. So much for capturing Montez alive to track down MIAs.

Harv executed an illegal U-turn and reentered traffic.

When Thorny spoke, he sounded calmer. “Nate, I know you’re worried about leaks, but at the pay grades we’re talking about, I highly doubt Montez has any way to find out what we’re doing. I think we’ll be okay.”

He wasn’t sure he was in agreement, but he didn’t see a better way to proceed.

“I’ll call the secretary of the navy once I’m airborne and ask him to call the NSA’s director,” Thorny said. “Since there won’t be any real way to keep this under wraps at that point, I’ll also ask him to call CIA Director Rebecca Cantrell. And since both of them report to the Director of National Intelligence, it’s a good bet the DNI will become involved. And you know who the DNI reports to.”

Nathan did.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Nichole Dalton opened her eyes and tried to focus.

She couldn’t see anything.

Total blackness.

What happened? The last thing she remembered was being attacked. A man had been shot trying to help her. She got loose and ran away, but they caught her and dragged her into a van. She remembered a horrible chemical smell, like rubbing alcohol. No, not alcohol. Ether. They’d used ether on her. She couldn’t remember anything after that.