“Don’t rush. It’s more important that it get done right, than fast.”
“Maybe I should skip to the last section in David’s handwriting.” She began to flip pages in the notebook.
He rested his hand over hers. “Do the whole book. It’ll be safer that way. We’ll have a better idea of who all the players are.”
She pulled away from his touch and nodded. He couldn’t resist brushing his hand through her long hair, smoothing it over her shoulder and down her back. She shifted in the chair, leaning away from him.
He’d have to be a complete idiot to miss the signals her body language was sending. She wasn’t about to forgive him.
He wasn’t about to give up. “By my reckoning, it’ll be a good four days before we can put that information to use. Which means you have time to take a break for a sandwich and a walk on the beach.”
“Are sandwiches all you know how to make?” She didn’t smile. But she didn’t say no, either.
“They’re quick, easy, portable. What more do you want from a meal?”
“Portable?”
“An important characteristic when the intention is to dine alfresco.”
“I see.” She looked back at the codebook.
He could almost read her mind, the expression on her face was so transparent. “Tell you what. You keep translating. I’ll prepare the food. When I’m done, you take a break. Deal?”
She nodded, still reluctant, but at least she’d agreed.
No doubt about it, he admired her determination. But determination wouldn’t keep her safe when it came down to guns and traitors.
That thought sent a chill running through his bones. He’d promised to catch the Angelinis’ killers but he wouldn’t risk her life to accomplish it.
Sometime during the next few days, along with forcing her to take breaks, they were going to have a session on gun handling.
Chapter Fourteen
Jacquelyn sent three agents to work with Ryan. He met them at the airport thirty-six hours after he’d placed the first call. John Danse, the agent he’d met on his last assignment in Montana, came off the plane first.
“Jacquelyn gave me the report on your friend.” He shook hands with Ryan. “We need to talk.”
“You’ve read it?”
John nodded, his expression grim. “I haven’t shared it with the others yet.”
“But it doesn’t look good?”
John shook his head. He seemed reluctant to say anything else.
Ryan turned away and watched as other passengers de-barked from the plane. “A rap sheet doesn’t always tell the whole story.”
“True enough.”
“How bad is it?”
“You’ll have to be the judge of that.” John pulled a file out of his carry-on bag and handed it to Ryan. “As team leader, it’s up to you when and how much the others know.”
He took the file but made no move to read it. The other two agents, Carly and Matt Adams came down the gang-way. Normally, married agents weren’t assigned together, but availability and their particular skills made them the best choice for this situation.
While the team claimed their luggage Ryan glanced through the file. The name and mug shot attached to the fingerprint search matched Alex, but the list of alleged offenses had to belong to someone else. An outstanding arrest warrant listed drugs, blackmail…his gut clenched in a sour knot.
He couldn’t believe the woman he’d come to know would have willingly participated in these crimes. The pieces didn’t fit.
Of course, how well did he know her? Based on the information in the file, he had to wonder just how far his emotions had led him astray.
His gut instincts had saved his behind on many an occasion. The possibility that he’d lost that edge didn’t sit well.
There had to be more to the story. If there wasn’t, the Angelinis were guilty of obstruction of justice at the very least. Was it the beginning of a pattern that had led to their deaths?
Ryan used the drive to Jamie’s estate to explain the basic situation and fill in the team on what they knew so far, stopping short of reviewing the contents of Alex’s file.
John didn’t say anything about the omission. He didn’t need to. Ryan read all sorts of meaning into the silence, knowing he would have thought the same if the situation were reversed.
He also knew how pissed off he’d be to discover this kind of information had been held back during a briefing. It wouldn’t be fair to the team to keep them in the dark. But he couldn’t bring himself to damn Alex in their eyes before they even met her. She deserved a chance to prove herself.
As they neared the estate, Ryan made his decision. “We ran Alex’s prints and Jacquelyn sent the file.” The fact that a file existed conveyed a certain amount of information. “Once you’ve met Alex, we’ll sort out all the information.”
“You want us to form our own conclusions?” Carly asked from the back seat.
Ryan met her steady gaze in the rearview mirror. “I need a fresh read on the situation.”
Carly didn’t respond, but her raised eyebrows as she exchanged a glance with Matt hinted at her thoughts.
Way to go, boyo. Why not just flat out tell them you’ve fallen for her and have no perspective.
ALEX TORE ANOTHER SHEET from the tablet of paper and reviewed the information she’d translated. With each page, vague memories had come into focus. The transactions documented in the notebook revealed a pattern, one she recognized from her days in Los Angeles.
The return of Ryan with the newly arrived agents saved her from further contemplation of what the similarities could mean.
Introductions were completed and the usual polite travel inquiries answered. With the social niceties met, she turned over the pages she’d translated then disappeared into the guest bedroom where she could work without distraction.
While she continued decoding the book, the others tackled their own tasks. According to Ryan, Carly was a computer whiz, and she’d put her skills to work digging up material on each name decoded.
John and Matt were going to drive around the island, familiarizing themselves with the lay of the land and assembling the equipment they’d need for the operation.
Ryan reviewed the translations and Carly’s printouts, assembling dossiers on each person named. He also forced Alex to take an occasional break. More than once, he’d taken the pen and paper from her hands and insisted she stop.
Even then, she took her camera along, still working, but at least it was on something different. Something that didn’t remind her of her friends’ deaths.
The camera also served as a barrier against Ryan. He seemed to know she was hiding behind it and set on a determined campaign to lure her out. Even so, the longest she stayed away from the cottage was an hour. Most breaks were shorter. The notebook dragged her back.
Evenings were spent lounging in the living room, reviewing information, discussing scenarios, options, resources. Time was too tight to bring in additional operatives. The small team would have to rely on themselves and all probable outcomes needed to be considered.
Two days after their arrival Alex entered the kitchen and laid another sheaf of pages on the table. “That’s everything.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. All conversation stopped as Ryan read the final list of names, then passed it to the others. He stood and pulled her into his arms. “It’s almost over, baby.”
The days had taken their toll on her. She’d barely slept or eaten. Exhaustion dragged at her, weakening her resolve. For a few precious seconds she allowed Ryan’s embrace to comfort her.
She pulled away from him and glanced at the other team members who were all politely comparing notes and studiously ignoring them. “What’s the next step?”
Her question seemed to startle them. They looked from Ryan to her and back.
Ryan cleared his throat. “Now that we know all the players, we set up the sting.”
“I don’t think you do know all the players.
” Alex put some distance between herself and Ryan.
“What do you mean?” He stepped toward her then stopped at the shake of her head.
This was the opening she needed to tell them the truth. If Casey hadn’t already done so, it would only be a matter of time before she dug into Alex’s past and discovered that she really wasn’t very different from the scum they were trying to capture.
So much to lose. Her heart thudded in her throat. David and Justin had lost even more. She owed it to them to finish the investigation. To do that, she needed to be honest with Ryan’s team. They deserved to know the truth and it should come from her.
She took a deep breath and started. “Before the Angelinis brought me back to Oahu, I lived in Los Angeles. I had gotten involved with…” The words stuck in her throat. She swallowed around the choking knot and continued. “There was a blackmail operation. I’ve remembered more details than I’d like to, but not everything. Just enough to know there were drugs involved. And other women. Some younger than me.”
“Vulnerable, easy targets.” Matt picked up his equipment and focused on making minute adjustments.
Casey gave a little nod. “It’s an old story that never seems to end.”
“I was in rather deep.” She crossed her arms over her stomach, clutching her elbows in a vain effort to ease the building nausea. “Very deep. The man at the head seemed to take a liking to me and allowed me access to certain information.”
“That’s in the past, baby. You don’t have to—”
“Yes I do.” She held up one hand, stopping Ryan from coming any closer. “Because that operation ran an awful lot like this one.”
“You think they’re connected?” John asked.
She nodded. “I recognize a couple names from the L.A. operation, the transactions are similar. When I add in how secretive David and Justin were, it all ties together.”
“Who is the leader?” Casey looked up from her laptop, her fingers poised above the keyboard. “Do you remember his name?”
“Frank Sullivan.”
The soft clicking of computer keys filled the background as she continued. “You probably won’t find much, if anything, on him. He had a knack for protecting himself. Others always took the fall, out of loyalty or expediency.”
Matt grinned. “If there’s a byte of data on the man, Casey will find it.” He rubbed his wife’s shoulder, and the gesture seemed to convey his pride and love all at once.
The interplay triggered a longing in Alex. Would she ever have a chance at that kind of closeness? Ryan had offered her a small taste of what it could be like. She savored every second of their nascent closeness, but what chance did that have of ever developing into a reality after all this?
The team’s casual acceptance of her past gave her some hope. No one gave any indication that knowing her history affected their attitude toward her. She would do everything in her power to prove herself worthy of their trust.
“You think Pela knows about your connection?” John asked.
“I’m not sure. If Sullivan is behind this, and if Pela is one of the higher-ranking members of his ring…” She shrugged.
“What about David? Would he have said anything?”
“David never cared for Pela. Even if he had, my background isn’t exactly the kind you brag about.”
“True enough.” Casey smiled at her. “It’s also true that sometimes facts take on greater importance than they warrant.”
Was Casey trying to tell her it didn’t matter? Alex looked at the men. Their expressions gave no hints to their thoughts, but their bodies revealed a nearly imperceptible easing of tension. “We can use my past to your advantage.”
“What were you thinking?” John leaned against the counter, his legs crossed at the ankle.
The casual pose didn’t fool her. Ryan might be the team leader, but John was the skeptic. He was the one she needed to convince this was their best course of action.
“We play their game. They’re blackmailing politicians and corporate executives to achieve their goal. So, we blackmail them.”
“You were right about Sullivan being clean.” Casey looked up from her computer. “I haven’t found anything on him.”
“Yet,” Matt interjected.
Casey smiled, but ignored her husband’s interruption. “How do you propose we blackmail him?”
“They’re already looking for me so they must suspect I have information, either on film or in writing. I offer to meet with the leader, using the notebook as leverage.”
“You really think that will work?” John made no attempt to hide his skepticism.
“Sullivan’s pride will work to our advantage. He’ll want to stare down anyone foolish enough to challenge him at his own game.”
“Are you up to facing him?” Casey sounded genuinely concerned about her.
“I’ll have to be.”
“You can’t be serious.” Ryan looked at each agent in turn. “You don’t have to humor her. She’s done her part. Now it’s up to us.”
“We don’t have time for humor.” John pushed away from the counter and faced Ryan. “What she’s proposing has some merit.”
“No. She’s a civilian.” She didn’t have the training to participate. Ryan paced across the room, stopping in front of Alex. “Your role is done. You’ve provided us with all the information we need. We’ll take it from here.”
He wouldn’t put her at risk. Her friends had tried to protect her. He could do no less. “Just give us a couple more days, then you can get back to something a little more normal.”
Normal. For him that had come to mean having her around. Normal meant her sleeping across the hall from him. Normal meant waking with her cat on the pillow beside his head.
He wanted normal to include her sleeping in his bed, sheltered in his arms.
In the short time he’d known her, he’d come to relish the stolen moments with her. But once they completed this assignment, he’d be returning to DC where normal didn’t include a woman or her cat.
Who would take care of her then?
“If someone else shows up with this in their hand,” Alex held up the notebook, “no one is going to believe it’s the real deal unless they provide an on-the-spot translation. To do that, you need someone who can translate on the spot. The only person who can do that is me.”
“No.” He refused to endanger the woman he loved.
Love? That wasn’t what he meant. His stomach rolled over before climbing up his throat and threatening to choke him. He cared about her, sure, but love? Love meant making a commitment, being there to take care of her. Letting her get closer to him than she already had, closer than he’d let anyone get since his mother deserted him.
Love meant sharing his days with her, sleeping with her in his arms. Waking up with a cat on his pillow. Love meant a shot at normal.
If he really loved her, he’d be doing everything within his power to protect her. Which was exactly what he intended to do.
“She has a point.” Casey looked up from her computer and pinned him with a steady look.
“That’s one of the reasons why you’re here, sugar. If we need a woman to go in, you can stand in for Alex.”
“Don’t ‘sugar’ me, Williams.” Casey leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Her narrowed gaze warned he was close to crossing some line he hadn’t been aware of nearing. “The only resemblance I bear to Alex is my eye color.”
“We can pick up a wig.”
“Which doesn’t do a thing for the inches she has on me in height, or the pounds I have on her in weight. These people aren’t stupid. If a woman has to go in there, we may not have any choice but to send Alex.”
“Then we’ll just have to make sure it’s not necessary.”
“Jacquelyn warned me that you wouldn’t like working with a woman. After your last case, I can understand your hesitancy.”
“You’re right. I don’t believe in putting a civilian,” he emphasized the word,
“in danger if it can be avoided.”
He looked to the men for support. “You can’t condone using a civilian in a situation that puts them in danger. John, come on. You know better than anyone the risks involved.”
John’s last assignment had reunited him with his estranged wife, a woman he hadn’t seen in eight years. She’d nearly died when the mission went south big time. Ryan had barely found them in time. “How is Tommi?”
“Mostly healed and driving me crazy. She wouldn’t let me decline this mission, you know, not when she found out it was you needing backup.” John went to the refrigerator for the lemonade pitcher. He refilled all the glasses on the table before continuing. “We all know the risks. I also know it sometimes can’t be helped. Sometimes the mission has to take precedence over personal sentiment.”
Personal. That’s what it had become. If he were honest with himself, that’s what it had been from the first moment he clapped eyes on Alex. He’d immediately appointed himself as her guardian.
The role had come naturally enough for him. Now they expected him to just let that go? He’d sooner gargle with donkey piss.
Ryan looked from one team member to the next. Their expressions held varying degrees of sympathy. They all understood what he was going through, had experienced the same sort of impossible situation themselves at one time or another in their careers.
“Fine.” Ryan nearly choked on the word. He really didn’t have much choice. Their options were limited and the odds weren’t exactly stacked in their favor. Each agent had a role to fulfill. If they had any chance of bringing down Sullivan and his ring, they needed Alex to play bait in their trap. “We use Alex. But she doesn’t go in alone.”
THEY MOVED THEIR BASE of operations to Jamie’s house the next morning, needing more space for their planning and equipment checks. Even so, what they had seemed pitifully small, considering what they needed to accomplish.
Jamie gave them complete access to his office and anything else he might have that would be of use to their operation.
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