The Marked Star

by Vicki Hinze

  Paul had no way of knowing. Staying true to NINA policy, an operative was given only the information required to successfully accomplish his specific assignment. Normally, Paul saw the wisdom in the policy. Any upset or complications, and an operative could reveal only what they know. The less they know, the greater the odds for mission success. Yet in this case? Here? With these people? What an operative didn’t know could get him killed. Or worse. Captured.

  Paul shivered. “May I ask a question, sir?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Why don’t I just tag Elle? She and her father… shouldn’t that be enough.”

  “Elle is under the protection of an entire team of Shadow Watchers. We’ve challenged them before. You know this, Paul. You were there. I shouldn’t have to remind you what those altercations cost us. Considerable revenue lost, operations disrupted and, some permanently destroyed. We lost valuable operatives and even more connections.”

  “I’m aware of that, sir.” He’d lived it. Gone to prison for it.

  “Then tell me how you plan to beat them? Because you know Hawk and Sage are going to want to know. You can’t buy them off and they’re like dogs with bones. No matter what you throw at them, they just keep coming. No. No, we can’t afford another botched run-in with those people. We need to let this play out as planned.”

  But Phoenix—“

  “I said I understand the situation with Phoenix, Paul. Hawk and Sage understand it, too.” Jackal firmed his voice. “Let me worry about her—and remember, things are not always as they appear.”

  “Yes, sir. Of course, sir.” Irritated, Paul shifted in his seat. Easy for Jackal to say to let him worry. He was parked in a sweet chalet in Switzerland. Safe and sound and a long, long way from Seagrove Village and the Shadow Watchers. When Phoenix crashed and burned on this—and she would—Jackal, or Hawk or Sage, wouldn’t be a convenient target, available to take the fall for her. Paul would…unless…

  The idea in his mind solidified. A little self-protection insurance was definitely warranted.

  Chapter Ten

  Sunday, June 7th, 3:00 p.m.

  The Lodge Lake

  Elle cast into the lake. The popping cork bobbed on the water’s surface. The sun felt warm, the breeze light and cool, and calm wanted to soothe her, but with no word on her dad or Jaycee, even fishing without feeling antsy just wasn’t going to happen.

  A short span down the grassy bank, Sam and Lizzie prepared to drop their lines into the water.

  “I ain’t baiting your hook, half-pint.” Sam held out a little metal bucket. “Grab a worm and get it done.”

  Lizzie pulled a frown. “I don’t want to touch worms, Sam. They’re slimy.”

  “If you’re gonna fish, you got to bait your own hooks.”

  “Why?”

  “So you know how to do it.” He sighed. “What if I ain’t here to do it for you? What then? You can’t fish. If you can’t fish, you don’t eat. You need to be able to fend for yourself, Lizzie. That’s just sensible.”

  She squinted up at him against the sun. “A body sure has to be sensible a lot around you. Do you know how many times you’ve said that to me?”

  “Apparently, not as many as I needed to.” He wiggled the bucket. “Your hook’s still shy of bait.”

  “Oh, all right.” She dipped her fingers into the bucket and pulled out a worm. “Now what?”

  “Run it length-wise on the hook.” He reached over. “Like this.”

  “It ain’t gonna bleed, is it?”

  “Just bait the hook, half-pint.”

  “But if it bleeds, then I’m hurting it.”

  “Fish have to eat, too.”

  “But—“

  Sam’s jaw tightened. “Bait the dang hook.”

  Lizzie made quick work of it. “There. It’s done. Satisfied?”

  “Now cast, like you did into the cup in the basement.”

  “Joe didn’t talk mean to me, showing me that.”

  “Last I checked, cups don’t bleed.” Sam sniffed.

  “Do it again, and I’m telling Nora you cussed.”

  “Dang ain’t cussing.”

  “To Nora, it is.”

  “You really gonna tell her?”

  Lizzie stared at him and the fire drained out of her expression. “Not this time, but stop doing it or I will. Cussing is the sign of—“

  “A weak mind,” he interrupted. “Nora told me.”

  “Then how come you still do it?” Lizzie frowned. “You ain’t weak-minded, are you, Sam?”

  “Naw. I just forget.”

  “Well, don't forget no more.” She grimaced. “That jalapeño pepper juice burns out your gut, and what happens to the rest of you? And if you ain’t around, who’s gonna look after me?”

  “I’ll do my best to remember, okay?” He grunted. “Now hush or you’ll scare off the fish.”

  Elle smiled. She couldn’t help it.

  “Those two spat more than any two people I’ve ever seen.” Nick dropped down beside Elle on the grass.

  “She’s squeamish,” Elle explained. “He’s teaching her to fend for herself.” She held her smile and looked at Nick. “I can’t believe you’re wearing a tie fishing. Do you ever dress casually? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you when you weren’t wearing a suit.”

  “Suits are comfortable. They remind me to stay alert and on my game.”

  “Like you’d ever not be on your game,” she countered. “At least take off your jacket.”

  “It’s not a jacket, it’s a coat.” She was as bad as Joe.

  “Your coat, then.”

  “Why?”

  “We’re fishing on a grassy bank at the lake.” She reached for his tie and unknotted it, her fingers warm on his throat. “There’s nothing comfortable or relaxing about wearing a tie to fish, Nick Sloan.” She pulled it off and stuffed it in his pocket.

  “Why does what I have on affect you relaxing?”

  “Because I can’t relax if you’re all tied up in knots.” She stilled and sat up straight. While she’d deliberately forced herself to be patient—he’d tell her if he knew anything—the words tumbled out of her mouth anyway. “Has there been any word on my dad?”

  An apology filtered through his eyes. “Not yet. I’m sorry it’s taking so long, Elle.”

  She cupped his face with her hand. “Not your fault. I know if you could, you’d have this all worked out already.”

  “I would.” He eased off his coat, folded it neatly then set it down in the grass.

  “My cork’s under water! Sam, look!” Lizzie shouted. “What do I do?”

  Sam moved behind her and held up the tip of the rod. “Easy, half-pint. Now reel it in, slow and easy.”

  Elle laughed. “Oh, I’m so excited. She’s getting a fish, Nick. Isn’t that fantastic?”

  He watched, a nice twinkle in his eye.

  “Oh, he’s a fighter, Lizzie. Must be a big one.” Sam tipped the rod, lifting its tip higher. “Keep the pressure on so it doesn’t slip off the hook.”

  “I’m trying. He’s strong!” Her face flushed from excitement, her eyes sparkled and she fairly danced on the bank.

  Finally, the fish broke the surface of the water. “Wow, half-pint. He’s a nice one.”

  Lizzie squealed. “Nick. Elle. Look! I got me a fish.”

  Elle laughed and Nick smiled.

  Overwhelmed, Elle shouted at Lizzie. “You clean it and I’ll cook it for you.”

  Lizzie went stock still. Her laughter faded. “Clean it?”

  Sam’s expression turned deadpan flat. “You don’t expect it to clean itself, do you?”

  “No. But…”

  “Don’t fret.” Sam winked at her. “I’ll show you how to do it.”

  “It’s gonna bleed.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I know it’s gonna bleed.”

  “Ten says she might watch him clean it, but she won’t be able to swallow it,” Nick whispered to Elle.

  “I’ll take that bet.” S
he smiled over at him. “By the time he’s done, Lizzie will have the food chain all worked out. She knows she needs food to live, and Sam will talk with her about that,” Elle predicted. “But, I’ll bet another ten Lizzie prays for the fish tonight before going to bed.”

  “Gratitude for food?”

  Elle nodded.

  “I kind of like that.” Nick’s phone rang.

  He stepped away and answered it, obviously recognizing the ring tone. “Yeah, Tim.”

  A moment later, Nick hung up and returned to Elle. “Joe found something in the setting of your ring.”

  “He did?” No way was she touching that. Not happening.

  “Yeah. He says it’s encrypted and breaking the code will take some time.”

  “Okay.”

  “Does your dad do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Use encryptions to conceal things in objects?”

  “I honestly don’t know, Nick.” She tilted her head. “I haven’t been in the lab since Jaycee had to go into hiding, and he didn’t say anything about any encryption when he gave me the ring.”

  “You haven’t been in the lab at all?”

  “No.” She shrugged. “I didn’t intend to stay away. Well, not at first. But after they bombed Jaycee’s car… I knew I’d never go back. I just couldn’t make myself do it.”

  Nick looked down at the grass. “You know, I get it that you feel guilty for what happened to Jaycee and Lizzie. I do. But I’ve seen the other side of it, too.”

  “The other side of what?”

  “Your systems. The lives saved because we had your systems. I never hear you acknowledge that.”

  She let him see the truth in her eyes. “I never saw anyone saved. I did see Jaycee’s life destroyed.”

  “You have no idea, do you?” Nick clasped her hand. “I’ve seen many saves, Elle. Thousands.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “I can’t estimate accurately beyond that, but I’ll tell you. The team has been in situations so sticky the bean counters gave us one percent odds. Your systems got us out alive, and anyone on the team can vouch for that.”

  A tear slipped from her eye. “I, um… thank you for telling me, Nick.”

  He brushed at the fallen tear on her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “If you’re going to feel guilty about the one bad outcome, then you need to feel wonderful about the thousands of saves. Fair is fair, Elle.”

  A knot swelled in her throat. She tried to talk around it. “It’s hard to be fair to myself when Jaycee and Lizzie pay the price, but I do understand what you’re saying, and I am grateful for you telling me about the other side. It helps.”

  He let his fingertip slide across her lips, along her jaw. “Just stating the facts.”

  His phone rang again. Different ring tone.

  He hauled himself to his feet and again moved down the bank. This time, well out of hearing distance.

  Elle watched him, fascinated and totally breathless. He’d touched her. Her hand, her face, her lips. Intentionally and deliberately.

  Sweet progress!

  Her heart soared.

  What had he been thinking? Why had he touched her like that?

  Worse, his fingers tingled, eager to do it again.

  Angry with himself, Nick jerked out his ringing phone and answered it. “What?”

  “This is not me.”

  Omega One. “Okay. Secure?”

  “Yes.”

  Nick double-checked the app, saw that they were secure, then asked, “Developments?”

  “Information you need, but since I can’t give it to you, I’m not talking to you. I’m just out for a walk, talking to myself.”

  Nick said nothing.

  “You’re going to find a connection between Elle and Jaycee Cole because there is a connection. Elle designed a system someone wants. Jaycee was the contract negotiator on it. As soon as we discovered that, the honchos upstairs yanked the mission and cut us out of the loop. Ever since, Hip Pocket and Hamster have had my entire team under intense scrutiny. I’m not sure why—none of us are—but I am sure, if my people seek Jaycee and find her, she’s as good as dead, and I’m not sure it’ll be our mutual enemy doing the killing.”

  Again, Nick held his silence. Omega One obviously thought NINA had infiltrated his task force. Or the honchos worried someone had. Either way, this wasn’t good news for Jaycee or Elle.

  “When you crack the code,” One went on, “you might have better insight. All I can tell you about that is it’s stiffer than military-grade encryption. Our guys haven’t seen anything like it before, so I have nothing to offer on that front. Whatever it is, NINA wants it and the CIA doesn’t want them to get it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have returned the ring to Elle.” He paused a long second, then added, “There’s always a reason for that level of encryption. And it always extends beyond the usual rationale. In this case, that’d be beyond using Elle as ransom bait to get the encryption code from her parents.”

  Did that mean NINA had her father? Nick didn’t dare to ask.

  One clearly anticipated the rise of the question. He said, “I don’t know where her father is or who’s holding him. I do know he’s alive—he has to be kept alive to decode the information in the ring in case Elle doesn’t know the code.”

  She would have told him if she did know it. Would revealing that she didn’t make her situation better or worse? How would that impact her dad?

  “Olivia made a drop in Panama City earlier today. She reported that she returned the ring and NINA knows it. They have scanned copies of the encryption and are working as hard as we are on breaking the code. She says you’re safe at the Lodge but not away from it. To stay put. NINA operatives have been ordered not to go anywhere near you guys. But she also said to get Lizzie out of there. One of our associates gave Jaycee a heads up that trouble was brewing. Their intention was to give her and Lizzie new identities and move them again. Jaycee agreed but then before the arrangements were complete, she took off. She called the associate the day after she left and said she’d tried handling this his way and it had failed. Now she’s handling it her way. She must, for her daughter.”

  A lump lodged in Nick’s throat. What had Jaycee meant by that?

  “NINA will be looking for a way to use the girl to flush out her mother. If you want us to intervene and retrieve her, report your concern for her in your next official update. If not, report alternative plans have been made for her and refuse to disclose them.”

  He shouldn’t ask, but Lizzie… The abandoned kid in Nick had to know. “Jaycee coming back?”

  “Doubtful. She says so long as she stays away, Lizzie will be safe with Ben and Kelly Brandt, the owners of Crossroads Crisis Center.”

  Ben and Kelly would keep Lizzie safe, and they had the resources to do it. Jaycee must have talked to one or both of them about Lizzie already. Nick’s money was on Kelly. Which meant, One was right. To protect her daughter, Jaycee wouldn’t be coming back. Not now. Not ever.

  Lizzie would be devastated.

  The lump in Nick’s throat swelled, doubled. Jaycee had sacrificed her life with Lizzie to spare her. But that isn’t how Lizzie would see it. And it’s not how she’d feel.

  Left behind. Abandoned. Discarded and forgotten. Thrown away.

  Just like Nick…

  Elle took one look at Nick’s face and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I, um, need to go to Crossroads Crisis Center and talk to the Brandts.”

  “Who are they?”

  “Ben and Kelly. They own the crisis center.”

  “We met briefly at Lisa and Mark’s wedding.” Elle stood up, slid into her sandals. “Has something bad happened?”

  He didn't answer.

  “You’re not driving. Not like this,” Elle said.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You are not.” She turned and raised her voice. “Sam, you and Lizzie fish and get enough for dinner. Nick and I are going to Crossroads to s
ee the Brandts.”

  That alerted Sam but one look at Nick had Sam on his feet, walking over. “You okay, bud?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Sam grimaced. “I heard the ringtone. What’s up?”

  Nick dropped his voice. “Jaycee isn’t coming back.”

  Sam closed his eyes and his huge shoulders slumped. “What about half-pint?”

  “Jaycee wants her with Ben and Kelly. That’s why I’m on the way over there now. We have to move her.”

  “Because…?”

  “CIA says it’s imperative.”

  “That’s it, then.” He glanced back at Lizzie. “I ain’t telling her. Not until you get back.”

  “I’ll tell her,” Elle said, understanding Sam didn’t want to taint the bond of trust he’d built with Lizzie.

  “No, I’ll tell her myself.” Nick insisted. “Tell Joe to hit that code hard. Half the world is trying to break it.”

  Elle gathered her gear and she and Nick headed toward the house.

  Half an hour later, they were seated in Ben and Kelly Brandt’s kitchen.

  Ben was about Nick’s age, dark hair, intelligent eyes. Kelly was a petite blond with a strong personality and a will of steel. Elle liked them both very much.

  “I don’t have another number for her, Nick. Nora and I tried to call her to let her know Lizzie was with you guys at the Lodge. The number had been disconnected.”

  Nick frowned. “It seems strange she’d take off and not leave a number where she could be reached by somebody here.” Time for Kelly to fess up that she knew all this and more. “What if Lizzie needed medical treatment or something?Seems pretty irresponsible, and that’s not like her.”

  “All right, Nick. Point made.” Kelly refilled their coffee cups and returned the pot to its warmer on the kitchen counter. “Lizzie is covered.”

  Elle, Nick, and Ben turned to look at her. “What?” Ben asked.

  Kelly shrugged. “Anything that could come up with her is taken care of. I—actually, we and the center, as our successors—have full authority to do whatever Lizzie needs done. We, um, have guardianship papers, too, and if when Lizzie is sixteen, she wants us to adopt her, we have those documents as well.”