Chapter 21
Voodoo once more stood in the wings, this time at the Dubai Opera House, arms folded loosely across his chest as he watched Savannah work her magic on the piano.
She sat at the grand piano now, going over a delicate passage, her fingers dancing lightly across the keys, her expression focused.
She appeared to have a bit more energy than she’d had in the last week and a half.
They hadn’t talked about it, not having a moment to themselves, but he figured the conversation with her mother had gone well.
The tension that had hung around her since Baku hadn’t fully lifted, though she wore her mask well.
And despite her newfound energy, Sawyer could still see the fatigue behind her eyes.
He’d memorized every flicker of unease, every muscle twitch that signaled a brewing storm.
That wasn’t just part of his job. It was part of who he was when it came to her.
Yet right now, his instincts were screaming at him that something still wasn’t right.
He let his gaze drift, catching sight of Brian standing in the wings on the opposite side of the stage, arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Savannah.
Not in a technician’s typical, dispassionate appraisal of sound or posture.
No, this was something else. His mouth was set too tight.
His stare too long. Voodoo had always thought Savannah was enchanting as she sat behind the piano.
The pieces she could play were beyond anything he could comprehend.
And she did it with an ease and grace that was stunning.
Apparently, from his awed expression, Brian agreed.
Voodoo narrowed his eyes. Was it possible the man was love-struck?
That certainly explained the way he’d fixate on Savannah, his eyes following her every move with an intensity that spoke volumes.
Voodoo could hardly blame him since he himself was equally love-struck.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to it.
From across the span of the stage, Voodoo caught Brian’s eye. The technician quickly looked away and began casually fiddling with his tie. But Voodoo clocked the tension in the man’s shoulders. Something about him had been bothering Sawyer too often lately.
He stepped deeper into the wings, away from prying ears, and activated his comm. “Miss me yet?” he teased.
Haley’s voice came through after a beat, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, absolutely. You know I can’t live without you, Voodoo.”
“I knew you loved me the most. We’ll keep this between us. Best not to let the guys know.”
She snorted. “You wish. Besides, I wouldn’t want to encroach on your lady’s territory.”
“What are you talking about?”
Haley laughed. “Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.”
“Whatever,” he evaded, not ready to out his building feelings for Savannah.
“Fine. Keep lying to yourself.” huffed Haley before getting down to business. “What do you need?”
“I’m looking at Brian Hammerstein. Something’s off. Any update on our piano tuner friend?”
A pause.
“That’s the thing,” Haley said, sounding more annoyed than usual.
“There’s nothing. No real paper trail. No social media, no digital footprint beyond basic certifications, tax returns, and one sad LinkedIn page that hasn’t been updated in years.
And the references? Too perfect. If I didn’t know better, I’d say someone scrubbed his background and planted a resume. ”
Voodoo’s jaw tightened. “But you don’t think that’s it?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
“Could he be some sort of deep cover?”
“I think it’s damn weird, but I’m not ready to label him anything yet.” Haley replied. “SYBIL has him at 62% exactly what he says he is.”
“Still low enough to question it.”
“Yup. And that’s not all. SYBIL’s still digging into McNabney.”
“Bastard.” The curse slipped out before he could catch it, but it was no less true.
“Yeah. No love lost between you two. I listened to the transcript of your conversation from earlier. Bet it took everything in you not to pull your weapon on him.”
“Not about to risk my career for that son of a bitch.”
“Smart. I didn’t like him before, but now I really don’t. He’s not just dirty—he’s radioactive. SYBIL’s dug up financial ties to defense contractors. Shady foundations funneling money through the Caucasus region.”
“So our stop in Azerbaijan was calculated. Does he have someone on the tour operating for him?”
“Unknown.”
“The Senator went live this morning from Beijing after that show he put on with Savannah. Praised the swift, professional actions of international security teams, while touting his own involvement in the rescue operation.”
“A blatant lie.”
“Don’t I know it. He also emphasized a need for further cooperation with Azerbaijan to ‘combat extremism in the region.’” Voodoo’s jaw tightened as Haley continued.
“Behind the scenes, he’s been pushing the State Department to amp up Savannah’s involvement.
Wants the media to focus on her diplomatic mission. ”
“Still trying to use her as his own little puppet, shining a light on her while working shady deals in the background.
“Word is, he’s using the incident to lobby hard for more funding to ‘stabilization and counterterrorism efforts’ in the Caucasus.”
“Convenient,” Voodoo said coldly. “Using a hostage crisis to fund his next campaign slogan.”
“That’s not even the worst of it,” Haley said. “His PR team is spinning this into a win. Calling him proactive. Calm under pressure. ‘Deep ties to Eurasian diplomacy,’ they’re saying.”
“Guy didn’t even get on a plane until days later. And he didn’t even bother to go to Azerbaijan.”
“Nope. And it’s not going unnoticed. Azerbaijani officials publicly thanked U.S. intelligence but made damn sure to credit their own tactical units for the rescue. Behind closed doors, though? They’re pissed. He never reached out to them directly, even though his stepdaughter was on their soil.”
Voodoo exhaled through his nose, slow and tight. “And the public?”
Haley didn’t hold back. “Outrage. The people are grateful the hostages were rescued, but they’re furious.
They see both governments treating this like a PR hiccup.
There’s images of you across social media in your tux and tactical gear.
You’re being hailed as some kind of tactical god in memes.
You even made the side of a café wall in graffiti. ”
He didn’t smile. Not even a twitch.
Haley softened her tone. “They’re angry, Sawyer. They want to know how it got this far. How the terrorists breached the embassy ballroom. Why local officials were caught flat-footed. And why the Senator seems more worried about headlines than the safety of his stepdaughter.”
A long silence stretched between them.
Finally, Voodoo said, “Savannah deserves better.”
“She has you.”
He turned to the stage as Savannah stood for a bow to thunderous applause. And now, he had more reasons not to trust the man who’d built a political empire on Savannah’s pain.
Voodoo exhaled slowly. “Savannah doesn’t know all of this.”
“She should.”
“I know.”
More silence passed between them before Haley added, “I’ll keep digging on Brian. I’ll get SYBIL to run facial rec with older intel. If this guy’s ever worked for a government, corporate security, or even contracted black ops—something’ll ping.”
“Do it,” Voodoo said. “And Haley?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
“Just don’t let anything happen to her, Voodoo.”
“You can count on it.”
His gaze returned to Savannah as she strode off the stage into the wings, shoulders back and chin high with elegant confidence.
But as soon as she was out of sight of the audience, her shoulders slumped and her fatigue became evident.
Voodoo wanted to wrap her up in his arms and take her away from all of this.
And across the stage, Brian was watching her as she walked straight into Voodoo’s arms. This time with something that looked a hell of a lot like resentment.