Conspiracy (Alex and Cassidy Book 4)

by Nancy Ann Healy

  “Hoping she’ll catch on to your language skills early, huh?” Cassidy called over. Alex looked at her wife and flushed with embarrassment. That prompted more laughter from Mackenzie. Cassidy could no longer contain herself. She made her way to the pair on the couch and leaned in to place a kiss on Alex’s cheek. “Dare I ask what brought about the Farmer Brown lesson?” she joked.

  Mackenzie looked up at Cassidy the moment she heard Cassidy’s voice and Alex chuckled. She lifted Mackenzie up and set her between them on the couch. “God, she looks so much like you, Cass,” Alex remarked.

  “You think so?” Cassidy asked.

  Alex laughed. “Like your very own Mini-Me,” Alex said. Cassidy looked at Mackenzie and shrugged. Alex watched as their daughter reached for Cassidy’s hair and began to twirl it in her fingers. She’d done that from the moment Alex had placed her in Cassidy’s arms. Alex never grew tired of watching Cassidy with their children. Both Mackenzie and Dylan resembled Cassidy, but Alex marveled at the likeness between mother and daughter. Mackenzie’s eyes were just like Cassidy’s. They changed from deep tones of blue to light green depending on her mood. Just like her mother, excitement and contentment sparkled a bluish green while frustration and upset darkened her irises like a storm on the horizon. Right now, Mackenzie’s eyes twinkled sea-green. Alex looked at Cassidy and smiled when she noted the exact same color in her wife’s eyes.

  Cassidy felt the weight of Alex’s stare. She did not need to ask her wife what she was thinking. It amused her and touched her the way Alex became entranced by the smallest things. It was true, Mackenzie did look a great deal like Cassidy. Cassidy also understood that often people saw with their hearts more than their eyes. When Cassidy looked at Mackenzie, she saw Alex staring back at her. Mackenzie was spirited and playful, and extremely willful, far more so than Dylan had been as a baby. Dylan had loved to play, loved to cuddle. He had been a good-natured baby and that had followed him into childhood. He had his occasional outbursts and mishaps, but overall Dylan was even-tempered. He enjoyed trying new things, but he often required encouragement to become adventurous. Cassidy could see the difference in her children clearly.

  Mackenzie was prone to defiance already at the tender age of seven months. She also seemed to be curious about everything. Often, Cassidy would snicker at the expressions on her daughter’s face when she was amused or even irritated. The mischievous glint in her bluish-green eyes was all Alex. Mackenzie was a Toles at least as much as she could ever hope to be a McCollum. Cassidy looked down at the baby and sniggered. “Now, Kenzie, tell Mommy what Momma was teaching you,” she said. “What was that sound? Was it bahhh?” Cassidy asked. Mackenzie laughed. “No? Hum. Was it oink?” Cassidy asked with a quick tickle to her daughter. Mackenzie laughed again. “No, huh?” Cassidy asked. She looked at Alex whose face had turned a lovely shade of pink. “I know!” Cassidy exclaimed. “It was…Moooo!” she made the sound loudly. Mackenzie shook with laughter.

  “Bah,” Mackenzie babbled.

  “No, Kenz,” Alex corrected. “Moooooo! Like a mooooo cow.”

  Mackenzie laughed harder. Her tiny body quaked as she giggled uncontrollably at her parents’ antics.

  “Are you two buying a farm or something?” a voice called into the living room. Cassidy focused on her daughter, enjoying Mackenzie’s laughter.

  “I don’t think so,” Alex said. “She’s not ready for that. She’d be feeding the cows the pigs’ slop and trying to milk the ducks at this rate,” Alex said. Cassidy swatted Alex playfully. “What?” Alex feigned innocence before joining Cassidy in her laughter.

  “Uh-huh,” Rose McCollum said.

  “Not that I’m not happy to see you,” Cassidy looked up at her mother as Alex took hold of Mackenzie. “But, what are you doing here?”

  Rose chuckled. “I have a date with a glass of red wine to celebrate my best friend’s liberation.”

  Alex looked at Rose and then at Cassidy to explain. Cassidy let out a small sigh and smiled. “The doctor cleared your mom for a few more things.”

  “Let me guess,” Alex began, “at the top of that list was wine.” Cassidy lifted her eyebrow. Alex groaned a bit.

  “Oh, relax,” Rose gently chastised her daughter-in-law. “I promise I will keep her in check,” she said. Alex frowned and Cassidy bit her lip to conceal her amusement. “Are you implying something, Alex?” Rose asked cheekily.

  “No offense, you promising to keep my mother in check is a bit like Cass and I agreeing to let Dylan watch Mackenzie for an entire evening.”

  Rose rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he would do just fine,” she said. “He’s very attentive to his sister,” she said before winking at the two women on the couch and making her way toward the kitchen to find Helen.

  Cassidy laughed at her mother. “You never did tell me,” she said as she turned to Alex.

  “Tell you what?” Alex asked.

  “What possessed you to start teaching our daughter farm animal sounds.”

  “Oh, that.”

  Cassidy’s lips turned upward into a smirk. “Yes, that. French, I would have expected. Maybe even Army lingo…”

  “Army lingo?” Alex asked through a chuckle.

  “Yes, Cap,” Cassidy returned smartly. “Can’t say I saw farm animals on the horizon.”

  “I like farm animals,” Alex grumbled.

  Cassidy raised her brow. “You certainly are full of surprises, love.”

  “Very funny, Cass,” Alex answered. “All right. I dropped Dylan off at his party and they were playing some weird version of pin the tail on the donkey.”

  “Weird? How can you make pin the tail on the donkey weird?” Cassidy inquired.

  “Pin the soccer ball in the goal,” Alex answered disgustedly.

  “Well, that certainly is creative,” Cassidy commented. Mackenzie was beginning to fuss and she reached out for her mother. “I still don’t follow. How did soccer lead to farm animals?”

  “I told you,” Alex said as she passed Mackenzie back to Cassidy. “Pin the tail on the donkey. I had a lengthy discussion with Kenzie about the correct way to play party games,” Alex explained. Cassidy’s brow lifted again. “What?” Alex asked. “She needs to know that some traditions should be respected.”

  Cassidy nodded and tried to suppress her laughter. “I see. I never knew you were such a party purist.”

  “Cute,” Alex said. “Why is it so strange that I want to do the traditional things with our kids?”

  Cassidy smiled. Mackenzie was lying against her and quickly falling asleep. She looked down at the baby and shook her head. Alex looked at the pair and was taken back by the tear falling down Cassidy’s cheek.

  “Cass?” she asked gently. Cassidy continued to gaze at their daughter. “Cass? Why are you upset?”

  “I’m not upset, Alex.”

  “You’re crying,” Alex noted the obvious.

  Cassidy sighed. “I was just thinking about my dad,” she said softly. Alex placed her arm around Cassidy. Cassidy collapsed against her gratefully. “I wish he was here to see them. I missed so many things with him,” she said.

  “Like party games?”

  Cassidy nodded. “Yeah, that too, I guess. I missed him walking me down the aisle. I missed him interrogating my boyfriends—interrogating you,” Cassidy added lightly. Alex smiled. “I guess I just still miss him sometimes. I don’t want us to miss any of those things with Dylan and Kenzie.”

  Alex pulled Cassidy closer. “We won’t,” she promised. “So, you don’t think it’s strange then?”

  Cassidy looked up at Alex and strained to place a gentle kiss on her lips. “No.”

  “Not even the farm animal lesson?” Alex asked.

  “No. Besides, you’re cheaper than a See ‘n Say.”

  Alex laughed. “You want me to take her and put her down?”

  Cassidy shook her head. “No. I just want to stay here for a while.”

  Alex looked down at Cassidy just as Cassidy closed
her eyes in contentment. She looked upward and said a silent prayer. She’d never had much of an inclination to pray. Alex had always placed her faith in herself. Believing in others was an uphill battle for her. It took time to earn Alex’s confidence, and she tended to remain cautious. After many years of walking a tightrope with the people in her life, Alex had learned to rely on the woman in her arms for both strength and guidance. Life was anything but solitary for Alex now.

  Cassidy amazed Alex in every moment. She was gentle, honest, and compassionate. She was also spirited, opinionated, and intelligent. What Alex admired the most in her wife was Cassidy’s capacity for love and forgiveness. Cassidy saw goodness and possibility in the most difficult situation. Alex sometimes lost sight of the reality that her wife had experienced great loss and sadness in her life. Cassidy did not dwell on those moments. She spoke of her father often. She treasured her recollections of the man. She seldom mentioned the loss itself, choosing instead to slip into happy childhood memories. Occasionally, she recounted moments with her ex-husband. In spite of his repeated betrayals, Cassidy endeavored to focus on the lighter moments she and Christopher O’Brien had shared with Dylan. Some of that was for Dylan’s benefit. Alex understood that. More than that, it was simply Cassidy’s nature to look at the best in everything and everyone.

  Alex kissed the top of Cassidy’s head and held her hand over Mackenzie. She offered another silent plea to whoever might be listening to keep them safe—all of them. One thing that Alex had grown to understand unequivocally, was how deeply Cassidy’s father’s death had shaped Cassidy’s life. In spite of the upheavals in her own family, Alex thought of her father often. She even missed him. Alex often wondered what Nicolaus Toles would say, do, or think about a decision she needed to make or about the life she now led. She could not fathom experiencing such a profound loss as a child. “I wish I could give you that back,” Alex whispered aloud without thinking.

  “What did you say?” Cassidy asked without opening her eyes.

  Alex took a deep breath. “Nothing. I love you, Cass.”

  A smile edged its way onto Cassidy’s lips. These simple moments meant everything to her. The pain of the past and the confusion that often permeated life faded away in Alex’s arms. “I love you too, Alex. More every day.”

  ***

  “Are we ready?” a deep voice asked.

  “We’ve been ready for months, Sir. The only thing holding us up is your say so,” a younger voice responded.

  “Good. You understand what this entails, Captain?” the older man asked.

  “I do.”

  “You agree with this action, and you are prepared for that inevitability?”

  “Sir, all due respect, it is not my place to agree or to disagree with your command. My duty is to follow your orders, Sir.”

  The older man smiled triumphantly. “We would be living in better times, Captain if more men thought as you do.”

  “Is that all, Sir?”

  “Yes, Captain. Keep me apprised of the timeline.”

  “Sir,” the younger man gave his formal agreement.

  “Dismissed, Captain.”

  ““Vy ponimayete, chto eto znachit? (You understand what this means)?”

  Admiral William Brackett straightened his jacket and faced the man beside him. “Da, Viktor. YA tol'ko nadeyus', chto mi ne zhdali slishkom dolgo. (Yes, Viktor. I only hope that we have not waited too long).

  “Kak vy dumayete, on pridet? (Do you think he will come)?” Victor Ivanov asked.

  “Yesli on zhiv, on pridet. Eto ne vopros. Vopros v tom, za kem oni stanut? (If he is alive, he will come. That is not a question. The question is who will they follow)?” the admiral answered. “I za kem oni stanut opredelit mnogiye veshchi ... dlya vsekh nas. (And, who they follow will determine many things...for us all).”

  Chapter Three

  February 23rd

  “Hawkins,” Joshua Tate addressed the woman before him.

  “Nice to see you too, Joshua,” she said.

  “I wish I could say the same,” he replied.

  “Where is your flunky?” she asked him.

  Joshua Tate took a deep breath to steady his frustration. The woman now seated across from him had a unique ability to pull Joshua Tate’s strings. She had been technically under his command for a year but marched to a beat laid by a different drummer. His lip twitched slightly and he conjured an insincere smile. “Agent Fallon is anything but a flunky—as you put it.”

  The woman shrugged. “If you say so.”

  “I do,” Tate responded just as Fallon made his way into the coffee shop.

  “Director,” Brian Fallon greeted his boss.

  Tate smiled. He watched as Brian Fallon’s eyes tracked slowly to the unfamiliar face seated at the table. “Fallon, let me introduce Agent Charlie Hawkins.”

  “Hawk,” the woman corrected her superior. “Nice to meet you, Agent,” she mustered a polished sincerity.

  Fallon looked at Tate quizzically and then back to the woman at the table. He suppressed a slight snicker. Hawk, as she called herself was a stunning beauty. Fallon wondered silently if sex appeal was somehow a prerequisite for women at the NSA. He shook off his musing and extended his hand. “Brian,” he told her. “Or Fallon.”

  “Sit down, Fallon,” Tate directed.

  “I guess I can safely assume this meeting is not about coffee,” Fallon joked. Tate pushed a small envelope in Fallon’s direction and indicated that Fallon should open it. Fallon complied and removed a piece of paper. He studied it for a few moments before placing it back inside and sliding it across the table. “Does Alex know?” he asked Tate directly. Joshua Tate shook his head. Fallon nodded. “You have to tell her.”

  “I agree,” Hawk said.

  Tate’s lip twitched again and he shook his head. “No.”

  “She has a right to know,” Fallon said.

  “I agree,” Hawk concurred.

  Tate glared across the table at the younger woman before meeting Fallon’s steely gaze. “It’s conjecture. And….There are more pressing concerns that we need to address.”

  “If you are talking about Agent Brackett,” Fallon began, “I have no reason to think she has made any headway in this area.”

  Tate nodded. “I’m not talking about Claire,” he said flatly. “Ambassador Daniels is in town.”

  “So?” Fallon questioned. “He is an ambassador. They tend to visit on occasion,” he reminded the NSA Director.

  “Exactly,” Hawk supported Fallon’s assessment as she looked at Tate.

  Tate warned the woman with his eyes. Fallon watched the exchange curiously. “Yes, but not the week after he met with the Russian Prime Minister,” Tate responded.

  “Are you sure about that?” Fallon asked. Tate nodded. Fallon hesitated to continue.

  “Agent Hawkins already knows the drill, Agent Fallon. You can speak freely,” Tate assured his friend.

  Fallon remained skeptical. “No offense,” he said to the woman. “I don’t know who the hell you are.”

  Hawk laughed. “Alex was always discreet. I will give her that much,” she said. Fallon bristled at the comment and looked at Tate.

  “Enough,” Tate warned Hawkins. “Hawkins and Toles were partners briefly at the NSA,” he said.

  “I thought Alex worked in decryption?” Fallon said.

  Tate’s lopsided grin told Fallon there was more to Alex’s time at the National Security Agency than she had shared. Alex was not one to divulge specifics about any investigation unless it was warranted. She was even less likely to share tidbits of her past personal entanglements. Alex had never boasted about her conquests, neither the ones she made in the field nor the ones she made in the bedroom. Fallon looked at the female agent across from him and nodded. The fact that she had been as bold as to insinuate a personal relationship with Alex only served to deepen Fallon’s unease.

  Hawk regarded Fallon thoughtfully, studying his expression. “Relax, Fallon. I have noth
ing but respect for my ex, both professionally and personally.”

  Fallon was taken off guard by the candid response. He nodded but remained silent.

  “Jane sent Hawkins to me,” Tate explained. “She’s been working with General Waters for nearly four years,” he said.

  Hawk smiled at Fallon genuinely. She had been skeptical of the ex-cop turned FBI agent turned NSA. Law enforcement and espionage were not the same things. Fallon’s caution and his obvious loyalty to Alex Toles reassured her of his commitment and comprehension of his role. She sighed. “Look, Agent Fallon, I’m not here for Alex nor am I here in spite of her, okay? I don’t happen to agree with the director here on his approach,” she said. She turned her attention back to Tate. “She has a right to know what we suspect.”

  “Yes,” Tate agreed. “But, we don’t yet know who planted that seed. You know that as well as I do,” he said. Tate took a deep breath and exhaled it forcefully. “Daniels did not just meet with Kabinov,” he said. Both Fallon and Charlie Hawkins narrowed their gaze in questioning. Tate sighed again. “Anton Petrov was there.”

  “Ivanov’s business right hand,” Fallon observed.

  “I suspect it’s worse than that,” Hawk surmised.

  “It is,” Tate told them. “Petrov is in town too. Wait for it,” he said. “Meeting with none other than Kyle Becker.”

  “Fuck,” Fallon groaned.

  “The head of Rand Industries?” Hawk asked for clarification. Tate nodded.

  Fallon looked up. “MyoGen,” he muttered.

  “Yes,” Tate responded. “The question is—what is it that they are planning?”

  “You think they are making an aggressive play to grab MyoGen out from under Carecom?’ Fallon asked.

  Hawk closed her eyes for a moment and then looked at Tate knowingly. “That’s our best case scenario,” she said flatly.

  Tate’s silence served as his response.

  “That doesn’t change,” Fallon began.

  “It changes everything,” Tate said. “You let Krause chase Claire and her ghost,” he told Fallon.