Known Threat

“Yes.” Her answer came just a little too quickly, and the fraction of a second she averted her gaze clued me in to the fact that wasn’t the whole truth.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “We don’t really need to get into this right now.”

  “You’ve been putting it off for weeks. And you were the one who wanted to do this now. So talk. What happened between you two?”

  Again, I could see the impulse to lie flit beneath her eyes, but after a moment, she sighed, seemingly resigned. “He came to my room.”

  “What do you mean he came to your room?”

  “I think the statement is pretty self-explanatory.”

  “Let me rephrase, then. Why did he go to your room?”

  Allison shot me a meaningful look. “Why do you think?”

  “I don’t get it. You told him you were over before that trip, so what could he possibly have had to gain by that?”

  “I guess he didn’t think I meant it. Or maybe he just didn’t want to accept it. I’m not sure. I didn’t ask him.”

  “But you turned him away. You didn’t sleep with him.”

  Allison broke eye contact with me and rubbed at the back of her neck with the palm of her hand. “Well…”

  My stomach felt like a javelin had punctured it. “You did sleep with him?”

  “What? No. No, I didn’t. Of course I didn’t. I told you I didn’t cheat on you, and I never will.” When I looked away from her, she took my face between her hands and gazed into my eyes. “I never will.”

  “Okay.” I wasn’t sure I believed her, but that was my issue, not hers. And I definitely didn’t want to get into that now.

  “Something else might’ve happened though.” Allison’s voice was small as she said that, and she looked away again.

  A harsh, grating buzz started at the base of my skull, and I was suddenly cold once more. I had no idea what was about to come out of her mouth, but I was positive I wouldn’t like it. My tongue felt like it was too big for my mouth.

  Allison favored me with a very serious look then, and I felt a tremor run through her grip. “I need you to promise me you aren’t going to freak out when I tell you this.”

  My lungs seized, and my heart constricted. I wasn’t sure I could handle much more of this conversation. At least not without being sick. And if I blew chunks all over what was essentially the boss’s bedroom, I’d never live it down.

  “I promise.” My voice sounded tinny and far away to my own ears.

  “I’m serious, Ryan. You absolutely cannot react to this. At all. No yelling. No walking away. No retaliation of any kind.”

  Okay, and now I was definitely nauseated. “Jesus Christ! Just tell me already.”

  “He didn’t just come to my room. He let himself in.”

  “What?”

  “Please don’t make me repeat it.”

  “How the hell did he get a key to your room?”

  “The field-office counterpart had checked everybody in ahead of time, so we wouldn’t have to waste time at the front desk. He had all our room keys for us when we arrived, but he was busy trying to schedule our various meetings and get us cleared to go into the embassy, so he handed Beau all the keys to pass out. Beau must’ve taken one of mine out of the little envelope before he handed it to me. That’s the only thing I could come up with.”

  “Huh.” My brow knitted as I considered that scenario.

  “I want to be clear that I didn’t invite him. And as soon as I realized what was happening, I told him to leave.”

  The ringing in my ears was almost deafening now, and I tasted bile on the back of my too-big tongue. “What do you mean ‘what was happening’? Did he sexually assault you?”

  Allison shook her head. “No. Not exactly.”

  Now my blood was boiling, and my hands shook. “I think you need to tell me what happened.”

  Allison took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She appeared to be gathering her nerve. “He slipped into my room while I was asleep. I awoke to an arm around my waist and him kissing my neck. I…I was still half asleep, and I thought it was you for obvious reasons, so I mumbled your name and turned to kiss him back. It didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t you, and I stopped him.”

  I glared at her. It was a good thing looks couldn’t kill, because I was sure the one I was sporting could have wiped out entire armies. It was also a good thing my dad had sent Byers back to DC because I’d have had several choice words for him on the subject of how to treat a lady. “That sounds like the textbook definition of sexual assault to me. With some undertones of unlawful entry and trespassing.”

  Allison ignored me. “The situation blew up pretty quickly after that. A lot of yelling and arguing. I actually kept waiting for someone to call hotel security on us for being too loud. And then I threatened to do it myself when he refused to leave my room.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I felt like an idiot for even saying that to her, but I hadn’t been able to come up with anything better. I was pretty sure she didn’t want to hear any more about what laws I thought he’d broken. What were the statutes in Hong Kong anyway? And did they apply to people in country for diplomatic missions? I wasn’t sure.

  “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. It’s mine for getting involved with him in the first place. I should’ve realized sooner just how big a jerk he is, but who could see that sort of thing coming?”

  I refused to touch that one. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. You wanted to know what happened in Hong Kong. Well, that was it. So now you know the whole story behind why he’s always giving me such a hard time. Clearly he can’t handle rejection, as evidenced even further the day Mark was arrested.”

  “What happened the day Mark was arrested?”

  Allison appeared annoyed. “Do you remember how you came to DC because you couldn’t reach me all day, and you were worried?”

  “Yeah. Your phones died.”

  Allison shook her head. “No, they didn’t. But Beau wouldn’t stop calling and texting and emailing me, so I shut them off. I just got tired of dealing with him. That’s part of what we were arguing about when we left the House that night.”

  I remembered that day well, and my heart ached for her. No one should have to go through that, especially not at their place of business. That was why people said you shouldn’t get involved with someone you work with, and it made me wonder whether it was the best idea for us to be together. But we were too far down that particular path to turn back now. I pushed the notion to the back of my thoughts.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to report him for sexual harassment?”

  Allison looked at me like I was crazy. “What good would that do?”

  I shrugged. “Just because you once had a…a thing”—God, that’d been hard to say—“that was consensual doesn’t mean he gets to treat you like this now that you’ve called it off.”

  “Do you really think reporting him would make any difference?”

  “I don’t know. But he shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.”

  “No, he shouldn’t. But you know this agency’s track record on dealing with matters like this. Or do I need to remind you about what happened with Merlier?”

  I sighed, beyond frustrated but knowing she was right. The old-school guard protected one another to the bitter end, even through multiple accusations of harassment by numerous women from several separate occasions over a long period of time. It sucked royally. But it wasn’t likely to change any time soon.

  I swallowed. “I’m sorry you’re having to put up with all of this.”

  “Me, too. But it’s almost over now. Ware said he could get my orders cut to come home within the week, which means I could conceivably be up here for good inside of a few months. Sooner, if they allow me to move up my date.” She hesitated. Her brow fluttered, and the skin around her eyes tightened. I could see she was sucking on the inside of her lower lip as she studied me.

  I flush
ed, feeling like a moron for my earlier outburst on the roof. As if I had any business telling her where she could or couldn’t live. Regardless of what happened with us now or in the future, it wasn’t my place. I was such a tool. “That’s…That’s great. I’m glad you’re finally going to be able to get away from Byers.”

  “Is that all you’re happy about?”

  I pursed my lips, trying to untangle my feelings on the situation. I shook my head. They were far too complex to even begin talking about. Maybe later, when Rory was safe and we weren’t operating under time constraints, I’d be able to pinpoint precisely what I thought.

  Allison looked disappointed. “I’m going to fix this,” she vowed, her voice shot through with determination.

  “There’s nothing to fix.”

  “Don’t say that. Please, don’t say that.” Allison sounded damn near defeated as she mumbled that, and it took me a second to work out why.

  “Oh, baby, no. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that we aren’t broken. Not really. We just…I just need some time. That’s all.”

  “Are you sure? Because that’s not what it feels like to me. You’ve been avoiding making eye contact with me all evening. Even now you can barely look at me. And I can’t decide whether that makes me sad or pisses me off because I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Both reactions are probably appropriate,” I admitted. “You don’t know how much I wish that wasn’t the case. You don’t know what I’d give to be able to let this go. But it bothers me on a level I don’t think I even understand. Like I said, I just need some time. I hope that’s okay.”

  Allison stepped back into me again and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close. I stiffened, but she didn’t release me. She squeezed me tighter and buried her face into my neck. After a long moment, I sank into her embrace and wrapped my own arms around her waist.

  “Take all the time you need,” Allison whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I nodded but didn’t reply. It was time to change the subject. We’d been over this ground already and hadn’t made any progress. No sense in beating a dead horse, especially when we were so pressed for time. Best to let it go for the moment.

  I shifted my attention off my relationship anguish and back to the task at hand. Pulling back slightly, I let my eyes drift over to Allison so I could look at her, really look at her. I took in her casual attire and frowned.

  “What are you wearing?” I asked, suddenly suspicious.

  Allison glanced down at herself, perplexed. “What?”

  I took a step back so I could fully inspect her outfit, which wasn’t the suit I’d seen her in earlier. I narrowed my eyes at the worn jeans and white tank top covered by a short-sleeved button-down shirt that she let hang loose over her sides. Now that I was paying attention, I could see the slight outline of her duty weapon marring the line of her overshirt toward the back of her right hip.

  “When did you change?”

  “The same time you did. Right after the phone call from Walker came in.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  I pointed accusingly. “Why are you dressed like that?”

  “How else should I dress for an operation?”

  Panic, anger, and fear roared to life inside me, overwhelming and unexpected. My mouth was suddenly dry, and a cold sweat had broken out across my brow. My fingers twitched.

  “No!” I barked, my intonation harsh and grating.

  “Excuse me?”

  “There’s no way in hell you’re going out on this.”

  Allison put her hands on her hips, brushing the hem of her shirt back out of the way so her badge glinted wickedly at me in the lamplight. Whether the move was deliberate or inadvertent, I couldn’t have said. Her countenance had darkened.

  “I am absolutely going out on this.”

  “No,” I said again, shaking my head.

  “Do you really expect me to just sit here and wait to hear how things play out? Do you think I’ll be able to stand doing nothing while you’re out there in who knows how much danger? You’re out of your mind.”

  “And you’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to just sit back and let that happen. You haven’t been in the field in years. You probably don’t even remember how to conduct yourself on an op. I don’t want you within fifty light years of this mess.”

  “What are you going to do? Huh? Pull some of your strings? Call headquarters and have me benched?” Her tone was caustic. “I’m a federal agent, Ryan, the same as you. I went through the same academy you did, and I’ve been doing this for longer. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be involved. Frankly, we can use all the help we can get on this.”

  She was right, of course, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. I decided to try a different tack: honesty. I stepped closer to her and rested my hands against her biceps. “Allison, please. I’m barely holding it together worrying about what Rory might be enduring. I can’t worry about her and you at the same time. I won’t be able to focus.”

  And just like that, her ire sputtered and died. Her countenance softened, and she placed her hands on my elbows. “And I can’t stand worrying about you at all. I need to see for myself that you’re okay. And if, God forbid, for some reason you aren’t, well, I’ll need to see that, too.”

  Damn. When she put it that way, how could I argue? Especially when I completely understood. I sagged as all the fight went out of me. “What do they have you doing?”

  “I’ll be taking a leisurely stroll along the outer roadway of the park, observing the general public for any suspicious behavior and keeping an eye out for Walker and your sister so we can tell you when they arrive on set. I’m not supposed to engage him, and I’ll be far removed from all the action. I promise.”

  “Okay.” I tilted my head so our foreheads were touching. “Just be careful.”

  Allison smiled. “Always.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The plan seemed simple. Hurricane and I planned to take a nice, easy jog around the park—followed at a safe distance by the ever-vigilant Hannah—and wait until someone called out that Walker and Rory were on set. Then we’d split up, and Hurricane would break off to go meet them while I attempted to stay in the area to see if I could hustle Rory out of there. The rest of the agents and officers who’d been sent in ahead had been instructed to blend in with the general public and try to put themselves in a position to assist while remaining as inconspicuous as possible. It wasn’t a phenomenal plan, but we hadn’t been afforded the time to come up with anything better, so we were doing the best we could.

  The irony that I’d somehow managed to land myself smack-dab in the middle of yet another running situation so soon after I’d vowed to avoid it wasn’t lost on me. Fate really was a vengeful bitch. I frowned and made sure to keep my pace nice and slow, barely faster than a trot. I wanted to be sure I’d have whatever energy I needed to see this clusterfuck of a situation through to the end.

  I cupped my hands together and blew on them. The night air was chilly enough that my breath produced little white puffs with each strained exhale, and I wished I’d thought to grab my coat before I’d left NYFO. My hooded sweatshirt wasn’t doing all that much to combat the cold. At least running warmed me up a bit.

  I listened through the earbuds I had wired to my radio as my dad conducted coms checks with the team to ensure that everybody was on the air and in place, but I wasn’t paying attention too closely. I was scanning the area, sizing up each person we crossed paths with as we jogged. I could feel the change in myself as my game face snapped securely into place. I was on problem now and all business. For the time being, at least, I had something else to concentrate on besides how scared Rory might be.

  “How do you guys do that?” Hurricane asked.

  “Do what?” I was so focused on verifying that no one nearby was Walker, I had no idea what she was talking about.

  “Turn it off like that?”

 
; “Turn what off?”

  “Your fears. Your emotions. Earlier, I could see how tired you were and how terrified you were for your sister, but now it’s like neither of those even registers with you. You all do that. I can almost see the steel door clanging shut on your feelings.”

  I shrugged despite the fact she was barely looking at me. “I’m still scared. But now I have something else to focus on and something specific to do. It helps keep my mind off the fear. Eclipses it for a time. That’s all. But I still feel it.”

  “I can’t see it.”

  “You’re not supposed to.” I didn’t point out how annoyed I was that she’d been able to before. “You’re supposed to be confident that we have everything under control. And you won’t if we’re all basket cases.”

  “Do they teach you that at the academy?”

  “No. You sort of pick it up along the way. Just like the acronym-speak.”

  “Oh.” Hurricane was quiet for a long moment. “I’m scared.”

  “I’d be worried about you if you weren’t.”

  “I don’t want to be, but I can’t help it.”

  “No. I would imagine you can’t. And that’s fine. Nothing wrong with being afraid.”

  “Yeah, but right now I’m afraid for me. You, you’re afraid for others.”

  I really didn’t want to go down that road. I was having enough trouble keeping my mind off that topic. Having a direct discussion wouldn’t help matters any. I hummed and attempted to remain focused on my surroundings.

  “Is it easier for you, dating an agent? Since you’re one yourself.”

  “What do you mean? Is what easier?”

  “Your girlfriend’s here with us, isn’t she? She’s—how would you guys say it?—involved in the operation?”

  I smiled at her attempt to use our vernacular correctly. “Yes. She’s here somewhere, covering a portion of the outer-perimeter roadway.”

  “Yet you don’t seem concerned about that, either. If Noah were out here, I’d be a wreck. Is that part of your being focused on something else? Are you scared and just not showing it? Or do you not get worried about her when she does this?”