Zora opened her mouth.
Logan reached over and pressed his palm to Zora’s arm.
“Thank you, Ivy,” he said. “Thank you. And I’m sorry.”
Ivy nodded and crossed to the door of the apartment. She stepped out into the brisk morning air. The wind chill needled her skin, bringing back the memory of the Potomac waters and the hopelessness she’d found in their depths.
She leaned against the bricks and covered her face.
They had to find him. His body, at least. He might not have a family that claimed him, but Ivy wanted to be there at the very end for him. To know he’d be laid to rest with one friend at his side.
She covered her mouth to muffle the sob.
Her numbness was shattering, leaving her shaking.
She slid to the concrete and drew her knees up to her chest.
This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.
WEDNESDAY. TASK FORCE Headquarters. Washington, DC.
Ivy paced the lab to the sound of Diha’s typing. The other two women, Cat and Felecia, were staring at computer screens. They’d been very kind to Ivy. It was a fact she struggled to hold on to as her frustration and anger built.
Two days.
They’d had two days now to find Piers.
The car and the attached canisters were off somewhere drying so forensics could look at them.
Zak and Nasar were in custody.
But no one had found Piers, and Ivy wasn’t all that certain people were trying to find him. Oh, she’d seen the reports and knew there were a few boats out looking for the body, but they hadn’t found him. And what was worse, Logan wouldn’t allow her to go search.
Piers had been right.
They’d sent her in there with no real plan or preparation.
How much better could this have gone if Piers had been involved since the beginning?
The lab door opened and Kelsey stuck her head in and focused on Ivy. “Hey, they’re doing the Nasar interview. You want to watch?”
Ivy paused her pacing. She’d never really understood Nasar’s role in things or what the cousins had been up to. “Am I allowed to?”
Kelsey shrugged. “No one said you couldn’t.”
“Yes.” Ivy was walking before she got the word out.
Answers wouldn’t bring Piers back. They wouldn’t heal her breaking heart. Learning anything new wouldn’t give his death meaning. It would always be a tragedy. At least she’d understand what he’d died for. It might take away some of her anger.
Kelsey held the door for Ivy. Together they strode through the halls of the building.
Every person they met kept their eyes on their business. Few greeted them. The atmosphere was very cool, very distant. These were people who dealt in secrets. Even among their own team.
Kelsey led Ivy into the small observation space attached to an interrogation room. Logan and Tucker stood against the far wall and glanced at them. They at least nodded a greeting before turning their attention on the ever composed Zora sitting across from Nasar.
Ivy approached the window and squinted at him.
He hadn’t given up much of a fight. She hadn’t known what to think of him. Zak made sense to a point. He was selfish and greedy, willing to do whatever it took to further his own agenda.
Nasar was an unknown.
“They started a few minutes ago,” Logan said softly.
“When did you start working for Zak and Miran Samaan?” Zora placed photographs on the table Ivy couldn’t see. Then again, she didn’t need to see either man’s face.
“Years ago.” Nasar grimaced. “Nine? Almost ten.”
“Who introduced you?”
Nasar lifted his hands. “Do you want my story? I’ll tell you all of this, but you’re starting in the wrong spot.”
Zora sat back. “Where should we begin?”
Nasar’s face creased. “With the death of my wife and children.”
For a moment no one spoke.
Ivy could feel the pain’s pain. She knew it, though she hadn’t wanted to admit how much she’d come to care for Piers.
“I was told they were killed in an accidental American drone strike.” He smiled tightly. “I was working for your military at the time. Translating. And your people killed my family.”
“God damn,” Logan muttered.
“I never got answers. Some said you did it, others said it didn’t. I was hungry to know who had killed my family and why.” Nasar leaned forward. His voice broke with grief. “I’d believe anything I was told. They used that. They used me.”
“Who used you?” Zora asked.
“Those two.” Nasar shoved the pictures across the table at Zora. “Zak and Miran. They tell lies.”
“Why do you say they are lies?”
“Because they had one of their lackeys, tell me they’d finally found the drone operator who killed my family. David Smith.” Nasar grimaced. “I met him. He’s a mechanic. He’s a decent human being. And I wanted to kill him.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because... Because he wasn’t the person.”
Zora folded her hands on the table top. “The failed attack at the National Mall.”
“I should never have gone through with that.”
“Do you know why they picked that location? What were they trying to do?”
Nasar shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Why would Zak and Miran go to all the effort of fooling you into working for them?”
“Because I was a trusted employee of the military. A friend. That fast tracked my immigration. What better tool to have than me?” Nasar said bitterly.
“What do you think happened to your family?” Zora asked.
“I don’t know. But they died.”
She seemed to consider Nasar for a moment before sliding a few pages out from the back of the file in front of her. She pushed them across to Nasar.
“This report was hard to find. It details a stolen shipment of explosives by a crew we believe were run by Zak and Miran. They used someone like you to help get the shipment, then things went wrong. How has never been clear, but... Your family wasn’t killed by a drone attack. Best we can tell, the truck carrying the shipment had an accident.”
Ivy held her breath and watched Nasar devour the pages. He flipped them forward and backward, pouring over the words. His face crumpled and tears flowed down his cheeks.
Zak and Miran had used Nasar. Nasar had allowed it, even gone after that connection, fostering it. All out of pain and anger. She pitied him, even while she understood him.
Ivy wanted to make Piers’ death right. She wanted it to mean something, even if it was only to her. The truth was, it would always be senseless.
Piers would still be alive if they’d done things differently. If she’d insisted on contacting the team earlier, or if they’d worked together from the beginning...
It was hard to pick apart all the things she could have done differently. There were too many options.
Ivy turned and opened the door, stepping out into the hall.
Nasar’s account wasn’t going to help her.
“Hey.”
Ivy glanced up.
Diha stood a few feet away.
Ivy swiped at her cheeks. “Did you need something?”
“Not officially.” Diha held up her hands. “I’ve just been monitoring your phone and you’ve had a few calls from two of the, um, harem girls?”
“Yeah?” Ivy swallowed, doing her best to regain her composure. “Are they okay?”
“I’m not sure, but I thought you’d want to know.” Diha held out a phone. “I went ahead and replaced yours seeing as... You know.”
“Thanks.” Ivy took the phone. She’d been cut off from everyone. It was nice to have a phone back.
She powered the device on and watched the screen light up.
“How are you doing? Really?”
Ivy lifted her face. “I’m angry. I just keep thinking this could have had a different ending.”
Diha’s face creased. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“There’s no changing the past.” Ivy glanced at the phone as it began to chime and ding with notifications.
She had people who cared about her. She was lucky that way.
But what about Piers?
Diha clasped her hands in front of her. “It doesn’t help, but if there’s anything I can ever do for you, let me know?”
“Thank you.” Ivy wasn’t sure she’d take Diha up on that. Truth was, though Diha, Kelsey and the others weren’t directly responsible, they were still part of what had killed Piers.
Diha mustered a smile. “Okay, well... I’ll be around if you need me.”
Ivy nodded and glanced back at the phone.
Diha left and Ivy wandered to the end of a hall where a few empty offices sat off on their own. She closed the door to one and sank into a chair to listen to her messages.
There were the expected ones from her Aegis friends, and then there were the others from London and Nor. Without thinking it through, Ivy redialed London’s number and waited.
The phone rang. And rang.
Just when Ivy thought it would go to voicemail, London’s breathless voice answered.
“Ivy? Is that you? Ivy?”
“Hi,” Ivy managed to squeak out.
“Is it her?” Nor’s soft voice asked.
“Ivy, where the hell are you? What happened?” London demanded.
Ivy sat back in the chair and smiled. “I, um...”
“Is it true you ran away with Killam?” Nor’s voice was louder now, excited even.
“That’s...” Ivy frantically searched for an answer she could give them, but in the end, that was what had happened. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.”
“Oh, how romantic,” Nor sighed.
“Seriously?” London’s tone was, as expected, skeptical. Of course she’d pick up that there was more going on.
“How are you guys? Is everything okay?”
“Things have been a little strange,” Nor said slowly. “The party ended abruptly with Price Jabir telling people to go home. Things are almost normal again.”
“Oh.” Ivy blinked a few times.
So their exploits weren’t public knowledge. Jabir was covering it all up.
Then again, Ivy wasn’t surprised. The man did think a lot of his appearances.
Nor launched into the latest gossip with London interjecting a few details. Ivy was content to listen to them. At least those two were safe. And maybe in time Ivy could come clean with them for real. But not now.
21.
Thursday.
Skilton leaned back in his chair and blew out a breath. “I understand. At least they served their purpose. Keep me updated.”
He ended the call and set the phone back in the cradle.
It was a shame the Samaan cousins hadn’t accomplished their end goal, but they had supplied the necessary noise.
What bothered Skilton was how fast the feds had caught up to them. That shouldn’t be possible. Why hadn’t he known? With the resources he had in place, he should be aware of every move they were making.
It was time to do something about this annoyance before it became a problem.
THURSDAY. SEATTLE-TACOMA International Airport. Seattle, Washington.
Ivy was relieved to be headed home. Not that Seattle felt like home, but at least she had her own place there. The team with the Task Force had begun to avoid her, which irritated her. Zora had clearly written Ivy off now that she’d accomplished her task. There was nothing more for Ivy to do in DC.
Not that Seattle held much promise for her, but at least she’d be able to lick her wounds in private and nurse her broken heart.
She clutched her small duffle bag to her side. It was a silly thing to hold dear, but it was all she had left of him.
Ivy passed through the doors and into the sunshine. She pushed her sunglasses up her nose, annoyed that today of all days wasn’t echoing her dreary mood.
She found an out of the way spot to stand and powered on her phone.
Was it too much to ask that Merida would get caught up in work and not be able to pick Ivy up?
She’d spent most of Wednesday talking first to London and Nor, then her work crew. They’d gathered over a virtual dinner, with some of the girls jumping in and out as their schedules provided. Ivy hadn’t yet told Jennifer about banking on her name, but that would have to come out, eventually. But Merida had been there from beginning to end, and though the girls hadn’t pried, they’d known enough.
“Hey! Woo-hoo!” A car horn blared.
Ivy cringed and glanced up at Merida waving at her from the front seat of her fiancé’s pickup truck.
“Great,” Ivy muttered and waved.
She kept her head down and quicksteped to the truck, aware of all eyes on her. She’d stopped meeting the gazes from strangers. It felt as though they knew to pity her.
Ivy climbed into the cab. “Was that really necessary?”
Merida passed a plastic bag over to her.
Ivy peered inside as the truck eased back into the flow of vehicles exiting the terminal.
“Donuts?”
Merida glanced at her. “Carbs. You sounded sad. Everyone knows carbs and sugar cure everything.”
Ivy pulled a donut out and bit into it.
“How are you? Really, how are you?” Merida asked.
Ivy was ready for this. She’d spent the last hour of the flight steeling herself against this very question, because Merida of all people was going to ask.
Ivy took a deep shuddering breath and felt herself cracking.
She covered her mouth as the hot tears finally came and she sobbed into her donut.
“He’s dead. He’s dead, Merida. He’s dead,” Ivy said over and over again.
Merida reached over and took one of Ivy’s hands.
They couldn’t stop the truck and she didn’t want them to. But Merida held Ivy’s hand as she drove.
“Who is he?” Merida asked after a few moments.
That question only made Ivy cry harder.
How many people knew the real Piers? Not the suave playboy he pretended to be or the lone wolf spy that was his job, but the real man under it all? The one who cared despite getting kicked. The one who did a good job regardless of how wrong the world was.
Merida squeezed Ivy’s hand. “Okay, I’m taking you to my place and—”
“No.” She straightened and swiped at her face with the back of her hand.
“Ivy, you shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“I want to be alone.” She turned her face and stared out of the window. “I don’t think I can tell you anything. And I’m not going to think about anything except...”
Him.
She was going to put on one of the T-shirts she’s stolen from his things, curl up and wallow in her pain and misery.
“Ivy...”
“I just want to go home, Mer. Please take me home?” She wasn’t above begging at this point.
Merida meant well. She cared. And Ivy loved her for it, but right now she wanted to be alone.
“If you had to describe him as chocolate?” Merida asked.
Ivy couldn’t help but smile. Merida could fit any man into a candy coded system.
A lump formed in Ivy’s throat and for several moments she stared out of the window, collecting her thoughts.
“Dark chocolate with a raspberry sweet center,” Ivy said softly.
Piers’ exterior was off-putting, a lot like bitter, dark chocolate. But inside? He’d been one of the good ones, despite everything he’d said about himself.
The rest of the ride to Ivy’s place was quiet. They discussed the construction going on for the new Aegis Group headquarters as well as some things Ivy needed delivered. She hadn’t lived in the apartment long enough to amass much, and Merida promised to send
over some essentials like toilet paper and some frozen meals so Ivy didn’t starve. There was even mention of a bottle of wine.
Merida pulled into a parking spot outside the small complex. “Why don’t I come in for a bit?”
Ivy turned to face her. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but can you not?”
“I’m just worried about you.”
“And you should be. I’m not okay. But I just want time alone.”
“How long should I give you?”
“A few days?”
“You get until noon Saturday. I’ll be by then to make sure you’re okay.”
Ivy could live with that.
She reached across the cab and hugged Merida.
“Everyone else is really worried about you, too. Haley and Jenn are going to have my ass for letting you be on your own, but I get it,” she said into Ivy’s ear.
“Thanks.” She pulled back and wiped at her eyes one last time.
“Oh, almost forgot.” Merida scooped some keys out of her cup holder.
The apartment keys Ivy had left at the office.
She held out her hand and Merida dropped them into her palm.
“You will call me if you change your mind, right?” Merida asked.
“Sure.”
Ivy doubted she would. Her insides felt empty and she knew she wasn’t good company.
She managed to get her bag and flee the truck without having to give too many promises she didn’t intend to keep.
Merida didn’t pull out of the parking space until Ivy was unlocking her door. She ducked inside and locked it before Merida could change her mind and come up.
The relief of a locked door was fleeting.
Ivy frowned.
Had she really left lights on?
She turned and realized that every light in the apartment was on.
The TV was muted, but playing some morning show. A few pizza boxes sat on the kitchen counter.
This was her apartment, wasn’t it?
She glanced at the keys, then eyed the space again.
A pair of flip-flops sat near the door. Large ones. Like a man might wear and so not hers.
Necessary Risk (Aegis Group Task Force Book 4) Page 28