by L. T. Ryan
They took the longest route possible back to her apartment. They hardly spoke except for him mentioning that he had a meeting Monday morning, and he’d like to see her afterward. Clarissa was noncommittal toward him, but making plans to show up anyway.
She packed up her apartment Sunday afternoon. The task was easy. She didn’t keep much on hand, considering she often had to leave for long stretches of time at a moment’s notice. All the furnishings had come with the place. She only had her clothes and a few small effects to take care of. Her destination was still undecided. The layout of the departure board at the train station would help narrow down the choices, she supposed.
Sleep came easy that night, and she slept for almost ten hours, waking up around seven a.m. She showered, dressed, and put on minimal makeup in preparation for one last visit with Beck.
And so she waited on the steps of the Capitol, wondering why Beck had asked her to meet him there. He could have said thank you the day before. And he did. But he didn’t leave it at that. There had to be something else. Something more. In a way, she hoped he’d ask to see her again. She’d beaten the odds and escaped from a job that would have swallowed her whole. She had survived an ordeal that could have put her in prison for the rest of her life, or reserved her a seat in the electric chair or gas chamber. Now, she no longer feared for her life.
And she saw Beck in a new light.
He had been with her through it all. It was hard to deny the connection she felt with him. But she wouldn’t pursue it unless he brought it up.
An hour after arriving, she spotted him at the top of the steps. His right arm was in a sling, held tight to his torso. He smiled, waved to her, then jogged down the stairs.
She rose to meet him. “Still feeling okay?”
“The meds help with the pain, but I’m trying to wean myself off them.”
She laughed. “It takes more than a couple days to become an addict.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “You an expert?”
Rolling her eyes and wondering how much he knew about her past, Clarissa said, “Whatever.” After a brief pause, she added, “Tell me why you wanted me to come down here.”
“Walk with me?” He gestured toward the lawn.
He led her away from the Capitol, north to the Lower Senate Park. There were more people out than Clarissa had expected. They stuck to the sidewalk and benches having conversations with their headsets or someone physically present. None seemed to pay any attention to her and Beck.
Eventually, they found a bench away from others.
“There’s a few things I wanted to discuss with you.”
She nodded and said nothing.
“First, I found out how this all happened, and why. It turns out that both McCormick and Hogan were involved with a task force that is out to shut down all black ops. Doesn’t matter who is running them, or who is sponsoring them.” He paused and lowered his head. “Everything must cease if this plan goes through. Of course, it’s not the kind of thing you’re going to hear about on the news, but Sinclair, through his various channels, found out about it. And he knew who was behind it. He planned a counterattack to stop it. Now, this whole thing would have gone down one way or another, with or without your involvement. It was dumb luck on his part that Banner and Polanski brought him in on this thing with McCormick. He offered you up as a patsy if need be.”
The betrayal struck her hard.
Beck continued. “Then he began the cleanup process, starting with Amy.”
“Why Amy? And what about Adam?”
“Julie hadn’t been lying when she told us she’d had him moved to a safe location. They are tracking down paternal grandparents, who he’ll go live with in California. And, as for Amy, she had the unfortunate task of being assigned to watch over you.”
Clarissa felt her cheeks redden and her eyes misted over. She still thought of Amy as an innocent woman. Someone whose only crime was residing in the building. The truth was more than that, though. She was about to ask Beck about the scope of Amy’s job and involvement when two younger men dressed in navy blue suits approached. She held back, and when they passed, Beck continued.
“From there he turned on Julie and Banner. We suppose that they didn’t know you and I were at Banner’s house when they attacked.”
“The man at the airport?”
“One of Sinclair’s.”
“How did he find us in Boston?”
“Sinclair was going to kill Hogan no matter what. He knew the flight plans. They believe Hogan told him, and that he expected Sinclair or one of his men to meet him and escort him back to D.C. Apparently, Sinclair had convinced Hogan that someone else was targeting high-ranking officials and he might be next. We think he blamed Jordan, but aren’t quite sure. Anyway, Sinclair tracked Hogan through his phone. We just happened to be there at the same time.”
“Jesus,” she said. “How will they explain this?”
Beck shook his head. “Anything they say publicly is going to be general. They’ll do their best to hide it. Sweep it under the rug. They have Sinclair’s corpse, and he’ll take the blame internally. Externally, if necessary. Though they’d prefer not to bring his name up for fear of someone uncovering all that Sinclair represented. And behind closed doors, McCormick is going to use this to convince others that black ops have to be stopped once and for all.”
“McCormick?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. They are letting the critical condition reports play out a couple days longer in case Sinclair had backup plans in place.”
“What about Jordan?”
“If he goes down, McCormick goes down. That’s not happening. So, he’s likely going to stay on with the Service, but they’ll move him to another role. He’ll be on lock down, essentially.”
Nodding, she asked, “What will the task force do?”
Beck shook his head. “Ironically, they’ll perform the biggest black op ever, and terminate everyone they can find.”
Her stomach tightened and her body tensed. She glanced around the park in an attempt to spot anyone watching them. “They’ll come after me, Beck.”
He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. “You’re safe, Clarissa. All of your records have been erased. All of them. You aren’t even mentioned in your father’s records anymore. Effectively, you are a ghost. In a few days, we’ll have a new identity established for you. And I’ll be handling it, so you don’t have to worry about anyone else knowing the new you.”
The thought of not existing as Clarissa Abbot tore through her. In a way, she felt light, as though she could do anything she wanted now. But she also recalled the few remaining people who were close to her. They’d never find her, and she’d never be able to reveal herself to them if she wanted to remain off the radar for good. At this point, she had little choice. Accept the new identity, or be hunted down. No matter how far she ran, they’d catch up to her.
“I know this is hard.” Beck pulled out a folder from his bag. “And I’m probably making it harder with this, at least now. But I hope the information in here helps ease your mind in some way.”
“What’s that?” she asked, tensing again.
“Inside are some files I thought you’d like to look at.” He handed them to her.
“What are they?”
“Open it up and see.”
“I don’t like surprises, Beck. Tell me.”
He inched over in his seat, glancing around. “The truth behind what happened to your parents.”
She stared at the folder in her hands. It was close to an inch thick. For over a decade, she’d wanted the truth. Now that she held it in her hands, she wasn’t sure she was ready to face it. At least, not seated on a park bench next to Beck. The time would come when she would open the folder and see the secrets that died with her mother and father. But not today.
“You’re not going to look?” he asked.
“Not yet.” She kept her gaze fixed on the folder.
“I think you’ll f
eel somewhat vindicated when you do.”
She placed her hands flat on the documents, lifted her head and turned toward him. His eyes wavered back and forth. She sensed he wanted to say something to her.
“Anything else?” she asked.
“What are your plans?” he asked.
Taking a deep breath, she shrugged. “Not sure yet. I’m leaving as soon as I can, though. I thought about returning to New York, but there’s too many memories there. Too many people who know who I used to be. Too much trouble. And anywhere else I’ve lived is out. I mean, why go back to those places? New Orleans has always appealed to me. Might go there for a while. Then who knows where. Somewhere on the ocean, maybe? I know that I don’t want to stay in one place for too long. Know what I mean?”
“Don’t go.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded against her chest. Her palms grew slick. She managed to say, “Why not?”
“To get this information, I had to give something up. Rather, I had to accept something I’ve turned down for quite some time now. But I can’t go back to the White House, and I don’t want to be stuck in a field office, so I agreed.”
She had expected something else. Still processing his words and shaking her head, she said, “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve taken a special position. It’s lots of travel, and it deals with major financial crimes around the world. Serious stuff. Bringing down major contributors to terrorist organizations, counterfeit, blood labor, and so on.”
Feeling defeated, she rose and turned toward him. “That’s great, Beck. But I don’t see what it has to do with me staying.”
“Part of what I negotiated with them was that I could pick my partner. Anyone, as long as they had experience as an operative.” He looked away. “And you do.”
“You’re offering me a job?”
He nodded. The look on his face led her to believe there was more to it, though.
“I’ve just been through a nightmare, and I’m finally free, Beck. I think…I think I’m better off leaving. Send someone else to deliver the identity stuff.”
She turned and walked away, leaving Beck behind on the bench. Plenty of times in her life there were times she leapt without looking. Made decisions that betrayed what she truly wanted.
And it always burned her.
She knew what she wanted now. It was more than a job. But if that’s how it had to start, so be it. One question had to be answered first.
If she ran, would he follow?
Only then would she know she was meant to join him.
The ambient city noise drowned out the sounds of her own footsteps. She walked quickly, nearing the street. The sidewalk grew crowded. She turned north, resisting the urge to look back. To search for Beck. If she spotted him, she’d go to him. And it couldn’t work that way.
She stopped at the intersection, waiting for the crosswalk light to turn. With every second that passed, she became surer that she would never see Beck again. She scanned the long line of cars traveling in both directions, looking for a break in traffic so she could take her chances dashing across the busy street. Anything to get away.
The gap never appeared.
The countdown on the westbound crosswalk light started at twenty. Twenty long seconds until the lights would change and she could continue on.
She waited, tapping her fingers against her thigh.
The light changed.
She took a step into the street.
“Clarissa, wait up.”
She looked back, and through a mesh of bodies, saw Beck jogging toward her.
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Other Books by L.T. Ryan
Jack Noble Series in Order
Noble Beginnings
A Deadly Distance
Noble Intentions Season One
Noble Intentions Season Two
Noble Intentions Season Three
Never Go Home
Noble Intentions Season Four - Coming January 2014
Mitch Tanner Series
The Depth of Darkness
Untitled (Mitch Tanner 2) – Coming February, 2014
Untitled (Mitch Tanner 3) – Coming April, 2014
Affliction Z Series
Affliction Z: Patient Zero
Affliction Z: Abandoned Hope
Affliction Z: Book Three – Coming March/April, 2013
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
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