Agent Undone

by Cassidy Reyne

  “Hey Carter, why is Titan’s CEO so accommodating with all of this? I mean, his and his company’s reputation is at stake here if you and Nate screw things up. What’s his deal?” Caroline leaned forward with her arms braced on her knees.

  “Mr Reyes has a very personal reason for being involved. He left the DEA to take over Titan from his father and has been running it very successfully ever since, as you can see. A couple of years after he took over, his sister’s young daughter was picked up by traffickers and smuggled out of the country to Europe. She wasn’t found until it was too late and a particularly nasty man with a taste for young girls and violent sex had pumped her full of drugs before beating her to within an inch of her life. He choked her to death while viciously raping her. She’d been an innocent fifteen year old girl who hadn’t even had her first date. Mr Reyes swore he would do whatever he could to stop it happening to another girl. She was his sister’s only child and with two children himself, both sons, he felt her pain as if it had happened to his own daughter.” Carter fell silent. His stomach churned and his hands were balled into tight fists. He still felt the same anger and disgust every time he thought of what had happened to that young girl and so many others.

  Carter finished half the bottle before his nerves had calmed and he felt more in control of himself. Konrad Peeters got under his skin like no other target ever had. Not even Felipe Garrido, who’d been responsible for Mira’s death, had affected him this much. Maybe it was the thought of his two nieces that had him so riled up. Even the suggestion that either of them could fall prey to a man like Peeters made his stomach turn. They were still only babies and never out of their parents’ sight, but as they grew up that would all change. There was no way of keeping them completely safe from all the evils of the world, but Carter would try his hardest if it was the last thing he did. Nothing was allowed to happen to his beautiful nieces, and he would kill anyone who tried. He adored those little girls and would do anything for them.

  “I’m going to have a shower and get the stink of that fucker off, if I can. Then I’m going to bed. I’m hoping we’ll get the green light tomorrow and can finalize the party at Overdrive with our special guests.”

  Carter dragged his tired body up the stairs to the large guest room and started to undress. The jacket was dumped onto the chair by the dresser, shoes toed off, followed by his shirt and pants. He crossed the room into the bathroom and turned the shower to scalding hot. The spray eased some of the tension in his muscles while his thoughts wandered back to the meeting with Peeters, and to Madison. Despite having it confirmed that she was with Konrad of her own volition, he still had so many questions. Why did she leave Florida? And how did she know Peeters? He knew Madison had been scared of someone from the nightmare she’d had when he found her during that storm. Was that Peeters, or maybe Hugo? That would make more sense. Did she come from Seattle originally or had she met Peeters somewhere else? Had she been helping him find the girls he now held captive?

  Carter scrubbed his hands down his face. No, that didn’t add up either. He massaged his temples to try and keep a headache at bay. The beach community, and even the main town were much too small to be hunting for girls in. Unless… Carter groaned. Shit, Atlanta! She went to Atlanta regularly for her ‘job’. That must be where she was finding the young girls. Maybe she was working with someone else who would pick up the ones she identified and transport them here to Seattle. Carter went cold inside. That was it. She found the girls and handed them off to someone else who brought them to Peeters. Fuck! He felt like such an idiot! Madison had completely fooled him with her innocent smile and shimmering green eyes. He’d believed every lie that came out of her mouth and now he was paying for it. So, why hadn’t she told Peeters he wasn’t really Marcus Henderson of Titan Industries? She’d obviously left once, but Peeters had said she came crawling back, so she must be getting something out of their relationship. Carter stayed under the spray in the shower until the water started to run cold. Then he dried off and wrapped a towel around his lean hips before walking back into the bedroom. He sank down on the large bed and propped his elbows on his knees. None of it was making any sense. He stared at the plush carpet under his feet while his head ran at warp speed trying to work out what was going on. How much had he told her of what he did? He knew he’d mentioned his team and that he worked for the state department at grunt level. He was sure he hadn’t said anything else. Was it possible she’d worked it out? Fucking hell, had they both been under surveillance during his time there? Maybe Konrad already knew who he was? No, that wasn’t likely, he quickly decided. There had been no sign of recognition on Peeters’ face at any time during their meetings, and he didn’t think the man was that good of an actor to pull it off. No, not a chance. He shook his head. There was no way she could have known who he was, or what he did for a living. So, how the hell did they end up in the same city, at the same damn nightclub run by the biggest asshole this side of the Mississippi?

  All Carter knew with any degree of certainty was that Madison was somehow involved in Peeters’ operation. He just had to figure out how and why. He kept going over everything that had happened since he first arrived in Florida. The only thing that stood out was the man he’d seen outside the bar that night, the guy who had looked so out of place. Had he been there to speak to Madison? Maybe to check up on her? Shit, he had to stop, he wasn’t getting anywhere. His mind was going in circles, whirling with memories of his time in Florida and mixed up with everything he’d found out since he’d been in Seattle. He got into bed still thinking about Madison and how he wanted answers, but as much as he wanted to storm into that club right that very minute and interrogate her, he knew he had to put the mission first. For hours, his brain kept working out every possible scenario and he didn’t fall asleep until dawn had started coloring the sky pink outside his window.

  They were all up early the next morning, though it looked as if none of them had had much sleep. They spent the day drinking coffee and planning the takedown at Overdrive. Their main concern was protecting innocent club goers, so Nate suggested asking Peeters to hire the whole club for the night. That way they could be sure there were no civilians in the way if shots were fired. Carter wasn’t sure Peeters would go for it but thought it was worth a try. They just had to come up with a good enough reason for wanting it to be that private, and some form of incentive in case money wasn’t enough.

  “What if we tell him we’re hoping to bring more people in? Or say some of our guests are more comfortable away from crowds. That way he might think he can make even more money if there are people there who are just like him, with shady deals and maybe even black-market merchandise. If we spin it right, I’m sure he’ll fall for it.” Caroline voiced her thoughts and gave Carter and Nate something to think about.

  “Yes, that's a great idea. Could you plan that out in a bit more detail for me, so I can take it to Peeters and see what he says?”

  “Sure, I’ll flesh it out and see what we can use for backstops.”

  While Caroline used her background as an ‘architect’, someone who creates backstories and deep covers for agents, and her skills as an experienced Comms agent, Nathan and Carter sat down and planned the takedown in as much detail as they could. By the time Caroline had finished, they had most of it down, including a schedule of sorts for timings of the different parts of the evening. Carter knew he had to fill them both in on the message from Madison but had been dragging his feet as he still couldn’t work out how and why Madison was involved.

  “I have something I need to fill you in on, guys. I probably should have done it sooner, but I wasn’t sure I could explain it fully.” Carter stood by the tall glass doors leading to the lush backyard. His shoulders were hunched as he grappled with the implications of Madison being in Seattle. Turning to face his team-mates, he took a deep breath and told them everything from how he first met her in Florida, and his shock at seeing her in Seattle. Nate already knew some of it, but it w
as the first Caroline had heard of the connection. She sat silently, allowing Carter to lay it all out before she commented. He could tell from the way her eyes narrowed and how she pursed her lips that she was concerned and worried.

  “From what I saw yesterday, it’s obvious she’s with Peeters willingly. I still need answers, though, and I won’t get them unless we can get her out of there in one piece. So, during the takedown we need to treat her just like any of the other girls. The FBI can deal with her involvement after I’ve interrogated her. Thank fuck she didn’t out me to Peeters when I first saw her or the whole op would have been a bust, and I might have left last night feet first in a box with a bullet hole in my head. I was damn lucky.”

  “Luck isn’t the word I’d use but whatever.” Nathan muttered under his breath and got up to refill his coffee mug in the kitchen.

  “What do you mean?” Carter trained his stare on Nathan who knew him too well to be intimidated and back off.

  “Do you have feelings for this girl? I mean, you asked me to check in on her in Florida which is kinda unusual for you. Normally, you can’t get shot of a woman fast enough once you’ve made up your mind, but now you’re saying you need answers. You know better than anyone how emotions can get in the way of rational thinking. We can’t have you there on the night if this woman is going to put you off your game.” Nate’s voice was calm, but serious.

  “Fuck off, man! You know me better than that. All I’ve ever done with Madison is go running, have coffee and the occasional meal. That’s it, end of story. We never slept together, and I'm not looking for a relationship, remember? I’ve told you before, it’s all about fuck ‘em and leave ‘em for me, ever since Mira. I’m not going there again.” Carter sucked in air between his teeth and turned back to stare out of the large windows at the expansive and immaculate gardens. It was raining as usual and the water was streaming down the glass. The weather matched his mood perfectly — dark and depressing.

  Nate watched Carter’s fists clench by his sides and his tense shoulders moving up and down with deep breaths.

  “Ok, man. I believe you. She was a friend, that’s it, but even friends can mess with your feelings, especially when they appear to have fooled you. I don’t want you to make a mistake you can’t live with.” Nate held his hands up in surrender.

  Carter felt himself deflate as his defensive ire whooshed out. Nate was a good friend who was only looking out for him. He returned to his seat in the armchair and rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. Caroline was still watching him quietly with a knowing little smile tugging at her lips. Carter noticed it but decided not to comment. The woman was much too observant sometimes.

  “So, where were we? We need some kind of contingency plan if everything goes south. We have to protect those girls at all costs — they’ve suffered enough already.” Carter needed to get the conversation back to the mission and away from any further scrutiny of his emotions and state of mind. He was fine. He had a job to do and would see it through till the bitter end.

  All three of them returned to their planning and spent another couple of hours trying to predict every scenario and plug every hole where things could go wrong or someone could slip up. It was their experience as agents that allowed them to look at the bust from every angle to try and anticipate all problems and challenges. By the time they were finished, they were satisfied that the only thing they hadn’t, and couldn’t, plan for was fate’s temperamental interventions, but that was always the case and they would just have to accept and adapt.

  Once they had everything in place on paper, Carter contacted their handling agent in Virginia Beach and got the green light to arrange the takedown event at the club. His next call was to Konrad Peeters and after explaining what he wanted and the type of guests he’d be bringing, he could almost hear the dollar signs pinging in the man’s brain.

  “You do understand the caliber of guests I’m bringing to this event, Konrad? These are men of discerning, and varied, tastes. If their needs are met in a satisfactory way, they will be more than generous and have the potential to bring a lot of business to your club. You will be hosting some of the top people in the Seattle finance and business circles, but these are not the kind who like to be in the public eye. They tend to stay in the shadows and live quieter lives.”

  “Certainly, Mr Henderson. Everything will be exactly as you’ve asked, and the girls have been told to be on their most compliant behavior. There will be no issues on my end. I have had delivery of more merchandise to ensure there’s plenty for everyone’s needs.”

  “Very good. I also need to mention that some of these gentlemen travel with their own security, but they’ve been advised to leave all weapons outside. There were a few grumbles about it before they all agreed. I gave them my word that you will ensure their safety whilst they are in your establishment.” Carter could almost hear Peeters swallowing nervously at that statement, but he just carried on with his demands and arrangements. “I assume none of this will be a problem? Please speak up otherwise, so I can make alternative arrangements at a different venue in the city. I have had a couple of other club owners approach me for potential partnerships.”

  “Of course not, Mr Henderson, it won’t be a problem at all. I have extra security guards on staff who will be on duty inside all evening and more patrolling the outside.”

  “I don’t think the outside will be much of an issue as my guests’ security officers will all be watching out for any disturbances out there.”

  Carter made it very clear exactly how many girls he wanted to have looking after his guests’ every need, and what drugs he wanted available. His goal was to push Peeters so far into a corner he forgot to bring up any counter demands, and just went along with everything Carter wanted. Five minutes later, he put the phone down with a satisfied grin on his face, and told the others Konrad Peeters had just agreed to every single thing he’d asked for and was aware there would be security people stalking the outside of the club. Security that supposedly belonged to Titan’s guests who were enjoying the party. That way they could hide their armed agents in plain sight and just give the signal for them to enter whenever everything was in motion inside.

  After the conversation with Peeters ended, Carter turned to the others. His face serious and lips clamped together.

  “Ok, we’re all set for the evening after tomorrow. Peeters was practically wetting himself at the prospect of meeting some of the city’s most influential people. I’m surprised he hasn't already been introduced, but there we go.” Carter informed the others who looked relieved to finally be getting this assignment over and done with. Now, they just needed to make sure they got all the girls out of this bastard’s clutches and back to their families, or at least into some form of shelter.

  “Thank fuck for that. I can’t wait to get back to some bug infested swamp somewhere, or just a good old extended stakeout in the middle of a dusty nowhere. Anything will be better than this shit.” Nate said vehemently, and both Carter and Caroline completely agreed with him.

  “Yeah, I know how you feel. Give me a jungle any day instead of this snake pit. We’d all be a lot safer there.” Carter replied.

  “The first thing I’m gonna do when I get back is to swim in the ocean and roast in the sun for a week. I need to burn the stink of Peeters off of me.” Caroline shuddered.

  “It’s November, there won’t be much sun in Virginia and you definitely won’t want to go swimming, but I get how you feel.”

  “I don’t care, Carter. I’ll take a week off and go to the Caribbean if I have to. This whole mission is making me feel grimy and dirty.”

  Carter and Nate just nodded in silent understanding. With everything arranged, they all went to separate parts of the house to prepare for the upcoming confrontation.

  Carter closed the door to his room and flopped on the bed. He closed his eyes and let the images of Madison wash over him. He’d been holding them at bay for so long, but no longer had the ener
gy to resist. He could see her delicate features, her shimmering eyes, the thick chestnut colored hair that fell in waves down her back. He could see it all but didn’t want to. The look on her face when she came out of Peeters’ office the night before was what he needed to remember. He didn’t do relationships, or commitment, or anything other than fuck and leave. He couldn’t deal with another Mira, it would tear him apart. No, he would get Madison out with all the other girls and then let the system deal with the rest. He had a job he liked and his house in Virginia Beach. That was all he needed and wanted right now. Carter tried to empty his mind of all thoughts of Madison, and concentrate on going over the mission, but he was only somewhat successful. Still, it was his way of getting ready for an op and anticipating any problems that may arise. They could never be too prepared and had to be ready for anything.

  Next day was spent in meetings at Titan Headquarters, briefing the rest of the agents who would be playing the roles of depraved businessmen looking for young girls and drugs to satisfy their every need.

  “Hey Carter, you have everything ready? We need to get back to the house and change before the car comes to pick us up. Caroline is waiting for us so she can get us wired up before we leave.”