Deep Cover

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  A heaviness came over her and settled in her chest. For the better part of the evening, she had let herself think she was part of a couple, and now she was faced with the reminder that it was all an act.

  Noah played his part well, introducing her to a few more people before taking her hand and leading her outside to his car. As they were pulling out of the parking lot, he commented, “I thought you would have known more people here tonight. I hope you weren’t too bored.”

  “No, it was fun.” She glanced over at him. “I have a feeling that most of the people I knew from high school are already married. Either that or they’ve moved away. This has always been a really transient area.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” he said, a touch of confusion sounding in his voice. “It’s just weird to think that you grew up here and you only saw one person you knew.”

  “I gather it isn’t like this where you grew up?”

  “Not at all. Over half of my old friends from high school still live in the Seattle area.” He shifted to face her when he pulled up to a stoplight. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”

  “I’m actually starting a new job up north.”

  “Can you nanny while you’re still recovering?”

  “I’ll be working in an office for now,” Kelsey told him, revealing only the basic information so she wouldn’t be forced to lie.

  “Any idea what time you’ll be home?”

  “I have the early shift, so I should be home around five.”

  “I don’t get home until around six.” He shot her a grin. “Does that mean you want to fix dinner for us?”

  “Dinner?” Kelsey asked, completely at sea.

  “Your kitchen is packed up, remember? I thought maybe you would want to come over and eat at my house.”

  “Oh. Yeah.” She found herself smiling back at him again. “I guess it is my turn to cook. Any idea what you want to eat?”

  “Surprise me.”

  Kelsey thought of the food she had subsisted off of for the past two years, and humor lit her eyes. “I can do that.”

  Chapter 10

  Noah walked into his house after another frustrating day of searching for clues and finding nothing. Traffic cameras had helped him track the movements of the two trucks on Thursday night to another industrial park in Fairfax. The trucks had both been found there, empty and abandoned.

  Fully aware that the cargo had been offloaded into either another warehouse or other vehicles, Noah’s superiors had secured search warrants for the warehouses in the area. Unfortunately, the searches had come up empty, as had their attempts to track down which vehicle might have carried Medrano’s cargo away from there.

  He started toward the stairs when he caught the strong scent of unfamiliar spices. That’s when he remembered. Kelsey was there. In his kitchen. His frustrations from work faded as he changed his direction and started down the main hall. The last time he had come home to someone in his house was a year ago when his old college roommate had come to visit.

  Noah had to admit that he couldn’t remember feeling the flutter of excitement in his stomach when he knew it was only his old roommate waiting inside for him. He turned the corner and found himself faced with the image of the life he wanted and not the one he had been living for so many years.

  Kelsey stood at the stove, a spatula in her hand. Her hair was pulled back in a messy knot at the nape of her neck, and she was wearing the bib apron Kelsey’s father had given him that read Consider your words carefully. I shoot people for a living. A plate of Indian fry bread sat on the counter alongside a platter piled high with meat and vegetables on skewers that she had apparently just taken off the grill.

  The kitchen fan was on high and masked the sound of his footsteps. “Hey there.”

  Kelsey whirled around, and Noah didn’t miss the initial fear on her face or the way her gaze dropped to the floor before she relaxed and offered him a timid smile. “Hi. I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “I didn’t mean to startle you.” Noah rested a hand on the counter. “Something smells good. How long until dinner is ready?”

  She glanced up at the clock on his wall. “About ten minutes.”

  “I’m going to run upstairs and change. Then you can put me to work.”

  She nodded, quickly turning her attention back to the food on the stove.

  Noah hurried upstairs and changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. When he walked back into the kitchen, Kelsey was just turning off the burner.

  He crossed to the cabinet, pulled out two plates, and put them on the kitchen table. He finished setting the table while Kelsey put the final touches on the food.

  “This looks fantastic.” Noah waited for Kelsey to sit down before taking the seat beside her.

  “I hope you like it. After living overseas for so long, this is the kind of cooking I’m used to.”

  Noah folded his arms. “Did you want to bless the food, or did you want me to?”

  “Uhhh.” Kelsey hesitated, and Noah saw a look of alarm on her face.

  “I’ll say it,” he offered easily, a little confused by her reaction.

  After the blessing, Noah served himself a helping of the rice dish in front of him and then passed it to Kelsey. When they had both filled their plates, he took a bite of the skewered meat and blew out a breath of pure appreciation. “This is incredible.”

  “It’s okay?” Kelsey asked timidly.

  “Are you kidding?” He sampled a bite of the rice with caramelized onions, enjoying the hint of sweet that mixed with the spices. “Where did you learn to cook like this?”

  “Nannies are expected to do a lot more than just watch children.”

  “Maybe you should give up the whole nanny gig and consider working at a restaurant. Or better yet, open your own place. With food like this, you’d have a lot of business.”

  She grinned. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  Noah nodded and took another bite. “By the way, how was your first day at work?”

  “Pretty boring, actually. I mostly just read through a bunch of information so I can get up to speed on what’s expected of me.”

  “Did you get off early?” He motioned at the food on the table. “It looks like this took a lot longer than an hour to put together.”

  “It really didn’t take that long. I put the meat in to marinate last night, so I only had to throw it on the grill. The rest of it is basic.”

  “It doesn’t taste basic.”

  “Well, I’m glad you like it.”

  They fell into a comfortable silence while they ate, Noah helping himself to seconds before he finally pushed his plate back. He looked up at Kelsey, wondering why having her sit in his kitchen was so comfortable, yet when Heather had suggested coming over to cook a meal with him, he had felt a sick panic.

  Kelsey finished nibbling on a piece of fry bread and pushed back from the table. “Are you all done?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  She picked up both of their plates and balanced them in one hand so she could use her cane as she carried them to the sink. Noah started putting the food away while she slid their dishes into the dishwasher. Remembering that tomorrow was the day her parents’ kitchen was being demoed, he said, “By the way, I don’t know how early you leave for work, but the contractors are planning on showing up at the house around eight tomorrow morning.”

  Her eyebrows drew together. “Do I need to be there for that?”

  He shook his head. “No, your parents gave them a key. I just wanted to make sure no one surprised you again.”

  “Thank you,” she said with feeling. “It’s been a lot busier at my parents’ house than I expected.”

  “Yeah. Your brother mentioned that he was surprised to walk in to find you pointing a gun at him.” He looked at her curiously. “You never did tell my why you had a gun the other day.”

  “I’ve lived in some places that weren’t as safe as I would have liked.” An expression of alarm lit her face as
though she had just confided a deep, dark secret. “Please don’t tell my parents that though. I don’t want them to worry.”

  He noticed the wisp of an accent that peeked out when she let her guard down, a hint of something foreign and exotic. “Don’t worry. Your secrets are safe with me.” His curiosity heightened, and he asked, “Where all did you live?”

  “A lot of places.” She moved over to the kitchen table to wipe it down.

  “Like?” Noah prodded.

  “London, Prague . . .” She straightened and looked him in the eye. “The family I worked for traveled around a lot.”

  Noah analyzed her response without realizing he was doing it. She didn’t look to her left as people are prone to do when they’re lying. She didn’t look to her right as though recalling a memory. It was almost as if she was making sure he couldn’t read her response.

  He reminded himself that Kelsey was a Weber, a family he knew to be honest. Not to mention she had attended church with him on Sunday. A little annoyed that his interrogation techniques were making an appearance in his personal life, he changed the subject.

  “Since you cooked tonight, I was thinking I could pick something up for tomorrow night on my way home so we would have time to eat before leaving for institute.” He hesitated when he realized he hadn’t yet asked her to join him. “That is, if you want to come with me to institute tomorrow night.”

  She eyed him for a moment. “Is this another fake date?”

  “What?”

  “I was just wondering if you were asking me to come because you wanted me around or because you wanted to keep Heather away.”

  “It’s because I want to get to know you better.” The way her cheeks flushed gave him courage to act on the easy friendship developing between them. He stepped closer and took her hand in his. “Heather will think what she wants to about me, and there isn’t anything I can do about that, but going to church together was just a convenient excuse to spend more time with you.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes lowered to the floor. “I just figured . . .”

  “That Justin wanted you to help me out.”

  “Yeah.”

  “It was easier for your brother to think that was the reason I was spending time with you.”

  The nervousness that had been visible in her eyes faded when she smiled. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of my brother.”

  “No, but I don’t think either one of us wants him down here every day checking up on you.” He motioned toward the telephone on the kitchen counter. “Or for him to encourage your mother to start calling every day.”

  A smile tugged at her lips. “I have been trying to avoid that likelihood.”

  He smiled and motioned to the family room. “It’s still early. Do you want to watch a movie or something?”

  “Sure.” She shifted her cane as she turned toward the couch.

  “It must have been some accident for you to get stuck using a cane.”

  She tensed briefly and shrugged. “I guess you could say I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “How much longer until you can get rid of that thing?”

  “Sixteen more days.”

  Noah smiled at the exasperation in her voice. “Not that you’re counting or anything.”

  She just shook her head. “At least I was able to get off of the walker before I came home. Now that was embarrassing.”

  “You shouldn’t be embarrassed that you needed something to help you heal.”

  She arched an eyebrow as she carefully sat down on the couch and shifted to get more comfortable. “Sorry, but I always thought of walkers as something people have to use when they get old.”

  “Yes, and canes are for young people.”

  Kelsey chuckled. “Personally, I think twenty-eight is too young to be this well acquainted with either of them.”

  “I agree.” Noah settled beside her. “We’ll have to go out and celebrate when you’re finally allowed to go somewhere without either.”

  Her expression warmed. “I’d like that.”

  Chapter 11

  Kelsey shifted names around on her computer, trying to make sense of what seemed to be an unsolvable puzzle. She had built a matrix of who knew about Gregory’s mission to infiltrate Salman’s organization using the personnel files Graham had given her to try to add more information. Vacation schedules, overseas phone calls, cryptic e-mails. She searched for anything that could eliminate or identify the person responsible for Gregory’s death.

  She had already managed to narrow down when she believed his identity had been compromised. Only three days before Gregory was killed, Salman had met with two of his top aides. Kelsey had been helping in the kitchen when she overheard part of a conversation that indicated he was going to have Bealton move some money around to help facilitate a transaction. She was certain Salman hadn’t been aware of Gregory’s true identity at the time, which meant his cover had to have been blown during the three days before he was killed.

  Graham’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Kelsey, we need you in the conference room. Now.”

  Kelsey looked up, concerned by the urgency in his voice. “Is something wrong?’

  “Just come with me.”

  Kelsey closed the file she had been reading and secured it in the safe that security had finished recoding an hour earlier. She followed behind Graham, noting that he seemed more stressed than usual.

  He opened the conference room door and held it for her. She passed through to find two men already seated inside. Lewis Tate had taken the seat at the head of the table. Seated beside him was Cullen Plesky, who had been her chief of station for a short time in Turkey before he had returned to headquarters in the hope of advancing his career.

  Both men stood at her arrival, and Graham motioned for her to take a seat. Kelsey complied, knowing her confusion was evident.

  As soon as Graham closed the door, Lewis began. “There have been some recent developments in Bharat, Abolstan. We want to put you on the Middle East desk for the next few days to supplement our regular staff.”

  “What happened?”

  “The FBI has been tracking one of Salman Nassar’s weapon suppliers down in Lorton,” Lewis told her.

  “Lorton, Virginia?”

  “That’s right. Some weapon shipments have arrived at various military bases with items missing.”

  “You think someone in the military might be involved?” Kelsey asked.

  He shook his head. “We know who’s behind it. A man named Rodney Teasdale works on the loading dock. NCIS planted a hidden camera several months ago and caught him diverting two stingray missiles.”

  Cullen spoke now. “The FBI has enough evidence for an arrest, but we’re all more interested in where the weapons are ending up and, more specifically, how they are being transported out of the United States. The FBI has been handling that part of the investigation.”

  “What does that have to do with the Middle East desk?”

  “The FBI had surveillance on the warehouse where we thought all of the weapons were shipping out of,” Cullen told her.

  “You thought?”

  “It turns out, the information was faulty. The real location was a few blocks away. Last Thursday, an agent stumbled across it, and there was an incident. An FBI agent was wounded, and the warehouse has been cleaned out.”

  “That was almost a week ago. Why are we just finding out about it now?”

  “There was a disconnect in communications between the two agencies.”

  “Great,” Kelsey muttered, annoyed that such difficulties still existed within the intelligence community. “I gather you think these weapons are ending up in the Middle East.”

  “Not just the Middle East. Abolstan.”

  Kelsey’s jaw tightened, but she remained silent as he continued. “We tagged several of the weapons with tracking devices. They must have been discovered at some point because they are no longer active, but the last signal we received was from Khalar.�
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  “That’s where one of Salman’s training camps is located,” Kelsey said. “It’s also the place Salman was talking about before Gregory was killed.”

  “I know this isn’t going to be easy for you,” Graham said, unspoken sympathy written on his face, “but when this all comes to a head, you’re the only one Salman will come after.”

  Her stomach clenched at the truth in his statement, and she forced herself to nod in agreement. “I know. I’m the only one he’s ever let get out alive.”

  Lewis stiffened. “Kelsey knows what’s at stake. If we don’t stop this flow of weapons, the rebels aren’t going to be content to stay within their borders. It’s only a matter of time before they start extending their reach into Turkey or Syria. And who knows what they have planned for here in the US.”

  Kelsey forced some confidence into her voice. “Just tell me what you want me to do for now.”

  “I spoke with the director of the FBI this morning, and we feel our cases are overlapping enough that we need to pool our resources,” Lewis told her. “We’re putting a joint taskforce together. We want you on it.”

  “Are you sure you want me to have that kind of exposure?” Kelsey asked skeptically. “If this plan is going to work, we can’t take a chance that Salman might clue in to who I really am.”

  “The FBI is only going to have one agent on the taskforce, and we get to choose who it is off of their short list specifically so we can protect your identity. We’ll make sure he or she is vetted and that no one on the taskforce could have been privy to the information that was leaked.”

  “Is this taskforce to find out how information is getting out or to bring down Salman?”

  “We’re sticking with our original plan to take down Salman. But for now, we want to find a way to plug this leak. Since you have more at stake in this than anyone else, we think you should be involved.”

  “How many people will be on this taskforce?”

  “Six. Two are tech guys who will concentrate on following electronic signals and communications. One is army intelligence out of Fort Huachuca. The other is NSA,” Lewis told her. “They’ll both work remotely and communicate over secure channels.”