Redemption

by Will Jordan

  A week ago, Franklin might have been intimidated by such a threat, but they were playing a different game now. Cain was backed into a corner and he knew it.

  ‘If I go down, you go with me,’ he promised. ‘I know what you did, and nothing you say can change that.’

  Cain smiled in amusement. ‘Tell me, what do you think you know?’

  ‘You tried to broker an illegal arms deal with a dictatorship, you tried to plant weapons of mass destruction in their country to justify an invasion, and when it went south you kept the money for yourself. You launched an attack against a civilian target, you authorised a strike against a Russian government facility, you hijacked intelligence assets and you tried to kill everyone who knew about it. Well, you failed, you son of a bitch.’

  ‘And you have proof of this, I assume?’ Cain challenged him. ‘There’s nothing to connect me to this “arms deal” you keep talking about. I don’t remember trying to kill anyone, and I certainly don’t recall hijacking intelligence assets. The raid on Khatyrgan was authorised by the Agency’s board of directors. Everyone signed it off, and the record will show that.’

  Franklin hesitated, daunted for a moment by his calm, reasoned argument. Why wasn’t he sweating? Why wasn’t he begging or trying to explain himself? It was as if Franklin’s threat carried no weight, as if he were nothing more than an irritating fly to be swatted away.

  ‘What the record will show is that you worked behind my back, interfered with my operation, and tried to subvert my authority. It will show that Drake turned renegade and helped a known criminal escape, assaulted government personnel and put innocent civilians at risk. It will also show that Dietrich and his Shepherd team took part in an illegal operation without orders.’ Cain eyed him with disdain. ‘So tell me, Dan, who do you think will really take the fall for this?’

  The colour drained from Franklin’s face. He had been so sure when he came storming in here, so certain that Cain would crumble in the face of his wrath, that he could bring him down with a snap of his fingers.

  But the director was made of different stuff than that. He hadn’t risen to his current level by backing down in the face of ill-judged threats. He wouldn’t crumble, because he had faced dangers far worse than this.

  Cain could fucking destroy him.

  Then, in an instant, he realised he didn’t care. He had done the things he’d done to save Drake’s life, and the lives of the team he’d sent in to bring him home. He didn’t regret it for one moment, and he never would.

  Franklin was no longer a soldier, but he hadn’t stopped thinking like one. Loyalty to one’s brothers in arms came above all else. That was one thing a man like Cain would never understand.

  ‘I don’t have to give them all the answers,’ he said. ‘If I blow the whistle on you, it won’t matter whether I can prove it or not. There will be investigations, hearings, accusations … People will be going over every decision you’ve made in the past twenty years, and sooner or later, you know they’ll find something. Nobody can hide the truth that well, not even professional bullshit artists like you.’

  His heart was pounding as he spoke, and it took a great deal of self-control to stop himself trembling. He was attempting a desperate final gamble in a very dangerous game, with his career and perhaps his very life at stake.

  Cain said nothing, though Franklin noticed his smile had faded a little. And just like that, with that one glimpse of weakness, the game changed.

  I’ve got you, you son of a bitch. You’re not going to slip out of this one. I can destroy you, destroy everything you built. All your plans, all your little schemes, all your lies and betrayals … All of it will come tumbling down like a house of cards.

  I’ve got you.

  Walking away from the window, Cain settled down behind his desk and surveyed the younger man for a long moment.

  ‘And what exactly do you intend to do?’

  Franklin didn’t flinch. ‘You have to answer for what you did.’

  ‘Bullshit,’ Cain retorted. ‘If that was true, you would have come in here with a dozen security agents and had me arrested.’ He leaned forward. ‘You’re smarter than that.’

  ‘Am I?’

  ‘This is your get-out-of-jail-free card, Dan. You’re going to save it for a time when you’re in deep shit, when you need a favour to call in. And when that happens, I’ll be there for you.’

  Franklin said nothing.

  ‘Let me tell you a little secret,’ he went on. ‘I’m about to be promoted to Deputy Director of the Agency. It’s been on the cards for a while, and the announcement will be made in a couple of weeks. That means I’ll need someone to take over as Divisional Leader.’ He regarded Franklin with a raised eyebrow. ‘I can’t think of anybody better for the job.’

  Franklin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. First the man threatened to destroy him, now he was offering him a promotion? ‘You’re serious, aren’t you?’

  ‘Perfectly,’ Cain assured him.

  ‘And why the hell would I accept an offer like that?’

  ‘This is a tough business we work in, son. You don’t rise through the ranks by baking cookies and hosting cocktail parties. You broker deals, you take risks, and you make compromises. How do you think I got this job?’ Cain gave him a knowing smile. ‘You might find this hard to believe, but I was like you once. Young, filled with fire and bullshit, convinced I was going to change the world. It took me a long time to realise the truth.’

  Franklin’s eyes narrowed. ‘I’m nothing like you.’

  ‘No? Then maybe you can do a better job than I did,’ Cain suggested. ‘Special Activities Division is all yours if you want it, Dan. All you have to do is reach out and take it. Maybe the Agency needs a man like you; a man with honour and principles.’

  Franklin didn’t buy that for a second. Cain despised him. He would destroy his career in a heartbeat if he thought he could get away with it.

  And yet, he couldn’t. Not now. They both knew that. As much as Cain might hate the offer he was making, it was real all the same.

  ‘And what about you?’ he asked. ‘Does it need you?’

  Cain smiled. ‘Men like me will always be needed. Believe that.’

  Sensing his opponent wavering, he leaned back in his chair and locked eyes with Franklin. ‘This is an opportunity you won’t get again, Dan. Leadership of an entire division, the chance to make your mark. It’s all there, just waiting for you. All you have to do is say yes. But you have to do it now.’

  Franklin hesitated, his earlier fire and indignation fading in the face of such calm, persuasive temptation. As much as he hated himself for even acknowledging it, there was no denying the merits of Cain’s offer, and his threat.

  If he went public with this, he might well end Cain’s career, but at the cost of his own. Not only that, but he would be sure to take Drake and others down with him.

  ‘If I was to consider this even for a moment, I’d need your word that Drake and the others won’t be touched.’

  Cain spread his arms in a conciliatory gesture. ‘As long as they don’t start digging in things that don’t concern them.’

  ‘And as far as the Agency is concerned, this conversation never happened.’

  ‘Now you’re speaking my language.’ Cain smiled, firmly in control of the situation again. ‘So … we have a deal?’

  Franklin glanced out the window, at the dark clouds reflected in the distant waters of the Potomac.

  Honourable suicide, or a dishonourable compromise.

  Hell of a choice.

  Chapter 76

  Langley, Virginia, two weeks later

  ‘SO THAT’S ALL you can tell us? She shot you in the stomach without warning and left you to die?’ Franklin asked.

  Drake’s full written report was spread out on his desk.

  It was his desk, but not his office.

  Several days earlier the official announcement had been made that Franklin was being promoted to Divisional Lea
der, taking over Cain’s old job, and his expansive office. Packing boxes lay everywhere, most still waiting to be opened.

  The place was starting to remind Drake of his own house.

  ‘That’s right.’ It was a lie, but a necessary one. He knew that now.

  After some basic but life-saving medical attention by Frost, he had been flown to a military hospital in Baghdad for further treatment. The doctors had later confirmed that the round had passed straight through him, missing the major organs. He was lucky to be alive, or so they said.

  His condition was much improved by two weeks of rest and recuperation, and he was expected to make a full recovery, though he would carry the scar for the rest of his life. A permanent reminder of the woman who had given it to him.

  ‘And she said nothing about where she was going or what she was planning to do?’

  Drake hesitated, remembering her final words. Like the scar, he felt sure he would carry them with him for the rest of his life.

  No trace of Anya had ever been found. She was still on several Most Wanted lists worldwide, but he knew they would never find her. She would be found only when she wanted to be.

  ‘Nothing,’ he said at last.

  Franklin eyed him dubiously for a long moment, then closed the folder with an audible thump.

  ‘What are you going to do with that now?’

  Franklin’s hand rested on the folder. ‘There are a lot of very serious accusations in here, Ryan.’

  ‘Cain brokered a deal to sell weapons of mass destruction to the Iraqi government and justify an illegal war. He sacrificed innocent lives to kill the only man who could prove it. He took advantage of a woman who’d already been through so much shit, it was a miracle she was still sane. He put the lives of myself and my team at risk, and he did it all to save his own arse. Is that serious enough for you?’

  Franklin avoided his gaze. ‘The matter’s being dealt with, Ryan.’

  ‘If we let him get away with this, we might as well have done it ourselves …’

  ‘I said it’s being dealt with!’ his friend snapped. ‘For both our sakes, I suggest you let it go.’

  ‘Let it go. Just forget that it happened. Is that how things are done around here?’ Drake glanced around the big office, packing boxes lying everywhere. ‘By the way, congratulations on your promotion. It’s good to know someone did well out of this.’

  Franklin’s eyes burned with anger. ‘Ryan, I’m about the only thing standing between you and a one-way trip to Guantanamo Bay,’ he warned. ‘You should keep that in mind.’

  ‘I haven’t forgotten.’

  Calming himself, Franklin gestured around his new office with a sweep of his arm. ‘Special Activities Division is my ship. Whatever mistakes Cain might have made, they’re in the past. Things will be different now.’

  Drake almost felt sorry for him. Maybe he actually believed what he was saying. Maybe he thought he was going to change things, clean up the entire Agency, put the world to rights.

  But the problem with making a deal with the Devil was that sooner or later, he always came to collect.

  ‘Speaking of which, we haven’t talked about your future, Ryan.’

  Drake tensed, saying nothing.

  His friend leaned back in his chair. ‘For a while, the Agency couldn’t decide whether to give you a medal or put you in front of a firing squad. You went rogue, freed a dangerous suspect and put your fellow team members in danger.’ Franklin surveyed him for several seconds. ‘But … it seems you’re more useful alive than dead, for now at least. Pending rehabilitation you’ll return to active duty, reporting to me. Questions?’

  He only had one. ‘They’re sweeping this under the carpet, aren’t they?’

  Franklin met his gaze evenly. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He tucked Drake’s report into one of his drawers, which he then closed and locked. ‘Now, if there’s nothing else, we both have a lot of work to do.’

  It would do no good to argue. Rising from his chair with some difficulty, he turned to leave. Only when his hand was on the door handle did he pause for a moment.

  ‘Dan?’

  ‘What?’

  Drake’s green eyes glimmered in the afternoon sun. ‘The day before we crossed the border into Iraq, an old man told me something about Anya – something I think you should keep in mind.

  ‘If you stand with her, you could never ask for a better ally. If you stand against her, you’ll fall. And if you betray her, then God help you because nobody else can.’

  Whatever history lay between those two, Drake knew with absolute certainty that Anya wasn’t finished with Cain. Her vengeance, when it came at last, would be swift, merciless and brutal.

  And for anyone who stood by Cain’s side …

  Franklin sat in silence, a chill running through him at Drake’s grim warning. He glanced away for a moment, and Drake saw the muscles in his throat tightening as he swallowed.

  ‘I’ll see you around, Dan,’ he said, closing the door behind him, and leaving the young divisional director alone to ponder what lay ahead.

  In his new office on the top floor of the vast intelligence complex, Marcus Cain sat behind his expansive desk, staring at the magnificent view beyond his window and seeing nothing.

  He should have felt elation that his long-awaited promotion had finally come to pass, should have felt relief that he had saved his career from the brink of disaster, should have felt optimism about the great things he could achieve, and yet he felt nothing.

  Anya was alive. Despite everything, she had survived. She was out there somewhere at this very moment.

  And she was coming for him.

  He had been wrong about her. She couldn’t be controlled, couldn’t be manipulated or coerced. She would never compromise, would never bend her will or make concessions, would never sacrifice her morals or her honour.

  All of those things which he had once seen as failings and weaknesses, he now saw for what they truly were.

  He had once believed her too weak to make the hard decisions their job required, too naive to accept the harsh reality of the world in which they lived, but now he knew the truth.

  She understood, she perceived the world as it was, but she chose never to give in. Even if it meant great sacrifice and hardship, even if it cost her life, she was the only one of them who had remained whole, who had preserved that vital part of herself which he had lost.

  She was the best of them. She always had been.

  Her life served only to highlight his own failings, her endurance brought home his own weaknesses and shortcomings. He had sacrificed too much, had compromised too many times.

  At last he understood.

  He was the weak one. He was the one who had chosen the easier path, who had compromised and conceded when he could have stood firm. He was the one who had lost himself.

  And he was the one she would hold to account.

  Sooner or later, she would come for him. She couldn’t be stopped, couldn’t be reasoned with or persuaded or manipulated as Franklin had. She didn’t conform to anyone’s plans, didn’t fit into any scheme, didn’t adhere to any vision except her own.

  She was a soldier, and he was her enemy.

  The battle lines had been drawn, they had chosen their sides, and this would end only when one of them was dead.

  Cain leaned back in his big leather chair, staring at his office and seeing nothing. All around him lay luxury, power, influence. All the things he had fought for.

  And none of it mattered.

  Chapter 77

  ‘LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE not getting rid of me just yet,’ Drake remarked with a wry smile as he, Dietrich, Frost and Keegan walked slowly along the Reflecting Pool towards the Lincoln Memorial. ‘Dan’s decided to keep me around, for now at least.’

  In stark contrast to the last time Drake had been this way, it was a beautiful warm day, light from the evening sun glistening on the pool’s undulating surface and casting long shadows ac
ross the nearby parkland.

  ‘Shit, man. And I was hoping for a quiet life,’ Keegan groaned.

  ‘I don’t believe that for a second.’ Drake grinned at him.

  ‘So they’re not laying any charges on us at all?’ Frost asked.

  ‘Dan made a deal. He saved our arses, and his own.’

  It didn’t take her long to make the connection. ‘Cain’s going to get away with this, isn’t he? After everything he did, the bastard gets to just walk away.’

  ‘Don’t bet on it. Anya has unfinished business with him.’

  ‘I hope she leaves us out of it,’ Dietrich remarked. ‘I wouldn’t want to go up against her again.’

  Drake glanced at his former nemesis.

  Dietrich’s reputation had been much revived by his conduct over the past few weeks, other Shepherd team leaders regarding him with new-found respect for the risks he’d taken. His past transgressions hadn’t been forgotten, and likely never would be, but Drake was of the opinion that everyone deserved a second chance. Perhaps Dietrich would get his.

  ‘With any luck, we won’t have to.’

  They still weren’t exactly friends, and he doubted they would see much of each other after today, but the man was all right in his book.

  ‘Who is she, Ryan?’ the older man asked in an uncharacteristic display of curiosity. ‘I spent a week hunting her, and I don’t know a thing about her.’

  Drake sighed and stared out across the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument.

  ‘I don’t know who she is,’ he admitted. ‘Because she didn’t want me to know. The only thing she wanted me to know is that she lived her life without compromise. She never gave in, she never surrendered. I understand that now. And you know what? I would have followed her.’

  ‘She shot you and left you to die, Ryan,’ Frost reminded him.

  ‘She gave me a second chance,’ he replied, still staring out across the pool. ‘The only chance she could.’

  The young woman said nothing.

  His gaze rested on another woman standing at the far end of the pool, near the base of the Lincoln Memorial. Tall, slender, dressed now in jeans and a light jacket, her long brown hair tied back in a bun. It was Jessica.