Total Control

by Griffin, Laura

  “I thought counterterrorism was top priority at the Bureau?”

  “That’s true. But my boss made the decision that Matapang isn’t as important as some other things we’re working on, and he’s directed our resources elsewhere, which means it’s just me and two agents following up on a tip I got. They’re doing it as a favor to me, but that’s wearing pretty thin.” She squared her shoulders. “We’ve got the CT chief coming in for a meeting on Monday. I’ve worked with him before, and he happens to like me. My plan is to turn up something solid by then, so I can pitch this to him directly.”

  “Your boss isn’t going to like that.”

  “Yeah, well, tough toenails. We’re talking about a potential terrorist cell operating on U.S. soil, and I believe Jerome Matapang is part of it. I’m not going to ignore that.”

  Jake liked the determination in her voice. “Tell me more about this guy.”

  She hesitated. Then she seemed to decide she needed to share info if she wanted his help.

  “Like I said, he’s American, originally from Nogales. He’s got a clean record, but according to the locals, his brother Joe was busted a year ago for running drugs and guns.”

  “What’s his connection to ACB?”

  “We haven’t nailed that down. But his father’s Filipino, and two years ago, Jerome traveled to the Philippines, where ACB is based. He stayed for six months.”

  “Where, exactly?”

  “Mindanao,” she said.

  “There’s been an uptick in insurgent activity there and a rise in groups connected to ISIS.”

  Jake’s team had personally been involved in several joint operations with the country’s military in response to the threat. But he couldn’t talk about that with Lexie.

  “We’re aware,” she said vaguely. So maybe she already knew about it.

  “What’s Jerome’s connection to Tom Green, aka Tango X?”

  “That’s where it gets interesting to me and my team. When Green first arrived in San Diego last summer, Jerome wired him some money. Also, when we arrested Green, we confiscated his phone. He’d placed quite a few calls, all to Los Angeles numbers, including the landline at the home of Jerome’s ex-girlfriend. We believe Jerome was staying there at the time. The ex denies it, and he hasn’t been seen in months—”

  “Except for that surveillance video.”

  “Right.”

  “Lemme make sure I have this straight,” Jake said. “This guy you’re looking for is an associate of a known terrorist and he has a weapons connection?”

  “Right,” she said. “And we believe L.A. is the nexus.”

  Jake watched her, picking up on the tension in her voice. No wonder she was so stressed.

  “So why would your boss de-prioritize him? Seems like this guy would be key.”

  “He’s focused on someone else who’s been deemed more of a threat. We seized Green’s vehicle on the day of his arrest. We recovered a second set of fingerprints inside, likely an accomplice.”

  “Could it be Jerome?”

  “It’s not. This new person is an unsub, or unidentified subject. But one of the prints is in the system. You remember that nightclub bombing in Bangkok?”

  “Shit, you’re kidding.”

  “No. Investigators recovered a usable print from one of the bomb parts.”

  “And now this bomb maker is on American soil?”

  “We believe so, yes. We think he’s linked to a sleeper cell that’s planning something new. And with Jerome’s recent border crossing, that something might be imminent.”

  “Damn, Lex.”

  “I know.” She closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “All this is totally confidential, by the way. I could lose my career just for talking to you about it.”

  “Why are you?”

  She looked at him, and he saw a trace of that vulnerability that had pulled him in last time. “I don’t know,” she said. “I suppose I trust you. With certain things.”

  “Certain things?”

  “Op sec.” She shrugged. “You wouldn’t be where you are if you weren’t good at it.”

  So she trusted him with operational security. But from a personal standpoint, not so much.

  Jake needed to change that. He wanted to get to know her. He wanted her to trust him with everything, across the board.

  It would take time. Lexie didn’t trust easily, which made it all the more surprising that she’d come to him with a request that could torpedo the career she’d worked so hard for. At heart, she was a risk-taker, and she had no idea how much that turned him on. Maybe he’d tell her someday. Or better yet, show her. Just the thought of it lifted his spirits.

  She picked up her coffee, eyeing him over the mug. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like . . . you’re excited about this. This isn’t even your job. You’re supposed to be on vacation, not working.”

  “Vacation is overrated.”

  She smiled slightly. “You, too, huh? Glad I’m not the only workaholic.”

  “You’re not.”

  She turned her attention to her food, but she seemed distracted. Meanwhile, Jake polished off everything on his plate. He operated under the principle that it was best to refuel whenever possible, because you never knew what the day would bring.

  “So what’s next?” she asked. “Do you want me to call your friend Lance, or would it be better for you to do it?”

  “What’s next is you get some sleep.”

  “What? We’re on a clock here. And this is serious. Do you have any idea how dangerous—”

  “I sure as hell do, which is why you need to be alert, not dead on your feet.”

  “I just drank two cups of coffee.”

  “Yeah, and you’re about to take a nosedive into your pancakes. Go get some sleep.” He took out his wallet and left money on top of their bill. The fact that she didn’t protest his paying told him how exhausted she was. “Anyway, my buddy keeps bar hours,” he added. “It’s pointless to try to reach him early anyway.”

  She still didn’t look convinced, but her eyelids continued to droop.

  “Rest up,” he said. “We’ll come at it again at seventeen hundred.”

  “Five o’clock.”

  “That’s right. I’ll pick you up.”

  “What do you plan to do between now and then?”

  He smiled. “Recon, babe. That’s my specialty.”

  The doorbell rang at five o’clock on the dot, and Lexie rushed to gather her gear. She tossed everything she might need into a black backpack and slung it over her shoulder, then checked the peephole.

  The sight of Jake on her doorstep put butterflies in her stomach. Wow. How had she gotten herself into this? She’d wanted his help, but maybe she was in over her head with him. All those months and months of resisting the temptation to call him meant nothing now that she’d invited him right into her life.

  He looked directly at the peephole as though he sensed her standing there.

  She opened the door. “Hi.”

  “Hi. Are you ready?”

  “Where are we going?” She stepped out and locked her door, then zipped her keys into the backpack. She glanced up, and he was looking her over with a gleam in his eye.

  “You look nice,” he said.

  “Thanks.” Today she wore skinny jeans and a loose white button-down with a soft gray tank underneath, along with her favorite Converse sneakers. And she realized Jake had never seen her in anything but a suit. “This is my weekend look.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Where’s your Glock?”

  “Holster at the small of my back.” She touched it. “Why? Can you see it?”

  “No.”

  They walked down the sidewalk, and he scanned the area with that alert gaze. He seemed laid-back all the time, but Lexie knew better. Despite his low-key attitude, his situational awareness was off the charts.

  She spotted his white pickup at the end of
the block. The truck was simple, not fancy, with a few dings and plenty of dust. It suited him perfectly.

  “Thought we’d go visit a friend of mine.”

  Lexie stopped short. “Who?”

  “A guy I know. What’s in the pack?”

  “Some stuff I need. You didn’t tell him anything sensitive, did you?”

  “Of course not. Give me some credit.”

  They walked to his truck, and he reached for the passenger door. “Later I’d like to swing by the ex-girlfriend’s house in Venice. What’s her name?”

  “Courtney Stapleton. She’s a yoga instructor.”

  “I want to see if anything catches my attention at her house. What do you hear from your guy there?”

  “It’s been quiet all day. He’s bored out of his mind.”

  She got into the truck and watched him walk around the front. He wore the same snug-fitting T-shirt as earlier and those faded jeans with the frayed cuffs. Just digging his keys from his pocket, he looked amazingly athletic, and the butterflies were back again. She couldn’t believe she’d agreed to spend the evening with him.

  But of course she had. Lexie was attracted to him. She couldn’t deny it. But she could deny herself the luxury of acting on her urges. She had a job to do right now—the most important job of her career. And she couldn’t get distracted by anything or anyone, not even Jake Heath with his super-ripped body and his ocean-blue eyes.

  He hitched himself behind the wheel and looked at her.

  “I need some background on this friend of yours,” she told him.

  “Relax. We’ve got plenty of time.” The engine started with a throaty growl. “First, I want to hear more about your case.”

  “What about it? You know I can’t tell you everything.”

  He checked over his shoulder, then pulled into traffic. “Let’s start with your boss.”

  “Why?”

  He was the very last person Lexie wanted to talk about, especially with Jake.

  “I need to know what the deal is.”

  “How come?” she asked.

  “Whatever it is, it’s affecting his judgment about this case. So spill it. Who is he, and what’s his beef with you?”

  She blew out a sigh. Then she turned and stowed her pack in the back of the cab, alongside a camo backpack with HEATH stamped across the top. Just looking at it reminded her that he was leaving soon to go off on some mission. He was always leaving soon. SEALs were gone at least nine months a year—Lexie had researched it—which was one reason she couldn’t let herself get close to him.

  “Alexa?”

  She leaned back against the seat, resigned to filling him in without giving too many details.

  “His name’s Nate McCormick, and he’s the supervisory special agent in charge of our CT group.”

  “Okay. Why doesn’t he like you?”

  “Messy breakup.”

  “Shit. I knew it.”

  She looked at him. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

  “What am I thinking?”

  “I didn’t sleep with my boss. We were together. We broke up. Then he got promoted.” She stared straight ahead because she didn’t want to see his reaction.

  “And now, what, he’s being a dick to you because you dumped him?”

  She glanced at him. “How do you know I dumped him?”

  “That’s what happened, right?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “So now he’s trying to marginalize you to get payback?”

  “I’m not sure it’s a formal strategy, really. He doesn’t like me because I know what a true shit he is. Basically, he ignores me.”

  “Same effect.”

  “Can we drop this, please? I don’t want to rehash this. I want to do my job and track down this terror suspect and disrupt whatever he’s planning. Now, tell me about your friend. Is this the CIA guy?”

  “Different friend.” He looked at her. “By the way, I called Lance and explained the situation without giving him a lot of details. He’s going to check into some things and get back to me.”

  Lexie’s stomach knotted. “What did you tell him, exactly?”

  “Basically, I just gave him a name and told him I needed to track him down in a hurry.”

  “That’s it? What does he think you want with him?”

  “He doesn’t care what I want with him. We operate on a need-to-know basis.” He glanced at her. “Relax.”

  “I can’t. This is a high-stakes case. I can’t afford to screw this up.”

  “Look, you wanted me to help you find this guy. That’s what I’m doing. You need to trust my methods.”

  “I do. I just don’t trust your people. How can I? I don’t even know them.”

  “You don’t need to. I can vouch for them, and I can tell you they know how to keep their mouths shut.”

  She stared straight ahead as Jake picked up the freeway. She had to trust him. She did trust him, or she never would have confided in him in the first place. But the thought of what she had riding on this made her slightly queasy. What if this suspect continued to elude authorities and then carried out an attack? His organization was responsible for the deaths of dozens of innocent civilians. They wanted to put on a show and make a name for themselves, and Southern California had been selected as their stage. With every day that ticked by that her suspect continued to elude her, Lexie’s tension mounted. She was starting to feel desperate. And desperation led to reckless decision-making.

  “Lexie?”

  “Fine. Whatever. Now, tell me where we’re going.”

  “East of the city,” he said as he pulled into the left lane and picked up speed. “An industrial area near El Monte.”

  “What’s your friend’s name, and what does he do?” she asked.

  “Mario. And actually, he’s a friend of a friend.”

  “What’s his business?”

  “Guns.”

  She looked at him, startled.

  “If your suspect is in the area and looking to get his hands on any hardware, this guy’s probably heard about it,” Jake said. “He keeps his ear to the ground.”

  “Where exactly do you know him from?”

  He slid her a glance. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Of course I’m worried about it. I’m a federal agent. I can’t just waltz in somewhere and—”

  “You won’t be waltzing in anywhere. I will. You’re here to observe. Understood?”

  She clenched her teeth.

  “Okay?” He looked at her. “I can drop you off at your office if that doesn’t work for you, but you need to stay in the background.”

  “Fine, all right. But I need some info on this man. Does he have a sheet? And how on earth did you get mixed up with him?”

  “He’s got a clean record. He’s retired Navy. He lost a hand in an accident, and now he does customization work.”

  “Work such as . . . ?”

  “Rifle scopes, custom stocks, engraving, that sort of thing.”

  “All of it completely legal.”

  “Of course.”

  She gritted her teeth and looked out the window, once again feeling in over her head.

  The sinking sun gleamed off the high-rises as they made their way through town. It was a clear day, and a recent front had banished much of the haze that usually hung over the city. It was the perfect Saturday for jogging on the beach or maybe taking a drive up the coast. Instead, she was working. Again. And she had Jake at her side, almost guaranteeing that she was plunging headlong into trouble. He was an adrenaline junkie, and if there was trouble anywhere nearby, he would find it. Jake had a nose for it, which was one reason she’d wanted his help.

  “Relax, Alexa.”

  “You keep saying that.”

  “I won’t get you in trouble, promise.”

  “Sure, you will.”

  He smiled. “Loosen up, would you? I’m here to help.”

  Jake navigated the labyrinth of streets, using his phone a
s a guide as he watched Lexie from the corner of his eye. Despite the casual clothes, she was a bundle of nerves. Not that he blamed her, really, but he wished she’d have some faith in him. Lance and Mario were trustworthy. And at least one of them, if not both, would produce a new lead on this suspect, Jake could almost guarantee it.

  “So.” She looked at him. “What was it you canceled today?”

  “Nothing important.”

  “It sounded important if you were supposed to be there at six a.m.”

  He’d known she’d bring it up again, and he wasn’t sure why he felt reluctant to tell her. “It was a camping trip.”

  She lifted her eyebrows, clearly surprised. “With . . . ?”

  “My dad and brothers.”

  Her face fell. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was a family thing.”

  “No big deal.”

  Silence settled over the truck, and the only noise was the low sound of the radio.

  “Do you guys go camping a lot?”

  He laughed. “No. Fact, it’s never once happened in the history of the Heath family. My brothers are doctors. They’re not really into roughing it. The golf course is more their scene.”

  “Your brothers are doctors? As in all of them?”

  “Yep.”

  “How many do you have?”

  “Three. Plus, my dad’s a surgeon, but he retired a couple of years ago.”

  “Wow, that’s . . . really amazing. And now the medic thing makes more sense.”

  “We call it a corpsman.” He smiled at her. “And yeah, I guess I took an interest because of my dad.”

  She settled back against the seat. “What’s the occasion for this rare Heath family adventure?”

  “My dad’s been sick. Just finished chemo a few months ago. He wanted to, I don’t know, get back to nature or something.”

  Lexie went quiet. He looked at her.

  “I’m so sorry, Jake. I had no idea.”

  “Why would you?”

  “God.” She closed her eyes. “Now I feel like crap.”

  “Don’t. This is important.”

  “So is your family.”

  “Work comes first,” he said. “They get that.”

  “Can you catch up to them?”

  “What, so I can sleep on the ground and eat out of a can for two days? I don’t want to catch up to them. I want to help you.”