Free Final Vow by Kathleen Brooks Page A

tonight. Ahmed looked up at the six-foot cement fence topped with a decorative iron railing. Cameras sat on every corner , and he was pretty sure there were motion detectors attached as well.
    He had found a weakness at the back gate. Every night a dry cleaner’s truck came in. The guards didn’t bother to check inside the van. He figured he could leap in a couple blocks from the embassy . Stepping from the shadows, he started down the street opposite the embassy. A car’s engine slowing caught his attention and he ducked back into the shadows.
    A black SUV with dark -tinted windows came to a stop at the back gate. The window rolled down and Ahmed froze. Sergei. The gate opened and Sergei drove through. Ahmed looked down the street and saw two more SUVs approaching. Keeping to the shadows, he sprinted toward them. The first SUV pulled to the gate and was waved through. Ahmed reached the second SUV as it slowed to turn into the drive. Ahmed ran up from behind it and before it could slow to a stop, he yanked the back door open and grabbed whoever was sitting there.
    The man was so surprised he fell from the SUV as the others started screaming. The guards at the gate aimed their weapons and fired as Ahmed dragged the man into the street. He struggled, but Ahmed just pressed the knife into his side hard enough to draw blood. “Cooperate and I won’t kill you.” Ahmed knew he had him when the man screamed as he dug the knife deeper. It was hard to find good mercenaries these days.
    Ahmed tightened his hold and hauled the man into the dark before the others could even get out of the car. He dragged his captive between the buildings until he reached his car three blocks away.
    “What are you going to do with me?” the man asked as Ahmed raised the trunk and stuffed him in.
    “We’re going to have a little talk.” Ahmed slammed the trunk closed and got into the car. Darkness knotted in his stomach. Before Sergei , he never would have imagined doing what he was about to do. Now it was second nature. And that exact reason is why Bridget deserved someone better than him.

    * * *

    Hours later, Ahmed dragged the unconscious man from the abandoned building and tossed him into the passenger’s seat. His mouth was covered with duct tape and his hands and feet were bound. He wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon. Now Ahmed just needed to figure out what to do with him. It wasn’t like he could walk a bloody and unconscious man into the police station. He had fought the darkness in him that called for death. Images of Bridget stopped him. She would have been disappointed in him. Somehow that thought had stopped him from killing the man; instead, he’d just knocked him out and shoved him in the car.
    It really hadn’t taken that much persuasion to get the man to talk. Ahmed knew the schedule and how many guards were there. He also told him they were most worried about obtaining Saudi Arabia’s permission to attack Rahmi. Sarif was meeting with the representative from Saudi Arabia the next morning and if he got their blessing, Sarif would go forward with his speech in the afternoon. Since Sarif was refusing to talk to him, Ahmed would just go to the Saudis. Without their support, Sarif’s rebellion would be dead in the water.
    The Saudi embassy was close to the city's main State Department building, which was close to the UN. Ahmed made up his mind and turned down First Avenue. He could drive by and dump the man there. Surely he was on some terrorist list and the State Department would happily take care of him.
    Ahmed approached the UN and spotted Bridget immediately. What was she doing here? She smiled at one of the agents and he felt her eyes move to the street. It was as if they were drawn to each other. He was hidden from view by dark tinting, but he still felt her see him.
    Slamming on the brakes, Ahmed knew what to do. He fought the urge to leap from the car and kiss Bridget, showing her how much he’d missed her. He