Finally a large, dark SUV taxi rolled toward the exit.
“There they are,” Igney muttered.
“Wait. Are you sure?” Pasley asked.
“Shut up,” Igney snapped.
They’d watched the Aegis Group guys get into the SUV. Igney was going to take them down. All of this was one step closer to being finished.
MONDAY. SAFE HOUSE, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Silas patted Chayan’s shoulder. Silas wished there was something more he could do for Chayan. The man was a mess. He’d already changed once from sweating through his clothes once, and already there were dark lines down the back of his clean shirt.
At least Ekko was holding it together well enough. She hadn’t been sick since the night at the hotel despite everything that had happened.
“Everything’s going to be fine. Brett and Vito are here. It’s all good, man.” Silas offered Chayan a smile.
Shit, he hoped Brett was ready to deal with Chayan’s nerves. Chayan had more or less pulled himself together yesterday and hid the grief, but even that had to be just below the surface. At some point it would all surface again. Vito was the quiet, silent type. It would be up to Brett to manage the mood of their team when they headed out.
A rhythmic knock sounded on the front door.
Silas frowned at the sound, not because it was odd but because he knew that sound. But...he wasn’t supposed to be here. Silas had specifically told Zain to not say anything.
It had to be Vito, one of their other housemates. That was the only thing that made sense. And really, it was a smart thing for Vito to do.
Silas strode to the door and took a deep breath before opening it.
He froze staring at the blond man that wasn’t Brett or Vito on the other side of the door.
“Nerd, what are you doing here?” Silas blurted.
Paxton’s face was grim and his blue eyes cold. He was pissed.
“Nice to see you too, asshole.” He slapped Silas on the shoulder then stepped into the room, crowding Silas back and clearing the way for the two men behind him.
Brett and Vito followed Paxton into the condo, leaving Silas clutching the doorknob.
Paxton was supposed to be on vacation with Coco. What the hell was he doing here?
Silas shut the front door and stared at the back of Paxton’s head. Ekko offered her hand and began making introductions, saving Silas from the task.
Someone else must have told Paxton. Silas didn’t know how or why. The whole office was still in disarray after their original Seattle headquarters was blown up over Christmas. No doubt this was a miscommunication, not that it made the situation easier.
“Has the plan changed?” he heard Ekko ask.
Brett glanced back at Silas before addressing Ekko and Chayan. “No, the plan is still proceeding.”
“What, exactly, is this plan?” Chayan asked. From across the room Silas could see the man’s hands shaking.
Had he expected to slip out of the country with no incident? Given the horrors Chayan had already lived through he had to have known every step of this journey would be dangerous. Then again, knowing and living those things were very different.
“Our team has alternate IDs for you.” Brett gestured at Vito who produced a drawstring bag from his backpack. Inside were new passports. One for each of them. “We are all going to travel to our separate locations under these names. The biggest risk will be to Silas’ group since they aren’t leaving the country before assuming their real names. From these locations we will fly directly to London where we’ll spend the night before flying together to New York City and escorting you directly to the UN. Any questions?” Somehow Brett managed a friendly smile.
Brett was former CIA. Former only because he’d opted to do the right thing and help out another of Silas’ housemates in a pinch. Doing the right thing had gotten Brett fired from the CIA. Zain had scooped Brett up immediately. Between the man’s field experience and his proven record, he’d been a quick recruit. It also stood to reason he knew how to talk to people in stressful situations. But the man was accustomed to leading and giving orders, not working as part of a team.
It made sense now why Zain would have sent Brett. Vito wasn’t much of a talker. The few things Vito did say weren’t always what people wanted to hear. The man spoke truth and often unvarnished. Under his rough exterior was a good guy. One who’d lived through too much bad.
“Okay, if you’re ready to go we need to get out of here,” Brett announced.
Chayan pushed to his feet and darted a quick glance at Ekko.
She beamed at him and wrapped her arms around the older man, giving him a tight squeeze. “They’re going to take good care of you and I’ll see you tonight in London. You’re going to get to see London, Chayan!”
Brett nodded. “That he is.”
Chayan offered a weak smile to Ekko. “I’ll try to enjoy it.”
“Wait.” Silas’ brain was finally coming back on-line. “What’s our threat assessment?”
Brett nodded at Paxton. “He can give you the rundown. We have a very short window to make our flight. We have to get going. Now.”
Silas opened and closed his mouth. He was not in the mood to talk to Paxton. Paxton shouldn’t have been there.
In a matter of moments Brett and Vito had Chayan bundled up and hustled out of the condo. Silas secured the front door and checked the monitors in a sort of daze. He was vaguely aware of Ekko and Paxton speaking, but nothing else.
“Everything good?” Paxton asked.
The question was directed at Silas, and yet he didn’t want to answer.
“How long did you say we have until we leave?” Ekko asked.
“About an hour,” Paxton replied.
“Oh, okay. I’m going to finish throwing my stuff into my bag then.”
Silas frowned. She was packed. They were sharing the same bag still.
He watched her disappear around the corner and down the hall.
What the fuck?
He shook his head and sat down in the chair in front of the laptop. Paxton stepped into his peripheral vision.
Was there a chance in hell that Paxton wouldn’t ask questions?
“You told Zain to leave me out of this. Why?” Paxton asked.
At least Silas hadn’t been forced to wait for an answer.
He slanted a glance up at his best friend. “Because you were on vacation. You don’t get a lot of time with Coco. I didn’t want you to come back for this.”
“You don’t get to make that choice.” Paxton sat in Ekko’s chair and leaned forward, scowling at him. “You’re in trouble. I should have been here to watch your back. I didn’t even know you were on a job.”
“I wasn’t on vacation. There was a job to do. I went.”
“And didn’t tell anyone? Vito didn’t know where you were.”
Silas frowned. “Am I supposed to inform everyone what I’m doing every waking hour? I wasn’t aware that was a rule.”
“What is with you lately?” Paxton sighed and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
Silas glanced away. He was the problem and he knew it. But how did he tell his best friend that his problem boiled down to feeling left out? How fucking lame was that?
“Nothing, man. Nothing at all.”
“Silas, you asshole. I know something is up.”
“What do you want me to say, man?” Silas shrugged. “It’s been a shit couple of days. You shouldn’t have been dragged into this.”
Paxton continued to stare at him, that stubborn cast to his face. “But I always have your back.”
Only, Paxton’s priorities had changed. And it wasn’t a bad thing. Silas had a family. He had a mother and father, aunts, uncles, one set of living grandparents, siblings, nieces and nephews. Paxton was part of Silas’ family, but they both knew it was still different for Paxton. He hadn’t been born a Herrera. But he was making his own family now. With Coco.
“That’s the thing.” Silas dragged his hand acro
ss his jaw suddenly feeling lighter with that realization. This wasn’t about him being left behind. It was about Paxton getting to move on. Like Silas had all those years ago when he got divorced. “It’s not your job to have my back anymore. You can’t always be my partner on jobs because your priorities have changed.”
Paxton scowled. “You’re saying this is Coco’s fault?”
“No, nerd.” Silas snorted. “I’m saying... You should have enjoyed your vacation. And that’s not a bad thing. Brett and Vito were available.”
“I wouldn’t leave you like this. I’ve never left you. And then you go off and tell Zain not to tell me?”
“I didn’t want to worry you.” Those were the words Silas had told Zain, only now he meant them. “Man, listen to me. Shit changes. We have had each other’s back from the beginning. I will always have your back. Never doubt that. But Coco is your priority now. I’ll admit I wasn’t crazy about her in the beginning. I didn’t think she was right for you, but now? She’s a good thing. You both deserve that.”
“And that means I just wasn’t supposed to come?” Paxton snorted. “You’ve been weird, man.”
“I know.” Silas stared at the floor. “Look, I’ve been an asshole. I owe Coco an apology, okay? I know that now.”
Paxton still scowled at him. “Let’s get one thing straight, you are my partner. I don’t care if it’s not official, you are. And you can’t fucking tell people to just not tell me you’re in danger. What would I tell your mom? Huh? If you got shot, or worse, how am I supposed to tell her that I wasn’t there to look out for you? I know we can’t do all jobs together. There are going to be times when we’re sent out with other teams, but at least tell me. You’re the closest thing I have to family, asshole.”
“Nerd,” Silas said weakly.
“Don’t do this shit again.” Paxton shoved to his feet and stalked toward the kitchen. “Is there anything to eat here?”
“Did someone say food?” Ekko appeared as if on cue. She glanced worriedly at Silas while Paxton’s back was turned.
Silas smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. Paxton might be pissed at him, but what mattered was that they were still the family they’d chosen. They’d get through this and in the end be better for it. He owed a lot of this to Ekko. Without her he’d still be bitter and resentful. Her bright light had shown him the ugly truth.
What the hell would he do without her?
No, don’t go there. Too soon...
MONDAY. ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia.
Pasley kept his feet braced on the floorboard. The SUV hadn’t stopped moving. It also hadn’t gone where Pasley had expected it to. Then again, he had seen another SUV at the curb while Igney was focused on the Americans.
What were the chances Pasley was this lucky? Could his simple ploy to get some distance from the SUV and Aegis Group team have worked?
He didn’t dare hope. Hope was dangerous. He still might have to kill the targets even though that wasn’t what he wanted to do. He’d much prefer to slip away, go off to live his own, quiet life.
What would it be like to never again be expected to kill someone?
He stared down at his hands.
Sometimes he could still see blood on them that wasn’t there.
Did he dare hope to be free?
“Finally,” Igney mumbled.
Pasley glanced up at the SUV. It had stopped outside of a large, suburban home. They were miles from the condo he’d tracked the targets to. That didn’t mean they hadn’t moved.
He held his breath as the passenger doors opened.
Igney pulled his handgun out from the holster under his coat.
Two small children poured out of the backseat. They each had a knapsack over their shoulder. They ran squealing to the front door while a familiar, harried looking woman called out to them.
“What?” Igney roared. “Where the hell are they?”
Pasley just stared, mouth hanging open, at this mundane moment.
It was beautiful, actually. Another, older kid and a kindly looking man got out slower while the driver unloaded bags. The front door opened and an elderly couple stepped out, enveloping the smallest ones in hugs and kisses.
The whole scene was alien to him, and yet part of him wanted that. Someday. If he ever got free of the DSS.
With any luck the Aegis Group team would have the targets out of the country before the DSS could track them.
Igney growled something into the phone. Pasley’s warm, fuzzy bubble evaporated and he turned his attention to the other man.
“We lost them. Can you see if your contact has any other information? Someone has to be helping them. We can find them another way. What about the digital trail? There has to be something?” Igney cranked the wheel. The tires squealed as they took off, headed toward downtown again. “Fine. Keep me informed.”
Igney hung up and tossed the phone into a cup holder.
“What’s going on?” Pasley asked.
“Now you want to know?” Igney sneered.
Pasley grit his teeth and waited Igney out. Eventually the other man always talked. He liked to hear himself too much to stay silent.
Igney glanced at him as he spoke. “You need to wake up and realize how much danger these targets pose to us.”
“Danger?” Pasley snorted. “A streamer and a paper pusher?”
“That man was the head of the cyber division. The head of it. And that woman might have just been a streamer, but every word she says is vile. If people start listening to them, this is going to endanger our way of life. They have to be stopped.”
Pasley didn’t see a problem with that, but he kept the thought to himself. Something like that could get him killed or stripped of all freedoms and tossed into a reprogramming camp never to come out again. No, on second thought they’d just kill him. He knew too much.
“Anyway, we’ll find them. Our Chinese liaison gave us the tip of their arrival. I bet they’ll be able to find out where they are, or where they’re going.”
A chill went down Pasley’s spine.
The Chinese often cooperated with the DSS. The problem was that the Chinese were good at what they did.
Pasley had a sudden, sickening thought.
Was it possible the Chinese might also know that Pasley sent an email? Could they know the contents of that email?
If the Chinese were involved this whole thing had just taken on a much more dangerous edge. One Pasley would have to walk carefully or die. He knew better than to expect leniency. Igney would kill him.
14.
Monday. Dalanzadgad Airport, Dalanzadgad, Mongolia.
Ekko clenched the armrests of her window seat on the narrow commercial flight bound for London.
Were they really going to make it out of the country? Was this happening?
She hadn’t taken an easy breath since leaving the condo. After days spent cooped up, she’d felt exposed and vulnerable venturing out even with Silas and Paxton on either side of her. Their ride to the private airport had gone smoothly. Boring even. The crew on the small plane chartered to take them to Dalanzadgad hadn’t so much as glanced at them.
Paxton had said their forged passports were simply an extra layer of protection should they be needed. Of course they hadn’t really known if those were needed until they landed, which was when their tickets to London were officially purchased by the Aegis Group support staff.
Everything had gone through without a hitch.
It was too easy.
Silas’ hand covered hers. He squeezed gently as the nose of the plane tipped up.
Something could still go wrong...
The cabin bounced and jostled from the brisk wind then lurched into the air. It still swayed as the pilots navigated the wind, but the plane crept up and up. She glanced at the window and the ground zooming away from them.
“We did it,” Silas murmured.
Had they really? Was her crazy plan salvaged?
Ekko turned and buried her face against
Silas’ shoulder. All the tension leeched out of her.
They’d done it.
And what was better?
Chayan and the others were already bound for London. They’d touch down almost two hours ahead of them. Once they were that far from Dauria and the DSS, she felt as if things might actually go their way for once.
“Take a deep breath. Everything’s working out.” Silas wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Oh, thank God. I think I’m going to need something strong to drink.”
He chuckled. “We can make that happen.”
Ekko peered ahead of them. Paxton’s head was easy to pick out between his sun-streaked blond hair and his height. He’d been seated a few rows ahead of them. She hadn’t failed to notice the tension between him and Silas. She was pretty sure anyone could.
When she’d left them alone she’d done so with the best intentions. She didn’t know what they’d talked about or if anything had been resolved, but she knew things weren’t right.
The plane leveled off and the last bits of her anxiety faded away. They’d made it. Chayan was safe for now and would get the chance to testify at the UN. After that she’d have to face her family. Her mother and father were going to be furious, especially since her plans for Chayan involved their guest room. In the end she hoped the reunion would help sooth old wounds that had never healed. Talking to Chayan had helped her put to bed some of her grief regarding her brother. She hoped it would do the same for them.
Silas tilted his head toward her. “I didn’t want to alarm you earlier—”
“What?” She whipped her head around and stared at him.
He threaded their fingers together and gave her hand a squeeze. “Unofficial reports say that there was a protest demonstration outside the capital building last night.”
“In Dauria?”
He nodded.
Ekko blinked at him.
“When I heard I checked for new videos. There’s a few with footage.”
“Oh, my God...” She covered her mouth.
Any sign of protest like that would have been met with swift action. And cruel.
“We don’t know anything certain, Ekko. This isn’t your fault. In fact, you’ve given these people a voice and hope.”
Dangerous Connections (Aegis Group Book 9) Page 18