Undercover Accomplice

by Carol Ericson

  “Nope. We found very little except for that piece of paper in her shoe. Do you think the people who ambushed and beat her have her phone?”

  “Makes sense. It also makes sense that The Falcon would have a tracker on every burner phone you picked up, so that she could keep tabs on you.”

  Sue snatched up the phone in the console, buzzed down the window and tossed it outside onto the highway. “Not anymore.”

  “It was just a suggestion.”

  “A damned good one.” She patted the dashboard. “But this car is next. Too bad you didn’t snag any bug finders in the unit, but I’ll get my hands on one and we can sweep this car.”

  “I’ll do one better.” He swerved off the highway and pulled in to a gas station. He parked next to the air-and-water station. “Give me some light while I check.”

  She followed him out of the car and crouched beside him as he scanned the undercarriage. The beam of light from her cell phone followed his hands while he felt for a device.

  He rose to his feet, brushing off his jeans. “Nothing.”

  “They can be pretty small these days. We’ll do a more thorough check when we have a device.”

  “Or I can just swap the car out tomorrow and own up to the cracked dashboard.”

  “Either way.” She pointed to the convenience store. “I need something to drink to soothe my throat. How about you?”

  “A couple of gallons of water should do the trick.” He coughed and spit into the dirt. “Hotel, right? Unless you want to go back home.”

  “I’m not going back home until we settle this issue. I feel safer in the hotel—I feel safer with you.”

  As they drove back to the hotel sipping on their drinks, Sue flipped through the folders on her lap. “It doesn’t look like Denver was working with The Falcon, but she definitely knew what he was up to.”

  “I wonder why she didn’t come forward in some way and clear him?”

  “We’re talking about The Falcon here.” Sue gripped her knees. “This is the person who told me to walk away from you forever and then ordered me to send my son away. If it served her purposes to hang Denver out to dry, then she’d do it. The ends justified the means for her.”

  “I wonder if the hospital and the police identified her yet. Would her fingerprints come back to the Agency?”

  “I don’t know. If someone’s that deep undercover, I can’t imagine their ID is going to be easy to ascertain in a situation like this.” Sue’s fingers curled into her jeans. “It’s kind of sad, really. She must have family somewhere—even if that family doesn’t include a spouse and children.”

  “She was at least your father’s age. Maybe she had the family first, and with her children grown, she went undercover.”

  Sue shrugged. “Obviously, I’m not the one to ask. I didn’t even know The Falcon was female.”

  Hunter pulled in to the hotel and left the car with the valet. On the ride up the elevator, he asked, “Do you think our arsonists believe we’re dead and gone?”

  “I’m sure that was their intent. They must’ve realized when we went to that storage unit that we were after The Falcon’s files—and we led them right to it.”

  “I’m wondering what they were going to use that explosive device for originally. They couldn’t have known before they arrived about the storage unit.”

  “That’s why I’m glad we’re here.” Sue stepped off the elevator. “It’s a little more complicated for them to bomb a whole hotel than one townhouse in Georgetown.”

  As she flicked out her key card, Hunter cinched his fingers around her wrist. “Wait. It’s not that difficult to wire one room in a hotel.”

  She stepped back while Hunter crouched down and inspected the space under the door. He ran his finger along the seam where the door met the floor and then put his eye to the doorjamb.

  “If they think we’re dead, they wouldn’t be rigging our hotel room, would they?”

  “Do they think we’re dead?”

  Hunter slipped his card into the door and Sue found herself holding her breath as the green lights flashed.

  Again, Hunter blocked her entrance, stepping into the room before her. “Looks fine.”

  Sue followed him in and strode to the window and yanked the drapes closed. “They’ve upped their game. They’re no longer interested in questioning me. They know I’ve been on the other side all this time, and now they want me dead.”

  “They also want any information you and The Falcon collected on them all these years. And thanks to your quick thinking—” he drilled a knuckle into the file folder she’d placed on the desk “—you have it and they don’t.”

  Sue rubbed a spot of soot on her jeans. “I’m going to take a shower and wash the smoke and ash away, and then let’s see if The Falcon’s information can clear me and Denver at the same time.”

  “And stop whatever this group has planned because that’s why both of you got involved in the first place.” Hunter pulled out his wallet. “I need another soda. Do you want one?”

  “Yes, please. Do you think hot tea would be better?” She stroked her neck and swallowed.

  “I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I could take a hot drink right now.”

  “You’re probably right. Diet for me.” She grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom.

  In the shower, she turned her back to the warm spray and let it pound her neck. She’d been on such a roller coaster these past few days, she couldn’t wait for the ride to stop. And when it did, would Hunter be interested in being more than just Drake’s father?

  Today he’d talked about custody and child support as if they’d be living apart instead of together as a family, which was what she wanted. She’d already wasted too much time with her misplaced priorities, robbing Hunter and Drake both of a relationship with each other.

  She loved Hunter. She’d felt ridiculous admitting that to herself years ago when she’d left him. But the years hadn’t dissipated her feelings, and when she saw him again in that other hotel room, she knew they were for real.

  He’d made it clear—up until the point when he found out about Drake—that he still had strong feelings for her, had never forgotten their time together in Paris. But now?

  He seemed to have settled down. The anger had left his blue eyes, but it might return when he met Drake and realized all that he’d missed.

  And he’d take out that anger on her—rightly so. She’d been duped, manipulated, and with her puppet master dead, she may also be charged with treason.

  The bathroom door cracked open and Hunter stuck his hand through the space, clutching a can of diet soda. “What are you doing in there?”

  “Thinking.” She shut off the water. “I’ll be right out.”

  She dried off quickly and slipped into her pajamas. Hunter hadn’t made a move to join her in the shower or even joke about it. Yeah, that resentment still simmered beneath the surface of his seeming acceptance of her deception.

  She entered the other room, drying her hair with a towel. “You should’ve seen the drain in the shower—black. We’re lucky to be alive.”

  “Amen.” He snapped the tab on her soda can and handed it to her. “I was looking through the files and The Falcon’s shorthand is kinda cryptic. I hope you can make more sense out of it than I can. She liked codes, didn’t she?”

  “Always felt memorized codes were the safest way to communicate.” She sat on the bed cross-legged, fluffing a couple of pillows behind her. She patted the space beside her. “Bring those over here and let’s have a look. Can you bring our laptops, also? I want to compare any notes I have with hers, and maybe we can fill in more of your chart.”

  He plucked his T-shirt away from his body. “It’s only fair that I shower, too, now that you’re all fresh and clean.”

  “How considerate of you.” She crook
ed her finger. “Can you drop off the files and my laptop on your way to the bathroom?”

  He complied and shut the door behind him.

  Sue stared at the closed door—another sign that he wanted to keep his distance.

  She took another sip of soda, allowing it to pool in the back of her throat, before opening the top file marked Denver Assignment.

  As she ran her finger down The Falcon’s notes, someone pounded on the hotel door. Her finger froze midpage.

  This had better not be another member of the housekeeping staff with laundry.

  The pounding resumed before she could even roll off the bed. On her way to the door, her gaze darted to the bathroom, her step faltering.

  A split second later, Hunter burst through the door, tucking a towel around his waist. “Don’t answer it, especially without your weapon.”

  He made a detour to the credenza and swept up his gun. He approached the door from the side, his weapon at the ready. Bracing his hand against the door, he leaned in to peer through the peephole. His shoulders dropped. “It’s Ryan.”

  “Who?” Sue stood behind Hunter’s broad back, her arms folded, hands bunching the sides of her pajama top.

  “Ryan Mesner, my CIA contact.”

  With his gun still raised, Hunter eased open the door. “You’re alone?”

  “Not for long. Let me in, Hunter. This is important.”

  Hunter swung open the door and a tall man with cropped dark hair and a full beard pushed past him.

  He leveled a finger at Sue. “Are you Sue Chandler?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’d better get the hell out of here. CIA internal investigations is on its way—and they’re prepared to charge you with treason.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sue’s legs wouldn’t move. Her brain wouldn’t work. The only thing racing through her mind was that if she were arrested, she’d lose Drake. She couldn’t lose Drake.

  “They’re on their way now?” Hunter dragged some clothes from his suitcase and stepped into a pair of jeans underneath his towel, dropping it to the floor.

  “They were just at her place in Georgetown, and now they’re triangulating her cell phone.”

  Sue lunged across the bed and ripped her phone from its charger. She turned it off and stuffed it into her purse.

  Hunter pulled a shirt over his head and stuffed his feet into his shoes. “Do they know she’s with me?”

  “As far as I know they do not, but they’ve been questioning Ned Tucker. Does he know about you?”

  “Ned won’t tell them anything. If they went to my place first, Ned didn’t tell them I was at this hotel. He’s not going to tell them about Hunter.”

  As she and Hunter shoveled their clothes and toiletries into their bags, she turned to Ryan. “Why are you doing this for me? I don’t even know you.”

  “I’ve had to watch Major Rex Denver, the most honorable man I know, get dragged through the mud and set up. I’m not going to stand by and watch it happen again to someone who might be able to clear his name.”

  “And we’re not going to allow you to take the fall for this, Ryan. Get the hell out of here now.” Hunter clasped Ryan on the shoulder and gave him a shove toward the door.

  As Ryan grasped the door handle, Sue grabbed his arm. “Is there any way they can track you here or find out you warned me?”

  “I don’t have my phone on me, I took a taxi over here and paid cash, and I made sure my face was hidden as I went through the hotel—just in case they decide to check the footage.”

  “You’re a good agent, Ryan. Thanks—you won’t regret this. I’m no traitor.”

  “Neither is Major Denver.” He flipped up his hoodie and slid out the door.

  “The files.” Hunter tipped his head toward the bed. “For God’s sake, don’t forget those files.”

  Sue gathered them up and shoved them into the outside pocket of her suitcase. She waited at the door with their bags, as Hunter cleared out the safe and gave the room a once-over. “If they decide to run prints on this room, they’re going to ID me.”

  “Maybe you should stay here and wait for them. I can knock you on the head, and you can pretend you know nothing about any of this.” Her voice hitched in her throat. “Drake’s going to need one parent who’s not in federal prison.”

  “Nobody’s going to prison, and I’m not gonna allow you to bash me over the head.” He joined her at the door and held it open. “Now let’s get the hell out of Dodge.”

  They avoided the lobby on their way down to the car and Hunter waved off the valet to load their bags in the trunk himself.

  As he pulled away from the hotel, he said, “I’m returning this car now. I don’t want anything to be traced back to me, but we can’t use your car, either.”

  “Thanks to The Falcon, we have some options. I’ve never had to use it before, but there’s a safe house near Virginia Beach. I think we’ll find everything we need there for a quick getaway.”

  “How far is Virginia Beach?”

  “About four hours.”

  “We can’t drive for four hours in this car. The rental car company most likely has a GPS on this vehicle, and once the CIA shows up, they’ll track the car for them.”

  “I have a plan for that, too.” She held up one of her many burner phones. “I’m going to call a friend of mine to pick us up at the airport after you leave the car there. She’ll let us have her car and she can take a taxi home.”

  “Is this Dani from the bar?”

  “Dani’s on a road trip. This is another friend who owes me and I’m about to collect, big time.”

  While Hunter drove to the airport, keeping one eye on his rearview mirror, Sue placed a call to her friend.

  Jacqueline answered after three rings, her voice sleepy and befuddled. “Hello?”

  “Jacqueline, it’s Sue. I need your help.”

  Her words worked like a slap to the face. Jacqueline’s voice came back sharp and urgent. “Anything.”

  “Meet me at Reagan as soon as you can. I’ll be at parking lot D, the main entrance. Bring your junker. I’m going to take that car and you’ll take a taxi home. I’ll pay you for everything—the car, the ride home, your time.”

  “I’ll do it and you don’t owe me a dime. You know that, Sue. I’m leaving now.”

  “And if anyone comes by later and asks you about me...”

  “I never got this call.”

  Sue closed the phone and tossed it out the window. “Like you said—Jeffrey and his gang probably have The Falcon’s phone and she may have put trackers in all my burner phones.”

  “What did you do for this woman that she’s willing to leave her home in the middle of the night, drive to the airport and give you her car?”

  Sue lifted her shoulders. “I saved her life.”

  She directed Hunter to the parking lot where he plucked a ticket from the machine. He parked on an upper level, and they emptied the car.

  Hunter pulled a T-shirt from his bag and wiped down the inside of the car for good measure. “They don’t have to know you were in this car.”

  Sue grabbed his wrist as he stuffed the shirt back into his suitcase. “You don’t have to do this, Hunter. I can take it from here.”

  “I’m not leaving you to finish this on your own.” He kicked the side of her suitcase. “Besides, you finally have what I came here seeking—information about Denver, and I’m not giving up on that, either.”

  She pressed her lips against the side of his arm. “I knew you were someone I could count on the minute I met you. I’m just sorry you couldn’t count on me.”

  “I’m counting on you now. I’m counting on you to get us out of this mess and to that safe house.”

  They dragged their bags and the rest of their gear to the elevator and got off on the ground leve
l. They stationed themselves near the parking arm, turning away each time a car rolled through.

  Thirty minutes later, a small compact flashed its lights and pulled to a stop in front of them.

  “That’s her?” Hunter squinted into the back window.

  “That’s Jacqueline.”

  Jacqueline hopped out of the car and ran to Sue. She threw her arms around her, and Sue hugged her back with all her might.

  “Thank you so much, Jacqueline.”

  She flicked her long fingernails in the air. “What else would I do when you call?”

  “Jacqueline, this is my friend—no names, just in case.”

  Jacqueline extended her hand. “Bonjour, no name.”

  Hunter sketched a bow and kissed her long fingers, befitting the Frenchwoman. “Bonjour. What exactly did Sue do to warrant this loyalty?”

  “This?” Jacqueline flicked back her dark hair. “This is nothing compared to what she did for me. She saved my life.”

  “Okay, I won’t ask.” He held up his hands. “Could you please open the trunk...if it opens?”

  “The remote doesn’t open it anymore, but there’s always the old-fashioned way.” Jacqueline shoved the key into the trunk and lifted it.

  As Hunter loaded their bags, Sue took Jacqueline’s hands. “Everything still okay with you?”

  “Perfect.” Jacqueline lifted her delicate brows. “I won’t ask the same, but it looks like you have a big, strong man on your side now.”

  “I do. I’ll call you when this is all over.”

  “Is it ever over for you, Sue?” Jacqueline shook her head. “You give too much.”

  “This time you gave to me and saved my life.” She kissed Jacqueline’s cheek. “Now call up a car so you’re not waiting out here alone. We can’t wait with you.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’ve faced worse than a dark corner at night, and you know it.”

  They hugged again and Hunter waved. He got behind the wheel of the little car that could, and Sue slipped into the passenger’s seat.

  Sue directed Hunter back to the highway, heading south, and they drove in silence for a few minutes before he turned to her. “Are you going to tell me how you saved her life, or is that top secret, too?”