by Lisa Harris
She looked up as he turned off the adjoining room light. “Jack? I didn’t think anyone was up. Adam just left.”
“I saw him.”
She held up her mug. “I thought I might try some more of that chamomile tea.”
“Having trouble sleeping?”
“Yes, but I think I’m just too tired to sleep.”
He leaned against the counter while she waited for the tea to steep. “It’s been a long day.”
“With more questions than answers. What’s next?”
“I’ve been working to see what we can get out of Hwang’s phone contacts. Your father isn’t the only person I’m looking for.”
“I spoke with my boss and arranged to take a few more days off. He couldn’t exactly argue when I told him I was going to be helping out the FBI.”
He watched as she squeezed the tea bag into the mug before tossing it into the trash. “Do you ever regret not staying here?”
Her brow furrowed. “In Corpus?”
Jack nodded, not even sure himself where he was going with this conversation. Adam’s suggestion that he tell her how he’d felt all those years ago was crazy.
“Why? Feeling sentimental about being back?”
“Not particularly. I was just talking to Adam, and he told me that I don’t come down here near enough. Made me realize that I miss my family. That I always tend to get way too caught up with my work.”
She took a sip of her tea, then set it down on the counter and caught his gaze. “You’re good at what you do, and you have a job that makes a difference.”
“Maybe, but I just can’t help but wonder what might have happened if I had stayed here.”
And if I’d told you how I felt all those years ago.
But he wasn’t going there.
“Anyway,” he said, steering the conversation back somewhere safe. “Do you have everything you need before I head up to bed?”
“All my stuff was already here, so I’m good. And you?”
“I had my things brought over, so I’m set up in one of the guest rooms.”
She picked up her tea. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”
“Good night. And Bree . . .”
She stopped in the arch leading out of the kitchen. The soft glow of the light made a halo around her head. “Yeah?”
He swallowed hard. “It really is good to see you again.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
AUBREY GOT UP WITH the sun the next day after a restless night with strange dreams, only to discover that Jack had gotten up even earlier. He was sitting at the bar in the kitchen, drinking coffee and already at work on the list of names they’d gotten off Hwang’s phone.
“I’ve already found information on a number of them,” Jack said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
“What time did you get up?” she asked.
“Not too long ago,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep. But I was hoping you would. Yesterday was emotional for you.”
She shook her head. “That probably accounts for my disturbing dreams. But I’m fine. How can I help?”
“I’m mainly just trying to see if any of Hwang’s contacts’ information matches up with anything I’ve got.”
“And so far?” she asked.
“I think I hit the jackpot.”
Between refills of coffee and leftover pastries someone had brought in the day before, they worked for the next hour in silence, grateful that the rest of the house was still asleep. She ended up following what she hoped wasn’t a rabbit trail, and it paid off.
“Jack,” she said, trying to stretch out the kinks in her back. “You need to see this.”
“What have you got?”
“I had to do a lot of digging, but Cheng has a girlfriend.”
“A girlfriend? I wonder why she wasn’t in his file.”
“Because I found her through his cell phone records. He’s only been in contact with her recently. Her name is Mei Lien.” She pulled up the file she’d started on the woman. “I’m not finding much on her, and only one photo of the two of them together, but it’s recent. She doesn’t have a criminal record, not even a parking ticket, but she is on Facebook. And she just accepted me as a friend from a bogus account.”
“Seriously?”
“It’s not that surprising, really. A lot of people accept invitations just to increase their friend count.”
“Not bad. But how do you know she’s his girlfriend?”
Aubrey showed him the photo she’d found of the two of them. “I’ll admit I’m making assumptions, but I wouldn’t put a photo up like this with just anyone.”
“Point taken.”
Aubrey smiled as she started flipping through the profile photos. “Looks like she’s still in school right here in Corpus. She’s a grad student, marine biology. They look pretty cozy and the photo is recent.
“But that’s not the biggest news.” She turned to him. “I dug a little deeper and discovered that her father works for a company that develops stealth technologies for the government. I think there’s a good chance that Cheng’s using her to get information or even more likely, trying to recruit her father.”
“It would make sense. It happens all the time, and they definitely target the private sector as well as the government.” Jack frowned. “If we could find a way to use her to find Cheng . . .”
Aubrey hesitated before throwing out her idea. “What if we turn the tables on them and use her as bait like they did with me?”
Jack sat down across from her. “What exactly are you suggesting?”
“They used me to try and get to my father. We need to find Cheng, and she can lead us to him.”
“I suppose it’s possible, but to do that, we’d have to turn her against him. Do you really think that’s going to happen?”
“I learned something else interesting about her. During her undergrad work, she was a part of her school’s ROTC program.”
“That doesn’t mean she’s patriotic, or that she can be turned.”
Aubrey frowned. “Don’t all of you alphabet soup agencies know how to turn people?”
“Very funny.”
“Well? I don’t know about you, but I think it’s worth a shot.” She tapped her pencil against the table. “And I think I could do it.”
That got his attention. “You? Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“And you think you could use her to lead you to Cheng?”
“I do.”
“What happens if she goes straight back to him and lets him know that the authorities are looking for him? We could lose him for good.”
“It’s not like we have him now. Besides, more than likely, he already has to know we’re looking for him. I think it’s worth the risk, and I want to be the one to talk to her. Because if you’re right about the intel that’s at stake, we don’t have time to sit on this.”
“Even if we did try to turn her—and that’s a big if—I would send in a trained agent. Not you.”
“I wasn’t trained to flip assets at Quantico, but I know what it’s like to be betrayed by someone you love. When she finds out the truth about Cheng, that’s how she’s going to feel.”
He still didn’t look convinced. “You’re assuming she’s going to disagree with what Cheng is involved in—if she doesn’t already know—and will feel betrayed. We don’t know that. The logical thing to do is surveillance.”
Aubrey frowned. His resistance only made her all the more determined to convince him she was right. “Then let’s do both. I’ll talk to her, and then you follow her when she leaves. Think about it, Jack. I know what she’s going to feel the moment she hears Cheng is using her. And I’ll be right there to show her how she can make it right. I can do this, Jack.”
“How?”
“By telling her the truth.”
WALKING THROUGH THE ISLAND campus set on the edge of the water brought back memories of favorite professors, midnight food runs, and stunning ocean views.
“I don’t know about you, but college seems like a lifetime ago,” Aubrey said, matching Jack’s long steps as they headed toward her rendezvous site with Mei.
“Yes, but I have no desire to be twentysomething again.”
She laughed at the comment. “I have to agree.”
She also had to wonder why he’d asked her last night if she regretted leaving Corpus. Maybe he was simply being nostalgic, but it wasn’t something she’d thought much about. Her life was good. She loved her job, had good friends, was a part of a good church that challenged her spiritually. Just because she hadn’t done what everyone had—gotten married—didn’t mean she felt like she was missing something in her life or wanted to go back and do it over differently.
What she did miss was their friendship.
Aubrey stopped when she caught sight of Mei waiting for her on one of the shaded benches where they’d agreed to meet.
“I’ll go ahead on my own now,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am, but if anything goes wrong, I’ve got two agents out there helping me make sure you’re safe.”
“Just stay out of the way, Agent Shannon. I’ll be fine.”
She started walking down the brick pavement again, trying not to be irritated at his overprotectiveness. That was something about him that hadn’t changed. Maybe the biggest surprise was that he hadn’t protested more about her doing this on her own. Or maybe the reason he hadn’t protested was because he’d gone overboard on security. His undercover agents—a student sitting on another bench listening to his headphones and a maintenance man cleaning up a spill—stood out like a sore thumb, as far as she was concerned.
“Mei Lien?” Aubrey sat down next to her on the bench and smiled. “I’m Aubrey Grayson. I appreciate your agreeing to meet with me.”
“I’m happy to, although I realized after you hung up that I wasn’t sure what you want from me. You said you’re a former student here doing some research?”
“That’s part of it. What I didn’t tell you is that I’m a detective with the Houston police department, and I’m currently working with the FBI. I need to talk to you about your boyfriend, Peter Cheng.”
Aubrey held up the photo of Mei and Cheng she’d found on Facebook.
“I don’t understand.” Mei’s eyes narrowed. “What does the FBI want with Peter?”
Aubrey watched Mei drop the book she’d been reading into her backpack as if she were ready to run, but she couldn’t let that happen. She needed to get the woman to see the seriousness of the situation before she bolted.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” Aubrey said. “The FBI needs to talk to him. We have evidence that he’s been recruiting spies and buying classified information for the Chinese government—”
“Peter?”
“I know it’s hard to hear, but yes.” Aubrey paused, giving her time to let what she was telling her sink in. “The FBI has evidence that he is responsible for the recent theft of military source codes that are used to control both US government and commercial satellite systems.”
“Source codes . . . satellite systems . . . classified information . . .” Mei grabbed her backpack and stood up. “I don’t know who you are, or why you’re doing this, but what you’re saying isn’t possible. Peter isn’t a . . . a spy.”
“He’s using you, Mei—”
“Using me? How? I’m just a grad student studying marine biology.” Mei started walking away. “I don’t have access to any classified government information.”
Aubrey started after her. “Except you do. Or at least your father does.”
Mei froze, then turned around. “Peter hasn’t even met my father, and besides, you don’t know him. He’s not that kind of person.”
“I know this is a lot to take in, but I asked to be the one to meet with you for one reason. I was just on the receiving end of this same conversation. The FBI has evidence that my father is one of the men Peter is working with, and that he’s trying to get his hands on some specific classified information for him.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I know it sounds crazy, but the truth is that if Peter gets the information he’s after, people are going to die.”
Mei walked back to the bench, dropped her backpack beside her, and sat back down. “He loves me. I know he does, but now . . . now you’re telling me I’m stupid and naïve to believe him.”
“No. You’re neither of those things. Peter knows exactly what he’s doing and how to manipulate you.”
Mei clasped her hands in front of her and stared at the ground. “I always knew I was out of his league. I’m a science geek and he’s this rich, handsome, international businessman who’s always traveling to interesting places. He promised to take me to Hong Kong next year.” Mei shook her head. “I honestly thought he’d marry me and we’d have a family. I thought I could be a part of his world, but if you’re right . . .”
“I’m sorry. I truly am.”
Mei looked up at Aubrey. “You said your father was one of the people he hired.”
“Yes. We’re still trying to find him.”
“You don’t know where your father is?”
“I’ve been estranged from him for years, but it still hurts.”
“And now you’re trying to bring him in?”
Aubrey nodded. “I have to, because what he’s doing affects more than just me. The consequences are far-reaching. We need your help.”
She waited for Mei to respond, the conflict clear in her eyes. They were asking a lot from her, Aubrey understood that. But the consequences of doing nothing were far worse. That was what she had to make her understand.
“Mei. I need you to answer some questions for me. Would you do that?”
She nodded, but hadn’t lost the dazed look in her eyes.
“Has Peter ever asked you to write anything for him, or do anything for him that made you wonder why he was asking?”
She’d done her research on how people were targeted. And even though she was convinced Cheng was after Mei’s father, they couldn’t rule out the possibility that Mei herself had been compromised. Educational exchanges weren’t uncommon, nor was the recruitment of students.
“No,” Mei said.
“How often does he go to China?”
“Several times a year for business. I don’t know much about his company, but he seems to be doing well. But if he’s passing along classified information, what’s going to happen to him?”
“The FBI will question him and then go from there.”
“We both grew up proud of our heritage. Both Chinese and American. In doing this, he’s denying who we are. Betraying the country he lives in, his home, his family . . .” She stared out across the courtyard, silent a moment before continuing. “Will he know I’m the one who betrayed him?”
“I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep your name out of this, but I can’t make any promises.”
“Do you still feel guilty about betraying your father?”
“Very.” Aubrey nodded, wondering if she’d ever be able to get past it. “There is one more thing, Mei. We need to find him. And we need you to help us.”
She hesitated before answering. “What do you want me to do?”
“We need a way to get ahold of him.”
“He’s been talking about buying a house and settling down, but with all his traveling, he lives out of a suitcase in hotels.”
Which explained why the FBI was struggling to track him down.
“When are you going to see him again?” Aubrey asked.
“He just flew into town last night. I’m meeting him later today for lunch. I was going to talk to him about meeting my father for the first time.”
“Good. I’ll need to know when and where.”
“What if he finds out what I’ve done?”
“The FBI will take care of that. There will be agents with you until Peter is taken into custody. In the meantime, confirm with him that you’re still on for lunch, but
I don’t want you to show up. We will instead.”
Mei nodded. “Okay.”
“Thank you. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but you’re doing the right thing.”
A minute later, Aubrey walked away with the rendezvous information hoping she’d done the right thing. She’d seen the look on Mei’s face. The one of betrayal and shame, along with fear. There might have been another way to get to Cheng, one that didn’t involve Mei, but either way the woman had lost.
“Bree.”
She looked up. Jack was walking toward her. “I’m fine. I have an address and time where we can find him.”
“Do you think she played you?” he asked.
“I can’t be a hundred percent sure, but I don’t think so.”
“You don’t look happy. What are you thinking?”
“I was just thinking about how life changes because of the decisions we make. How life can change in an instant because of the decisions another person makes.”
“It happens far too often, but right now just think about all the men and women whose lives will be saved if we stop him.”
“I know.” Aubrey put her hand on Jack’s arm. “You’ve still got a team surveilling her like you planned?”
“We do.”
“Promise me you’ll keep her safe. I’m not sure why, but I have a bad feeling about all of this. I’m worried that if Cheng finds out she was involved in his arrest, he’ll go after her.”
“He won’t know she talked to us, and I’ve got a protection team on her.”
Aubrey nodded. She trusted him, but there were things even Jack couldn’t control.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
JACK SAT IN THE BACK of the van while he worked with his team of agents on last-minute details of their plan before going inside the restaurant. Personally, he would have preferred a pre-dawn raid at a private location for the arrest, but their investigation had led them here. They’d spent the short amount of time they had planning the arrest, knowing this might be their only chance of bringing Cheng in. If they spooked him, he would disappear. And Mei’s life—and that of her father—could also be put in danger. They had to do it right the first time.