Technical Risk (Aegis Group Task Force Book 3)

by Sidney Bristol

  Zora shook her head and sighed.

  This was their constant problem.

  Zora was only the Assistant Director. She answered to a man who had no regular input on what they did. He wanted nothing to do with it. Viewed this task force as a black mark on his career.

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “They know he’ll tell them. This is going to be a problem.”

  Cat wanted to go back, get a log of their recent activity before Baker or Joon thought to clean that up. If they were guilty.

  “What’s the latest from Viggo?” Diha asked.

  “He’s still cooperating. Valentino’s real name was Elisabeth. His was Daniel. They were foster kids from Atlanta. He prefers Viggo, says it’s the name she picked for him when they struck out on their own. They took care of each other. I get the sense he was more her caretaker. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had some mental illness or something given what he’s said.”

  “How much does he know about the business end?”

  “He was the face. She did everything else. He knows a lot about what she did, but not everything. He did give us a new name, though. Skilton. That stays between us. No one else gets to know that, not even Cat. I’m going to run it by Gazi and Obran, see if they know it. With the Horseman connection, I’m wondering if Obran at least was holding out on us.”

  “Wow.” Diha let all of that sink in.

  It was terrible that they’d lost the real Valentino. There were things only she could tell them, like how she had access to so many secure systems, who her contacts were, how she coerced them into working with her.

  These were things they might never know.

  “What about the derailment?” Diha asked.

  “Open and shut. According to Viggo, it was all an assassination job. A very successful one.”

  Diha’s jaw dropped.

  All those people dead to kill one?

  “Bennett is pushing for a warrant, but I think she wants Green reinstated before they make the arrest.”

  Diha nodded.

  For a moment she stared at her desk, conscious of Zora’s gaze on her.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “I will be.”

  “You and Green got close. I’m sorry the job came between that.” Zora sighed. “I know something about that myself. I wish I could offer you a word of advice. For me, knowing I did the right thing was always a cold comfort.”

  “Did it get better?” Because right now, whenever Diha slowed her work, the pain set in.

  Miles wouldn’t even look at her.

  She’d betrayed him. She knew that’s the way he saw it.

  The worst part was that she knew she’d do it the same all over again.

  They’d stopped Valentino.

  Miles would get his arrest.

  Diha’s team had a name.

  “It got better for a while,” Zora said softly.

  Tucker.

  Diha glanced up and found Zora staring at the wall.

  There was obviously a connection between Zora and Tucker. At the very least, they’d worked together before. The guys had even said as much. But Zora was a private person. She hadn’t shared the details, only now Diha wondered if those details were more personal in nature. She’d always assumed that Tucker and Zora had worked together on some classified job. But maybe it wasn’t the job that knit them together.

  Was it possible they’d been more to each other?

  Diha doubted Zora would ever tell her.

  As if recalling where they were, Zora straightened. “If you’re finished up, I’d like to grab our things from the hotel and have one last meal before we head out. Can I tempt you into joining me?”

  “I’d like that.” Diha didn’t want to be alone. “What about Viggo?”

  “The guys just left with him. Special, secure transport. Off the books.”

  “Oh, good.”

  The last thing they needed was Baker and Joon getting a wind of that.

  Diha finished gathering her things, erasing all signs that she’d worked out of this room, and left it as she’d found it. A pristine workspace ready for someone else.

  She felt like she was leaving London a different person than when she’d arrived. Much of that was due to Miles and Zora. Two people who’d believed in her. That belief had changed her. She was just sad that in the end, what she and Miles had couldn’t weather it.

  Too much too soon.

  But at least she’d had it.

  They took the elevator up to the lobby and paused to hand their temporary credentials back to the security guard.

  She wasn’t sure why, but Diha glanced up and turned, looking deeper into the building and stopped breathing.

  Miles stood with two other men. They were all wearing slacks and button-down shirts, deep in conversation.

  He was so handsome.

  And he didn’t even see her anymore.

  He was facing her. He had to have seen her. And yet he didn’t want to.

  Zora laid her hand on her arm. “Come on.”

  Diha was invisible once again. For some reason, that hurt the worst.

  21.

  Wednesday. London, United Kingdom.

  Miles would have thought he’d have a greater sense of justice as he pushed into the swanky, downtown London office building. Instead, he just wanted this whole mess over with.

  Maybe then he’d actually get some sleep.

  The head of security for the building stood, looking nervously at Miles and the law enforcement flanking him.

  “I’m here with a warrant,” Miles announced and kept going.

  Hundreds of people were going to get the justice they deserved today. The world might not know that Valentino was dead, but they would know that George Ward was ultimately the person responsible for setting things in motion.

  The investment banker had wanted a competitor killed because of a debt he owed.

  The derailment had not only killed the competitor, but George Ward had received a hefty sum because of the destruction of one of his properties.

  By the time Miles and his people reached the top floor of the building, word had traveled ahead of them. He found George Ward standing in front of the windows looking out on London with a phone pressed to his ear.

  He looked at Miles with resignation on his face.

  The bastard shouldn’t get to feel anything so simple.

  Miles stopped a few feet away and said the words he’d been waiting to say, “George Ward, you are under arrest.”

  The charges rolled off his tongue, but they didn’t give Miles the sense of satisfaction he’d longed for. No, this was just another job he was seeing through.

  The officers with Miles reacted swiftly, moving in to begin taking files and computers as evidence, while Miles walked Mr. Ward out of the building. The one concession they made was to load him into the cop car through the delivery entrance on the off chance of word getting out.

  There were a lot of people who would want to see George Ward dead for what he did.

  Everything passed in a blur.

  The ride to the police station.

  Booking Ward.

  Filling out paper work.

  It wasn’t until hours later that he returned to Thames House to update Bennett that bits of himself came back.

  Unfortunately, it was the act of passing through security and pausing right where he’d last seen Diha that brought sparks to his soul.

  Her again.

  He pushed her image out of his mind and proceeded upstairs where Bennett waited for him.

  Miles gave her the report. His voice sounded dull, even bored to his own ears, and he couldn’t muster enough energy to care about it.

  At the end, Bennett sat back and studied him.

  “You got involved with the American girl,” she said.

  Miles didn’t deny it, but he also didn’t confirm it.

  Bennett snorted. “Your team was happy to gossip about it. Said you made quite a cute couple. You
’re upset she made a deal that led to the death of our suspect.”

  That wasn’t accurate.

  Diha had single-handedly changed their entire focus. They’d begun the partnership with one goal, and she changed it. Effectively cutting Miles out of it.

  “We wouldn’t have gotten Valentino off the board without the Americans. I know they can be brash and they always think they know best, but...” Bennett shrugged.

  “What are you saying, ma’am?” he asked slowly.

  “I have had an illuminating conversation. What I’ll tell you is that...Valentino was one small piece of the puzzle. It doesn’t feel like a victory, but this was.” Bennett stood. “Your girl made the right call. I know you don’t want to hear that after what you’ve been put through, but it’s the truth.”

  Miles considered her words. Part of him was willing to accept Bennett’s decision on the matter, and yet he still couldn’t shake the sense of betrayal. That Diha had cut him out, not MI5 or the British police, him. She hadn’t talked to him or given him the opportunity to weigh in.

  It was a ridiculous way to think. There hadn’t been time. He’d seen the timeline, and yet there it was.

  THURSDAY. HOME. CITY, State.

  Jet lag sucked.

  Diha clutched her pillow to her chest and curled up on her side, but try as she might she couldn’t go back to sleep.

  What was the point of having the day off to rest if she couldn’t rest?

  She heard soft footsteps in the hall. The new carpet with the extra luxurious memory foam padding was also somehow loud.

  Diha rolled over and blinked at her sister.

  Priya had her hair up in a ponytail. She smiled at Diha and carried two steaming cups of their mother’s chai in with her.

  “Still not sleeping?” Priya set one of the mugs on the nightstand and perched on the edge of the bed.

  “It’s the time difference. Coming home is always the worst.” At least that was the excuse Diha was clinging to.

  It was better than admitting that she’d fallen in love with a man and lost him because she’d made the best decision she could at the moment and he couldn’t forgive her.

  “Right, it totally is.” Priya smiled, but they both knew Diha was lying.

  She sat up and cradled the tea in her hands, holding it so she could smell the fragrant aroma of chai. For some reason that made her throat tighten and she teetered on tears.

  Priya squeezed Diha’s ankle under the blankets. “I texted with Felecia and Cat. I thought we could all go out for lunch.”

  “I don’t feel like it. I’d really just like to rest.” And mope.

  “Well, too bad. Felecia will be here to pick us up in a bit.”

  Diha stared at her sister. “Felecia’s driving?”

  “Yeah, scary, right?” Priya grinned.

  Diha gulped the chai and said a silent prayer for the innocent people on the road.

  Felecia was learning a lot about living now that she was free to do what she wanted. She didn’t excel at everything, though she had managed to somehow get her driver’s license.

  Despite Diha’s dragging her feet, Priya bullied her into getting a shower, dressing and by the time Felecia bounced into the driveway Diha had resigned herself to getting out for a little while. Though the harrowing drive to the café nearly had Diha, throwing herself from the car and running home.

  She got out on shaky legs and was immediately assaulted by a tackling hug from Cat.

  “I’m so sorry,” Cat wailed. “Men are the worst. Totally awful.”

  Diha bit her cheek to keep from saying anything and sank into the hug.

  “Who is this?” Priya shut the back door though she, too, kept a bracing hand on the vehicle.

  Cat let go of Diha and glanced at a woman in a flowing dress standing just behind her. The woman was also very pregnant.

  “Well, I thought it was about time you met my wife,” Cat announced.

  Diha’s jaw dropped.

  Cat was married?

  “When were you going to mention that you were married?” Diha demanded. And here she’d thought she’d known Cat. Hell, Diha had assumed Cat and Harper were hooking up.

  “We aren’t legally married.” The woman stepped up and slid her arm through Cat’s.

  Cat in turn glared at the side of her wife’s head. “Just because we didn’t do what everyone else does to be labeled married doesn’t make us any less married.”

  Cat’s wife sighed and rolled her eyes. “I don’t want them to think—”

  “Who cares what anyone thinks.” Cat threw her hands up in the air.

  Diha laughed.

  Cat was and always would be, Cat.

  Diha extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Yes, it is. I’m, uh, Rainbow.” The woman blushed.

  “Rainbow?” Felecia asked.

  Rainbow cringed. “My parents—”

  Cat grinned and clapped her hands. “Her parents are the crazy, amazing kind of weirdo hippy. They are a trip.”

  “Yeah, so most people just call me Rain. It’s a little less weird.” Rain smiled.

  “Why are we just now learning you’re married?” Felecia frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Because.” Cat glanced at Rain’s belly. “This isn’t something a lot of people just accept. And when I came on, I thought Diha would be, well, a lot more...conservative.”

  Diha chuckled. Appearances could be so deceiving.

  Felecia shook her head. “Well I for one thought you were trying to get into Harper’s pants so I’m very confused.”

  Cat laughed so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes. “Oh, hell no.”

  Rain snickered. “We kind of sort of ran into Harper once.”

  “He knows?” Diha gaped.

  “Yeah.” Cat nodded.

  “Okay.” Priya clapped her hands and pointed at the café. “You need to start from the beginning and we need to eat.”

  Their group, now five strong, headed in and took over a large table in the back of the café where Cat regaled them with how she’d met Rain and the decision to have a commitment ceremony and have a family.

  Being around them and seeing the tender way Cat was toward Rain was balm to Diha’s heart.

  People still fell in love.

  Life would go on.

  This wasn’t the end for Diha, it just felt like it. It didn’t stop her from missing Miles. Right now it felt like she’d miss him for the rest of her life. But that, too, would fade.

  She had to hold on to that.

  WEDNESDAY. THAMES HOUSE. London, United Kingdom.

  Miles went over the transcript for what had to be the tenth time.

  His head still wasn’t in it, and he’d made several mistakes the last few days. Rookie mistakes.

  What was worse, his team was treading lightly around him and he hated that. It made him feel like his mother. He loved her, but he didn’t want to be her. He didn’t like himself right now, and try as he might to work his frustrations out in constructive ways, it stuck with him.

  So he was pushing forward the best way he could. By doing work two and three times before, he was satisfied.

  Someone stepped into the doorway of his office.

  Miles didn’t glance up. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone and if he ignored them, they might go away.

  “Good to see you at work, Mr. Green.”

  His head snapped up and he stared at the Deputy Director General. “Bennett, ma’am. Sorry.”

  “Sit.” She swung his door shut behind her before sitting on the short stack of files in the guest chair.

  He lowered himself into his chair, watching her.

  A smile curved her lips and she seemed to be charged with some energy.

  “Can I help you, ma’am?” he asked.

  She folded her hands on her lap. “You can tell me why you have your head up your ass.”

  He opened and closed his mouth, but there were no words.<
br />
  “I’ve had several people ask me if there’s more to the Ward story than we’re letting on. They’re asking because they see the raincloud over your head and want to know what’s happened that we aren’t telling them.”

  Miles felt the rumble of those personal clouds.

  “I’ve asked around. Your people say you’re more miserable and grouchy than you were a week ago, and I thought you looked pretty sorry then.”

  It was the truth.

  He couldn’t deny it.

  Despite doing everything to work Diha out of his mind and heart, she was still there. And he missed her. Terribly.

  “I can’t tell you what to do with your personal life, Miles,” she said softer. “Lord knows this job makes us chose and we don’t always go the right way. What I can do is tell you to take some time. Some well-deserved celebratory time off, and figure it out.”

  “But, the case.” He gestured to the files.

  “You’ve got him. He’s squirming and talking. Let someone who needs the experience handle him now. This is your feather, young man. No one’s taking that from you.”

  He stared at her a moment. “I don’t get a say in this?”

  “No. You’re a credit to this institution. I won’t see you burned out while I’m around.” She got up and smoothed her jacket. “I expect to see you gone in an hour and don’t come back for a week.”

  Bennett left him there, staring at the door.

  If he didn’t have work to lose himself in, he was going to have to deal with this.

  For a few moments he considered ignoring Bennett’s order, then decided it was in his best interest to stay on her good side. He spent the hour shuffling files off to others and making arrangements, all the while not allowing himself to think of the endless hours alone.

  He’d given everything to this job. The one thing he’d wanted for himself was Diha. And he’d pushed her away.

  Those were the thoughts that kept him company on his drive home. When he stepped inside his apartment, it was utter silence, and the loneliness struck.

  It wasn’t enough for Bennett to tell him what Diha did was okay. The whole world could side with her.

  So why couldn’t he let it go?

  He picked up his phone and stared at the screen.