Intercepted Risk

by Sidney Bristol

  “I checked the serial number on the microphone that came off Kelsey’s jacket,” Diha said.

  “Microphone? What?” Jamie asked.

  Kelsey grimaced. “Nadine likely stuck a small microphone on my jacket.”

  “Nadine didn’t check it out,” Diha said. “It’s from one of our dead guys, which further supports the theory they were working together. He requisitioned the microphone and receiver to do some standard surveillance work on a potential source.”

  “Um, did we get the transmitter and receiver?” Kelsey shifted in her seat. She didn’t glance at Logan, but he understood what she was getting at.

  She really only had the one jacket. She’d worn it to his place. It had likely been in her living room. There were intimately personal conversations they’d had, and someone was listening the whole time.

  “No, not yet at least,” Diha said.

  Logan exhaled.

  It wasn’t the best news. Someone out there could still have the tools and recordings, if they’d been smart enough to record it. Which meant there was also the possibility that someone out there had a recording of Logan and Kelsey’s intimate moments. He was not fond of that.

  Diha held her hands up. “The good news is that the microphone was dead. If we assume it was planted shortly after being checked out when the battery life was fully charged, it would have run out yesterday morning. It’s doubtful they found out about today from it.”

  “There’s something,” he muttered, then cleared his throat. “What’s our next move? How safe are you wherever you are?”

  “It’s been one hell of a long day,” Zora drawled. “At this point, everyone needs to get some rest and decompress. We should be safe where we are. I’ve asked Tucker to remain here and oversee security.”

  “But what are we going to do?” Kelsey spread her hands. “I mean, we need a plan.”

  “At this point, our best bet is to stick to the plan. Dixon is working with us. He is a valuable informant. He is also bait, and Skilton will no doubt know that the senator had plans to host a holiday party this weekend.”

  “That’s our plan?” Kelsey squinted at Zora. “A party?”

  “We’re all figuring this out together,” Zora said. “First thing in the morning, we’ll work on the next step. I have to cut this short. The director is expecting a briefing.”

  The feed cut off, leaving them in silence.

  “The director?” Kelsey snorted. “What a fucking joke.”

  Most days Logan forgot that Zora was only the assistant director of the task force. Hell, Logan hadn’t met the real man in charge.

  He turned his chair to look at the others.

  They all wore similar, downtrodden expressions.

  Nadine’s betrayal hit them all hard.

  No matter who it was, they were all going to feel a sense of betrayal.

  “Look around you,” Logan said.

  Jamie and Harper glanced at him, then each other before turning their heads to look at the others.

  Kelsey frowned at Logan, then shared a look with Diha and Felecia.

  Baruti’s head didn’t move, but his eyes took them all in.

  One by one, each person met the gaze of the others.

  “We know that every person in these walls is someone we can trust. Baruti? Samuel? Joon? Those three especially.” Logan looked at the two FBI agents in turn. “Thank you for going along with the investigation. It couldn’t have been easy to live under a microscope like you did, knowing that we were all trying to decide who we could trust. Thank you.”

  Baruti shook his head. “I didn’t want to believe it.”

  “It’s hard...” Samuel paused to close his eyes and draw in a deep breath. “It’s hard thinking that someone who’s gone through the training we have would do something like this.”

  “You’re right.” Logan nodded. “Nadine was in the CIA for what? Thirty years? She was fifty-eight, right? She didn’t turn traitor overnight. She knew what she was doing. No one should beat themselves up for not seeing it. She’s been practicing spy craft since most of us were kids. What matters now is that we remember we’re a team. We lean on each other. And we keep pushing forward.”

  “We need to trust each other,” Kelsey said. “This Skilton guy? If he’s as powerful as we’re being told, then he’s been underestimating us. That’s to our advantage. Tomorrow we all need to show up with our A game, okay?”

  Logan kept his face perfectly neutral, but inside he was beaming.

  They could be a team. A damn good one.

  What would it be like to lead together? Was that something she’d be interested in?

  MONDAY. EVEREST SECURITY Offices. Washington, DC.

  Skilton massaged his temples.

  He was surrounded by idiots. Complete and total idiots.

  “Enough,” he snapped, silencing the man spewing excuses at him.

  Why was it everyone worth a damn was indisposed or dead? Where was the help he needed?

  It was infuriating.

  Skilton picked up his pen and clicked it. It was that or squeeze a gun and he wasn’t in the mood to find a new mercenary. So far he was underwhelmed by Everest Security. There were men who obviously knew what they were about, but the bulk of them were idiots.

  “What I need from you is to do your job.” Skilton slid a sheet of paper across the desk. “Understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” the stone faced man from Everest Security said to him.

  “Get out. Do it.” Skilton flicked his wrist.

  For what he was paying, he should own Everest Security. In hindsight, that might have been a better overall investment, but it was too late now.

  With hope, these idiots would get their heads out of their ass and take care of the Task Force problem. That was why he’d hired them, after all.

  Skilton waved at his assistant. The nervous man glanced at someone else before approaching the open office door.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Have we heard from Nadine yet?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Do we have any idea where she’s gone?”

  “No, sir.”

  Skilton grimaced. He wanted Nadine back, but she was slippery. It would take considerable resources to recover her, and he wasn’t willing to go that far. Not yet at least.

  He was surrounded by idiots. All of them.

  19.

  Monday. Kelsey Young’s Apartment. Washington, DC.

  Kelsey wasn’t sure how she made it through burritos and drinks with the girls after their awkward as hell meeting. It was mostly a blur. She barely remembered calling Baruti to check on him and Samuel.

  She stood just inside the door to her apartment and stared around the nearly empty space.

  No part of her wanted to be here. Not alone. Not tonight.

  How long should she wait before seeing if Logan was home? Would he mind if she invaded his apartment tonight? What if the guys were at his place?

  She pulled out her phone, thumbs hovering over the keys.

  It wasn’t like her to be this reliant on a man. But it was hard to not lean against Logan. He was always there for her, even when he frustrated her.

  Was she taking him for granted?

  She clicked her texts.

  At the very bottom of her screen, almost pushed out of sight, was an unread group text from her sisters. It was a late Thanksgiving text she’d never read.

  Kelsey clicked on it. She wasn’t sure why. These messages always made her feel awkward.

  The text was a picture of two girls with similarly tanned skin, dark hair and their father’s wide nose. Kelsey reached up and rubbed her own nose. There was no denying that they were sisters. The two girls had their cheeks smooshed together and grinned at the camera over a piece of pie.

  It was probably the emotions of the day messing with her, but Kelsey started typing.

  Hey girls, it’s your crappy older sister. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. Sorry for the silence. Work has been har
d lately.

  What else could she say?

  She hit send before she could talk herself out of it.

  Kelsey gulped down air and jabbed her ongoing conversation with Logan. She typed out two words and sent it.

  You home?

  She trudged into the bedroom. Running back to her apartment this morning in her pajamas hadn’t been pleasant. Packing a few things in a bag would be better.

  Her phone chimed.

  Holding her breath, she looked to see who it was.

  Logan.

  Home and waiting for you.

  Her lips twisted into a smile.

  From anyone else, she’d read into those words. With Logan, she just felt relief.

  Kelsey threw the bare necessities into a bag, including her gun cleaning kit and her other Kevlar vest that had a longer front plate. It wasn’t as comfortable as her newer, more fitted vest, but it made her feel safer. On the off chance they had to move with little notice, she wanted it with her.

  Satisfied she had everything, Kelsey ducked out of her apartment. She was twisting the lock into place when Harper appeared around the corner.

  “Hey, Kelsey,” he called out.

  She glanced at him and the pizza he had balanced on his hand. “Uh, hey.”

  “You headed out?”

  “To the gym,” she said.

  Harper nodded. “You want company?”

  She tilted her head. “You just came home with a pizza.”

  He shrugged.

  “I’m good, but thanks.”

  “Okay, make sure to stretch,” he called out.

  Fuck.

  Kelsey turned and started walking through the parking lot. While the apartment complex had a gym, most of them opted to use the basement level gym in the headquarters.

  She glanced over her shoulder.

  No more Harper.

  That was too close.

  She wasn’t sure why, but deep down she wasn’t ready for everyone to know. Not yet, at least. Eventually it would come out. She knew better than to think she could keep this a secret. Given what they’d learned today, keeping secrets likely wasn’t a good idea.

  Kelsey circled around the back of the first line of vehicles and cut her way through the apartment complex to Logan’s side of the building.

  His door was open and waiting for her.

  She quickly stepped inside and locked it.

  Logan stood bent over the sink with the tap water running.

  “Uh, are you okay?” she asked.

  He groaned. “I don’t think so.”

  She set her bag on the table and came around to stand at the entry to the kitchen. “What happened?”

  Logan turned his head and squinted at her. “The guys wanted to get some drinks.”

  “Oh dear...” She thumbed over her shoulder. “I just saw Harper. He looked fine.”

  Logan held up a finger. “Harper is an asshole. He has a drink leg.”

  “A...drink leg?”

  “It’s where all the alcohol goes.”

  “I see.” She chuckled and leaned on the counter. “Anything I can do?”

  “No. I think I’m fine.”

  “You sure?”

  “Nope.”

  “Wait, a second...” She reached over and grabbed a prescription bottle. “Are you supposed to be drinking and taking this shit?”

  He turned the tap off and straightened, holding tight to the counter.

  She nudged him. “Answer me.”

  “I don’t know. It was a dumb decision. I’m kicking myself right now.”

  She snorted and shook her head. At least he’d realized his idiocy. “And here I thought I was a lightweight,” she muttered.

  “Don’t start. Please?” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I just want to sit down.”

  She covered her mouth to muffle her laughter. “How much did you drink?”

  “A pitcher? Or two?”

  “By yourself?”

  “That’s how they came.”

  “Oh my. Okay, you can hold on to me, but if you fall, I’m not catching you. You’d kill me.”

  “I’m not going to fall, just stop moving, will you?”

  “I’m not moving.” She gestured to her still stationary body. “Right here. Not moving.”

  Logan groaned. “I just want to sit down.”

  “Well, if you want to sit on the sofa where you’ll be most comfortable, you’re going to have to move. Think you can do it?”

  “Yeah.”

  He grimaced and put one foot in front of the other.

  She led him the short distance to the sofa and stood back as he collapsed back, eyes closed.

  Kelsey didn’t know what to make of it. She’d never thought of Logan letting go enough to do something like get drunk. It was so at odds with his up-tight demeanor at work.

  She covered her mouth with her hand, hiding her grin.

  He was a pretty cute drunk.

  Once again, he was in jeans and a worn blue Henley. Only tonight he had the beanie on and a generous amount of stubble darkening his jaw.

  She sighed, toed off her shoes and curled up next to him. He reached out immediately, capturing her hand in his.

  “How are you? Did you have fun with the girls?” he asked.

  Even drunk, he was worried about her. That was new and different. She didn’t hate the idea. Hell, she’d been wondering what he was doing.

  “Yeah, it was nice, I guess.” Deep down she’d wanted to be here and not out, but she wasn’t ready to say that. Not to him or anyone. “How’s your shoulder?”

  “Fine. It doesn’t hurt much.”

  “Hm.” She wasn’t sure she believed that.

  Her phone chimed. Without thinking, she reached into her pocket and pulled it out.

  “Who is it?” Logan asked. “Sorry, I shouldn’t ask that.”

  “You can ask. I don’t have to answer.” She turned the screen toward him. “It’s my sisters.”

  He pried his eyes open. “Yeah?”

  “I never replied to their Thanksgiving text, so I sent them this.” She showed him the conversation.

  He took the phone and sat up a bit. “Wow, you three really look alike. You should send them a picture.”

  “Uh, no.”

  “Come on.” He squeezed the side button on her phone, activating the camera. “Lean in.”

  “You are a pain. No.”

  “You sure?” he asked.

  “Fine.” She rolled her eyes and leaned in.

  Instead of a nice, smiling picture, Logan twisted his face into a comical mask. Kelsey laughed, unable to contain it. He snapped the picture and then another.

  “Who are you and what did you do to Logan?” She snatched her phone back before he got any other great ideas.

  He leaned his head on her shoulder and dragged a throw blanket over the both of them.

  She’d misjudged him.

  Kelsey had always assumed the ultra-serious front she saw at work was who he was all the time. But that wasn’t the case. He was sweet and thoughtful and funny and caring. She just hadn’t seen it before. She hadn’t wanted to. It was easier to pretend she didn’t like him when he was just the overbearing guy at work. Seeing these other sides to him? The caring son. The sweet date. The concerned friend. They deepened her impression of him and deep down, she liked him more and more each day.

  She flipped through the pictures.

  Was that really her? Did she look at him like that?

  “What did your sisters say? I didn’t read it,” he said.

  “Oh, um...” She opened the text back up. “I told them sorry for the delayed reply. Work’s crazy. And they said, all good. Their mom wants to invite me to Christmas...”

  Kelsey’s knee-jerk reaction was a big, fat no.

  “Hey?” Logan squeezed her hand. “What are you thinking?”

  She glanced at him. He was looking at her with concern on his face. Had she reacted somehow? Or was he just that in tune with her?
Neither answer would surprise her at this point. “I’m thinking I still resent their mother for taking my dad away. But, it wasn’t her fault. Not really. From the way both of my parents talked, my dad didn’t know how to be faithful. I’d like to maybe spend time with my sisters sometime in the future, but I don’t know that I’m ready to be around her. That’s childish, isn’t it?”

  “It is what it is. I don’t think anyone can blame you for having negative feelings about this woman. I mean, did she know your dad was married?”

  “She claims she didn’t at first, not until her oldest was born. Get this, Dad gave her an engagement ring, but would never nail down a wedding date. She found out about Mom and me later. That’s where the story got hazy.”

  “Wow. Okay. So when she had her second kid, she knew your dad was married. That...yeah, I can see how you’d have feelings about that.”

  “I keep thinking I should forgive her, and I want to. But...I can’t turn off the way I feel around her.” Kelsey shook her head. “Can we talk about something else? Something drunk friendly?”

  “Sure.” He lifted a shoulder. “How are you doing?”

  She knew he didn’t mean in regards to her family. And that wasn’t exactly a drunk-friendly topic. He wasn’t going to stop though, and who else did she have to talk to?

  “I’m...hurt. I feel used and duped and silly for defending Nadine. But, she knew what she was doing. We all gave her a pass because she was this little, grandma like figure to all of us. It was smart. I just wished I understood why. Like, she worked for the CIA for this long, for what? Why? What did she get out of all of this?”

  “I don’t get it.” He shook his head. “There has to be more to her story, but... I’m not going to understand a person like that.”

  “You are a good person.” She leaned over and kissed him.

  His lips were soft and yielding. They parted, his tongue darting out to tease her. He pulled her to him, holding her close, and pressed kisses to her cheek and brow. His arms wrapped around her and he tucked her head under his chin.

  “You’re staying tonight,” he said.

  It was a statement. Not a question.

  A small part of her wanted to say no out of spite, but deep down this was where she wanted to be. What was the point in fighting it? She sabotaged relationships just fine normally. She didn’t have to create a wedge to drive her home, where she’d be alone with her thoughts and feelings.