Traitor Games

by Sidney Bristol

  She tossed her almost empty coffee cup in a trash can then ambled toward the bathrooms, dragging her carry-on luggage with her.

  “Now boarding priority seating for flight—”

  A hand grabbed her wrist.

  Her head whirled around. “Hey—”

  Noah’s face was tense, his cheeks sunken, and his eyes deadly. He pulled her into the family restroom. The lights flickered on. He shut the door gently and flipped the lock.

  “What? What is it?” she whispered.

  “Hector just walked up to the gate desk,” Noah whispered.

  …

  Wednesday. Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada.

  Hector waited in line at yet another international flight desk. He hadn’t yet been to the safe house, but he knew Noah. The house would be clean and booby-trapped to hell. The bastard was meticulous, but Hector knew his habits, where he’d trip up, and what to not bother with looking for because it was a waste of time.

  The person in front of him stepped aside and Hector pasted on a smile.

  “Hello, I was wondering if you could help me?” He discreetly showed the woman his CIA badge and her brows rose. “I’m wondering if you’ve seen these two individuals?”

  He pulled a half sheet of paper with pictures of Noah and Lillian on them.

  “Excuse me, sir?” a man said.

  Hector groaned inwardly and faced the uniformed security guard. He’d known going desk-to-desk for these first flights of the day was a risk, but he needed to bypass the red tape.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” the man asked.

  “I’m looking for two people. I was hoping the staff might be of assistance?” Hector cracked his credentials just enough for the man to glimpse the shield.

  “This way, please.”

  Hector blew out a breath. Going through the proper channels was only going to slow him down, not to mention raise questions back home. He was technically out for the day. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d done work on a day off, but he’d have to think of something creative for why he’d been here now.

  He studied the people lined up for boarding as he passed. Noah wouldn’t be stupid enough to stand in plain sight.

  The security guard didn’t chitchat. He guided Hector out of the terminal and used his keycard to access areas of the building that were not for public use.

  This was wasting valuable time. It wasn’t very likely Noah and Lillian were even on this continent anymore, but he had to try. Every minute he spent going through the motions of placating law enforcement on this side of the border was another minute he lost in the hunt for Lillian and Noah. Not to mention that Hector was on thin ice with just about everyone.

  He needed a win, badly.

  Chapter Eight

  Wednesday. Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada.

  Noah looked up and down the terminal.

  Hector was out of sight, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t watching. He could be plugged into the CCTV right now, waiting for them to make a move. Or he could be gone.

  “Okay, I want you to walk out there, head up, go straight to the ticket booth, and get on the plane. Got it?” Noah pressed the boarding pass into Lillian’s hand. He wanted so badly to be with her every step of the way, but they would draw less attention on their own.

  “Is this a good idea?” she asked.

  “It’s our only option. You have to get on that plane. You can do this. I’m right behind you.” Noah opened the door and nudged her out.

  Lillian shuffled forward.

  He watched her pause, take a breath, and pull herself together. Just like a champ. An air of confidence settled around her and she strode away from him.

  Noah ducked to the left and took a drink of water, watching her progress from the corner of his eye. She was through and onto the plane in a blink.

  He still held back, watching the stragglers gathering their things. The flight was mostly boarded.

  A family of five rushed past, dragging a full set of luggage.

  Noah pivoted and strode quickly to intersect with them. He bent and snagged a drab-colored shawl off one of the bags, shoving it under his coat. If Hector was here, he’d figure out where they were going, which meant they had to look different when they got off the plane.

  He presented his boarding pass to the attendant and smiled.

  “Long day?” he asked.

  She grinned in return. “They’re all long. Have a nice flight.”

  “Thanks.”

  Whatever Hector had shown the woman, it hadn’t been Noah’s face. There wasn’t a flicker of recognition in the way she looked at him.

  Noah filed onto the plane, catching a glimpse of Lillian a few rows behind him. With any luck he’d be able to trade seats later so they could talk. They needed a plan for when they landed.

  He counted down the minutes until take-off, watching the window for signs of security or any indication the flight had been flagged. The ground crew hustled around, the luggage cart eased away. When the plane pulled away from the terminal Noah took his first easy breath. Once they were in the air he’d have to let Andy know they were en route, but with a potential snag. Hector might not have been able to stop them getting on the plane, but Noah had no doubt that when they landed there would be someone from the CIA or SICA waiting for them. A scarf wasn’t a good enough disguise. They’d have to come up with something better, and for that, they’d need backup.

  The engines wound up and the plane vibrated. They began rolling forward with speed.

  There was still a chance they’d be stopped. If someone came for them he’d have to push Lillian out an emergency exit, or take the plane hostage. The second scenario wasn’t ideal, and once they were on the ground they’d be outnumbered and easy targets.

  The nose of the plane rose, and then they were off. The plane could be re-routed, any number of other things could interfere with their escape, but the chances of that were greatly diminished.

  For the next however many hours, their fate was sealed. From here on out, it would be reactionary until they landed. With any luck, Andy would have that taken care of.

  “Excuse me?” Lillian’s sweet voice made the hair on the back of Noah’s neck stand up. “Would you mind trading seats with me so I can sit next to my boyfriend? I’ve got the aisle seat behind the—I guess that’s a bulkhead—with a lot more leg room.”

  Noah turned his head. Lillian had her smile aimed at the tall gentleman on Noah’s right with the aisle seat.

  He briefly considered punching his row-mate for earning a smile from her.

  The gentleman chuckled and made some comment about young love before getting up and allowing Lillian to slip into his seat.

  “You couldn’t wait a few more minutes?” Noah asked. The flight attendants were glaring at them.

  “But I hate being separated from you.” Lillian smiled and winked at the elderly woman on Noah’s left.

  “Don’t mind me,” the woman said with a mischievous smile.

  Great.

  He was trapped between these two. What more could he ask for?

  The woman leaned toward them and put her hand on Noah’s forearm.

  “I’m going to go to sleep soon. Please don’t let the stewardesses wake me? I won’t eat or drink anything until we land. Nervous stomach.”

  “I know what you mean. Want a blanket or a pillow? Anything?” Noah covered her hand with his and squeezed.

  “I’ve got everything I need right here.” The woman patted the plastic bags containing the flight-issued accoutrements along with a fuzzy leopard facemask that certainly wasn’t standard.

  “Well, have a nice nap.”

  Lillian leaned on the armrest, invading his personal space.

  “Not a word yet,” he whispered to her. She was vibrating with the need to talk, but until the old woman was asleep they really couldn’t discuss anything.

  She frowned and retreated back into her seat.

&nb
sp; Noah dug out the newest burner. Their last two had gone down the drain and into a passerby’s hand luggage. With any luck, the items would be out of the airport by the time they were discovered, reducing the risk Hector might get his hands on them. Noah powered on the new phone and waited. He had to signal the others before the plane went out of cell range.

  The screen flickered. He tapped the text button and typed out a quick cryptic message and sent it to the universal number Andy had him using. That done, Noah powered the phone off and pocketed it.

  A snore from his right indicated the elderly woman had made good on her promise.

  Noah perched his elbow on the armrest, vying for real estate with Lillian’s, and stared at the side of her face. The dark hair was striking against her tanned skin. The DIY haircut was some of his best work, which wasn’t saying a lot. She’d made it work, though. Some jeans, boots, and a few layered tops helped change up the sleek, sophisticated woman into a trendy globe-trotter. The hat was a good touch and she’d done some magic with makeup that softened the angular bones of her face and round her out a bit. She was still every bit as beautiful as before, just different looking.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I thought we weren’t allowed to speak.” She peered at him out of the corner of her eye.

  “We weren’t, but now we are.”

  “Okay, so what are we talking about?” She twisted to face him, leaning her cheek against the headrest, her knees pressing against his thighs.

  “Well, we made it on the flight for one.”

  “High five to that.” She held up her hand and he gently smacked her palm.

  “I don’t think our friend made the connection, though. I bet they’ll be on the next one out.” He kept his face neutral, but saw the flicker of realization from her.

  “What the hell happened?” she whispered.

  Noah glanced over his shoulder. The old woman was out, hard, and no one around them appeared the least bit interested in two people chatting.

  “Whoever followed us to Toronto likely put Hector on the trail in Montreal. I’d hoped we had more of a lead on them, but they’re obviously closer than we realized.” Noah kept his eyes on the other passengers, his voice pitched low, just for Lillian.

  “I don’t understand why the whole airport wasn’t on alert. If Hector thought we were there, why not have security looking for us?” She frowned.

  “That’s a good question.” Noah knew what he was willing to do, the lengths he’d go to keep Lillian safe. If Hector had come after them in the airport, it would have gotten messy. Hector would know that.

  “Okay, so…what are you thinking? You’ve got an idea why. Tell me.” Her eyes did that thing again, going from left to right, as though she were reading him.

  “I don’t think Hector was here under our mutual employer’s power. I don’t think anyone besides Donovan knows or cares where we are. I think this is all…” He nodded his head. He could say SICA, but he didn’t want to.

  The flight attendant rolled the cart to a stop next to them. “Beef, chicken, or vegetarian?”

  “Beef,” Noah responded.

  “I haven’t even looked at the menu.” Lillian reached for the seat pocket.

  “She’s going to want the chicken, and our sleeping friend over here is a vegetarian.” Noah smiled at the flight attendant.

  Lillian frowned at him, but he kept going, giving their drink order and accepting all three beverages. They sipped their respective drinks, biding time until the cart and crew rolled away.

  “She said not to get her anything.”

  “Which means we now have an extra water and a dinner to split between us. Airplane food isn’t the best, and with your gluten intolerance, it’ll take at least two meals for you to get enough to eat. Besides, it would just sit around not being eaten. This way you don’t go hungry.”

  “How did you know…?”

  “All of the freezer meals at your house have that gluten-free sticker on them. You aren’t the kind of person to chase fads, so I assumed it was a medical reason. Last night you went through and picked the layers of pasta out of the lasagna and you avoided the lo mein. How bad is your intolerance?”

  “Not as bad as it could be. It makes life easier when I can avoid it.”

  “We’ll avoid it.”

  She kept staring at the side of his head. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d care about something like that.”

  “It affects you. I care.” And not just because it would impact her ability to function or run, if need be. He didn’t want her to be stressed by anything more than what they had to deal with.

  “You have to stop doing things like that. You’re going to ruin that frustrating, asshole thing you had going for you.” Lillian didn’t smile, but he heard it in her voice.

  “As you wish.”

  “Stop it.” She shifted, retreating a bit, but she kept her face toward him. “I appreciate everything you’re doing, even if it’s just doing your job.”

  Noah wasn’t sure that the job factored into his decisions anymore.

  She lifted her hand and touched her cheek and nose. “What? Is something on my face?”

  “No.” He took her hand and lowered it to her thigh.

  There was something about her that woke up parts of him he’d put to sleep a long time ago. She made him remember that at one time, he’d been a better person. He slid his hand around hers, interlacing their fingers. He didn’t deserve her faith in him, he shouldn’t be the one to watch her back, but here he was. He was tied to her, partially by choice. She was someone he wanted to be around, to keep safe. Donovan didn’t need to give Noah orders to ensure that happened.

  This whole time Noah had known his motives where Lillian were concerned weren’t just orders. He was finally seeing the pit he’d jumped into last year. All it had taken was a look, one clash of eyes across a room, and he was part of this. Because of her. The woman had gotten her hooks in him without even trying and he didn’t want to get away.

  …

  Wednesday. CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia.

  Dave picked up the phone. His boss walked by the open door and paused at the admin’s desk.

  “Hello?” Hector said through the phone.

  “One minute.”

  Dave put the phone down and crossed to the open door, but his boss was already gone. He looked at his admin staring at some printout.

  “What did he want?” Dave asked.

  “Checking your schedule,” she replied.

  Why would his boss drop by to put eyes on Dave’s calendar? That was an odd thing to do.

  He closed his office door and returned to the desk, picking up the phone.

  “What?”

  “They were at the airport. I barely missed them this morning,” Hector said.

  “How?”

  “They got on a plane headed to London. Should be there in the morning.”

  Dave glanced at the door again.

  They’d gotten wind of something coming through their European assets. The head of Mossad, MI5, and the German BND were all taking unplanned trips.

  “Get Demetrius and get to London.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Dave hung up. He placed his hands on the desktop, the cool wooden surface chilling his skin.

  So far, these rogue agents were focused on American activities. They were as of yet unaware that SICA reached far beyond one country’s borders. They were everywhere.

  He grabbed the computer mouse and toggled to his virtual desktop. Several messages awaited him, but nothing he wasn’t expecting. Their efforts to uncover the rogue agents in Germany had turned up nothing. The border checks hadn’t identified the baby. He bypassed those and opened a new email draft. This could be an opportunity dropped into his lap. He wrote three emails in quick succession, his mind firing all cylinders.

  He could spin this.

  It could work.

  By the end of all this, he just might thank these rogue agents.<
br />
  …

  Thursday. Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom.

  Lillian stopped and knelt next to her bag, staying close to the wall of the ramp. Other passengers strode by, putting more bodies between her and Noah. After a count of ten, she got up and followed along with everyone else out into the terminal.

  She’d been to the UK once before with her sister. It’d been such a brief trip she hardly remembered anything. The halls were foreign to her and Noah was nowhere to be seen. She tamped down on the nerves and reminded herself all there was to do was follow the signs for customs and immigration. That was it.

  A family meandered past, led by a pre-teen on her phone. They had a son in his late teens. Lillian sped up and kept pace with them, a little behind the boy as though she belonged to this family and was not a woman traveling alone.

  The hat Noah had procured for her kept sliding back on her head, nearly falling off. She pulled it down and shoved the spectacles up her nose. The prescription was fairly weak but looking through the lenses made her stomach clench, so she kept her eyes either on the ground or peering over the top.

  A hand grasped her elbow.

  Lillian gasped and her spine went straight.

  “Excuse me, ma’am?” She stared into the kind eyes of a man in a suit with a nametag pinned to his chest. He held out the scarf Noah had given her earlier on the flight. “You dropped this.”

  “Thanks.” She took the length of gauzy fabric and wound it around her neck, muffling her curses.

  The family had continued on their way, leaving Lillian on her own. The foot traffic had lessened, the passengers dispersing to their connection or to customs. She ducked her head, keeping her gaze on the floor, and continued toward the exit.

  Her throat tightened when she glimpsed the line waiting for her.

  She was a sitting duck here. Anyone could pick her out of the proverbial lineup. It would also be easy for someone to simply wait on the other side for them to exit.