Amanda buttoned the quilted shirt closed and studied herself in the mirror. She looked fine, she decided. The shirt was loose, but not suspiciously so. The undersecretary was never going to guess that it concealed four mini-canisters of zap gas - not unless he was clairvoyant. (She'd tried for all six, but they weighed the fabric down in a dubious manner.) The headband appeared to be nothing more than an accessory to hold back her hair.

She slipped into a pair of navy boat shoes, the best compromise she could find between heels and running shoes. She didn't want to appear dressed for an athletic endeavor, yet she needed something she could run in when the situation called for it. She looked exactly like what she was; the mother of two teenage boys, attired nicely enough to go out in public, but not overdressed. Someone the undersecretary wouldn't think twice about.

There was a tap at her door. She glanced at the clock; nearly eight-thirty. The undersecretary's limo was coming for her at nine. Apparently, that was the civilized hour of the morning to show someone your hostage.

"Come in," she said.

Alan entered, with Penny at his side. Amanda was surprised to see the two of them together. They had met less than three days ago, yet walked in like good friends. She wondered when they had found the time to get better acquainted.

"Are you ready?" Alan asked.

She breathed in, feeling the butterflies flutter in her stomach. "As ready as I'll ever be. I'm always a little nervous before a mission. I can't help it."

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "You're hiding the canisters and the wire?"

"Yes."

"You look good. I can't tell you're carrying anything. What do you think, Penny?"

Penny studied Amanda. "I can't see anything either. You look fine, Amanda. But I'm not sure you should be doing this alone. Alan filled me in on your plan. It sounds risky."

Amanda gave Alan an exasperated stare.

He shrugged. "She deserves to know. She's your friend, and she's been helping you. It's only fair."

"I suppose," Amanda admitted. "But I wanted Penny to have plausible deniability if anything went wrong. That's tough to do if she knows the plan."

Penny waved a hand. "I'm Zakir's princess, married to the crown prince. They're not going to do anything to me - especially not after they learn how dirty the undersecretary is."

Amanda sighed. "Maybe. But I wanted you to have deniability precisely because you're the princess. You shouldn't be getting involved in another country's issue."

Penny shook her head. "It involves Zakir's undersecretary of defense. That makes it our issue."

Amanda sighed again and dropped the argument. It was too late, anyway.

"What about your gun?" Alan asked Amanda.

She pointed to her suitcase. "I'm leaving it here. I don't have a good way to conceal it and there's too much at risk if the undersecretary finds it. And I'm a lousy shot, anyway." She ignored the voice in her head that reminded her Lee was pretty damn good with a handgun and he might find it useful.

"So, that's it then," Alan said. "You're ready."

Amanda nodded. "Yes." She stepped over to him and handed him the small black audio receiver. "I'm taking the pen with me in my purse. I doubt the undersecretary is going to figure out that it's a listening device. If I can, I'll give hints about our location. You've got the phone numbers for Billy Melrose if things go south."

Alan's jaw tightened but he didn't reply.

"I'm going downstairs to wait," Amanda continued. "It's best if they don't see you with me."

Alan nodded. "Understood. Good luck, Amanda."

"Good luck," Penny echoed, her face pinched with worry.

"Thanks." And Amanda opened the door and walked out.

Alan and Penny watched Amanda leave. When she had disappeared down the hallway, Alan said quietly, "The car is ready?"

Penny nodded. "I'm giving you the best driver on our security team. The undersecretary will have no idea that he's being followed."

"Good." He walked over to Amanda's suitcase and fished out the gun.

Penny frowned. "You know how to use that thing?"

Alan retrieved the ammunition clip and snapped it into the weapon with an expert flick of the wrist. "My sister was kidnapped four years ago by a terrorist group. It was the worst time of my life. She and I both decided that nothing like that was ever going to happen again, so we trained in self-defense. It included the use of firearms. I may not be a marksman, but I know how to load, take the safety off, and I can hit more than broad side of a barn if I need to."

Penny smiled. "Good to know. What about the listening device?"

Alan handed her the small black box. "You should have it. If I catch up to Amanda, you'll be able to hear both of us. If I don't, it's better that you hear what's going on with her. You can call her boss if you need to."

"Right."

"Have you said anything to your husband yet?"

Penny sighed. "I know Amanda wanted me to keep him out of it, but I gave him the short version last night - right after you and I spoke. He's never been too crazy about the undersecretary, so he wasn't completely surprised. I had a hard time convincing him to do nothing until she locates Lee, but in the end, he agreed."

"You did the right thing. We might need his help before this over."

Penny gave him a worried look. "I hope not. I hope Amanda can get Lee out of there quickly without people getting hurt."

Alan tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants. "Yeah, well - hope for the best, plan for the worst."

She smiled at him, her expression kind. "You really are going above and beyond, you know - especially since reuniting Amanda with her husband puts her out of your reach. I can see how you feel about her."

He shrugged. "He was going to be between us anyway. As soon as she learned he was alive, she wasn't going to stop until she got him back. Better to help her succeed than see her get hurt."

"Still, you're a good friend."

He grinned ruefully. "People keep telling me that."

The limo stopped in front of the palace and a rear door opened. Amanda waited, but when no one emerged she approached the vehicle and glanced inside. The undersecretary was seated on the smooth leather seat, dressed in a business suit, drinking a cup of tea as if this were just another day at work.

Maybe for him it is, Amanda thought. Who knows what other schemes he has going?

The man eyed her briefly before returning to his tea. "Well, get in, Mrs. King, and we can get this over with. I have other things to do and I would like to close the deal with your Russian friends today." He didn't give her clothing a second glance or ask to look in her purse. She could have concealed an arsenal under her shirt and gotten away with it.

She slid into the limousine and smiled as if he had greeted her kindly. "I hope we can close the deal today, too," she offered. "I am anxious to be home. I miss my boys."

The undersecretary looked past her toward the driver. "Take us to the house, Haazim," he said.

"Yes, sir."

Amanda resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Well, so much for manners. I guess this means he's not going to offer me a cup of tea. She nearly giggled at the thought. It was nerves, she knew. She took a breath to steady herself.

The driver released the brake and drove slowly away from the palace. When he reached the gates, the guard gave him a nod and opened them. As the driver turned onto the streets of the city, Amanda looked out the window and began studying their surroundings. Once she freed Lee, they were going to have to find their way back to the palace. She needed landmarks.

To her dismay, she discovered that there weren't many. Zakir's capitol was full of winding streets and stucco buildings with few distinguishing features. And whether it was by strategy or because of topography, the driver was taking a circuitous route that had him turning both north and south, east and west. The best Amanda could do was get a sense of their general direction by monitoring the location of the sun.

"Mrs. King?"

She turned to see the undersecretary watching her. "Yes?"

"You seem very interested in our capitol."

She gave him a sheepish smile. "I've never been here before and I'm always interested in new places."

"I see. Do you have a photo?"

"A photo?"

"Of Lee Stetson. How will you recognize him?"

It was a fair question, although one she hadn't anticipated. She searched for an answer that she hoped wouldn't lead to trouble later on.

"I've seen Mr. Stetson on several occasions back in the States," she replied. "Mostly at embassy events in DC. It's been a while, but I believe I will recognize him." She hesitated and added, "I'm not sure he'll remember me, though. His job kept him busy and when he did have time...well, there were women who were far more glamorous than me to talk to." That story should work, she thought, whether Lee recognized her or not.

The undersecretary nodded, managing to convey in the single gesture that he believed Amanda was a woman who could easily be overlooked. She reminded herself that this was to her advantage.

"Oh look at that," she said pointing out the window. "You have a MacDonald's. It amazes me how they are everywhere these days. Although they're usually more in the center of the city. This one seems to be on the outskirts." And I hope the pen is working and you heard that, Alan. It's the only decent clue to our location that I've seen so far.

The undersecretary shrugged. "I have never eaten there, myself."

"Oh no? My boys love their fries."

"I suspect their food appeals to the American palate. We are more refined in Zakir."

Does this man have nothing pleasant to say? She was beginning to look forward to throwing the zap gas at him. She could picture him; immobile, helpless...

"We are here, Mrs. King"

"What?"

"We have arrived."

Amanda turned back to the window as the driver came to a stop. "It's just a house," she said in surprise.

The undersecretary shook his head. "You will see that it is more. Come, let us do this. I have other matters I need to attend to today."

Amanda got out of the limo and followed the undersecretary to the house, the driver trailing closely behind her. Her heart, which had been beating rapidly during the entire drive, now started to pound wildly. She was going to see Lee. After two long years, she was going to see him.

The undersecretary opened the door. A man, seated on a chair in the small entryway, rose quickly to his feet. He had a pistol holstered at his side and he was heavily muscled.

There's the first guard, Amanda thought.

The undersecretary exchanged words with the guard in a language she didn't understand. The guard stepped aside, allowing the undersecretary, Amanda and the driver to pass. They traveled a few feet along a short hallway and then down a flight of stairs to a considerably longer hallway underground. Then they passed a half dozen closed doors before the undersecretary stopped.

"Haazim," he said.

The driver walked to the closest door, inserted a key and turned it. The door cracked open. Before he could walk into the room, however, the undersecretary brushed past him and gestured for Amanda to follow. The driver shrugged and waited just outside the room.

"Come, Mrs. King," the undersecretary said.

Her heart was thumping so loudly now she was amazed the men couldn't hear it. She stepped into the room and looked where the undersecretary was pointing. And for a moment, it felt as though the floor was falling away beneath her feet. The world tilted wildly and then righted itself.

It was Lee. Lee, sitting on a cot, looking thin and tired, but not bruised or bloody. And he was looking back at her with eyes that were as intelligent as ever. Eyes that hadn't changed at all.

She swallowed her exclamation and tried to remain impassive. She was so close now, she couldn't spoil things by letting her emotions show.

"Well?" said the undersecretary. "Can you confirm that it is him?"

"I'm not sure," she said slowly. She stepped closer to the cot, past the undersecretary, placing him between herself and the door.

The undersecretary tsked impatiently. "You said you could identify him, Mrs. King. I will be very angry if you cannot."

Amanda shrugged. "I think you are going to be angry, anyway."

And she shoved her full body weight against him, pushing him toward the open door. The undersecretary was not a large man and she had caught him by surprise. He stumbled toward the driver and the driver instinctively stepped out of the way, allowing the undersecretary to fall into the hallway. Assured that both men were outside the room, Amanda hit the switch on a canister of zap gas and tossed it after them.

Then she slammed the door.