by Rachel Dylan
“We’re going to make it, Bailey.” He was saying those words as much to encourage himself as for her. He rose up and got off a few more rounds.
This time there was no return fire, and the sirens blared loudly, moving ever closer to their location.
He looked over at Bailey, who remained crouched down with a gun in her hand.
“Sounds like our backup is here,” she said.
“Where was your external coverage?” Marco asked.
Bailey shook her head. “I don’t know.”
There should have been two FBI agents on the street outside of the safe house. Marco feared the worst. That they were dead.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
Later that day it was all hands on deck at NCIS HQ. Bailey didn’t want to admit it, but she was still shaken up after the harrowing events of the morning. The two FBI agents on her security detail were dead, and she was having a major guilt trip. They were innocent people caught in the cross fire while protecting her. And now their families would never see them again. The thought made her sick.
She fought back tears as she listened to Marco tell the rest of the team what had happened at the safe house.
“We have a security breach,” Jay said. “I don’t know which agency, if any, we can trust right now.”
Marco nodded. “I think the only people we can trust are those of us sitting in this room.”
Bailey didn’t feel like adding any comments, so she just sat there as the others went through status updates on the investigation.
“Bailey, you hear anything on Patterson’s background check?” Lexi asked.
The direct question broke her out of her malaise. “Still waiting, but it shouldn’t be much longer. Although considering Patterson’s a deputy assistant secretary at the DoD, I doubt we’ll find anything on paper. They vet for those positions very stringently. He never would’ve gotten the job if he had major dirt that could be traced.”
Lexi stood and went over to the whiteboard. “We’ve been working on the organizational structure of Gomez’s office. Gomez has a team working under him, including the real Julian Mayfield. But Gomez reports to Patterson. He’s very well thought of and is at the top of his game. Patterson’s area of expertise is in Russian and European affairs. He visited Gomez in the middle of the night, but we have no idea what that was about, and we can’t rule out that it was work related and on the up-and-up. At this point, we’re looking at the whole team and trying to connect the dots with any possible associations to WSI.”
“Good work, Lexi,” Marco said.
“Don’t thank me yet. We still need answers,” she replied.
“Izzy and I are working through the background files for the rest of the WSI executive team,” Jay said. “Izzy, tell them what we found last night.”
Izzy stood up. “The chief financial officer, a guy named James Jameson, or J. J., went to college with Gomez.”
“Really?” Lexi’s eyes widened. “That’s interesting.”
“It doesn’t mean that J. J. is dirty, but the connection is still something we want to dig into.”
“What about Barnett?” Marco asked. “We’re still trying to figure out his angle in this.”
“Clean so far, but we’re still searching,” Izzy said. “No major red flags. He’s very wealthy, but that’s to be expected in his position. He gets a crazy salary and bonus as the head of one of the biggest defense contractors. It appears he is not a micro-manager and gives his employees a lot of autonomy.”
A thought struck Bailey. “Is it possible that WSI would engage in this type of activity—stealing and selling arms to a country we don’t do any business with—without the CEO’s blessing?”
“I find that highly doubtful,” Izzy said.
Marco nodded. “Izzy, run everything about Barnett to the ground. Make him priority number one.”
“Will do,” she responded.
“There’s one more thing we need to think about.” Marco crossed his arms. “For some reason, Bailey is being targeted more than any of the rest of us.”
Her head snapped up. “We don’t know that for certain. You’ve been under attack too.” That sounded weak even to her, but she didn’t want to believe that she was being singled out.
“But I think that’s just because we happen to have been together. You might have some link to this case that we don’t know about. We need to figure out what that is.”
“Easier said than done. We were never supposed to have found out the truth about this operation.”
“Now that we have, we’ll just have to deal with the consequences.”
“And hopefully stay alive.”
Izzy thought Marco and Bailey were acting strange, so when she got a minute alone with Bailey in the break room, she had to ask about it.
“Bailey, what’s going on with you and Marco?”
Bailey sighed. “I wondered how long it was going to take you to ask me about what you saw.”
Izzy laughed. “I actually wasn’t talking about that.”
“Oh.” Bailey sucked in a breath. “Then what?”‘
“Something is off. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve worked with you two long enough now to know that something is wrong.”
“We’re just stressed. The shootout at the safe house is hard to deal with.”
“And that’s it?” Izzy was skeptical.
“Yes. That’s it.”
Izzy didn’t believe Bailey for one minute. She and Marco were hiding something, but Bailey clearly wasn’t going to tell Izzy what was going on.
“And, Izzy, about the other thing, you’re probably wondering whether that’s even appropriate. In a perfect world, I would never get involved with someone I work with, but we both realize that this is only a temporary assignment. I don’t report to him, and he doesn’t report to me.”
Izzy lifted a hand. “You don’t need to explain yourself. I get it.”
Bailey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “But I do want to explain, because being a woman in law enforcement is hard, and I realize I may not be setting the ideal example for you.”
“You can’t help who you fall in love with,” Izzy said.
Bailey’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. I didn’t say anything about love.”
“You didn’t have to. It’s obvious to anyone who sees the two of you that you’ve developed a special bond.” Izzy hoped to find that connection with Aiden if she got the opportunity.
Bailey closed her eyes. “Nothing about this investigation has been normal, and with all the danger thrown at us, I think Marco and I will need some time once this is over to figure out where we really stand.”
Izzy smiled. “Okay. If you need to tell yourself that.” She paused. “But seriously, you’re sure there’s nothing else going on? If there is, the rest of the team is here to help. You know that, right?”
Bailey nodded. “Yes. Let’s just keep pushing as hard as we can.”
“One more thing,” Izzy said. “In the full spirit of transparency.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going on a date with Jay’s son.”
Bailey blinked. “What? How did that happen?”
“Jay invited me to church with his family, and I met Aiden afterward. I don’t think there’s any issue with it, but since you confessed about Marco, I wanted to be open.”
Bailey smiled. “You really like this guy. I can tell by how your face lit up. If Aiden is anything like his dad, then he’s a good one.”
“That’s what I’m hoping to find out. But like you said, our first priority right now is this case.”
“Thanks for sharing, Izzy. I’d really like for us to stay in touch once this is over.”
“I’d like that too.”
Izzy felt like she’d found a friend in Bailey, and it had been a long time since she’d had a true girlfriend. She just hoped they’d all make it through this investigation alive.
The last thing Lexi had expected was to r
eceive a phone call from Alex Gomez. He’d been very cryptic, just asking to meet with her alone at a coffee shop in Dupont Circle. She’d debated what to do with Derek. She didn’t want to risk spooking Gomez, but on the other hand, given the level of danger involved, she had ended up bringing Derek with her. She hoped it was a decision she wouldn’t regret.
They’d only been waiting in the coffee shop for a few minutes when Gomez walked in and made eye contact. Then he motioned for her to come to him.
“I thought I told you to come alone,” he hissed.
“You don’t get to set the terms here,” Lexi shot back.
“Let’s take a walk, then,” Gomez said.
Derek remained silent, and they followed Gomez out of the coffee shop and down the street. Lexi reminded herself to breathe as she waited for Gomez to speak and make the first move. Her stomach was in knots.
“Lieutenant Todd, at first I was really annoyed by all your questions and the insinuation that I was somehow involved, but I couldn’t help myself and started fishing,” Gomez said.
“Really?” Lexi’s pulse thumped.
He glanced her way but then turned his attention forward again. “Yeah. If I’m wrong about this, I’ll be canned, but I couldn’t take the risk.”
“What? What did you find?” Was Gomez providing critical intel or playing them?
“I have serious concerns that my boss is mixed up in this WSI debacle.”
“Oliver Patterson?” Her voice shook.
“Yes.”
She grabbed his arm. “What do you have on him?”
Gomez stopped walking and turned to her. “Patterson met with WSI employees on multiple occasions. I was able to access his calendar. He met with Cullen Mink and the CEO, Rex Barnett.” He looked over his shoulder before continuing. “Also, you should know that I went to college with James Jameson. I know he’s clean.”
She already knew about the college connection, but at least Gomez had affirmatively told her. Maybe that was a sign that he was sincere. “How can you be so sure about Jameson?”
He shrugged. “Because I just am. Trust me.” He started walking again.
She followed with Derek glued to her side and let Gomez keep talking.
“I reached out to J. J., and he said that Barnett is acting squirrelly. And that even though he’s not supposed to know, he’s seen Patterson and Barnett together, working on something hush-hush.”
“Did he have any idea what it was?” Derek asked, breaking his silence.
Gomez shook his head. “No, and he was sticking his neck out by answering my questions, given he could lose his job over this. But J. J. doesn’t want anything to do with trouble. He fears that some people at WSI have crossed over to the dark side. He’s actually looking for a new job now, but that can take time.”
Lexi let all of this new information sink in as she glanced at Derek, who remained expressionless.
“Another thing you need to know,” Gomez continued. “Patterson is the one who told me to call the DA’s office. I had no idea that there was anything nefarious going on. And unfortunately, before I realized what was really happening, I told Patterson that NCIS was asking about that phone call.”
That wasn’t good. “So he knows that we’re potentially on to him.”
“I’m afraid so. At the time, it never occurred to me that he would be capable of something like this. He told me not to tell you anything, that it was all part of some highly classified project, and that I needed to keep my mouth shut for security reasons. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. Like you said, you had no reason to disbelieve him. He’s your boss, a well-respected person, and a high-ranking official in the Pentagon.”
Gomez ran a hand through his hair. “I’m afraid now that I’ve put you and your team in more jeopardy.”
“You’ve also put yourself in danger,” Derek said. “If Patterson finds out that you’ve been snooping around, then you’ve put a target on your back.”
Gomez stopped again. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. But I couldn’t live with myself, knowing what I know now and keeping quiet. I still don’t understand exactly what Patterson is up to and how it interplays with what happened to those men, but I know there is some connection.”
Lexi felt herself softening toward him. “Thanks for trusting us with this information.”
Gomez looked down at her. “Stay safe. It’s probably best that we not meet again like this. I’m worried someone might be watching.”
A chill crept down her spine as she looked around the crowded streets and wondered if they’d already been found.
Bailey sat on the couch of the new FBI safe house with her laptop, reviewing documents they’d received from Cullen Mink’s attorney. They’d gotten a debrief that afternoon from Lexi on her meeting with Alex Gomez. Bailey felt like they were nearing a turning point in the case, but there were still missing pieces.
The second safe house was in Dale City, where many military and civilian government employees lived. The split-level house had a cozy feel and was decorated with a homey touch, but Bailey couldn’t help but feel an ominous cloud hanging over her.
Along with moving to a new safe house, she and Marco had taken extra precautions by dumping their cells and getting burner phones. They’d provided the burner numbers only to the team and Layla.
Marco walked into the room carrying two cups. “Decaf.”
“Thank you.” She took a sip of coffee. “If we believe Gomez is one of the good guys, then we have this narrowed down to Patterson and probably the CEO, Barnett. Mink’s involvement probably got him killed.”
“We’re getting close, Bailey. I can feel it.”
“Close isn’t good enough.”
He placed his hand on hers. “We’ll get there.”
She sighed and closed her eyes for a second.
“You’re exhausted,” Marco said. “Maybe we should call it a night.”
She looked into his warm eyes. “I am tired, but I really think we might be able to find some answers in these documents.”
“They’ll still be here in the morning.”
“Time isn’t on our side, Marco.” The statement came out more harshly than she’d intended.
“I get that,” he said softly.
She hated that she’d snapped at him. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to take my frustrations out on you. It’s not fair.”
He moved closer to her. “I want to make things better, and it’s hard when I can’t do that, because I’ve come to care so much about you.”
“I care about you too.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I wish I could just close my eyes and be away from all of this.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “If I had it my way, I’d whisk you off somewhere completely safe.”
“But we both know that’s not possible.” Although for a minute she wanted to pretend like it was.
“Bailey, I know we’ve both been under tremendous stress and it’s not an ideal way to start a relationship. But now that I’ve gone through all of this with you, I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
She sucked in a breath at his declaration.
“I don’t want to scare you off, but being honest about how I feel is just the guy I am, and I want you to know exactly where you stand with me. I can only hope you feel at least close to the same way.”
She looked up into his eyes. “You know I do. It’s just not as easy for me to show it.” She wanted to tell him that her heart felt like it was about to explode, but the words didn’t come. Instead, her fears came out. “I’m just afraid of losing you. I can’t deal with another major loss. I just can’t.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. “Losing you would be unthinkable.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“We both have dangerous jobs,” she said, trying to make her point. “This case is the perfect example.”
“Yeah, we do, but we’re in God’s hands. Just look at how He has protected us
over these past few weeks. He has a plan for us, and I truly believe He brought you into my life for a reason. Not just to solve this case, but for so much more than that.”
Did she believe the same? “I definitely don’t understand all of God’s ways, like why He chose to take my parents, but I try to put my faith and trust in Him. When I was grieving their deaths, my faith was the only thing that got me through. Even when I kept crying out and asking why, knowing that He heard those cries gave me the strength to face the next day. I can’t claim to know if God put us together for a greater purpose than this case.” She paused, wondering how much she should say. “But getting to know you has opened up my heart.”
“You’re an amazing woman, Bailey. I know this has probably moved much faster between us than you would’ve wanted, but my heart is yours. Where the future will lead us, I don’t know. But I know how I feel sitting here with you now.”
She couldn’t match his eloquence, so she didn’t even try.
“I hope that wasn’t too much?” Marco asked.
She shook her head. “No. It was just right.”
“Good.” He gave her a quick kiss. “I know you want me to shut up now so you can get back to work.” He laughed.
“Just one more hour. I think I’ve got that in me.”
“That’s a deal.”
She turned her attention back to her computer and the documents from WSI. About half an hour later, something caught her eye.
“Marco, look at this.”
“What is it?” He leaned over.
“An email from Patterson to Mink. Patterson is telling him not to worry about anything. That Patterson had talked to ‘NW’ and it all was under control.”
Marco read the email chain. “Who is NW?”
They sat in silence for a moment, and then it hit her. “It can’t be.”
“What’re you thinking?” Marco asked.
She looked up at him. “Ned Whelan. CIA.”
Marco sucked in a breath. “Man. Wouldn’t that be something.”
“Think about it. He was the one pushing us not to focus on the DoD angle. It could be because he’s in cahoots with Patterson.”