Primal Deception

by Robin Mahle

  Neville slammed the back door as a final sign of rebellion and walked beside Lacy as they entered Nova’s lobby.

  “First thing you’ll need to do is make sure the rest of your day is clear.” Lacy kept her eyes straight ahead as she spoke.

  “It is.”

  They approached the security desk and Tom flashed his employee ID badge. “She’s with me.”

  The officer nodded and let them pass through the newly installed metal detector, an after-effect of the attack meant to ensure Nova was a safe place for its employees.

  Tom pressed the elevator button and, within seconds, the doors parted and the two stepped inside. He cast a sideways glance at Lacy. “Why are you doing this?”

  “You mean, looking for the truth?”

  “I mean endangering yourself after you just lost your husband. And, you have children, if I recall.”

  “Well, you would know. You made sure Owen Ballard ran a background check on me and my family. That’s how you knew I worked for the FBI.” She regarded him. “Why don’t you tell me why you did what you did?”

  “If you think this was how I wanted this to play out, you’re very much mistaken. None of this was supposed to happen. It was Ballard who double-crossed me and this country.”

  “And yet you kept quiet.”

  The doors opened to the fifth floor and Tom led the way along the corridor to his office. As Lacy followed him inside, he closed the door. “You think I had a choice? Once I got wind of what was happening, I kept quiet because I knew who these people were and what they were capable of.”

  “Who told you what Ballard was up to? Did you know they were going to kill him?”

  “I’m not what you think I am, Mrs. Merrick. And, no, I didn’t know someone was coming after him. Word came to me via a mutual friend and, after that happened, I knew my place. I didn’t want to end up like him.”

  “A mutual friend?” Lacy moved toward the window and peered down to the street. “Why was my husband at the mall that night? Did you plan for him to be there? Did Ballard?” She turned back to face him. “He never goes to the mall.”

  “I can’t answer that question. I’m sorry, I wish I could.” Tom sat down at his desk. “Now, why don’t you tell me what I need to do so we can end this?”

  Lacy walked toward him, pulling up a side chair. “I’m looking for how Ahsan Sajwani is tied to Liwa and where he got the money to give to Ballard.”

  “So, I get information from who? Sajwani himself? I don’t know him.”

  “You have contacts at Liwa. I need you to work those contacts and get access to Sajwani’s files. Correspondence, transactions, data transfers. What was he contracted to do? What type of information did he have access to?”

  “Okay, okay. I get it. How long do I have?”

  “We need answers as soon as possible. These people are dangerous. You already know that; we both do.”

  “It’ll take a day, maybe two.”

  “You’ll have to do better than that.”

  “It’s already approaching late evening in Dubai. Everyone would’ve gone home.”

  “You have access to their servers. You must; you manage cyber security.”

  “For our office. Not corporate headquarters.”

  Lacy handed him the receiver from his desk. “Then call them. Now.”

  “What am I supposed to say?”

  “Tell whoever you need to that because of the attack, you need access to their security systems to see what they’re doing. Shit, I don’t know. Make something up.”

  Neville seemed to consider her demands and snatched the phone from her. “If they see through this, it’s over for me. You realize that, right?”

  “Then I guess you’d better make this the most convincing argument of your life because your life depends on it.” She waited while he looked up the contact information.

  “Are you gonna sit here and listen to my conversation?”

  “Yes. I need to make sure you don’t do anything foolish.”

  He peered at her with contempt and dialed the number. With the receiver to his ear, he waited. “I doubt he’ll be there.” He sat up straight when the line answered. “Mr. Rahim. How are you? I apologize for reaching out to you so late.” He paused. “Good, good. Thanks for answering. Listen, I wanted to ask you a few questions if I could. Since the attack, I’ve been tasked with tightening our security measures, as I’m sure you’re aware.” He nodded while the other man spoke. “Thank you, yes, it’s been a very difficult few weeks.” He shot Lacy a telling look. “As I was saying, as a result, I’ve been asked to assess the measures you currently have in place, however, I don’t have credentials to access your system.” Neville began to nod his head. “Yes, that would be great. I’d really appreciate that.”

  Lacy closed her eyes in a moment of relief. This was their last stand and she had no idea whether or not it would actually work.

  “Of course. Again, thank you so much for your cooperation. I’ll send you an email in the next day or two to let you know if I need anything else. Thank you, Mr. Rahim. Have a good night.” Neville set the receiver down. “He’s going to have one of his guys set me up with credentials now.”

  “Good. Now all we have to do is wait.”

  ♦♦♦

  Will arrived at the destination pre-arranged by Agent Colburn. He didn’t want to leave Lacy at the Nova office, but other things still needed to be put into place and time was too critical to waste. Fortunately, this spot was no out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere cabin. Colburn had set them up in house that was utilized by case officers as a meeting place for foreign assets in the US. He was beginning to have a new appreciation for his counterparts in the international intelligence world.

  “You’re back?” Aaron was sitting on the edge of a chair in the small living area. “How did it go?”

  “He agreed. Lacy’s working with him now.”

  “You left her there?”

  “She’s a very capable woman. I thought you of all people would know that. Besides, no one’s going to go after her there. No one knows where she is, for one thing. She’s supposed to call when she’s got the information and I’ll pick her up.”

  Agent Colburn emerged from the hall. “You check no one was following you?”

  “I did.”

  “Good. What’s the latest?” Axell completed his colleague’s thoughts.

  Will filled them in on Lacy’s progress and noticed a look of admiration cross Colburn’s face.

  “She is good.” Colburn walked into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator. “Once we get the go ahead from Lacy, we can have Aaron get started. But I want to be sure and get her out of there as soon as possible.”

  “I agree. I don’t think Neville will do anything stupid, but she’s exposed right now.” Axell checked the time. “She’s been there for almost an hour. I think you should head back out and wait for her.”

  Will grabbed his keys. “You’re probably right. I’ll let you know when she reaches out to me with the information.” Will eyed the agents. “Thank you—both. I know we’re risking everything here and I appreciate what you’re doing for Lacy. And you too, Aaron.”

  “This is bigger than the four of us and Lacy. But you’re welcome,” Axell replied.

  Will nodded and left the small townhouse that served as their makeshift command center. The car flashed its lights as he pressed the remote entry and stepped inside. He keyed the ignition and pulled out of the driveway, but not before dialing SSA Mendez, whom he hadn’t spoken to since discovering he was no longer in charge of the investigation. Mendez hadn’t bothered to reach out to him to discuss it, and it concerned him.

  The line rang through the speakers and Mendez picked up. “Caison?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. What the hell’s going on? You’re back in Louisville?”

  “Where are you?”

  Will hesitated. “Is this a bad time? I can call
back later.”

  “Hang on.”

  It sounded as though Mendez was moving around and Will became even more concerned.

  “Sorry about that,” he continued. “I had to step outside. Listen, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Had a scuffle with some bad guys, but I’m fine.”

  “Lacy Merrick?”

  “She’s fine too. I need to know why you aren’t still in D.C.”

  “Something’s definitely going on. You were right to look into it.” Mendez paused for a moment. “The State Department directed that another agent be placed in charge of investigating the attack.”

  “Goddamn it. This is getting out of control.”

  “Whatever it is you’re working on has riled some high-value feathers. What can I do to help?”

  Will was relieved Mendez hadn’t turned on him, as he’d begun to suspect. While he was glad to have Colburn’s and Axell’s help, he needed someone on his team because involving Agent Porter any longer would put him at too much risk. “Who do you know at State?”

  “No one who has any kind of pull. This whole thing is starting to stink of a cover-up. You think State’s involved?”

  Motion out of the corner of Will’s eye caught his attention and he swiftly shot his gaze toward it. His eyes widened in shock at the oncoming vehicle. He swerved right to avoid the T-bone collision and struck the curb instead. The oncoming car collided with the side of his rear bumper and Will came to a sudden stop. “Fuck!”

  “Jesus! Will? Will? What the hell just happened?” Mendez was still on the line.

  He had no time to respond and crawled to the passenger side and opened the door. He stumbled to the sidewalk and quickly got to his feet.

  The driver and passenger of the car that struck him jumped out and began to run after him.

  Will peered over his shoulder. They were gaining on him. His injured leg now burned with pain. He needed to find a place to hide and he was in the middle of Fairfax, only minutes from the Nova office. Will navigated through the bystanders, hoping that one of them would call 911. Once the police arrived, he figured he’d be safe since his pursuers would leave. But for now, he could only run.

  The sky was turning to dusk and the shadows the buildings cast upon the sidewalk and alleyways below helped to conceal him. He ran hard and fast, but they were fast too. His fear was that they might open fire and that would be when the real chaos would start.

  Ahead was a small grocer and he considered darting inside, but that might put the shoppers in danger. He peered ahead further and discovered there was no place for him to go that wouldn’t put others in harm’s way.

  That was when he heard them: sirens in the distance. Relief consumed him. His legs still pumped hard and he felt the gash split open. He hoped the bandage would hold and he looked over his shoulder once again. They were slowing. They’d heard the sirens too. His heart still pounded in his chest, but now it was from exhaustion, not adrenaline. He’d run for at least a mile. Again, he turned and they were gone.

  Will hunched over, resting his hands on his knees, and inhaled great deep breaths to slow his pulse and regain his thoughts. A tiny spot of blood managed to seep through the bandage, but it didn’t look too bad. People stared as they passed him. The sirens stopped and he assumed they’d seen the result of the collision. It was over. His pursuers were gone—for now.

  In the flurry and confusion of the incident, Will hadn’t had time to grab his cell phone. It was still in the car and that meant the cops would find it. They’d also likely discover that he’d been on the phone with Mendez. And that brought to mind another concern. Had Mendez tried to keep him on the line so they would find him, or were his conversations being monitored and they tracked his GPS signal from there?

  It had to be the latter because he’d known Mendez for two years. Worked with him day in and day out and he had been a mentor to him. He couldn’t believe—wouldn’t believe that Mendez had turned.

  Will cast his gaze ahead as calm slowly returned. He needed a clear head because Lacy was still at Nova’s office and without his phone, she wouldn’t be able to reach him. His top priority was to get to her quickly.

  With a final subsiding breath, he raised up again and began to walk toward the office, glancing toward the street for a cab. He still had his wallet and some cash. A yellow cab approached and he waved his arm. The cab pulled alongside the curb and Will opened the back door, sliding into the seat. “Nova Investments, about two miles ahead.”

  The driver pulled away and, within minutes, Will arrived at the building. He stepped out and tossed the driver a ten spot. “Thanks.” As he stood outside of the building, he considered the best approach. Right now, Lacy was on her own and he had no idea if she’d tried to contact him.

  Will pushed through the revolving glass door and stepped inside the lobby, the marble floor squeaking beneath his rubber-soled shoes. A man sat behind the security desk and seemed to immediately recognize him. He continued to approach.

  “Agent Caison? Pleasure to see you again. How can I help you?” The man stared at the blood on his pants.

  Will immediately stepped closer to the desk to divert attention. “I need to see Tom Neville, please.”

  “I believe he’s still in a meeting. And I’m afraid it’s approaching after hours. Do you have an appointment?”

  “I’m with the person he’s meeting.”

  “Oh, well, hang on a second and I’ll buzz him for you.”

  He waited while the man got permission.

  “Go right on up, sir.” The man smiled politely and gestured toward the elevators. “Fifth floor.”

  “Thank you.” Will made his way to the elevators and up to Neville’s office. The building seemed quiet and then he realized it was getting late in the day. He knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for the invitation.

  Lacy glanced away from the monitor. “What are you doing here?”

  “I had some problems getting to you and I needed to be sure you were all right.”

  “Problems?” Neville’s attention was piqued. “What kind of problems?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.” Will returned his attention to Lacy. “Do you have what you need? We have to go.”

  “We just got access and we’re testing it now.”

  Will looked at Neville. “You’re in?”

  Tom continued to type and waited. “Hold on. It’s thinking.” A few moments passed. “I’m in.” He looked up at Will. “I’ve got access. What now?”

  “Give us the username and password.”

  “And your IP address,” Lacy added. “Then we’ll have what we need.”

  24

  Alarm bells sounded in Lacy’s head at the sight of Will’s jumpy appearance. “You want to tell me what’s going on? You have blood on your pants. This wasn’t part of the plan. I was supposed to call you, remember?”

  He had her arm and pulled her close while they walked through to the lobby. “Someone tracked me down when I was on the phone with Mendez on my way here.”

  “Oh my God.”

  Will continued to survey the area. “They rammed my car. I got out ahead of them, barely. But I forgot my phone in the process and the plan was you were going to call me when you were ready.”

  “You used your own phone?”

  “Of course not.”

  “So someone was listening on Mendez’s end.”

  “Yeah. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened, but right now, I need you to stick close. We have to find a way out of here and back to the safe house. They’re waiting for us there.”

  The man behind the security desk spotted them approach from behind. “Have a good evening.”

  It was the last thing they needed—to be noticed and remembered. “Goodnight.” Will nodded and released the grip he had on Lacy’s arm. As they were nearing the revolving doors, he leaned to whisper in her ear, “Let me get out ahead of you.”

&nb
sp; Lacy didn’t argue and held back a step while Will started through the doors. He’d managed to get her worked up too and, for a moment, she thought someone would jump out of the shadows and shoot them down right on the sidewalk. Calm down, she thought. As cool-headed as she’d been with Tom Neville, all of that confidence quickly evaporated. She was not a trained FBI field agent. She was a data analyst, for Christ’s sake, and here she was playing spy games with the Chinese and her own government.

  Will was outside, exposed, and Lacy watched him as she rotated through the doors until emerging on the street next to him.

  “This way,” he said, heading north seemingly head-on through a crowd of workers going home for the night.

  He was moving too quickly, brushing past people hard enough to get a dirty look or two tossed his way. She was losing ground. Her slight stature was hardly enough to move anyone from her path and so she weaved through them as best she could, but she was losing sight of him. “Will?” Trying not to draw too much attention, she had no choice but to call out to him. “Excuse me, pardon me,” she said to those who obstructed her route. “Will?”

  Several feet ahead, he turned back and a look of shock appeared in his eyes as he seemed to realize she was losing ground. “Lacy?” He began to push back through the people toward her.

  “I thought I was about to lose you.”

  “I’m so sorry. I was just trying to get us as far from that building as possible.” He reached for her elbow. “I won’t leave you behind again. Come on.” Will gently pulled her along using his solid frame to part the masses for the both of them.

  “How are we going to get back?”

  “I’m not sure. No one can know where we’re staying. We’ll put everyone in danger. I need to get to a phone and try Axell.”

  “We have to get this information to Aaron.”

  “I know. I’ll get us back safely. Just stay close to me.”

  ♦♦♦

  SSA Mendez marched through the hall, whispering obscenities under his breath. When he reached the ASAC’s office, he managed to regain his composure. “I need to get back to Washington.”