CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“We didn’t know,” said her grandfather staring back at her from the screen.
“I assure you, had we known we would have come and brought you back to England. We weren’t even aware that our daughter had passed.
We sent letters, tried to call, but got nothing.
I wish we’d known.” She could see the pain on the faces of her grandparents, her grandmother looking so much like her mother.
“That means so much to me,” she smiled. “I’m happy, and safe now.”
“Will you come and visit us?” asked her grandmother. “Or can we come and visit you?”
“You’re welcome here any time,” said Cole. “Until we get this mess straightened out with her grandfather, we’ll keep her safe here. But, if you want to come over, we’ll make it happen.”
“I think I’d like that,” said her grandmother.
“Sir, did your daughter or son-in-law ever talk to you about nuclear weapons?” Lord Montgomery stared at Cole, then back at his wife.
“Neither showed an interest in weapons but when his father came to visit right after the wedding, he kept asking about my work and wanted a tour of our facility. Of course, I wasn’t allowed to offer that, nor did I. He seemed angered by it and when he left, he did so abruptly.”
“I see,” nodded Cole. “Well, you are welcome here. If you and Lady Montgomery wish to come and spend time with Layla, please feel free.”
“I’m curious how you were able to acquire a western name. Your father assured us that you would have a traditional Syrian name,” said Lady Montgomery.
“Oh, I didn’t have one. My Syrian name is Hala but we changed it when I came here so that my grandfather couldn’t follow me. Layla seemed close to Hala.” Her grandmother smiled a warm, loving smile.
“It’s my name,” she said softly.
“Wh-what?”
“Well, it’s my middle name. Elizabeth Layla Osborne Montgomery. A mouthful, really.”
“I didn’t know. I swear to you, I didn’t know,” said Layla.
“Layla, I’m not bothered by it. I’m thrilled by the fact that you’ve chosen a name from our family. Accident or not, it’s lovely.”
“I’ll let you finish your conversation with your grandparents,” said Cole, kissing her cheek. “We’ll be right over there when you’re done.”
The group of men and women left Layla alone to get acquainted with the grandparents she knew nothing about. To have lived for so long without knowledge of them must be quite a surprise.
“What do you think?” Cole asked the others.
“I think the old man had something to do with those two meeting,” said Angus. “Think about it. He allowed his son to go to Oxford, probably with bodyguards, just like Layla. I’m going to bet the bodyguards knew about her mother and somehow put them in one another’s path.”
“God, this sucks,” said Cole. “They did nothing wrong except fall in love and refuse to help that crazy fucker.”
“I’m going to bet her mother sent word to her parents that she was pregnant but the old man intercepted the communication,” said Cam.
“It’s really a shame that they’ve missed out on all these years of connection.
He killed her parents, kept her a prisoner, making her believe that he was all she had.
Knowing her now, I’d put money down on the fact that she would have escaped and gone to England. ”
“I couldn’t agree more, although that may have ended badly,” said Cole. “What do we do now? Should we go back to Syria?”
“We have to find exactly where that nuke is being held,” said Luke.
“The Ranger team that blew the other site is already back stateside and they’re not thrilled about returning.
I can’t say that I blame them. It might not have been the nuke, but it would still piss him off enough that he’d kill them without question. ”
“I’m finding hotspots in the area,” said AJ, “but you need to give me time to find the hotspot. I think he’s placed small amounts of plutonium around the area to confuse the United Nations, or anyone else.”
“What about the other tribes? The government? Could they be of help or support for us?” asked Cole.
“It’s a good thought,” said Ham. “They might be willing to discuss how to stop him.” He turned to look at Bailey.
“Dad, I’m a negotiator of hostages, not nukes.”
“Same thing,” said Luke. “Negotiation is negotiation. You have a way of speaking to people that makes them feel at ease, Bailey. Let us connect you with their government officials and let’s just see what you can find out for us.”
“I’m willing to try but you guys know as well as I do they don’t always respond well to women in authoritative roles.”
“We’ll give you backup,” smirked Cam. “JB and East? You two sit with her during the meetings. Let them know that you are supportive of her and will carry out their wishes.”
“This is gonna be fun,” smirked East.
“East? Be nice,” said Luke. East frowned, disappointed that he couldn’t enjoy himself while working. Truth be told, he’d find a way to have fun no matter what.
“Let’s go beautiful Bailey,” grinned JB. He heard the low growl of Angus and all eyes turned to the big man.
“No need for growling,” said Luke. “You’ll be by her side as well. Don’t bite anyone.”
“I won’t bite unless they bite first,” smiled Angus. Bailey rolled her eyes walking toward the door to head to the office.
“Men!”