by Dee Davis
“I don’t know.” Tyler shrugged.
“They were going to try to kill you before,” Drake offered. “Maybe they were just tying up loose ends after the fact.”
“So they followed me all the way there. Waited until I’d done the deed, consoled my son, and driven away before chasing after me in an attempt to take me out? Seems like it’d be easier to plant another bomb, on the truck maybe.”
“I’ll admit none of it fits together easily,” Avery said. “But, Annie, it’s going to be hard to ignore the facts.”
“Especially now,” Jason said, his expression hardening. “Lara just sent me the preliminary DNA report. Looks like the hair Nash found is a match with Annie’s.”
“Evidence can be planted,” she argued, feeling like she was fighting one of the immortal monsters in Adam’s games. “We’ve all done it ourselves when the situation called for it.”
“She does have a point.” Jason shrugged. “It could be done. But if Annie’s telling the truth, and someone tried to frame her for Dominico’s murder, what’s the motive?”
“Million-dollar question,” Avery said, pondering the idea.
“And a hell of a good one,” Hannah agreed, bursting into the room, her breathing ragged, her spiky hair even more disarrayed than usual. “Sorry to be late, but I have good news. At least I hope it’s good. I was going over the transcript of Adam’s debrief.” She dropped down into the chair next to Annie. “And I noticed he said that the guy with the Wii had been at the farmhouse.”
“Wii?” Jason asked.
“Adam plays a lot of video games,” Nash said.
“Too many,” Annie admitted. “Anyway, we think the man with the Wii is the one who’s been calling me.”
“So you say.” Nash glared.
“I’m telling the truth.” Their gazes caught and held—and Annie’s breath stuck in her throat.
“I want to believe that.” The words were whispered, almost as if he’d spoken against his will, but for the first time since she’d landed back at Sunderland, Annie felt a small stirring of hope.
“I hate to interrupt,” Hannah said, clearing her throat, breaking through the ratcheting tension, “but as I said, I’ve got good news. For everyone.”
“And…” Avery prompted, his frown more for show than any sign of true anger.
“And—I figured that if Adam had seen the guy in charge, then our prisoner was lying. Montez would have had to see him, too. So with a little persuasion I managed to get him to give me a description. Used Jason’s new computer program. Anyway, the guy was amazingly gifted when it comes to remembering features. So I let the computer do its work and then printed out the picture and showed it to Adam. He confirmed that it looks like Wii Man. So what about you, Annie? Do you recognize him?” Hannah held out the computer-generated photo.
“Oh, my God,” Annie said, her legs going all wobbly again.
“What?” Nash asked, moving to her side, automatically reaching out to support her. “What is it?”
“Look.” She nodded at the photograph in her hand.
“Son of a bitch,” Nash said. “Kim Sun.”
“Who the hell is Kim Sun?” Avery demanded. “And what’s he got to do with the two of you?”
“He was Korean ambassador to the United States eight years ago,” Nash said. “It was because of him we were in Lebanon. We were there to rescue his son.”
“Actually,” Annie corrected, the world tilting again, “we were there so that I could kill his son.”
CHAPTER 19
Annie’s words hung suspended in the room, and she immediately wished them back. Even after all this time, the operation was classified. She’d held on to the truth for so damn long. And now in one unguarded moment, she’d broken her silence.
“All right, people,” Avery said, waving Annie to a seat at the table. “Let’s clear the room. I think this is something I need to sort out with Annie and Nash. In the meantime, I want confirmation of Annie’s story. And IDs on the two men you took out on Route 82. In addition, I want everything you can dig up on Kim Sun. Until we find him, this thing isn’t over.”
“So, what, you’re saying we’re just going to forget the evidence we found at Dominico’s?” Emmett protested, clearly not happy with this turn of events.
“Emmett,” Avery said, the name as good as an order.
“Fine,” he said, following Tyler to the door, Hannah and Jason on their heels. “But I’ll be in the lab with Lara if you need anything. Dominico was killed on my watch. Which makes it personal.”
“Hang in there,” Drake whispered as he passed Annie and Nash. Annie knew his words were meant for Nash, but she took comfort just the same. She’d forgotten how nice it was to be part of a team.
Shaking her head, she rose to her feet, unable to avoid the anger in Nash’s eyes. She wasn’t part of anything anymore, and she’d do well to remember that fact. There was an uncomfortable silence as the two of them took seats on opposite sides of the conference table, Avery splitting the difference and sitting in the middle.
“All right,” he said. “The room’s clear. Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on here?”
“Don’t look at me,” Nash said, lifting his hands. “I have no fucking clue. Until about five minutes ago, I thought we were sent to Lebanon on a rescue mission. But apparently there was more to it than that. I just wasn’t in on it. An omission, I might add, that almost cost me my life.”
“It wasn’t my idea not to tell you. Tom insisted. And I—”
“Decided for the first time in your life to follow orders?” The sneer in his voice was backed by a flash of hurt she couldn’t ignore. They’d always been honest with each other. Until the night they’d fought over his transfer to A-Tac. After that things had changed, something shifting, their relationship forever altered.
She’d meant to tell him everything that night. The truth about the mission, the truth about the baby. But instead he’d dropped his bombshell, insisting that there was no room in their lives for permanent relationships. No room for family of any kind. And she’d known then that there was no chance he’d welcome her pregnancy.
So she’d walked away, determined to finish the operation and find a way to make a life for her and her baby. Tom had understood. He’d offered his help. All he’d asked in return was her silence. And until now, she’d honored their agreement.
“Why don’t we stop with the accusations and start at the beginning.” Avery frowned.
“I’ve already said too much,” Annie said. “The computer rendition of Kim caught me off guard.”
“Look,” Avery started, his expression turning stern, “if Kim Sun is indeed behind all of this, we need to be sure that he’s stopped. And the only way I can help with that is if I have the full facts about what really happened in Lebanon.”
“But it’s classified. Highest levels.”
“I’ve got clearance.” His steady gaze brooked no argument. And besides, Annie was tired of running.
“You’ll cover me with the big brass?” she asked, realizing immediately just how ludicrous the question was. She was already suspected of killing Dominico. Revealing a classified operation was just a drop in the bucket by comparison.
“I promise.” He nodded, solemnly.
“And Nash?” Despite the fact that he’d believed the worst of her, she still didn’t want to hurt him any more than necessary. His career was his life, and she didn’t want to do anything else to damage his standing with the Company.
“I don’t need your help,” he snapped, her heart wrenching at his tone. “You’ve already done more than enough.”
“Stop.” Avery raised a hand. “Sniping at each other isn’t going to help. The charges against Annie are serious. Emmett wasn’t exaggerating. The evidence against her is damning. And if you expect A-Tac to help, you’ve got to shoot straight with me.” He leaned forward, his expression fierce. “Both of you.”
“Fine.” Nash sat back in hi
s chair, his face purposefully blank, but Annie knew he was still angry over her perceived betrayal. That and the fact that he obviously believed she’d killed Dominico.
Her own anger surfaced again and she fought for control. Avery was right, the only way things were going to get better was if she leveled with him. If Kim Sun was behind Adam’s kidnapping, then he was behind Dominico’s execution as well. And the only way she was going to clear her name and keep Adam safe was to find Kim. And to do that, she needed A-Tac.
“It started out like a regular operation. Tom came to us and said we had been assigned an extraction in Lebanon.”
“I thought you worked Eastern Europe.”
“We did,” Nash acknowledged. “We wondered at the time why we’d been called in. But Tom just said the operatives in the division were stretched too thin and that we’d drawn the short straw.”
“It’s not like we hadn’t had other assignments out of our area. Sometimes our expertise was needed. Sometimes, like Nash said, they just wanted to get something done and the only way to do it was to call in other folks.”
“So your initial objective was to rescue Kim’s son.”
“That’s what we were told,” Nash said. “At least that’s what I was told. Anyway, Jin really wasn’t a kid. He was nineteen, I think. Reputedly, he’d been on a trip through the ancient world, studying architecture. While in Lebanon he disappeared. Kim was concerned and used his diplomatic influence to get the United States involved, and the problem landed in our laps. The CIA did some digging and found out Jin had been kidnapped by a group of insurgents.”
“Our job was to get him out. So we prepped for the extraction,” Annie interjected, picking up the story. “And once we got the green light, everything was set. Until Tom received additional orders. According to last-minute intel, the kidnapping was a fake. Jin was actually working with his ‘kidnappers.’ He’d secretly converted to Islam and was actually in Lebanon for training.”
“So why specifically did they want you to take him out?”
“Conceivably to remove the threat of blackmail against Kim Sun,” Annie said. “Because of his position he had access to potentially sensitive information about U.S. policies. And his son’s alleged association with the insurgency in Lebanon meant that there was a legitimate fear that Jin would try to use his father to access sensitive information. Intel that could at the very least embarrass the country and at worst aid in planning a terrorist attack. So Langley wanted to use the opportunity to eliminate the threat without creating an international incident.”
“And you got nominated for the job,” Avery said.
Annie nodded. “And because the situation was so volatile politically, they wanted to keep as few people as possible in the loop. Which is the only reason Tom didn’t tell Nash about the change in plans.”
“I can understand Tom’s reasons,” Nash said. “It’s yours I don’t get. We were partners.”
“Past tense. You’d just told me you were leaving—remember? And that you didn’t have room in your life for me. So when Tom asked me to keep it quiet, I respected his request. What did you expect me to do?”
“Watch my back maybe? I thought we meant more to each other than that. Obviously I was mistaken.”
“You’re the one that threw what we had away,” she said, heart pounding as the memories threatened to overwhelm her. “Don’t lay that on me. And as to having your back, you wouldn’t be sitting here if it weren’t for me. You have no idea what I risked to go back in there and get you. So don’t you dare play the guilt card on me.”
“Saved my life.” He laughed, the sound harsh and bitter. “That’s a good one. You left me there to die. Payback for choosing A-Tac over you, I guess. Anyway, the point is when I needed you—you were gone. Tom’s the one who pulled my ass out of the fire.”
“Tom never left the fucking helicopter.”
“Look,” Avery said, his voice cutting through the building tension. “I realize that this is hard. That there are things going on here that go way beyond reliving an old operation. But accusing each other isn’t going to get us any closer to finding the truth. So if you can sheath the verbal swords, maybe you can walk me through what happened without the emotional subtext.”
“That’s not as easy as it sounds,” Annie said.
“I know.” Avery’s eyes were kind. “But Tom’s going to be here any minute and I guarantee you he’s not going to listen to any of your protestations.”
“So why are you?” Annie asked, stomach roiling.
“Because this whole thing stinks. It has from the beginning. I just haven’t been able to figure out why. And now for the first time maybe we’re getting somewhere. But I can’t know that for certain until I understand the extent of Kim Sun’s connection to all of this. So do you think you can tell me what happened without tearing each other apart?”
Annie nodded, shifting to avoid looking at Nash. “We went in undercover, posing as aid workers. Once we were near Saida and the building where they were allegedly holding Jin, we holed up and waited until nightfall.”
They’d hardly spoken at all. Each of them lost in their own thoughts. So many angry words had already been exchanged, there seemed little point in rehashing the inevitable. Instead they’d focused on the mission. Or at least what Nash had believed was the mission.
“Once it was dark, it was simply a matter of infiltrating the warehouse,” Nash continued. “We had two other operatives with us. One handling communications, the other fluent in Lebanese. My Arabic is passing but not up to regional dialect. We hadn’t worked with either before, but they were good men.”
“Were?” Avery prompted.
“They’re dead.” The words hung in the air, radiating between Annie and Nash.
“You think it’s my fault,” Annie said.
“I’m not saying anything, except that they shouldn’t have died.”
“Well, it wasn’t because of me or my part in the mission.” She blew out a breath and pushed back her hair, trying to do as Avery’d asked and keep the emotion out of it. “We made it inside the warehouse without incident. Took out two of their guards, before either of them had a chance to radio for help. In fact, in hindsight, maybe we should have known something was off. It was just too easy.”
“According to intel, Jin was being kept in a room on the top floor of the building,” Nash said. “We secured the stairwell, and had made it about three flights when Jake, the communications guy, got a garbled message from base. We couldn’t make out any of the details, but it was clear that something was wrong. Somehow the kidnappers had learned we were coming and set up an ambush.”
“We thought about aborting, but we were so close to our objective it seemed ridiculous to bail.”
“We’d been in tougher spots and come out in one piece.” Nash nodded. “Anyway, we were all of one accord. Find the kid and get the hell out of there.”
“So we came out on the top floor and started making our way toward the room intel had designated. But before we were halfway down the hall, all hell broke loose.”
“They were coming at us from everywhere,” Nash interrupted. “They’d definitely been expecting us. It was full-out war. Everything was chaos. All I could think of was trying to get the team out alive. But when I tried to signal for retreat, Annie had disappeared.”
“Mission always comes first. And I knew I had to complete mine. So I made it to the room where they were supposed to be holding Jin. It was empty, but as I turned to go, a man rushed me, firing all out. I hit the ground, rolling to try to avoid the bullets, and shot on instinct. The fighting outside in the hallway was gaining momentum, but the room was suddenly silent. I realized I’d managed to take out my attacker. And when I turned him over, I saw that it was Jin.”
“Well done. While the rest of us were getting the shit kicked out of us, you managed to accomplish your objective,” Nash said, bitterness coloring his voice.
“I tried to come back into the hall,” she
snapped, reliving the fear she’d felt in that moment, “but the fighting was too heavy. So I climbed out a window and managed to maneuver my way down. Once I was out of range, I started to call for backup, but before I could make contact with anyone, the building exploded. There was fire and smoke everywhere. Debris raining down. The damn thing was like a beacon inviting all comers, all chance of secrecy blown with the building. So I radioed Tom and told him what was going down, and then I went back in.” She met Nash’s gaze, her own steady. “To get you.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it again, waiting.
“At first I couldn’t see anything. But I could hear. There was still gunfire. Which meant someone was still alive. So I made my way back to the stairwell. The smoke was so heavy I could hardly breathe. Parts of the stairway were completely gone, and I had to literally claw my way up.
“But I kept going. The only thought in my mind was that you were trapped up there somewhere. I made the third-floor landing and realized there was no way to go any farther. The entire staircase had collapsed in the blast.
“So I made my way into the hallway. Everything was on fire, masonry crumbling around my head. There was no one on the floor, at least no one alive. So I moved forward, remembering finally that there was a workman’s passage in the west wall. A crawl space between floors.
“Above me, the shooting slowed and then stopped. I knew I had to move quickly. So I made my way into the work space and up the ladder leading to the fourth floor. By the time I accessed the hallway, there was fire everywhere. I found Drew—the interpreter—first. He was already dead. Bullet wound to the head.
“Jake was next. He was still alive. Barely. Shrapnel had torn off his right arm. He was bleeding to death, and before I could do anything, he was gone. I’d taken too long.”
Annie paused, gulping for air, but when Avery started to speak she shook her head. “I need to finish this.” She dragged her hand through her hair, the memories coming fast now. “I was certain, then, that Nash was dead. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as alone as I did in that moment. There were other casualties. Enemy combatants. And I have to tell you I rejoiced in their deaths.
