Next Exit, Use Caution

by CW Browning

  This section of the Pentagon was deserted at this time of night and Viper sat behind the desk, pulling a slim drive from her inside jacket pocket. Bending down, she plugged it into the PC under the desk and turned the computer on. She glanced at her watch. She had about twenty minutes to find what she was looking for before the cleaning crew came through this wing. When that happened, she had to be gone.

  This had to be one of the crazier things she’d done in a long time. If Hawk knew where she was, he’d either have a coronary or laugh himself silly. Alina wasn’t sure which. She pursed her lips.

  Hawk.

  Anger washed through her anew as she thought of him, laying in a pool of blood on a stone balcony. The bullet had glanced off his rib, causing very minimal damage in the end. Once she had him stabilized and got him to the surgeon, Viper knew that the worst was behind him. The problem was that he’d been hit at all, and with a bullet meant for her. Of that, she had no doubt. If he hadn’t thrown himself in front of her, it was doubtful she would be alive. Even with the bullet off-target, where it hit Damon would have corresponded to the right side of her chest.

  The computer finished loading and she bent her mind to the task at hand, setting aside the conflicting emotions clamoring for attention. Now was not the time to ponder what-ifs. Now was the time to find the bastard responsible.

  In less than two minutes Viper was past the security and firewall, and into the system used by the Unites States Defense Department. Harry would have her head on a platter if he knew what she was up to. As her fingers moved rapidly across the keys, Alina’s lips tightened thoughtfully. Harry was still working with Homeland Security and, as far as she could tell, he was showing no signs of coming back to the dark side. Whether that was by choice or because Charlie still needed him over there was anyone’s guess. The two were masters of subterfuge and had practically written the playbook for all the intelligence operations in the past ten years. It was impossible to tell what role Harry was really playing at DHS, but one thing Viper knew for sure: he’d throw a fit if he ever found out she’d internally broken into the Department of Defense.

  Charlie, on the other hand, would probably just shrug and tell Harry the problem was with the security, not his asset. Viper’s lips curved briefly. Charlie’s attitude had shifted over the past months. His strict adherence to protocol had eased a bit, as she had seen yesterday when she left him in Virginia with Hawk. His parting words to her were to find the person responsible for the shooting. She got the impression he was not terribly concerned with how she did it.

  After another minute, Alina found herself looking at a list of all current and prior servicemen and women now living in Singapore. The list was not long, and she quickly copied it onto the external drive before entering another search criterion. The next list she pulled was significantly longer. She scrolled through it, scanning the names before copying them as well. A large number of servicemen and women had bank accounts in Singapore, more than she was expecting. Alina was just about to navigate away from the page when a name caught her eye. She frowned, staring at it. Jordan Murphy.

  Now why was that name jumping out at her?

  Viper glanced at her watch, then opened a different database, entering the name. Multiple hits came up and she scrolled through them swiftly, stopping on one towards the end of the list. That particular Jordan Murphy was honorably discharged from the Marines four years ago. She clicked on him, pulling up his service record and glancing through it. She froze suddenly as a sharp chill rolled through her. Alina stared at the screen, her heart pounding. After a spellbound second, she copied the entire service record before she could think twice.

  Five minutes later the door was closing softly behind her, the office dark and empty.

  Michael unlocked his door and stepped into the house, flipping the switch on the wall. Light flooded the entryway and he closed the door, tossing his keys onto the hall stand. He set the deadbolt tiredly and turned to go down the hall to the kitchen at the back of the house. There was leftover pizza in the fridge, and a beer was calling his name.

  He was passing the door to the dining room on his right when a shiver of awareness streaked down his spine. Michael frowned in reaction and turned his head, glancing into the dark room. Something caught his attention and he paused, turning toward the doorway.

  “Long day, gunny?”

  Michael started and stepped into the dining room, flipping on the light. Seated comfortably in a chair in the far corner was Alina, her legs crossed. She was dressed in black SWAT pants and a lightweight black jacket hung open to reveal a charcoal gray shirt underneath. She blended so completely with the shadows that if it weren’t for her speaking, he would never have seen her.

  “Lina!” he exclaimed, his heart pounding. “What are you doing ?!”

  Her lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. It was a look he was getting to know well.

  “Dropping in to say hi,” she replied, uncrossing her legs and standing up smoothly. “I hope I didn’t startle you too much.”

  Michael opened his mouth, then closed it again wordlessly. This time the smile that crossed her lips was genuine, and her eyes lit with amusement.

  “Cat got your tongue?” she murmured, walking up to him. “I think this is a first.”

  “This is the first time you’ve surprised me,” he retorted.

  “Not quite the first time.”

  Michael’s face darkened and he scowled at the gentle reminder of when she’d caught him unaware and knocked him out cold next to his truck.

  “Well that won’t happen again,” he muttered, turning to continue on his way to the kitchen. “I’m having some cold pizza and a beer. Care to join me?”

  “I’ll pass on the pizza,” she said, following him, “but I’ll take a beer.”

  Michael glanced at her, surprised.

  “Bad day?” he asked, going to the fridge and pulling out two bottles of beer. He turned to hand her one before reaching back in for the pizza.

  “Bad couple of days,” Alina answered.

  Michael shot her a sharp look as he set the pizza on the kitchen island before turning to grab a piece of paper towel from the roll on the counter.

  “That’s doesn’t sound good,” he said. “Why don’t you come see my latest project and you can tell me about it?”

  Alina raised an eyebrow.

  “Your latest project?” she repeated.

  Michael nodded and pulled a piece of pizza out of the box, biting into it as he walked over to the door leading into his garage.

  “Trust me,” he mumbled with a grin.

  Alina followed him down the couple wooden steps into the garage he had turned into a wood shop. The smell of fresh sawdust filled the air and a tabletop rested across two saw horses.

  “Another table?” she asked. “Tired of the dining room already?”

  “This is for the kitchen,” he said, pulling a stool out from under the work bench along the wall. “Have a seat.”

  Alina glanced at it.

  “I’m ok,” she said. “Let me guess. You know this room is secure?”

  Michael grinned.

  “Good guess. I used to sweep it every day for listening devices, but after the tapped phones last week, I went one step further. When I got back from Brooklyn I installed infrared sensors. No one can get in here now without my knowing.”

  Alina nodded and sipped her beer, moving around the table slowly.

  “Smart move,” she told him. “If I were you, I’d do the whole house.”

  “Is it that bad?”

  “It can’t hurt to be on your guard. Where are you with Trasker?”

  “It’s slow.” Michael sat on the stool and took another bite of pizza. “I’m still waiting on a subpoena for the internal records. It will be a lot easier when I get that.”

  “You have it.” Alina paused in her slow pacing to look at him. “It was signed tonight.”

  Michael stared at her, dumbfounded.
/>   “How?”

  “I convinced someone it was a priority,” she answered calmly. “Gunny, it pays to know people like us. We come in handy on occasion.”

  “Us?”

  “I spoke to someone and was able to make them see it my way.” Alina took another drink, easily avoiding his question. “What about that other issue I asked you to work on? How’s that going?”

  “The subject covered his past pretty thoroughly,” Michael said slowly, watching her. “Someone who’s gone to the trouble he has usually doesn’t want something uncovered.”

  Her dark eyes met his solemnly.

  “I know. I told you it wouldn’t be easy.”

  “What’s going on?” Michael asked quietly. “Why did you just disappear on Sunday? And why do you have me digging into the past of a war hero?”

  Alina studied him for a moment, her face emotionless, the mask in place. Michael had no idea what she was thinking, or even if she would answer, and a wave of frustration welled up inside of him. Last week she asked him to do background research on someone, without any explanation of why. She made it clear doing so was dangerous and that others had already died over it. In a moment of what he could only assume was temporary insanity on his part, he had agreed. Now he wanted answers, and it didn’t look like any were going to be forthcoming.

  “How much do you really want to know, gunny?” she finally asked, serious. “The more you know, the more dangerous it is for you.”

  Michael finished his pizza, his eyes never leaving her face.

  “You said it’s already dangerous for me. A little situational awareness can’t go amiss.”

  A flash of amusement shot into her eyes and was gone just as quickly. If he hadn’t been watching her so closely, he would have missed it altogether.

  “Typical Marine,” she murmured. “I didn’t disappear Sunday. Not intentionally, anyway. I was sent away for work.”

  Michael raised an eyebrow.

  “I thought you were already working,” he pointed out. “You went after a terrorist. That is your job, correct?”

  “Yes, and I found him. Job over.”

  “And right on to the next one?” Michael asked incredulously. “Don’t you get a break?”

  Alina grinned despite herself.

  “No rest for the wicked, gunny,” she said. “However, in the interest of full disclosure, I believe the assignment is related.”

  “Is?”

  Alina’s lips twitched as he latched onto that one word.

  “You catch on quick,” she said, lifting her bottle to her lips and taking a sip. “Things didn’t turn out quite as expected.”

  Michael saw the tightening of her lips and the clenching of her jaw and his eyes narrowed.

  “What happened?” he asked softly.

  “Someone took a shot at me and hit Damon.”

  “What?!” Michael roared, his irritation forgotten.

  Alina smiled faintly at this reaction.

  “You wanted to know why I had a bad couple of days.”

  “Is he alive?” he demanded.

  “Yes, but only through pure luck.” Alina began pacing, her mask sliding back into place. “A helicopter was flying between the buildings at the time. I think the light blinded the shooter. The bullet was off-target. It nicked his intestine, glanced off his rib and came out his side.”

  “Thank God for that,” Michael breathed, watching her controlled movements. “Where is he?”

  “Somewhere safe. He’s in good hands for now, but I want him moved as soon as possible.”

  “You don’t trust where he is?”

  “No,” she said bluntly. “In fact, I don’t trust much of anything right now.”

  “You’re sure the shot was meant for you?”

  “Yes.”

  Michael studied her for a moment. He knew she wasn’t telling him everything and the frustration returned in a sudden wave.

  “I’m going for another piece of pizza,” he said, standing. “Another beer?”

  “No, thanks.” Alina finished her beer and handed him the empty bottle. “I have another stop after this.”

  Michael nodded and took the empty bottle, turning to go back into the house. He grabbed another slice of pizza and bit into it while he turned to the fridge to get another beer for himself, shaking his head. Someone tried to kill her and hit the SEAL instead. A chill went down Michael’s spine again, just as it had when she said it the first time. He’d got to know Damon a little bit over the past year, at least as well as one could know the former Navy SEAL turned government assassin. Michael liked him, and always got the impression the feeling was returned. However, knowing he took a bullet meant for Alina had Michael feeling suddenly inadequate.

  Eleven years ago Alina’s brother Dave was his best friend and fellow gunnery sergeant in the Marines. He made Michael promise to look out for his little sister if anything happened to him. The day Dave Maschik died in Iraq, Michael stepped up to make good on his promise. Unfortunately, he’d been unable to find her until last year, when she unceremoniously found him. Now it seemed that the SEAL was doing more to take care of her than Michael had yet.

  Michael grabbed a bottle of water for Alina along with his beer and turned back to the garage. How the hell did it happen? Who knew where she was? For that matter, who knew who she was? So many questions.

  He went back into the garage to find Alina near the automatic door examining one of the sensors.

  “This isn’t bad,” she said as he came back, not turning her head from the sensor. “It will stop your average criminal.”

  “But not you?” he asked, walking over to hand her the water with a grin.

  She straightened up and looked at him, taking the water. A small smile pulled at her lips.

  “No, but not much can.”

  “Why do you think the shot was meant for you?” Michael asked, his green eyes meeting hers. “Why not Damon?”

  “Because he threw himself in the way,” she said simply, turning to walk back over to the table. She pulled another stool out from under the workbench and settled onto it, opening her water. “If he hadn’t, it would have hit me.”

  “You said it was off-target?” Michael sat on his stool and sipped his beer. “Where do you think it would have gone if it wasn’t?”

  “And he didn’t act like a damn hero?” Alina asked. “My best guess is my forehead.”

  Michael’s stomach dropped inside him and he scowled.

  “A sniper?”

  “Yes, but not an experienced one,” she answered. “The light from the helicopter would have been enough to throw them off-target if they were using a night scope. Only an amateur would have taken the shot before it passed by. A professional would have waited.”

  “Thank God for that,” Michael breathed. “Who knew you were there?”

  Silence followed that question and he glanced at her sharply. The look on her face made him inwardly shiver.

  “That’s the big question,” she finally said, raising cold, hard eyes to his. “As far as I knew, no one.”

  Michael stared at her.

  “What?”

  Alina sighed, sipped her water, and turned to face him reluctantly.

  “I haven’t been entirely straight with you,” she said slowly. “There’s a lot going on you don’t know about.”

  “I figured as much,” he said, meeting her gaze squarely. “I also know you can’t tell me as much as I’d like.”

  “That’s true. I shouldn’t be talking to you at all.”

  “You do realize I have top security clearance?” he said, suddenly amused. “I’m Secret Service for God’s sake. I’m cleared to protect the President.”

  “This is beyond security clearance, gunny.” Alina got up restlessly, setting the water bottle on her stool and turning to resume pacing. “It’s your safety I’m worried about.”

  “My safety?” Michael demanded, his eyebrows soaring into his forehead. “I’m not the one getting shot at.�
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  She glanced at him.

  “I’m only going to tell you what I think you need to know. The more you know...”

  “The more dangerous it is. You said that already. Start talking.”

  Alina let out a short laugh despite her dark mood.

  “You Marines, you all think you’re invincible,” she muttered. “I’m starting to think you’re all just too dumb to realize your own mortality.”

  “Oh, we realize it,” he countered cheerfully. “We just don’t care.”

  A rare, genuine smile transformed her face and Michael watched her eyes light with amusement. His own lips curved in response. This was the Lina he wanted to see more of, not the stony, mechanical professional she’d been since she called to him from the shadows of his dining room.

  “Never change, gunny,” she told him. “The world needs more people like you.” The smile faded from her face and she continued her restless pacing. “When you came to see me in Jersey two weeks ago, I’d just gotten back from a long trip. One of my stops was Syria.”

  Michael was silent, watching as she circled the table top slowly. Her mask was back in place and he had no hint as to what she was thinking as she spoke; only that she seemed to be considering her words very carefully. His lips tightened at the mention of Syria. He didn’t want to consider what could have happened to her in that unstable and volatile country.

  “While I was there, someone recognized me. For lack of a better phrase, my cover was blown.”

  Michael stared at her.

  “How is that possible?”

  The look he encountered from her was chilling.

  “That’s the crux of the whole problem.”

  “What happened?”

  “I was followed out of Syria, then Greece, then the Italian Special Service picked it up through Italy.” Alina glanced at him. “None of those people should have had any idea I was there, or even who I am.”

  “And now they’ve probably spread the information,” Michael said with a scowl.

  “Oh, they aren’t talking to anyone,” Viper said matter-of-factly. “The information died with them.”