Free No Woman Left Behind by Julie Moffett

sure I looked like death warmed over. Twice.
    He put down his briefcase and held me in a long hug. “How’d it go with your parents?” He rested his chin on top of my head.
    “As well as can be expected, considering I told them one of the world’s top assassins was taking a potshot at me on behalf of a crazed cyber terrorist and one of my best friends had been kidnapped.”
    “No easy way to explain something like that.” He touched my cheek. “You ready for this?”
    “No. I don’t think I could ever be ready for what I’m about to see. But I’m going to do it anyway.”
    “I hope this will help.”
    He returned to his briefcase, punched in a code and popped it open. He took some papers right off the top and handed them to me.
    “It’s a transcript of the video. Word for word. I thought it might help.”
    “It will. Thanks. I’ll read it on the way.”
    He drove in silence as I read the transcript, once, twice and then three times. My stomach heaved, but I kept control. I was grateful Slash didn’t interrupt or ask questions because I needed time to process.
    Slash pulled up to the guard gate at the underground garage. We completed the same security song and dance we’d done before, finally taking the elevator to the ninth floor. Everyone in the conference room fell quiet as soon as we entered. All seats at the conference table were taken except for two. I counted at least seven others standing. A large SMART board stood in the corner with what appeared to be the video cued and ready to go. I was the only woman.
    Looking around the table, I recognized one of the FBI agents from the cybercrimes unit. He’d debriefed me in the hospital after the school incident. The two open seats were at the head of the table next to Dex Woodward and across from a guy in full military uniform. Slash and I were ushered to the two open chairs and instructed to sit.
    The table groaned under an impressive array of expensive tech equipment. I recognized most of it, but there were items even I hadn’t seen before. Elvis would have known what they were. I wanted to ask about them, but Woodward was in a hurry to get started.
    “How are you, Ms. Carmichael?”
    I looked around. Everyone was staring at me.
    I cleared my throat. “I’ve been better. But I’m okay for now.”
    “Good. We need to get started. I don’t need to tell you that time is of the essence. If we want to keep the hostage alive—”
    “His name is Elvis. Elvis Zimmerman.”
    Woodward dipped his head. “Of course. If we want to keep Elvis Zimmerman alive, we need to act immediately. Our first concern is figuring out what Broodryk wants us to do next.”
    I swallowed hard. “I don’t think he wants
you
to do anything. This is about me.”
    “Which is exactly why we need your thoughts on the video. You’re the only person we know who has had direct contact with Broodryk. You not only saw him, but you interacted with him. Recently. That’s important.”
    “Our interaction was virtual.”
    “Doesn’t matter that it was virtual. You saw him, conversed with him. You know him in a way that none of us in the room do.”
    I called to memory Broodryk’s face. He presented as albino with translucent skin and blue eyes so light and cold they were almost colorless. I’d nicknamed him Ice Eyes.
    “I already provided extensive details on him during my previous debriefing with the FBI.” I glanced at the agent I’d spoken with in the hospital after Broodryk’s rampage on the high school. He nodded.
    Woodward pulled a file from the stack of papers in front of him. “Everyone in this room has reviewed the details of that debrief. What we need now is your take on this latest event. We’ve already come up with some interesting theories, so we want your thoughts on them, too. Are you ready to view the video in its entirety?”
    I wasn’t, but I had to see it. “Yes. But first I want to know why you’re so interested in this case. Kidnappings happen every