“I’m so jealous you competed in the Highland games. I always wanted to see them, but our trips to Scotland were rare, and I never got to see one,” Val told Grant.
“I’d spend every break from school there with my grandparents. I’ll show you around if you’re ever up for going.”
Val was about to say her automatic no, but taking in Grant’s profile and sincerity, she said instead, “This is the place.” Val pointed to Lizzy’s townhouse.
“We’ll park a block away and cut through the back,” Grant said before she could suggest the same thing. “Has anyone ever told you that you are cute when you make that pissed-off face?” Then Grant touched the wrinkled bridge of her nose and smiled. “Cute as a button.”
Valeria growled. If she had a gun on her, she’d have shot him right then. No one had ever called her cute before.
Grant parked and looked around as he got out of the car. “You can jump that, right?” he asked, pointing to the privacy fence. Valeria responded by pulling herself over despite the recent wounds and flashing him a victorious smile before dropping to the ground on the other side.
“There’s my lass,” she heard Grant chuckle as he easily bounded over it. For being such a large man, both height and muscle wise, Grant certainly had moves.
“Val!” Lizzy cried as she pulled open the sliding door and raced out into the backyard. Valeria stood stiff as Lizzy wrapped her in a hug. “I am so glad to see you. I was so worried about you.”
Val brought her arms up and patted Lizzy awkwardly. “I should have told you where I was going. I’m sorry.”
Lizzy pulled back, her blue eyes flashed with annoyance. “I won’t lie and say it didn’t piss me off. But I figured you thought you were doing what was best. But now that attacks have been made on the group, I think it’s time to be all in. If you can’t be part of the team, it would be best if you left.”
“But there’s so much to do,” Val blurted out, realizing she let her tough demeanor slip.
“Then no more lone-wolfing it. Are you ready to be part of the team or not?” Lizzy stepped back, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared her down.
“After I show you what I have, you’ll need all the help you can get. You’d have to kill me to get me to quit.”
“Good. Then before you do anything, run it past me.” Lizzy held up her hand as Val opened her mouth to complain. “In or out?”
Val closed her mouth and took a deep breath. Lizzy wasn’t her ex-boyfriend, Anthony. Lizzy was maybe the only person who truly knew Valeria’s pain after being scapegoated and dumped from her life’s calling. Valeria had to take a step of faith and trust again. “In.”
“Good. We’re all inside.”
Grant was already at the door pounding Dalton on the back before his grin grew. “Jason! You old pain in the arse. I’m damn sorry to hear about Michelle. She was one hell of a woman.”
The light quickly dimmed in Jason’s eyes at the mention of his wife. Val knew that look all too well. It was a look of not caring about life any further. She’d had it before Humphrey had broken into her house to recruit her. There was never an option to simply block out the pain. But she had learned to move forward when she became a part of this team. Maybe the team would give Jason something to live for as well.
Val walked into the small kitchen and headed for the living room as she said hello to Jason and got a hug from Dalton. Alex sat on the couch with his head bent and his hair falling in his eyes as he worked on the computer. He looked up at her and frowned. “Hey, dude.”
Val stopped dead in her tracks as the normally hyper Alex went back to work. Apparently he wasn’t ready to forgive her for leaving yet. “Hi, Alex. What are you working on?” Val asked, taking a seat by him.
“Calling the prez.” Suddenly Alex sat up and looked at her. “That wasn’t cool, dude. You shouldn’t ditch your team. Lame. Real lame. Do you know how worried we were? How much time I took trying to find you, hoping you weren’t dead? Not cool, dude. Not cool.” Alex shook his floppy-haired head and went back to work.
Somehow his words hurt even more than Lizzy’s. Maybe because Alex wasn’t like her or Lizzy. He was somehow innocent, even though he’d served time in prison for hacking. Valeria imagined this was how a mother felt when a child was disappointed in them.
“I’m sorry, Alex. It won’t happen again,” Valeria said softly. She went to move when two string-bean arms were flung around her. Alex’s mop of a head was pressed against her as he hugged her.
“Good,” he sniffled as he hid his face from view. She felt him take a deep breath and sit back up. “Are you ready?”
The group nodded, and Alex connected with the laptop in the hospital. He moved it to sit on top of the TV stand as everyone sat on the couch or the floor in front of the coffee table so they could all see the computer.
The secure connection linked up, and Tate was the first person Valeria saw. She sucked in a breath at her friend’s bruised and battered body. “Jesus, Tate.”
The perky press secretary just smiled wide. “Val! Oh, I am so happy to see you. Are you okay?”
“Am I okay? Are you okay?”
Tate nodded and reached across to grab Birch’s hand. “We both are. I channeled my inner Valeria.”
Fuck. She would not cry. Valeria looked at the ceiling and tried to take a breath without anyone noticing she was choked up. But when she looked back she saw Grant had noticed everything. “I’m proud of you, Tate. You bought me enough time to get the evidence we need to blow the whole thing wide open when you talked to Manuel’s man.”
“Not only that, but she took down the entire media arm of Mollia Domini,” Birch said proudly.
Tate shook her head. “No, we did. We all did it together.”
Val cocked her head. “I don’t know what’s been going on. I haven’t been near a television or radio in over a week.”
“I guess this is where we come in,” Dalton said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Thanks to Tate, we knew that Claudia Hughes was following a script of talking points that were setting Birch up to fail and to shake the people’s faith in the country. The talking points revolved around wars that were going to be fought and an economy on the verge of collapse, which wasn’t true.”
“So,” Lizzy picked up, “thanks to Alex running the fingerprints Humphrey helped us get, we found out Secretary of State Sandra Cummings was the person placing the orders for Phylicia to carry out. Sandra fled the country, and Alex tracked her down. And this is where it gets interesting. When you called us, we were in Romania, trying to find Sandra. What we found instead were the dead bodies of George and Helena Stanworth.”
“And at two in the morning, police were called to the Stanworth mansion. Apparently his much younger wife, Christine, hung herself,” Dalton added. “I guess she was the one who found the bodies of Fitz and Hugo that Jason left for George.”
Dalton nodded to Lizzy who picked the story. “We found the house where George and Helena were killed. Alex is working on tracing ownership, but we believe it was a meeting of the inner circle of Mollia Domini. George and Helena’s time of death lines up with a phone call from Christine, most likely when she found the bodies. Our guess is the head of Mollia Domini took them out since they were made. And probably killed Christine as well since she found the bodies. Alex?”
“Yeah, so I found out the house is under an estate, but I’m having a real hard time finding who the relatives are. I’m still working on it,” Alex said, running his hand through his hair, making it stick up more. “Also, there’s something else I need to tell you all before we turn it over to Valeria. Um, so you know I’m like a hacker, right?”
Everyone rolled their eyes.
“Yes, I think we know that,” Birch said dryly.
“Well, I kinda sorta told some hackers about Mollia Domini.”
Lizzy reached out and smacked the back of his head. “Why the fuck would you do that?”
Alex winced. “There was a reason!
Dudes, really. It’s big. There’s a small chat room with some of the best hackers from all over the world in it. I have a couple friends in there, and there was already chatter about something big going on. Well, they told me some interesting things. First, there was a bomb stolen from Australia. And second, there were five Russian bombs stolen as well. Third, the Chinese police killed a man outside of the Shanghai Stock Exchange with a bomb in a large duffle bag.”
Everyone was quiet as they looked at each other. They all knew what it meant.
“So, there are five more bombs out there,” Birch said, shaking his head. “This is very bad.”
“I think this is where I come in.” Valeria stood up and pulled off her belt.
“Dude,” Alex whispered with wide eyes.
Valeria rolled hers at him. “I’m not getting undressed, I’m getting you a thumb drive. Can you make it so everyone can see it?”
“Dude,” Alex said in such a way it was obvious Val was underestimating his skills. Who knew one word could mean so many things?
Valeria pulled out her knife and wedged the point into a small pinhole as she pulled hard. The belt buckle popped open, revealing a small plastic baggie with a thumb drive no bigger than half an inch. She tore into the plastic and handed the small drive to Alex.
Valeria looked around as Alex walked toward the computer. “Hey, where’s Brock?”
10
Valeria knew the moment she asked the question that something was wrong. Everyone in the room froze and stared at her. Where was he? What weren’t they telling her?
“Who’s Brock?” Grant asked as Dalton shook his head to indicate he should shut up.
“Brock Loyde,” Valeria said, slowly looking around at each person in the room. “He is a Secret Service agent who was supposed to help guard Birch. Did he decline?”
“Alex, move,” Birch said sternly. Alex stepped out of the way of the camera and she saw Birch’s face more serious than normal. “Come here, Valeria, so I can see you better.”
Valeria felt numb as she approached the laptop. The computer at the hospital was moved to Birch’s lap so only he could be seen.
“Where’s Brock?”
“Val, I’m sorry to tell you that—” Birch started to say, but Valeria was already shaking her head back and forth.
“No. No. Don’t tell me,” Val ordered, her voice strangled by unshed tears.
“He died saving my life during the bombing. He was a hero and will be buried as such. I thought you would want to handle the funeral. I’m so sorry, Valeria,” Birch finished, telling her even though she didn’t want to hear it.
“Val,” Tate said, her voice heavy with sympathy. Sympathy was something Valeria didn’t want to hear right now. She spun away and pushed past Lizzy. She needed an escape from it all. She needed to control herself.
Valeria darted into the first room with a door and closed it. It was a small half bathroom with a white pedestal sink, sea foam walls, and not much else. Valeria turned on the sink and let the sound of running water cover the sound of her tears.
* * *
“Who’s Brock?” Grant asked into the silence.
“Valeria’s boyfriend,” Tate answered. “He was in the Secret Service and was with us at the bombing.”
Grant gave a nod of understanding. The woman just lost her love, and he’d been hitting on her. Now he felt like an arse.
“You can still leave if you want to,” the president said with a sigh.
Grant looked back at the closed door and then at Dalton. He’d never left a soldier behind, and he wouldn’t do it now. “No. I’ll stay.”
Alex moved in and began to work on the computer as Grant headed over to stand next to Dalton. They had worked together so long words weren’t needed to communicate what they felt at this moment. Grant knew going into this it was a small group, but now he and Dalton felt just as they did flying out to rescue the downed Syrian—this operation was FUBAR.
“Duuuuuuude,” Alex said, all wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He looked up from the computer. “Dude, dude, dude!” His voice raised an octave with every dude he said.
“What is it?” The president’s voice came through the computer even though Grant couldn’t see him since Alex was working.
“She followed the money.”
“I’ll go get her,” Lizzy told them, but Grant reached his hand out and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, stopping her.
“I’ll do it.”
* * *
Grant knocked on the door. Nothing but the sound of running water greeted him. He twisted the knob and the door opened. He found Valeria sitting on the toilet lid, her head buried in her hands, and her shoulders shaking as she silently cried.
Grant wedged himself into the small bathroom and closed the door. Valeria turned away from him and wiped at her face as he crouched down in front of her. “Ah, lass. I’m so sorry about your boyfriend.”
His heart broke as he said the words. He enjoyed their playful banter and the challenge Valeria presented. But if he’d known about Brock, she would have been off limits from the beginning. Instead he’d hit on her while her boyfriend was dying for the president.
“I’m fine,” Valeria mumbled as she finally looked at him. Grant saw the bloodshot eyes and the stiff upper lip. She was hurting but refused to admit it.
“It’s okay to mourn. You lost someone you love. He must have been very special.”
Valeria nodded and then looked away again. “He was. And it’s my fault he’s dead. He didn’t ask for this. He was happy in France, and I dragged him into this just like I’m dragging you. You rescued me, now let me rescue you. Leave now. Go back to your base and forget we exist.”
Grant reached out and clasped her hands in his. “You’re not dragging me into anything I don’t want to be in.” He paused. He didn’t want to push her, but they needed a game plan. “When you’re ready, Alex has all the information up that you got in Mexico.”
Valeria took a deep breath, her eyes hardening. “Let’s finish this.” She stood up at the same time Grant did. He stepped back against the sink as they came chest to chest. His arms automatically wrapped around her to catch her as she stumbled. Shit. He’d had women in his arms before. Many, if he was honest. But Valeria? The beautiful, fiery force of nature felt like she was made to be in his arms. He wanted her. And damn the luck that her heart belonged to someone else.
Grant looked into her blue eyes streaked with electricity and rimmed with dark clouds. Her eyes were as wild as she was. Some men would want to tame that wildness, but not him. He longed to set her free. To do that, he had to let her go. Grant dropped his arms, opened the door, and watched the woman he desperately wanted in his life walk away from him.
* * *
Lizzy watched the closed bathroom door open and a red-rimmed Valeria step out. Her back straight and stiff, her eyes for a second showed confusion as she glanced back at Grant, but then hardened. That was the Valeria Lizzy knew. The one who would look death in the eye and give it the finger.
“That’s interesting,” Dalton whispered next to her.
“It’s distracting.”
Dalton’s eyebrows rose in response. “Am I a distraction? Sometimes love is a motivation, a reason to keep going, not a distraction, Lizzy.”
Lizzy looked at the resignation and longing etched in Grant’s face. He’d shaved since she had seen him last. His big thick beard was now what she’d consider a day’s overgrowth of scruff. It was dark auburn and only highlighted the sharp angles and muscles of his face. His matching dark auburn hair was slightly wild in an I-just-had-sex kind of way. And then those green eyes—they were like looking at the Highland mountains. This literal mountain man looked as if his heart ached for Valeria, but he was too tough to ever admit it. And it broke Lizzy’s own heart.
Lizzy leaned close to Dalton. “You’re right. Love isn’t a distraction. Love saved Birch. If Tate didn’t love him with all her heart, she wouldn’t have risked her life to protect
him.”
“And love brought me to the South China Sea. I wanted to protect you. I wanted to soothe the hurt and deception Dan caused. And it’s what’s keeping me by your side through everything that may come.”
Dalton placed a kiss right below her ear as Valeria turned from talking to Alex. Grant stood next to Dalton, and everyone stopped talking and gave Valeria their full attention.
“Manuel Hernandez is the head of the Hermanos de Sangre cartel. He owns the local bank that I traced all the payments to Phylicia to, along with a $5,000,000 withdrawal made by Sandra Cummings that corresponds to the briefcase full of cash Branson Ames was supposed to deliver to the terrorists in Syria.” Valeria pointed to the records she’d pulled off Manuel’s computer.
“It’s imperative we pick up Sandra immediately,” Birch ordered.
“I’ve secured Thurmond in a former CIA black site here in DC. It hasn’t been used for five years but is still useable. I can pick her up and take her there,” Jason offered.
“Do it,” Birch ordered.
“And speaking of Sandra,” Humphrey’s little nasally voice said, “Alex has Thurmond’s computer and the dossier he put together at her request on natural disasters. We’ll discuss that next.”
“Actually,” Val said, “I bet that has to do with what else I found on Manuel’s computer. See, I followed the money not only to Sandra, but payouts to Dan, Hugo, Fitz, Phylicia, and about twenty other names.”
Val went to the next image and Lizzy gasped. “Stanworth.”
“Wait. Does that say SA Tech?” Birch’s voice sounded hollow at seeing his friend’s company listed.
“Yes. Sebastian is somehow tangled up in this. He told me he had to pay Manuel a fee in order to not have his business harassed in Mexico. However, it seems as if they do quite a bit of business.” Valeria didn’t seem too surprised or saddened by this fact. Lizzy, on the other hand, knew the feeling of betrayal Birch must be feeling.
Shattered Lies Page 7
