The Traitor's Pawn

by Lisa Harris

  “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

  “Do you remember coming with me to visit her that one summer?”

  “Of course. She eyed me up and down until you assured her—in private—that the two of us were simply friends. Then I remember her telling stories about the Depression.”

  Bree laughed. “I’d forgotten about that. She was always so protective of me until her memory started to fade. Now . . . now she doesn’t even know who I am half the time.”

  He reached out and squeezed her hand. She’d already experienced so much loss. Her father had deserted her family. Her mother had died. And now, not only was the senator involved in all of this, her grandmother had just gotten dragged into it as well.

  His phone rang and he pushed the button on the steering wheel to answer it. “What have you got, Kate?”

  “I’m not sure where he’s heading, but we’ve got him close to the Riverwalk on Alamo Street. I’m working with OnStar to remotely slow down the vehicle.”

  Jack made a right-hand turn, still scanning the street for the van. It had to be here somewhere.

  “Jack,” Bree said, “stop the car.”

  He glanced to the right where she was looking. A white van had just pulled into one of the side streets in front of them.

  “Do you see the driver?” he asked.

  “He just got out of the van and is heading east.”

  “Bree, wait . . .”

  But she was already out of the car. She slammed the door shut and started running after him toward the Riverwalk as Jack pulled up next to the curb.

  Bree shouted at the man. “Stop! Police!”

  Jack parked the van and headed after them. Dozens of people were dining along the famous Riverwalk in the middle of San Antonio that was lined by shops and restaurants. Bree was already twenty yards ahead of him, and their suspect another ten in front of her.

  Jack groaned. Did the guy really think running was going to make things easier? They came to where the sidewalk split and continued on both sides of the river. Bree had taken the left side, in pursuit of the suspect. Jack took the right, crossing the narrow river. He sprinted down the sidewalk, running parallel to Bree and the man. A boat filled with tourists floated down the river between them. Pedestrians window-shopped and ate an early lunch at outside tables. Dozens of tourists hurriedly stepped out of his way as he dodged between and around them.

  He was gaining on the man. If he could get ahead of him and cross over . . .

  A woman pushing a stroller was in front of him, oblivious to what was going on. Jack shouted again, trying to get her attention as he barely managed to squeeze by her without knocking her over.

  He kept running, watching out of the corner of his eye. He was ahead of the man now. Ten feet . . . fifteen . . . Jack ran up the steps and crossed a short bridge back over the river, then turned toward their suspect. With Bree seconds behind him, their suspect was trapped. Realizing his options had just run out, the man tried to dodge past Jack. Instead, he lost his balance and fell into the waist-deep water.

  The man staggered to his feet, then started to wade toward the other side.

  “Really?”

  Jack jogged back across the bridge, his irritation growing. The man hesitated again, then held up his hands in surrender. A moment later, Jack pulled him out of the water and forced him facedown on the sidewalk, ignoring the crowd of people forming around him capturing everything on their cell phones.

  “You okay?” Bree asked, coming around behind him.

  “Better now, considering we caught this lowlife.”

  Bree handcuffed the suspect, then turned him over. “What did you give her?”

  He turned away and spit out a mouthful of water. “Who?”

  “Don’t play games. We were there. At the nursing home.”

  “Nothing, I—”

  “We saw you give her medicine. What did you give her?”

  The man’s British accent that she’d noticed back at the nursing home was gone, replaced by a thicker Russian accent.

  “It won’t hurt her. Just a mild sedative.”

  “Why?”

  He still refused to look at her.

  “Answer my question.”

  “I was supposed to deliver her to a certain location. That was it. The pill was just to make sure she didn’t freak out on me. I know how difficult old people can be.”

  “Do you?” Bree asked him. “Do you really know how terrifying that would have been for her? Your plan was to push her out of there in her wheelchair and kidnap her.”

  “No one would have noticed, if you hadn’t shown up. And I’m sure they would have returned her. She probably never would have known.”

  “None of that matters. You’re facing charges of attempted kidnapping and assault at a minimum.”

  The man just looked away, ignoring her glare.

  “One more question,” Bree said, helping him to his feet. “Where were you taking her?”

  “I’m done talking.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Jack said. “We’ll take you down to our local field office and see if you can come up with the rest of the story. Because if you don’t, you’ll take the fall for whoever hired you.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  AUBREY WAITED FOR JACK in the atrium at the FBI’s division headquarters, trying to suppress her uneasiness. Sunlight shone down from the top of the atrium, casting muted shadows on the floor. Their suspect had planned to take Nana somewhere. They needed to know where.

  “They’ve got our suspect set up in an interrogation room,” Jack said, coming back from security. “We can head up there now.”

  “Good,” she said, and they started for the elevators.

  “Have you heard anything about your grandmother?”

  “I just got off the phone with the hospital. They’re still monitoring her closely until they can confirm exactly what was given to her, but they’re pretty sure our guy was telling the truth and it was just a sedative. Pulse is stable. Oxygen and blood pressure are low, but there don’t seem to be any complications other than the fact that she’s confused.”

  He pressed the file he was holding against his chest. “I know you want to be with her. And it’s okay if you are.”

  She punched the button for the elevator, feeling torn between wanting to be with Papps and her grandmother and her need to find a way to end this. “One of the staff from the nursing home is there with her now, and besides, I don’t think she’d know if I was there or not. At least I know she’s safe, and for now, that’s what’s most important. I’ll have time to see her when this is all over.”

  “She’s lucky to have you in her life,” he said as the elevator doors slid open.

  “I just hate the fact that she was dragged into this. I don’t know how my father lives with himself knowing he’s endangered both me and his mother.” The familiar anger surged through her toward a man she barely knew and yet who’d managed to control so much of her emotions her entire life.

  “People can usually find reasons to justify what they do.”

  “It’s just sad when greed trumps love and relationships.”

  “It is at that.”

  “At least we were able to catch this guy.” She shot Jack a smile. “Though for a minute, I thought I was going to get to watch you go swimming in the river.”

  “I must admit, I was worried about that for a moment too.”

  “I’d like to know where he thought he was going.”

  “I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure where he’ll be going after a judge and jury get their say.”

  The elevator doors slid open again, and he led her down a hallway, pausing outside a closed door. “Joking aside, I know this is personal for you—”

  “I’ll be fine, Jack.”

  She followed him into the interrogation room, and they sat down across from their suspect.

  “Sasha Yakovich.” Jack dropped the file onto the table and frowned. “Your file says you a
re here on a student visa, but I’m going to assume that’s not all you do.”

  The man just stared at the table.

  “There’s no question right now what you did at the nursing home, so let’s not even take the time to argue that point.” Jack slid photos across the table of shots of him from the security camera. “What we want to know is where you were going to take her and who hired you?”

  “Who says someone hired me?”

  “You said it yourself earlier,” Aubrey said. “Are you saying now that you’re alone in this escapade?”

  “Yes.”

  Jack started writing on his notepad. “That will mean your list of charges is pretty long. Attempted kidnapping, consumption by fraudulent means, second-degree assault, resisting arrest, and, oh yeah . . . Depending on what you really drugged her with, attempted murder—”

  “Whoa . . . hold on.” The man leaned forward. “All I was supposed to do was give her a pill to make her sleepy. I didn’t hurt her. He told me he wouldn’t hurt her.”

  “What else did he tell you?” Aubrey asked.

  Sasha’s frown deepened. “He told me no one would notice me.”

  Jack tapped his pen on the table. “So . . . who is ‘he’?”

  Sasha shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t give me a name or anything. Just said he’d give me five grand to deliver this old lady to him. I don’t ask too many questions when someone wants to give me five grand.”

  “Where were you supposed to take her?”

  “He texted me an address. The medicine was to make sure she didn’t cause a ruckus while I was taking her out.”

  Jack rubbed his temples. “I’m assuming whoever it is needs her for leverage. Leverage for what?”

  “I don’t know the details. I just did what I was told.”

  “What time were you supposed to be at the address?” Aubrey asked.

  “Thirty minutes ago or so, which means I’m already late. He’ll know something’s wrong.”

  A cell phone rang. Jack pulled it out of his pocket. “This is your phone. Is that him?”

  Sasha glanced at the number, then nodded.

  “Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to tell him there was a delay—I don’t care what you come up with, as long as you convince him that you were delayed. But everything is fine now, and you’re on your way. You’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “Do you want me to go over the list of charges again?” Jack asked. “If we add them all together, you’re looking at some serious prison time. You might want to think about cooperating with us.”

  “Fine.”

  Jack swiped the screen and put the phone on speaker after shooting the man another warning look.

  “Where are you? I’ve been trying to call you.”

  “I had to wait until she was alone,” Sasha said, “but I’ll be there in another . . . thirty minutes.”

  “You better. There’s a lot riding on this.”

  “I told you I’ll be there.”

  The caller hung up abruptly.

  “Give me the address,” Jack said.

  Sasha frowned again, then picked up the phone and scrolled to the text message with the address.

  Jack nodded at Aubrey and headed for the door. “We need to go.”

  “Wait a minute . . .” Sasha stood up. “What about me?”

  “What about you?” Jack smiled. “The two agents who’ve been watching from behind that window will be in here in a minute to continue the questioning. You better sit back down. You’re in for a long day.”

  TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Jack hung up the call he was on, then took the bulletproof vest from Bree, praying they wouldn’t need it. The address they’d been given was just another house in the suburbs. An older neighborhood with tree-lined streets and brick-faced houses. No one would ever question someone bringing their grandmother home for a few hours. But the thought that they’d gone as far as planning to use Bree’s grandmother for leverage had him alarmed.

  “Was that more information on who we’re going in for?” Bree asked, sliding her vest over her head.

  “Yes. The house belongs to a John Bryant. He teaches engineering at a local university,” Jack said, adjusting the side straps on his vest. “IT analysts just connected him to the call Sasha took, and they told me that he’s been under investigation the past eight months for stealing US technological secrets.”

  “That has to be the tie to my father,” Aubrey said.

  He nodded, trying to gauge her expression as she finished adjusting her vest straps. Despite what had happened with her grandmother, it was clear that her determination to catch the bad guys hadn’t diminished. And he knew what she was thinking. What they both were thinking. Was it possible that John Bryant had somehow been involved in recruiting her father as an asset? Charles Ramsey had portrayed himself as a man who had no qualms about selling out his country in order to enrich himself.

  Agent Kendrick signaled his team, then walked up to Jack and Bree. “I want the two of you to wait outside until our tactical team clears the house. At the moment, we believe he’s a flight risk. We don’t want him leaving with evidence inside we can’t afford to lose.”

  Jack nodded, checked his vest again, then pulled his weapon from his holster as a precaution. With confirmation that Bryant was in the house, they’d set up squad cars blocking the road as the team prepared to go in. He and Bree waited on the front porch for the all clear signal.

  Someone shouted from inside the house. “He’s running!”

  Their suspect came flying out of the side gate from the backyard and was headed across the neighbor’s yard toward the street. Knowing they were the closest, Jack and Bree sprinted down the street after him. There was no way to know if the man was armed, but for the moment, they were going to have to assume he was.

  Jack pulled a couple feet ahead of Bree, with their suspect heading toward the intersection. He felt his lungs burn and groaned inwardly at the thought of two pursuits in one day. With half a dozen agents and local PD at the scene, where did the man think he was going?

  Jack slowed at the squeal of brakes, and a car smashed into their suspect in front of him. The man’s body flipped up onto the hood, first cracking the windshield and then bouncing back and landing on the ground. Stopping a second too late beside Jack, Bree slammed into the side of the car.

  Someone started shouting orders behind them. “Get the medics over here now. We can’t lose this guy.”

  An officer started CPR on Bryant. Another directed traffic. How had this happened?

  Jack steadied Bree as she pushed off the car. He backed her away from the scene. “Bree . . . are you okay?”

  She nodded as she fought to catch her breath. “I’m fine. I just had the wind knocked out of me.”

  She pressed her palms against her knees as he looked for signs she was hurt. There was no blood. No obvious injuries.

  “Did he say anything?” she asked. “We need to talk to him.”

  He led her to a grassy spot on the side of the road. “I want you to sit here until the paramedics can check you over. I’ll see what I can find out.”

  She nodded, and he was thankful she didn’t argue with him.

  Jack ran up to the sergeant, who was shouting orders. A moment later, he turned around to Jack. “Is she okay?”

  “I want to have her checked out, but I think so. She ran into the side of the car while in pursuit.”

  Saying the words out loud sent a chill through Jack. She could have easily been the one lying on the pavement fighting for her life.

  “What about our suspect?” he asked.

  “He’s gone.”

  Jack looked back at Bree, not wanting to tell her that they’d failed. That they were back to square one. They’d continue questioning Sasha, search the house, and follow any connections they might find there, but they weren’t going to get answers out of John Bryant.

  He walked back over to
where she still sat on the side of the road staring at the scene. “He didn’t make it, Bree.”

  “We needed him,” she said.

  “I know.” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “But we’ll find out the truth another way.”

  “What if we can’t? Too many people are getting hurt, and there are too many unanswered questions.”

  “Right now, we’re going to get you checked out at the hospital, and then we’ll go check in on your grandmother.”

  It took over an hour and a half to see a doctor and another thirty minutes for Bree to be told that other than bruising from hitting the car, she would be fine. All Jack could think of was how thankful he was that she wasn’t the one lying in the morgue right now.

  He shook off the thought as he walked with her to Nana’s room, three floors up, where they stopped at the nurses’ station for an update before going to see her. A nurse they’d seen at River Oaks was talking to one of the hospital nurses.

  “Jennifer?” Bree asked, walking up to the older woman. “I was told someone from River Oaks was here, but I didn’t know who it was. Thank you so much for staying with her.”

  “Of course.” The older woman smiled back. “I couldn’t stand the thought of her being here alone.”

  “I should have been here.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Jennifer shook her head. “I’ve heard a little of what’s going on, and trust me, you’re exactly where you need to be. Out there putting an end to this so we can know she’s safe.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Bree introduced Jack, then asked how Nana was doing.

  “Her blood pressure and oxygen levels are still running low, but overall she seems fine,” Jennifer said. “The authorities found midazolam in the van. They’re still waiting for the bloodwork results, and because older people metabolize this drug slower, they’ll want to keep her overnight for observation.”