by Daco
He swallowed and drew in a deep breath, preparing himself for what he would say to her.
What baffled him most now was how he hadn’t seen or acknowledged this other side of Jordan, this other character she played. Or had he recognized her powerful undertones — her silent and masterful ability to direct and lead — and just kept her nature to himself as his prized jewel?
It wasn’t like she’d needed to scale buildings with him over the past year or run jailbreaks or heists for him to see who she really was. She hadn’t changed. She was still Jordan, his Jordan. The girl he knew and adored. What she did for a living was inconsequential — a dry cleaner girl, a secret agent, whatever — because all Ben had ever cared about was the woman she was to him. But that was all over now. If she couldn’t commit, then he would go no further.
When Jordan reached his door, she pulled it open. “You look tired,” she said.
“I am,” was all he could say in response. His heart was beating against the irons of his chest.
“I’m glad you made it.”
“Yeah, well,” he tried sliding out, “we had a few hurdles along the way.”
Jordan took his arm. “Did you?”
“That officer — ”
He stopped speaking as he stood, feeling overwhelmed with pain and fatigue.
“The one from the beach?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He swallowed hard. “That’s the one. He was the first one anyway.”
“What happened?”
He told her what had happened with Tavaazo showing up at the hospital that morning and then with the other officer pulling them over.
Farrokh and Isbel emerged from the unit. When Isbel saw Ben, she called his name, and with the help of her father, she began hobbling toward him.
Jordan turned to Ben. “Give me a second, I’ll be right back.”
“No problem,” he replied.
• • •
When Jordan reached Sonya, Sonya was first to speak. “You’re keeping secrets,” she said to her, restraining her anger.
Jordan started to explain. “We need him.”
“Dead,” Sonya replied in a harsh whisper.
“No, there’s been a change.”
“Would you care to explain?”
“Chou showed up in Mashhad when we were leaving. He tried to kill me and the girl. Or so it seemed. He took the first shot. It all happened so fast.”
“Any reason why I’m only hearing about this for the first time now?”
“Look,” Jordan maintained her cool, “Farrokh’s with me. Let’s just leave it at that and I won’t complain about the incident back at the bazaar.”
Sonya just stared at her, which was proof enough for Jordan of her involvement. Jordan knew Sonya wanted Farrokh out of the picture; he had too much on her, but maybe there was more Jordan didn’t know about the two of them. It didn’t matter.
“It’s gotten complicated,” Jordan said.
“Yes, it has.” Sonya snarled her words. “So why put more risk into play? And what about Chou?”
“Chou’s dead,” Jordan explained.
“What do you think the Chinese will do when they find out about this?”
“They won’t.”
“That’s not likely.”
“Take my word for it, there’s no trace left of the man. Farrokh took care of him.”
Sonya crossed her arms. “Someone will find him and when they do, the DNA will speak for itself.”
“There won’t be any DNA to find.”
Their eyes locked.
“Okay, look,” Jordan started to explain. “Here’s the situation. We’ve been listening in on shortwave radio. Those guys out there in the desert are changing coordinates so fast you can’t keep a finger on them from one hour to the next. And the fact of the matter is, I need Farrokh.”
“Do you?” Sonya clearly wasn’t buying it.
“It’s not like I planned this. When the man showed up, I told him to hit the road. But then Chou happened and it only made good sense to keep him around to help secure the situation. And look, when this is over, the Chinese are going to hear from me that I took care of the liability.”
“You really think he’s reliable? He left once, he’ll leave again.”
“He’s in.”
“So we’re back to Plan A?”
“Something like that.”
“You’re going to need a lot more than a driver and camouflage.”
“You go with what you got.”
“So tell me, Jordan, what’s a driver, his young daughter, and a sick man going to do for you other than slow you down and get you killed?”
“Stand watch. Create a decoy.”
“Honestly, Jordan, your boy is a burden.”
“I need your help,” Jordan finally admitted.
“No.”
“I need you to get the girl and Ben over the border.”
Sonya dug in her heels. “When does it ever end with you, Jordan?”
“I don’t know, ask Snake where it ends.” Jordan hated to keep throwing Snake back in Sonya’s face, but he was the one at the top calling the shots, and he was the one who she’d bend over backwards to please. Jordan instinctively knew that Snake had ordered her to do whatever was necessary to accomplish this mission — successfully.
Sonya stood with a hand on her hip. “You have a few hours. Take them yourself.”
“I can’t do this without you.”
“So load them up, I’ll take them now.” Sonya pointed to the desert.
“You know it’s not that simple. I’ve got to get Ben to reprogram the experiment.”
Sonya handed Jordan the case with the laptop. “Make it fast.”
“I didn’t want all this,” Jordan tried to explain. “It just happened.”
“You go on and believe that, Jordan, but you and I both know this is not how the game is played.”
Back at the car, Farrokh was translating for Isbel, who was busy telling Ben how happy she was to see him and how everything was going to be all right.
Sonya and Jordan joined them.
“I’m sorry,” Jordan said to everyone. “The tea party’s over. Ben and I have work to do.”
Jordan turned to Sonya. “Is there any chance you could take Isbel somewhere to get her cleaned up? She really needs some attention.”
Sonya looked at the girl. “Yes. I can see that.”
“That would be so kind of you,” Farrokh said.
“And bring her back alive and well.” Jordan felt confident now Sonya would drive Ben and Isbel over the border.
Sonya took Isbel by the arm. “You have such an odd sense of humor, Jordan. I’ll bring her back in the morning.”
• • •
Farrokh helped Ben to the table at the end of the unit.
“I’m sorry it’s not more comfortable for you,” Jordan said to him once they were seated.
“I’ll manage,” he replied.
Jordan touched his arm. “How are you feeling?” she asked him in a soft voice.
“Jarred.”
“I’m sure the ride didn’t help.” She rubbed his arm to show him her affection, but he promptly removed her hand from his arm.
“It’s okay, Jordan. I’ll get through this,” he told her in a dry voice.
“Ben … ” She wanted to say how she felt, but the words were trapped inside of her.
“I appreciate your concern,” he said, “but I think it’d be best if we both focused on the task at hand.”
Hurt, but realizing emotions couldn’t play a part in this, Jordan twisted her body toward the computer screen. “Right,” she said. “We need to log on to NASA.”
“Let me do it,”
he said.
Jordan slid the laptop to him and Ben began punching in the information. The NASA page appeared, asking for a user name and password. Ben typed in his code and they waited while the widget danced around the screen.
“Does it always take this long?” she asked.
“No, but it’s not like I’ve ever tried dialing up from a foreign country either.”
“Let’s hope that’s not an issue.”
“The server is verifying all the jumps before it grants access. If it sees something it doesn’t like — ”
Ben stopped. The screen registered Access Denied.
“Ah, brother.” He tapped a fist on the table. “I was afraid of this.”
“Call your friend Kara, see if she’ll help.”
“Speaking of friends, Jordan, let’s talk about your friends with the CIA,” he said. “I’d like to know exactly what’s going on here before I lift another finger.”
“It’s complicated,” she replied.
“And I’m listening.”
“I’m not authorized — ”
“Don’t give me that mumbo-jumbo,” he interrupted her. “I’ve heard just about all I can stand of that junk so if you want me to hook you up, you’d better start talking.”
“You realize the more you know, the more your life is at risk.”
Ben snorted. “As if it hasn’t already been — a few times more than I care to remember.”
“So why risk more?” Her voice heightened. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m already hurt, Jordan.”
“Ben. None of this is as it seems.” She reached for his arm.
He withdrew from her reach and sat back in his chair. “I have a right to know,” he insisted.
Jordan sat back.
“You used me.” His voice rose in indignation. “You used me, Jordan.”
She didn’t budge.
“Don’t you have anything to say about that?” His voice was loud. “Are you really that calculating, that cold? That much of a bitch?”
“Please, Ben, don’t upset yourself,” she said. “I know this isn’t easy.”
“I’m already upset so if you want me to feel better, start talking.”
Farrokh called to them from across the room. “Everything okay?”
“Fine,” Jordan answered. “Nothing to worry about.”
Ben forced himself to lower his voice. “You play everyone, Jordan,” he said, coolly.
“I did my job,” she said, but her tone was defensive.
He sat back, dropping his shoulders. “I can see that.”
“No, Ben, you’re wrong.”
“I wonder, why did you go to the effort to bust me out of that prison? Were you afraid I’d blow your cover?”
“I got you out of there because I care about you.”
“Care?”
“Yes.”
“Try that on someone else.”
“Ben, please.”
“No, Jordan. I’ll do my part for our country, then I’ll disappear just like you did. Only you won’t find me and you won’t be coming back inside my door.”
“I had to leave. It wasn’t my choice.”
“So you say.”
“It’s the truth, whether you or I like it.”
“So tell me, why couldn’t you say you loved me?” His voice was fervent, his expression passionate. “Why, Jordan? Who are you lying to?”
“Because I — ”
“Don’t. Don’t say a word. I can’t believe anything you say, not anymore, but none of that matters now. Does it?” He folded his arms across his chest and tucked his hands underneath his arms.
“I never intended to hurt you.”
“Yeah, but you did. You used me. You hurt me. And you lost the best thing you ever had going for you.” He paused for a breath. “You know, if you had just asked me to help you right from the start, I would have done my part. I would have bent over backwards to help you. I would have done anything for you. But now,” he shook his head, “I think you should know, I’m not lifting a finger to help you. I’m only doing this because it’s my duty.”
“Don’t you see, Ben, if I had asked, you would have been involved?”
“I am involved,” he hammered back at her.
“No, Ben, you’re not.”
“What’s wrong with our government?” His chest tightened. “Taking advantage of innocent citizens, people who are working for the betterment of the country, for the world. I don’t get it, maybe I don’t want to get it. Tell you what, Jordan, you keep your secrets. I’ll get us into the NASA system and finish this job, whatever it is. I’ve got a few real friends I can rely on to help me. Maybe you made a fool out of me, but at least I know how you feel about me. I took a risk. I went for the woman of my,” his voice cracked, “heart.” Then he swallowed hard. “And you know what, I’ll sleep better at night, knowing I did the right thing, knowing I gave it my all. So let’s get on with this so we can be free of each other.”
Jordan’s eyes teared. “Ben, I never wanted to be free of you.”
“Sweet, Jordan, but I’ve already tried that one on for size. I’m way past go.”
“Maybe I deserve to hear the things you’re saying, Ben, but it doesn’t make it any less cruel to say them.”
“Tell me about it.”
Chapter 29
Jordan walked away to give Ben time to regroup. When she returned, he appeared fine, as though no harsh, emotional words had been spoken.
“Are you ready?” he asked her.
“Don’t tell Kara anything specific,” she said. “We don’t want her to figure out what’s going on.”
“Don’t worry, I think I can handle this part.”
“What are you going to tell her? And you do know what time it is over there?”
“Yeah, I do, Jordan.”
“Let’s think about this before you make the call.”
“It’s not that difficult. I’ll just tell her I thought of something in the computer program that needs to be added. She’ll never be the wiser.”
“That’s perfect.”
“Hey, I want to get home, too.”
“You know what, Ben? I’m not going to lie to you. We could all walk away from this right now. Your experiment would fly, you’d have your life back. Farrokh and Isbel could move on and start a new life. Sonya would be incensed for all the trouble I put her through, but in the end, she’d be fine because there’s a woman who never lets anything stand in her way. But the real fact of the matter is, what we’re doing here is trying to make a difference on a larger scale. I know the pieces you’re seeing are confusing, they don’t make sense, but if I could put them together for you, you’d see that none of this is a waste of time.”
Ben held out his hand. “How about giving me that flash drive so I can insert your application within the correct parameters.”
Jordan placed the device into the palm of his hand. “The file name is Laser One,” she told him as she watched him open the program, wondering if he understood anything she’d said, then realized he didn’t care about any platform speech. It was meaningless to him, if not shallow, and just another empty explanation of their predicament.
But what he did say was, “That’s a convenient file name.” He studied the program, then said, “May I have your phone?” He dialed Kara’s number. A moment later, he looked sagaciously at her. “We have a problem.”
“What?”
“Her number has been disconnected.”
“I wonder why?”
“I couldn’t even guess.”
“Great.” Jordan ignored his sarcasm and began to pace.
“She’s got to be there. Look, I’ll call Jane and ask her to take a qu
ick ride over to Kara’s place. She won’t mind.”
“We can’t involve your sister.”
Ben propped an elbow on the table. “So call your office then.”
“I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t?”
“I’m what you call off the grid.”
“We’re kind of running out of options here, Jordan. For the record, I’m sure Jane would have no problem helping me out, and remember, she’s a psychiatrist so she understands discretion.”
“Ben, it’s not that I’m not appreciative. I am. I’m just concerned about involving others, their welfare — ”
“Stop.” He banged the table. “This experiment isn’t just about your part of the gig. There’s more at risk. Now look, Jane’s all we’ve got.”
• • •
Without waiting for her permission, Ben dialed Jane’s number. When she answered, he jumped right in, saying, “Jane, I need a favor.”
“Ben? Where are you?” his sister asked.
“Overseas,” he kept it brief.
“Overseas where?”
“Oh, I’m traveling all over, really,” he said noncommittally.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Why haven’t I heard from you before now?”
“I’m sorry. My phone kind of died.”
“No worries, Kara told me you called and were okay. But it’s still reassuring to hear your voice.”
“Thanks, it’s good to hear your voice, too.”
“So what’s going on?”
“It’s my experiment,” he started.
“What about it?”
“I tried accessing it to correct a programming error, but I got locked out. I guess the NASA computer system isn’t able to recognize my origin. I wouldn’t bother you with this, but I’ve got to make the correction before they release my puppy into space.”
Jane yawned. “Sorry, it’s late. So what can I do?”
“I need to get hold of Kara. Her cell phone’s been disconnected.”
“I’ll get you her new number. Hang on.”
“New?”
“I don’t want to spoil your fun, but there’s been a lot of weird activity around here since you left,” she explained. “Nothing to worry about.”
