The Lion's Prey

by Camden Mays

  “Did you know him very well?” Reichert asked, seeing Hannah’s moment of reflection.

  She shook her head.

  “I’m from DC. I work with the Counterterrorism Center.”

  “Bet you wish you were there now.”

  “What am I going to do with you, Ty?”

  ✽✽✽

  Counterterrorism Center – Langley

  Cole arrived at Nancy McCune’s office promptly at nine on Sunday morning. He wondered if the woman ever took a day off. He was in jeans and a white shirt, but McCune was in her customary business attire.

  “Good morning,” Cole said.

  McCune motioned for him to sit.

  “Must be serious to bring me back without the team.” Cole tried to discern McCune’s intent. She joined him at the side table.

  “I’m only going to ask this once.” McCune’s sober tone conveyed the gravity of the issue as she looked him squarely in the eyes. “Did you have anything to do with the death of Allen Beecham?”

  “Beecham? Beecham’s dead?”

  “Cole, did you have anything to with it?”

  “What? How could you think that, Nancy? You know me better than that.”

  “I know this job has a way of turning even the most moral among us.”

  “I can’t believe this! I’m trekking my ass all over the Middle East to hunt down the Lion of Aden, and you think I did something to a flunky like Beecham.”

  “They found batrachotoxin in him, just like Grant Ramsey.”

  “Batrachotoxin?” Cole knew about the poison but couldn’t believe that the rare toxin would have been used to eliminate a flunky like Allen Beecham. It was the stuff spies use. “Doesn’t make sense.”

  “Exactly, and there’s more.”

  “Can’t wait to hear about it.”

  “Shepherd claims you threatened Beecham the night of the Gala.”

  “Bullshit!” Cole shot out of his chair.

  “Sit down, Cole,” McCune ordered.

  “Hell no.” Cole paced the floor. “I’m being set up.”

  “Cole, sit down. We need to work this out.”

  “Work it out? How are we going to work it out?”

  “Well, my sources tell me that the timetable doesn’t work. The time of death occurred after you had already left for Beirut. But your cover is a problem.”

  “Where did the bastard die?”

  “South Suffolk. They found him dead in his grandmother’s home near the Great Dismal Swamp.”

  “Never been to Suffolk, much less the Great Dismal Swamp.” Cole was seething.

  “Let me guess, it was Shepherd who found him.”

  “His chief of staff, Thomas Frazier.”

  Cole held the back of the chair and shook his head, still trying to grasp what was happening.

  “I’ve got some resources looking into Frazier. He’s icy.” McCune was already uncovering the chief of staff’s connections and could see through the veil that a cool player like Thomas Frazier put up to keep the puppet politician in line.

  “What do I do?”

  “Well, you and I are heading down to the Suffolk police station to give our statements, and I expect the FBI to be there as well.”

  Cole just dropped his head. He couldn’t believe that while he was chasing hardened terrorists across the globe, his own countrymen were plotting against him.

  “A couple of our attorneys are meeting us down there. They’re the best. They’re aware of the timeline inconsistencies, but the challenge is that your mission is off the books, so they’ll have to figure out how to handle that.”

  She stood, grabbed her purse, tossed her auburn hair over her shoulder. “Let’s go. The director wants us to take his plane.”

  On the short fifty-minute flight to Virginia Beach, Cole shared with McCune the intel Hannah had gathered in LA and told her that he wanted someone to collect the documents as soon as possible to protect Hannah. McCune made a call. Then she followed up with a couple of encrypted emails.

  “OK, let her know to package it up and leave at the front desk to be picked up by Benjamin Cartwright.”

  “Ben Cartwright, really?”

  “No, I said Benjamin Cartwright.”

  Cole sent the encrypted note to Hannah. He looked out the window of the Cessna Citation and wondered how she would take hearing about the investigation of Beecham.

  ✽✽✽

  Seattle, Washington

  Hannah returned to the hotel room with lunch and a plan. Reichert scarfed down the burgers and fries while Hannah packaged the documents like Cole had requested. She was glad to get them off of her hands, but she had acquired another package and dared not tell a soul about it.

  Hannah had told the Seattle SAC that she had a family emergency and needed to tend to important matters. She hated leaving the team and hated, even more, having to lie to the SAC, but she was unsure who she could trust, and she needed to get Reichert somewhere that no one would think to look. She knew her departure could look suspicious to any prying eyes. If there were leaks in the department or any sort of cyber infiltration, her sudden departure would raise a red flag.

  Hannah took a ball cap and large-framed sunglasses out of a bag and tossed them to Reichert.

  “Keep those on anytime we’re out in public.”

  She then opened the other bag that had six different burner phones and jotted down the numbers. Using her primary phone, she called Cole, but got his voice mail.

  “Cole, five, eight, six, four.” She hung up her phone. Then she removed the battery and SIM card, keeping them separated, and prepared to throw them away, but then had a better idea.

  “You about ready?” she asked.

  Reichert let out a loud belch. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “Dude!” Hannah said, waving her hand across her face. “No more onions. You keep that shit up, and I’ll drop your ass off at Haslet myself.”

  “Sorry, Agent Jacobs.” Reichert was embarrassed.

  “Call me Hannah. It’s going to be a long trip. Give me a couple of minutes.” Hannah took a bag and went to the restroom. When she came back out, she had a blonde wig covering her brunette hair.

  “What do you think?” she asked Reichert.

  “Honestly, I like you better as a brunette,” Reichert said, tilting his head and giving a crooked smile.

  “We’re not dating, butthead. We’re trying to avoid being caught.”

  “Well, then it’s perfect.” A look crossed his face as if he was hit by a revelation. “Hey!” Reichert said. “You’re the FBI agent that took down that terrorist group in LA and you were attacked at your boyfriend’s house. Holy shit!”

  “Your point?”

  “You’re . . . You’re like a badass superhero. Oh man, when this is over, I can tell my friends I spent the night with a famous, hot FBI agent.” Reichert was grinning.

  “You do know I carry a gun, right?”

  “Uh . . . Yes, ma’am.”

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  They left the room. Hannah dropped off the package at the desk with instructions for pickup, and as they left the hotel, she looked for a place for her cell phone and spotted a delivery truck. The driver had just rolled a dolly full of boxes off the back and into a café for delivery. Hannah tossed her phone deep into the back.

  Let them follow that around town, she thought.

  Chapter 26

  Suffolk, Virginia

  Cole was tired of answering the same questions over and over. The CIA attorneys put a stop to it, producing evidence of his whereabouts and affidavits from team members and McCune herself indicating that Cole was out of the country and their timeline just didn’t work. Many of the details, of course, were redacted due to national security.

  Finally, after nearly four hours, the attorneys demanded they charge Cole or let him go. The investigators had no choice but to release him. As he left, he picked up his belongings and saw multiple messages. One from Hannah and two from Katrina Nikol
in’s designated burner. He showed the text messages from Katrina to McCune. Katrina had a habit of trying to bail Cole out of trouble or set him up, he wasn’t sure which. She had sent him a time-stamped photo of Shepherd and Beecham meeting on a park bench, then another picture when they were exchanging the money. The text said, Regis killed by Beecham, Beecham killed by Shepherd.

  “Ma’am, we need to bring her in. Let her defect. If she’s right, we need to be shaking down Shepherd.”

  McCune considered it. “I’ll get some things on Shepherd, but as for Daphne, let me see what Grant Ramsey left us first.”

  The comment reminded Cole to check Hannah’s message. He heard the four digits and immediately knew something was wrong.

  On the plane ride back to DC, Cole asked McCune if she knew of anything going on in Seattle. She shared that there were reports of someone attacking a safe house where a whistle-blower was being vetted. The news coverage reported that it was a gang-related incident, but McCune’s understanding was that they lost the agents and the informant was missing or captured.

  Cole now knew why Hannah had been called back to Seattle, and he realized she was probably in the thick of it with her cryptic message.

  ✽✽✽

  Seattle, Washington

  “OK, Ty, we’re going to have to do some things that we wouldn’t normally do, but this is a matter of life and death. So we need to work together as a team.” Hannah explained the plan as they approached the coffee shop on Seventh Street.

  The plan worked. Reichert created a diversion and Hannah grabbed a woman’s wallet from her a purse. They were out and hailing a taxi to get to Sea-Tac airport.

  “We’re like Bonnie and Clyde now,” Reichert said, feeling the rush of having committed a crime.

  Hannah rolled her eyes. Soon they were at the airport, and Hannah bought two bus tickets on the BoltBus shuttle with cash to Portland, providing the fake ID they had swiped. By three o’clock they were settling in on the bus for the three-and-a-half-hour ride. Hannah plugged in her burner phone to charge. She wanted to reach out to Cole but needed more privacy. It would have to wait until they arrived in Portland.

  “So what are we doing in Portland?” Reichert asked.

  “We’re meeting someone that’s going to drive us to a safe place.”

  “You trust this person?”

  “Yes.”

  ✽✽✽

  McLean, Virginia

  Cole moped around his house, intermittently looking at his phone as if he could somehow make it magically ring and hear Hannah’s voice on the other end. It was no use. It was a quarter after ten before the call finally came. Cole recognized the last four digits and wrote the number down. He unplugged the burner phone he had bought from its charger and redialed the new number.

  “Babe,” he said as the call was picked up.

  “Ah, Mr. C.,” Hannah said with relief in her voice. Cole’s tense shoulders relaxed as he heard his lover’s voice.

  “Baby, are you alright? What’s going on?”

  “It’s a mess.” He could hear her take a deep breath on the other end. “It’s related to the issue we talked about. You know, the night we got called in?”

  “Yeah, got it.” Cole knew Hannah was speaking cryptically to avoid keywords, including their names being picked up by any listening ears.

  “Anyway, I’m working out the plan.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Nothing. I mean, they could just follow you to get to me.”

  “I don’t like it. I heard what happened. Feels like I should be with you.”

  “I know. It was not a pretty sight. But you’re like a magnet for trouble.”

  “What?”

  “You know it’s true,” Hannah said, and Cole could picture her raising an eyebrow.

  “Well, then you’ll really love it when you hear what they brought me back for.”

  “Can’t wait. Geez. But I’m guessing we shouldn’t discuss over the phone.”

  “Yep.”

  “Do you ever feel that the universe is working to keep us apart?” Cole detected sadness in Hannah’s voice.

  “Let it try. Nothing but death is strong enough to keep me from you.” He regretting even using the word, knowing they both were living dangerous lives and death just might be the universe’s final blow to keep them separated.

  “How long are you home for?”

  “I ship back out tomorrow. Unless you tell me to come and meet you.”

  Cole had to fight the urge to be by her side again and help to fight off whatever the enemy threw at them. Her answer was born in logic and reason contrary to his emotions.

  “No love. Like I said, I think it’s safer this way. Wait, you know, there is one thing you can do.”

  “Great. I’m all ears.”

  “Get with M and see if she has any recommendations very high in the chain—and completely trustworthy—for helping my friend.” Cole’s reasoned that Hannah was protecting the informant, but her request made it official. He considered that if Hannah wanted to work with Nancy McCune, she needed support that flew under the radar.

  “Who else is aware of the situation?”

  “Well, you, me, and the friend. Soon the other person helping, of course, will know.”

  Cole couldn’t control his impulse. “Babe, I want to be there with you.”

  “No!” Hannah’s stern response startled Cole. “We’ve got to be smart.” After a long pause, Hannah’s voice softened. “Remember the trip you promised to go on?”

  “Yeah.” Cole knew the trip to east Tennessee for her parents’ anniversary was a serious matter for her.

  “Well, I can’t wait to get all of this behind us so we can enjoy it.”

  “Me too, babe.”

  “Call me tomorrow after you talk to M. Three, three, five, nine.”

  “Got it.” Cole knew Hannah was using the same area code and prefix on the burners.

  “Love you,” Hannah said.

  “Love you more. Be careful.”

  Cole believed Hannah to be capable and intelligent and prayed that she knew what she was doing in this situation. The thought of five dead FBI agents—whose job it was to protect the informant—caused shivers to run down his spine. And his brave Hannah was doing the job all alone.

  ✽✽✽

  Portland, Oregon

  “You stay put,” Hannah instructed Reichert. “I’m going to meet my aunt at the airport. Her flight should be landing soon.”

  It was nearly midnight as Hannah left the room at the Embassy Suites near the airport and walked in her blonde wig to the arrivals to meet up with her aunt Becky. Her aunt was in her late fifties, a good fourteen years younger than Hannah’s father. She had spoiled Hannah when she would visit her in her small west Tennessee town.

  Hannah called her from one of the burner phones and asked for her help with strict instructions that no one could know about the trip. Hannah needed Becky to rent a car so they could drive across the States undetected. She also had Becky reserve the room at the hotel for them in her name and credit card, and Hannah added her stolen ID as the additional guest, allowing them to get in.

  Hannah saw her aunt step out of the secure area of the airport arrivals and hollered for her.

  “Aunt Becky!”

  Becky was taken aback by the ridiculous blonde wig. “Psht!” she uttered in disgust as she waved.

  Hannah knew the fake hair blighted her natural, lustrous look, and she laughed at Becky’s inability to veil her true feelings and gave her a hug as she approached.

  “Thank you for coming. I didn’t know who else to call.”

  “Girl, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into that you would mess with the masterpiece that God gave you with this look here?” Becky said with her southern accent.

  “My looks are the last thing I’m worried about right now. Let me take your bag.” Hannah grabbed the handle of Becky’s roller bag and walked her out of the airport toward the hotel. Bec
ky walked beside her, doing another double take at her favorite and only niece’s looks.

  She shook her head. “Uh-uh-uh.”

  They entered the hotel room, and Hannah introduced her aunt to Reichert.

  “Well, aren’t you cute. Which one of these beds are you sleeping in?” Reichert turned red and looked at Hannah to be rescued.

  “Aunt Becky!” Hannah chastised her flirtatious behavior. “He’s on the pullout sofa. You and I are in the bedroom.”

  “Well, that’s too bad. I’m feelin’ like a cougar.” She pawed with her hand, mimicking a cat’s motion. “But I guess it’s going to be a long road trip, right?”

  “Aunt Becky, how much did you have to drink on the plane?”

  “Well, it was a long flight, sweetie, and you know how much I hate to fly.”

  Hannah blew out her cheeks. It was going to be a tough road trip.

  Hannah planned to get Reichert to her aunt’s farm in Carroll County, Tennessee. Aunt Becky had 120 acres of woods and pasture that sat secluded just outside a small town with a population of about four thousand people. It was a perfect hiding spot for Reichert. It would allow Hannah time to get him into the right hands. It was not without risk, and Hannah thought it best to fill her aunt in on some more of the details after she had slept. Hopefully Cole would have some news from Nancy McCune.

  Soon her aunt Becky and Reichert were both asleep, and Hannah tried to force her mind to rest. She would need to be alert on their journey. She closed her eyes and thought of Cole to push out the anxious thoughts. She pictured him, remembering the goofy grin he had the day he showed up at her condo, and she tortured him by watching through the spyglass. She thought of how he had taken her in her bedroom that day and the love he had given ever since. She longed to see him again and to shut out the crazy world around them and just love him. It caused her to reevaluate her desire to be in the field. She was invigorated by the work but again found herself in a potentially harmful situation. Now she was back to worrying. Ugh!