Deep Cover

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  He stared at her thoughtfully. “Have you given any thought to where you want to work next?”

  She didn’t bother to control the confusion that was surely evident on her face. “I thought I was starting with the taskforce tomorrow.”

  “I mean after that.” One hand lifted and waved vaguely. “Assuming everything works out with this taskforce and we’re able to stop whatever Salman is planning, what do you want to do next?”

  Surprised by the question, she shrugged. “I haven’t really thought about it. Why?”

  “Because I think you are going to have some choices to make,” he told her. “The assignment boards are going to be meeting in the next few weeks. With your performance over the past few years, your wishes will definitely be taken into account. And if I’m not mistaken, your name is going to be on the next promotion list.”

  “Really?” Surprise and delight sounded in her voice. She’d been promoted just over a year ago, but it had taken months for her to find out about it because of her cover assignment. “You know, I haven’t really thought about career options. I just assumed the Agency would want me to go back undercover.”

  “You’ve been invaluable in that role, but Scott has been very impressed with how you’ve handled yourself working the Middle East desk. He’s in line for a chief of station spot overseas, which means headquarters is going to be looking for his replacement. You would have a shot at it.”

  Kelsey let his revelation sink in for a moment. She thought of the safety she would enjoy if she were working in the United States for a change, balancing that against the responsibility of stepping into a management position. In the back of her mind, she considered that this career wasn’t even one she had chosen for herself. “How soon would I have to decide?”

  “Overseas assignments just posted, but you don’t exactly work the kinds of jobs that go through official notices. My guess is you’d have to let me know within the next month or so if you want to be considered for Scott’s position.”

  “Thanks.” She stood up. “You’ve definitely given me a lot to think about.”

  * * *

  “What is it with you and secrets lately?” Devin asked Noah as soon as they were clear of Burt’s office. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were assigned to an interagency taskforce.”

  “Burt told me I couldn’t say anything. What did you expect me to do?”

  Devin gave him a resigned look. “Okay, so maybe I get that, but what about Kelsey?”

  “What about Kelsey?”

  “You started dating someone, and I had to practically interrogate you to get you to tell me about it.” Devin strode toward his desk and plopped down into his chair. “I swear, if the girl couldn’t cook, I still wouldn’t know about her.”

  “That’s not true. I would have told you about her.”

  “When?”

  “I don’t know.” Noah dropped into his own chair and swiveled to face Devin. “It’s not like I was hiding her from you. I only met her a couple of weeks ago.”

  “You two certainly got chummy fast, then.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about the way you’re with her all the time. You act like you’ve been together for months, not weeks.” He leaned forward in his chair. “And let’s be honest. I can tell it’s serious between you two, or you would have told me about her.”

  Noah’s eyebrows drew together, a faint wrinkle forming in the center of his forehead. “I never said I was serious about her.”

  “This is me you’re talking to. You didn’t have to.” He rested his arms casually on the edge of his desk. “She doesn’t have a sister, does she?”

  Noah nodded, but before Devin could get too excited, he added, “Her younger sister is married with two kids.”

  “Bummer. Maybe Kelsey has a friend who’s single.”

  Noah chuckled and pointed to Devin’s computer. “Get back to work.”

  * * *

  Kelsey unlocked Noah’s front door and kicked off her shoes as soon as she walked inside. The cane in her hand would be gone in a matter of days, and life had taken on a new normal, one she had always wanted but was afraid she would never find.

  Her days of wearing a burqa and niqāb now felt like some distant dream, and she had discovered that she enjoyed wearing jeans and T-shirts when she could pick anything out of her closet. No longer did she catch herself staring at the ground every time a man entered the room, nor was she looking over her shoulder in search of Salman and his men. Now she felt like the hunter instead of the hunted.

  Her time spent working on the Middle East desk had been useful in giving her a bigger picture of Salman’s operation and a glimpse of the supply chains that provided him and his training camps with weapons, money, and everything else necessary to continue his vendetta against everything American.

  She had continued to search personnel files in the hope of identifying a possible leak, but unfortunately, she hadn’t turned up anything useful. Except for Eli, everyone in the Middle East division had served overseas at some point, but no one had anything in their lives that screamed I’m giving away government secrets!

  Now that she was moving on to work with the new taskforce, she hoped someone in one of the other intelligence agencies would be able to shed some light on possibilities.

  She thought of Graham’s comment, of the decision that would soon be placed before her. Would she go back undercover? Did she want another overseas assignment?

  For so many years, she had trained for that life, trained to be invisible when necessary, learning whatever language would help her gain information. She thought of James and his frustration when she had been chosen to work in the directorate of operations when he had been assigned to work as a headquarters-based translator. She knew from James’s personnel file that he had done well for himself, gaining promotions and moving into a critical position in liaison. Apparently, he had made the most of his situation, and she was still wondering how she had let this career take over her life.

  Standing in Noah’s house, she had to ask herself if maybe it was time to reanalyze her priorities. After her breakup with James, dating and marriage had become something that happened only to other people, something she always hoped might happen to her later. Had later finally arrived? And did she dare hope for what she had always wanted?

  Granted, she and Noah were still getting to know each other, but she couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed this new routine. She loved knowing she would have someone to share her day with each night and someone to talk to who didn’t want anything from her except to share her company.

  She thought of her job and how much she had to censor from him. If things continued to progress between them, if she chose to stay here in Virginia, she was going to have to bring him into her circle of confidence.

  She would have to get Agency approval first. After all, most Agency employees didn’t even know her real name. Still, with his career, surely getting approval to tell him that she was CIA would only be a formality.

  Kelsey walked to the countertop, where a pot roast was simmering in the slow cooker. After getting a taste of American food with Noah the other night, she found she wanted to reacquaint herself with some more of her old favorites.

  Now comfortable in Noah’s home, she grabbed a glass of water and sat down at the little desk area in his kitchen to check her e-mail at his computer.

  After responding to her mother’s latest message, she set the table and put the pot roast in a serving dish.

  When Noah didn’t walk in at six like he normally did, she assumed he’d gotten caught in traffic. At six fifteen, she turned on his TV to check the traffic reports. By six thirty, the pot roast was back in the slow cooker warming, and Kelsey and her cane were wearing a path between Noah’s family room and the front window in what she considered his music room.

  Two different traffic reports came on while she waited, each of them saying the same thing. Heavy volume on 95 S
outh, but no accidents tying anything up. In other words, traffic was normal.

  The idea of going to family home evening without Noah wasn’t one she was willing to entertain, but Heather’s comment about Noah never lasting more than a week or two with anyone started circling around her brain.

  Maybe Noah wasn’t coming home because he knew she would be there. Maybe he didn’t want to eat dinner with her every night.

  She pulled the curtains aside and stared out the window again. Even if that were true, surely he would tell her to her face. He didn’t seem like the type who would hide from confrontation.

  At three minutes to seven, her patience finally snapped. She reached into her back pocket for her cell phone to call him only to discover it wasn’t there. Realizing that she must have left it at her house, she started for the front door.

  She reached for the knob just as the door swung open.

  “Oh, you are here.” Noah stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “I didn’t know if you got my text.”

  Relief swamped through her. “I left my phone at home.”

  He paused in the middle of loosening his tie. “I’m sorry. I got tied up at work.”

  “It’s all right,” Kelsey said, her emotions still churning. “Have you eaten?”

  “No. I’m starving.” Noah walked with her into the kitchen and tugged his tie free. When he saw the kitchen table was still set with two places, he turned back to look at her. “You haven’t eaten yet?”

  “I was waiting for you.”

  Noah grabbed the hot pads Kelsey had left on the counter and carried the slow cooker to the table himself. “You must have been bored to death waiting for me.”

  “It wasn’t that bad,” Kelsey lied. “I hope you don’t mind, but I used your computer to e-mail my parents.”

  “Of course I don’t mind.” He slid into his seat. “It looks like we aren’t going to make it to FHE tonight.”

  Kelsey gave a nonchalant shrug. “That’s okay. I think they were playing volleyball anyway. I’m definitely not up for that yet.”

  “We could hang out here and just watch a movie,” Noah suggested. “It would be nice to blow off a little steam.”

  Kelsey took a deep breath and willed her emotions to settle. “Yes, it would.”

  Chapter 17

  Noah knew he should wake Kelsey up, but she looked so peaceful sleeping on his couch, her head resting against his shoulder. They had started the movie after dinner, but Kelsey’s new work schedule had apparently caught up with her. Not twenty minutes into the show, she had started dozing. Even though it was still relatively early, he imagined she would want to get a good night’s sleep tonight since she was starting a new job in the morning.

  Her dark eyelashes contrasted against her dusky golden complexion, her long hair curtaining part of her face.

  She was starting to worry him. He already knew from her family that she rarely stayed in Virginia for long. He wanted to think this time was different, but she had said herself that she expected to go back overseas as soon as she recovered from her injuries.

  Noah brushed a strand of her hair back from her face, and she stirred slightly. “Hey, Kels. Wake up.”

  “Mmmm.” She sat back and rubbed at her eyes. “What time is it?”

  “Almost ten.”

  “I’m sorry.” She started to move away, but his hand around her shoulder kept her anchored against him. “I haven’t been very good company tonight.”

  “You’re always good company.” Noah shifted and lowered his lips to hers. She lifted a hand to his chest as the kiss drew out, and her other hand brushed against the back of his neck. When he pulled back, he was struck with a sneaky sense of panic. What was he going to do if she really moved away after she fully recovered? Losing the cane was only the first step, but he was afraid she would make the subsequent steps much too quickly.

  Her eyebrows gathered, apparently noticing his serious expression. “Is something wrong?”

  “I was just wondering how long you’re going to stay in Virginia.” He stared at her for a moment. “I can’t imagine living here anymore without you.”

  She gave a slight smile. “Actually, I just found out about a job here in the DC area that my boss suggested I apply for.”

  His mood instantly brightened. “Really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  “Are you considering it?”

  “Yeah,” she admitted. “I think I am.”

  * * *

  Ted Stoddard from NCIS gave Kelsey a brisk handshake, handed over a thick file detailing his investigation into the missing weapons, and then immediately got to work at the desk he had chosen in the far corner of the room.

  Their temporary office was long and narrow, with two desks occupying the corners nearest the door. Cullen had claimed the small private office that opened up into their space. In the center of the main work area, a worktable and a handful of chairs were situated in front of the two plasma screens set up on the wall. In the corner nearest Ted’s desk, white file boxes lined the wall. The exterior labels identified the various agencies that had provided the data, all of them marked “Top Secret.”

  The FBI agent hadn’t arrived yet but was expected within a half hour.

  Cullen’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “The FBI already sent over a lot of their files on that case in Lorton. I think that’s probably your best place to start.”

  Kelsey took another look at the file boxes lining the back wall. “I will. First I want to check in with the other members of the taskforce.”

  Cullen nodded and walked to one of the two empty desks. He powered on one of the computers and set about instructing her on how to open the secure video conferencing tools to communicate with Skip Hammond from NSA and Manuel Sanchez from Fort Huachuca. Because of the difference in time zones, their teammate in Arizona wasn’t yet in his office, but Kelsey was able to “meet” her counterpart from the NSA.

  Kelsey guessed Skip to be in his midthirties, although his receding hairline made him look a bit older. He gave her a flirtatious smile and said, “So you’re the CIA expert.”

  “I guess you could say that.” Kelsey’s shoulders lifted slightly. “Have you had any luck decrypting any of Salman Nassar’s e-mails?”

  “We’ve broken through a few layers of encryption, but so far, we haven’t been able to confirm that any of them belong to Salman. It’s possible these are from someone else in his household, but it’s hard to know without being sure about the players.”

  “Send me the transcripts of everything you’ve got. I’ll take care of figuring out who they came from.”

  His expression held a hint of skepticism, but he said, “You got it. I’ll send over what we have so far.”

  “I appreciate it.” Kelsey heard the office door open, followed by Cullen’s welcoming greeting. Then she heard a familiar voice behind her and froze, too stunned to move as she realized her personal life had just walked into her top-secret world.

  * * *

  Noah’s head spun. As soon as he’d arrived at the headquarters office on Quantico, he had been directed to Graham Endicott from the CIA. He understood a little more now about his role on this taskforce and why he had been chosen. His discovery of Medrano’s warehouse had brought him to the attention of this man who was determined to find out who in the US intelligence community was leaking information. He also now understood that Medrano wasn’t the big fish the CIA was after. He was only a stepping stone to get to Salman Nassar, one of the most feared terrorists in the Middle East.

  After receiving a basic briefing from Graham, he was taken to another building, where his new temporary office was housed. He started into the large room but stopped midstride when he noticed the cane leaning against the worktable. The woman facing the conference screen had hair the same length and color as Kelsey . . . He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. The woman had gotten to him, and now he was seeing her everywhere he went.

  “Everyone, th
is is Noah Cabbott,” Cullen said as he walked toward the desks on the right side of the room. “Ted over there is with NCIS,” he began.

  Ted stood and crossed to shake Noah’s hand. “Good to meet you.”

  “You too,” Noah said.

  “Two of our guys will be working from remote locations. They will be sending their information through Kelly.” He motioned to where the woman to his left had been video conferencing with someone a moment ago. “Kelly is an analyst from the CIA. She’s an expert in the Middle East and knows more about Salman Nassar than anyone else I know.”

  “Nice to meet . . .” His voice trailed off when she turned.

  Kelsey stood and stuck out her hand like she had never seen him before, like she hadn’t stood on her porch last night with him when he kissed her good night. “It’s Noah, right? I’m Kelly Park.” She motioned to the empty desk beside hers. “I think that desk is yours.”

  Before Noah could respond, Cullen put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve got to get back to Langley, but Kelly will make sure you have anything you need. We’ll have a briefing at ten o’clock to bring everyone up to speed.”

  Noah gave him a weak nod, waiting for him to leave the room before he turned back to Kelsey. He stared at her, completely bewildered. Who was this woman? She clearly wasn’t the nanny she had claimed to be, nor was she just in town to heal from a car accident. Cullen’s words played over in his head again and again.

  Kelly . . . CIA analyst . . . expert in Middle East . . . knows about Salman.

  Hurt and betrayal rushed through him. Every impression he had had about Kelsey, everything she had told him, had been based on lies. Even her own family thought she was something she wasn’t. He had thought he really knew her, but obviously, he had been mistaken about everything.

  As though she could read his thoughts, Kelsey’s eyes met his. Even though Ted was across the room, her face still didn’t show any signs of recognition. Logically, he understood that the details she had shared with him about her time overseas had been some elaborate cover story. That didn’t stop the hurt though or the fact that he had started to expect this woman to share his future, a woman he didn’t truly know.