“She told me you quit and started something, but I didn’t realize I was a partner.”
“You’re always my partner,” Kyle said, more of the room coming into focus. “And I hope that will not change.”
“It won’t,” Charlie agreed, his voice starting to choke.
“Where’s Carmen now?”
There was a brief silence, then Charlie answered, “she was ordered back to Washington or Columbus or someplace like that. She wanted to stay, but couldn’t. How long have you known her?”
“Just two days,” Kyle said.
“Two days?”
“Yeah, why?”
Charlie thought for a moment, then answered. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s into you.”
Kyle smiled in the darkness, his side throbbing. “I think I knew that.”
“Oh,” Charlie said, perking up a bit. “Zane and Tanya stopped by, but you were still out. The doctor gave you some sort of pain killer that knocked you out more than you were when you got here.”
“I’m glad Zane’s okay,” Kyle muttered.
“They told me what happened. Quite a story.”
“Yeah,” Kyle agreed.
“And he brought you something. Told me to make sure you got it and not to tell anyone else.”
“What’s that?”
“Some leather bag you lost. He put it in the closet under my clothes.”
Kyle smiled in the darkness. “Unbelievable.”
“What is it?” Charlie asked.
“I’ll…tell you…later…”
Kyle drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The next day Norm stopped by to see Kyle, mostly congratulating him on his victory, or at least surviving this far. He confided to Kyle that he had seen Carmen, in passing, for about ten minutes, and that things were still up in the air between them but they would be okay. Norm felt betrayed and wasn’t sure how to handle it because Carmen was like a daughter to him, but also added that, while he had been relegated to Columbus for a debriefing, he had felt betrayed quite often. He didn’t elaborate.
Kyle adjusted himself in the hospital bed, grabbed the remote and pressed the button to raise the top end of the bed. Soon he was sitting up more, looking at Norm who was seated beside him, Charlie in the bed next to them dozing.
“I couldn’t have made it without Carmen,” he said, taking a sip of water. “She saved my life.”
“She’s a good agent,” Norm added with a hint of pride.
Kyle smiled, wincing at the pain. “You should have seen her face when I had her jump off that mountain.”
Norm laughed. “I would have loved to see that.”
“She’s wonderful, Norm,” Kyle said, his voice low, more serious.
“I know she is,” Norm agreed. “She thinks the world of you, too. You did save her life as well.”
Kyle shrugged his shoulders, another shot of pain travelled up his side. “I also put her life in danger.”
“Kyle, you do understand that’s her job?”
“Yeah, I know,” Kyle said. There was an awkward pause, then Kyle added, “did she tell you about the money?”
Norm nodded. “Yes, she did. I understand they are still looking for it.”
“Well, they’re looking in the wrong place.”
“What do you mean?”
Kyle nodded to the closet. “Over there, in the closet.”
Norm rose from his chair, made his way to the door, and opened it slightly, trying to not wake Charlie. There were shoes and a pile of clothes and bags at the base of the closet. He leaned down, quietly shuffling through the mess, when he hit upon a leather strap and lifted it up. He returned to the chair, Kyle watching as he unzipped the bag. Inside, stacks of money were stuffed to the top.
“Wow,” Norm exclaimed, gazing inside. He looked up at Kyle, then back down, reaching in with his free hand and pushing the stacks of green from one side and then the next.
“Half-a-million. It should all be there.”
Norm shook his head. “How? You didn’t have it when you were admitted.”
Kyle grinned. “A friend dropped it by.”
Norm zipped up the bag and looked at Kyle. “You didn’t have to tell me about this, you know.”
Kyle thought for a second. “Yeah…yeah, I did. If I didn’t, I would be like them.”
“Okay,” Norm said, standing. “Do you need anything?”
“Let me know how Carmen’s doing?”
Norm nodded, a faint smile escaping him. “I will, as soon as I hear from her.”
____________
Kyle was released that afternoon, but Charlie had to stay an extra day, with Beth at his side almost the entire time, the kids enjoying time with their grandparents. Rene came by and drove Kyle home, Benjamin sitting innocently in the backseat. She said she was the one who placed the cell phone call when Kyle was hiding behind the wall in the hotel room, but he didn’t tell her it started a shooting spree directly over his head. She told of the fax and phone call she had received from Santiago and how she ran out of the building to get her son, then phoned Kyle later. When Kyle told her what had transpired and that Santiago was dead, she cried uncontrollably.
The rest of the month seemed to go by in a dream compared to the previous week. Kyle spent the weekend recovering, met his team in their new office on Monday, his muscles still sore with a few bruises clearly visible. Charlie seemed to be in better shape than Kyle and took the lead in getting the office organized. He also made his first appearance at Allied and found a party waiting for him, Tom Wells not in attendance. Employees were elated to see him and he ended up bringing more than half a dozen resumes back to their new office. He told Kyle he had played hardball with Tom and said, for the price of 127 dollars an hour for each of their employees, burdened rate of course, they could finish all HSI fixes as well as clean the viruses that had been planted, including, Charlie said, three that were hidden deep in the code, separate from the rest. Tom had gone on a tirade, but signed the contract regardless, at the suggestion of Curtis Hopkins. Kyle knew the contract would extend well into next year, if not further.
The first week they had to double up on office space at the Journal Center, with most of the team members eventually taking up their old offices at Allied, this time as sub-contractors. Most worked, at minimum, 12 hour shifts six days a week, with the exception of Rene who needed time with her son. Charlie had taken over the accounting and came up with a projected forecast of the business and decided they could afford to give everyone the small raise that Allied had denied last year. Kyle didn’t mind. His was included in that figure as well.
Since Dwight had perished unexpectedly, the FBI had to take their lumps and investigate themselves, which was expected to involve at least two other government agencies, but the news reports didn’t specify which agencies were included. Kyle guessed the Office of Management and Budget and Department of Transportation. The issues associated with a national ID card and government-controlled Internet spread as much as the so-called viruses embedded in various banks. The FBI had finally raided Allied and Kyle spotted Tom on the news frequently. Allied was required to disclose all information and to provide daily progress reports on eradicating the virus, now that the legitimate authorities, headed by the deputy director himself, were involved. The deputy director called a Press conference and pronounced the national ID card would not see the light of day, regardless of the outcome, and no plans were or ever had been in the works to govern the Internet. He also said the virus situation was well in hand and would be totally cleansed before Christmas, so no one had anything to worry about. Kyle knew that wasn’t the full truth, but they would meet the December 31st deadline. He and Charlie had been on the phone daily with one FBI official after another, assuring them that everything that could be done was being done.
Norm turned out to be a good friend, having lunch with Kyle and Charlie a couple times a week. One day Norm finally mentioned the issue of
him returning the money and that no one in Washington, or elsewhere for that matter, was willing to take an official position on it one way or the other. As far as the FBI was concerned, the money never existed but thank you for its return. Norm then handed over a check in the amount of fifty-thousand dollars, a so-called “finder’s fee” he had been able to negotiate. Kyle and Charlie were pleased, but they knew it wouldn’t cover even one month’s expenses for a business their size. Still, they took the money with a smile.
The first real snow in many years blanketed Albuquerque on Friday, one week before Christmas. By morning the skiers were heading up the mountain in droves, ready to hit the slopes on the east side. Kyle and his team spent most of their time working on the code they knew so well, trying to meet a self-imposed December 23rd deadline so they could take the following week off. Charlie and Robert had spent considerable time on the virus and finally traced it to its origin code, developing a fix on the 20th. New code was either shipped federal express to the customers or available on the Internet, free of charge.
By noon on the 24th, Kyle and his team declared victory, Tom Wells taking official credit during a scheduled Press conference alongside the FBI, who were amazed and thrilled that the date they originally set had actually been met. It was probably the first time in history a government agency had met a deadline. Before Kyle handed over the final code releases, he asked for a cashier’s check from Tom to cover all outstanding balances. He complied grudgingly and Kyle was able to provide bonus checks to all of his team, something they had not received in the past. Rene turned hers down and asked that it be given to Charlie and his family, still ashamed about the payments she had taken from Santiago. She thanked Charlie and Kyle for believing in her after what she had done, and not revealing her identity and involvement to the authorities.
Kyle spent Christmas with Eva, Jake and Quinn, Carmen having finally called and said she wouldn’t be able to make it out for the holidays. He also mailed a plane ticket to Jacqueline who flew out from California and stayed with their mom in Edgewood. It was the first Christmas in a long time where the entire family came together. Kyle ended up videotaping the entire event, later making copies for his mom and sisters. He and Jacqueline were the only two still unmarried, so they ended up spending a lot of time huddled together avoiding all the hints and commentaries of marital bliss.
Kyle and Charlie decided to close the office until after New Year’s. If the United States was still a viable economic power come the first, they agreed to open back up on the third, anticipating a great deal of follow-on business in the wake of HSI.
Beth invited Kyle to spend New Year’s with them in their new rental home, thanks to the homeowner’s insurance money. It would be a year or so before their home could be rebuilt. Kyle thanked them but was hoping Carmen would still come out for New Years. He found it interesting watching Charlie and his family change before his own eyes. Having faced death, they seemed to have a new appreciation of life, living much like newlyweds.
Newlyweds with two kids and a cat named Sneakers.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
It was nearing 11 p.m. and Kyle could see New Years’ fireworks going off toward the west. Several pyrotechnic shows had been set up by the city where fireworks would start an hour or so before the new year and go until just after midnight, although nothing compared to the show he had seen at the turn of the century a few years back. Eva had called several times and encouraged Kyle to come over, but he waited, hoping Carmen would appear at his door. He hadn’t heard from her since Christmas, but Norm alluded to the fact that she would be here for New Year’s, which was now just over an hour away, at least in their time zone.
Kyle sat in his chair and watched the television, petting Sammy who had his nose buried in his lap. Every station carried news about various New Year’s celebrations and the ultimate countdown in Times Square, with experts discussing the possibilities of coordinated terrorist attacks. Kyle considered simply turning off the television and heading to bed, resigned to read about any attacks in the paper in the morning, when the doorbell rang. He opened it and, for a second, remembered Dwight standing on the other side.
It was Carmen.
He smiled and moved toward her, slowly pulling her into his arms, not letting go. She held him tight in return, standing that way for a few precious moments.
“I knew you’d come,” he said. Sammy was trying to jump between them, his tongue hanging out, panting excitedly.
“I have a surprise for you,” she said, still standing outside.
“Surprise?”
She turned and looked toward the street, Kyle's gaze following hers. Three dark sedans were parked in a row, two FBI agents standing behind the last car and two standing in front of the first.
He glanced at her. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t ask questions,” she said. “Do you trust me?”
“I do,” he said softly.
“One question. Do you have a photo album or video of your family?” she asked.
He nodded, confused. “Yeah, sure. I have both. Why?”
“Bring them along. I might want to see them.”
“Really?” he said, puzzled.
“Yeah, really.”
Kyle went back into the house and retrieved the video he had made at Christmas along with an old scrapbook Eva put together for him a few years back. He slipped on his coat, patted Sammy on the head, and walked out with Carmen. He was still without an alarm system, the note to have one installed stuck to his refrigerator with a banana magnet.
She led him to the middle car as one of the agents stepped out of the front passenger side and opened the back door. Carmen climbed in first with Kyle following. All three cars started at once and they began to move. There was a window partition between them, the agents sitting in front.
Kyle turned to Carmen, her face illuminated by a dim interior light. “What’s going on?”
“Trust me,” she said again. “Okay?”
He nodded, still not convinced.
He tried to figure where they were going by the turns they made, how far they traveled, noises he could hear outside. He was doing okay until the sixth turn, then he wasn’t sure where they were headed, or even where he was as they drove on. With the interior light glowing, he could only see his own reflection as he gazed out the tinted window. He couldn’t help but think of his childhood, when he was Drew Meyers and he was driven in SUVs with dark, tinted windows to a new life and new identity.
“You’re too nervous,” she said playfully.
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“I guess so.”
They held hands as they rode in the car together. He couldn’t see out the window, so they simply talked. She told him she and Norm had worked out their differences, after she forced him to sit down for a good hour while she explained her side of things. Jean had been ready to forgive her all along, although Jean didn’t know much of the details of what all happened, but Norm was the holdout.
Kyle could tell they were starting up a steep hill, probably headed east toward the mountains since that’s the way the hills sloped in Albuquerque.
“Can I ask a personal question?” Carmen asked. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“Sure.”
She took a deep breath. “What’s your real name?”
Kyle laughed. “I’m not sure I remember.”
“Oh, come on,” she said.
“Okay. It’s another four-letter word. Alex.”
Carmen smiled. “That’s a nice name.”
“Actually,” he explained, “it’s short for Alexander. My great grandfather’s name was Alessandro, which is the Italian form of Alexander. Sometimes my mom slips up and calls me Alex, but I don’t mind. My grandfather’s name was Cecil, which is actually Welsh, so go figure that one out. I’m just grateful they went back a generation.”
She leaned close to him, mere inches away from his lips, whispered Alex and kissed him
, holding it longer than she had previously. She slowly pulled away, then continued asking all sorts of questions, mostly about HSI, his family and how the new consulting business was going. She was interested in how Charlie was doing and the reunion with his wife and kids. When he asked her about what she had been doing all this time, she became quiet.
“I do have some news for you, I’m just not sure how to say it.”
“Say what?”
“Remember I said they may send me to Alaska?”
Kyle grew nervous. “Yeah.”
Carmen grinned. “Well, they’re not.”
Kyle gazed at her playfully. “Jerk.”
She smiled. “Okay, but I did tell you that I talked with Norm, right?”
Kyle nodded.
“What I didn’t tell you was that he offered me a position out here, in his group. He said he could arrange for an assignment.”
Kyle’s eyes lit up. “I hope you said yes.”
“I did."
He leaned over and kissed her again as the car came to a stop. There was still a lot they didn’t know about the other, and it seemed rather sudden, but it felt right.
He heard car doors open and shut outside, beyond the dark windows. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“Isn’t it obvious,” she said, opening the door. “We’re getting out.”
Carmen exited quickly, the photo album and video snug under her arm, Kyle following close behind. It was dark outside, no street lights, but enough light radiated from the city to set the mountainside aglow. He looked to the right, to the east, the Sandia mountains a few yards away, shooting up into the night sky. He turned to the left and the lights of Albuquerque stretched out below, the view ranging from the far southwest valley all the way to Rio Rancho perched on the mesa in the northwest. In front of him was a large, two-story house, not quite a mansion but closer to any than he had seen in real life. It was lit up with lights gleaming from the windows. FBI agents surrounded them, some taking positions at the outer edges of the property.
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