by Lara Lacombe
“Damn fool woman,” he said, shaking his head. But despite his frustration, he couldn’t keep from smiling. She was the only person who believed he was telling the truth—even Jim thought he was lying. Her confidence in him was better than any drug, and made him feel as if he could do anything. Find the mole in the FBI? Absolutely. Take on the 3 Star Killers? Bring it on.
But as much as she helped him, he couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out what he did for her. Maybe, when this was all over, he could ask her about it.
“If we even live that long,” he said with a snort.
* * *
Ben’s Chili Bowl was a DC institution, located on U Street near the Metro station. Famous for chili dogs, chili burgers and chili fries, it was a place Jillian generally avoided out of respect for her arteries. As far as meeting places went, though, it was perfect. Everyone in the city knew Ben’s, and the place was always busy, which meant witnesses. Lots and lots of witnesses.
Even the winter weather hadn’t kept the crowds away, an observation that made Jillian breathe a little easier. While she didn’t want anyone to get hurt, she felt a lot safer being around so many people.
She sat in a booth in the back corner, pretending to study the iconic mustard-yellow menu while she watched the front door. Jim should be here any minute...
She let her gaze drift over the other patrons, checking again to make sure she hadn’t missed him. Alex had described him, but from where she sat, there didn’t appear to be anyone who looked like him in the restaurant. Fortunately, there didn’t appear to be any gang members, either, but she couldn’t really be sure. Everyone was wearing jackets or long sleeves, which covered any telltale gang tattoos.
She still couldn’t believe Alex had agreed to let her come along. She’d stepped out of the bathroom, fully prepared to argue with him again. But rather than insisting she stay behind, he’d told her to get ready. He followed her to the bedroom, standing on the other side of the door to tell her his plan while she quickly dressed.
“That’s actually a good idea,” she said slowly, tugging a sweater over her head.
His tone was wry. “You don’t have to sound so surprised, Doc.”
She opened the door to find him leaning against the jamb, ankles and arms crossed. The corner of his mouth quirked up. “I appreciate your faith in me,” he said, tapping a fist against his heart. “Means the world.”
She shot him a mock glare and walked past him, heading into the den to grab her shoes and coat. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
He shrugged. “This is my job, you know. You stitch people up, I come up with plans to avoid being captured and killed by psychopathic gang members.”
“All in a day’s work?”
“Something like that.”
Except it wasn’t part of her normal routine, and while a small part of her got a little thrill out of the James-Bond-style antics, it was hard to appreciate the novelty of the experience while dealing with the nausea brought on by a severe case of nerves.
It was a new experience, feeling like part of a team. Alex treated her like an equal, and seemed to value her input. Thinking back on it, Mark had never really thought of her as a partner or treated her like one. And why would he? His wife had filled that role. She’d been just a little fun on the side.
Despite their rocky start, Jillian had to admit that she felt closer to Alex than she ever had to Mark. She shook her head at the irony of it. Here she was, putting her trust in a guy who lied for a living. But unlike Mark, she was almost certain that Alex hadn’t lied to her. And the fact that he trusted her with his life made her believe in him all the more.
The door opened and a cold breeze swept in, stirring the napkins on the front tables. A man stepped inside, huddled into his coat, his face mostly hidden by a brown knit hat and matching scarf. He glanced around and then took a seat at a nearby table, facing the front of the restaurant.
Jillian craned her head, trying to get a look at his face without being too obvious about it. At this angle, she could make out his profile.
C’mon, take your scarf off...
As if he’d heard her thoughts the new arrival began to unwind his scarf, revealing the lower half of his face after a few tugs. He turned in her direction, and Jillian got her first good look at his face. That’s him, she realized with a jolt. Time for her to make her move.
Her heart in her throat, Jillian stood and casually walked over to his table. “Jim?” She tried to sound cheerful, but it came out as more of a squeak.
The man glanced up at her, his expression wary. “Do I know you?”
She smiled and pulled out a chair, sitting across from him. “Not yet, but you will.”
He held out a hand to stop her. “Actually, I’m—”
“Meeting someone. I know.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “Let me guess. You’re waiting for Alex?”
Jim narrowed his eyes and Jillian swallowed hard when he slid his hand into the pocket of his coat. “Who are you?”
“I’m a friend,” she explained, keeping her gaze on his hidden hand. Please don’t shoot me.
“Where is he?”
“Close. He wanted me to give you this.” Keeping her movements slow, Jillian reached into her pocket and removed a cell phone. She placed it on the table and slid it across to him, then pulled her hand back.
Jim stared at the phone for a second, then lifted his eyes to hers. “That looks like his phone.”
Jillian nodded. “Yes. Press one and it will call him.”
“Why isn’t he here?”
“You’ll have to ask him that.” She held her breath while Jim considered her words. His expression never wavered, giving her no clue as to what he was thinking. Did he believe her? Or did he think she was connected to the gang and involved in the trouble last night? She did her best to look innocent and non-threatening, willing him to trust her.
Finally, Jim reached out and plucked the phone off the table. “We’ll see,” he muttered, turning his attention to the phone. Jillian relaxed, the tension leaving her shoulders when his focus shifted off of her. She pushed back from the table and made to stand, but he held up his hand. “Stay there, please.” His tone was mild, but there was no doubt he expected her to comply. She froze. This wasn’t part of the plan.
She briefly considered making a run for it, but Jim returned his hand to his pocket, his meaning unmistakably clear. Jillian leaned back in her chair and put her hands on the table, trying not to let her fear show. She was supposed to deliver the phone and then leave, getting out of the path of any gang members who came looking for Alex. And while she was confident Tony was still out of action, it was possible one of the guys who’d been at the motel would show up today. And if he recognized her...
A cold chill swept over her, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. She tried not to fidget in her chair, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. Sitting with her back to the door had been a bad move, she realized now. Anyone could walk in and she’d never know. They could walk right up to her, a gun in hand, and she wouldn’t realize it until it was too late—
“Where are you?” Jim’s question cut through her anxiety, dragging her out of her increasingly frantic thoughts.
He glanced at her. “She’s here.” He paused, then spoke again. “I don’t see— Fine. Yes.” He covered the mouthpiece with his hand and spoke to her. “You can go.”
Jillian didn’t need to be told twice. She bolted up from the chair and tried not to run from the restaurant, blinking back tears of relief. The blast of cold air that greeted her did wonders to clear her head, and she made it a point to slow her pace as she walked down the street, not wanting to call attention to herself.
She entered a coffee shop about fifty yards away and snagged a seat by the window. The rich aromas of the café wrapped aroun
d her, bringing comfort and warmth in equal measure. She simply breathed for a moment, taking advantage of the brief respite before turning her attention to the scene outside.
From this spot she had a nice view of the benches near the African American Civil War Memorial. Alex sat with his back to her, looking like a homeless man in his mismatched layers of fabric. He’d put on most of Jason’s clothes, and she’d given him an oversize set of scrubs, several scarves and a blanket in the hope of keeping him warm. He had chemical hand warmers in his pockets, but they were no match for this cold. Still, it was better than nothing.
She’d wanted him to meet Jim in another restaurant, out of the wind and weather, but the stubborn man had quickly shot down her suggestion.
“It’s too easy to get trapped if I’m inside. Outside, I can run if I need to.”
She settled down to wait, hunching her shoulders in sympathy as another gust of wind blew snow off the memorial statue. Alex had to be freezing, but he didn’t move from his spot. “C’mon, move your feet. Move something,” she urged him quietly. While she understood his desire to have several escape options available, if his muscles got too cold, he wouldn’t be able to run very far or very fast.
The door to Ben’s Chili Bowl opened and Jim stepped out, once again wrapped up tight in scarf and hat. He glanced around as if trying to get his bearings and then set off toward the war memorial, his head down. After a moment his long-legged stride brought him to Alex’s bench and he sat without looking at the other man.
“Here we go,” she whispered.
* * *
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t take you down right here.”
Alex glanced at Jim, his eyes tearing up from the biting wind. “Because I’m innocent?”
Jim snorted, his breath forming a white cloud in front of his face. “Can you prove it?”
“Not without Tony’s confirmation.”
“And where is he?”
“He got shot last night. I had to leave him behind at the motel when the gang found us.”
“Us?”
Alex nodded, trying to read the other man’s mood. He hadn’t sounded tense on the phone, but he also didn’t appear to be communicating with anyone. Had he really come without a team in place?
“Is she part of ‘us’?”
“‘She’?” He decided to play dumb, stalling for time. He wasn’t sure he could trust Jim, and he didn’t want Jillian’s name to get out, especially when he hadn’t yet figured out the identity of the mole.
“The woman who handed me your phone. How is she a part of this? Is she with the gang?”
“No. She’s an innocent bystander who got pulled in against her will.”
“Oh?” Jim arched a brow, staring past him. “Then why is she still involved? And if she’s so innocent, why is she watching us from that coffee shop down the block?”
Damn. He should have known Jim would find her. He never missed a trick. “She’s trying to help me prove my innocence.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Listen to me, Jim. Please. We don’t have much time.”
Jim narrowed his eyes. “What makes you say that?”
“I called you out here because I think the gang is going to show up at Ben’s any minute, looking for me.”
“Did you call them?”
“No!” Alex thrust a hand through his hair, wishing he could come up with the magic words to make Jim understand what was going on. “They’re after me because they know I’m a Fed. Someone in the Bureau told them—the same someone who tipped them off about the operation last night.”
“Popular opinion has it that you’re the one who betrayed us.”
“I’m not—I swear it. Look at me.” He waited until Jim made eye contact. “We’ve known each other for years. We go back to the Academy together. You know I would never do something like this. I’m not that guy.”
Jim sighed, then looked away. “It’s really hard to believe you, when the evidence suggests otherwise.”
“What evidence?”
“The events of last night are pretty hard to ignore,” Jim said, his voice rising with anger. “Do you know how many people we lost? And not just us—DEA, ATF. Everyone took a hit.”
Alex closed his eyes as the memories assaulted him. “I know,” he whispered. “I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t.”
“So why not just come in? Clear your name?”
“I can’t. Not when the mole is still in place. Don’t you see? If I come in, he or she will go back into hiding and we’ll never know who it is. But if I stay out here...” He gestured with his arm, encompassing the snowy landscape. “They’ll keep trying to find me. And eventually they’ll make a mistake.”
Jim shook his head. “That’s some pretty thin logic.”
“So bring me in now. Don’t you have a team in place? What are you waiting for? If you don’t believe me, give them the sign.”
Jim frowned and Alex realized his earlier suspicion was right—Jim had come alone. A surge of hope filled his chest. Since Jim hadn’t brought in a team, that meant he still trusted him.
“You’re alone,” he said quietly.
“I wasn’t supposed to be,” Jim said. He sounded distracted, as though he was thinking out loud. “They were supposed to meet me here.”
Alex glanced around involuntarily, but he saw no signs of a tactical team. Excitement mixed with dread as the pieces began to fall into place. “Who knows you were meeting me here?”
Jim opened his mouth to respond, but Alex’s attention was caught by the arrival of a boxy sedan as it pulled to a stop in front of Ben’s. The same sedan from the motel last night.
“It’s them,” he hissed, grabbing Jim’s arm. “Don’t move.”
Three men emerged from the car, moving with a predatory grace that made him think of lions on a hunt. Even from this distance, it was easy to tell they were heavily armed and well-versed in physical violence. They entered the restaurant and Alex slowly removed his hand, tucking it back into the warmth of his pocket.
“Swear to me you didn’t call them,” Jim said, his voice low and fierce.
“If I had, wouldn’t I be running over there to greet them?” Alex shot back. “Now answer my question—who did you tell?”
Jim was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, he sounded dazed. “Dan Pryde. But I can’t believe he’d do something like this. It has to be someone else—maybe he said something—”
“No.” Alex cut him off, the name hitting him like a punch to the gut. “It’s him.” He leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. “Why didn’t I see it before?” he murmured.
It all made a sick kind of sense. After the training accident at the Academy, Dan had blamed him for his injuries. A thorough investigation had been conducted and it was determined that the accident was due to a loose hand-hold on the obstacle wall. Both Alex and Dan were cleared of any fault, and the Bureau had assumed responsibility for the accident and had taken care of all of Dan’s medical bills and physical therapy. Even now, they continued to provide him with a mechanized wheelchair to ensure his mobility was as good as possible.
He’d spoken to Dan several times after the accident, trying to be supportive. But Dan had ignored every overture, steadfast in his belief that Alex hadn’t tried hard enough to save him. No amount of official documentation would convince him otherwise. After a while, Alex had stopped trying to get through to the other man, and he’d lost track of where Dan had ended up in the Bureau.
It seemed Dan had kept tabs on him, though.
“Why would Dan work with the 3 Star Killers?”
“To get back at me. For his accident.”
Jim’s eyes widened above the scarf. “That’s crazy! It wasn’t your fault.”
“Yeah, well. He’s al
ways blamed me for it. And if he found out I infiltrated the gang, he could get his revenge by revealing my identity. The gang would take care of the rest and no one at the Bureau would know he’d ratted me out.”
“Speaking of the gang,” Jim said, his voice tight. “They’ve realized you’re not inside.”
Alex resisted the urge to jerk his head around to stare at Ben’s. Quick movements would only attract the attention of the gang enforcers, something he definitely wanted to avoid. Slowly, he turned to face the restaurant, his heart kicking into double-time when he saw the men scanning the street, frowning in displeasure.
“I think it’s time to go,” he said. He caught Jim’s answering nod in his peripheral vision, gratified to see the other man was keeping his movements subtle, as well.
“I’m going to head to the Metro,” Alex continued. “I think you should walk in the opposite direction. They’re not interested in you, and if you leave the area, they probably won’t even notice you.”
“Sounds good,” Jim said softly. “I’ll wait to leave until you’re gone. If we both get up at the same time, it’ll look suspicious.”
“Thanks, man. Keep in touch—you know how to get hold of me.” He patted his pocket, feeling the solid, comforting weight of Jillian’s cell phone through the fabric. Then he stood and walked toward the Metro station, keeping his head forward and his pace measured.
After a few steps he started to breathe normally again. He’d done it—Jim believed him. He knew the identity of the mole in the organization, and he’d evaded the gang one more time. Maybe it was his lucky day after all.
Right after the thought entered his mind, everything went to hell.
An angry shout behind him and the pop, pop, pop of gunshots signaled that this was not to be a clean getaway, after all. Alex darted to the side and crouched behind a trash can, trying to make himself as small as possible. He looked back in time to see the three gang enforcers approach Jim, their guns out and pointing at him. They needn’t have bothered with the show of force. Jim was lying helpless on the frozen ground, his hands pressed to his belly as he tried to staunch the flow of blood that darkened his coat.