Copyright © 2014 Nancy Ann Healy
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 069230388X
ISBN 13: 9780692303887
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014917539
Bumbling Bard Creations, Manchester, CT
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Epilogue
Friday, December 5th
lex Toles sat at her large wooden desk sorting through carefully placed piles of financial reports and detailed inventory assessments. It was becoming familiar territory. In less than a year, the former FBI agent’s life had changed dramatically. The life Alex had resigned herself to for so long had vanished. She set down the paper in her hand and rubbed her temples lightly. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply before looking at the small clock on the corner of her desk. Her eyes traveled to the pictures just inches away, and a soft chuckle escaped her lips. The former Army Captain, NSA and FBI agent had been a confirmed bachelorette. She had been a woman who needed no attachments, only puzzles to solve. Alex gently lifted the framed photo of a beautiful fair-haired woman and a little boy. Attachments it seemed, were something she now cherished. The ringing of the phone snapped her from her private thoughts.
“Ms. Toles?” the voice inquired.
“Yes, Marta?” she answered.
“Your wife is on line two. I know you had a call scheduled. Are you available?”
“Of course. You know, you can always interrupt me for family. Thank you, Marta. I’ll pick it up now,” Alex responded. She pressed the blinking line and closed her eyes. “Hi.”
“Alex?” Cassidy spoke softly. “Hey, are you all right?”
“Yeah. You know me and desks.” Alex said, sounding slightly dejected.
“In fact, I do,” Cassidy said lightly. “You still making the trip home tonight or are you going to stay at your mom’s?” Cassidy asked. Alex huffed. This was one of the changes in life that frustrated her. Her father’s sudden death six months earlier put Alex in the unique position to assume the helm of his company. Unfortunately, that meant longer periods away from home than Alex cared for.
An investigation that had begun with her wife’s ex-husband, Congressman Christopher O’Brien, had taken many unexpected twists and turns in the last months. Turns that led her to meet the woman with whom she now shared her life. Twists that led her to discover an underground collective within the intelligence community whose agenda she still could not fully discern. Change, it seemed was inevitable, and it permeated every facet of her life. Learning of her father’s long term involvement and his company’s role within the intelligence community was only the tip of a behemoth iceberg. The assassination of President John Merrow, her former colonel and friend, changed the intelligence game completely. His career as a CIA agent had made his occupancy of the Oval Office a major boon for a group known as The Collaborative. Alex was certain that President Merrow’s decision to maintain a greater loyalty to the people he was elected to serve than to his intelligence roots led to his murder.
The stakes were high for Alex. Few knew the truth; that a small boy Alex Toles now called her son was, in fact, the former president’s biological child. It increased the risk to Alex’s family, and that only furthered her resolve to protect them. Since assuming the helm at Carecom, Alex had uncovered even more disturbing realities. Her father’s company was a front for both sanctioned and unsanctioned CIA operations and funding initiatives. Nicolaus Toles had dedicated his life to the agency. Alex still remained unsure where all of her father’s loyalties had been placed.
Alex’s position at Carecom was accompanied by the establishment of extremely unlikely alliances and a new identity of sorts. To most of the world she was now Alexis Toles, President and CEO of Carecom. Within the world of intelligence she was Alex Toles, CIA agent, a covert operative, the spider; a spy. This was a world where trust was a precious commodity, not readily given. It was a world Alex found both intriguing and mind numbing. But, as much as her new found career often consumed her time and attention; it paled in importance whenever she heard the sound of her wife’s voice. Home was a place Alex longed to be and home was not the halls of Carecom. She pinched the bridge of her nose and answered her wife’s question definitively. “I’ll be home tonight. I have a call in fifteen minutes. I’m leaving after that.”
“Alex, you sound tired,” Cassidy answered in concern.
“I’ll be home, Cass.”
Cassidy licked her lips and shook her head. “I have an idea.”
“Oh?” Alex perked up slightly.
“Not that kind of idea,” Cassidy chuckled.
“No?”
“Well, maybe that kind of idea,” Cassidy confessed. “That wasn’t what I meant. Just do me a favor and go to your mom’s when you are done. You and I both know that you will not be leaving there anytime soon.” Cassidy could hear Alex’s breath catch as she mounted a protest. “Alex…just go to your mother’s.”
“Cass, I don’t want to be apart again tonight. This has not been the easiest time for you.” Cassidy took a deep breath and nodded on the other end of the phone. “Cass?”
“I’m here. No, it hasn’t. But, you will be much better after you get some sleep. Your back is not going to cooperate with a two and half hour drive after working all day. You’ll be miserable all weekend. The weather is supposed to be good tomorrow, and we promised Dylan we’d get a Christmas tree. I need you to be able to help with that.”
Alex let out a frustrated sigh. “I hate this.”
“I know. I do too. Please, just humor me? I’ll call you later,” Cassidy promised.
Reluctantly, Alex acquiesced. “Okay. I love you; you know?”
“Of course, I know,” Cassidy said softly. “I love you too. I’ll talk to you later.”
Alex set down the receiver slowly and glanced at the photo on her desk again. “Marta?” she called her assistant.
“What can I do for you Ms. Toles?’
“Oh for heaven’s sake will you please call me Alex? It’s been close to six months!”
“Whatever you want Ms. Toles.”
“Marta!” Alex shook her head but smiled. “Can you please get my mother on the line?”
“Certainly, Ms…”
“Alex, Marta…Alex.”
“Certainly.”
Alex began readying herself for her last call of the day when her cell phone rang. “Toles,” she answered.
“No meeting,” the voice responded.
“Nice of you to call, Pip,” she poked at the man on the line.
“Seriously, no meeting,” Jonathan Krause answered.
“Okay? What’s going on?” Alex asked.
“I need to see you,” he answered.
“When?”
“Now,” Krause said.
Alex rubbed her face with her palms. “Where?”
“Can you get downtown?”
“Yeah. At this time of day, it is going to be a couple of hours. Where?” she asked.
“How about a winter stroll? Maybe a little shopping?” he suggested.
“Fine. I’ll meet you in front of the hall.”
<
br /> “I’ll be there,” he answered.
“Dylan, slow down!” Cassidy called to her son as she walked through the door of her mother-in-law’s home.
Helen Toles took the bag from her daughter-in-law’s hand and sighed. “Cassidy, you look exhausted. Are you all right?”
“Yeah; I am.” Immediately, she saw the skepticism on Helen’s face. “Honestly, I promise.”
“This custody battle is wearing on you,” Helen observed. Cassidy rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. “All right; what do you say we go sit and have a cup of tea?” the older woman suggested. “Alex just called. You were right. She’ll be later than she expected. Said she got called to an unexpected meeting.” Cassidy just nodded. “I know,” Helen said sympathetically as she placed her arm around Cassidy.
“I just miss her,” Cassidy confessed.
Helen took a deep breath. After years of tension and a lengthy separation, she had grown closer to her daughter over the last few months than she had ever dreamed possible. One thing that Helen Toles understood clearly; the woman she now guided to her kitchen table was the driving force in the evolution of that relationship. She was eternally grateful to Cassidy for that. Alex had been spending several nights a week at her parents’ home since taking over her father’s company. It was a welcome turn of events for the older woman, but she knew that the distance was taking its toll on both her daughter and her new family. Alex had recently confided in her mother that she was making plans to change the situation as quickly as possible. It was something she wanted to surprise Cassidy with as a Christmas gift. Looking at her daughter-in-law now, Helen was tempted to break her silence. She opted for a softer approach. “She misses you too,” Helen assured Cassidy with a solemn smile.
“I know. I’ll be glad when things are settled…at least when something is settled,” Cassidy chuckled.
“How are things looking…if you don’t mind my…”
“Oh, not at all. Custody should be settled sometime shortly after the first of the year. You know…Chris…he just, well…he has no interest in seeing Dylan, but he seems to have every interest in making my life hell.” It was a fact. Congressman Christopher O’Brien found every excuse he could to postpone court appearances, dodge requests for information or signatures, answer phone calls, or meet with a mediator. Just as Cassidy had predicted, her ex-husband had no interest in resolving custody of Dylan in a timely, much less amicable manner. He had not called Dylan in several months. He had begun making pointed accusations about Cassidy to the press. The saving grace for Cassidy remained the fact that Dylan was not only unfazed by his father’s absence; he seemed to be relieved by it. “I’ll just be glad to have it over with,” Cassidy confessed.
“How about work?” Helen asked.
“Oh….it’s good. The kids are great,” Cassidy smiled.
“You miss teaching full time, don’t you?” Helen inquired knowingly.
Cassidy shrugged. She did miss teaching full time. There had been a great deal of press coverage since her abduction the previous spring. Most of it focused on her relationship with Alex. Then, there was the ongoing custody battle with the congressman. That increased her visibility again. The combination of everything made finding a full-time slot problematic. She had settled for a tutoring position. It was the kind of program Cassidy believed in. She spent three afternoons assisting teens who had dropped out of high school or had been forced out of a traditional classroom setting in preparing for their GED.
Cassidy sighed. “Sometimes. Sometimes I miss it. You know, with Dylan in school and Alex away so much lately…”
“I understand. I remember those days,” Helen interrupted her daughter-in-law. Cassidy looked at Helen inquisitively. “Oh, well,” Helen began as she filled the tea kettle. “Nicolaus was away so much. When Alexis and Nicky finally were in school, well…there were days it certainly felt a bit lonely.” Cassidy offered her mother-in-law an understanding grin. “Well, it won’t be forever,” Helen winked.
“Helen?”
“Hmm?” Helen responded. Cassidy gently shook her head as if to clear a thought. “Cassidy? What is it?”
“It’s nothing.”
The older woman made her way to the table and pulled out a chair to face Cassidy. “It is something. What is it?”
Cassidy closed her eyes and took in a deep breath for courage. “It’s not just the distance.”
“Go on,” the older woman urged.
“I…..”
“Listen, Cassidy….whatever it is that is bothering you. Well, I think of you as a daughter. I know you have Rose, and I…”
“Alex and I have been…No one knows…but we’ve been trying for a while…”
Helen’s smile grew. The only surprise in Cassidy’s confession was that Alex and Cassidy’s efforts to conceive seemed to be something they wished to keep a secret. “I see,” Helen smirked slightly.
“We haven’t told anyone. We agreed, actually. I can’t believe I am telling you.”
“Are you worried? Cassidy, a few months…that is not long,” Helen reassured as the kettle’s whistle blew.
“No. I don’t know. It’s just…every time she seems so disappointed. Then she’s away. I don’t want to disappoint her,” Cassidy sighed.
Helen put down the tea in front of Cassidy and reclaimed her seat. She took a sip from her cup and gently set it aside. “I’m going to tell you something and I want you to listen to me.”
Cassidy looked up with tears in her eyes. Helen was determined to calm the younger woman’s fears. The past months had been filled with an odd mixture of great joy and incredible sorrow. Cassidy had been held against her will and come close to death. The president had been assassinated. President Merrow was one of Alex’s closest friends, and it had been a devastating blow for her daughter. Alex was shot, which Helen suspected motivated her daughter to make a formal commitment to Cassidy and Dylan as soon as she could. And, after a wonderful celebration at their wedding; the family faced the untimely passing of her husband, Alex’s father. Helen sighed and offered her daughter-in-law a sad smile. “You have been through a lot, both of you. I never; I never thought Alexis would want a family. She has a family. I don’t think you could disappoint her if you tried,” she said, grasping Cassidy’s hand gently.
“I probably just did,” Cassidy said tacitly.
“No,” Helen giggled. “From your mouth to God’s ears. I know nothing. I am curious why you both want to keep it a….”
“Part of it is the custody battle. Part of it…well, I think she wants it to be a big surprise to everyone,” Cassidy explained.
Helen’s laughter filled the room, and Cassidy looked up sheepishly. “I’m sorry, dear.” Helen wiped her eyes. “Surprise?” Cassidy’s confusion was evident. “Cassidy,” Helen tried not to start laughing again. “Your mother started a family pool on your wedding day.” Cassidy’s eyes flew open. “Frankly, I hope it does take a little longer. I bet February for an announcement.” Cassidy opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. “Oh, come now; you know your mother,” Helen reminded her. Cassidy chuckled. “I love my daughter, but I hate to break it to her, this is not exactly earth-shattering news.”
“Don’t tell her that if it happens,” Cassidy said with a halfhearted smile.
“It will happen when it is meant to happen. That’s how life is,” Helen said plainly.
“I hope you are right,” Cassidy said softly.
“Just don’t be surprised if my daughter’s reaction is not what you expect when it happens.”
“What do you mean?” Cassidy asked.
“Well, don’t ever tell her this,” Helen said as she bit her lip. Cassidy nodded her agreement. “Her father fainted when he found out I was pregnant. Dropped like a sack of potatoes,” she laughed.
“You’re kidding.”
“No. I’m afraid I’m not.” Helen laughed heartily at the memory. She shook her head, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “He seemed to know. He w
as convinced it was a girl from the moment I helped him off of that floor.” Cassidy watched as Helen grew pensive. “He loved her.” Cassidy tried to conceal her misgivings, but Helen immediately saw the younger woman’s doubt. “Oh, I know. He could be hard; so hard, particularly on her.” She let out a strong sigh and stood. “Give me a minute,” she said as she excused herself from the room.
Cassidy sat silently pondering her mother-in-law’s words. She had only met Nicolaus Toles twice before his death. He was cordial but hardly warm. Cassidy had watched Alex struggle to comprehend her father’s sometimes vicious and always pointed criticisms. It was incomprehensible to her how any parent could be so cruel. She sipped her tea and pondered her memories of Alex’s father. She was lost in her silent contemplation when she noticed an envelope being placed in front of her. “What’s this?” Cassidy asked.
Helen let out a sigh and shrugged. “I don’t know,” she answered, sighing at the perplexed expression on Cassidy’s face. Helen reclaimed her seat and pointed to the envelope. “Alex found a letter addressed to me in her father’s desk. That was with it.”
“Does Alex know?”
Helen shook her head. “No. I don’t see how she could. It was inside, addressed to you.” Cassidy looked to Helen hesitantly. “He said in his letter that I should give it to you when I thought the time was right.”
Cassidy tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth as she pondered the paper in her hand. “Do you know what it….”
“I have no idea what it says, Cassidy. It’s his writing. It is addressed to you. Evidently, he felt there was something he needed to say.”
“I don’t understand,” Cassidy whispered.
Helen smiled. “Nicolaus was a complicated man. He wasn’t always that way.” She paused and shook her head. “You know, we were apart for the first few years of our marriage; almost entirely. I was so relieved when he came home, supposedly for good.” Cassidy studied the woman across from her. Helen’s eyes had taken on a faraway glaze. “When Alex came, well, I thought that would settle him.” Helen closed her eyes and exhaled forcefully. “It did; for a while.” Cassidy sensed the sadness in the older woman’s voice and instinctively took Helen’s hand. “Oh, Cassidy. Things sometimes change. You love someone, well…you learn to accept those changes; even when you don’t understand them. He always had other commitments. My commitment was always to him.” Cassidy offered an understanding smile. “I don’t know what is in there,” Helen said. “I expect there are many things I don’t know.” Helen saw Cassidy’s expression darken slightly. “Oh,” Helen chuckled. “I know more than he or Alex, or even you might think. You live with someone long enough, well…There are no perfect secrets, Cassidy.”
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