by K. M. Hodge
A heady silence had settled in between them. He tried to be patient with her, but was becoming restless.
She fidgeted with her cup until at last she cleared her throat and spoke up. “I’ve resisted telling you any of this for your protection, but I can’t do this alone anymore, and you’re the only one I trust.”
He tightened his grip on her hand.
She opened her mouth and closed it again, as she seemed to struggle with finding the right words. “You asked me earlier why I left Charles. It isn’t for any reasons that you might think.” She took a deep breath and looked down at their linked hands. “I left Charles because of the things I found out about him, things that I found on his computer—something that trumped my fear over what he would do to me if I left him.”
Jason’s eyebrows knitted together. “What did you find?”
He listened as she told him about the information she had found and saved on two thumb drives.
She drank the remaining coffee in her cup, pushed it away from her, and let go of his hand as she sat forward at the table. “Half of it is encrypted, but he’s a part of an organization called The Syndicate. I don’t know exactly what his role is, but I learned enough to know that this group is dangerous. There were a lot of high profile names on some of the documents. I think he knows that I’m on to him, and tonight I was almost shot by a lone gunman. It could be nothing, but I think they might be trying to take me out.”
Jason was left speechless. This was too much information for him to process all at once. Without realizing it, he had turned away from Katherine and faced forward. He twisted and knotted the paper wrapper of his straw.
“I’m thinking of turning in the drives to Alex.”
Her new partner... whom she’s known for all of five minutes! Is she crazy? Jason shook his head and huffed. “You just met him and you trust him that much? I would think that, if anything, this whole thing would have taught you not to be so trusting.” He ran his long fingers through his hair. He didn’t mean to be harsh, but sometimes he didn’t know how else to get through to her.
She nodded in agreement. “Maybe you’re right.” She looked around the bar before slipping two thumb drives into the palm of his hand.
He felt as though she were handing him a live grenade.
She caught his eye, a serious expression etched across her face. “If anything happens to me, I need you to get these to ASAC Richards with the FBI and tell him everything. I don’t know for sure, but I think he can be trusted. Like I said, there are so many high profile names attached to this, including people at the FBI and CIA. It even looks like high-level government officials are involved.” She took a deep breath and sighed. “But you’re right... I can’t just give this to anyone. I trust you to hold onto them until I figure out a plan.”
Jason put the drives in his dress pants pocket. “We can’t go back to my apartment tonight. If Charles or someone else is trying to kill you, he will definitely try again, and it’s no secret that you’re staying with me. We’ll have to stay somewhere else, like with that cop friend of yours, Lisa’s girlfriend. What’s her name? Marianna?”
Katherine pulled out her phone and texted Marianna.
Of all of Katherine’s friends, Jason liked Marianna the best.
They worked their way through the crowded bar. He kept one hand inside his pants pocket, fingering the thumb drives. As they stepped out into the cold, the loud crack of gunfire erupted from a black sedan parked nearby.
Katherine looked at him with a startled expression before crumpling to the ground, where a dark pool of blood formed around her still body.
Jason’s heart hammered in his chest as he squatted beside her. He took off his jacket, wadded it up and pressed it down hard on the wound that bubbled blood at an alarming rate.
“Don’t just stand there!” He looked up at the growing crowd of people that had formed around them. “Someone call 911!”
He turned his attention back to Katherine. “Come on Red, stay with me.” Soon he could hear the sound of the ambulance coming. “Just hold on.”
The cacophonous sounds of ambulances, police cars and a fire truck drew closer to them. “They’re on their way. Do you hear that?”
Her pale face added to his alarm.
“Just stay with me, Red.”
***
FBI Headquarters: Hoover Building
Washington, D.C.
March 9, 2008
9:00 AM
~~~
Alex trudged into the Hoover building to finish up the paperwork from the bust and to find out where things stood with the suspect. He clutched his second triple-shot of espresso in his right hand, hoping it would give him the energy he needed to get his work done; he hadn’t exactly gotten much sleep last night.
When he rounded the corner on his floor, he was confronted almost immediately by his ASAC. “Where have you been and why aren’t you answering your phone?”
Alex mentally ran through all of the possible excuses he could give to his superior, but unable to come up with a good excuse on the spot, he chose to evade the question. “Is something wrong, sir?”
ASAC Richards sighed in a mixture of frustration and concern. “Special Agent Mitchel has been shot. She’s at Pendrell General Hospital.”
Alex’s stomach bottomed out. “What? Is... is she okay?”
Richards nodded, his mouth drawn in a grim line. “It was touch and go for a while, but I just got off the phone with a friend who was there when she was shot, and he said she made it out of surgery okay and her doctors expect her to make a full recovery.”
Alex let out the breath he’d been holding. The what ifs flew through his mind as he tried to think of how he could have prevented it from happening. It was his fault.
Without acknowledging his superior, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the building. Richards called out to him, but he kept walking.
***
Pendrell General Hospital
Georgetown, Maryland
March 9, 2008
10:00 AM
~~~
Alex stood at the door watching a man, dressed in scrubs, caressing her cheek. The tall, lanky man had close-cropped brown hair and large features. On his nose perched a pair of glasses.
Jealousy bubbled up inside of Alex and his fist clenched involuntarily. This is silly.
He cleared his throat, startling the man, who turned to face him. “Hi, I’m Agent Alex Bailey. I’m Katherine’s new partner at the FBI. And you are?” He walked towards the man with his hand extended in greeting.
“A friend,” the man said, ignoring Alex’s extended hand.
Alex lowered his hand. Wow, what’s this guy’s deal?
A nurse came in and gave the man a look of deep concern. “You’re still here? You should go home and get some rest or at least get something to eat. I promise we will call you if anything changes.”
“You’re right. I think I am a little hungry.” The man stood and stretched his long limbs. “Excuse me.” He breezed past Alex, almost knocking him over.
Alex watched as the man left the room.
The nurse caught his gaze. “He hasn’t left her side all night. It was touch and go there for a while.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
The nurse narrowed her eyes. “Are you family?”
He shook his head and flashed his badge. “She’s my partner at the FBI.”
She nodded, but still seemed unsure. “We’re only supposed to release information to family.”
“What about the man that just left?”
She looked in the direction of the door. “He’s her friend and medical proxy. Poor dear was with her when it happened.”
He smiled at the nurse, doing his best to lay on the charm. “Can’t you just break the rules this one time?” He threw in a little suggestive wink for good measure.
The nurse blushed, her resolve softening. “You aren’t supposed to be in here at all. I don’t even want to know how
you managed to make it into the room.”
Alex pressed his hands to his chest as if in prayer and pleaded with her. “Please?”
A small smile crept up the side of the nurse’s mouth. “Okay, but you didn’t hear this from me.”
He mimed zipping his lips, which got him another shy, rosy-cheeked smile. He hadn’t lost his touch.
“It was touch and go for a while since she lost so much blood. She was lucky that there was only minimal internal bleeding that they were able to take care of in surgery. They did have to remove her spleen, but otherwise she is doing very well, considering.”
The nurse performed a quick vitals check while she talked. “If it wasn’t for her friend’s quick response, though, she would be dead.” She placed her stethoscope around her neck and started for the door. “Five minutes!”
Alex smiled and held his hands together in supplication. “Thank you.”
Once she had left, he brushed his fingers against Katherine’s.
Her eyelids fluttered. “Hmm... J,” she mumbled in her half-drugged sleep.
Alex squeezed her hand. “No, Katherine, it’s me, Alex.”
Katherine mumbled in response—too doped-up to communicate.
He reached behind him and pulled the chair closer to the bed, and sat down beside her. All he could think about was the phone call he’d received last night. If only he’d been with her, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. He felt like Alice, with every fiber of his being urging him to plunge down the rabbit hole.
It was getting harder and harder to stay the course and not let her in. It wasn’t just a case anymore—all he could think about was her.
***
Jason took a bite of his hospital cafeteria tuna salad sandwich, and called one of his sources. “Hey, Pete, I need a favor. I need all the information you can give me on Special Agent Alex Bailey of the FBI. Yes, it may be an alias. Yeah, thanks... I think she’s going to be okay. All right, thanks again. Talk to you later.” He hung up and took another bite of his sandwich, but his nerves caused him to choke and gag on the sandwich. He was done.
He walked into the room only to see Alex stroking Katherine’s hair. He felt his cheeks flush with anger. “You’re still here?”
Alex put down her hand with care and rose from the chair. “Yeah, I was just going to leave.”
When Jason didn’t say anything, Alex continued. “I hear you’re the one I have to thank for saving her life. She’s lucky that you were there.”
Jason’s stiff posture and scowl made him start to feel foolish. He uncrossed his arms and let out a small sigh. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Alex nodded, worrying his bottom lip.
The shame of Jason’s childish behavior prompted him to lower his defenses and extend his hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. I’m not myself today.”
Alex nodded, accepting his extended hand in greeting.
“I’m Jason Knettle, an old friend of Katherine’s. She’s been staying with me the last couple of days.”
Alex nodded. “It’s nice meeting you, Jason. I really should be heading back to work. I promised the nurse I would only be here for five minutes. When Katherine wakes up, can you tell her I stopped by?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”
Alex looked at him as though he didn’t quite believe Jason would follow through with his request. “Thanks.”
With one last sideways glance at her, Alex walked out.
Jason waited until he could no longer hear the other man’s footfalls, and then went back to her side. The thought of almost losing her was almost more than he could bear. He ran his fingers through her hair and combed it behind her ear. In a half sleep, Katherine snuggled against his hand and his heart leaped. He was powerless to stop himself from tracing his index finger along the fullness of her lips.
At his touch, she shifted, still half asleep. “Alex....”
Her words broke him. He was tired, not himself. He needed to go home.
***
FBI Headquarters: Hoover Building
Washington, D.C.
March 9, 2008
3:00 PM
~~~
ASAC Richards fingered the now curled-up corners of his stack of papers; the forensic evidence from the arrest the previous night had come through. He had also put in a request to the local PD about the shooting incident with Agent Mitchel. They had to be connected, but he was missing the puzzle piece that would prove his theory correct. His phone’s shrill ring shook him from his train of thought.
“Richards,” he answered.
“Agent Richards, A.D. Fullmore would like a word with you.”
“I’ll be right up,” he said with a deep sigh.
He gathered up all the files and paperwork he had on the two incidents, put on his suit jacket and headed up to the executive floor. Before going inside he adjusted his tie.
“Agent, he’ll see you right away,” the assistant said.
He walked into the office and was greeted by his superior. “Take a seat.”
“Yes sir.” He sat down across from the Assistant Director.
Fullmore shuffled the files in front of him, making himself look too busy to actually look Richards in the face.
Richards hated this man and his arrogant nature.
“I understand you have the suspect in custody and that he has confessed to the murders.”
“Yes sir.” He rested his files on his crossed legs.
His eyes rose to acknowledge Richards. “And one of the agents under you was shot last night in an unrelated incident.”
Richards cleared his throat. “Actually, sir, I believe the two incidents might be related.”
He opened the file and pulled out the sheets he wanted his superior to see, but was disheartened when Fullmore held up his hand and waved the papers away. “Agent, I don’t see how these incidents are connected, and would like you to drop any lines of inquiry you might have on the case.”
This is ridiculous! He could feel his blood pressure begin to rise, and he felt the vein on his forehead pop out like it always did when his frustration skyrocketed.
“With all due respect, sir, you’re wrong. One of our own was shot down in cold blood in a well-lit area where someone should have seen something, but no witnesses have come forward. The weapon used to shoot her was left at the scene, but ballistics is saying we’ve got nothing. You can’t tell me the sniper incident earlier that night isn’t related. Someone wants her dead and no one seems to be doing anything about it,” Richards said, trying to temper his growing irritation.
Fullmore cleared his throat and looked Richards directly in the eyes. “Agent, you investigate what I tell you to. Senior Agent Toddson is availing himself to the D.C. police in regards to Agent Mitchel’s shooting. You’re not to investigate this incident any further. Is that clear?”
Richards rubbed the stubble on the end of his chin. “Yes sir. Crystal.”
Fullmore nodded. “Good. In the meantime, I have a case I would like you to put your attention to—another child abduction case. Depending on how well this one turns out, I don’t see why you can’t be promoted to Section Chief when Fox retires. But that will only happen if we can work together on getting this case solved.”
He handed a case file across the desk and began to give him the details and specifics of the new case, but Richards barely heard a word. All he could think about was how he had been told to drop the investigation of Katherine’s shooting.
Why? Everyone knows Senior Special Agent Toddson is a stooge.
There would be no investigation, and that made him more determined than ever to find the connection between the two. Who wanted Katherine dead? And why did his boss not want him to look into her attempted murder?
***
FBI Headquarters: Hoover Building
Washington, D.C.
March 9, 2008
4:45 PM
~~~
Alex put away his notes on the shooting in his d
esk drawer and locked it up. The investigation into Katherine’s shooting and the caller who threatened him had gotten nowhere. Danny hadn’t been able to trace the call, saying something about dropped packets or some encryption software. All Danny could tell him was that it originated in D.C. and that it hadn’t been on a land line. In other words... nothing.
On his way out of the Hoover Building to the parking garage, he pulled out his cell and finger-swiped his way through his contacts until he found the number he was looking for.
After three rings a woman picked up. “Hey, Alex.”
He smiled. “Hey, Doc, do you have time to grab some dinner? I’ve got something I need to talk to you about.”
“Alex, you need to get yourself a real therapist.”
Her halfhearted chastisement made him smile. There would never be another therapist, only Doc. “You know it isn’t as simple as all that.”
The sound of her familiar sigh filled his ear. “Okay, how about you come by for dinner? We can have a couple beers and throw some burgers on the grill.”
He chuckled. “It’s freezing outside and you want to grill?”
Doc laughed. “Who said anything about me grilling? You want to talk you have to earn your session.”
“Yes, ma’am! I’ll see you in a few.” He ended the call and sighed as he slipped into his car. He’d made a lot of progress in the last few years in dealing with his problems, but he knew he still had a long way to go. Having Doc provide him therapy and medication on the side allowed him to function on the job without fear of losing his security clearance or his rank of Chief Special Agent at the CIA.
As a CIA agent undercover, he needed to assess Katherine and Charles as threats and uncover who within the FBI was allowing an organized crime group to go unchecked. As part of the agreement between the two agencies and the Attorney General, he was also to avail the FBI of his expertise in criminal profiling. He had helped to capture over ten criminals during his short stint as a law enforcement officer.
In all his planning, though, he hadn’t figured out how to keep a boundary between himself and Katherine. The lack of protection left him vulnerable to his natural wants and needs as man, especially in light of his oftentimes crippling addiction. Despite Doc’s best efforts to help him control it, he spiraled out of control too often.