by Chloe Barlow
She saw him briefly tense up, before sitting next to her on the sofa. “Okay, shoot.”
“I’m struggling to make sense of the history of this group.”
“What do you mean?”
“They don’t really fit the profile of the kind of violent thugs who abducted you and A.J.”
“What do you mean? They slaughtered that couple in Sydney.”
“True, and the pictures were definitely disturbing, but that was several years ago, when the team wasn’t nearly as effective. This group has developed over the years into a much more sophisticated, savvy organization. Now they are sort of a dark version of the A-Team. It appears everyone has a specialty, but Lexis is the mastermind. Plus,” she continued, “those Sydney killings were in response to the mark coming home to find the agent with his wife — the team had been compromised. My point is, these files show they certainly are willing to be vicious, but it’s not their business model.”
“I hear you. To gather information and power, which they can sell — is their overarching goal. They infiltrate a person’s life or an organization through espionage. Then they get in, and get out. That is their ideal approach.”
“Exactly!” Claudia started to feel excitement rushing through her veins. “Which is why I’ve been focusing on the isolated incidents where they had to go off script — those limited acts of mayhem.”
She took one bite of a sandwich, before pushing the rest of the uneaten food to the side and reaching for a couple more files. After stacking them in order, she said, “It seems they take that step for only two reasons. One is to cover their tracks. With the Sydney op, it all started pretty standard. Her agent seduces the mark’s wife, and then accesses his files. He must have been a rookie, because he got caught. I’m guessing it was one of his first assignments, just from how clumsily he executed it.”
“And the second reason?”
“To punish a betrayal of some kind. Look at the Brazil file here. Agent X meets with Stephen secretly, attempting to defect from the team. Then he’s quickly eliminated.”
“What do you think that means? How can it help us find them?”
“I’m thinking they like to believe they aren’t evil. Maybe they tell themselves nobody gets hurt who doesn’t deserve it. Their targets are either large, faceless entities — organizations, businesses, and government contractors — or individuals who are weak in some way — corrupt officials, adulterers, criminals themselves. Look at David, he was willing to sell out his whole university for money to gamble and do drugs.”
“He was even willing to kill his protégé to protect himself.”
She nodded, and added, “They could definitely convince themselves David deserved all that was coming to him. That means we need to focus on finding the members of the team most dependent on that rationalization, and try to turn them. I’ve been working on a list of which specialists may be the most susceptible to that approach.” Claudia handed the list to Trey, before opening one of Trey’s files on his repeated meetings with David. “But that doesn’t solve the immediate problem,” she continued.
“You mean keeping me out of prison?”
“Yeah, that one,” she stated wryly. “Clearly, Lexis has been able to infiltrate government agencies before. It’s how she knew Agent X met with Stephen, and I think it’s how she was able to make it look like you killed David.”
“And getting you that phony tip, which almost got you blown up.”
“Shit, you’re right,” Claudia flipped through the pages of another folder until she found the forensic report on the explosive device. “That actually brings us to what’s been bugging me so much.”
“What’s that?”
“Why not kill David sooner? Under her MO, Lexis would’ve cleaned that mess up shortly after David got busted. Every other time, they did it within weeks, or days, even. There were some indicators that was the plan after David got caught.” Claudia handed Trey a file showing evidence of someone tampering with David’s closed-circuit camera system two weeks after his arrest.
“But then they left him alone for over a year.”
“Right. Why do that? The only change I could find was that the FBI brought you in at about that time.”
“Then why give you that bogus lead so many months later? You weren’t on the case at all.”
Claudia paused, letting the question rattle around in her head for a while.
“Not until I spoke to Drew after getting the email,” she mused. “You know, he was the only agent in the field office who knew I hadn’t given up on the tip. Drew is in cybercrime, too, it would be easy for him to set me up with the phony tip and then try to frame you for David’s murder. He would’ve been able to access your office computer whenever you were out, or mine, too, for that matter.”
“I hope Drew is the mole. I never liked that fucking guy.” Trey growled, making Claudia relax and laugh for a moment. “But why would he want to kill you?” Trey wondered.
“What if it wasn’t about me? We think this team is obsessed with you, right? Maybe they see you get involved and want to teach you a lesson — make this the last time you fuck with them?”
“But I was doing everything by the book till I met you.”
“Maybe that was the problem. You didn’t give them an opening. But then I get assigned to the office… Let’s suppose I was killed all those weeks ago…” Trey’s jaw clenched, but she barreled on. “If Drew really is their inside guy, he would have seen an opportunity to pull you in deep — make you do something crazy. He knew all about how close you are to Jenna, and with me being Wyatt’s sister and so close to Jenna… Oh no, what if they use the two of them to smoke you out now?”
“I’m way ahead of you,” he growled. “Hurry. I’ll call Stephen from the road.”
“He needs to assign a detail to Wyatt and Jenna’s house.”
“Right. Come on, put on the nicest clothes you brought. We’re going to D.C. headquarters…for real this time.”
Claudia drummed the fingers of her right hand in rapid-fire succession, against the armrest of the car door. The nervous percussion blended with her quick breaths, such that she was creating an ugly, restless symphony, all by herself.
Her eyes flicked back and forth, counting each tree, which whizzed past her passenger side window. Throughout the half hour since they’d left the cabin, Claudia’s brain had been performing complicated equations to determine just how many trees they would need to pass, before getting to their destination.
It appeared they’d left the storm behind them, as the sky was clear. Yet the creeping inky blackness of night was taking over the last shades of deep blue, making her self-imposed mathematical assignment increasingly challenging.
As soon as they’d started driving, Trey had plugged his burner phone into the car charger and called Stephen again to debrief him on their discovery. He’d also asked him to call ahead to some of his friends in the D.C. FBI, hopefully making them receptive to their theories.
Stephen was overseas somewhere, but swore he had everything well in hand. He promised to make sure Jenna and Wyatt were safe, and that his team would look for hard evidence against Drew. All that was left for Trey and Claudia was to get the FBI chasing after the right people, and check in with Stephen every hour. It sounded simple, but it left Claudia feeling powerless at that moment.
“It’s going to be okay,” Trey stated, stroking Claudia’s knee with his right hand.
“Easy for us to say,” she muttered. “Where exactly are we, anyway?” Claudia added.
“We’re still in the Laurel Highlands, making our way to Maryland. It’s a pretty large region in southwestern Pennsylvania. We were only about an hour and a half from Pittsburgh, but the navigation says it’s going to take at least three and a half more hours to get to D.C. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We needed remote, and you found it. But, are you sure you can’t drive any faster?” she asked.
“Not without putting wings on this thing
. There’s only one road out, unfortunately.”
She chuckled in spite of herself. “You’re right. I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be. I’m jumping out of my skin, too.”
“I wish we could’ve taken that damn seaplane of yours.”
“Um, you may be more familiar with the FBI than I am, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have gotten speedy clearance to land that baby on the Potomac River.”
“No, probably not. So, we just need to try and relax, right?” she questioned, turning to him, and allowing the shadows playing over the now-familiar line of his jaw to soothe her slightly. Placing her left hand over his, she let those fingers bounce up and down on his — this time performing a tiny stress-induced form of ballet, on his flesh.
“Is this you relaxing?” he probed jokingly.
She laughed a little, before commanding, “Talk to me. That will help.”
He shifted his palm so he could hold her hand.
“Claudia, you heard Stephen say he had people waiting at the ready back at Pittsburgh. They were there in minutes. They’re securing the house now. You should be more worried about the interrogation they must be facing from Jenna.”
Claudia laughed again, this time a bit more freely. “I hope they’re armed, because Wyatt probably tackled them and may still be screaming at them in Spanish, as we speak,” she added, watching Trey’s face relax into a smile of his own.
“I’m just so mad at myself,” she continued. “How the hell did I not see this coming? I worked next to Drew every day. He was my friend. I talked to him about The Walking Dead on Monday mornings for Christ’s sake…and this whole time…” She moved her right hand to the side of her face, resting her elbow on the armrest, “I’m such a freaking idiot.”
“No, you’re not. If anyone is at fault here, it’s me.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Claudia challenged.
“Is it? Come on, I was so caught up with helping Griffen find Jack’s killer, that I totally missed how this whole thing had Lexis’s fingerprints all over it. If you hadn’t made the connection to the Sydney job, I would’ve never figured it out.”
“I would never have even known about Lexis’s team, if you hadn’t managed to identify dozens of her other operations. That was amazing. No wonder Stephen wanted your help. You’re a natural.”
“Some natural,” he snorted. “I chased their shadows for years, and never got this close.”
“That’s only because I had all your information and the luxury of looking at it from a different angle.”
“How’s that?”
“They warned us at Quantico how it’s easy too get too emotional about a case. And it doesn’t get any more emotional than this one is to you. You understandably focused on Lexis as a monster, but I could look at these files from the perspective of her as a businesswoman.”
“Monster or businesswoman, I should’ve seen she was involved with this. Then I would’ve assumed she’d try to have an inside man helping her.”
“No, you couldn’t. It wasn’t until they pushed the envelope with framing you that you could even put a face on it. That desperate move gave us the best clue you’ve ever had. I’m the one who got the tip. If I’d just opened my damn eyes, I would’ve seen that explosion was connected to Drew.”
“Are we back to blaming you, now?” he asked, his mouth twisting into a smirk.
“Yes. You got a problem with that?” she teased.
They both laughed, and it was the best she’d felt since they’d left the cabin.
“No. How about some music?”
“That sounds good.” Claudia muttered, forcing her head to lean back against the plush leather headrest.
Trey inserted a CD into the Mercedes’s sound system.
“Luckily I thought to grab some old CDs before we left. It’s too dangerous to turn on our iPhones, in case someone is tracking them.”
“I like this song. What’s it called?”
“You Belong to Me… It’s the Jo Stafford version. My dad gave me the CD last Christmas. We used to listen to this kind of music all the time.”
Trey began to sing the words to her, turning to her to croon how she belonged to him.
Claudia broke out in giggles at the sound of his off-key karaoke rendition.
“Hey! I thought that was pretty impressive.”
“Oh yes, you should take that act on tour. You just need some Auto-Tune.” She took his hand and kissed each of his fingertips. “I loved it.”
“I love you.”
“I know,” she answered, with a devilish grin.
“Oh, more Star Wars, you nerd!”
“The Empire Strikes Back, to be exact. Han and Leia’s romance is the greatest love story of our time, thank you very much.”
Claudia leaned forward and laughed so hard, it bumped the pump she’d tucked into her bra out of place. Letting go of his hand, she started fussing with it, securing it again between her breasts.
“Damn dresses,” she cursed as she straightened, referencing the sleeveless black dress she was wearing. “Now you see why I wear pants all the time — nowhere to tuck this damn thing.”
“I like you in a dress.”
“Thank you. It’s not exactly appropriate for our impending arrival at FBI headquarters, but for some mysterious reason, it was the most formal thing in my suitcase. I suppose it was Stephen who removed all the pantsuits from my luggage?”
“What can I say? He’s a good friend. I didn’t even have to ask.”
“Well, you look perfect. I could definitely get used to you in a suit,” she added, pleasantly distracted by the sight of his strong shoulders encased in a black, Italian suit jacket.
“After all this is over we should go somewhere and really relax. Somewhere that we can make sure you won’t miss your pantsuits.”
“Maybe Ashtabula? Like in the song,” she joked.
“I was thinking more like Nice, as in France. It’s where my mother first took us when she abducted me. I still remember the Mediterranean Sea appearing below us. You’ll never see that color of blue anywhere else. She said she wanted me to have a different kind of life, to let myself be free, and not be obsessed with creating one thing, after another.” Trey took a deep breath. “Right before we landed, she told me: ‘If you define yourself by the worlds you create, you will only destroy the one you actually have.’”
Before Claudia could formulate a thought, Trey began to turn the car to the left.
“What are you doing?”
“Going to that gas station we stopped at on the way to the cabin.”
“There’s no time. We have to get to D.C. as soon as possible.”
“Not without buying you something to eat. I rushed out without grabbing the sandwich I made you, like a dumbass.”
Before she could protest any further, Trey pulled into a parking space at the empty lot of the late-night service station. Claudia crossed her arms, and released a rough, frustrated breath.
“Don’t huff at me, little one. You know I’m right. I also want to make sure we have enough gas to actually get there. This ride may look nice but it’s not exactly fuel efficient, and there’s no other options to get gas for a long while.”
“Fine. You’re right,” she muttered. “I better come in with you though,” she added, opening her door and giving him a sweet smile, to make up for her mini snit. “I wouldn’t want that salesgirl, who loved you so much, to try and steal you for herself.”
He laughed as he walked around the luxury vehicle, and promptly took her hand to help her out of the car, quickly moving his arm to her waist and kissing her deeply. Once he released her, Trey stated, “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily. Come on. Let’s make this quick.”
Trey opened the door for her, and she made a little skip through the entry, as the bell above the door rang, announcing their arrival. Her anxiety quickly returned, though, as soon as she caught sight of the empty store and abandoned counter.
Stopping sh
ort, Trey bumped into her back lightly. She held up a hand to silence him, pointing to the counter. Glancing back, she saw him nod, then point to the security camera, along the corner of the ceiling. It had no blinking light, indicating someone had turned it off previously.
Trey twirled his finger in the air, and pointed to himself, clarifying he would take the perimeter of the store. She nodded, gesturing she’d investigate the counter.
Claudia remembered Trey’s piece was still locked in the trunk. It might as well have been a mile away with the potential urgency of the situation. She cursed herself for not thinking to demand he carry a gun of his own at all times. He’d been so focused on her security, that she’d foolishly forgotten to insist he care about his own. Low on options, she offered Trey a can of Mace from her purse.
He smirked derisively at the innocuous-looking item, but took it from her wordlessly.
She reached back into her bag for her Glock and quickly moved it into position. Trey walked away from her, disappearing behind an aisle lined with a variety of breads and chips. The country store was deceptively large, featuring numerous rows of metal racks, which quickly obscured Trey from her view.
Moving as quietly as possible in her pumps, Claudia approached the checkout counter at the back of the store. A handwritten note was taped to its edge, simply stating: “Will be back in one hour.”
Why leave this note and not lock the front door? That’s just asking for trouble, Claudia thought.
Setting her jaw, she moved behind the counter to investigate. She crouched down to confirm the cash register was untouched, and the shelves and drawers around it were tidy.
A woman’s hooded sweatshirt was resting on the stool next to her. Claudia stroked the insignia of her brother’s NFL team, the Pittsburgh Roughnecks, emblazoned on its front, sending a pang of worry for his and Jenna’s safety back through her bloodstream. Even so, their situation didn’t change how this female employee could be in danger, and needed her help, too.
It was possible the cashier simply took an unauthorized one-hour break, but why wouldn’t she take her jacket? It was a chilly evening and even an employee negligent enough to leave the store’s money and products unprotected would’ve wanted to take it with her.