Dangerous Lies (Shades of Leverage)

by Claudia Shelton

  Mitch hated waiting to track Drake and Russ, but he understood when more than one raid in a night could make turnaround time short. Besides, there’d been many times OPAQUE was the first out of the arena.

  “What’s going on?” Reese asked.

  “CIA and FBI have wrapped things up on their side. They asked if we could hang around until their boat arrives.” Mitch glanced toward shore, then back at the men. “I figured you guys wouldn’t mind a little downtime.”

  Stealth leaned back against the rail. “Works for me. What are you planning to do on the Drake and Russ front?”

  “First, we’ll move Liz to our St. Louis headquarters. She’ll be safer there.” She’d balk, but he had to do what he thought best. Besides which, he needed to be on top of his game, with no distractions. Time would be of the essence in finding Drake now that CT had him in their grasp. “Meantime, we’ll lay out our plan to infiltrate groups we know have at least some CT embedded. We’ll focus on the U.S. for now. All we need is one clue to get started.”

  Josh nodded. “What about the leak you talked about earlier? Any clue on the rat inside OPAQUE?”

  “We’ll find the son of a bitch and neutralize his ass.” Mitch motioned the men to follow him as he walked toward the aft, where the two PWCs had been tied up after the assault.

  “First, though, we’ll get all the info we need from the traitor.”

  “Damn right,” Mitch said. “It’ll be just the four of us working that angle, unless we need to use Joey’s technical services. Agreed?”

  Stealth stepped forward. “You can trust Cat, too.”

  Mitch had never heard the man even say her name before, and now he was standing up for her? Maybe their time together at the hospital after she was shot had let him see her in a different light.

  “Of course we can trust Cat,” Mitch said. “I just didn’t know if she’d be well enough to go back out in the field yet.”

  “Maybe not in the field, but she could be our inside person at headquarters,” Stealth continued.

  “Good idea.” Mitch nodded. “I agree.”

  Stealth leaned back again, evidently satisfied with what he’d said and the answer he’d gotten.

  Pausing along the portside rail, Mitch once again looked at his house. At the lights. At the sand. All welcoming. The woman inside was welcoming, too. Liz had made his life feel like living this afternoon. But he wasn’t cut out to deal with …with what? He didn’t even know what to call what he was feeling. Only one thing to do in that case.

  “I’m going to take one of the PWCs and head on out,” Mitch said. “See if I can get a lead on any boats in the area. Maybe I’ll run across someone who saw something out of the ordinary.”

  “What about your Q40 waiting on the beach?” Reese asked.

  “Have OPAQUE pick it up. I won’t be back this way any time soon.”

  His three teammates shot each other a questioning glance.

  “What about Liz?” Stealth glanced over his shoulder.

  Mitch stared at the water then turned to face the men. “Once the relief crew arrives, you all head back to the house. Pick up Liz. See that she gets to the St. Louis headquarters safe.”

  Stealth quickly straightened from against the rail. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it,” Mitch said.

  Josh shook his head. “You’re a fool.”

  “He’s not a fool,” Reese said, as he stepped closer. “He’s running. Running scared, when he should be running back to the best thing that’s ever happened to him.”

  “OPAQUE is the best thing that’s ever happened in my life.” Mitch used the same response he’d used a million times in his career. It worked in all types of situations, for all types of reasons. “If OPAQUE wanted you to have a wife, they’d issue you one.”

  That usually got a laugh. Not this time.

  “You’re right, Josh, he’s a fool.” Reese swept his hand in the direction of the PWCs. “If you honestly believe that, then grab your ride and head straight south. Don’t slow down. Your brain might hit you upside that stubborn hardheaded exterior. Damn SEAL.”

  “Better watch your mouth, Flyboy.” Stepping on the dive platform, Mitch knew he was doing what was best for Liz. What was best for himself.

  He had no right to ruin her life. Being an agent meant having danger as a shadow. An agent’s wife not only had the danger, but also the worry. He wouldn’t do that to her. He’d told her goodbye. He’d kept his promise. Now he’d stay out of her life.

  “Don’t blow it, man.” Stealth stepped in front of him. “I heard you laugh today.”

  Mitch moved within an inch of his friend. He didn’t need to hear his team’s analysis of him. And, he damn sure didn’t need one of his team giving him advice. “I’ve laughed plenty in my life.”

  Stealth narrowed his eyes. “Not like today, man. I’ve never heard you laugh like today.”

  “Maybe so.” Mitch shook his head and turned toward the water. “But it’s better this way.”

  “Let him go.” Reese stepped back. “One of us will just have to take over watching out for Liz. I wouldn’t mind that job myself.” Reese chuckled. “I’ve always liked a green-eyed woman with long legs and a—”

  Mitch charged him head on, until Stealth and Josh held him back.

  “See? What did I tell you. He’s already past the point of no return with her.” Reese snorted. “You are so over your head, Mitch.”

  Over his head? Of course, he was over his head. Liz was beautiful. Smart. Strong. Defiant, yet willing. She stood up for herself and didn’t let him get away with anything. Plus, there was a connection between the two of them that went above physical. He’d spilled his guts to her about his family…he’d never done that with any other woman. Not only did his gut jerk in agreement, a big hollow space seemed to settle in the middle of his chest every time he thought about leaving.

  Stealth was right, she made him laugh. She brought him peace and completion at the same time. That’s all he’d ever wanted in life. That’s all he’d ever need.

  Before he talked himself out of his decision, Mitch jumped on the PWC and headed back to his house, while the guys waited for the boat crew to arrive. Sliding the PWC into the sand, he pulled it farther up on the beach and ran toward the house. The deck blinds were still closed. Good.

  He opened the door then smiled. There was Liz, standing behind the kitchen counter. Her eyes were red, probably from crying, and her expression said she was surprised to see him. He could almost swear she was trembling. Oddly, she kept darting her eyes from the media room to the deck.

  “I’m sorry for being a fool. To be honest, you…us…it scares the hell out of me, but, I love you with all my heart. If you’ll give me a chance, I swear I’ll do my best.” He stepped toward the counter. “What do you say? Will you give me a chance?”

  She continued to flash her eyes back and forth. Faster and faster. “Oh, Mitch. That is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

  He moved forward, reaching out to take her in his arms. “Don’t cry, honey. I’m here to stay this time.”

  “Ain’t that sweet?” A bald-headed thug stepped up beside him. Punched him in the side.

  Mitch jerked. Reached for his gun. From the right, a cold piece of metal jabbed upward into his neck and jawline. He recognized the long-necked guy from CT surveillance photos taken on another mission. If he’d been by himself, he’d have reacted with a roundabout kick and fought from there. But he wasn’t alone. There was Liz to consider.

  He knew the routine. Braced for whatever came next, he raised both his arms straight out. The guy on the left relieved him of all his weapons, planting another blindside punch to his side for good measure.

  Glancing around to get the bearing of the situation, he noticed the busted secondary security panel. They’d evidently broken in and been surprised by the backup. He looked at Liz. “Are you okay?”

  “For the most part.” She jerkily swiped tears from her cheeks. �
��They said they’d shoot you dead if I tried to warn you.”

  He figured he was DOA anyhow. Maybe even Liz.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Mitch had no doubt who these people were. He’d walked into a trap. “Good to see you, Coercion Ten. Missed you out on the boat.”

  “My…my dad is actually part of them.” She looked terrified, like a child lost in a store.

  That knowledge hit like a hollow-point bullet. Expanding and filtering everything with a new perspective.

  With a Glock aimed straight at Mitch, a man with a heavy touch of gray moved toward them from the media room hallway. Squared-off shoulders, bushy, straight-slashed eyebrows. What appeared to be permanent flared nostrils completed his sneer. He had a swagger of power, the kind used when the person had control of the situation. There was no reason to think the man wouldn’t pull the trigger if provoked.

  “Well, well, well. Agent Mitch Granger. We finally meet. I’m Russ Walkert.”

  Mitch didn’t react. He already knew what Liz’s dad looked like from the photos he’d studied at the beginning of this case. The swagger, however, was one you had to see in person to feel the effect.

  “Slugger, get the package.” Russ motioned the bald-headed thug to the media room. “Now, where were we? Oh…yes…I wanted to let you know exactly who I am. You may have heard CT refer to me as the Trickster.”

  Mitch had heard of the Trickster. So had everyone in OPAQUE. The Trickster was rumored to work both sides of everything. One more than the other. Somebody willing to sell any information if the price was right. Rumor had it, he’d quickly risen in CT stature in the past few years.

  Slugger disappeared into the media room, where grunts of an altercation sounded. A moment later, the thug shoved Drake into the living room and thrust him into a corner. Physically, Drake looked like he’d already been beaten down, maybe drugged. But his eyes and the set of his bloodied jaw said, even with his hands cuffed in front of him, he was still defiant as hell. He’d need to be, to get out of this alive.

  “Sorry,” Drake said. “When I let Russ talk to Liz on my phone, his CT thugs grabbed me. I’d already programmed the general location into my directions. They zeroed in on this stretch of beach, and the rest was just a game of wait and see.”

  With Drake’s phone capability and code list, Russ had probably been the one sending messages out under Mitch’s name. That would explain Joey and the others getting instructions.

  A weak moan caught everyone’s attention, and Slugger walked to the bookcase and dragged another cuffed man, who’d been concealed behind a chair, out in the open. Kicked his leg then pulled him into a sitting position and shoved him against the wall across from Drake. Mitch recognized the perimeter man Stealth had left to guard the house. He appeared to have been knocked upside the head, what with the dried blood caked in his hair.

  “Now, I’d like everyone’s attention,” Russ said. “First, I’d like to thank Agent Granger for taking such good care of Elizabeth. Evidently, you two have become quite fond of each other.” He waved his pistol between the two of them. “CT couldn’t have asked for a better leverage situation.”

  Mitch spit in her father’s direction, hoping for any movement that would give him an advantage. “Shut up, scumbag. CT’s got nothing but dried-up snitches on their payroll. Weasels who lock their daughter in a windowless room so they can play the big-time informant. Did that make you feel like a big man? You make me sick to my stomach.”

  “Touchy bastard, aren’t you?” Russ brushed his thumb in circles on the grip of the gun. “That’s okay. Now I don’t feel so bad about what’s in store for you.”

  Keeping his gun trained on Mitch, Russ motioned the thug holding the knife to Mitch’s throat to cover Drake and the perimeter man in the living room. In turn, Slugger moved next to Russ in the kitchen area.

  “You know what, Agent Granger? A man like you should have a chance to save himself. How would you like a one-on-one fight with one of my CT guys?” Russ smirked as he grabbed Liz’s arm and pulled her farther back into the kitchen. “Go ahead, choose one.”

  Mitch calculated Slugger to be a street fighter. The long-necked knife guy in the living room moved more like a martial art expert. Either way, there’d still be one man to fight and—

  “Oh, don’t forget my third CT agent. I believe you already know each other.” Russ pointed up to the second-floor balcony. “Ain’t that right, Keith?”

  Mitch glanced up, forcing his brain to comprehend what he was seeing. “Keith? Keith Ayres?”

  “You always were a quick study.” Keith grinned like the devil in some Halloween mask.

  “You? You’re the CT rat in OPAQUE?”

  “The one and only. And as you can see—I’m not dead.”

  “Not yet.” Mitch processed all the things during the past week that had pointed to OPAQUE incompetence. Now it all made sense. Things had been engineered by the rat in the system. Keith had been part of OPAQUE for the past five years. No telling what else he’d affected.

  “Believe me, I’ve enjoyed every moment.” Keith flipped the tech-band back and forth with his fingers. “By the way, thanks for the loan of the tracking tech-band. Came in handy the past few days.”

  “You fucking son of a bitch.” Mitch charged up the steps but stopped halfway to the top. As every good SEAL could tell you— Don’t run to your death.

  “Come on, Mitch. Don’t stop now,” Keith goaded. “Show me some of those moves you’re so famous for.”

  “Why? Why CT?” Mitch planned each action he needed to make. This was about staying alive to save the others. He needed to keep his mind clear. Bait the target. Draw him in.

  “I got tired of being known as the sonar techie. The radar geek,” Keith said. “I fought just as well as the rest of you, but I never got the same respect as you or the others on the Shades team.”

  “We were showing you respect, man. None of us could come close to reading the tech stuff like you.” With care, Mitch used his negotiating skills. Say whatever it took to throw the target off-balance. “It’s not too late. You can come back to OPAQUE. We can say you were working both sides.”

  Keith blinked. Paused.

  Mitch sucked in a deep breath as he started a slow, methodical climb up the remaining steps. Hooyah… One step at a time. Measured and calculated. Hooyah… Looking for makeshift weapons on the landing. Hooyah… Counting the steps to the knife taped to the back of the picture above the lamp table. Hooyah… Remembering every dirty fight move he’d ever seen Keith use.

  “Are you guys gonna stand there and yap all day?” Russ yelled from the kitchen below. “You got five seconds or I shoot one of you.”

  Keith continued to lean on the balcony rail, clicking the tech-band back and forth in his hand. “Just to make this fair, I’ve cleared all your guns and knives and creative ammo from up here. Even locked all the doors. What you see is what you get.” Keith flung the tech-band in Mitch’s face, hitting him above the eye.

  “You fucking prima donna. Is that all you’ve got?” Mitch brushed the back of his hand across the trickle of blood. “Don’t you know? Rats like you never make it out alive.” Mitch stepped onto the landing. “Hooyahhhhhh!”

  Charging toward Keith, he body-slammed him up against the wall. Turned him around and raced them both toward the railing. Their hand-to-hand, fist-to-fist struggle intensified as Mitch grabbed him by the collar and took them both over the rail. Landing on the floor below, he smashed his fist into Keith then jumped to his feet.

  Mitch yanked the silverware drawer out of the cabinet as Russ jerked Liz in front of himself, using her as a shield. Forks and spoons and knives flew across the room. She screamed and flung her free arm in front of her face.

  Intensifying his grip on the drawer handle, Mitch stepped and spun in a strong, tight circle. The next second, he slammed Keith with the bottom of the drawer. Circled again and smashed the drawer flat against the man’s face, breaking his nose. Keith dropped to th
e floor, blood gushing down his face. Mitch braced his foot against Keith’s groin, grabbed his leg, and karate chopped the knee. It popped. Twisting the ankle, it popped next. And when Mitch dropped the disfigured leg back to the floor, he heel stomped the shin. Keith screamed as one of the broken bones slashed through the skin on the front of his shin. He wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

  The man was incapacitated enough to keep him down, yet alive for OPAQUE to interrogate. Enough to find out exactly what he’d done in the past five years. Enough to—

  Slugger stepped across and up-kicked Mitch’s chin.

  …

  Liz screamed as Mitch staggered to stay on his feet. He charged headfirst into Slugger, but the thug reacted with a downward fist chop on Mitch’s back, and he crumpled to his knees gasping for breath. At least Slugger hadn’t landed the blow on his neck.

  “That’s enough for now.” Russ stepped over Keith’s crumpled body and moved farther into the room. “I must say, it’ll be hard to outdo Agent Granger and Agent Ayers’s opening act. But I believe the main presentation will stand as the crowd-pleaser.”

  As Mitch regained his footing, Liz walked in his direction, reaching out to help him. He shoved her hand away, but she grabbed his hand and slipped him a piece of the sharp beer bottle glass. Most of the shards she’d picked up from the floor had been from the oven door, but she still had a few more of the sharp pieces in her pocket. At least now he had a weapon.

  He nodded and slid the jagged shard into the tiny pouch on his Neoprene swim shorts.

  “Has everyone got a good view?” Russ moved to the living room. Along the way, he pushed the remote to open the blinds. Open the windows. “I especially want Drake and Agent Granger to have prime seats. In fact, Elizabeth, come over here. I’d hate for any of you to miss this after all my planning.”

  She strained to stay out of her father’s reach yet keep all of him in her sight.

  “Come here, Elizabeth. Stand next to me,” Russ said, reaching in his pocket and pulling out what looked like a credit card sized two-button palmtop computer.