End Game

by Rachel Dylan

  “That never went anywhere.”

  “I know. But this—this could go somewhere. He seems like a great guy. The total package.”

  “And you know this how?”

  Layla patted her hand. “In my line of work, reading people is key. He’s one of the good guys. That much I know.” She took a moment, seeming to gather her thoughts. “And, Bailey, I know you’ve lost so much in this life with losing your parents, but please don’t let the fear of being hurt keep you from seeing what possibilities there could be with Marco.”

  She was spot-on. “It’s like you can see right through me.”

  “And you me. Let’s not even get started on how messed up I am in the relationship department. You have a chance at something good here. I say embrace that chance and take a leap.”

  Bailey desperately wanted to do what her friend was suggesting, but it wasn’t easy. “It’s scary to put yourself out there.”

  “It is. But you met Marco at this point in your life. I believe that God can use even this awful investigation to bring about good things.”

  And the thing was that Bailey did too.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-ONE

  Izzy took Jay up on his offer to go to church with his family again and had enjoyed the service. Jay’s wife, Georgia, was lovely and welcoming and had invited Izzy over to lunch afterward.

  Izzy had tried to help Georgia in the kitchen, but Georgia had insisted that Izzy was a guest, and that was that. So now Izzy sat in the living room, taking in the cute Victorian-style house. When the front door opened, she stood up, not sure who would be coming through the door.

  A guy with dark blond hair and brown eyes walked into the living room. She made eye contact and knew at that moment who he was. He had his father’s eyes.

  “Mom, I made it,” he yelled. Then he stepped toward Izzy. “Hey,” he said. “I’m Aiden Graves.”

  “Isabella Cole, but everyone calls me Izzy.” She took his outstretched hand and gave it a shake. They connected a beat longer than she would have expected.

  Jay walked into the room. “Aiden, I see you’ve met Izzy.”

  “Hey, Dad.” Aiden gave his father a quick embrace.

  “We weren’t expecting you for lunch today,” Jay said.

  “I got off my shift early and wanted to surprise Mom. I didn’t realize you’d have company.” He eyed Izzy. “Sorry if I’m interrupting.”

  Jay patted his son on the back. “Nonsense. I’m working a case with Izzy. She’s an NCIS agent.”

  “Really?” Aiden asked.

  “Yeah, I realize I don’t exactly look the part.” Warmth crept up her neck, and she suddenly felt extremely self-conscious.

  Aiden shook his head. “Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that it’s cool you’re an NCIS agent. I’m an officer with VSP.”

  Virginia State Patrol. She should have noticed his cop vibe right off.

  “You better go say hello to your mother,” Jay said.

  “All right. Be back in a few.” Aiden smiled at her.

  Izzy turned to Jay, who was grinning widely. “What?” she asked.

  “I’ve never seen you blush before.”

  She wanted to crawl in a hole. Talk about not having any finesse around cute guys. “I’m not blushing. It’s just a little warm.”

  Jay couldn’t stop smiling. “I’ll get you some iced tea, then. Have a seat.”

  Izzy sank onto the couch and was thankful that Jay didn’t push the issue. She didn’t know what had happened when she shook hands with Aiden, but whatever it was, she couldn’t show that reaction anymore. The last thing she needed was to crush on a cop. After what had happened to her, she’d told herself she’d never date a cop. Ever.

  But after lunch she found herself alone in the living room with Aiden while his parents insisted on cleaning up the kitchen.

  “I’ve got to ask you something,” Aiden said.

  “All right.”

  “What’s it like working with my dad?”

  That was a safe topic. “It’s actually great. He’s really good at his job and has been there for me through some tough stuff.”

  Aiden beamed. “I always knew growing up that I had a special dad, but I realize it even more as a grown man. If I can be half the man he is, then I’ll be ahead of the game.”

  She completely agreed with that statement. “I lost my dad when I was young. He was killed in the line of duty.”

  “Was he a cop or military?”

  “Cop. His death is what inspired me to go into law enforcement. After a year at Arlington PD, I got the gig at NCIS. I’m still a rookie.”

  “I figured you were about my age. I’m twenty-seven.”

  “I’m twenty-four. And since I’m petite, a lot of people think I’m still in college.”

  His brown eyes softened. “That has to be tough. It’s hard enough being a rookie in law enforcement as a guy. I see what my female colleagues go through, and it’s even tougher. That must mean you’ve got a strong backbone.”

  She smiled. “Honestly, some days I’m not so sure.”

  “Do you enjoy NCIS?”

  She took a moment before answering. “Yes and no. I definitely like it better than my previous job, but I can’t help but wonder if I’m still not in the exact place I need to be. I figure, regardless, I’m getting a ton of amazing experience that is going to prepare me for whatever I do next.”

  Aiden looked down at his watch. “I have to run. I’m meeting a buddy at the range who is struggling with his shot.” He paused. “But I was wondering if you’d be interested in hanging out sometime?”

  Was he asking her out? She didn’t even have words to respond as she just stared at him.

  “It’s totally okay to say no.” He stood. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’re already spoken for. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Izzy got up. “No, I’m not.” She walked over to him and pulled out her phone.

  Aiden did the same. “What’s your number?”

  She rattled off her number, and he put his phone back in his pocket.

  “Aren’t you going to give me yours too?” she asked.

  Aiden smiled. “No. Call me old-fashioned, but I’ll be calling you.”

  There were women who wouldn’t have liked his response, but not Izzy. If Aiden was like his dad, then maybe he was a true gentleman. “Sounds good. It was really nice to meet you.”

  He offered his hand again, and she took it. They lingered for an extra moment, hand in hand, eyes locked, before Aiden said good-bye.

  A bit later, Jay took Izzy back to her place. “You know, he will call.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “If Aiden said he’ll call you, he will.”

  “Do you disapprove?” She feared what Jay would think about this entire thing.

  “Of course not. But I want to stay out of it. I think my son is amazing, but he’s my son, so I’m completely biased. You’ll need to form your own opinions about him.”

  Something was weighing on her. “I didn’t know whether you’d want him to consider seeing someone as damaged as me.”

  He glanced at her. “What? Izzy, please don’t talk like that. You’re a strong, smart woman. We all come to the table with our issues and baggage. Some of us more than others.”

  “I do have one request.” This was important to her.

  “Sure. Whatever you need, just name it.”

  “Let me talk to Aiden in my own time about my past. Outside counseling, you’re the only person I’ve ever talked to about what happened to me that night.”

  Jay nodded. “Please don’t worry about that. I would never violate your confidence. What you tell Aiden and when is completely up to you.”

  She let out a breath. “Thank you, Jay. That means so much to me.”

  “Like I said, I’m not going to get involved, but I’ll put in one plug for my boy, and then I won’t say anything ever again. I realize that he’s a cop and that may present
issues for you, but Aiden wouldn’t hurt you, Izzy. I can promise you that. He’s a protector.”

  The thing was that she’d known from the moment she laid eyes on Aiden that he would keep her safe. The only problem was whether she’d just experienced something she never even thought possible: love at first sight.

  Early the next morning, Bailey sat across from Layla in the safe house kitchen. She’d had no doubt that Layla would be able to provide highly useful information, but her palms started to sweat as she waited for Layla to provide her update.

  Bailey eyed her friend. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you located the FBI safe house.”

  Layla smiled. “I’m good at my job.”

  “Marco will be here soon to pick me up.”

  “That’s why I wanted to come early, before he got here. I’ll make this fast. I still need you to try to keep me out of this,” Layla said. “If Marco pushes too hard, then we can revisit the issue, but let’s try to keep my cover intact as long as we can. Just tell him you have a source at the CIA who got the info for you. Can you do that?”

  “Of course.” What Layla was suggesting wouldn’t be a lie, and Bailey had to protect her friend, especially after Layla had gone out on a limb for her. “What did you find?”

  Layla’s eyes widened. “Your instincts about something sinister brewing were spot-on. You were just missing a piece of the puzzle.” She paused. “A huge piece.”

  “What?” Bailey held her breath, not sure what Layla was about to drop on her.

  “You’re going to have a hard time believing this.”

  Bailey wondered what her friend had found that was so groundbreaking. “If you tell me, then I’ll believe it.”

  Layla lifted her chin. “Rogers was a deep-cover CIA officer.”

  Bailey’s stomach dropped. “Are you serious?”

  “Deadly. I got my boss to sign off on telling you this, and I only got that permission because I told him everything you already knew, and he figured it was only a matter of time before this information came to light.”

  “Go on.” Bailey couldn’t believe this latest turn of events.

  Layla shook her head. “Unfortunately, I can’t. You’ll need to go to Langley for a classified briefing.”

  “How am I going to do that without Marco?”

  “You can bring him. I just won’t be anywhere near it. That’s why I need you to say this came from a CIA source you have cultivated.”

  Bailey understood the drill. “I’m on it. When does this briefing happen?”

  “As soon as Marco gets here to pick you up, you should head over to the Agency. I don’t know all the details myself, but given the reaction I got from my boss, I’d say this is pretty huge. And another reason for you to be careful. I still haven’t fully wrapped my head around everything that is going on.”

  Bailey stood. “Thanks for sticking your neck out for me.”

  “You’d do the same for me.” Layla gave her a quick embrace. “I’ll let myself out.”

  About fifteen minutes later, Marco arrived at the safe house and walked into the kitchen.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  She turned toward him. “We need to talk.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “What’s up?”

  “We need to go to the CIA right now.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Michael Rogers was a deep-cover Agency operative.”

  He grabbed her shoulders. “What? How did you find that out?”

  “I have a source at the Agency. They were able to get us an audience with some higher-ups who can shed light on all this. Or at least hopefully they can.”

  Marco ran a hand through his hair. “I hadn’t thought about the CIA being involved in this.” He paused. “But you did, or else you wouldn’t have gone to them.”

  She shook her head. “You’re giving me too much credit. I didn’t think that Rogers was a CIA officer, but I did think that they might have some type of file on him. Especially once we feared that the DoD was involved. It made sense to reach out at least. I’m glad I did.”

  “We need to get to Langley ASAP.”

  Marco couldn’t help thinking there was more to this story than Bailey was telling him, but he would have to trust her. She hadn’t let him down so far, so he would keep pushing forward. This might be the big break in the case they’d been waiting for, and at the end of the day, it didn’t matter exactly how they ended up here, just that they’d arrived.

  After getting through extremely tight security at Langley, they were escorted up to the seventh floor of the building, where the bigwigs sat. He wasn’t sure whether to be glad that they were getting that type of access or terrified.

  They were brought into a SCIF and told to have a seat at the large conference room table while they waited. Being left alone in a secure room specially designed for discussing highly classified information didn’t help Marco’s nerves.

  Thankfully it was a short wait. After a few minutes the door opened, and two gray-haired men walked in.

  The taller one spoke first. “I’m Jim Smith, and this is my second-in-command, Ned Whelan.”

  Marco and Bailey introduced themselves, and everyone had a seat.

  “Everything we’re going to talk about today is highly classified,” Jim said. “I’ve reviewed both of your security clearances and feel comfortable sharing this material largely because you’ve already ferreted out some of this information. I believe that once you hear everything, you’ll understand why I’ve decided to bring you into the circle. You have developed a need to know.”

  “We understand,” Bailey said. “Any help the Agency can provide on the three homicides we’re working would be greatly appreciated.”

  Ned nodded. “Agent Ryan, we’ve been fully briefed on your investigation, and yes, we do believe we’re at the point where we need to share intel.”

  “What can you tell us about Michael Rogers?” Marco asked.

  “Rogers was a decorated CIA officer, and we hated to lose him.” Jim avoided eye contact.

  “Then why stay silent?” Bailey asked. “He was murdered along with two other men. All patriots.”

  Jim frowned. “This is a lot bigger than just one CIA officer. Ned, fill them in.”

  Ned laced his fingers together in front of him. “You two have done a great job with your investigation. So good that you were able to trace this back to us.” He took a deep breath. “The employment at WSI was a deep-cover Agency operation. We had intel that led us to believe that WSI was taking arms shipments that were supposed to go to Saudi Arabia and diverting them to Iran.”

  Marco let Ned’s words sink in. “Aren’t those things closely accounted for?”

  “Yes, but if your supplier—here, WSI—is dirty, then they can make that happen. They were very smart about it. Siphoning off amounts in small increments instead of large chunks. We only had a hunch this was happening. To know for sure, we put together a top-notch team of operatives: Rogers, Battle, and Wexford. Their cover story was that they were in need of an off-book job to bring in more money, but really they were working for the Agency the entire time. This was never, ever about money for those men. They knew the risks, and they took the assignment willingly and bravely in service to the United States of America.”

  “And they found evidence of WSI’s wrongdoing with the arms shipments, and it got them killed?” Bailey asked.

  “Unfortunately, Agent Ryan, it gets much worse than that.” Jim looked at Bailey.

  “How so?” Marco clenched his fists under the table. It already seemed bad enough.

  Jim turned his attention to Marco. “While fulfilling their assignment, the guys believed they uncovered the existence of a mole at the DoD who was working hand in hand with WSI. If they figured out the mole’s identity, they didn’t get a chance to tell us before they were killed. As far as we’re concerned, there’s still an ongoing conspiracy here. It’s a top priority to find this traitor within the Pentagon. As you know, t
he official policy of the US government is that we do not under any circumstances sell arms to Iran—they are on the State Department’s list of state-sanctioned terrorism. They’re on every embargo list we have.”

  “But why would anyone at the DoD want to work with the Iranians?” Bailey asked.

  Jim slammed his fist on the desk. “Greed, pure and simple. We’re convinced they’re paying him top dollar. And we do think it’s a man we’re looking for at the DoD.”

  Marco wondered how best to make the next play. The curve balls just kept coming. As if Rogers being CIA wasn’t enough of a surprise. “We don’t want to do anything to interfere in your Agency operation, but you also have to understand that we have three grieving families needing answers. These victims were loyal patriots to this country, and their families deserve justice.”

  “We’ve also had targets put on our own backs because of this,” Bailey added. “So this has become very personal for us.”

  Jim looked at Bailey. “And I’m sympathetic to that. The two of you are up to your necks in this, and I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse if you keep investigating. I can’t look you in the eyes and ensure your safety. This case is fraught with risks.”

  Bailey sighed. “We need to know who actually killed these men and Tobias Kappen—because we don’t believe that was a suicide.”

  “Neither do we,” Jim responded.

  “How can we help each other get to the outcome that we all want?” Marco asked. He felt it better to ask than to direct them, considering they were the CIA and were going to do whatever they wanted anyway.

  Jim tapped his pen on the desk. “Keep pushing WSI. Let us worry about the DoD.”

  “I have another question,” Bailey said. “Were all of their commanding officers in the dark on this?”

  Jim nodded. “I realize it’s highly unorthodox, but yes. We kept the circle extremely tight. And that was before we realized we had a problem with someone at the Pentagon. To pull off something like this, you have to be hypervigilant. And we were doing well for a while. I’m not sure how the guys were made, but we told them to push hard, and unfortunately we had a bad result.”