by Wendy Byrne
But now that the physical barrier had been broken, there'd be no turning back. She had to live with whatever consequences happened as the result.
Intense circumstance. Maybe the constant adrenaline rush had played into it. But ever since he'd held her hand while getting the tracker removed, something changed inside her. When he talked about his family, it only increased the feeling.
They'd been adversaries, now lovers. How could anything ever work between them when they were both so calloused by what went on before, especially now that the gauntlet had been thrown?
Without a second thought, she threw everything into her backpack, even though part of her wanted to confront him. She didn't trust herself to not be swayed by his smooth-talking ways. No doubt he'd try to convince her he was on her side.
When she heard the shower turn off, she knew she had seconds to make her getaway. She sprinted out the door and into the cavernous garage. Alex and whomever he was working with had set her up so completely that Jake and The Alliance had played right into their hands. The only thing she could do was leave the country. But she'd need her passport in order to do that.
The idea Jake thought she was guilty made her knees weak. Every inch of her body ached. The betrayal sank through every fiber of her being as his words scraped and clawed at her skin like an angry cat.
She had to give up the fight. It was what it was. Trying to convince him she wasn't what he thought wouldn't be productive. It would only be a lesson in futility.
The words in the email circled through her head until she wanted to scream. Double agent? Where had that come from? Did Jake really believe that?
She'd bought his compassion like a newbie rather than a skilled CIA operative. She'd fancied herself a much better reader of people. Then again, he'd been schooled by Petrovich from a young age. Why should she even doubt the abilities and talents he'd acquired under that tutelage?
Betrayal swept up her back and pounded against her like waves breaking along a rocky shoreline. She thought she could trust him, but his weird behavior had forced her to fall back on old habits of assuming the worst. For once she wished she were wrong about her instincts.
The things she'd told him about her life she hadn't told anyone else. Why had she given into the urge and trusted him in the first place? She should have known better than that.
Alex, now Jake.
Without much further thought, she walked out the way she came, but this time alone. She figured this was the way it was meant to be from the beginning. In order to track down the ghost of Alex, she needed to do it alone. That was always how she'd done her best work.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Jake let the hot water sluice down his back, allowing it to erase the tension building in his neck. He'd spent more time than usual in the shower, thinking through his options without coming up with anything that made him feel okay. Should he trust his less-than-stellar gut, or should he go with the flow of information sent to him by The Alliance?
Neither one was a surefire way to allow him to sleep at night. In his head, he couldn't imagine turning her over to the powers that be at the CIA and having her face an uncertain future based on bureaucratic justice.
Maybe he should be honest with her and see what happened. If she didn't try to kill him on the spot, he might have a halfway decent chance of figuring out fact from fiction. He needed to unravel this mess of lies one at a time.
Then it hit him. Why would she have an account in the Cayman Islands that could be easily discovered when she could have put it into an untraceable account in Switzerland? If she were trying to hide money, that would be the way to go. She was neither stupid nor naïve. Whoever had set her up had been lazy and had gone for the obvious.
He needed to look at that video from the bank. Then examine the photos she'd taken in Istanbul. His photos as well.
He pulled up the video on his phone, and it confirmed what he'd suspected all along. People saw what they wanted to see.
This was not a buck-naked kind of conversation. He wrapped in a towel and walked into the room. "Tessa." When she didn't respond immediately, he glanced around the small place, knowing there was no place within these walls she could hide.
When he spotted her bag and computer gone, he knew. He rushed to his own computer and discovered she'd accessed his email. The evidence of her scrutiny glaring like a road flare on his computer screen. She didn't bother to hide what she'd found.
He hated to be naïve, but if she were some kind of super spy wouldn't she have absconded with every drop of information he had as well? What would prompt her to leave other than guilt? But if she were guilty of what she'd been accused, wouldn't she take something of his and hope to use it for leverage? That would only make sense if she were the conniving sort. Texting or calling Jennings wasn't even a passing thought. Conviction he was on the right path roared like a freight train inside him.
First he needed to figure out where she might go, and the answer was obvious. She'd head back to her townhome. Over the last few days she'd referenced her home on more than one occasion. They were close to Alexandria. She had a car there to get her to the nearest airport if she wanted to leave the country. From there he could only guess where she might go, or what she might do.
Speculation wasn't doing him any good. Instead, he got dressed as quickly as possible and set out to find her. She couldn't have much of a head start. And since she'd need to take the train to her home, he had the advantage.
Betrayal was the only word she could have thought when she read what he'd written. What Jennings had written as well.
That was when it hit him. This wasn't about her, except as a victim of unfortunate circumstances. This was about him. This was personal. Someone had it out for him. And he knew with certainty it circled back to Petrovich.
But where was Cleoor Martaor whatever she was calling herself now? Damn, how could he be so foolish as to not have seen the connection? What he still didn't understand was why. Why had she come after him in the first place? And how did she hook up with Alex?
What he didn't know would fill an Olympic-sized pool about now. Still, Tessa was in danger, and he had no idea how to fix that—or even if he could fix that.
Somehow he had to make things right between them.
* * *
Tessa's heartbeat was erratic as she walked through the parking structure and onto the street toward the train station. Emotion welled inside her chest, causing tears to spring into her eyes.
The sense of aloneness crushed her. Jake's betrayal combined with the CIA's abandonment destroyed her last sliver of hope. She had no one. If that meant she'd spend the rest of her days backpacking around Europe until they caught up with her and killed her, so be it.
During the short train ride from DC to Alexandria, she thought again about the multiple emails she'd read and Jake's duplicity. That was the part of the equation she'd yet to come to terms with. He didn't believe her. In some respects she understood. Alex had orchestrated a picture-perfect setup.
Given the evidence, she might have suspected the same thing. But she would have thought Jake would know her better by now. Would she be dumb enough to open an account in the Cayman Islands when there were so many more secretive options out there to shelter ill-gotten money?
One email from Jennings said it all. Can you make her confess? They've scheduled a drop-off at the warehouse at 52nd and Front Street.
That was the email the sealed her fate, leaving her no option. Tessa's nose started to run as tears bloomed in her eyes. When had she become a weak, sniffling doofus? Apparently over the last few days, because she could barely contain the tears as she walked off the train and into downtown Alexandria. The idea that she would never see this town again brought a crushing sensation to her chest.
Which made no sense. She'd been a vagabond during her tenure at the CIA, happy to go to whatever parts of the world they'd sent her. It allowed her to forget all the pain of the past and adopt a different persona with
each different locale. But now everything had a sinister overtone except for her home.
The fact that it would no longer be a haven for her made her suddenly sad, and she fought against the urge to sob. Attracting attention would not help her cause. Get in. Get out. That was how she needed to play this. Nothing else mattered. She walked quickly. Although fairly confident they would have given up on staking out her home by this time, she took extra precautions as she approached the back door.
Her fingertips trembled as she uncovered the panel hidden in the downstairs laundry room behind her stash of detergent. The break in the back of the cabinet was nearly impossible to find without knowing where to look.
Reaching inside, she yanked out her own version of a go bag. She withdrew the papers she'd stashed, the cash she'd squirrelled away, and secured them into the small zippered compartment of her backpack. She had her own plan of action. In fact, she knew that this day would come eventually. Somehow, she recognized long ago the illusion of security at the CIA would burst. She grabbed a Kleenex from the counter and blew her nose.
"He's quite a ladies' man that Jake, isn't he?"
The voice crept up beside her so eerily she could have sworn it was in her head. But then a gun poked right below her ribcage. "It's all going to be fine. We'll meet him at the warehouse as scheduled."
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Cleo, or Marta, or whatever the hell your name is. You want to kill me, go ahead. But I won't make it easy for you."
"You took some photographs, and we need them."
Now she knew this wasn't about Afghanistan at all. It was about Istanbul. Just like Jake had speculated.
"I don't have them anymore. I gave them to Jake. You'll need to get them from him or The Alliance. Good luck with that by the way." The longer Tessa kept her talking, the more likely she'd think of a way to get out of this mess. "What's so special about the pictures, anyway?"
"No need to tell you. Satisfying your curiosity won't keep you from dying."
Before she could speak the memory flashed before her eyes, and everything slid together. "Then I'll take a stab at it. I captured a photo of you meeting with a high-value operative. The operative was planning to attack a US Naval vessel under the guise of a stranded ship attacked by Somali pirates. Close?"
It was the only scenario that made sense based on the information she and Jake were able to piece together. Once she saw the woman up close, she realized she'd seen her at a hookah lounge with a known pirate. As far as stabs in the dark went, based on the shocked expression that briefly passed across the woman's face, she'd hit the mark. Under different circumstances she might have done a celebratory dance, for the call was nothing short of brilliant.
While the woman absorbed the information, Tessa made her move. She struck back with her elbow into the woman's throat. The gun skittered along the floor. Cleo countered with a palm strike that barely missed Tessa's chin. Cleo blocked the roundhouse sent her way but absorbed some of the impact with her arm.
All Tessa could think about was getting to the gun. She had to put an end to the madness. That was when Cleo pulled out her knife, and Tessa's phone started ringing. But it was right next to Cleo.
* * *
The voice of Petrovich echoed in his mind like it happened yesterday instead of ten years ago.
You'll never be as skilled as your brother. You don't have the raw talent he has. Besides, you don't have the instincts to go in for the kill. You wait. And wait. And wait. Until it's either you or them, instead of soldiering on and getting the job done.
You've always been a sucker for a pretty face, Jacov. You buy whatever they're selling as if they're offering you a gift of precious jewels instead of screwing you over. It will always be your downfall. Mark my words.
Those sentiments were true on his last assignment. Cleo. She'd sucked him in from the beginning and reeled him in like a prized catch. Now she was part of this whole masquerade as well.
In his line of work it was all about going with your gut, trusting your instinct, but that hadn't proven to be all that helpful, which caused a rush of Petrovich memories to surface. Self-doubts.
"Damn it, Tessa, pick up the phone," Jake yelled into the phone, without a response.
Where did she go? Protecting people who didn't want to be protected was harder than he ever imagined, but everything was starting to fall into place. First the video that proved it wasn't Tessa opening that account since the woman in question was right handed, not left handed. And now a clearer picture of the market showed the woman with the purple shoes. Cleo had been in on this from the beginning somehow.
* * *
Cleo cackled as the phone rang, and she looked at the screen. "Loverboy is looking for you. He'll probably be at the warehouse within fifteen minutes." She texted something into the phone and then smashed it to pieces on the floor of the kitchen.
"Why would Jake—" Tessa stopped as the reality of the situation sank in. "This has all been about Jake, hasn't it?"
"For me, yes. But you put yourself in the crosshairs when you took those pictures. It made our mission way too risky to complete, costing us both millions of dollars. Alex and I concocted a plan to get rid of the two of you. It was all perfect for such a hastily put together idea. I opened that account in your name in the Cayman Islands. Kind of obvious, I know, but I figured with the other evidence and suspicions thrown your way, any questions would be overlooked. We realized how we could use both of you to achieve what we desired."
"Why are you after Jake?"
"He and his family killed my brother, Joseph." The woman's jaw clenched so tight for a minute Tessa thought she might shoot her right now.
While hearing the bold statement was jarring, knowing Jake's past with Petrovich, she shouldn't have been surprised. "That must have been a long time ago."
"So that means I'm supposed to forget the whole thing? Are you crazy? Did you ever forget your mother's death?" She laughed again. "Of course not. But the whole thing was necessary to make you susceptible to the possibilities. Alex thought you were too smart for your own good and a little goody two shoes to be converted, so we devised a plan to set you up for a situation that would serve our purposes. When we heard about the pictures, you sealed your fate. You've been a loser from the day you were born. What kind of person doesn't even know who their father is? I guess that makes you a bastard."
Tessa let the impact of the words bounce off rather than inflict pain. Nothing mattered right now. "Jake's not going to the warehouse."
"He is now and walking right into a trap. It's a shame you can't read the message I wrote. It was both poignant and succinct. Love and kisses, of course. Alex is doing my dirty work for me, and I'm doing his. It's a shame you'll both have to die as a murder-suicide. But it was never going to work anyway."
"I told you I'm not going to go to the warehouse." She had barely finished the words when she launched her attack. All she could think about was getting to Jake before it was too late.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Jake raced toward her apartment. When had he sunk so low that he'd have sex with a woman one day and betray her the next? Had he become the two-faced villain he hated?
Had he become Petrovich?
The man's moods could turn on a dime. When he was pleased he'd shower Jake with praises, but when he was disappointed there was a steep price to pay. He made Jake want to please him while simultaneously despising him.
And here Jake was replicating the same actions, despite his hatred of the man.
Tessa's innocence felt right. Second-guessing his own actions had always been his downfall. She hadn't abandoned him when he'd been injured. That should have been enough for him to trust her thoroughly, but he hadn't because Petrovich's words circled through his brain every time he even thought about making a decision hastily or based on his gut instinct. He didn't want to make a wrong move then, and he didn't want to make a wrong move now.
One of them was walking into a trap, and he preferred it
to be him over her. He had so many sins in his past to make up for that he'd almost gladly welcome the challenge.
Of course, that didn't explain why the picture showed her pointing a machine gun at another agent. And it certainly didn't explain why he hadn't shown the photo to her for further explanation. Truth was, he didn't want to muddle his mind any more than it was already.
Nothing about this case was as purported. And he still didn't know who hired The Alliance to allegedly keep her safe while discovering her secrets. He'd been a mole. The worst kind of mole possible. He'd taken advantage of her, counting on her vulnerabilities as well as his own, to solidify the feelings he harbored inside.
What had been fed to him was orchestrated from the very beginning. He should have known. She wouldn't have killed Eli or anyone else for that matter. As she'd said, they were her family. Why didn't he see that before?
Because he'd been handpicked for a reason. Cleo was the cherry on top of that sundae. They studied him and saw a weaknesshis desperation to prove himselfand figured he would blindly follow the breadcrumbs they were dropping. Now he had to follow his gut or live with the consequences.
Petrovich was wrong. He was and had always been as good as his brother. And he damn well was about to prove it.
He had to be true to his convictions. Some of her last words tunneled through his brain. I always thought the CIA was my family.
Then he got the text and knew she was in trouble.
* * *
Tessa knew with every fiber of her being this was judgment day. Her head bounced off the wall as Cleo caught her with a strategically placed kick to the right shoulder. Not only did the pain radiate down her arm, even her ears rang from the impact.
Jake was headed for a trap, and only she could stop it. Moments. That was all she had. Ironically, Cleo was trying to get her to the warehouse, and she wanted to get there as well. Just not under the woman's thumb.
