by Diana X Dunn
“Of course you do. I’d expect nothing less from one of Michael’s protégées. So are you truly hiding from Rex or are you simply waiting here for his next move?”
After a moment of internal debate, Sara decided to share a few things with Ethel. “Assuming you’re right, and Rex is targeting me, then I want to stay off his radar. I need to rebuild my life and that isn’t easy. He’s already cost me my job and the only life I’ve ever known. I don’t want him to take anything else away from me.”
“And you believe he won’t find Sara Weber?”
“I’d love to think that he’ll never find her or maybe that she’ll be so difficult to track down that he’ll simply give up after a while. Unfortunately, as long as I stay in the business, even tangentially, he’s going to find me eventually. I could move to some small town and get a job in a factory, assembling wrist-cons or something like that. He might not find me there, but here, working in the business, he’ll be able to track me down. I’d prefer it if no one here even knew that I was an F baby. That’s all Rex needs to know to find me.”
“As I said, I was the one who acquired that information. I’ve not shared it with anyone. Robert’s first priority is the success of this school. The last thing he wants is Rex’s attention.”
“That’s the last thing I want, too.”
“Is it, though? Have you truly given up on the hunt?”
“I’m not sure given up is the right way to put it. My agency has chosen to remove me from the hunt. I’ve chosen not to pursue it on my own. Even with my agency’s vast resources at my disposal, he evaded capture. On my own, I don’t have a chance.”
“I’m not sure about that. I’ve seen the files. It seems clear that Rex has someone in your agency on his payroll, or that he works for your agency himself.”
Sara didn’t ask how this woman had seen files that were meant to be some of the most highly classified in the world. “The agency seems incapable of working out who he is or who he’s employing.”
“Yes, which means you’re far safer on the outside.”
“Safer, yes, but closer to finding Rex, no.”
“Maybe. I’d suggest being outside the agency makes you even more attractive to him. Perhaps he may even try to recruit you to his organization.”
“No one has tried recruiting me thus far. I’d like to think that I’d recognize an approach from Rex or any other criminal organization.”
“You think Robert has a spotless record?”
Sara laughed. “Not at all. I’ve dug deep enough to know that he wasn’t completely clean when he was a cop, but I don’t believe he’s part of Rex’s network, either, or I wouldn’t be here.”
“He’s not,” Ethel said firmly. “For all of his faults, he’s on the side of the law, most of the time. While he likes to make money and live well, he would never join an organization like the one that Rex heads. If nothing else, he has too much trouble following orders.”
“I believe Rex is having difficulty recruiting help these days.”
“That’s absolutely the case. He did himself a lot of damage with that crazy chase across the US. Nearly everyone associated with the episode ended up dead or arrested. I believe a number of very highly priced lawyers have turned up to help those who were arrested, but there isn’t a lot they can do with the amount of evidence against the men in question.”
Sara nodded. “I’d heard that the men in Las Vegas all had expensive lawyers on their side. I understand some of them might even get away with only being convicted on minor charges. At the end of the day, nothing was stolen and no one was hurt.”
“I believe the most they can be charged with is possession of illegal electronics. They all seem to be claiming that they were completely unaware of what the devices they were carrying were capable of doing.”
Sara shrugged. “I don’t really care what happens to the men. I don’t care about Rex, either. I just want to get on with my life.”
“And teaching here is going to give you what you want?”
“I certainly hope so. It’s a new start for me, and a chance to do something completely different. I’m not ready to go back out in the field, even if I thought I could find an agency that could keep me well hidden enough to avoid Rex.”
“If you do decide you want to go back out in the field, let me know. I still have connections. I’m sure I could find you a position somewhere.”
“Let’s see how teaching goes, first. Maybe it will suit me.”
Ethel shook her head. “You’re going to hate it. The question is, will you hate it more than you want to stay hidden? A better question would be, how long will it take Rex to find you. The intelligence community is a small one and it’s intimately linked with the world of high stakes crime. How well hidden are you?”
“I did the best I could on my new identity. I haven’t been able to alter my appearance as much as I’d like, but I’ve done everything I can. Actual reconstruction work is expensive, of course.”
“You must have the skills to hack any bank on the planet. Surely you could have simply helped yourself to a few hundred thousand dollars.”
“That isn’t something I’m willing to consider, not at this point, anyway.”
Ethel studied her for a moment. “How good is Sara Webster? No breadcrumbs at all?”
Sara hesitated. “One breadcrumb. One very tiny and almost totally insignificant crumb. I doubt Michael would recognize it if he saw Sara’s profile.”
“So if Rex finds it, he knows at least as much about you as Michael, maybe more.”
“Which isn’t possible. No one knows as much about me as Michael, no one alive, anyway.”
“You’re talking about F7.”
Sara nodded. “We were best friends, almost like sisters. She knew me better than anyone.”
“Until she was killed in a warehouse explosion.”
Sara winced. Her friend’s death was still a sore subject.
“Perhaps Rex’s obsession dates from that event. Have you considered that?”
“I’ve considered everything. There were five other people working that mission. I know where all of the other five are and what they’re doing now. It’s harder for me to track them now that I don’t have my old devices, but I’m doing my best.”
“I can help you track them, if you’d like some assistance.”
“Why?”
Ethel grinned. “Why am I willing to help you? Two reasons. One, I hate seeing an expert agent being sidelined because some random psychopath has targeted her. Two, I want this school to succeed, and it has a better chance to do that if you aren’t distracted by Rex.”
“Why are you so interested in the school?”
“I don’t know. This is my first non-agency job. I suppose I feel oddly protective of it in some weird way.”
Sara didn’t believe that for an instant. Clearly, Ethel’s reason for wanting the school to succeed was personal and private. “Does Mr. Smith know I’m here?” she asked after a moment.
“No, although he may suspect from the questions I asked. He answered my questions, but didn’t volunteer any extra information and didn’t ask any questions himself.”
Sara felt slightly disappointed. Knowing that Michael knew where she was would have made her feel slightly better. It had been months since she’d spoken to him and that still felt odd to her. It only took her a second to recall his face as he’d said the words that still haunted her dreams. “You’re fired,” echoed through her brain as she blinked and then took a deep breath. “If you talk to him again, please don’t tell him,” she said.
“You can’t possibly suspect Mr. Smith of being Rex.”
“At this point, I suspect everyone, even you,” Sara replied with complete honesty.
Ethel laughed. “I suppose I would too, if I were in your shoes. I suppose, once he discovers where you are, you’ll have even more reason to suspect that I’m Rex.”
“You, or someone else at the school. It’s unlikely that anyone here is Rex, but it�
��s very possible that someone here is working for him, either staff or students.”
“As the students aren’t here yet, we can’t truly discuss them, but from what I’ve seen of the staff, only Jake seems likely to me.”
“I don’t trust any of them.”
“Candie is devoted to Robert. He met her as part of the prison rehabilitation program that he started back in Chicago when he was with the police. She was hooked on Chillax and goodness knows what else. He helped her get off drugs and straighten out her life and then he gave her a job. She turned out to be quite efficient, really, which is why she’s here now, helping with the school.”
Again, Sara was struck by how much Ethel knew about the school and its founder. “And you don’t think Robert is working for Rex,” she said.
“There’s no way Robert is working for Rex. He’d be very hurt to hear such a suggestion.”
Sara shrugged. Robert’s feelings were of little concern to her. “What about Dr. Freeman?”
“I believe the good doctor would love a chance to analyze Rex, but I can’t see him working for the man. He’s odd and obnoxious, but I believe he’s probably more law abiding than anyone else here.”
“That just leaves Jake.”
“And me.”
“I can’t see why you’d be working for Rex. Nor can I imagine what he could offer you that would tempt you.”
“Maybe he knows my deepest darkest secrets and is blackmailing me into cooperating with him.”
“If anyone tried that, you’d eliminate them,” Sara said dryly.
Ethel laughed. “You’re right, of course. Although I wouldn’t have to do the dirty work myself. I have many friends in many places who could easily eliminate anyone who threatened me.”
“Which, again, leaves us with Jake.”
“Yes, a man I loathe. He’s pretty awful, but I’m not sure even Rex would hire a man who drinks that much and behaves that badly.”
“I only met him this afternoon. Is he always that bad?”
“He is. He drinks to forget all of the things he did when he was with the police, but then he gets maudlin and can’t stop talking about them endlessly. I’ve told him repeatedly about the various services that can erase bad memories, but he isn’t interested in forgetting. His memories are all he has left, really.”
“Should I ask why Robert hired him?”
“When he’s sober, he truly is an expert in police procedures. He and Robert were partners for a while and Robert learned a lot from him. As long as Jake is sober during classes, the students will learn a lot, too.”
“He has the potential to cause a great deal of trouble for the school.”
“And the potential to be everyone’s favorite teacher.” Ethel sighed. “At the moment, all I can do is keep reminding Robert to keep him on a short leash. He’s being lax with him at the moment because the students aren’t here yet. He’s promised me that he’ll have Jake well under control by Wednesday.”
“That just leaves me to worry that he’s working for Rex.”
“I’ll keep a close eye on him,” Ethel promised.
“Once Rex finds me, I’ll have to leave.”
“Because I’m interested in the long-term success of the school, I want to keep you here as long as possible. You’re exactly what Robert needs. You can teach classes in just about anything and you’ve had more experience than most agents twice your age. You can be sure I’ll be doing everything I can to keep Rex from finding you.”
Sara nodded. “I appreciate that.”
“And now I must get ready for dinner. I hope you’ll excuse me. I have a date and I need to change.”
Sara got to her feet. “Thank you for your time,” she said as she headed for the door. The idea that Ethel had a date was an intriguing one. Who had the woman found to date at a school in the middle of nowhere?
Back in her room, Sara ate a FADS bar and watched an old movie on her video screen. She read back through the details of each student, memorizing each one’s profile. She was working on her lesson plans when a knock on her door startled her.
“Sara,” Jake said happily when she opened the door. “Let’s go and get a drink in town.”
“Sorry, I’m having an early night.”
“Why would you want to do that? The students won’t be here until Wednesday. We need to have our fun before they arrive.”
“I’m having fun writing lesson plans.”
Jake shook his head. “We’re stuck out here in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. We should become friends, if nothing else. I know I was drunk and inappropriate this afternoon, but, well, no excuses. I apologize for my earlier behavior. Come and have one drink with me, please?”
Sara shook her head. While she appreciated that Jake had apologized and she was happy to see that he’d showered and washed his hair before he’d turned up on her doorstep, she didn’t want to encourage him in any way. “I truly do want an early night. I’m still trying to get settled into my new life. Maybe we can have a drink on the weekend. I’m told that’s what people with regular jobs do.”
Jake laughed. “I’ve never really had a regular job, either, but you’re right. Let’s go out Friday night. It’s a date.” He turned and walked back down the corridor before Sara could object. She watched him disappear toward the front of the building and then slowly pushed her door shut. It only took her a few minutes to finish her lesson plans for the month of classes. She was starting with some basic field-testing. Hopefully Robert would be happy with her plans. Time would tell.
Chapter 5
“Tomorrow we’ll be meeting on the weapons range,” she told the class on Friday afternoon.
“Weapons range?” Tamara echoed. “I hope you aren’t expecting us to be able to use any weapons.”
“I’m expecting some of you to be able to use some of them,” Sara told the pretty blonde whose frown turned into a pout as Sara continued. “Those of you who haven’t had any weapons training may need to do some extra work outside of class to catch up to the others.”
“I did some civilian training,” Lacey told her. “Obviously, it was limited, but I did what I could.”
Sara nodded. The short woman had mocha-colored skin and dark hair. Her eyes were a bright yellow that came from colored lenses. They made an interesting contrast with her skin tone, but they also drew attention to the woman in a way that wouldn’t be helpful when she was on missions.
“Of course you did,” Tamara said sharply.
Lacey shrugged. “I wanted to get as much training as I could before I got here. There’s a lot to learn.”
“For what we’re paying, they should teach us everything we need,” Tamara shot back.
“Ladies, I’d be happy to help either or both of you with some extra weapons training if you need it,” Mark Allen said smoothly. “We were trained in just about every legal weapon in the force.” The man’s slightly crooked nose kept him from being classically handsome. It was an attractive flaw and one that Sara knew had been added cosmetically.
“That’s very kind of you,” Lacey said. “I may take you up on it once we get started.”
“I can help you, too,” Donna said. “And you won’t have to worry that I’m trying to get you into bed if I do.” Donna had short brown hair and brown eyes. She always looked as if she’d just rolled out of bed to get to class and Sara admired how she seemed completely unconcerned about her looks.
Mark flushed. “That was not my intention.”
“Yeah, right,” Donna laughed. “You were just trying to be nice.”
“I actually was,” Mark snapped back.
“Anyone want to offer to help me?” Bill asked eagerly. Sara hid a smile as the other students all exchanged glances. Bill had long brown hair that hung around his face, that and his attitude reminded Sara of an overly eager puppy.
“I think you’ll be better off with Sara’s help,” Jeff said in his clipped tones. His shaved head marked him out as former military, as did his
muscular physique.
“I’m going to need a lot of help, too,” Lloyd said in a low voice.
“Why are you here again?” Tamara demanded.
Lloyd winced. Sara thought that if she’d seen him in a club or bar she would have instantly guessed that he was an accountant. On the first day of class, he’d worn a business suit, something that Tamara had found incredibly amusing. Even now, though, in his perfectly ironed jeans and buttoned up polo shirt, he still looked like the accountant he had been in the recent past. His grey hair was short and sparse.
“Isn’t it amazing how much like a family we’ve already become?” Luke said in a low voice in Sara’s ear.
She chuckled and then nodded, taking care not to meet his eyes. He was still every bit as attractive as she’d found him on SunInc as he’d conducted a murder investigation that had unfortunately involved her. It wasn’t until the killer had been caught and put behind bars that she’d told him about her agency and why she’d been on the luxury yacht when the murder had taken place. She’d encouraged him to take a job with her agency and she still hadn’t worked out how he’d ended up at Robert’s training school.
A few weeks after she’d left SunInc, Michael had informed her that Luke was no longer working there, but hadn’t given her any additional information about him. The profile he’d submitted with his application to the school was deliberately vague about his time since he’d left SunInc. He’d applied to the program at least a month before Sara had applied for the teaching job, which meant that his being there was coincidental to her presence. After worrying about it for a short while, she’d decided that either Luke was still working for Michael and had been sent there to monitor what was happening at the school or that he’d left the agency and was seeking additional training before looking for his next job. Neither solution seemed to fit perfectly, but they were the most likely ones she had worked out.
“Maybe you could help me,” Tamara said to Luke.
He shook his head. “I’m out of practice and I never was very good with guns. We had some training in Chicago, of course, but they were completely banned on SunInc.”
