Free More Than Strangers by Tara Quan

nerds and gave them all plane tickets to Karachi. That’s about it.”
    Jason shook his head in disbelief. “They should have brought us in six months ago. What did you tell Zahra? Judging from her e-mail, you royally pissed her off.”
    Dan and the Sheika had a contentious relationship. Since most of her pet charities were located in South Asia, Jason couldn’t always play ambassador.
    His friend rolled his eyes. “I told her whatever local security company she hired was bollocks. I then advised her to give all her employees a plane ticket to Dubai. Her heart’s in the right place, but she has tunnel vision. She only sees the good they’re doing and is oblivious to the risks.”
    Jason lifted a brow. Dan had a tendency of sounding more British when he was upset. “You know how passionate she is about TB and polio. Her mother died of the former and her little brother is crippled because of the latter. You could have tried to be more diplomatic.”
    He saw a muscle tick over Dan’s jaw. “The princess was about to get on a plane and come here—that’s how bloody passionate she is. Thank God her visa wasn’t approved. She can care about TB and polio someplace safe.”
    “Isn’t her mother’s family from Karachi?” Having attended the same boarding school as Zahra’s brother, Dan knew her better than Jason did. Her family had hosted Dan every summer break throughout his teenage years. But now that he and the Sheika were both adults, they were constantly at each other’s throats.
    “That means jack shit. This is not a city where foreigners can traipse around unprotected, Her Royal Highness included. The three idiots she sent here only signed up because they’re her friends. How do you think she’ll feel if they get blown to bits?”
    Dan seemed to care a tad too much about Zahra’s feelings. Jason decided not to comment. “So they’re only three of them?”
    “Three Americans, two Frenchmen, two Germans and one Japanese lady.” Shaking his head, Dan continued. “The non-Americans had enough brains to fly out of here after their consulates chased them down and told them they were blooming idiots. Our idealistic brethren, not so much.”
    Of course, it wasn’t going to be easy. “Where are the three of them staying?”
    Dan was eager to expand upon what he obviously felt was a ridiculous situation. “You’re going to love this. Some genius decided to house them all in one big villa in the best part of town.”
    Jason let out a low whistle. “Talk about a terrorist’s wet dream.”
    Dan continued his tirade. “There’s one guard posted at the door. He has a shotgun, but I don’t think he knows how to use it. They don’t have a car or driver. They ride motor rickshaws all over the city. The fact that this place is a terrorist vacation spot seems to have escaped all three.”
    Massaging the bridge of his nose, Jason sighed. “See if you can pin down their locations and arrange pickups. Have our expeditors buy them plane tickets. I don’t care to where. Give me half an hour to shower, and I’ll take a look at those profiles you e-mailed me in case we have trouble tracking them down. I didn’t like the look of that warden message. We’re getting those three out of here even if it means hog-tying and tossing them all onto a plane.”
    “Can I call Zahra and tell her that?” Dan looked almost gleeful. His partner had a habit of saying “I told you so” at the least opportune moments.
    Jason was tempted, but pissing off the princess wasn’t a pleasure their company could yet afford. “I’m calling her right now. Keep your mouth shut.”

Chapter 6
    Jason stared at the tablet’s glowing screen. It was the exact background he expected from some bleeding-heart health worker idealistic enough to administer a TB-testing program in the slums of Pakistan.
    Citizenship: American
    Age: 26
    Education: M.S. in Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, B.A./M.A. in Biological Sciences, Georgetown