Cold Red

by Fiona Quinn

  “No. Your name was not included in this plan from our end. It was Johnathan who was to be captured. I was supposed to get you on the plane and over to Washington.”

  “You could have told me this, and I wouldn’t have gone.”

  “I believed our communications was being tapped. I kept the conversation banal. I thought I had you on the phone long enough to miss your meeting with Cal and thus kept you from the home at the time of the SWAT attack. I didn’t realize they might be waiting for you. You were instructed to go to the airport immediately. And there was my communications flaw.”

  Fate, it seemed, put Anna in that situation.

  Melina adjusted to look Anna square in the eyes. “So, about your assignment tonight. The person you are going to see at the ball is this man.” She tapped the paper. “Governor Justly. You will be dressed in Russian attire.” She gestured a graceful open hand back toward Natashia’s bedroom. “You will approach him and ask him to dance with you. You will introduce yourself using the name Zelda Fitzgerald and tell him you have many people in common and that you travelled extensively in his home state. Tell him you had been up hiking in the area where he owns a cabin. And you found it all rather bleak.”

  Anna was momentarily stunned at this revelation. “Bleak. Yes, ma’am.” The breath constricted Anna’s lungs. She still managed to ask, “The governor was setting up the murder of two FBI agents, Johnathan and me?”

  “SIC involved you for their own reasons. Surely, Justly’s been apprised that you were there, after all, someone ordered you be chased down.” Melina reached out and patted Anna lightly on the shoulder. “As far as the governor goes, this man is both greedy and intolerant. It’s a useful combination of characteristics for us to work with.”

  “And my showing up in the Russian clothes and subtly rubbing it in that I survived is to gain what?”

  “Power, my dear. We would have had it anyway, but with you in his face, it will be a very potent visceral sensation.”

  “That’s all I’m to say? I was up at his cabin and things are bleak?”

  “You should add that you hope he will enjoy a pleasant cup of tea after dinner.”

  “You’re threatening his life?”

  “We’re exercising our power in a moment when it will be felt keenly. He is a man who wields no small amount of power, and we will enjoy using it to our own ends for as long as he lives.”

  Anna smiled. “That’s marvelous.” She turned to look Melina in the eye. “Thank you so much for this opportunity.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Anna

  The limousine pulled smoothly to the curb in front of the famed St. George Hotel. The valet stood ready to pop open Anna’s door and offer her a white-gloved hand. She stepped out onto the carpeted walkway, stood for a moment taking in a deep breath of the icy air, and then with an adjustment to her black fur stole, she moved elegantly forward.

  The front door was held wide with a swoop of a welcoming arm brought down by a liveried doorman as he bowed her in.

  As well he should.

  She looked like royalty.

  Ah, the difference a day makes. That and Natashia’s abilities with makeup.

  Anna’s hair was swept into a fancy updo that was adorned by a tiara nestled into her blond curls. She looked like a movie star and nothing like a Zoric agent with video and audio taping capabilities integrated into the fake gems in the crown.

  Anna knew that every second she was here her movements would be scrutinized. Every word. What was hidden were her facial expressions, possibly. But the fact that Anna had an engraved invitation in her purse meant that the Zorics had access. Any guest, any waitstaff, even this coat check girl handing her a receipt for her fur, could be part of the Zoric web. Indeed, Anna wouldn’t lay bets that there wasn’t someone else in the room who was tasked with monitoring Anna for anything that might be deemed counter to the Zoric’s best interests. The family was clearly plotting something and wanted her as a piece on the board. It didn’t feel very safe.

  But Anna hadn’t become a Ranger to live a safe life.

  Anna pulled her invitation from her clutch and stared down at her phone. She desperately wanted to call Honey and find out how Finley was doing. She flicked her wrist to free her diamond encrusted watch from under her sleeve. Finley might be in surgery by now, he hadn’t said what time they were taking him in. She snapped her bag closed and walked into the grand hall.

  Anna was told that there would be dancing before the meal and that was when she was to make her approach. At dinner she would be seated with Torshkin on her right and the National Party Leader, Senator Mitchel, on her left. With her back to the dais, she would be looking eye to eye with Governor Justly.

  How did Melina have the power to configure the seating arrangements? Anna looked down at the table with the calligraphy seating cards and found her name, Zelda Fitzgerald, at the bottom of the far-right row – there, amongst the others lined up in alphabetical order. No Zoric cards lay on the table.

  This was the party she’d been called to Washington to attend on the fateful day of the flash bang. Anna wondered what they would have done had she not shown up in time to take her place in this chair.

  Maybe send Natasha in her place?

  Anna waggled the card through the air while her gaze sought her assigned table, with the table card that read “Three.” She knew once she’d got there, her place card would show Anna the exact seat she was to take.

  The band played a few bars of introduction. Couples standing on the dance parquet turned into each other’s arms with smiles. Anna swept her gaze across the room taking in the conversation clutches, the bars place in each corner, the swirls of color from the ladies’ gowns.

  The red of her dress stood out against the pastels that seemed to be the fashion for the night. Anna didn’t want to stand out until she was ready to pounce. Very panther-like, Anna chuckled to herself as she made her way to the ladies’ room. She needed to call Melina and verify that her tiara was functioning properly.

  She stopped and smiled at the man walking toward her.

  Governor Justly.

  Perfect timing.

  His white hair swooped over a head that looked too small amidst the width and breadth of his body. His neck wattle draped over the top of his shirt collar, partially covering his bow tie.

  “Justly,” she cooed as if she had the right to call him by his last name alone. A confidant. A friend. She reached out to grasp his hand that extended automatically like most politicians’ hands did. Instead of shaking his hand, she turned and tucked it into the crook of her arm and patted it. Looking up, she said, “I’m so glad to run into you. And here the music is playing.” She walked forward, and the baffled governor tagged along as he tried to figure out what was happening. “I would so love a dance with you.”

  When they were on the dance floor, Anna moved into the Governor’s arms. “Careful now,” she said as he grasped her hand. “I’m still bruised and recovering from my car accident.”

  “Oh,” he said and sent Anna a befuddled look.

  Justly did the two-step to rumba music. Two to the left and two to the right. Fine with Anna, the less she had to move the happier she was. “I wanted to congratulate you on your good sense of history as you moved your political allegiance from one party to the other. A bold move mid-term.”

  “I’m much more at home now. I feel like I can kick my feet up and settle back. Are you active in the Party? Are you from my home state of West Virginia?

  ‘Neither.” Anna smiled. “Though, I have spent some time in your home state recently. Beautiful country, West Virginia. Amazing mountains. And the snow. I’m sure the ski industry appreciated the recent storm even if it inconvenienced some of your constituents.”

  “Big skier, are you?”

  “No. No. Hiker. As a matter of fact, I just got back early this morning from a three-day hike, blazing a trail where there was none to be had.”

  Justly stopped danci
ng. His hands tightened on Anna.

  Anna had to work not to wince. “I was up by your little hunting cabin, as a matter of fact. I would have gone straight there, but I was unsure of the reception I’d receive.”

  Justly’s mouth fell open. He had scotch breath that made Anna’s nose wrinkle.

  “You know, it’s so rude of me, I didn’t introduce myself to you when I invited you onto the floor. I’m Zelda Fitzgerald.” His hands became hot and moist. Red rose up from his collar. Anna hoped the image was clear on the surveillance tapes taken by her tiara. Guilt was practically etched in the furrows of the man’s eyebrows.

  He gulped a swallow and tried to extract his hands from hers, but Anna clamped down into a white-knuckled grip to keep him in her arms.

  “Why did you want me dead, Governor? We’ve never even met.”

  He gulped again.

  “If you don’t move your feet at least a little, people will think we’re just here on the dance floor hugging each other. It’s an odd thing to do.”

  Justly swayed left then right on feet that were cemented in place.

  “You should also be congratulated on your windfall,” she said. “You know nothing attracts the ladies like wealth and power.”

  Justly licked his lips and sent a gaze toward the bar.

  “I mean, my goodness, you sell a coal mine to a Russian family for five-hundred million dollars, what five years ago? And here I just learned that you were able to buy it back from them for only five million dollars. And the Russian family didn’t even mine the coal during that time. The mine is in exactly the same shape as when you signed on the dotted line the first time. Hire your miners back, put a couple of squirts of oil on the machinery, and you’re good to go with extra four hundred-and-ninety-five million dollars in your pocket.”

  Justly’s face pinched down tight, and he stared over her shoulder. Anna knew that look. He was ordering someone to come intervene and three, two, one…

  “Governor, excuse me, you’re needed on an urgent phone call.” A man behind her said.

  “Madam.” Justly moved to step back, but Anna gripped the cloth of his tuxedo.

  “Not so fast,” she hissed, pulling herself in tight so her words went right into his ear. “Your money laundering scheme pulled me away from my family in Slovakia to move to West Virginia and manage that inane Johnathan Borkins. When your deal was accomplished, you tried to clean up the pieces by having Johnathan and me arrested, taken to your little cabin in the woods, and killed. It didn’t go according to plan, now did it?” She leaned her head back to send him an arched eyebrow. “You were the reason why I was chased for days through the wilds in a winter storm after I survived the car accident. You’re the reason I slept outside under a piece of plastic in sub-freezing temperatures night after night. Every second of my time out there in pain and fighting for survival, I fantasized about the slow and horrible ways that I could pay you back in kind. Maybe even two scoops of payback? You,” she stopped to give him a shake, “made it impossible to go to a West Virginia hospital to seek help because you would have sent your goons in to arrest me, pull me away, and kill me. You had them chase me. Had them shoot at me.”

  “I- I- I,” Justly stuttered out.

  “Sir, if you will, it’s quite urgent,” the lackey whined.

  “You will never be safe from me,” Anna said. “Know that. Wonder, every time you twist the keys in your car’s ignition, every time you sense a shadow, every creek that you hear at night, wonder if it’s me coming to extract my pound of flesh. I will have it. Mark my words. My family has made sure that I have the skillsets to make your downfall come both when you least expect it and very painfully.”

  The governor stepped back and gave her an awkward bow. “Madam.” His voice squeaked. Purple faced, he moved with stilted steps toward his lackey.

  Anna smiled and called after him, “Enjoy your dinner, Governor. Perhaps you’ll join me for a cup of tea afterwards?”

  He spun to stare at her, his mouth hanging open. The look of terror on his face was priceless.

  * * *

  Anna pushed her face through the door. Finley was sitting up in his hospital bed. His eyes were open.

  “You still have your hair. They haven’t operated yet.”

  “Not till zero six hundred. Come on in.” He gestured her forward. “What are you doing here? I almost didn’t recognize you.”

  Anna had taken the tiara from her hair and left it in a locker downstairs, but she was still dressed in her gown and stole. She spun for Finley.

  He rewarded her with a low wolf whistle. “Are you going to tell me what this is all about?” He nodded toward the corner of the room.

  Anna turned her head to find Prescott sitting in a chair in the shadow of the corner.

  “I’m being debriefed,” Finley said.

  “It’s kind of late in the night for that isn’t it?” Anna scowled at Prescott.

  “They need the information, you know,” Finley said smoothly, “in case the surgeon slips, and I forget things from the case.”

  Anna turned on him. “That’s not funny. Fuck your gallows humor.”

  Finley looked over at Prescott. “See? That’s how she talks to me, and yet I was very patient and gentlemanly with her.” He looked back at her. “You told me you were going to sleep.”

  “I had an assignment for the Zorics.”

  “They should have waited – let you recover.”

  “The window of opportunity was narrow. I agreed with them, this task needed to be done when it was done. I was glad for the opportunity.”

  Finley raised his eyebrows.

  “I’m alright. The nurse said they could bring me a cot, and I could sleep here with you – I’m your wife, though.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Finley chuckled. He seemed in good spirits. Anna wondered what they had flowing through his IV line.

  Anna turned to Prescott, who was posting his chin on his steepled fingers watching this play out. “I’m glad you’re here. The three of us need to talk. Medved’ Zoric and Melina have a new plan for me.”

  “I’m listening,” Prescott said.

  “I asked that I be allowed to return to Slovakia as soon as possible. They disagree.” She glanced at Finley. “They believe that I have an ‘in’ with Finley. Finley has a personality that puts him at risk for falling under the sway of a swallow.”

  Finley started laughing. Prescott grinned.

  “Seriously?” Finley asked. “You’re supposed to become my lover and wrench information out of me?”

  “They want me to become a double agent – as an informant for the FBI. I’m to find out what kinds of questions I’m asked in interrogation sessions. I will then give the FBI information that the family knows you already have. In this way, I will build trust. I’m supposed to work to understand the scope of your Zoric investigation. And while doing that, I’m supposed to develop my personal relationship with Finley.” She looked over at Finley, then back to Prescott. “I’m to allow Finley and you to exploit me.”

  “Ah,” Prescott said.

  “And I’m asking you not to do it,” Anna said. “It will take a little time to play this out. Finley and me being a couple. My recovery from the accident. His recovery from surgery. But if the FBI never interrogates me… if Finley is on leave for recovery, and then is assigned to something that has nothing to do with the Zorics, then they will let me move on.” She stalled to let the information sink in. “I need to get back to Slovakia, in good standing with the Zoric family. There, I can follow the clues about the communications hacks. This game with SIC, Russia, and Justly is silly in comparison. I’m asking you to help me get back to Slovakia by putting your investigation into what happened in West Virginia, to Bivens and Mulvaney, to Johnathan and their attempt to harm the FBI, on hold until say a month after I leave.”

  “I’m not sure I—” Prescott began.

  “Here’s the thing,” Anna said afraid that he was about to say no. “If you act on any o
f this, if you interrogate me, if you put Finley back on your terror team while I’m here, the Zorics will make me stay. I can’t stay.” Anna was willing to get on her knees and supplicate herself if that was what it took. “You have to consider the bigger picture. You can take away the two means by which the Zorics think I can gain insight. If I’m of no use in gathering information, there’s no reason for me to be here. They’d let me go.”

  Prescott rubbed his palms back and forth as he thought. He slapped his hands down on his knees and pushed to standing. “Alright. I’ll figure out a way to give you a window.” He turned his attention to Finley. “We were finished. Good luck in surgery.” He reached out to shake Finley’s hand, and Anna was surprised by the camaraderie and warmth she sensed between the two men. “I’ll stop by and check on you tomorrow.” He nodded to Anna. “Mrs. Finley, I’ll see what’s holding the orderly up with your cot. You need your sleep.” And he left.

  “Oh boy! My very own swallow.” Finley grinned. “Now this is why I joined the bureau.”

  “Psh,” Anna said. “Can you imagine? I’m supposed to use my body to expose your deepest darkest secrets.” She moved to a chair. “You’ve been in this place before,” she said. “You slept with a woman to manipulate her for a case. What did—”

  “That’s only partially true. I was protecting Lacey from being killed and fell in love with her. I wasn’t her swallow—well, raven, I guess would be the male for of that term. I was…” He blew out a long breath. “I was messed up, that’s what I was. But there were other women that I slept with in the line of duty.”

  “Other women?”

  Finley blushed. “Yeah, I slept with them for expedience.”

  “I’m not judging,” Anna said. “I kill people for expedience. I think on the spectrum of behaviors sex is pretty benign comparatively.”

  Finley laughed. “This is such a weird conversation.”

  “We live strange lives.” Anna frowned “It’s all about getting what we want through violence, manipulation, and lies for the greater good and America’s safety.”