End Game

by Rachel Dylan

  “Does that sound like Battle to you?” Lexi asked.

  “Honestly, my head is so messed up right now, I don’t know that I can be objective. But if pushed, I wouldn’t have pinned him as the type to want just the fat paycheck. The thrill of the danger maybe, but not the money.”

  “If that’s the case, then what’re we missing here?” She drummed her fingers on the table.

  “Maybe he really needed the money. His kid is getting older, and maybe his ex was pushing him for more cash.”

  Lexi wasn’t convinced. But there was something else she wanted to discuss. “I also have a technical analyst looking into the base records. Hopefully, we’ll get something there to show that you were actually on base during Wexford’s murder.”

  “Good. I’m telling you, someone has to have electronically tampered with the file.”

  “Okay. I’ll be back soon. Just know I’m doing everything I can and then some.”

  “I know, ma’am. And I can’t tell you how thankful I am for what you’re doing for me. I’ll forever be in your debt.”

  “No, you won’t. You’re innocent, and it’s my job to prove it.”

  As she exited the building, her cell rang, and she frowned when she saw who was calling.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  “Hey, it’s Derek.”

  “What do you want?” It came out a bit more harshly than she had intended.

  “Can we meet in person?”

  “I thought we agreed on only strictly professional communications from here on out.” She hated being like this, but it was better to keep up the walls and draw the lines while she had this case. Her client would always be her top priority.

  Derek sighed loudly. “We did, and unfortunately this is strictly professional. But I’d like to talk in person.”

  “All right.” She didn’t really have a choice, given the circumstances.

  “Are you available now?” Derek asked.

  “Yeah. Where are you?”

  “Meet me outside the Dupont Circle Metro station. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Lexi ended the call and made her way to the Metro. About twenty minutes later she was exiting the Dupont Circle station, and she saw Derek standing outside as promised. She looked up at him and tried not to get distracted.

  “Thanks for meeting me,” Derek said. “Let’s take a walk.”

  “Why all this cloak-and-dagger stuff?” She wasn’t sure what Derek was up to.

  He looked over at her as they walked. “Once you hear me out, I think you’ll understand.”

  The seriousness of his tone let her know that this meeting had nothing to do with their almost-romance. This was all business. And at this juncture, that concerned her. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  They walked another minute in silence as Lexi’s heartbeat began to speed up. She didn’t know what Derek was about to drop on her, but it couldn’t be good. Nothing about this was good.

  “I probably shouldn’t be talking to you about this, but I have to,” he said.

  That warning made her even more curious. “Go on.”

  “Something very strange is going on in relation to the Rogers case.” Derek’s jaw tightened. “I’ve gotten some direct pressure on my end to push Kappen’s prosecution.”

  “Why? And from who?” Her mind went into overdrive.

  “That’s the thing. It’s coming from my boss, but my boss isn’t the one really pushing this. He’s getting pressure from someone else. Someone who isn’t in our office.”

  Her stomach turned. “Do you know who?”

  “I have my suspicions.” He ran a hand through his hair. “And the thing is that they want me to offer your client a deal.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. Exactly. Something is wrong with this entire picture. They want Kappen to be put away for this, but they don’t want a trial. And they want it done, like, yesterday.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  He grabbed her arm. “Because I don’t think your client did this, and I believe someone powerful has a vested interest in making him the fall guy.”

  The touch of his hand threw her off. She had to focus. “And you think you may have a lead on who is behind this?”

  “I have a suspicion, but nothing concrete.”

  “Something you can share?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Then why bring me in?” Her frustration level was high.

  “Because I’m concerned about you.”

  “You think I’m somehow in danger over this?” She found that highly unlikely.

  “I’m not sure about anything right now. I just know my instincts are telling me there’s a problem, and I don’t want to take any chances—especially where you’re concerned. I think you understand how I feel about you, even if we’ve had to slow things down because of this.”

  Lexi’s breath caught at his honest admission. “I feel the same about you, but I’m not sure how we’re going to get to the bottom of this mess.” Another thought occurred to her. “Are you actually extending an offer for a plea deal here?”

  He stopped and turned toward her. “Yes, but I don’t expect your client to accept it. If I don’t do as my boss asks, though, they’ll just put someone else on the case. I need to stay on. Now that red flags have gone up, I have to stick this out.”

  “Thanks for telling me about this. I realize this is a highly unorthodox situation.” She couldn’t let herself think about the possible implications of his actions, but if he was right that something fishy was going on, he was probably entirely justified in what he was doing.

  “Lexi, I’m not in the business of prosecuting innocent people. That’s not my calling. I’ll do whatever I can to figure out what the truth is here.”

  “Then you need to watch your back too. Your warning goes both ways.”

  “Understood. I’ll keep you posted.” He gave her hand a squeeze that lingered an extra moment.

  As he walked away, she was more determined than ever to succeed in her quest for justice.

  After another long day of visiting contractors, Izzy was feeling a bit defeated. Nothing they found out seemed to be helpful.

  Jay had insisted on grabbing dinner and then drove her home after they finished eating.

  “You know, you didn’t have to come up to my apartment and check on me,” Izzy told him.

  “I’m here, and it makes me feel better. I can’t help but think we should all be looking over our shoulders these days.”

  His parental tone made her smile. She hadn’t wanted him to go out of his way, but on the other hand, she was super appreciative to have his protection. In fact, she hadn’t told anyone about her recurring nightmares since leaving Arlington PD. The emotional impact of seeing the sergeant was much stronger than she had anticipated.

  “I can practically hear you thinking,” Jay said as he finished his walk-through of her small apartment.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “And now you’re lying. Come on, let’s sit for a minute and talk.” Without waiting for her to respond, he took a seat on her beige couch and patted the cushion beside him.

  She sat down but didn’t say anything, waiting for him to go first.

  He looked directly at her. “We’re basically partners on this case. And in my book, partners don’t hide things from each other. That’s the worst thing you can do.”

  “Why do you think I’m hiding something?”

  “Izzy, I’ve spent enough time with you to read your tells. With all that I’ve seen over the years between my experience in the Army and what I’ve lived through with CID, I can read people. Something is up with you.”

  She looked into his kind brown eyes and felt tears well up in her own. She hated to cry, especially in front of colleagues, but she couldn’t help it. “You’re right. I’m having a tough time, but I’m not ready to talk about it.”

  “Then I won’t push you,” he responded softly.

  She brushed a te
ar away. “I’ve been having nightmares, so it’s been tough sleeping. I’ll get past it. I always do.” Her voice started to tremble. Jay didn’t know the story. Because she hadn’t told him—or anyone.

  “I’m here to help in any way that I can. I don’t know what’s troubling you, but the Navy has counselors you can talk to. Trained people who understand PTSD and psychological trauma.”

  Izzy looked down as thoughts flitted through her mind. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t want Marco to find out.”

  “It should be completely confidential.”

  She looked up into his eyes again and knew that he spoke the truth. But there was one more thing to consider. “I also think I’m going to church this weekend.”

  “Is that unusual for you?”

  “I haven’t gone since right after my father was killed. That was eight years ago,” she said softly.

  “And whatever it is you’re currently struggling with makes you want to reconnect with your faith?” he asked.

  “It’s hard to explain, but yes.” She paused. “I’m just a mess right now.”

  “No, you’re not. And if you want, you’re welcome to come with me and my family to our church this weekend.”

  Izzy couldn’t believe how kind Jay was. “That would be really nice.” She missed that connection with her family. After her dad’s death, her mother had never really been the same. Their relationship remained cold and distant. Izzy had always been closer to her father anyway. And when she had decided to go into law enforcement, it had been hard on her mother. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “Don’t doubt yourself, Izzy. You’ll get through this. Whatever it is. And I’m here if you want to talk. Sound good?”

  “Yes, thank you.” After the past week, she needed to accept this help.

  “All right. How about I see you in the morning bright and early for a run? Okay?”

  “Sure thing.” Izzy hoped she’d finally find a small measure of peace tonight.

  Bailey had accepted Marco’s invitation for an early dinner at his place. Their plan was to eat and then review as much of the data from the USB drive they’d gotten from WSI as they could. She really felt like they might find some of the answers they were looking for.

  But now, a few hours into it, she was beginning to lose hope. She sighed as she clicked through the next set of documents on her laptop.

  “That bad, huh?” Marco got up from his chair and took a seat beside her on the sofa.

  She’d read so many documents that had absolutely nothing to do with the case. “I’m sorry. Just frustrated.”

  “More pasta? That makes everything better.”

  She turned and smiled at him. “Your pasta was amazing. Your mom would be proud.”

  “Hers is so much better. Maybe I can take you over to visit one day.”

  As Bailey typed on her laptop, she thought about his offer. “That would be nice.” She stopped typing and looked at him. “Do you think we’re barking up the wrong tree here?”

  “No, I don’t. I think we’re missing some pieces, but we’ll figure it out. I’m just trying to keep my frustration level in check.”

  She smiled. “At least you don’t bottle up your feelings.”

  He laughed, which lightened the mood a bit. “I wear all my emotions on my sleeve. There are pros and cons to that. But at least people know exactly where they stand with me.”

  “So where do I stand?” she asked playfully.

  He stopped smiling.

  “What’s wrong?” She didn’t know why their lighthearted conversation had taken a serious turn.

  Marco leaned in closer to her but didn’t say a word. As she looked into his big dark eyes, she tried to figure out what he was thinking.

  “I might be easy to read, but you’re not,” he said softly.

  It had taken her a moment, but now Bailey realized where this might be going. “I’m not trying to hide anything from you.”

  He placed a hand on the back of her neck. “Am I off base thinking there is a spark kindling between us?”

  A chill shot down her arms, but there was no fear. Only anticipation. While normally Bailey would have overanalyzed every angle, she didn’t. She just stared into Marco’s eyes. She heard herself sigh as he drew her closer. Bailey had never wanted to be kissed so badly. His gentle touch made her put everything else on pause. No overthinking. No stressing about next steps or worrying about the future and the losses that would inevitably come. She was just thinking about Marco.

  She closed her eyes, wanting to feel his lips on hers.

  But a loud knock on the door made her jump back away from him.

  Marco mumbled something under this breath and got up from the couch.

  “Are you expecting anyone?” she asked.

  He looked over his shoulder. “No.” He grabbed his side arm from the table and walked to the door.

  She heard the door open a moment later, then voices followed by footsteps.

  “Lexi, what’re you doing here?” Bailey stared at the JAG lawyer who was now standing in Marco’s living room.

  “I’ve got evidence that the guard gate logs at the base were hacked. Tobias now has an alibi for the murder of P. J. Wexford.”

  CHAPTER

  FOURTEEN

  Lexi had taken a risk by visiting Marco’s house, and she hadn’t expected Bailey to be there. But it looked like they were still working, as there were papers and laptops strewn across the living room area and kitchen table.

  “You tracked me down, so this has to be good,” Marco said. “Come on in and have a seat.”

  “Yeah. It wasn’t that hard to find you in the employee database I have access to,” Lexi said. “And I thought, given the nature of this case, that you wouldn’t mind an evening interruption—especially when a SEAL’s life and livelihood is at stake.”

  “Why don’t you just get to the bottom line?” Marco said.

  Lexi looked at him and then Bailey and couldn’t help feeling like something was off, but she powered ahead. “I hired a private investigator who is a tech guru. Top of the line. He was able to determine that the base security records were hacked. He was also able to retrieve the original data, which clearly shows that my client was on base. There is absolutely no way he could’ve murdered P. J. Wexford.” She opened her bag and provided them both with copies of her findings.

  Lexi watched as they reviewed the pages. Silence filled the room as the long seconds ticked by.

  After a minute, Marco looked at her. “If this can all be validated, then I think you have a strong argument, but we still have to deal with the forensic evidence tying Kappen to murders one and two. And given how aggressive Arlington PD has been on the Rogers case, I doubt this will be enough for them.”

  Lexi was prepared for that point. “Yes, but if someone was sophisticated enough to do this hacking, then they could’ve planted the evidence for the first two murders. My client is innocent. I’m not expecting a quick fix. I just want the truth to come out and Tobias’s name to be cleared.”

  “We’ll work on verifying this right away,” Bailey said.

  “Thank you.” Lexi decided to push for more. “Have you made any headway on the list of defense contractors we provided?” She knew good and well that they’d been working on it, but she had no idea what they had.

  Marco arched an eyebrow. “We’re working through it, but if you have any other information that could help us, now is not the time to hold back.”

  She made the strategic decision to open up further. “I’ve talked with my client, and we believe that of the possible options, WSI is one you should really focus on.”

  “Why?” Bailey asked.

  It appeared she had Bailey’s full attention, and that told Lexi something. “Through our own investigation, we’ve gotten some tips that make us think they would be one of the most likely, if not the most likely, employer of the victims. They are known for hiring special-ops guys, and the type of work they do focuses on hig
her-risk overseas missions, including security details and other protective services.” She stood up. “That’s all I have for now, but we’re continuing to drill down on everything we can. I hope this good-faith effort of full and unfettered cooperation helps demonstrate my client’s innocence.”

  “Thank you for sharing with us.” Marco walked her to the door. “We’ll be in touch soon.”

  “I appreciate it.” Lexi had taken a risk tonight, but she felt like this one might pay off.

  An awkward silence filled Marco’s living room after Lexi left. He hoped Bailey would say something first, but she sat silently and twisted her watch around her wrist.

  “I think we need to talk about what just almost happened.” There, he’d said it.

  “Nothing happened, did it?” Bailey looked away.

  She was shutting down. The moment they’d shared was over, and he feared his window had closed. At least for now.

  “Don’t push me away, Bailey. I don’t think that’s what either of us wants, is it?”

  Her shoulders slumped, but she didn’t respond to his question. It was time for him to put his feelings on the table. There was no point in playing games. He wanted her to understand where he stood.

  “I wish we hadn’t been interrupted.” He scooted closer to her on the couch.

  Bailey looked up at him. “Maybe it’s for the best. We have so much on our plate right now. We should be putting all our time and energy into cracking this case. Can we really afford to be distracted by whatever this is?”

  “I understand.” He wanted to argue with her, but he felt he needed to pick his battles. Even if he was disappointed, he didn’t want to be negative.

  But man, he had really wanted to kiss her. He hadn’t gone into the evening with that game plan—not at all. But as he looked into her eyes, he felt a growing connection that he couldn’t deny. A fire inside of him that not only wanted to be with her, but also wanted to protect her. To keep her safe. To make her his. But if he started to make that kind of grand pronouncement right now, he would scare her off, and that was the last thing he wanted.