She was alive. The relief was overwhelming. He pulled the door closed behind him and crouched down beside her. “Are you okay?”
Tears of relief sprang to her eyes before she quickly blinked them back. “What are you doing here?”
“I was worried about you. I went back to your house to check on you, and I saw the knife with blood on it.”
“It’s James’s blood.”
“James is the other mole?”
“Yeah.” She gripped her hands tightly together. “He has some deranged plan that he’s going to stop Salman by himself and take all of the credit.”
“As long as he can stop the attacks, maybe we should let him. We can tell Lewis about his involvement and let him deal with the situation after the fact.”
“He’s going to let one of the attacks happen.” A look of disgust crossed her face. “To make sure the public knows what he did.”
“Obviously you were planning on going back undercover since you’re wearing this outfit. I doubt this was in the plans.”
She shook her head. “A driver was supposed to pick me up today and take me to a hotel in DC where we expected Salman’s men to come retrieve me. The plan was for me to find out where the targets are.”
“You realize that Salman would only send someone after you to make sure his plans hadn’t been compromised, right?” Noah stared at her with disbelief. “After that, he would likely kill you.”
“That was a possibility.”
“Are you insane?”
She bristled immediately, revealing Kelsey rather than the meek tutor. “The Agency has a recovery team standing by. When I got to the hotel, I was supposed to get a homing device for them to track me.”
“Obviously, I’m not crazy about that plan.”
“It doesn’t matter now anyway.” She waved at the door. “It looks like Medrano’s men are planning on returning me to Salman. I don’t speak Spanish, but I think one of the men said something about an airplane.”
Noah nodded. “Yeah. He said it’s supposed to leave in four hours.”
“Noah, James knows who I really am.”
“I saw him leaving when I got here. That’s how I found you.” Noah reached for Kelsey’s hand. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
Kelsey stood up beside him, her eyes wary. “If I leave, how can we be sure James won’t find out? He’s planning to stop most of the attacks, but if he knows I escaped, he’ll realize I can identify his involvement. He would no longer have a reason to intervene in Salman’s plans.”
Noah knew she was right, but he couldn’t possibly walk away from her and let her be sent back to Salman. “We’ll think of something.”
Before she could argue, voices sounded outside the door. At first the words were mumbled and unintelligible. Then Noah translated three words that pushed him into action. “Get the girl.”
“Someone’s coming.” Noah pulled her to the door, gripped his weapon, and drew a breath when the doorknob turned.
Chapter 37
Even though her instinct was to hide, Kelsey was afraid to take the chance that Medrano’s men would find Noah in their search for her. She moved away from both the door and Noah, deliberately staying where she could be seen by whoever was about to enter. Noah gripped his weapon and pressed back against the wall on the other side of the doorway.
She looked down at the ground as would be expected from a Muslim woman, taking a step back to draw the new arrival’s attention.
The man wasn’t much taller than she was, maybe five foot six, but the gun in his hand looked menacing. Kelsey took another step toward the back wall, drawing the man farther into the room.
Noah lifted his weapon, using it to strike the man on the back of the head. A split second later, the man’s weapon clattered to the floor, and he collapsed beside it.
When a second man stepped inside, to Kelsey’s surprise, Noah lowered his weapon. “Is everything secure?”
“Yeah.” The man pointed to Kelsey. “Is she the one you were looking for?”
Noah holstered his weapon and reached a hand out to Kelsey. “This is Enrique Gomez.”
Kelsey gave him a subtle nod of greeting before offering a name with a deliberately thick accent. “Taja Al-Kazaz.”
She saw Noah’s initial surprise and was pleased to see how quickly he recovered. “I have to take her back to the taskforce headquarters, but we need to make sure these men don’t get a chance to make any phone calls.”
“They have rights, Noah. You know that.”
“They’re terrorists. They don’t have rights,” Noah countered. “I need time, and I need their silence.”
“Okay. I’ll run your request past Burt to put them in the system as detainees.” Enrique motioned toward the front of the restaurant. “Do you want to try to question them before we take them in?”
“Yeah,” Noah said, his posture rigid. “First I need a minute with Taja.”
“We’ll wait for you in the front.”
As soon as he left them alone, Noah closed the distance between them and lowered his voice. “What was that?”
“Right now I am Taja,” Kelsey said softly. “I have to be as long as these men can see or hear me.”
“They’re in custody. They can’t tell anyone you’ve been freed.”
Kelsey wanted to believe his words, but she knew she couldn’t take the chance. “When these men don’t show up with me and put me on the plane, someone is going to know something is wrong.”
Awareness lit Noah’s face. “Medrano is supposed to call. We might have a chance to trace it. Or even find him if we can find the plane.”
Kelsey nodded. “If we can make them believe that everything is still okay, James should continue with his plans to stop most of the attacks.”
“He can’t be in five places at once. How is he going to do that?”
Kelsey had been wondering the same thing since her conversation with James. “He has to be planning on calling in for help. If I’m right, he’ll tell the Agency where the targets are and how the attack is going to happen.”
“So whichever one he doesn’t tell us about will be the real target.”
“Unless he gives us bad information for one.” Kelsey shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll wait until the last minute. It will make it more dramatic, more obvious that only he was involved in stopping Salman.”
“He’s sick.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Come on. Let’s see if we can get anything out of these guys.”
* * *
The men weren’t talking. Noah tried everything: threats, promises, even reminders of what Medrano did to his men when they weren’t successful. Whether he spoke in English or Spanish, none of his words managed to yield any results.
The search of the premises was marginally more promising. The caller ID on their cell phones had helped them identify a charter company that operated out of Manassas. A check of flight plans filed for the timeframe the men had indicated earlier had allowed them to identify where the plane was currently parked.
Burt already had a team on the way to stand in for their detainees so the restaurant would look like it was business as usual before they would typically open for lunch. They would also watch for anyone else who might also share ties with Medrano.
Now that the Bureau had taken over this part of the problem, Noah was forced to face the more complex plan of delivering Taja Al-Kazaz to Salman Nassar while still keeping Kelsey safe. The idea that she had gone back undercover knowing she might not survive rattled him more than words could express. He also found himself wondering once again if he really knew this woman or if he had fallen for someone who didn’t really exist.
“Let me know what you find on these phone numbers,” Noah said as soon as the US Marshals arrived to transport their prisoners. “And make sure these guys are kept isolated. They don’t talk to anyone until I say so.”
“The marshals are taking them to Quantico,” Enrique told him. “We’l
l have them held in the interrogation rooms for you until you and Burt decide how you want to proceed.”
“Thanks. I owe you.” Noah motioned to Kelsey. “Come on, Taja. Let’s go.”
She followed him outside, hobbling and keeping her eyes focused on the ground in front of her.
After they were safely in the car, Noah shifted to face her. “I’m afraid to ask this, but how do you want to play this?”
“We wait for the call, and then someone needs to take me to the plane.”
Noah didn’t miss the way her voice trembled or the fact that she didn’t look at him when she spoke. “You can’t expect me to just hand you over to these people.”
“Noah, you know that if I don’t show up at the plane, Medrano will know something went wrong.” She lifted her eyes to meet his. “And it can’t be you who takes me.”
“Excuse me?”
“You have blond hair and blue eyes. There’s no way you can pass for Hispanic.”
“Medrano’s got to know his men. Even if we have another agent stand in to take you, someone is going to realize he isn’t who he says he is.”
“We can set the stage when the call comes in. Whoever answers can give some excuse for why someone else is bringing me.”
“Okay, but if we’re doing that, I want to have someone else to stand in as you. With the robe and veil, it would be easy to put an FBI agent in your place,” Noah said, not even trying to pretend that his feelings weren’t involved. “You’re knowledge is too valuable to work this operation when your time would be better spent helping us with Salman.”
She gripped her hands together. “I wish we could have someone else fill in for me, but I’m sure Salman will have some way of verifying my identity before I’m put on that plane.”
“How? By the color of your eyes?”
She ignored his sarcasm, soberness in her expression. “Voice analysis, personal questions. It’s hard to be sure.”
“I don’t like this.”
“Me neither.” She drew a steadying breath. “And there’s one more problem.”
He let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“Whether you like it or not, if you take in Medrano, there’s a good chance Salman will realize we’re on to him.”
“I don’t like where you’re going with this.” He shook his head. “If we play this your way, things are very likely to turn deadly.”
Kelsey looked up at him now, a new awareness in her eyes. “You’re absolutely right.”
* * *
He didn’t like it. He didn’t like anything about this plan or the complexities of it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much of a choice. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he couldn’t deny the truth. If someone didn’t show up at the plane with Taja Al-Kazaz, Salman would get suspicious.
With the possibility of five terrorist attacks pending, they couldn’t take the chance that Salman or Medrano would talk to James and that James might reveal her true identity.
Just the thought of her family being put in danger made him cringe.
Noah stood beside the car that would be used to drive Kelsey to the airport. Enrique was already sitting in the driver’s seat. “I still don’t like the idea of the two of you going in alone.”
“We don’t have much of a choice.” Enrique deliberately looked at Noah’s blond hair. “You may speak the language, but there’s no way you’re going to pass for Hispanic.”
“So I’ve been told.” Noah shifted and looked back at Kelsey. She was still dressed in her Muslim attire, and they had taken every precaution possible to ensure her safety. He couldn’t think about what might happen if they weren’t successful. He cleared his voice. “Are you ready?”
She didn’t speak, but he sensed her apprehension and noticed her hesitation before she nodded.
Noah opened the door for her and took her by the arm to help her into the back of the car. As soon as she was seated, he squatted down and leaned close to whisper in her ear. “I love you.”
Again she remained silent, but she reached out and gave his hand a squeeze in response. He held on, took a deep breath, and tried to pretend this was just another assignment. Noah forced himself to release her hand. “Okay. Just like we practiced.”
Enrique shifted the car into gear. “We’ll see you when it’s over.”
“Watch your back. And hers too.” Noah slammed the door closed, and with another quick look at Kelsey, he headed for the van that was idling behind them.
Chapter 38
All she could think was that the Lord must have a truly cruel sense of humor. She had finally found a man she could envision a future with, and now she was faced with the very likely reality that she wasn’t going to make it through the day alive.
She gripped her hands together as Enrique crossed through the small parking lot at the airport, slowly heading toward the charter plane that was already on the tarmac, engines idling. Two men stood near the hangar, and the pilot was visible in the cockpit.
“Okay, here we go.” He parked beside the hangar, angling the car so he could use it for cover if the need arose. Then he climbed out and opened the back door for Kelsey.
At first Kelsey couldn’t move. The men by the plane both held automatic weapons that were now raised and aimed in their direction.
“Come on,” Enrique urged, reaching for her arm and nudging her into motion as he helped her from the car. His hand still firmly gripping her arm, he started toward the plane. One of the guards called something out in Spanish and motioned toward the hangar.
The next words she heard were from inside, words spoken in English, the voice smooth with a wisp of a Hispanic accent. “Ahhh. So here she is. The woman who my friend has been so worried about.”
Kelsey remained silent, praying that no one would realize Enrique wasn’t who he claimed to be.
“That’s far enough.” The man standing in the shadows inside the hangar waved at Enrique. “You wait out here. I need a minute with our guest. It’s time to make certain she is who our friend says she is.”
Enrique released her arm, allowing another man to take his place and escort Kelsey into the hangar. Kelsey had expected to see one of Salman’s men inside or perhaps a laptop set up for a video chat so someone from Salman’s household could see her before they attempted to fly her back to them. To her surprise, the hangar was empty except for the man standing in the shadows, the man she now recognized as Medrano himself. The man who had murdered Gregory Bealton.
“Your disappearance has caused quite a stir.” He took a step closer and held out the phone he held in his hand. “I have someone who wants to speak to you.”
Kelsey kept her eyes lowered, making no indication of whether she could understand him or not.
“Come now. I know you speak some English.” He edged closer and hit a button on the phone to put it on speaker. “I have the woman here.”
Kelsey didn’t know who she expected to hear on the other end of the phone, but she was certain it wouldn’t be Salman. She stiffened the moment she heard his voice, his words spoken in Arabic.
“Tell me what you told them.”
Her stomach roiled uncomfortably, and she struggled to make herself Taja more completely. Meekly, she forced herself to speak. “I don’t know these people. I don’t know anything to tell them.”
Rather than respond to her words, Salman spoke now in English to the man holding the phone. “It sounds like her. Check her fingerprints.”
Medrano gestured to the man still gripping Kelsey’s arm. In response to the silent command, he pulled a portable fingerprint scanner out of the backpack he held.
Panic shot through her. When she had first gone undercover, she knew the CIA had manipulated the electronic abilities for Salman’s household to make sure her fingerprints would read as Taja Al-Kazaz. Now, here in the United States without that premeditated support, she couldn’t be sure what name would pop up on the scanner.
Without any regard to her comfort
, he grabbed her right hand and pressed her forefinger to the scanner. Kelsey’s heart pounded in her chest. If she pulled away, she would show that she had something to hide. If she waited, she would likely be identified as Kelly Park.
“Who are these people?” Kelsey asked in Arabic. “What do they want with me? I only want to go home. I miss the children. I miss Aamina.”
She saw the instant her identity popped up on the scanner, and her whole world started spinning out of control. The name on the scanner wasn’t Kelly Park as she had feared but rather her real identity. This man now knew she was Kelsey Weber.
Fear for her family, fear for herself spurred her into action. Her elbow jutted out with force, connecting with the man’s jaw, and the fingerprint scanner crashed to the ground.
Now free of the man’s grasp, she grabbed for the gun hidden in her robe.
Salman’s voice sounded, demanding to know what was going on. Medrano reached for his weapon, and the man beside Kelsey grabbed for her again.
Kelsey jerked away and lifted her weapon as Medrano drew his. In tandem, they both squeezed the triggers.
* * *
Noah heard the distress word and pushed into action. He had insisted on taking position on the side of the hangar in case Kelsey needed him. This was one time he had really hoped she wouldn’t need him.
He was only a dozen steps from the hangar doors when he heard some kind of scuffle inside. Then gunshots sounded, and he felt like the bullets had pierced right through his heart.
He didn’t think of the guards standing near the plane or the pilot who might try to radio someone from the cockpit. All he could think was that Kelsey had to be alive.
His gun already in his hand, he rushed around the edge of the building. More gunfire sounded in the hangar, followed quickly by shots in his direction from the guards.
Noah barely slowed when he took aim at the guards, firing at the one closest to him and, a heartbeat later, shifting his aim to the second.
Enrique wasn’t anywhere in sight, but out of the corner of his eye, Noah could see his backup racing toward him in the form of four agents in two government cars.
Deep Cover Page 23
