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exhaled a deep breath. “Well, I’m amazed you guys responded so fast, that’s all. And that’s great. It’s great. But listen, first of all you need to understand that Jess isn’t some idiot backpacker, taking risks out there for nothing. This is her life’s work. She didn’t even want to go near the Green Line, but she felt pushed to do it. And now this has happened.”
    “We know about her background. I’m working on this along with my full staff. I want you to know that when we open a case, it will not end until she is back with you. Now, what can we do for you at this point? Have you been in touch with her family?”
    “I’ve spoken with her father, but I don’t know how he and Jess’s family will hold up. Can someone from FBI contact them to assure them you’re on this case?”
    “We’ve already sent a car over there with colleagues of mine who are trained to take care of situations like this.”
    “Oh. Wow. Thanks. I appreciate . . .”
    It hit him then. He felt a sudden rush of dread. He had no proof this guy calling himself “Matt” was an FBI agent at all. What if he was a snoop from the media?
    Far worse, what if this “Matt” person was from the kidnapper’s organization, using a ruse to extract information? And there was Erik, chatting away as if he actually knew the guy. The dread surged so abruptly he nearly got sick to his stomach.
    He asked the person calling himself “Matt” for a callback number so he could verify his identity, then hung up and called back through the American Embassy. There was a long wait for a pickup, but he soon breathed a sigh of relief when the guy calling himself “Matt” got back on the line.
    So Matt Espenshade was really with the FBI team handling this, and there was a small group of very good agents working together to gather intelligence on these kidnappers. With that much reassurance in place, it felt good to have a safe source of information.
    The unreal knowledge that the U.S. government was now actively tracking the pack of thugs who had taken Jess captive offered some immediate consolation, but with a little more time and thought he was left with the conclusion that he had no idea what the FBI could actually do about any of this.
    But he also realized his state of overload was so severe, he didn’t know what to make of anything. He only knew he had to stay firmly in a functional mode or he would lose control of his emotions and do something rash. He could already feel the rising urge to personally rush down to the spot where Jess had been taken and start tracking her down.
    Matt went on, “Now, Erik, listen to me—you can’t do anything proactive here.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You can’t try to insert yourself into this. Even the best-trained professionals find it extremely difficult to get these things to play out right. If we get family members involved, you can slow the process. Anything you do can be counterproductive to our goal of getting her back. Or you’ll get yourself captured and just ramp up the danger to everybody.”
    “Matt, I did counter-special ops in the military. I’ve got friends who’ll join me down here. It’s my responsibility to get her out. I’m her husband—and what if something happened to the soldiers who get sent in after her? I know Jess couldn’t live with that, and neither could I.”
    “It’s no better for you and your friends to die. You have to listen to me, Erik. Do nothing. I know it’s the last thing you want to hear. But do nothing. . . . Tell me you understand me, here.”
    “I can’t believe I’m hearing this! Matt, I need to get her out of there!”
    “And I realize the helpless feeling is the worst part. It’s in your DNA to charge in and get her, especially if you have resources in the area. Not only that, I have to admit this part doesn’t get better over time. I know it sounds completely backward for you to stand down, Erik. It would to me. But you cannot insert