Deep Cover

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Noah burst into the hangar, nearly stumbling over the body sprawled in the doorway. His eyes flew to where Enrique stood over Medrano’s lifeless form, a cell phone in one hand and his gun in the other.

  He quickly scanned the room to see Kelsey also lying on the hard concrete floor.

  “No!” He dropped down beside her and ripped the veil from her face—her very pale face.

  She stirred before he could check for a pulse, her eyes fluttering open with confusion followed by a well of tears.

  Relief inundated him, mixing with rage and fear. “Are you hit?” Noah asked, his voice shaky.

  “I don’t know. I think everything hit my vest.” She winced when she tried to move and blinked hard to keep any tears from spilling over. “Is Medrano . . . ?”

  Noah shot a questioning look at Enrique, who was beside Medrano’s body. “Yeah, both of these guys are dead.”

  “What happened?” Noah asked Kelsey. When she didn’t answer, he shifted his attention back to Enrique.

  “I was just outside the hangar when I heard Medrano call someone on the phone. He put it on speaker, so I was able to hear the guy tell Medrano to check her fingerprints.”

  Enrique motioned toward Kelsey. “I saw her reach for her weapon. That’s when I shot the one by the door. She and Medrano exchanged fire.”

  Noah looked around the hangar, able to envision the scenario much too clearly. He looked over at Kelsey, and he forced the frightening images aside so he could tend to her.

  “Let’s make sure you’re okay.” Noah peeled away the robe to reveal the body armor he had insisted she wear. He tensed when he saw blood on the sleeve of the white T-shirt she wore beneath it. “Don’t move. It looks like the vest didn’t catch everything.”

  Two other agents entered the hangar, but Noah stayed focused on Kelsey, his hands gently removing her body armor and then rolling her sleeve back so he could look at her shoulder where a bullet had apparently hit her.

  “How is she?” Enrique asked and squatted down beside them.

  Noah blew out a relieved breath. “It looks like she took three hits. Two hit the vest, and the other grazed her shoulder.” Gently, he pressed down on Kelsey’s ribs, where two bullets had impacted only an inch apart. She squirmed instantly, and her eyes glazed over in pain.

  “Sorry. I think you may have a cracked rib.” Noah supported her hand and back and slowly helped her sit up. “We need to get you to the hospital.”

  She shook her head. “We can’t take the chance that Salman will find out I survived. Gunshot wounds are reported.”

  “You need X-rays, and you need stitches,” Noah countered.

  Before the conversation could continue, Burt walked in. “The pilot is the only one who’s in any condition to talk.”

  “The guards?”

  “They’re alive. The paramedics are already tending to them.” Burt motioned at Kelsey. “We’re sealing this area off until the coroner gets here. Then we’ll pull three bodies out so we can keep up the illusion that she didn’t survive the encounter.”

  “She needs medical treatment,” Noah stated simply.

  Burt pulled a business card from his wallet. “Take her here. The doctor that runs this urgent care has worked with us in the past.”

  Noah pocketed the card and helped Kelsey up, her burqa pooling in a heap at her ankles. Now only clad in the shorts and T-shirt she had worn under it, she gingerly stepped free of her robe and the identity that went with it.

  Noah hooked a hand around her waist to support her before speaking to Burt once more. “Let me know if you get anything out of the pilot.”

  “I will.”

  Slowly, Noah led Kelsey outside to his car, images of what could have been circling viciously through his mind. She was still much too pale, her body leaning heavily against his. He opened her car door, and for the first time since leaving the hangar, he saw her face and the tears spilling silently onto her cheeks.

  “Hey.” Noah turned her into his arms, careful of her injuries. “It’s okay now.”

  She shook her head, speechless.

  “You’re okay now.” Noah ran a hand over her hair. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

  She swallowed hard, and her body trembled against his. “I killed him.”

  “He tried to kill you.” Noah drew her away so he could see her face and so he could see again that she truly was alive and whole. “I heard the gunshots, and I was afraid . . .” He had to stop and take a breath before he could utter the rest of his words. “I was afraid he had succeeded.”

  “That was my . . . I never . . .”

  She didn’t have to finish for Noah to understand. He remembered the first time he had pulled the trigger in the line of duty, the first time his actions had taken another’s life. He wanted to tell her that the sick, empty feeling would go away with time, that one day the memories would fade. He wanted to tell her those things, but he couldn’t. Instead, he simply held her for several long minutes until her tears were spent and the trembling faded.

  Clearly embarrassed, she pulled back and wiped at her damp cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry for.” Noah took her hand before she could pull away completely. “Let’s get you to the doctor. If we get lucky, by the time you’re all patched up, my friends will have all the information we need to stop these terrorist attacks and we can finally put this nightmare behind us.”

  Chapter 39

  The doctor said she was lucky. Her ribs where the bullets had impacted her body armor weren’t broken, only bruised, and the wound on her arm had been repaired with just a few stitches. Now she was on her way home with a prescription for pain medication and orders to rest for the next few days. Kelsey knew that wasn’t going to happen.

  “Did you want to stop by the pharmacy and pick up your prescription?” Noah asked when he took their exit off the freeway.

  “No. I won’t need it.”

  Noah glanced at her skeptically. “Kelsey, don’t you think it would be a good idea to have it on hand just in case?”

  “For all we know, Salman is still planning to attack in two days. We don’t have time for me to dull my brain with pain meds.”

  “Kelsey . . .”

  Her voice took on an edge. “If I really need something, I have the medicine the doctor gave me for my leg.”

  Noah didn’t respond, instead driving silently through the late evening rush hour, tension humming in the air. Kelsey stared straight ahead, watching the sun lowering in the western sky, light filtering through the trees in the distance.

  When Noah turned onto their street, kids and families were visible everywhere. Four teenage boys played basketball in one driveway, while three younger boys rode their skateboards down the sidewalks. A young couple walked down the street pushing a stroller, and two of the older ladies on the block visited in Mrs. Henderson’s front yard.

  Memories of her own childhood swamped her, and she wished desperately that she could go back to that earlier time before she knew how dangerous the world really was. A time before she had faced death, before she had caused death.

  Tears threatened again, but she blinked them back determinedly.

  Noah pulled into his garage and circled to open the door for her. “Come on.”

  Kelsey climbed out gingerly, a little annoyed that Noah hadn’t dropped her off at her house. With Miss Patty standing out on the sidewalk, the chances of getting inside without a confrontation were slim. She took a step toward her house, but before she could take another, Noah took her by the arm and started guiding her farther into the garage toward his door.

  “Noah, I just want to go home.”

  “We’ll talk inside.”

  “Noah . . .”

  His voice was low and tense. “Inside.”

  She huffed out a frustrated sigh, aware that several neighbors were in hearing distance. She could feel his tension and her own heightened emotions preventing her from considering the cause. Al
l she knew was that she wanted to go home. She wanted to hide in her room, where she could pretend she was safe, where she could mentally turn back the clock and imagine what her life would have been like if she hadn’t agreed to live this life of deceit and danger.

  Not prepared to make a scene with an audience, she let Noah usher her inside. His hand on her arm, he guided her through the door and into the living room.

  “Sit down, Kelsey.”

  “I don’t want to sit down. I want to go home.”

  “It’s not safe.” Noah stated the facts that she should have been the first to know. James knew where she lived. If he found out she was still alive, someone was bound to come after her. And if Salman learned she was really CIA, he was certain to alter his plans.

  “I shouldn’t even be in this neighborhood. What was I thinking?” She turned to face him, her tone now accusing. “What were you thinking?”

  “You’re safe here,” Noah said. “We’re tracing James’s cell phone. After dropping you off at the restaurant, he reported in to work. Then he left at the usual time and went home. Clearly he’s going to great efforts to make sure he isn’t drawing any attention to himself.”

  “He could call someone to make sure I didn’t come home.” Panic rose in her voice. “He knows some of the neighbors, and he knows my family.”

  “I already called and told Mrs. Henderson that you had some trouble with your old boyfriend and that if he called or came looking for you, we needed her to say that she hasn’t seen you,” Noah assured her. “I gave your family the same story.”

  “If James tells Salman who I really am, he’ll kill them. All of them. My brothers and sister. My nieces and nephews. My parents.”

  “We’ve assigned protective details to your family. I made sure they’re safe.”

  “How did you do that?” A new sense of panic sneaked through her. “Did you tell them what’s going on?”

  “I told all of them that I had a couple of friends visiting their area from out of town and needed a place to stay for a couple of days.” Noah shrugged. “Since they all live in different cities, it will probably take a few days before they talk and realize how odd it is that I asked them all the same favor on the same day.”

  She looked at him skeptically. “You just asked them to take in strangers, and they said yes?”

  “They’re family to me too,” Noah said simply. “Two agents are watching your parents’ house tonight, just to be safe. We’ll be here so you can translate if Salman does send someone.”

  Noah took her arm and guided her into the living room. “Manuel is tracking James’s calls, and Skip is monitoring his e-mail accounts and social media. They also put out flags to search for any mention of Kelly Park or Kelsey Weber.”

  She gaped at him. “You gave them my real name?”

  “No. Lewis did.”

  “So my cover is blown.” She dropped down on the couch, the pieces of her life shattering around her.

  “Kelsey, your cover is already blown.” Frustration sounded in his voice. “James knows who you are. I’m just making sure you aren’t somewhere where he can find you.”

  The truth of his words penetrated her shock. Her whole life at the CIA was vulnerable, her identity compromised. “I need to call the director.”

  “No, you need to rest.”

  “We only have two days.”

  “And there’s nothing we can do right now,” Noah said. “Let’s eat some dinner and try to relax a bit. You can sleep in my guest room until we have James in custody.”

  “I can’t spend the night here. What would the neighbors think?”

  “I don’t really care right now what the neighbors think,” he said sharply. “I just want to make sure you stay alive.”

  Kelsey looked at him now, really looked. Noah’s frustration and tension were so out of place, she finally thought to ask about the cause. “Why are you acting like you’re mad at me? I didn’t do anything.”

  “You tell me you love me right before you go off and expect to never return?” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Then you nearly do get killed, and the thing you’re worried about most is what the neighbors think?”

  “I do love you.” Her hands fluttered helplessly before she clasped them firmly together in her lap. “I just thought you should know that in case . . .”

  “In case someone killed you,” he finished for her. “Did it ever occur to you to be completely honest with me? You could have told me what was really going on.”

  “You know I couldn’t tell you. It was need-to-know.”

  “What I know is that I finally found someone I can imagine building a future with, and now I have to wonder if I really know who she is—again.” He waved in her direction. “You could have been killed today, and all you’re thinking about is what you need to do next for work. I don’t know if I could ever compete with your job.”

  Her voice rose. “You act like I want to live like this.”

  “Don’t you?”

  “Do you honestly think I like lying to everyone I care about? That I enjoy spending all of my time pretending to be someone I’m not?” She pushed off the couch, wincing a little as she crossed to the fireplace and looked at the two framed family photos on the mantel. One was the family he lost. The other the one he had gained.

  She picked up the photo of her family and stared down at the smiling faces. Noah stood between her two older brothers, and she wasn’t there. She looked back up at Noah. “I hate that nearly every photo for the past five years doesn’t have me in it. I hate knowing that even if I am around, I have to avoid the camera for fear that someone might post it online.”

  “Then why do you do it?”

  “I loved it at first,” she admitted. “I loved the travel and learning new languages. I loved the challenges. Then with this last assignment, I got trapped.” Suddenly weary, she let out a sigh. “When I joined, James made it seem like this great adventure we could do together. Then as soon as we both made it in, I got the life he dreamed of. He didn’t.” She shook her head sadly. “Maybe if I hadn’t joined the CIA with him, he might have gotten the overseas assignments he wanted and none of this would have ever happened.”

  “If he deserved an overseas job, he would have gotten one whether you were there or not.” Noah crossed to her and put his hands on her arms. “Kelsey, we’re going to get through this, but you can’t keep thinking that you have to do everything on your own. You need to trust the rest of our team to do their jobs.” He brought her hand to his lips. “You need to trust me.”

  Her shoulders relaxed marginally. “I do trust you.”

  “Then stay here tonight. If it will make you feel more comfortable, I’ll sleep down here on the couch.” He thought for a minute. “In fact, I’ll call up Devin and see if he’ll come stay the night too. It would be nice to have an extra set of ears and eyes tonight after the day we’ve had.”

  “Do you really think Devin is up to coming over? He hasn’t been out of the hospital for that long.”

  “He’s been home for over a month. Besides, I know we can trust him.”

  She lifted a hand to his cheek and then reached up to kiss him. “I really do love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  Chapter 40

  Noah heard the movement in his front yard and motioned for Devin to cover him from the dining room. Devin nodded, drew his weapon, and took aim. Cautiously, Noah approached his front door and looked through the peephole. Instantly, he relaxed and flipped the lock.

  Ted stepped inside the house, his eyes narrowing when he saw Devin a dozen feet away, his gun in his hand. “What’s going on? And why are we meeting here?”

  “Ted Stoddard, this is Devin Byers with the FBI.” Noah pointed at Devin and then motioned for them to follow him into the back of the house. He took a seat at the kitchen table and waited for the other two men to do the same. “The location of the taskforce offices has been compromised, and Cullen is still missing. I thought it would
be a good idea to sit down and figure out where we are now. We’re running out of time.”

  Ted’s brow creased. “Something’s happened.”

  “Yeah. Something happened.” He had already shared the pertinent details of the taskforce with Devin. Now he took the time to fill Ted in on James and give him the highlights of the day.

  “Where is Kelly now?”

  “Upstairs, asleep.” Noah shifted in his seat. “I didn’t want to trust using a safe house. I have no idea how much information this James guy has access to.”

  “I do have some news that will make you feel better,” Ted told him. “We figured out what Salman is planning.”

  “The boat in Virginia Beach?” Noah asked.

  Ted nodded. “It was pure luck that we found it. The boat was loaded down with explosives, including one of the stolen missiles. The boat had been rigged with remote devices, both for detonation and for guidance. Basically, it looks like someone would arm the explosives and then the boat would follow a predetermined path.”

  “Which means all of the shorelines in the target cities are vulnerable.” Noah shook his head, overwhelmed by the enormity of what they were facing. “We have five possible target cities left. How do we stop all of this?”

  “We call in help. As far as we can tell, NCIS hasn’t had any leaks. We can assemble teams out of the navy for bomb disposal and pull in the Coast Guard to help us search for the vessels. Five teams, five cities. In fact, we can put Boston on alert too, just in case we’re guessing wrong on that city not being a target.”

  Noah thought about what Kelsey had told him, that James would likely call in the information just in time to stop most of the terrorist attacks. “How long do you think it would normally take to respond to a threat like this in each city?”

  “If all of the personnel are available, it would take only a few minutes to respond.” His shoulders lifted. “Once found, I’d say the ordinance disposal would need a minimum of a half hour to capture the vessel and disarm the bomb, probably longer.”

  “Logically, James won’t give us much extra time.” Noah debated for a moment. “I think it’s time to divide and conquer. Can you work on setting up the response teams? They need to be undercover. Salman’s men can’t know we’re ready for the attacks, or he’ll likely strike somewhere else.”