Dangerous to Hold Read Online Free Page A

grin.
    â€œThe reports are just beginning to flow,” he said calmly. “We still don’t have a clear picture of what happened.”
    Maggie suppressed a smile at Adam’s Kennedyesque pronunciation of clear. A gifted linguist, she delighted in the idiosyncrasies of American dialects as much as in the foreign languages that were her specialty.
    The only child of an Oklahoma-bred “tool-pusher” whose job as superintendent of an oil-rig drilling crew took him all over the world, Maggie had spent her childhood in a series of exotic locales. By the time she won a scholarship to Stanford at seventeen, she’d been fluent in five languages and conversant in three more. Until two years ago, she’d chaired the foreign language department at a small Midwestern college. Then a broken engagement and the sense of adventure she’d inherited from her parents had left her restless and ready for change.
    Three months after a call from her godfather—a strange little man her father had once helped smuggle out of a Middle Eastern sheikdom—she’d been recruited as an agent for OMEGA. Only later had Maggie learned that she was the first operative drawn from outside the ranks of the government. And that her godfather, now retired, was one of OMEGA’s most intrepid agents.
    Adam’s conversation soon drew to a close. “I understand the urgency, Mr. President. I’ll get back to you as soon as we know what happened in Cartoza.”
    Replacing the receiver, he folded his arms across a wide expanse of crisp white shirtfront. “All right, Sinclair, tell me what we have so far.”
    Briefly, succinctly, Maggie recapped the information she’d synthesized. When she mentioned the shallow grave and its occupant, Adam stiffened.
    â€œWe should know within an hour who she is,” Maggie added. “State’s running through their data base of all known citizens in the area. They’ve requested checks from Canada and the European nations, as well.” She paused, chewing on her lower lip for a moment. “I don’t know that there’s any connection between the woman and our operation, but I have this…”
    A small smile curved Adam’s lips. “Tingling feeling in your bones?”
    â€œMore like a prickly sensation at the base of my spine,” Maggie replied solemnly.
    The smile disappeared. “Well, whatever it is, this is one time I hope your instincts are wrong.”
    â€œOh-oh. Sounds like the call from the president added a new piece to the puzzle.”
    â€œSeveral pieces. Tell State to check the status of a medical sister who was working in Cartoza. From the Order of Our Lady of Sorrows.”
    â€œ Madre Dolorosa? I read up on those sisters as part of my prebrief for this operation. It’s a large order, headquartered in Mexico City, with branches throughout Latin America, the United States and Europe. Although the order is still very conservative in matters of dress and convent life, the sisters have been active in Central America. I’m not surprised one of their people was in Jake’s area.”
    â€œApparently the sister wasn’t the only American woman in the area. Tell State to also check the status of a Peace Corps volunteer by the name of Sarah Chandler.”
    â€œSarah Chandler?” Maggie wrinkled her brow. “Why do I know that name?”
    â€œShe’s only been in the Peace Corps a short time. She arrived in Cartoza less than two weeks ago, in fact. Before that she was a rather prominent political hostess here in Washington.”
    â€œOh, Lord! Not that Sarah Chandler!”
    â€œYes, that Sarah Chandler. The senator’s daughter.”
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    As she made her way back to the third-floor control center, Maggie’s mind was racing. No wonder the president wanted to know what had happened in Cartoza. Senator Orwin Chandler of North Carolina was one of the most influential and