“Well, we know that now…”
“And how did Stone…?”
Johnson took a deep breath. “Afterward, Stone told me that he fell in love with a young Afghan girl. She and her mother were running a secret school for girls—the extremists didn’t want girls getting an education. But they’d been found out, and were likely to be attacked by the extremists any day.”
“So Stone found a way to help them.”
“Yes—he got them fake passports and pretended to be the girl’s husband so he could smuggle them over the border and into Pakistan, where they had relatives and they’d be safe.”
“That doesn’t sound like a crime.”
“No, but he knew the CIA wouldn’t approve, so he didn’t get permission first. Once he’d gone into Pakistan, the team—which was him, Eli, and an Afghan man named Tariq—was exposed. Nobody blamed Stone directly, but it seemed obvious to everyone that Stone had gone rogue and burned the rest of the team in his wake.”
“But you didn’t believe that.”
“I knew Stone could never do that. It was too dangerous for him to return to Kabul, so I managed to get him into Geneva, where he got surgery to make him unrecognizable, and then he came back into the US. Eli managed to leave Kabul and get another assignment.”
“And what about Tariq?”
Johnson shook his head. “Tariq disappeared. I always assumed he’d been the mole, the one who’d exposed the team—I mean, if Stone hadn’t done it, who had? Eli had too much going for him with the arms business and everything…”
“But if the truth about the extremists came out, Eli would get into trouble for saying they weren’t dangerous.”
“Well, he got out of the situation in time. Maybe he could read the wind—he knew the extremists were up to something bad, something serious.”
“But over the phone, Eli said…”
“That he wanted to find Tariq?” Johnson smiled thinly. “I’ve got a few CIA contacts of my own, and I called them once Eli’d left Vegas. Tariq resurfaced a few months back, now that things in Kabul are a bit better. He was given a US green card for his services, and he’s somewhere here.”
“But we still don’t know if Eli betrayed the team or Tariq.”
“After all these years,” said Eli drily, “I’ve got some idea. And especially if Eli wants to find Tariq before Stone does—”
“Maybe he’s just worried that Stone will hurt Tariq,” I said, trying to play devil’s advocate.
“Maybe. But that’s not likely.”
“And if Tariq had nothing to do with it, then he’d know the truth about Eli,” I said thoughtfully.
“Exactly. Stone’s persona non grata for his crimes, but if we can just clear his name…”
“But if Eli was the one who turned in the team, maybe Tariq’s also in the dark.”
“I doubt it—the man knew to disappear before things got too bad. He must’ve realized what Eli was up to.”
“Then why doesn’t he just tell the CIA?”
“My theory is that he’s looking for proof. It was dangerous for him back in Kabul, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to risk being sent back. Eli may have retired, but he’s still got powerful friends.”
“So if we find Tariq in time, maybe we can get him to help Stone out.”
“I’ve got scouts trying to find out where he’s landed. He can’t be invisible—it’s just a matter of finding him before Eli does.”
I looked at Johnson and forced myself to smile, despite the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Things hadn’t improved the way I’d thought they would—Stone was still in trouble, and there was still work to be done.
“I’m sure we’ll find Tariq,” I said, forcing myself to sound optimistic. “I’m sure everything will be okay soon.”
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High Stakes and Hazelnut Cupcakes in Las Vegas Page 13