by Dee Davis
Underneath all the political razzamatazz it appeared that Sloane actually had a streak of humanity. That, or telling the truth played into his political needs. Either way it was possible he had information they desperately needed.
“So why the meeting?” Sam asked, her food forgotten as she focused on Sloane.
“Bud Walker.”
“The senator from New Mexico?” Gabe was getting impatient. Sam recognized the signs, but Sloane wasn’t a man to be hurried.
“He’s a republican, right?” Sam interceded, shooting a warning look at Gabe. “Been around forever.”
“Yes.” Sloane nodded, his attention now on her. “Fifth term. His main claim to fame is his longevity. Other than that I can’t say that he’s contributed a lot to the process, although there are republicans who would no doubt argue the fact.”
“Particularly the ones from the Southwest.” Sam smiled, her own patience waning. “I’m assuming that Walker got wind of what was going on between Ruckland, Dawson and Keith.”
“More than that. He actually had proof of the agreement’s existence. And he was threatening to blow it all sky-high unless New Mexico was included in the deal.”
“Which Ruckland didn’t want to happen.”
“New Mexico isn’t even in the same league as Texas when it comes to agricultural production. And Senator Ruckland wasn’t about to see the money funneled into a losing proposition. Besides, Walker and Keith have been sworn political enemies for years. If the senator had let Walker in, Keith would definitely have wanted out. And his participation was crucial.”
“So the meeting was to try and figure out how to handle Walker?” Sam reached for her iced tea and took a sip, trying to sort through the implications of what Sloane was telling them.
“Exactly. The three of them had to come up with a strategy to appease the old man without actually giving in to him.”
“What would the ramifications have been if the agreement had come to light before fruition?” Gabe asked, turning his fork idly in his hand.
“Disastrous. First off, Senator Ruckland would have lost credibility, which would have damaged not only his work on appropriations, but any number of other alliances he’d been cultivating in order to get certain bills passed this session. Everything in the Senate is about power. And without it, you can kiss your job goodbye.”
He paused for emphasis, then continued. “Second, the economic ramifications for the state are huge. We really have been hurt by the drought. More than most states, in fact. But as I said earlier, federal relief plans are geared toward the nation as a whole, not one particular state. So without this particular line item, Texas, as well as California and Iowa, stands to lose a great deal of much-needed cash.”
“None of this seems enough to make someone want to kill the senators, and certainly not in such a public way.”
“There are factions out there that would stop at nothing to funnel the money elsewhere. The senators’ deaths, if nothing else, will make certain that status quo is maintained as far as agricultural reparation is concerned.”
“Do you suspect Walker?” Gabe asked.
“Personally? No. It would be too big a risk for someone of his stature. However, I wouldn’t put it past his people.”
The statement hung between the three of them for a moment, Sam finally breaking the silence by pulling out a drawing of the Tai Chi. “Have you ever seen this symbol before?”
Sloane took the piece of paper, and held it up to the light for a closer look. “It’s that opposites-attract thing, right? Ying-yang or something like that?”
“Yin, yang,” Sam corrected. “And it’s more than just opposite attraction. It’s about the interrelationship between both sides of opposing forces. We have reason to believe it may be connected to whomever is behind the bombings.”
“So I was right. It’s some fanatical group.”
“There’s no indication of that. But I do need to know if there’s any way you can think of that the symbol, or the idea, or even the actual Chinese philosophy itself might be attached to Senator Ruckland or one of the others.”
“Lady, if you only knew just how unlikely that possibility was.” Sloane tipped back his head, laughing. “Joe Ruckland fought in Vietnam. And his father fought on the Pacific front in WWII. Not to mention the fact that he’s a good ol’boy from way back. There is absolutely no way that he was in any way involved with anything Asian. Particularly religion. I’m not sure what his true feelings about God were, but I can tell you he never missed a Sunday in the First Baptist church.”
“What about Keith or Dawson?”
“Episcopal for Dawson and I can’t say that I know much about Keith’s religious predilections. But I don’t think it was anything too far-flung or Senator Ruckland wouldn’t have allowed himself to get in bed with the man. He was taking a hell of chance just because he was a republican. I can’t imagine him pushing the envelope much further than that.”
“Well, it was worth a shot. And we’ll confirm of course with Dawson and Keith’s people.”
“I felt certain you would.” Sloane shot a not-so-subtle look at his watch. “I really should be heading back. I’ve got a staff briefing this evening.” He handed back the drawing of the Tai Chi. “Of course it goes without saying that our conversation here was off the record.”
“That goes both ways, Sloane.” Gabe’s tone brooked no disagreement.
“I have no problem with that.” He stood up, and with a sly smile for Sam, headed for the door. They waited until he was no longer in sight and then resumed their seats.
“So what do you think?” Gabe asked, pulling out his wallet to pay the bill.
“About Sloane in general, or his sudden memory of the meeting between the senators?”
“Both, I guess.”
“I think Sloane is a sleazeball.” Sam shrugged. “And I think he’s very good at what he does. I think he came here to give us information, and any reticence we might have perceived on his part was part of the show.”
“You think he led us down the garden path?”
“No, I think he just tried to manipulate things to his benefit. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we see Mr. Sloane running as Ruckland’s replacement. And in the meantime, I think we need to find out what, if anything, Senator Walker had to do with the bombing.”
“I agree,” Gabe said. “But I need to talk to Cullen about how to handle it. We can’t just go down there and accuse the man of killing three of his fellow statesmen.”
“Well I wasn’t exactly suggesting that we should.” Sam grinned and shook her head. “I may not be much on people skills, but even I can recognize that it’s not wise to poke a sleeping tiger.”
“You know a hell of a lot more than you let on, Sam.” Gabe’s expression had grown speculative. “In fact, at times you remind me a lot of Payton. And I mean that as a compliment.”
“Thanks, I think.” She smiled, delighted to be put in the same category as Payton. His strength of character was definitely something to emulate. “You’ve known him a long time.”
“Since Delta Force days.” Gabe nodded.
“He told me a little bit about Iraq. It must have been awful.”
Gabe’s gaze turned speculative. “I’m surprised he told you anything. He doesn’t like to talk about it.”
Sam started to tell Gabe about interrupting Payton’s dream, but decided against it. Somehow it seemed as if that night ought to stay between then two of them. “He didn’t say all that much. Just that Cullen roped you into a dicey situation, and that his brother and most of the team died as a result.”
“He told you about Kevin?” Gabe’s brow rose in obvious astonishment.
“I think he probably said more than he meant to,” she admitted with a shrug. “It was late, and it was just one of those moments.”
“Had to have been more than that for him to have talked about Kevin.”
She blew out a breath, still determined not to talk about the d
ream. “It must have been awful.”
“It was. We almost lost Payton, too.” Gabe’s face tightened with memory. Payton evidently wasn’t the only one with nightmares. “I assume he told you we were betrayed. They let us get in. Even let us liberate the hostage, and then they started shooting. It was an old villa. The kind built around a courtyard. They had men stationed on the balconies, on the roof, everywhere. We were sitting ducks. You could hardly see through the smoke from the gunfire. We didn’t stand a chance.”
“But you got out alive.”
“Thanks to Nigel.” Gabe blew out a breath, lifting his gaze to hers. “Nigel Ferris was British Special Forces. Their equivalent of Delta Force. He’d been assigned to our unit as an adjunct and so was part of the mission. He and Kevin were acting as lookouts, watching our backs.
“When we came out with Cullen’s man, the shooting started. Nigel was the first to recognize it for what it was. He clued Kevin in and the two of them started taking out the men on the balcony. Then, when it was clear enough, they fought their way into the courtyard.
“By then we had four men down. Three dead, one wounded. Kevin and Payton went in to get the wounded man out. But by the time they got there he was dead. Then someone dropped a grenade and the place erupted in fire. Kevin caught the brunt of it, but Payton was hit pretty hard, too. Nigel and I positioned ourselves to give protecting fire.”
“Where was Cullen’s man?”
“I had him. And believe me it was tempting to leave the fool to his own fate. He never should have been in Iraq in the first place. It was his arrogance that started the entire process. But I’d given Cullen my word. And besides—” he shrugged “—it was our mission.
“Payton grabbed Kevin and threw him over his shoulder. They were both on fire, and the Iraqis had reinforcements. Nigel and I flanked Payton and Kevin and we began to work our way out of the courtyard. Somewhere along the way, we realized Kevin was dead. I tried to get Payton to leave him, but he wouldn’t. He simply couldn’t accept the fact that his brother was gone. There was no time for argument, so Nigel took matters into his own hands. He knocked Payton out, and threw him over his shoulder. We left Kevin there. Believe me, there was no choice.
“I’m not really sure how we made it to the helicopter. The whole area was hot. And even once we were airborne it was risky, antiaircraft gunfire coming from everywhere. But we bugged out, leaving a hell of a lot of good men behind.
“We were all injured except the bastard we’d come to save. Isn’t that always the way of it?” His face hardened, his voice bitter. “Nigel had taken a bullet in the shoulder, and I’d been shot in the leg. But it was Payton who’d suffered most. He was burned on one whole side of his body, shrapnel slicing gouges in any skin that was left. An eight-inch piece of metal bisected his face, and he’d taken a bullet in the chest, and another in his hip. Quite honestly, I didn’t think he’d make it through the flight.”
“But he did.” Sam’s voice was tight as she fought against emotion, the vision of the battle almost too real.
“Yeah. He’s a hell of a fighter. But he was never the same. Too much had happened. He’d lost Kevin. And then Mariam.”
“Mariam?” Sam frowned, trying to remember if Payton had mentioned her.
“I thought you said he told you about it.” Gabe stopped, studying her face for a moment.
“He did. At least about the raid, and Kevin and Cullen’s part in it. But he never mentioned this Mariam.”
“She was his wife.” Gabe sat back, crossing his arms across his chest.
“He was married?” she repeated, sounding like a stupid schoolgirl. “I…I didn’t know.” She felt betrayed. A stupid notion, surely, but there it was nevertheless. She’d felt close to Payton, certain that they shared a bond of some sort, but obviously she’d been wrong.
“Sam,” Gabe said, cutting through the wild thoughts racing in her brain, “Payton doesn’t talk to anyone about anything. The fact that he told you about Kevin says a hell of a lot. Believe me.”
She nodded, but couldn’t find words. This really shouldn’t be affecting her so strongly. But the fact remained that it was.
“Look.” Gabe’s expression was gentle. “They weren’t married long. It was one of those fast-and-furious things. He met her on leave, and she entranced him.”
“You don’t sound like you liked her very much,” Sam said, pushing her own feelings for the woman firmly to the side.
“It wasn’t for me to judge.” Gabe’s expression closed. “She was a French journalist. Very smart and very beautiful. And like Payton, she loved living on the edge.”
“So what happened to her?” Sam wasn’t certain she really wanted an answer, but she had a feeling knowing would offer insight into Payton that couldn’t be gained any other way.
“Cullen asked her to help with the raid. To use her sources to gather intel. She agreed. Payton tried to talk her out of it. But as I said, she liked dancing on the edge. And unfortunately, whoever turned on us turned on her as well. She was shot to death in her hotel room. I didn’t find out until we were safely out of Iraq.”
“And Payton?”
“I couldn’t tell him. At least not then. She was the reason he was hanging on, and believe me, he needed a reason. Most men wouldn’t have been able to survive what he did even with the strongest of motivations, but Payton has a stronger will than anyone I’ve ever known.”
“And when you did tell him?”
“It almost destroyed him. Kevin’s death had already taken a hell of a lot out of him. Not to mention his injuries. The news of Mariam’s death sent him over the edge. He blamed Cullen and he blamed me. But mostly he blamed himself.”
“But he couldn’t have prevented any of it.”
“No. He couldn’t have. But he’s never been able to see that. He thinks that if he could have moved faster, or been stronger, Kevin would have lived. And that if he’d just been more forceful, Mariam wouldn’t have agreed to work with Cullen.”
“But surely he can see that she made her own decision.”
“I think intellectually he understands that, but in his heart, he believes he failed them both.”
Sam’s heart twisted, her chest tightening with unshed tears. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to carry that kind of burden. “So what happened to him when he left the hospital?”
“His injuries allowed him an honorable discharge. And shortly after that he disappeared. I tried to find him. Nigel did, too. But Payton wanted to stay lost, and we couldn’t track him. Then several years ago he popped back onto the map. In Asia, working freelance.”
“As a mercenary.” She nodded. “He told me that much.”
“You have to understand that before Iraq, he was totally different. Boisterous, and funny. Always with a story. Making everyone laugh. But all that was gone. He was a different man. So quiet it was as if he weren’t bothering to breathe. He’d turned inward, using his strength as a shield against the world. His new persona only made him better at what he did. In his mind, he had nothing to lose, which meant that he was a very valuable commodity.”
“For difficult assignments.” Sam tried to picture his world, but even with all her experience, she couldn’t.
“The most difficult. We worked together a couple of times. And I think he’s forgiven me for waiting to tell him about Mariam. There’s a bond between the two of us that can’t be severed, no matter how dire things get. Nigel, too, for that matter.”
“What about Nigel? Why isn’t he here?” She’d heard the man’s name in passing a couple of times, but hadn’t understood the significance until now.
“There was a conflict of interest on our first case. Nigel works for MI6. And his loyalties lay there.”
“He betrayed you?”
“In a manner of speaking. We’re working through it.” Gabe’s smile was more relaxed, some of the shadows retreating. “Payton’s going to kill me for telling you any of this.”
“I already
knew most of it.” She tipped her head, searching Gabe’s face. “Why did you tell me?”
He shrugged. “Because I think you care about Payton. And frankly, I think he cares about you. It’s important that you understand where he’s coming from. What he’s been through. And quite frankly, who he is. I’ve spent my entire professional life walking in the shadows, Sam, and it’s taken a toll. Take my life and multiply it by a thousand and you have Payton’s. If I’m in the shadows, he’s in the dark. And I’d hate to see him go through the rest of his life alone.” Gabe laughed, the sound tinged with self-mockery. “Impending parenthood has made me too damn introspective. All I’m trying to say is that I think you could be good for Payton. And in order to understand him, you needed to know about Iraq. All of it.”
They sat for a minute in silence, Sam trying to think of something to say to ease the tension hanging between them. But everything she thought of seemed trite. Finally, she just said, “Thank you.”
Gabe smiled. “If I were you, I’d hold your thanks until Payton finds out what I’ve done. After that, you may wish you’d never met me.”
“You’re a good friend, Gabe. Payton is lucky to have you.”
“Goes both ways, Sam. I’m lucky to have him, too.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SAM WALKED INTO the operations room, grateful to see that Payton wasn’t there. After Gabe’s revelations, she wanted some time to herself. Time to process all that Gabe had told her. And most importantly, time to sort through her feelings for the man.
The fact that Payton had been through so much should have scared her, but it didn’t. It only made her admire him all the more. But she was realistic enough to recognize the fact that despite Gabe’s words to the contrary, Payton’s interest in her was most likely only superficial. Pheromones calling to pheromones.
It simply didn’t make sense to believe that he’d risk any kind of involvement beyond that. Which meant that if she allowed things to progress, she had to be damn certain her heart wasn’t involved. At least not at a level that meant she’d be hurt when it was time to move on. A couple of days ago, she’d have been certain she could handle that.