Dear Noah,
This is the hardest letter I’ve ever had to write. You’re probably really mad at me right now, but I hope this letter answers all of your questions and that, in time, you will see I had to do this. I know you never really intended to trade me to Richard. You’re too good of a man to do that. But this the only way you’ll be protected.
Richard was using you and your company to ship weapons illegally to terrorist groups in the Middle East. Your security firm was the perfect front for them to transport weapons and get them into foreign countries. He set up the contracts with you so that you’d take the blame if they ever got caught. His name is not found on any of the official documents.
This operation actually goes much farther up the chain of command than just Richard. The flash drive has the documents that prove your innocence and shows that Richard is coordinating the weapons drops. There are financial records with wire transfers to his offshore bank accounts that match the dates on every contract he made with you in my backpack. When in doubt, follow the money.
On my last trip, Richard figured out I was onto him. I went into hiding after he tried to kill me. When Richard reappeared, I knew he would come after you to draw me out. The only reason he hasn’t killed me yet is because he needs to destroy those documents first. But now he’s sent someone to kill you and to get the evidence from me. He won’t stop until you’re dead.
The people involved won’t let this information ever see the light of day. You’ll still take the fall and I won’t let that happen to you. I found one of your wires and activated the digital recorder. Use the recording to stop him once and for all. He won’t be protected once it hits the press. Then you’ll be safe and this nightmare will be over.
Thank you for giving me one last night together. I know you don’t love me anymore and I understand why. You still made last night very special for me, and I can’t tell you how much that means to me. I’ve realized that I can’t live without you again–I don’t even want to try. The only thing that has kept me going the last three years is the hope we would be together again someday.
I love you, Noah. I love you more than anything. You are the best man I know and I want you live a long and happy life. My only hope now is that one day you’ll forgive me and remember only the good times we had. That’s what I’m taking with me.
Forever Yours,
Brianna
“What the fuck is she thinking?” Noah’s anger reached a flash point. “She isn’t trained for this. She’ll get herself killed!” He handed the letter to Bull and paced like a caged animal, ready to pounce and maul someone.
“I don’t understand why she thinks only she can save me. How many times do I have to remind her what I do for a living?” Noah growled as he paced.
“From the way this letter reads, she’s convinced Richard won’t allow her to live knowing what she knows. It’s either you or her, and she chose to take your place,” Rebel replied. “She left all the evidence with you because she knows they’ll bury you both if she tries to use it. Having the additional evidence against Richard for killing Brianna will ensure your safety.”
Noah propped his fists on his hips and wracked his brain over her decision. He tried to see everything from her point of view to understand her reasoning, but he had the sense there was still something missing. “What did she say this morning?” Noah barked.
Rebel knew he would want a word-by-word relay of the conversation.
“She was cooking when we came in. She said good morning. We sat down and looked at the paper. I made a comment about how strange it was that she and Richard showed up the same day. That we were told she was dead and he was presumed dead.
“She asked what I meant by he was presumed dead. I told her about that U.S. Marshal Stevens showing up at the office out of the blue one day. How he said he wasn’t convinced Richard was on the plane. I explained that he said he didn’t have any proof, he didn’t really ask us many questions, and then we never heard from him again after that. I asked her if Richard’s reappearance meant she was safe and if that’s why they released her from WITSEC. She didn’t answer me. That’s when she said she was going back upstairs with you.”
Noah looked at Bull. “And you?”
Bull stared at her letter he still held in his hand when he replied. “I didn’t even speak to her, Reap.”
“All right, she has a quite a head start on us, but we need to get a plan together. Call more guys in, our best only. We have to find her. Send someone to her hotel room to clean out her stuff and see when she was last there. Bull, you still have the key?”
Bull nodded.
“Good, have the area canvased. We have a recon mission on Richard to do. Find out where he is right now, where he’ll be later, who he’s with, his known contacts, recent financial transactions, his favorite foods–everything.”
“You got it boss,” Rebel said as he walked away to get started.
Bull walked outside, pulled out his cell phone, hit a quick dial key and waited. “We need your help.”
19
Chapter Nineteen
U.S. Marshal Stevens told Rebel he didn’t think Richard was on the plane. Stevens knew Richard wasn’t on the plane and he’s known this whole time.
Rebel didn’t realize the weight of his words and how much hidden meaning they held. He had said them so easily that he could’ve been talking about the weather, but Brianna connected the dots immediately. She knew she’d never fully trusted Stevens for a reason and then she realized why.
Her mind swirled with the facts and possible scenarios that all of this meant. The questions that she should’ve asked from the onset, but she was too young, scared, and naïve to see it then. She couldn’t think of any reason why a U.S. Marshal would be in the Middle East.
The one reason that made sense was that he was part of the whole scheme. He was actually there with Richard in some capacity. He must work for Richard, to help prevent him from getting caught and make his own illegal money while he was at it.
Memories of the day that changed her life flooded her mind. She’d repressed them every other time they tried to ambush her because they brought so much pain, longing for something she couldn’t have, and regret for how she’d contributed to her circumstances. She focused on allowing them to replay so she could attempt to figure out what she had missed.
As she left the hotel in Turkey, she ran into Richard–literally smacked into him. She then sprinted to her rental car and immediately drove toward the airport. She still had to wait quite a while before her flight began boarding, but just knowing she was one step closer to going home to Noah would make her feel more secure.
She returned her rental car to the attendant and walked alone through the parking garage toward the terminal. The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention and alerted her that something was very wrong. The uneasiness of physically feeling someone’s eyes on her sent waves of panic through her. Not knowing exactly where the danger lurked added to her heightened anxiety.
Footsteps fell behind her but she didn’t dare turn around to look. She quickened her pace to reach a more populated area, but the footsteps behind her also accelerated. She placed her arms in the straps of her backpack, grabbed the straps to hold it securely against her body, and broke out in a full sprint.
When she exited the garage, she made a sharp right turn and found a covered spot where she crouched down out of sight. She waited to see who came out of the garage next. She reasoned if he stopped and looked in both directions instead of just crossing to the terminal, she’d know he really was after her.
Within a couple of seconds, a large figure took a couple of steps out of the garage and then suddenly stopped walking. He looked in both directions, took a few steps in the opposite direction from her, then suddenly did an about-face and walked a few steps in her direction. She remained crouched in her hidden spot and held her breath.
It was Richard himself and he fervently searched for her. She’d been so foolish to thi
nk she could handle something this big on her own. She was so close to the terminal, so close to the plane that would take her home. But she knew if she stepped out into his sight, she’d never make it home again.
“Any sign of her?” Richard asked as another man approached.
“No. She’s definitely fast, I’ll give her that,” he replied.
“Yeah. No shit. She runs all the time. One of my surveillance guys refuses to tail her anymore,” Richard chuckled sarcastically. “Damn it. Find her. She can’t get on that plane.”
“She’ll have to go through security to get on the plane,” the other man replied. “She’ll have to approach the airport door at some point.”
Richard shook his head. “I can’t go back until she’s found. Deron gave her up easily enough. She has more than enough documentation to bury me, Bosco.”
Before Bosco could reply, Richard’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and noticeably tensed before he answered it.
“Hollingsworth.”
After an extended silence, Richard’s face turned bright red with anger. With gritted teeth, he finally spoke. “Yes, crystal clear.”
Richard put the phone back in his pocket and ran his fingers through his hair. Bosco watched him with a wary expression. “What was that all about?”
“That was Sayyaf. He said if I don’t bring her to him in the next hour, I’d regret getting on that plane,” Richard replied.
“Does that mean he plans to-,” Bosco’s voice trailed off.
“That would be my guess,” Richard huffed. “Mother fucker,” he bellowed. “I’m completely fucked if we don’t find her right now. Cover the door. I’m going to look around inside for her.”
The two men split up and Brianna remained completely still, her hands covered her mouth, and her eyes welled with tears. She watched as Bosco briskly walked away and Richard entered the airport. There weren’t many places she could effectively hide in the international terminal with one man watching the doors and one watching intently inside.
If she could wait it out another hour, she hoped Sayyaf would demand Richard’s presence. She’d be able to rebook her flight and get home undetected. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and tried to call Noah. With every redial, a woman’s voice told her that all circuits were busy and to try her call again later. She squeezed her phone in her hand and brought it to her forehead.
“Noah, I need you so much right now,” she pleaded. “I don’t know what to do.”
Brianna leaned her back against the wall behind her and fought back the terror that threatened to incapacitate her. She tilted her head back and looked up to the sky. The stars had just become visible in the evening sky. Her flight should be boarded by that time and there was no way she could get through security and to her gate before the door closed. She intently watched for Richard to leave the airport terminal so she could rush inside and change her flight to the next available one.
The fates seemed to align in her favor as she watched Richard and Bosco leave the airport. Richard muttered an expletive with every long stride he took. He was obviously disgusted and angry enough to kill someone. Namely her. As the two men passed by, she heard his reply to something Bosco had said.
“Sayyaf called and ordered us to a meeting with him. Right now.”
“That doesn’t sound good for us,” Bosco said, his tone conveyed his worry.
“If he planned to kill us, he wouldn’t call us to his house. He has other plans for us,” Richard replied. “We probably won’t like them, though.”
When they were out of sight, Brianna stood and sprinted across the street toward the terminal entrance. A huge jet appeared over the top of the building as it rose toward the twinkling stars. She stopped to watch it, certain that it was the jet she should’ve been on. Her feet began to move but her eyes remained glued to the plane as it rose higher.
In a split second, her whole world changed right before her eyes. A giant fireball consumed the plane as she watched in horror. The explosion completely obliterated the plane and sent small pieces of the fuselage in every direction for miles. The noise was deafening and the fireball was gigantic. But the terror that resulted on the ground was complete pandemonium.
Panicked screams and heart wrenching sobs came from every direction as onlookers realized what they had seen. Metal scraped on metal as cars crashed into others, the drivers distracted and shocked by the horrendous scene. Police and airport security screamed directions in Turkish. They sounded even more terrifying yelling in a language that Brianna couldn’t understand.
She froze in the street with her jaw dropped open, her eyes wide from terror, and her heart pounded against her chest wall. Through the mass confusion of travelers that rushed from the building, a single voice caught her attention.
“This is U.S. Marshal Stevens. Get Bill Jackman–it’s an emergency,” he yelled into his cell phone. “Bill, there’s been an explosion at the airport. From what I can tell, a plane exploded upon takeoff. Appears to be an intentional attack. The airport is being evacuated. I need immediate assistance and evacuation.”
“You’re a U.S. Marshal?” she asked, clearly panicked. Still on the phone, he simply nodded and she continued. “I need help. I’m a reporter from Miami. Can you help me get home? Please.”
“Hang on one second, Bill,” he said into the phone before he addressed Brianna. “Do you have a passport?” he asked as he eyed her carefully.
Brianna handed him her passport and nervously waited as he carefully inspected it. Her eyes continuously darted around, took in the mass confusion that surrounded them, and watched for Richard to reappear. A wave of relief washed over her when the Marshal spoke next.
“Bill, I have a young lady with a U.S. passport here with me. She appears to be a legitimate citizen. I’m bringing her in with me,” Stevens said into the phone.
After a few more clipped responses, he gave her passport back to her. “Come with me. The U.S. Embassy personnel will pick us up but they can’t get into this area. We need to get outside the airport perimeter on foot.”
“Let’s run,” Brianna adamantly suggested. “The sooner, the better.”
“If you’re sure you can keep up,” he replied.
Brianna nodded in agreement, the stiff, quick jerks relaying her urgent need to move immediately. The pair bolted through the throngs of frightened people until they reached the designated area. Two large, black vehicles stopped in front of them and three U.S. soldiers stepped out of the first one and surrounded them.
“What’s your name?” one of the soldiers demanded curtly.
“U.S. Marshall Stevens,” he replied, handing over his badge and passport.
“Brianna Tate,” she replied as she gave up her passport.
“I’m Major Paul Lowe,” he introduced himself. “They’re good,” he said to the other two soldiers. One of the men opened the back door of the second vehicle and Major Lowe told them to get in.
As the distance between she and the airport grew, Brianna’s nerves became worse. She had to remain in control while she was in the midst of danger. But when she began to feel safe and had time to contemplate on the events, she began to shake uncontrollably. Stevens noticed immediately and watched her suspiciously.
“So, what brings you to Turkey?” he asked.
“A lead for an article that was called in to my newspaper,” she replied.
“You flew half-way around the world for a lead?”
“I’m a damn good investigative reporter. I did a lot of research first,” she replied defensively. “Everything checked out and it’s a groundbreaking story. It just all went to hell when I got here.”
“What do you mean? What went to hell?” he pressed.
She immediately knew she’d said too much and didn’t want to add more to an already volatile situation. “My story. My source. Everything.”
“I want to help you, Miss Tate,” Stevens replied. “I really do. But I need to know what kind of trouble you’re in
. You seem like a sweet girl who is a little out of her element in this part of the world. If there is even a remote possibility that your trouble is tied to that plane, you have to tell me. This could be a matter of national security and I can’t let you back in the U.S.”
She considered his words and what it would mean for her if she couldn’t get on a privately chartered flight back home. With the airport locked down and security on high alert, she knew there was no chance of arranging that outside of official government channels.
“I was supposed to be on that plane. I don’t have proof that it exploded because of me, but I don’t believe in coincidences. Two men are searching for me right now. And if they find me, they’ll kill me because of the information I have. They’re trafficking weapons and using DOD transport planes to hide them.”
“You have proof of this? Any tangible evidence?”
“I have copies of the catalogue pages that shows the shipments of weapons have been received here on a regular basis,” she offered.
A voice inside her said to still be careful and leery of everyone, so she didn’t tell him about the evidence she had stashed in Noah’s house. At this point, she decided no one could be fully trusted. If Stevens could get her home, she’d enlist Noah’s help in how to turn the evidence over to someone who could really help.
“That would be a good start,” he replied. “If you have, or can get, additional evidence, that would be even better.” His statement hung in the air between them on purpose. It was to test her and see how she’d respond.
“Like I said, I’m a good investigative reporter. I will keep digging until I have all the evidence I need,” she replied honestly.
“Who is after you?” he asked.
“A man who works in the DOD,” she replied vaguely.
“If what you’re saying is true, you’re in serious trouble,” he warned her. “If anyone knows about this, or is involved with it, that’s treason in the highest order. The penalty would certainly be death. Withholding evidence of this nature is also treason, so be sure of what you say. Are there any other Americans besides the DOD guy involved? Anyone else I need to know about?”
Wicked Games: The Extended Edition (Steele Security #1) Page 22