by Dee Davis
“It’s almost over. And you’ve been amazingly strong. You’ve just got to hang in there a little longer.”
“Until you can turn me over to your buddies in Washington. The ones who covered up your brother’s disappearance. Sounds peachy keen to me. Just what the doctor ordered.” She was just this side of hysteria; he could see it in her face.
He reached out, his hands closing on her shoulders. “Madeline, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“It’s a lovely promise. But you know that it isn’t one you can keep. Besides, you’ve got your own problems to deal with.”
“Right now, all that matters is making sure you’re safe.”
She nodded, and he started for the door, but she put her hand on his arm, and he turned back. “Look, I know you had to save me again. And I know I’ve been a real pain in the ass. But I also need for you to know that I wasn’t trying to run. I was trying to help. I was feeling left out, so I went to the market. I wasn’t trying to get away. I swear it.”
“I know,” he said, intent on reassuring her. “I saw your bag. On the counter. You’d never have left it behind.”
“I wouldn’t have left you, not after everything that’s happened,” she whispered, her gaze holding his. “I was wrong to have left this morning. I can’t take that back, but—”
“We can’t do this now,” he said, shaking his head.
“But I don’t know what I’d have done—”
“You’d have figured out something.” He shrugged, his tone dismissive. “You always do.”
Hurt crested in her eyes, but he turned away, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms, knowing that allowing himself to care was a mistake. Things between them were already too complicated.
“Come on,” he said, his tone brusque as he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. “We need to move. As long as Petrov’s in Puerto Remo, you’re in danger. Which means we have to get you out of here. Now.”
“I’m not going back to the States until someone can assure me that I’m not walking into some kind of trap.” Madeline crossed her arms, turning to look out the window at the red and pink hibiscus in the courtyard. The fountain gurgled merrily, the soft sound comforting, the normalcy almost seeming to mock her fear.
“You’ll be safer in custody than anywhere else,” Drake argued, eyes narrowed as he watched her from his perch on the sofa. Annie sat across from him, sipping a glass of fruit juice. Nash was in Drake’s bedroom talking with Avery. Reporting, no doubt, on Madeline’s latest brush with death.
She squared her shoulders, turning back to face Drake and Annie. “Unless the whole reason Langley wanted A-Tac to get me out of di Silva’s grasp was to make certain that I don’t tell anyone about the card and its significance.”
“But you didn’t understand what it meant,” Drake said, frowning. “So you weren’t a threat even if there was a coverup.”
“Maybe, but they had no way of knowing that. And even if I didn’t know, I do now.” She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against the windowsill.
“I think Madeline has a point,” Annie said. “Until we know what really happened with Tucker—or Andrés—we can’t be certain what’s motivating Langley. Or more specifically, the people who may or may not have something to lose.”
“I wasn’t trying to throw you to the wolves.” Drake shook his head, his troubled gaze meeting Madeline’s. “After everything we’ve been through, you know that I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“It’s just that you trust your bosses.” Madeline sighed. “I get that. And taking me to Virginia would mean mission accomplished.” She hadn’t meant to sound bitter, but the sentiment came just the same.
“Look,” Annie said, cutting through the building tension between them, “I’ve had firsthand experience with the suits making up their minds without any effort to distill the truth, so I tend to side with Madeline on this. But the important thing here is that we have evidence of wrongdoing. We know that someone on the inside is supplying di Silva’s organization with information. There’s simply no other way his people could have known Drake’s identity, not to mention your location.”
“Agreed,” Drake said. “But it’s still a leap to assume the leak is related to the possibility that my brother may still be alive.”
“True.” Annie nodded. “but that doesn’t mean we can afford to ignore the possibility. The way I see it there are two potential sources for the leak. Either someone in the upper echelon of the Company, someone with access to our movements, or someone within the unit. And given what we suspect about your brother, it seems credible to believe it’s coming from over our heads.”
“Someone with the motivation to cover up the truth about what happened to Tucker’s division five years ago in Colombia.” Madeline moved to perch on the arm of a chair, her eyes on Drake as he considered Annie’s words.
“But the evidence also supports its being someone from A-Tac.” Drake frowned. “I mean, we’ve had issues with sabotage for several operations now, including the equipment Tyler used to blow the stash.”
“I’m not arguing with you, Drake. I’m just saying that as long as there’s a chance that someone at Langley is trying to silence Madeline to avoid revealing a coverup, we can’t risk taking her in.”
Madeline shot a grateful smile in Annie’s direction, her heart twisting at the thought that Drake was so intent on getting rid of her. She knew he’d never intentionally put her in harm’s way, but clearly he was ready to move on. While the notion wasn’t anything new, the intensity of her disappointment came as a complete surprise. Somewhere along the way, she’d started to count on Drake.
She blew out a breath, running a hand through her hair, her muscles protesting the movement, the pain reminding her all over again of the danger she was still in.
“I have to agree with Annie,” Nash said, snapping his phone shut as he strode into the room. “Until we figure out what’s what, Madeline stays with us.”
“You’re making me sound like the bad guy here,” Drake said, his frown deepening. “I just want Madeline to stay safe. And so far, I haven’t done the best of jobs.”
“You saved my life more times than I can count,” she protested. “You’re the only person I do feel safe with.” Again the thought came as a complete surprise. And Madeline bit her bottom lip, wishing the words back.
“You’re not the only one,” Annie said, with a smile. “Drake saved my life once, too. Hell of a shoot-out, and I wasn’t on the winning side—until he showed up.”
“Okay, enough with the Drakefest,” Drake growled, pushing restlessly away from the sofa and walking over to the window. “What else did Avery have to say?”
“Is he going to tell Langley you found me?” Madeline cut through Drake’s question, putting voice to her worst fear.
“No.” Nash shook his head. “Avery considers it need-to-know. And until things get straightened out it’ll be easier if the folks at Langley believe you’re still missing. Not to mention di Silva’s thugs.”
“Good, then it’s settled,” Annie said, her eyes darting to Drake.
“I told you I only want what’s best for Madeline,” he sighed, spreading his hands in acceptance. “And if that’s staying with us, then so be it.”
It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but Madeline was relieved nevertheless. She lifted her gaze, intending to encompass them all, but instead her eyes settled on Drake. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I can’t tell you what it means to know that you’re on my side.”
He held her gaze for a minute, then shrugged, leaning back against the sill as he turned his attention to Nash. “I assume there’s still no confirmation that Andrés is Tucker?”
“No, but Avery’s going to keep digging.”
“What about getting out of here?” Annie asked.
“The boat’s waiting in the harbor,” Nash said. “Or it will be by the time we get there. So the only thing left to decide
is where we’re going.”
“Well that one’s not up for debate,” Drake said, pushing to his feet, his expression resolute. “We’re going to San Mateo. Because if there’s even the slightest chance that my brother’s alive, I’m damn sure not leaving Colombia without him.”
CHAPTER 23
Magdalena, Colombia
Everything appears to be secure,” Drake said, as he joined Nash, Madeline, and Annie on the front porch of the house Avery had secured for them in the village. It was a ramshackle building of indeterminate age, its exterior suitably nondescript.
“Yeah, well, I think we’ve got company inside,” Nash said, drawing his gun as he nodded at the front door standing slightly ajar.
“Get behind me,” Drake whispered to Madeline, and for once she obeyed, stepping behind him as he and Nash stepped in tandem through the doorway.
“Christ, Hannah, I could have blown your head off,” Nash said, lowering his gun.
“Now you know how it feels,” Drake said, smiling over at Hannah. “I wondered if you’d show up.”
“You know me.” Hannah grinned, her dark hair spiking every which way, a bright streak of red framing the right side of her face as she peered over the tops of her leopard-framed glasses. “Never could resist a good mystery.”
“Nosy Nellie is more like it,” he said, his tone teasing as they all joined Hannah in the living room.
“How long have you been here?” Nash asked.
“I got in a few hours ago. I was actually just starting to wonder where you guys were.”
“We had to be sure that no one was following us,” Drake said, as he sat next to Madeline on the sofa.
“Sounds like you’ve had quite an adventure,” Hannah said, smiling at Madeline.
“An understatement actually. But I was lucky. I had Drake along for the ride.”
“Definitely a man you want around in a crisis.”
“You’re in charge of intel, right?” Madeline asked. “Drake mentioned you. But I thought our location was supposed to be—”
“Eyes-only?” Hannah nodded, sitting back down. “It is. Except that intel is my thing. And Avery’s been acting really weird. Tyler, too. It didn’t take much to tap into my sources and work out what was what. I never thought for a moment that we’d actually leave you and Drake out there, no matter what Langley said.”
“So, does Avery know you’re here?” Nash asked.
“He was very particular about keeping our presence here ‘need to know,’ ” Annie added.
“He made that more than clear, when he told me to butt out. But me, being me—I ignored him. And kept digging. And finally he gave in and here I am.”
“You know that the threat to Madeline is very real,” Drake said.
Hannah sobered, her gaze encompassing them all. “I do. And I’ve done everything in my power to make certain no one can track my movements coming here. And I brought my personal computer.” She waved at the laptop. “It’s got everything I need, but it isn’t networked through Sunderland or Langley. Which means any work I do stays off the grid. And thanks to Jason it’s encrypted as well. There’s absolutely no way to trace it. And I swear no one knows I’m here.”
“The best-laid plans…” Nash shrugged.
“Well, Avery’s got things covered from his end as well,” Hannah said. “He’s created alibis for Nash, Annie, and me, but we don’t have much time. Langley’s already on edge and they’re going to get suspicious if we’re out of the loop for too much longer.”
“What about Tucker?” Drake asked, his heart rate ratcheting up at the thought of his brother. “Any news?”
“They’re still stonewalling at Langley. Of course Avery’s inquiries have all been off-book. But they’re basically sticking with the original story. Tucker wasn’t CIA and he died in Nevada with the rest of his military unit. Anyway, Avery isn’t buying. But so far he hasn’t found anyone who is willing to contradict the party line.”
“The suits are closing ranks,” Annie said. “Not surprising.”
“Yeah, well, they weren’t counting on me.” Hannah smiled. “I’ve been at it nonstop since I first heard that Tucker might be alive. And since digging for dirt is second nature to me, it wasn’t long before I started to unearth things that make it look like Langley has been playing fast and loose with the truth.”
“So what have you got?” Drake asked, leaning forward, his body tightening with anticipation.
“Well, first off,” Hannah said, “Tucker Flynn wasn’t in the military. I hacked into army files, and there’s no record of his ever enlisting. Or training or anything. He just pops up, a full-fledged soldier. On the surface it wouldn’t appear hinky, but the deeper you go the more obvious it is that his service record is a fake.”
“And what about the CIA’s divisions? Could you hack into them?”
“Didn’t have to.” Hannah shook her head. “I have a friend with the proper clearance. Just took a couple of drinks and a pissing match about the best code words. She uses Billboard Top Ten.”
“Songs?” Madeline questioned, her tone incredulous.
“An alphanumeric combination of the song title and its placement in that week’s chart,” Hannah said. “It’s only the personnel files. And an outsider would never have access, so there’s no need for fancy encryption. Anyway, the point is that your brother was most definitely a member of D-5. And I cross-checked the others who died in the alleged plane crash. They were D-5 as well.”
“What about their missions?” Annie asked.
“Unfortunately, that is an encrypted system. And the fail-safes there are a much tougher nut to crack. So far I haven’t been able to get in. I did find a reference in some old chatter reports of suspected U.S. activity in Colombia around the right time period. But there’s no verification, and nothing to indicate that it was in fact D-5.”
“So we’ve got proof that Tucker was working for the CIA. And some anecdotal information that might indicate his division was in Colombia. But nothing else that proves definitively that he was there. Or that he might have been captured and imprisoned at San Mateo.”
“But there wouldn’t be evidence of that,” Madeline protested. “I mean, he was still playing his undercover role. As far as the Colombian government was concerned he was an insurgent named Andrés.”
“Exactly right.” Hannah beamed at her as if she were a prized pupil. “And that’s why I decided to go at it the other way round.”
“You started looking for Andrés.”
“Yes. First step was to try to find a last name,” Hannah said. “I was able to dig up a prisoner roster from three years ago. Approximately the time when Madeline was there. She’s listed as an American. A political prisoner.”
“Yes, but what about this Andrés?” Drake asked impatiently.
“There were two, actually,” Hannah said. “One of them with the last name Diaz and the other Castillo.”
“Either of those names sound familiar?” Drake asked, turning to Madeline.
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. He never told me his last name. And it wasn’t the kind of thing one asked.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Hannah said. “You said your friend was a revolutionary. And only one of the two men tracks to FARC. Castillo. It took some digging but I found some government records—Colombian—that verify a sweep they did of a jungle stronghold just south of Cali. According to their incident report the entire base was destroyed, most of the insurgents killed in the process. But there were three survivors. One of whom was Andrés Castillo.”
“And he was imprisoned in San Mateo,” Nash said, eyes narrowed as he considered this latest revelation.
“Yes. Around the time of Tucker’s alleged death.”
“But that’s still not enough to prove that Tucker and Andrés are one and the same,” Annie said.
“What about Madeline’s playing card,” Drake asked. “Did you find anything to verify its authenticity?”
“We
ll, without the actual card, I can’t vouch for it completely,” Hannah said. “But I did uncover information about the cards and each division’s color coding. Division personnel are definitely issued playing cards. Langley has been using them since the inception of the division program. And according to my intel, the card Madeline described was definitely associated with D-5.”
“So if Andrés had the card, then we know he at least had contact with someone from D-5,” Nash said.
“But since he’s also a ringer for Drake’s brother,” Madeline insisted, “it seems likely that the card was his.”
“I agree with Madeline,” Hannah said. “Based on what we’ve got, I’d say that we can be pretty damn certain that Andrés is Tucker.”
“You used the present tense,” Drake said, his heart pounding. “Does that mean you think he’s alive?”
“Actually, yeah.” Hannah shook her head emphatically. “I do. I managed to access the San Mateo files with prisoner records. And Andrés Castillo is definitely alive and kicking. ”
“Oh, my God.” Drake swallowed, his mind reeling. “I didn’t think… Hell, I was afraid this was just some kind of cosmic joke.”
“But it’s not,” Madeline said, reaching over to cover his hand with hers. “Tucker is alive.”
“And I think I’ve got the working elements of a plan to rescue him,” Hannah said, turning the laptop so that everyone could see. “This is a view of the prison from here in Magdalena.” She pointed to a picture of the prison rising out of the jungle, perched at the top of a tree-studded rise. “It was originally built by the Spanish as an area fortification. In the 1800s it was used as a hospital. And about fifty years ago it was converted to a prison.”
She switched to a new photo, this time an aerial shot of San Mateo. “Okay, so you can see the prison here. It’s basically a U-shaped building with two wings, each containing a cell block. There are also a couple of outbuildings. And the whole complex is surrounded by an eight-foot stone wall.”
“With barbed wire on top,” Madeline added. “And two guard towers built into the wall. You can just see them through the trees.” She pointed to the spire of one tower breaking out of the canopy.
