by Radclyffe
"I'm getting another agent foisted on me from somewhere. FBI, NSA, who the hell knows. Probably someone being put in place to report on anything we turn up."
"You mean like.. .a snitch?"
Cam laughed. "Christ, that's a good word for it. I believe, though, they would be considered a counterintelligence agent. Someone whose job it is to gather intelligence about possible threats to national security. It's a very vaunted position."
"Well I'm sure it is, but we don't need them spying on us."
"I'm surprised Lucinda couldn't block it." Cam confessed. "Someone with a lot of power behind them wanted this to happen."
Blair relaxed against Cam's shoulder, aimlessly smoothing her hand up and down Cam's stomach. "I'm sure you can handle it."
"Your faith in me is inspiring," Cam said in a lighter tone. "I should get up. Our new team member is due here in half an hour."
"They were certainly eager to get him on board."
"Her."
"Oh really?" Blair's hand stopped moving. "You know, I seem to be surrounded by an inordinate number of female spies."
Cam laughed. "Baby, we're not spies."
"Oh, all right then, spooks." Blair began stroking again, her fingertips brushing back and forth through the curls at the base of Cam's belly. "Still, I wonder what that's about."
"Probably coincidence." Or maybe someone thinks you'll be more open around women. They don't know you very well. Cam covered Blair's hand and guided it lower. "I have to get up in two minutes."
Blair bit Cam's shoulder once more and slipped her fingers slowly inside her. "Make it five."
Cam lifted her hips to take her deeper and instantly felt her clitoris surge back to life. "Don't think so."
"Try," Blair murmured as she rose above her, angling her arm to claim her more fully. "And don't close your eyes."
"Christ," Cam muttered, her vision wavering, "you're tough."
Aware only of Blair inside her, somewhere beyond the boundaries of her flesh and blood, she climaxed to the beautiful sound of Blair's laughter.
Chapter Fourteen
Saturday, September 15
B lair found Diane entertaining Stark, Patrice Kara, and Greg Wozinski with stories of their youthful indiscretions over coffee and croissants in the living room. Fortunately, they seemed to be getting the G-rated version.
"Diane," Blair said mildly as she reached for the coffee carafe, "I prefer that you not educate them in all my techniques for eluding surveillance."
All three Secret Service agents laughed, although Hara and Wozinski cast obvious sidelong glances at each other. Blair caught the looks and surmised that they had heard of her tendency to ditch her assigned protectors with regularity. Laughing, she said to Stark, "I see you've briefed them thoroughly."
Stark answered with a deadpan expression. "Of course. That's standard operating procedure,"
"Where's Cam?" Diane inquired.
"She'll be right out. She's... "Blair had been about to say arranging a briefing with Savard when it occurred to her that Cam might not want to disclose the nature of her special investigation to Stark or the other Secret Service agents. "She's on the phone."
"Here," Diane said, holding out a cup of coffee. "Why don't you take this to her in case she's going to be a while. She's probably ready for it by now."
"Thanks." Blair accepted the mug and turned toward the hallway, but at that moment, Cam walked in.
"Is that for me?"
Blair held it out. "Compliments of Diane."
"Thank you," Cam said before taking a sip. She looked at Stark and said, "Can I see you for two minutes, Chief?"
Stark quickly set her cup aside and bounded up. "Sure thing, Commander."
They walked to the other side of the room and stood facing the balcony. Cam kept her voice low when she spoke. "I'm expecting an agent to meet me here in the next few minutes, so you might alert your ground team. Then I'm going to head over to your apartment for a quick briefing with Savard and Davis. I imagine Blair will want to go to the loft as soon as possible."
"I've got the vehicles standing by, and I called in two extra people from the swing shift," Stark said. "We're covered."
"I'd prefer it if you could wait for me, but I know she's not going to want to. I'll have to meet you there." Cam looked once in Blair's direction and saw that she was deep in conversation with Patrice Hara. "Make sure you check the high ground, Stark, before you let her exit the vehicle."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And send in an advance team to secure the lobby before she enters the building."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And the elevators...Don't forget she gets off last and that you need—" Cam stopped abruptly. "Christ. Sorry."
Stark's eyes never left Cam's face. "I understand, Commander. It never hurts to run through procedures again."
Cam let out a long breath. "I know you know the job, Stark. I, uh...she's just..."
"Yes, ma'am. She is."
"Savard told you about our investigation?" Cam asked, changing the subject with relief.
"Uh..."
"Don't worry—there's no problem there. I advised her to. There's no way we can run an operation of this magnitude without Blair's security team being aware of it. Hell, we're all going to be working and probably living in close proximity for the next few weeks, if not months." She inclined her head toward Patrice and Greg. "They don't need to know the details, but the basics will be apparent. We have to assume that Justice looked at the new team members thoroughly, but I still don't want to take anyone into complete confidence on this except you."
"I'll handle that, Commander."
Cam gave Stark's shoulder a brief squeeze. "Thanks. It helps that you—"
Stark's radio sounded and she listened for a few seconds. "Double-check the ID." She glanced at Cam. "An agent, asking for you." She listened again and raised her eyebrows. "CIA."
"Perfect," Cam muttered. CIA agents were notorious for not being team players. No one in the other services really trusted them, and with good reason. They showed little allegiance to anyone except their own director, never shared intelligence—and what they did share was always suspect. "Do you have a name?"
"Lawrence."
Cam shook her head. The name rang no bells.
"What shall we do with her, Commander?"
"Send her up. We might as well get a look at her."
Stark relayed the message and signed off.
"Kind of strange, isn't it?" Stark asked. "CIA doesn't usually get involved in domestic issues."
"All bets are off, now. And besides," Cam said pointedly, "we have no idea what they might know about the situation that we don't. Let's hope we can work this street both ways and learn as much from them as they think they're going to learn from us."
"Now there's a plan I can get behind."
The buzzer sounded and Cam said, "I should be at the Aerie by 0830."
"Yes, ma'am. See you then."
Cam crossed the living room while the others continued to talk and opened the door. She felt a wave of dizziness, as if the room had suddenly spun three hundred and sixty degrees while she stood rooted in place. Then her natural instincts surfaced and she felt nothing but a cold calm. Valerie looked different than she had ever seen her before. She was just as beautiful—dressed just as elegantly as ever in a Prada business suit and low Ferragamo heels—and her eyes held the same glimmer of compassion that had always drawn Cam in. But this morning she wore a weapon on her right hip, although no one who wasn't very good at detecting such things would have noticed because of the excellent cut of her suit jacket. But the core of steel that Cam always knew Valerie possessed was very close to the surface now. It was evident in the way she stood and in the sheer power of her gaze. She radiated the supreme confidence that some agents had, but few deserved.
"Agent Lawrence," Cam said quietly. "Is it still Valerie?"
"It is, yes."
Cam glanced at her watch. "We have a briefing
in twenty minutes, so if you don't mind, I'd like to leave the introductions until later. Although, of course, I'm sure you know everyone's names already."
Valerie's eyes skimmed past Cam to where Diane sat on the sofa, laughing at something that Blair had said. At that instant, Diane turned her head, a look of shock crossing her face when she registered Valerie's presence. Diane stood quickly and took two rapid steps forward, her expression of pleasure quickly turning to one of uncertainty.
"I just need one minute," Valerie said, her gaze still fixed on Diane's face.
Cam didn't need to turn to know who Valerie was looking at. "I'll say goodbye to Blair."
"Valerie?" Diane asked, her voice raised in surprise.
"I only have a few seconds right now," Valerie said quickly. "Everything I said to you was true. But there—"
"What are you doing here?"
"Just listen, Diane." Valerie touched her hand so fleetingly it might have been an accident. "I couldn't tell you everything before. I'm a federal agent. I—"
Diane's expression shut down, her face going as blank as if she'd suddenly donned a mask. "Never mind. I don't want to hear it." She turned abruptly and without a word walked past Cam, who was on her way back to the door.
"Ready?" Cam asked.
"Yes." Valerie watched Diane until she disappeared into the far hallway, then met Cam's gaze without a trace of emotion. "Let's go."
*
They'd been in the car ten minutes before Cam broke the silence. "Why did they bring you in now?"
"Since Tuesday, priorities have changed," Valerie replied.
"You must have been under for a long time to establish Claire's identity. I can't imagine they neutralize your kind of operative's cover lightly."
Valerie put her back against the door to face Cam in the driver's seat. "They don't tell me all the reasons, Cameron. But we all know how important Blair's security is." She saw Cam's hands tighten on the wheel, but continued evenly. "I know the players. And believe it or not, there are people who think that I can be helpful in the situation."
Cam swiveled her head and fixed Valerie with a cold stare before averting her gaze back to the traffic. "Well you know me, don't you?"
"You fell into the net by accident, Cameron. You were never an intended target."
A muscle in Cam's jaw bunched. "And I don't suppose you can tell me who you were supposed to be spying on, can you? When you weren't fucking them, that is."
"As you no doubt realize, my job description is counterintelligence, and Washington, DC is an excellent place to find out what our friends are really up to."
"Yes, it's amazing what you will reveal when someone's just fu—"
"Cameron, please don't," Valerie said quietly. "It was never like that with you."
Cam stared straight ahead. "Are you going to tell me that you never filed a report on me?"
"I'm not going to lie about that—"
Cam laughed bitterly.
"But there was never anything compromising in the reports."
"I guess reporting to the CIA that the first daughter's security chief is frequenting whores on Capitol Hill doesn't strike you as being compromising. Christ." She had to make an effort not to grind her teeth. "I'm surprised they didn't bust me out a long time ago."
"Everyone has secrets, Cameron. Sometimes secrets can be powerful currency."
Abruptly, Cam swerved to the curb and jammed on the brakes. She swiveled to face Valerie. "Was any of it true?"
"Every touch," Valerie said quietly.
Cam searched her eyes and saw the pain. She searched her own heart for the true source of the rage that had followed fast upon the disbelief at finding Valerie at the door that morning. She'd never been in love with her, but she'd cared. Deeply. And she'd let Valerie see things that she revealed to very few people—she'd exposed herself in her weakest moments.
"Christ"
"I'm sorry, Cameron. But I can't apologize for doing my job, only that I hurt you in the process."
"Right." Cam grimaced, thinking that she'd said the same thing more than once herself. "We're going to have to work together, and frankly, I don't trust you."
"Camer—"
"I don't trust any CIA agents. On principle." Cam grinned briefly when she saw a true smile flicker across Valerie's full lips. "But as far as I'm concerned, whatever happened between us is personal. That's not part of the job now."
"Thank you." Valerie put her hand on Cam's wrist. "You were never an assignment, never work, for me."
Cam turned her hand over and slid her palm into Valerie's, their fingers linked and their eyes held, a silent acknowledgment of what they had once been to one another. Then they separated, settling back into their seats as Cam started the car.
*
"Agents Savard, Davis, Lawrence," Cam said, making rapid introductions as everyone found seats in the small living room of Stark and Savard's apartment. Cam took the end seat on the sofa and reached for the coffee mug that Savard had placed in front of her on the low wooden table. Absently, she noted that the fish tank against the far wall seemed to have a new batch of baby somethings congregated just below the surface in a shimmering silver cloud. Then the apartment receded from her view, and all her focus turned to Savard. "What do we know?"
"It's more what we don't know," Savard said. "We concentrated on the IDs of the four dead commandos, and the short answer is, no one knows who they are. Fingerprints haven't turned up anything in our databases or NCIC."
"Don't tell me these guys aren't ex-military," Cam said sharply. "These guys were professionally trained."
"Interpol?" Valerie asked quietly.
Savard gave her a long look. She 'd recognized her from a previous investigation when a few agents very close to Cam and Blair had learned of Cam's liaison with a woman identified as a Washington call girl. Apparently they had been mistaken. "They're still checking."
"DNA?" Cam asked of Felicia.
Felicia shook her head. "Not yet, but Quantico expects results within twenty-four hours."
Cam didn't ask how Felicia knew that, and she didn't care. All that mattered was that she had access to whatever intelligence was available without delay. Even though she should be able to get any information she needed to run her investigation, if she went through regular channels there would be resistance at every level, and it might take weeks to learn what Felicia could discover in a matter of hours by hacking into the various databases.
"Someone knows who these guys are. Let's get their faces out to every possible source here and abroad." Cam turned to Valerie, who sat slightly apart from the others in an overstuffed chair that had seen better days. "Any place in particular we should be looking?"
"Our best guess," Valerie replied carefully, "is the Middle East or Afghanistan. Second-best guess, Libya, although we don't believe they have the contacts required to orchestrate Tuesday's attack."
"All right," Felicia said. "That's a place to start."
"In the meantime," Cam said, "if we can't get anything on the commandos, then we'll have to concentrate on Foster. I want to know everything about him from the minute he was born. I want the names of the people he roomed with at the Academy, the women or men he dated, the names of the agents he worked with on previous assignments, his previous partners, his travel itinerary for the last ten years. I want to know everywhere he's been, everything he's done, every last thing about him."
"Since the assault team members were all Caucasian," Valerie said, "I'd suggest looking at all the paramilitary organizations nationwide. That fits their profile." She looked at Savard. "The FBI should have a considerable file internally, but there has been some counterintelligence activity by.. .other organizations, as well."
Felicia smiled. "I'll have a look around."
"Good. Let's start putting together organizational profiles on every known paramilitary group," Cam instructed. "Personnel, geographic location, financial resources, political affiliations, publications, propaganda.. .a
nything that might hint at armed retaliation."
"Do we have anything that ties these guys to the World Trade Center?" Savard asked, directing her attention pointedly toward Valerie.
"No," Valerie replied, her expression completely composed. "From what we know now, the hijackers appear to have been foreign terrorists. The men who attacked Ms. Powell were not." She sighed. "And neither event was anticipated. Certainly not in the present time frame."
"We need access to your people's intelligence files," Cam said, deciding it was time to find out whose side Valerie was really on. "Can you get us in?"
Valerie hesitated. "As far as I have access, yes."
"If you open the door," Felicia said, "I'll—"
Cam's cell phone emitted a series of sharp, staccato beeps and she yanked it off her belt as she jumped to her feet. "Roberts."
"Cameron," Lucinda Washburn said with an urgency that Cam had never heard in her voice before. "There's been an incident at the Aerie. They've called for a HAZMAT team and quarantined the building."
Cam didn't hear the rest of the message because she was already running for the door.
Chapter Fifteen
T he NYPD had worked fast. Cam ran into the first barricade two blocks from Gramercy Park. Patrol cars angled across the intersection and a bevy of uniformed cops milled in the street. Three helicopters swooped low over the tops of nearby buildings. She slammed her car to a halt nose-in against the curb, yanked the keys from the ignition, and jumped out. She was vaguely aware of shouts aimed in her direction as she ran, her badge extended in her left hand. Dodging and weaving around the bodies that interposed themselves between her and her destination, she just kept screaming, "Secret Service. Secret Service," and shouldering aside anyone who didn't get out of her path quickly enough.
When she rounded the corner of the gated square diagonally across from Blair's building, the congestion in the streets was magnified a hundredfold. Squad cars, ambulances, bomb squad armored vehicles, and official personnel from the police, fire, and emergency rescue departments clogged the sidewalks and streets. She rapidly scanned the building's facade, half expecting to see the top floors gone. The only thing she could imagine was that a bomb had detonated or was about to.
