by Debra Webb
Hearing those footfalls made her smile. Pacing hadn’t been his habit until after Frankie was born. He’d spent many nights walking up and down the hallways to help her sleep when she was a baby. All these years later, his body went through the soothing motions automatically. She doubted he even noticed.
“We can’t go directly at Halloran,” he said. “I’ve tried. That’s why I went after the drugs.”
She sat back on her heels, nearly afraid to ask. “What do you know about him?”
“His current address is a place outside Phoenix, one of those golf communities tucked behind an elaborate gate and rent-a-cop security.”
She brought up an overview image of the area, waiting for him to continue.
“He’s insulated,” Frank said. “I’ve been thinking if we could pin down one of the others, someone close to the top, we could force them to roll over on Halloran.”
She thought through that approach and dismissed it. “We can see about that if we can find a chink in Hellfire’s armor.” She pursed her lips. “You said the money goes through a bank in the Caymans. Have you tried following that trail? If we put that kind of information into the right hands, it could make a difference.”
“Unless Halloran believes any information leaks come from his own men, he’ll know it’s me and he’ll move to kill Frankie. Is there any way you can urge her to take a vacation?”
Sophia shook her head. “Not without a good explanation. With Paul in prison and me out of the office, she and Aidan need to be present and visible at Leo Solutions.”
Frank grumbled his displeasure. Hiding and waiting only gave their enemy more power.
“Tell me about your Cayman account.”
“The money isn’t there,” he said. “They redistributed the cash after I was ousted.”
“Do you remember any details?”
He gave her the bank, account number and online log-in information. Within a few minutes, she had the full account history, though the current balance was zero. “They made regular deposits,” she observed, noting the dates in a new document for further research later. “I know it’s been a long time, but do these deposit dates correspond to any actions that you’re aware of?”
He pulled up a chair and they talked through what he remembered about that time, matching what he’d seen overseas with what she was seeing in the bank history. She wasn’t sure it would be enough, even if she could get it into the right hands.
“Well, they certainly wouldn’t have made deposits only to your account on those days. Gotta love the precision and habits of military men.” She made a few more notes as she went along. There were other people—friends in the intelligence and media communities—she could approach if necessary. “Based on these numbers, I can see why Halloran’s crew has been so loyal. Getting one of them to roll on him will be a long shot.”
“I’m trying to find the right pressure point,” Frank said. He laced his fingers behind his head and stretched his neck. Another rush of need to touch and soothe him startled her. It had always been so easy to reach out and offer him comfort and support.
It didn’t feel right to hold all that in. It didn’t feel right to approach him, either. She tamped down the uncertainty. This wasn’t her first uncomfortable classified meeting. Her feelings could wait until they’d accomplished the current “mission.”
And then what? She had no idea.
“Do you know if he’s threatened the families of the others in the group?” She couldn’t quite reconcile the friendly Kelly Halloran she remembered with this uncaring criminal. She hadn’t missed Frank’s refusal to give her the other names of those involved. “Money can’t be the only hold he has over them.”
“Money can be a big incentive. Any secrets or crimes they committed are long buried.”
“Mmm-hmm.” She kicked off her shoes, getting comfortable. She was tempted to launch an immediate search into Halloran and stopped herself just in time. The resources at Leo Solutions would make this easier, but she wasn’t ready to log in and risk leaving such an obvious trail for Halloran. By now he knew his attack on her had missed and he’d be waiting for some reaction.
“From what you’ve said, we can’t beat them by just interfering with their pipeline. Manipulating the money could work. If we can find a way to tie up their cash—”
“I’m not letting you do anything remotely criminal,” he said, scowling at her.
“But it’s okay for you to steal drugs and who knows what else?”
He shrugged a shoulder, his blue gaze sliding back to the laptop monitor. “I’m officially dead,” he pointed out. “My real name and reputation can’t get any worse.”
She wanted to shake him. He couldn’t have just given up on everything, could he? The best possible outcome here was to restore his name and reputation so he could reclaim his life as a husband and father, as a friend and partner. Already, she could see Frankie’s delighted face when she learned her father was alive, healthy and not a convicted traitor.
But could he be her husband again? Sophia’s throat attempted to close. Could she be his wife? So much hurt stood between them.
“We could notify the authorities about the next incoming shipment,” she said.
Frank’s scowl deepened and he covered his eyes. “Based on the schedule, there should be a shipment coming into Seattle in a few days. Which is another reason I think he’s targeted you and Frankie. He can’t take the chance I’d ask you for help.” He leaned forward and tapped his fingers together. “He knows I’m alive and that I know his system.”
“And he knows you have his drugs.”
“He’s behaving as if that’s irrelevant,” Frank said, clearly troubled by the fact. “He removes the only person who can vouch for me. Then he sits on you and Frankie, issues a kill order, knowing I’ll show up.”
“Which you did.” Thank heaven. She forced her thoughts away from what might have happened if Frank hadn’t been so diligent. It took more effort to keep from reaching for her phone to call and check on her daughter.
“His hired gun didn’t work very hard to kill either of us.” Frank stood up and resumed his pacing. “It’s the strangest game of cat and mouse I’ve ever played and the stakes are too high.”
She agreed completely. “You said you’ve identified the top players. Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up.”
“Divide and conquer?” He faced her, his dark eyebrows knitting over those clever blue eyes.
“It’s a valid strategy for a reason.” She smiled, aiming it at the screen rather than her husband. “There has to be a weak link within Hellfire. Start talking,” she said, ignoring the clock in the corner of her monitor. They couldn’t stay here indefinitely and, based on the signs of tension radiating from Frank, he was at the end of his rope. Though he might not be ready to admit it, he needed her—or someone—to help him put an end to this nightmare.
Frank turned the chair around and straddled it, bracing his arms along the top rail. “I backed up my handwritten notes to a cloud server.”
She brought up the website and he gave her the username and password as if they were random, but her fingers stuttered in recognition. He’d used the day and date of her first miscarriage for those fields. No one even knew about that except the two of them. She hadn’t been far enough along to share the news yet.
She told herself to say something and couldn’t find sufficient words. If a single shred of doubt had existed inside her that this man was her husband, it was gone now.
“I’ve been tracking movements and making connections for months,” he said as if she hadn’t noticed. “If this was my pet project, Darren Lowry would worry me most. He was on Halloran’s staff for a few years.”
“Go on,” she encouraged as she opened another tab and typed the name into her search engine. As Frank gave her
the details he knew about Lowry’s background, Sophia’s determination firmed.
This would be so much easier with the assets at the office, but she couldn’t think about that yet. Much as Halloran had pulled Frank out of hiding, she wanted to draw any confrontation away from Seattle and their daughter.
“Is this the same Lowry, retired four years ago? This report has a Darren Lowry under investigation for sexual misconduct in Iraq on his second tour.” She leaned to the side to give Frank a better look at the pictures she’d brought up on the screen.
“Same guy,” Frank confirmed. “Maybe the charges were fabricated against him, too.”
Sophia’s lip curled and her mouth went dry as she read through the report. She kept digging, using Frank’s information and online sources. She found a current address and the press release when Lowry had been hired by a defense contractor based in Washington, DC, after retiring from the army.
“Could I have some water please?” She didn’t want Frank nearby when she logged in to an administrative email account for a law firm website in DC. Leo Solutions had handled the security for one of her oldest friends when he transitioned to private practice after fulfilling his military commitment in the army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. She wasn’t doing anything particularly illegal, though Frank wouldn’t be happy. Assuming her friend was in town and Frank cooperated, she could follow up tonight’s discreet inquiry in person tomorrow.
She accepted the glass of water from Frank and chose her next words carefully. “I have a friend in DC who can give us some guidance about how to exploit that old complaint against Lowry,” she said, tracing the rim of the water glass. “I’m thinking we cast an ugly spotlight on the skeletons in his closet and make the old fogies of Hellfire sweat a little. It’s a fair response to what happened near Parkhurst today.”
He sat down across from her, his intense gaze holding hers. “You want Halloran to know we can get to his people, too.”
“Exactly.”
She struggled to keep her mind on point while her eyes devoured the face that had meant so much to her for more than half of her life. She remembered how those laugh lines had added character to his face, year after year. Anger, raw and cold, surged through her veins. If Halloran hadn’t upped the stakes, would Frank have kept tabs on her at all? Would he have watched her grow old from a distance, without ever allowing her to know he was out there?
Something that resembled dismay flickered across his face. “You’re angry.”
Of course he could read her changing expressions. He’d always been too good at that. “It comes in waves,” she admitted. She dismissed it with a flick of her fingers. Throwing a tantrum wouldn’t help either of them. If they successfully dismantled Hellfire, she could be mad at Frank personally for the rest of her life. “Lowry first,” she said through gritted teeth.
He bobbed his chin slowly as if uncertain about agreeing with her. “What do you hope to get out of your contact in DC?”
“I won’t know for sure until I get there,” she hedged while she opened more searches, this time exploring the contractor who had hired Lowry.
“You mean you don’t intend to tell me.”
“Can you blame me?” She tucked her hands under her legs, squashing the urge to throw something at him. “After what you’ve described, we need more intel to involve the authorities and take down Halloran the right way. I want him to rot in prison, not slip through the system to lounge about on a sunny island beach.”
“I want him to rot, too,” Frank said.
She knew that tone. “Not six feet under,” she said briskly. “If I can’t kill him, neither can you. The bastard isn’t worth either of us spending any time in jail.” However things worked out between them personally, she wanted to be clear on that point.
She fumed when he sat there silently studying his hands. “That was your plan?”
He opened his mouth, but she cut off his reply. “It would be fine if you killed him because you were already dead and out of our lives?” she demanded. Furious, she clamped her lips together before she said something too terrible to retract. “I must question your logic,” she managed.
“If Halloran is dead, he can’t give an order to hurt you or Frankie.”
“Funny. You were dead and that hurt us plenty.”
He reeled back as if she’d slapped him. She would not regret it. The harsh words needed to be said. “We’re going to DC, Frank.”
“It’s a huge risk.”
“Do you know how determined Frankie was to clear your name? Do you have any idea?” She didn’t wait for a reply. “You saved me tonight and I’m grateful, but I won’t sit back and let you disappear again. I won’t take on Hellfire in half measures that leave you hanging in some legal limbo. We’re going to DC so I can discuss this with a friend I trust.”
* * *
FRANK TRIED TO ignore the sting of her trusting someone else more than she trusted him, even though her instincts were spot-on. He didn’t ask her for the name of her friend. She wouldn’t tell him anyway. Shouldn’t, in fact. Sophia’s connections ran deep thanks to her analysis work with the CIA and others in the alphabet soup of DC. It pissed him off the way Halloran had managed to twist Sophia’s analyses against him during the treason trial.
“I believe my friend can help us,” she said, her anger having ebbed once more.
He admired her ability to ride through the emotions. He wasn’t having nearly the same success. If he got too close, he wanted to take her in his arms and be closer. If he shared a little, he wanted to tell her everything. “In what way?”
She pressed her fingers to her temples and dropped her gaze. “At this point it’s only an educated guess. Can’t you extend me a little faith and leeway for a day or two?”
“Of course.”
Her confidence didn’t surprise him. It had been one of her most attractive traits. At the moment her confidence gave his a boost. He refused to be the thundercloud rumbling with doom and gloom in the distance, threatening to rain on every hopeful step forward. He didn’t have to tell her he’d make a plan for the worst-case scenario while she was seeking help. She knew him well enough to expect him to come up with a contingency.
“I’ll book the flight,” he said, pulling out his cell phone and calling the airline he’d used most frequently with his bogus identification. “Wait.” He disconnected the call before a reservations agent picked up. “You can’t go as you.”
“I don’t have much choice,” she said. “We don’t have the time for an alternate identification to be made.”
“Victoria knows people. She could help, couldn’t she?”
Sophia sighed. “You know the best work takes time. Do you really want to sit here and wait for Halloran to make the next move?”
“No.” None of their limited options appealed to him. “We’ll drive out. We can leave early—”
“And waste half a day? How does that work in our favor? If Frankie is in danger, we need to move quickly to trap Halloran.”
His stomach tightened again. Halloran would stop at nothing to protect his retirement cash cow. Another man’s family wasn’t nearly as valuable as an endless flow of money and power.
It had been tough enough for Frank to live without his girls when he thought he was keeping them safe. If the distance were permanent, if by some twist of fate he had to go on breathing, knowing his mistakes meant their lives had been cut short...
“Frank?” Sophia’s voice brought him back from that bleak abyss he’d been staring into. “Talk to me.”
He rolled his shoulders. “They ran you off the road. I’m sure they know I rescued you.” He wouldn’t sleep at all tonight, waiting for one of Halloran’s thugs to track the rental car and break down the door.
“Look around, Frank. You created a safe place. They haven’t found us
yet.”
Yet. The word echoed through his head. Every way he looked at it, Halloran had the advantage.
“We have to take the chance,” she said. “You’re obviously worried. What can they really do between now and morning?”
Considering Halloran’s established organization, Frank could think of several bad examples, none of which he wanted to outline for her in any great detail.
“Our best choice is not to circle the wagons. He’d expect that of me,” she said. “He knows how devoted I am—we are—to Frankie. He has to be confused. I didn’t run back to my hotel, contact Victoria or call Frankie. All things I should’ve done if I encountered trouble in Chicago.”
“All of which points like a neon arrow to my involvement in your rescue.”
“Yes. They probably watched you pull me out of there somehow. More important, where would two capable parents run if their daughter was in danger?”
“To her.”
She nodded. “Instead, picture his reaction when he learns I went to DC. He’ll flip out with the possibilities.”
It was a solid approach. So far all he’d been able to do was observe and keep some drugs off the streets. Nothing he’d done seemed to get under Halloran’s skin. The man was too confident in his system. “And if we rattle him, you’re hoping he makes a mistake.”
“The sooner the better for us.”
She was right. They had to keep Halloran on edge. Words of gratitude backed up in his throat. Knowing she wasn’t doing it for him but for Frankie didn’t matter. His wife was back in his life and, for the moment, they were a team.
“All right.” He picked up his phone. “Let’s book the first flight out.”
When they both had confirmation emails about the flight, they discussed tomorrow’s plan. He couldn’t go with her wherever she was headed. There were too many people who might recognize him. He agreed to stay back and make sure she wasn’t followed.
Using tourist maps she pulled up on her screen, they chose rendezvous points and times, and then she closed the computer and tucked it back into her suitcase. Retrieving her cosmetic case and whatever she used for pajamas now, she headed for the bathroom.