Backlash

by Rachel Dylan

  “Kim?”

  Kim stood up. She was below average height, with light brown hair and pretty brown eyes. Izzy guessed Kim was only a few years older than her. She also noted that Kim was small-framed like her. It made her wonder if the sergeant had a special thing for petite brunettes.

  Izzy extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Isabella Cole. Thanks for meeting with me. Please have a seat.”

  “What can I do to help NCIS? The only time I ever hear anything about NCIS is from watching TV. I can’t see how I could be involved in any of that.”

  Izzy prayed Kim wouldn’t get up and walk out after she heard the truth. “Well, actually, while it’s true that I’m an NCIS agent, what I want to talk to you about today is of a much more personal nature. It’s not official NCIS business. Is that okay?”

  Kim bit her bottom lip but nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “I want to talk to you about a man named Henry Tybee.”

  Kim’s demeanor instantly shifted. She gripped her coffee cup tightly in her hands. “Why are you asking about him?”

  “Are you aware that the sergeant was murdered?”

  Kim diverted her eyes before reconnecting. “I saw it on the local news, yes. What does that have to do with me?”

  Izzy had to tread carefully. She didn’t want Kim to scamper away. She needed this information, and Kim’s initial reaction was already telling Izzy that she knew something. “You knew the sergeant, right?”

  Kim nodded. “Yeah. We dated briefly.”

  “How did you meet him?”

  “I worked part-time at a diner in Arlington during college. He came in almost every day. We struck up a conversation, and it just went from there. I knew he was a cop, so I was willing to take a chance on him, unlike the other random guys who hit on me.”

  And wasn’t that a huge travesty. One of the things that bothered Izzy so much about what the sergeant had done was that he abused his position of power and authority. That was one of the reasons Izzy hadn’t thought twice when he invited her to his office that night. She had trusted him completely.

  Izzy was worried Kim might shut down, so she figured it was best to get right to the point. “I also knew the sergeant. I worked with him when I was at Arlington PD before I went to NCIS.” She took a deep breath. “He sexually assaulted me.”

  Kim’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

  Izzy couldn’t tell whether Kim was showing relief or confusion. “Yes. And the entire reason I’m here is to find out whether he hurt other women the same way he hurt me. Given that you said you dated briefly, I wanted to see what your experience was with him.”

  Kim didn’t immediately respond. She looked away again and then took a sip of her drink. “I really would prefer not to talk about this.”

  Izzy understood that sentiment all too well. “Kim, I know if you had any experiences like I did, then you don’t want to speak on this topic, but it’s really important because the police are investigating the murder, and truthfully, they’re looking at me as a suspect. I’m trying to show them that he had a pattern of abuse that is far and wide, and that his killer could’ve been anyone.”

  Kim leaned forward. “If what you’re saying is true, then wouldn’t it implicate me if I told you what he did to me?”

  Exactly as Izzy had thought. Kim did have an unfortunate story to tell. “I’m not trying to implicate anyone specifically. I’m just trying to put the facts about his past behavior out there for all to see.”

  Kim shook her head. “No. It doesn’t make any sense for me to talk, as far as I’m concerned. I don’t want people knowing what happened to me and talking about it. I’m sorry about what you went through, but I can’t help you.”

  Izzy only had one more chance to get to Kim. “I’m not pointing the finger at you by any means, but I am asking whether you’d be willing to speak to the detectives about your experiences with him. They need to understand the type of man he was. The whole picture. Not just the sanitized version of events they get from the rest of Arlington PD.”

  Kim looked away. “I don’t think I can do that.” Her eyes filled with tears.

  Izzy took Kim’s hand. She knew the pain the other woman felt. “I’m so sorry he hurt you too. I’m not going to push, but know that if you ever do need anyone to talk to about this, completely outside this case, I’m here for you. It took me a long time to get to a better place.”

  “You must be a lot stronger than I am, because I don’t think I’ll ever be in a better place as far as that topic is concerned. I’m sorry, but I need to go.”

  Kim grabbed her purse and quickly walked away before Izzy could say anything else.

  Izzy put her head in her hands. She didn’t think Kim had murdered the sergeant, but she definitely knew the sergeant had hurt Kim. Badly. And if that was the case, there were probably other women, and Izzy intended to find more evidence of his wrongdoing. If for nothing else, then to set the record straight about what kind of man Sergeant Henry Tybee really was.

  A monster.

  Since yesterday, Cass had been giving him the cold shoulder, but Zane figured she just needed time to blow off steam. Hopefully they’d be able to get back to where they were. He racked his brain, trying to figure out when their relationship had taken a turn. They’d been solid as a rock for the past few years—and completely in the platonic sense.

  Maybe he wasn’t being sensitive enough to everything Cass had gone through. After all, he wasn’t the one with a target on his back. He was going to try to be patient and give her the time and space she needed. But if they got through this mole investigation and things still weren’t good between them, he couldn’t see their partnership lasting, and that really bummed him out. But that was a battle for another day.

  The team had been summoned to HQ for a meeting, and he and Cass waited in a conference room for everyone else to arrive. He hoped Mason had some good news for them.

  Layla walked into the conference room by herself. He wasn’t sure where Hunter was. He didn’t know the full backstory between them, but it was obvious that there was something beyond business.

  He noticed Layla had dark circles under her eyes. This case was wreaking havoc on them all.

  Mason walked up to the front of the room and cleared his throat. “Thanks for everyone getting together so quickly.”

  Zane looked over at Cass, and they made eye contact before she quickly looked away. The cold shoulder continued. “Do you have something good for us?” he asked.

  Mason ran his hand through his short dark hair. “Unfortunately, no. It’s actually very bad news.”

  The room was eerily quiet. No one had been expecting this. Zane was sure everyone had been hoping for a break in the case.

  “What is it?” Cass asked.

  Mason looked at her. “Some of the cash seized from the op is missing.”

  “What?” Layla asked. “How is that possible? We did the inventory checks ourselves, both in Honduras and once we got back stateside.”

  Mason sighed loudly. “That’s precisely the problem. There’s concern from the higher-ups that someone on this team is compromised.”

  “You think we took the money?” Zane didn’t even try to stay calm. This was becoming completely ridiculous. “Every day it’s a new accusation against us, and frankly, Mason, it’s getting old. I’ve dealt with all the heat put on me, but it’s out of hand to call into question the other members of the team. If there’s evidence against any one of us, then by all means, bring it to the light of day, but all this speculation and innuendo is getting tiresome. Especially after everything each of us has done for the cause.” He paused, hoping someone would jump in and back him up.

  “Zane’s right,” Cass said. “If you really thought we stole that money, you’d fire us here and now.”

  Mason crossed his arms. “You all know I have your backs, but right now there’s only so much I can do. I’ve been given my orders.”

  “And what are those?” Layla’s tone was
n’t much friendlier than Zane’s had been a moment ago.

  “Each one of you is going to be questioned. Zane, they’re going to start with you.”

  Zane gritted his teeth. “Great. They’ve already convicted me. What, first I’m a traitor and now I’m a thief too?”

  Mason’s expression softened. “Man, I know this stinks. Just go in there, tell the truth, and we’ll figure this out.”

  Zane wasn’t convinced, but he’d been in the game long enough to know that sitting around and complaining wasn’t going to solve anything. Better to get right to it. He stood up. “Where do I need to go?” No point in delaying the inevitable.

  “I’ll escort you.” Mason turned to Cass and Layla. “Just sit tight.”

  Great, now he also needed a babysitter to watch him while he walked around HQ. The cartel had done a big number on him. This was a master setup if he’d ever seen one.

  Zane followed Mason out the door, down the hall, up two flights of stairs, and finally into another empty conference room.

  “They’ll be here in a minute.”

  “What do you think is really going on here?” Zane asked him.

  “I wish I knew, but I’m not going to lie to you, Zane. You need to be on guard and make sure you are being completely truthful, because if they catch you in any lie, even if it has nothing to do with this investigation, it could be real trouble. The higher-ups are getting nervous, and they want to make someone pay for this.”

  “You know me. You have to realize I couldn’t have done any of this.” Zane sounded more desperate than he’d intended, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide his feelings on this topic.

  “I do, but the problem is that you don’t have to convince me. You have to convince the powerful people above my pay grade, and to do that, you first have to win over the investigators.”

  As if on cue, the door opened and two people walked in—a short, stocky bald man and a younger redheaded woman. The man introduced himself as Palmer Sanchez, and the woman was Maddie O’Leary.

  Mason excused himself, and then it was just Zane with the two suits. He couldn’t imagine that either of them had seen any time in the field, but here they were, ready to pass judgment on him. Interestingly enough, these were not the people who had questioned him previously.

  Sanchez opened a folder in front of him. “Your supervisor explained why the team was being questioned today, correct?”

  “Yes,” Zane said.

  O’Leary leaned forward. “We’ve read your entire file, and we want to state up front that we are not here today to talk to you about the topic you’ve previously met with our team on, regarding the mole inside DEA. Is that clear?”

  He wondered why they were so intent on drawing such a bright line, but he figured now wasn’t the time to argue over an irrelevant point. He had bigger problems. “Yes, I understand.”

  “Great,” O’Leary said. “We’ll jump right in. You obviously recall retrieving funds from the Mejía safe house and bringing them back to the United States, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Were you ever alone with the cash?”

  “I have absolutely no idea. I wasn’t keeping tabs on things like that. My bigger concern was helping the team get in and out without one of us getting killed. That’s the way it works in the field. None of us were taking the time to steal any money, since that’s what you’re getting at. And no, of course I didn’t take any of the cash while in Honduras or back stateside. Is that clear?”

  O’Leary smiled, and Zane wondered what he’d said to get that reaction out of her. “Agent Carter, we appreciate your zeal, but we’re just trying to get to the facts. This isn’t an inquisition.”

  He huffed. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  Sanchez rested his hands on the table. “It isn’t. We really are just trying to ferret out what actually went down in Honduras. Given everything that has happened since the team returned, this is just one more angle that we have to examine. You’ve been doing this for quite a few years. You’re a Marine. You have the experience to see it too. Aren’t there just one too many coincidences here?”

  “You think this is an inside job and the person is on my team—or to take it further, you think it’s me.” Zane’s anger bubbled right below the surface, and if he wasn’t careful, he might explode. That would only make him look more guilty.

  “Why isn’t it you?” O’Leary’s clear blue eyes questioned him.

  “Because I’m a loyal patriot who serves my country. I’m not a thief, and I’m most certainly not a turncoat. I put my tail on the line all the time to fight for what I believe in. If I was that money hungry, why wouldn’t I be in the private sector? Believe me, I get recruiters calling me all the time. But that’s not me. It’s not how I’m made. Never has been, and never will be.”

  “So if we dig into your finances, we’re not going to see an influx of cash?” Sanchez asked.

  A thought hit Zane. His family money. “You won’t find an influx of cash, no, but you will find a substantial amount of funds. That money is from my family. I have it set aside and don’t touch it because I don’t like relying on things I didn’t earn, and frankly, I don’t have the best relationship with my father, and the money comes from his family business. If you look closely enough, you’ll be able to confirm I’m telling the truth about that. All of that money is fully traceable.”

  As he watched their expressions remain unchanged, he realized they already knew all of this and were just testing him to see if he would tell the truth.

  “Fair enough,” Maddie said. “What about the rest of your team?”

  That got his attention. “What do you mean?”

  “Have you noticed any of their spending habits change?”

  “You people are unbelievable. You want to talk about my team? Let’s see. John Diaz was murdered. Cass and Layla have been attacked and are living at safe houses, and your concern is whether their spending habits have changed? This is beyond ridiculous.” He paused for a moment. “But to answer your question directly, no. There have been no changes. People have been too concerned with staying alive.”

  Sanchez nodded. “How well do you know Layla Karam?”

  Of course they would go after the Agency person. “I met her when we started preparing for this operation, but do I believe she could be involved in stealing from the cartel? Of course not.”

  “Don’t you think that Agency operatives sometimes play outside the lines a bit?”

  “Sure, but Layla isn’t your typical spy.”

  O’Leary raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Layla’s an analyst, and that’s what she wants to be. The only reason she went into the field is because they told her she had to. From what I got to know of her, there isn’t a deceitful bone in her body, which makes being a spy pretty difficult. But she’s brilliant. Her language skills are off the charts, and she was able to handle herself in the field, but that’s not what she wants to do.”

  “You’re confident she’s clean?” Sanchez said.

  “I’m confident my entire team is clean.”

  “Including Cass?” O’Leary asked.

  “Yes. All of us. And Diaz as well.” Zane didn’t know how he could be any more clear about his feelings, but he had to speak his mind. “I don’t know what you guys are really after here. Is it the truth? Because it doesn’t seem like it. You seem hyperfocused on our team, but you need to start looking elsewhere, because the only thing you’re going to find on my team are people trying their best to do their jobs and do them with integrity.”

  “Are you finished?” Sanchez asked.

  “Yes.” He could’ve said a lot more, but they didn’t seem moved by any of his comments.

  “One piece of advice,” Sanchez said.

  Zane tried not to seem too annoyed by Sanchez’s arrogance.

  “You have too much faith in people. Take off the blinders and look at things with fresh eyes. You might not like what you see.” />
  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  O’Leary looked at him. “What Palmer is trying to say is that you appear to see people’s best attributes. In our line of work, we see the worst. Just make sure you’re not going to be blindsided because of your loyalty.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. My team is solid. That’s the end of the story.”

  O’Leary nodded. “I think we’re done for now. You’re free to go.”

  The last thing in the world he felt was free. There was something deeper going on here, but he had no idea who was setting up his team.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-THREE

  After the inquisition yesterday at the DEA, Hunter had explained to Layla why he hadn’t been included in the meeting—that he had been tasked to work on the theft. He’d been worried she would be upset, but she’d taken it in stride, saying she understood completely why he couldn’t tell her.

  He wasn’t any closer to finding the traitor at DEA, but he had stumbled on something else that was giving him major anxiety. There was no reason to keep his findings from Layla now that the cat was out of the bag regarding the cash and she’d been officially cleared by the investigators after her interrogation yesterday.

  He watched her stare intently at her laptop as she typed. He wondered if her mind was really in the game or if it was somewhere else.

  “Layla.”

  She stopped typing. “Yeah?”

  “We need to talk.”

  Those words got her attention, and she set her laptop on the coffee table. “What is it?”

  “As I told you, I’ve been working on this money angle for a while now, and after I exhausted all the regular routes, I started going down some other paths to find answers.”

  She frowned. “This doesn’t sound good. What did you find?”

  He hated telling her this. “There are some weird things going on with Cass’s money.”

  She groaned. “No. There has to be an innocent explanation.”

  Hunter moved closer to her. “How well do you really know this woman?” Before she could answer, he kept talking. “Let me show you what I found.”