Tangled Mark

by Becky Harmon

  When the gate attendant called their flight, Nikki placed earbuds in each ear to avoid conversation with fellow travelers. She kept the music low and sometimes she didn’t even turn it on, but it discouraged unnecessary small talk. Her seat was in the rear of the plane so she was one of the last people to board. She was happy to see her window seat but unhappy to see the large man in the seat beside her. She really hated flying coach. She pretended to sleep and was thankful for the short flight to the international airport where she boarded a much larger plane for the return trip to the United States.

  Chapter Four

  Mel sighed heavily again. This was getting ridiculous.

  “It was a clean pass,” she said for the third time.

  “The target didn’t say the proper words,” Joey, the dark-haired man in black tactical clothing, responded.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “He was very nervous. I would say it was his first exchange. I should have prompted him, but at the time it seemed smarter to take the package and leave the area. Besides, the mission wasn’t the package, it was to evaluate the team from Flagler, right?”

  “She’s right,” the second man agreed. “Let’s just get the details down and get out of here.”

  “Okay, but I’m putting it in my report, Melissa.”

  Mel rolled her eyes at the use of her full name before responding. “We all will.”

  * * *

  Mel finished her report and emailed it to the US office before returning to the hotel with the guys to change and pack. She was relieved the company’s private jet was refueling and would be ready to depart for Washington, D.C., as soon as they returned. Traveling commercial meant long lines, tight seating and restricted conversation, none of which they would face on their flight. The agency had made it clear this mission was important and no cost was too great.

  Mel wasn’t assigned to the D.C. office and she didn’t think Liam or Joey were either. They had met there for a quick meeting before departing for this mission and now would return for debriefings. She had not worked with them before, but that was typical for her job. They discouraged relationship-building in her department, opting instead for secrecy and silence.

  Once settled on the plane, Mel allowed her mind to wander. The team of six from Flagler had looked and acted efficiently. She had noticed two women on the team when she passed them outside the airport hangar. Her gaze had barely flicked over the guys, all looking the same in tactical gear and camouflage paint, but women always stood out to her. One had been bulky and muscular with medium-length copper hair. She appeared to be Mel’s height. The other was a bit shorter with straight brown hair plastered to her head by sweat and a knit ski cap she had held in her hand. Her face had been hidden by the dark camouflage paint, but her blue eyes stood out, and Mel had been surprised to feel a flutter of attraction. She was always willing to admire a woman from a distance, but she never hooked up with anyone she found intriguing. She knew that kind of interest could lead to something more and she wasn’t ready or willing to settle down.

  Relaxing into sleep, her mind traveled to places she wouldn’t have allowed if she were conscious. There was something about the woman’s confident stance and the arrogant expression on her face that made Mel restless and haunted her thoughts. As her mind drifted in and out of sleep, she heard a voice talking near her.

  “Melissa?” Joey said again.

  Mel opened her eyes and found Joey and Liam sitting across from her. She rubbed her face to clear the lingering images of the piercing blue eyes. “What?” she growled, unhappy at where her mind had wandered more than with the fact she had been roused from her pleasant dreams.

  Liam spoke first. “There’s been a change in plans.”

  She sat up straighter, her mind alert as she glanced between the two men.

  “We’re going straight to Pensacola,” Liam continued. “We need to dig deeper.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “Our contact has been killed,” Joey said quietly.

  “What?” She searched their faces for some understanding of what they were telling her. When neither spoke fast enough, she prompted them. “Details, please.”

  Again, Liam was the first to offer information, his voice deep and masculine as he spoke, explaining the message they had just received. “About an hour ago, our in-country operative attempted to locate the contact to get his take on the exchange. In case we needed him in the future.” He shrugged. “You never know.”

  Liam paused and Joey continued. “Our operative went to his hut, expecting him to be passed out from the party, and found him with a bullet in his head.”

  “Well, crap.” Mel rubbed her face again.

  Liam handed her a bottle of water. “Things are going to get more intrusive for the Flagler team, I’m afraid.”

  “Yes,” Joey agreed.

  “How long until we land?” Mel glanced around as if she would be able to identify their location from a cloud outside the airplane window. “And where are we?”

  Liam followed her gaze out the window. “We just crossed into US territory, but we’ll have to stop and refuel before Pensacola, so at least six hours.”

  Joey retrieved his briefcase. “I brought some case files for us to go over, but since things have changed, we need to get more specific with our plan. A team is being put together in Pensacola right now, and we will join them tonight after we start surveillance.” He turned to Mel. “Don’t take offense, but I want you to focus on one of the women. I think if we stick with our own gender, it will allow us to follow closer. At least while we are doing our surveillance out in the open.” He paused as if waiting for her to object, and when she didn’t, he continued. “For now, it doesn’t matter which one.” He handed her two files and she glanced at the top one. Julie Marie Singleton. She opened the folder to the employment photo and appraised the copper hair and round face before handing it back to Joey.

  She held up the second folder. “I’ll take this one.” She only needed to see the faces to know which woman she wanted to follow.

  Liam made a selection from the male team members and handed the other files back to Joey. They each returned to their original seats, leaving Mel alone with her folder. If there was one thing she did better than anyone else, it was tracking and investigating marks. She had a knack for knowing exactly how to get inside someone’s head and get the answers that were needed. As she studied the face staring back at her from the inside cover, however, the plans she had worked out in her head began to fall apart. Deep blue eyes seemed to question her intentions, and for the first time she felt guilty for doing the job she had been assigned. She was about to intrude on every aspect of this woman’s life and it bothered her, though she had no desire at the moment to analyze why. Turning the picture over, she eagerly began to read. She needed to know everything about Nicole Elizabeth Mitchell.

  Chapter Five

  Nikki woke up only to stumble through two more flight changes before they finally touched down in Pensacola. Their brief instructions after the mission included the final rendezvous point, a white Buick SUV parked in long-term parking. Once the team all arrived, Tyler drove them back to the office with a quick detour for fast food, which they ate on the road. After twelve hours of travel, everyone was ready to wrap things up and get home. Including the preparation days in Pensacola before leaving for the mission, they had been activated for almost a week.

  Nikki glanced at her watch without lifting her head from where it rested against the seat. It was almost nine p.m. She needed to text Barbara, her dog-sitter, and let her know she would pick up the dogs tomorrow. The debriefing would take at least another hour, and she needed to pick up groceries before going home. One of the things she always did when she got a mission notification was throw out all perishables. Even short missions normally lasted at least four or five days, and she hated returning home to the smell of rotting fruits and vegetables.

  Brad elbowed her. “Pick a straw.” He held fiv
e straws in his hand with only the tops exposed. Within the mix would be a short one. The lucky person who drew it would go last for debriefing.

  “That’s okay. I’ll go last.” She really didn’t mind waiting. Tyler, as team leader, would go first, and Brad had a wife and kids waiting at home. She wasn’t sure about Shawn, Mike or Jewels, but it didn’t matter. She had nothing but an empty bed waiting for her at home and there was no reason to rush. The guys fought over the remaining straws before Mike drew the short one.

  Tyler showed his badge at the security office to get them inside Flagler’s compound and then parked the Buick in fleet parking. Once inside, Nikki went straight to her desk and quickly typed out her after-action review. Brad was slated to be the second one to debrief and Nikki had just finished when he slid his chair beside hers. He was a slow typist on a good day, but when he was tired and anxious to get home, his one-finger pecking could take hours. He dictated his report and Nikki typed.

  Flagler had a strict policy that mandated no discussion about mission details until after everyone was debriefed, but they only enforced it if weapons were discharged or things went bad during a mission. Nikki was always careful to remain silent and never offer opinions or suggestions. She typed exactly what Brad dictated without discussion.

  Brad rushed out the door when they finished, and Nikki collapsed on the couch in the lounge. She pulled out her cell phone and texted a message to Barbara before turning the television to a baseball game. She was looking forward to her three days off. On day four, her team would return to the office for a normal workday. They would clean and prepare their equipment, fire weapons and practice drills until called for the next mission.

  Nikki glanced up when she saw movement in the hallway. Mike was the last to debrief and he would let her know when it was her turn. She was surprised to see the three CIA agents pass the open door to the lounge. They had changed into civilian clothes, but Nikki instantly recognized the wavy chestnut hair. She got up off the couch and stepped into the hall in time to see them disappear into the debriefing room. Within seconds, Mike appeared in the hallway.

  “What are they doing here?” she asked him.

  “I sure as hell don’t know.”

  She followed Mike back into the lounge. “Are you finished debriefing?”

  “Nope. I was politely asked to leave after they barged in without knocking.” Mike poured himself a cup of coffee and set it on the coffee table before flopping onto the couch.

  “Seriously?” Nikki sat down beside him.

  “Even Lewis seemed surprised to see them.” Mike was referring to Byron Lewis, their director of operations who conducted debriefings, along with the OSL or on-site leader. The on-site leader changed with each mission, but Josh Houston had been running the majority of Nikki’s missions during the past year.

  “Did Josh say anything to them?” Nikki asked.

  “No, but he seemed to recognize them.”

  “I can’t recall ever seeing CIA agents here.”

  “Me either,” Mike said, taking a sip of his coffee.

  Ten minutes passed before Josh stepped into the lounge and motioned for Mike to follow him.

  Nikki jumped to her feet. “What’s going on?”

  Josh put his hand up to hold off her questions and left the room. Mike shrugged and followed him.

  Nikki collapsed back on the couch and tried to keep her focus on the ball game. Her eyes kept straying to the hallway, but it remained empty. Finally Mike came back and told her Josh was ready. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed; it had seemed like hours. She couldn’t stop herself from looking into each classroom as she walked down the hall. Unable to catch sight of the CIA agents, she prepared herself for them to be in the debriefing room and was surprised when she found the room empty except for Josh and Lewis. She was curious about their presence in the Flagler building and wondered if they had left by a back exit to avoid further scrutiny.

  “Close the door, Nikki,” Josh said when she entered the room.

  Nikki took a seat at the table across from the men. “What’s the CIA doing here?” She looked from Josh to Lewis. Both were still typing notes into their laptops, but neither seemed eager to answer her question.

  Lewis finished first and sat back in his chair, his gaze on Nikki as he spoke. “Are you ready, Josh?”

  Josh looked up from his laptop and nodded. “Take it from the top, Nikki.”

  Nikki glanced at Josh and then back at Lewis. The situation was unusual and their avoidance was putting her on edge. “Why did they follow us back? Is something wrong?”

  “Just give us the details from the mission, Nikki.” Josh poised his fingers over the keyboard ready to type when she began talking.

  Nikki looked down at the table and shook her head. Weird. She didn’t want to be disrespectful and it was clear they weren’t going to offer an explanation, so she began her debriefing. It took her about ten minutes to run through the highlights and when she finished both men typed in silence.

  Lewis again was the first to look up. “Did anything about the exchange seem off to you?”

  Nikki hesitated while her mind replayed the details. “No.”

  “Nothing at all?” Josh added, looking up.

  Nikki looked back and forth between them before pinning her focus on Josh. “What is going on?”

  Josh glanced at Lewis and then back at Nikki before offering a brief explanation. “We think they screwed something up.”

  “Like what?” Nikki asked, confused. “We watched a successful exchange, right?”

  “Our intel says their contact has been killed.”

  Nikki’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s not good.” She shook her head. “He returned to the party as if nothing was wrong. It looked like a good pass to us.”

  Josh stood. “Go home and get some rest. We can talk about all of this when everyone returns next week.”

  Lewis’s focus had returned to his laptop, and he did not acknowledge her departure. He wasn’t the friendliest supervisor at Flagler, but this was curter than usual for him. It was clear the uninvited guests were making everyone nervous. Nikki nodded at Josh and left the room, lost in her own thoughts. The whole situation was strange. The CIA had never shown up at Flagler after a mission, at least not one she was involved in, but there had never been an unexplained death either. Not a death, but a murder, she mentally corrected herself. Her mind reeled at the repercussions for the agents involved, as well as for the contact’s family. As she passed the lounge, she caught a glimpse of a group of people gathered around the coffeepot. Nikki halted and took two steps back to glance into the room. She made eye contact with the chestnut-haired woman and nodded. She got a slight nod in return, but before Nikki could consider saying anything, she looked up to see a former team member coming down the hall.

  “Hey, Turtle,” Nikki addressed the short, blond-haired woman approaching her.

  “What’s up, Nikki? I hear you guys brought souvenirs back with you on this trip.” Turtle laughed at her own joke.

  Nikki nodded toward the lounge and dropped her voice to a whisper. “We didn’t bring them. They followed us.”

  Turtle frowned at the potential meaning of that information. “Weird, isn’t it?” She punched Nikki on the arm, returning to her carefree attitude. “Well, you can’t keep them even though they followed you home.”

  Nikki shook her head and laughed. “No chance of that!”

  “I better go. Wheels up in ten.”

  “Be safe,” Nikki called to her as they parted. She headed for the locker room where her personal belongings were stored. She was going home and not a moment too soon.

  * * *

  “Isn’t that your mark?” Liam elbowed Mel.

  “Yep.”

  “Why don’t you go ahead and go,” Joey suggested. “We’ll finish the follow-up with Lewis and fill you in later.”

  Mel started out the door but quickly stepped back into the lounge as soon as she saw Nicole still
standing in the hallway. She could barely hear the conversation taking place in hushed tones. She and her team were definitely already making waves. It would be interesting to see what might be revealed when the water settled.

  * * *

  Nikki grabbed her keys from her locker and went straight to her car. She’d bought the dark blue Ford Edge barely a month earlier and still hadn’t learned how to use any of the technical gadgets. She wasn’t even sure why anyone would need a car that parallel parked itself. Gas mileage was comparable for an SUV, though, and the rear seats laid down to make room for her golden retrievers. That was what mattered. She was happy with her purchase, especially since she’d been able to get it in her favorite color.

  There were four grocery stores she could go to on the way home, depending on which route she chose. She decided on the one with the best fresh vegetable selections and easily found a parking space there. Crossing the empty lot, she was happy to see there wouldn’t be a lot of shoppers at this hour. She grabbed a cart inside the door and began filling it. Twenty minutes later she was headed for the checkout line when she caught a glimpse of someone with chestnut hair entering an empty aisle to her left. Surely it wasn’t. Nikki circled down the next aisle and then doubled back behind the woman. The woman stopped halfway down the aisle, sensing someone behind her, and turned as Nikki approached.