In the Shadows (Metahuman Files Book 3)

by Hailey Turner

  “Follow the money,” Katie said with a faint nod.

  “Precisely.” Nazari highlighted one of the windows, expanding it so the timeline was easily readable. “North Star International holds a lot of government contracts for protection and added security of sensitive material, people, and locations in active warzones across the world. On the timeline, you’ll see the cities they’ve been present in over the years in black.”

  “And the cities in red?” Jamie asked.

  “Those cities are where a Splice chemical bomb attack has occurred.”

  Alexei leaned forward, studying the timeline in his terminal, skimming it to find the date of his mission in Geneva all those years ago. The time between North Star International arriving and leaving the city before the attack occurred was less than a week. Further perusal of the timeline showed the same close arrival and departure before Splice attacks occurred.

  “They were in Geneva,” Kyle stated flatly.

  “And Belfast,” Sean said, jaw tight.

  “London,” Donovan added quietly.

  Alexei reached for Sean’s hand beneath the table, linking their fingers together. Sean squeezed his hand tightly for a long moment before relaxing his grip.

  “For the past few years, North Star International has been present in many of the cities where a Splice attack has happened, escorting Vitae Neurotherapeutics shipments. Now, correlation is not causation, but looking at the timeline, a generally informed person would be hard-pressed to completely ignore the evidence, especially if you look deeper into their accounts.”

  “They’re taking bribes?” Madison guessed.

  Nazari shook his head. “Not outright. The payments are legitimate for security services rendered. It’s their reasons for being in these cities, at these times, that are questionable.”

  Jamie shifted in his seat and tapped at his terminal, bringing up a list of the PMC’s accountings entered as evidence in previous lawsuits. “These wire transfers run through a multitude of companies and banks. How many of them are shell companies?”

  “Quite a few.”

  “What are they buying?”

  “The better question is, what are they selling on the side.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Alexei saw Sean go still. Alexei glanced over at him, but it was impossible to read the expression on Sean’s face.

  “Sir,” Sean got out in a tight voice. “They’re selling Splice on the black market?”

  “We believe so, yes,” Nazari said after a brief pause.

  Alexei wasn’t the only one who seemed furious about that news.

  “That doesn’t explain why the CIA deputy director would want to reveal Sean’s identity to them,” Jamie said.

  “North Star International is a privately held company with a multitude of shareholders. Many of those are shell companies that are difficult, but not impossible, to trace even if you have the manpower to spend on the search.”

  “What did the MDF find out?”

  “That a company with a solid ten percent stake in North Star International is technically owned by Bennett.”

  Sean pulled his hand from Alexei’s, placing both of them on the table, data flowing away from his fingertips in a standby mode. Alexei settled his hand on Sean’s leg instead, fingers stroking over his thigh.

  “North Star International is a multi-million dollar company that’s making gains every year. If Bennett has a stake in it, and if he’s hiding that stake in order to cover himself, then he has to know about the Splice sales happening on the side,” Sean said.

  “He’s the CIA deputy director. I’d bet good money he knows which terrorist groups are interested and whether or not they’d be willing to pay the high price Vitae Neurotherapeutics and North Star International would sell Splice at,” Jamie said.

  “It would make sense if those two companies together are one of the main providers of Splice on the black market,” Katie said slowly, eyes flickering rapidly from side to side as she skimmed a report on her terminal.

  “You have a PMC and a biotech lab with high-security clearances and access to chemicals and weapons the average person will never see. Pair that with a high-ranking intelligence officer within the United States government with knowledge of terrorist group movements and their ideological intentions, and you come away with a decent cycle of supply and demand,” Nazari said.

  The silence in the conference room was chilling. The knowledge that someone who was supposed to be on their side was instead possibly working to supply terrorists with a chemical weapon of mass destruction to pad their bottom line was both sickening and rage-inducing.

  “My last mission with the CIA was to try to find out who was supplying the Reborn IRA with Splice,” Sean said, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “If Bennett already knew…”

  “Your mission was most likely green-lit to cover his tracks,” Nazari said when it became apparent Sean couldn’t or wouldn’t finish his train of thought. “The fact that you were getting close to the truth was probably a factor in Cillian Halloran receiving and then using Splice in the Belfast Market Blast. That terrorist group’s internal fighting was merely a cover in targeting you.”

  Sean looked sick to his stomach at that information. Alexei tightened his grip on Sean’s thigh, trying to silently get across his support.

  “Can you prove it?” Kyle asked.

  Nazari shook his head. “Not yet, but we’re getting there.”

  “So no smoking gun at the moment,” Jamie said.

  “Our previous circumstantial evidence is rapidly evolving into probable cause, but making an argument still takes time, especially if we want it to be airtight. The investigation is ongoing and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Because of your long-term mission with Pavluhkin, you will be kept updated on the situation.”

  “Understood, sir. Has there been any changes on that front?”

  “Negative. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I can’t honestly tell you. What I can tell you is I have your latest orders.”

  The data windows winked out at everyone’s terminal, replaced with satellite maps and blueprints of a building and location Alexei recalled seeing in Adrian Wolcott’s office in Las Vegas.

  “We’ve picked up quite a bit of communication between Declan Wolcott and Valerie Hayes since you’ve left Las Vegas. Another thing we’ve picked up is an influx of people converging on both properties,” Nazari said.

  “Oh, that’s never a good thing,” Madison muttered loud enough for Alexei to hear.

  “Are we looking at infiltration, sir?” Trevor asked.

  “Considering the renewed scrutiny on the Sons of Adam members after what happened in New Seattle, the movement is cause for concern. We intercepted this conversation between Dr. Hayes and Declan Wolcott yesterday morning,” Nazari said.

  An audio file opened in the center of the table; seconds later, two voices echoed through the room.

  “You can’t seriously expect me to discard over a year’s worth of inventory!”

  “I expect you to do what you’re fucking told, Val.”

  “It’s not my fault you fucked up in Las Vegas. Taking your failure out on me and my company isn’t fair and extremely shortsighted.”

  “You want to risk the government coming after your ass, then be my guest. I’m not willing to take that risk. Either dump your inventory or we’re done.”

  “Fine. The liquidation of inventory will happen within seventy-two hours. In the meantime, I’m bringing in some help.”

  The audio cut out. Down the table, Annabelle leaned forward to catch the director’s attention. “By inventory, are we talkin’ human, like last summer in Kansas? Or somethin’ else?”

  “Our guess is either human or chemical, but most likely chemical. Vitae Neurotherapeutics can get access to all the restricted chemicals needed to form Splice. Aside from that, we’ve picked up discrepancies in the soil in the surrounding ranch area through satellites that could coincide with mass graves.
”

  Alexei wasn’t the only one feeling murderous about that detail, judging by everyone else’s expressions. The knowledge that an American citizen could be performing illegal human experiments on domestic soil and subsequently burying the evidence—possibly at the behest of certain government officials—was enough to make him want to break something. Preferably their necks.

  “What’s the plan?” Jamie asked.

  Nazari waved a hand at the maps. “We’re deploying eleven MDF field teams and numerous other agents into Montana to infiltrate Declan Wolcott’s company headquarters and Valerie Hayes’ biotech lab. Due to the number of ex-Special Forces that Wolcott employs, and because of the recall of those employees to the ranch and surrounding area within the last twenty-four hours, the MDF will be partnering with a company of Strike Force operatives for this mission. There is a high probability you will be facing a Sons of Adam militia force as well.”

  Alexei perked up a little at that announcement, catching Kyle’s eye across the table. He wondered which squadrons would be assigned, and if they’d get to work with their old team in the field again.

  “Does SOCOM know there’s a possibility their people might get infected by Splice during this mission?” Katie asked.

  “They do. There was no hesitation in SOCOM approving this mission on their end.”

  “I bet there wasn’t,” Kyle muttered.

  Alexei nodded agreement. No one in Strike Force took betrayal to the country well. “When do we go?”

  “All MDF teams and agents will rendezvous with Strike Force at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. That’s this mission’s staging ground. From there, all soldiers and field agents will be flown across the state line by a contingent of Night Stalkers. You are wheels up in ninety minutes. Further briefing will happen at Mountain Home,” Nazari said.

  Discussing a clandestine mission against American citizens-turned-terrorists was definitely surreal. These types of missions were usually performed abroad, not in their own backyard. Regardless, Alexei knew they’d get the job done. If they were going up against Declan’s people and the Sons of Adam, who were known to deploy metahumans, then their side would need all the firepower it could muster. Some might consider metahumans and Strike Force soldiers overkill, but Alexei was glad for the firepower and skill they were heading into the field with.

  Most of the team headed out of the conference room, though Jamie and Katie stayed behind to speak with the director. Alexei made sure to stick by Sean, lending him silent support after the upheaval that just happened.

  “All right?” Alexei asked.

  Sean stared blankly at him for a couple of seconds before shaking his head. “No, not really.”

  “Sorry your old agency betrayed you,” Donovan said to Sean as they walked down the hallway as a group.

  “It wasn’t the agency. There’s a lot of good people who work in the CIA. It wasn’t them who sold me out.”

  “Upper management, then.”

  “The bane of all existence,” Madison said with a smile in Sean’s direction. “You know we’re here for you if you need a bitch and moan fest.”

  “After the mission. No drinking while on the clock,” Trevor said.

  “That’s what I meant!”

  Alexei rolled his eyes before taking Sean by the hand and pulling him away from the rest of the team. “Meet you in ready room.”

  The others waved them off, and Alexei led Sean down a different hallway, finding and claiming an empty conference room past the war room in the center of the floor. Sean went willingly enough, but Alexei could tell he was holding in a lot of emotions. Someone who didn’t know him well wouldn’t be able to tell, but Alexei liked to believe he was learning. The tightness of Sean’s mouth, the stiffness in his shoulders, all pointed to an anger they couldn’t afford while in the field.

  Alexei put his hands on Sean’s shoulders, ducking his head to catch the shorter man’s eyes. “All right for mission?”

  Sean lifted his chin at a stubborn angle, jaw working. The anger in his brown eyes was tempered with a sort of hurt that Alexei knew cut deep. He remembered feeling that way in Geneva, and even now, the hot burn of anger could color his thoughts in an instant. For all his anger, and the work he’d put in over the years in dealing with the underlying issues and emotions that drove it, Alexei knew when it was useful and when it wasn’t. Letting Sean go into the field like this was liable to get someone hurt.

  “I’ll be fine,” Sean grit out.

  Alexei lifted a hand to cup his face, not looking away. “Okay to be angry and hurt. But need all of you here for mission, da?”

  Sean inhaled deeply before letting all the air out of his lungs, shoulders slumping. “Yeah. I know, Lyosha. I won’t let this get to me on the field.”

  Alexei kissed him gently, smiling a little at the way Sean unconsciously chased after his mouth when they broke apart. Patting his shoulder, Alexei turned to open the door, pausing when Sean spoke up behind him.

  “I need to say goodbye to my family. They’re being released from the MDF’s care today and being sent home.”

  “Want me to go with?” Alexei asked.

  Sean chewed on his bottom lip as he followed Alexei out of the room. “Not sure I want you to see the fireworks.”

  “Could wait out in hall. Let you say goodbye alone.”

  Alexei wanted Sean to know he had support, even if it didn’t come from his family. Sean gave him a weak smile. “I wouldn’t mind the company.”

  “Then we go.”

  They made their way to the level Sean’s family had been restricted to since coming to the MDF. The spare suites were available for MDF agents and personnel who weren’t stationed out of Washington, D.C. but needed a place to stay while in town. They doubled as housing for emergency situations.

  Sean led him to one of the larger suites, beckoning Alexei inside when he would have remained in the hall. Glancing around the drably furnished sitting room that connected to a pair of bedrooms, Alexei studied Sean’s parents and brothers curiously. He’d been too out of it on the flight back from New Seattle to pay much attention to them in the jet. All their panic was gone, replaced with a weary frustration that eased a little at Sean’s appearance.

  “What are you wearing?” Sean’s father asked as he got up to greet his son.

  Sean seemed surprised at the hug he received from both his father and his mother, though Alexei noted his brothers still hung back. “We have a mission, but I wanted to see you before I go.”

  “A mission?” his mom asked sharply. “I thought you said you weren’t on a field team?”

  “I’m not, but that doesn’t preclude me from fighting.”

  His mother stared at him worriedly, mouth pressed into a thin white line, before she shook her head. “Is it dangerous?”

  “He’s in a freaking combat uniform, Mom. Of course it’s probably dangerous,” one of Sean’s brothers said.

  “I didn’t come here to argue,” Sean began, sounding more than a little exasperated. “I just wanted to say goodbye before you guys head back home.”

  “And before you run off to play hero,” his other brother said, getting to his feet. “I bet you can’t talk about what you’re doing, but can you at least call us after you finish?”

  “Yes,” his mother said, nodding in agreement. “Zach is right. I want you to call us after your mission is over.”

  “When I can get to a secured hardline, I will,” Sean promised after a brief hesitation.

  “Why a hardline?”

  Sean waved at his head with his left hand. “Bioware is electronic. Every time I use my power, I fry it dead. I need to replace it every time. I won’t be able to call you from the field, but I can contact you afterward. I promise.”

  “Call us, too,” Zach said.

  Sean seemed surprised when Zach pulled him into a hug, but he went along with it, wrapping his arms around his brother. The other two remained seated, and Alexei kept his eyes on them both,
trying not to let his judgment show. If it’d been his family, it would take fifteen minutes, minimum, to get through all the hugs required for a goodbye.

  Sean pulled away from Zach, nodding at his parents. “The MDF will take care of getting you home today. You’ll have an assigned agent with you and a security detail for the next couple of weeks.”

  “What about us?” one of his other brothers asked.

  “You say goodbye,” Alexei told him brusquely. “Be angry later.”

  Sean shot him a mildly exasperated look. “They’re civilians, not soldiers. Don’t expect them to listen.”

  Alexei shrugged. “Good to learn.”

  “You were the one who was hurt on the jet,” Sean’s mother said.

  Alexei nodded, stepping forward to offer his hand to her. “Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin. Am doing much better now.”

  “And you’re Sean’s teammate?”

  Alexei nodded, knowing it was best not to lob another emotional grenade in the midst of their family reunion by telling her he was sleeping with Sean. “Yes. For this mission.”

  Sean’s mother had a firm grip, the calluses on her hand different from his own. “You’ll watch out for him?”

  “Mom,” Sean said, sounding exasperated.

  “Always,” Alexei assured her.

  Alexei would’ve said the same to any of his teammate’s family, and meant it. Sean was no different. Sean’s mother seemed satisfied with his answer and stepped aside to give her son one more hug goodbye.

  “We’ll talk about all of this when you get back,” she told Sean in a firm voice that all mothers seemed to have.

  “Okay,” Sean agreed.

  After another round of hugs that included all his brothers this time, they left the suite. Alexei eyed Sean on the walk back to the elevators. “Feel better?”

  “It honestly hasn’t really sunk in that they know,” Sean admitted.

  “Change is good.”

  “Maybe.”

  Alexei slung his arm over Sean’s shoulder, pulling him in close. “Is good.”

  Sean didn’t agree, but neither did he argue that statement. For now, things were as settled as they could be, and they needed to focus on the upcoming mission.