“I am so sorry. It’s a loss for all of us. I’m scanning over the images, and I’m not seeing much in the way of military activity in your direct area. I think the plan right now should be to watch and wait. Let’s see if ISIS is going to come back to this tell. If you can keep me updated with specifics, I have contacts who can get the information to the military. Whether they’ll pay attention or not, I can’t promise. But if you start trying to excavate the tell, surely someone’s going to say something to someone else, and you’ll make ISIS think you’re stealing from them. I don’t want anything bad to happen to the villagers or our friends.” She reached over and picked up the receiver again, pulling her foot under her thigh and leaning her weight onto her elbows. “I’m sending the 3-D cameras that we spoke about soon. I’ve approved them. We have financing in place. The AACP is going to airship them as quickly and quietly as possible. Jael will make sure that your group has what you need. As far as the artifacts on your tell go, we’ll need to be satisfied with documentation for now.”
“Yes, yes. We can do that. Thank you so much for everything. I pray every day for you and Nadia. That you will continue to be able to help our efforts. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Sophia said, and the call ended.
Nutsbe blew out a breath as the team watched Sophia hang up the phone and walk out of her office. “When she says ‘my pleasure’ in that bedroom voice of hers, all kinds of pictures pop into my brain.”
Brian sent daggers his way. “Lips and dick zipped.”
“We’re not going to be on this assignment forever, man.” He smacked Brian’s chest with a grin. “Too bad she’ll probably be in super max when we’re done.”
“Let’s get our notes together for Finley and Andersson.” Thorn shifted papers out of the way. “In my mind, there was debt hanging out there on Sophia’s end. It was the perfect reason for Sophia to make a choice to do a deal with the devil. This lawsuit may take some pressure off. On a personal note, I hope that’s true. Another piece to that is, if she is guilty, I’d still like to press the FBI to turn her, keep her out of jail in return for her cooperation. If she’s not helping ISIS for ideological reasons, that is. Her knowledge and contacts are unique, and listening to her on that call, I’m convinced she’d be a good person for Iniquus to partner with. Add in her language skills, her knowledge of the area, and prison would be a huge waste of her talents. Any thinking person could see that. She could still present in court as if she’d been functioning as an informant all along.”
Brian was right onboard with that line of thought.
Nutsbe was bending a paper clip back and forth until it broke. “There’s always the possibility that the perp isn’t motivated by money. You mentioned being ideologically aligned with ISIS. Do we know anything about Sophia or Nadia’s religious views? This new player on the scene, Jael of the effing Rex Deus, that’s got me stymied.”
“If we’re stretching the envelope to see how wide we can make it,” Thorn said, “why couldn’t the perp be aligned with the Museum of the Holy Bible, or be madly in love with one of the Gilchrest clan? Maybe even be a member of the Gilchrest clan.”
“All right, stop.” Nutsbe shifted in his seat. “I can take a look at those things, but in the meantime, there’s one of those cloak and dagger phone calls to Sophia that you two need to hear.” Nutsbe pulled up a video of Sophia at her desk with the sound on mute. Then he tapped to play the audio file that would include both callers’ voices.
“Did you get my message?” Sophia asked.
“We did, well done.” It was a man’s voice this time. “This is exactly the opportunity we’ve been looking for. We passed the information through the channels, and an arrangement was agreed to.”
“Where did you find this package?” Sophia asked, rolling her chair over to enter the coordinates as they were read out. “Got it. I don’t want any mistakes. It’s imperative that it is that particular piece and no other.”
“Understood. It’s in our possession.”
“Is it en route? How is it getting to the US?”
“The courier will hand-deliver the item.”
“Okay, good. And the money?”
“It will be transferred as we hand the piece to its owner on Monday.”
Nutsbe grunted. “I do believe that Sophia has stuck her foot in the FBI web and is about to get stung. The coordinates on her computer are for the site listed for the tablet. It sounds like she’s sent her people to pick up the artifact the FBI is tracking. And it’s headed for the US on Monday. The same day, by the way, their buddy with the Rex Deus tattoo is headed to town.” He lifted his brows. “An interesting coincidence, don’t you think?”
Thorn and Brian left Nutsbe to his searches and headed to the cafeteria for some grub.
“You’ve got your heart on your sleeve, man,” Thorn said quietly as they moved down the hall. “Titus put you in one hell of a fix by asking you to go after Sophia when he knew you had a previous relationship.”
“We had a conversation, not a relationship,” Brian countered.
Thorn put his hand on Brian’s shoulder, moving him toward an empty office and shutting the door.
“We’re all brothers on Panther Force. I’m doing a gut check. This isn’t looking good for Sophia. Even you have to admit that. I like Sophia, I really do. I wish to hell that her life was easier and this wasn’t happening. I’m hoping we can find a way to dig her out. But you’ve got to be prepared for what’s coming. You have to know, I’m going to hate putting those cuffs on her wrists. But if she’s guilty of providing information to fund terror—”
“Then she needs to be punished. Agreed.” Brian was short circuiting. The mental image of Sophia on the ground with her hands cuffed behind her and some asshole’s knee in the small of her back messed with him in ways he’d never experienced before. He needed to forgo his dinner and hit the gym, hard. Burn through the chemicals that made his brain crazy. He needed to be the steady, clearheaded force that figured this out and wrangled the best possible outcome. At least Sophia had Lana to keep her kids when the shit hit the fan. If the shit hit the fan. “Let’s not get tunnel vision. There are a ton of moving parts on this one.”
“Means, motive, opportunity, bro.”
“Got it.” Brian moved to the door. “Now we need to find the evidence.”
21
Sophia
Saturday a.m.
“Here it is,” Nadia said from under the pool umbrella. She held up a plastic dolphin and made her way back to Sophia and Lana. The kids were splashing around in the kiddie pool while the women dangled their feet in the cold water.
“They aren’t going to last long. Their lips are already turning blue,” Lana said. “It’ll be a few weeks yet until the water really warms up.”
“Gorgeous day, though.” Nadia pulled her sunglasses from her hair and put them in place, turning her face toward the sky.
Lana handed the dolphin over to Chance. “Hey, guys, let’s keep the splashing down, okay?” She pulled out her phone and flipped through it. “I saw something on TV last night. This guy looked like he was kin to Brian. Hang on. Yeah, Brian’s definitely got a Stephen Amell vibe going for him.”
Nadia pulled her phone from her beach bag “Stephen who? Spell the last name.”
“A-M-E-L-L. A Canadian actor. He played—”
“Hmm. Maybe. Brian’s got a better jaw line. And better shoulders. But I guess I get what you’re saying. It’s those amazing blue eyes. Like Zac Efron.”
“Not Efron. He’s too unapproachable. Shiny. Like he’s trying too hard. Brainiack is a good combination of a stud muffin and a man willing to take out the garbage.”
Sophia glanced their way, then put her focus back on the boys. “Lana, you’re married.”
“You and Nadia aren’t.”
“Nadia and I aren’t in the market.”
Nadia leaned sideways until she and Sophia were shoulder to shoulder. “Look at this, Sophia.” She
pulled back. “No, wait. It says he has a brother—oh wow, yes, Robbie, that dark hair… Yeah, Brian could fit right into the Amell clan.” She leaned back over so Sophia could see as she flipped through the pictures. Sophia glanced down for a second then back up to take a head count of their kids. The pool was filling up as people made their way in for the opening day party.
“I bet you anything Brainiack was raised with a houseful of sisters. Maybe even by a single mom. You can tell how much he respects women. His smile just says nice.”
“Wrong. He grew up on a farm in Idaho with nine siblings. At least seven of them were boys, because he’s the seventh son of a seventh son.”
“That’s supposed to be something, isn’t it?” Lana glanced her way with a grin and a flick of her brow. “Does it give him magical powers or something?”
Nadia kicked Sophia’s leg. “Do tell. What are Brian’s magical powers? Does he sparkle when he’s excited?”
“Shut up.” Sophia looked up just as Marla, Penny, and Kay walked through the gate with their kids. Shit.
“Brainiack is a terrible nickname. Why do they call him that?” Lana asked as she stowed her phone in Nadia’s bag. “It reminds me of those horrible songs mom used to make us listen to in the car. Remember, Nadia?”
“That was the Animaniacs,” Nadia said, bumping Sophia and lifting her chin to make sure Sophia realized Marla was there. “Yeah, I hated them too.”
“Brainiack comes from his full name. Brian Ackerman—the Iniquus operatives all go by their radio handles from the military.”
Nadia tossed a loose ball back over to the kids. “How do you know that?”
“He told me.”
The ball sailed back over their heads, and Nadia caught it with her fingertips. “Huh, I should ask Thorn how he got his name. What else did Brian tell you?”
“Nothing. Though you should know, I asked him about learning more self-defense. I want him to teach us how to shoot a gun and beat someone up.” Sophia hid the fact that her gaze was tracking Marla with the mirrored lenses of her sunglasses. It meant keeping her head forward while her eyes strained to the left in order to keep Marla in her peripheral vision. It was giving her a headache as she slid her attention from the boys to Marla—back and forth.
Nadia showed her a photo of Brian in his Iniquus uniform, standing outside on Sophia’s sidewalk. “Come on, Sophia, you have to admit Brian has some serious hunk power in that uniform.”
Sophia turned her head. She didn’t want to encourage this conversation any longer. She had another problem to deal with. She’d deal with her Brian issues a different day. “I see Brian as a teammate. A professional. I don’t need to be comparing him to Hollywood hunks, getting my panties in a bunch.”
“But you asked him to teach you how to wrestle.” Lana laughed. “If I had a man like that holding me down… Whew!” She fanned her face.
“I was thinking more of kicking someone in the nuts to give myself enough time to put a bullet in their head. The last time we were in the field things didn’t go very well.” Sophia turned to catch Nadia’s eye, remembering the sheer terror of the experience. Lana had never been interested in archaeology. She spent her summers in the US with her mom. She’d been safe at home when Sophia and Nadia were kidnapped, and their dads held at gunpoint. They’d never told anyone except for Lana about the “incident.” Their dads made them promise. It was safer to keep their mouths shut.
It had been bad advice. Sophia’s therapist said that stuffing those emotions at the beginning of her long road had complicated her recovery, leading to her problems with post-traumatic stress and NEAD. To be honest, since the kidnapping, her life had been a series of traumatic events, that’s why she disagreed with the “post” part of the diagnosis.
“Mommy, I have to pee.” Turner stood beside her pinching himself through his swim trunks.
“Bathroom run,” Sophia called. “Chance, Joshua, Francis, Jake, come on, guys.” Lana’s boys helped Chance get over to her, and they all clambered out and made their way to the bathroom.
Sophia stood at the sink, lifting one little boy at a time up onto her elevated knee to help them wash their hands. Joshua and Turner were already playing under the hand dryer, so Sophia missed Marla sneaking up behind her.
“Shhhhhhhhhh.” Marla hissed like a Dementor come to suck all the happy from the environment. She stood so close that her warm breath tickled the tiny cilia in Sophia’s ear. So close that Sophia could feel Marla’s body heat.
Sophia’s skin iced.
“I’m going to get you,” she whispered, her spittle flecking Sophia’s cheek and throat. And then she moved off, heading back outside before Sophia could react.
“Ouch, Aunt Sophia, you’re squishing me!” Francis wriggled on her knee.
Sophia set the child down. Fear was a throbbing pain behind Sophia’s eyes that clouded her vision. She could no longer feel her feet against the cement, her legs bearing her weight. The sounds of the hand dryer and the boys’ giggles hung in a cloud over her head. Her breath stopped. Held. A push sent her reeling into the sink. Snapped her back into her body.
“Sorry, Mommy.” Little black eyes looked up at her.
“It’s okay, baby, let’s wash your hands.”
Sophia shook herself to get rid of the veil of anxiety that Marla had left behind. She forced herself to smile at Jake. “You’re up next, buddy.” The boys were oblivious, but Sophia knew that she had been slipping into a seizure. The second one this week. If she told her doctor…if anyone knew, she could lose her driver’s license for a year. She reflected on how hard things had been when she wasn’t allowed to drive. Back then, she was living on the bus line with a student pass. Now, she’d have to pay for Lyfts. Wait for them to show up. Transfer the car seats. The hassle would be enormous. It also would put her and the kids at risk by not being able to jump into a car and go. Right there and then, she decided to hide this from Lana and Nadia. No one could know she was having problems again.
She moved back toward the kiddie area. The five boys tucked their hands into their armpits, quacking as they waddled after her. Lana was grinning at the kids. “Come on, little duckies, it’s time to eat.”
Nadia’s face was painted with worry. “What happened?”
Sophia blinked innocently. “What do you mean?” Nadia wasn’t buying her act. She sent Sophia a worried look as she bent down and took two little hands in hers and moved toward the parking lot where grills were being manned by dads in “King of the Coals” and “In Dog Beers, I’m Two” aprons.
Sophia could smell the meat cooking, and it turned her stomach. Lana held the hands of two more boys, and Sophia scooped Chance into her arms. “Where are your flip-flops, sweetie?”
A dimpled hand pointed to the corner of the children’s area. Sophia moved to get them—she wouldn’t be able to balance their plates and Chance at the same time, and the pavement would be blistering hot in this sun. She bent to pick them up, and as she righted herself, she realized that she had been cornered. Wedged into the corner with fencing to her right and left, Marla stood behind her hissing like a snake. Sophia searched her brain for a quip or a something. Her muscles held her frozen like a mouse between the paws of a cat.
“Mommy, down!” Chance wriggled himself out of her arms and down her leg.
“Sophia!” Nadia’s stern voice yelled from behind her. “Come on.”
Sophia was freed. She pushed to the side to follow Chance as he ran toward Nadia and his brother.
“I’m going to get you,” Marla whispered.
Sophia fell in line with Nadia. “What the hell was going on?”
“Marla’s nuts, we all know that. Don’t respond. Any reaction is a victory.”
“I don’t think that strategy is working. Look, you’ve got goose bumps. What did she say?”
“Nothing worth repeating,” Sophia said, waving at one of the life guards who always smiled at her kids. “Let’s get the little ones fed.”
Lunc
h did not go well. As Sophia stood in line, Marla stood inches behind her, so close her breath shifted the hairs on the back of Sophia’s neck. Her heart was pounding as she warned herself to ignore the woman. Pleaded with herself not to react. But her mouth took control, and Sophia turned. “Get away from me, you psycho.” The moment she said it, she regretted it. Marla’s eyes lit with triumph. She had given this woman proof that she was getting under her skin.
Lana and Nadia were flanking her in a moment. They walked together back to the pool and to the privacy of their umbrella-covered table. Lana and Nadia took control of the kids and let Sophia sit with her back to the rest of the pool, looking out over the lawn to the trees beyond. Repeating the mantra her meditation teacher had given her, trying to keep her sanity intact and her outward composure calm, Sophia knew she was going to need a new strategy to handle Marla. Maybe Brian would know what to do.
Pierre Richards had brought one of his kids in to play in the kiddie pool. He waved to the women then moved over to chat. Pierre had an easy-going disposition, a wiry, runners body, and a persistent Quebecois accent. “Are you ladies having a fun time at the pool?”
“No. Not particularly.” Sophia stood and moved to talk with him.
“No?” he asked, seeming a bit mystified that his banal greeting didn’t get the normal “Great! How about you?”
“Marla is a certifiable nut job. Your wife has been following me around all day hissing in my ear and telling me she’s going to get me.” Sophia’s anger felt good. She liked the power it gave her and wanted to keep that sensation brewing.
“Wait. Marla’s not my wife. We’re just…she just decided… Hissing?” Pierre drew his brows together. His gaze sought over the area, trying to locate Marla.
“Slithering up behind me, leaning up against me, hissing in my ear,” Sophia repeated.
Marla barreled in their direction.
The lifeguard was blaring her whistle. “No running in the pool area, even if you’re an adult.”
Dead and Gone Page 55
