by Elle James
Cole pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard.
She opened to him and he slid his tongue along hers in a caress he didn’t want to end.
When it did, he stood back and ran his gaze over her from top to toe. “You look amazing.”
“I didn’t think you could look better than when you wore your jeans and a T-shirt. But this look?” She nodded. “Sexy as hell.”
He held out his elbow. “Ready to conquer the world?”
“I am.” She slipped her hand through the bend of his elbow and walked with him down the staircase to the ground floor.
Cole led her toward the voices he heard coming from the kitchen.
Mustang, Charlie, Anne, Jack, Jonah and Carl the chef were busy setting the table, toasting bread and pouring coffee and orange juice into mugs and glasses.
They all settled at the table and discussed the day ahead.
Anne gave them a brief description of the layout of the offices in the West Wing and where they could find Chris Carpenter’s.
“I put together a small tool kit for you to use when you move Carpenter’s desk around,” Jonah said. “Nothing in the kit should raise any alarms with the guards at the entrance. I even packed several types of batteries so that the two GPS disks will look like any other small, flat batteries. I also gave you the printout of the work order.”
“Thank you.” Cole scooped fluffy scrambled eggs onto his plate and a couple of slices of crispy bacon.
“It would be better if you and CJ don’t show up at the West Wing at the same time.” Mustang held up a hand. “Don’t worry. Anne and Jack can walk her in to make certain she isn’t targeted.”
Cole frowned. “I don’t like being that far away from her. She’s my assignment.”
CJ stiffened beside him, making him realize how callous his words sounded.
“I mean, I want to be the one to protect her.” He turned to CJ. “I’ve been with you the longest.”
“I can manage getting into the West Wing without a bodyguard,” CJ said. “For that matter, it might be better if I don’t get too close to any of you. Trinity is likely to know by now that you’re all working together to bring them down.”
“She has a point,” Charlie said.
“In which case,” Mustang said, “since I’m not one of the people going to work in the White House, I could wear a disguise and go with CJ as far as the entrance to the West Wing.”
Cole didn’t like the idea of being separated from CJ for even a minute, but they were right. Trinity had to be watching Charlie’s estate by now and anyone coming and going. He nodded. “We’ll have to take separate vehicles to the train station.”
“I’ll drive CJ all the way in and let her off near the Capitol,” Arnold said as he joined them at the table.
“I can catch the train, change shirts in a bathroom and put on a ball cap before I get off at Farragut station,” Mustang said. “I can position myself at a crosswalk, where you can drop off CJ, and walk near her the rest of the way to the West Wing.”
The more complicated the plan got, the less Cole liked it. “I’ll be there as soon as I can get there by metro,” he said. “Wait for me to do any snooping around.”
CJ dipped her head. “I’ll get in and check Carpenter’s schedule and let you know via the burner phone what times he’ll be out of office. You can schedule your work order around him leaving for a meeting.” She frowned. “You can give me one of the GPS devices. I can slip it into his jacket, since I’ll be with him all day.”
Cole nodded. “I’ll do that after I get the tool bag through security.”
With plans in place, they finished breakfast and loaded up into separate vehicles. Mack and Gus arrived by the time they were ready to leave and tightened up the convoy of vehicles heading for the metro and DC.
CJ rode with Cole as far as the metro station.
“I’ll see you soon,” Cole said. “I’d rather be with you, but Mustang will take good care of you.”
CJ opened her mouth, but Cole pressed a finger to her lips with a smile. “I know. You can take care of yourself. But it’s nice to have backup.” He squeezed her hand before he got out and boarded the train.
Anne, Jack Snow and Mustang arrived in separate vehicles. They got onto different train cars without acknowledging each other’s presence. As far as curious onlookers could tell, they didn’t know each other. And by watching the rearview mirror and looking behind their little caravan, Cole had determined that no one seemed to have followed them from Charlie’s estate. But they couldn’t take any chances. Trinity had an entire network of individuals swarming all over DC and surrounding areas.
Cole found a seat and studied the people on board, wondering if one or more of them worked for Trinity. How could he tell? The Trinity sleepers who’d been inside the West Wing looked like everyone else who worked there. It was impossible to tell the difference.
He prayed CJ’s disguise was sufficient to get her in and keep her safe until he arrived.
Chapter Eight
CJ sat in the back of the SUV, relying on Roger Arnold to get her through the heavy morning DC traffic. Thankfully, they’d left far earlier than most and missed a significant portion of rush hour until they neared the heart of the political scene. By the time they’d arrived at the agreed upon drop-off point, the traffic had slowed to a crawl. In some places, it was more stop-and-go than a crawl.
Mustang stood at a bus stop not far from where CJ got out of the car. He wore an Atlanta Braves baseball cap and a light gray sweatshirt. CJ walked past him headed toward the White House. In her peripheral vision, she saw Mustang fall in behind her. Moving with purpose, she didn’t take long to reach the West Wing of the White House.
As predicted, the security was still tight following the attack and subsequent kidnapping of the vice president and one of the mid-level staffers. CJ still felt responsible for getting Anne Bellamy involved in that mess. But when she’d learned that John Halverson had asked Anne to spy on people in the White House, looking for anyone who might have connections to Trinity, CJ had reached out to her. She had seen mentions of a potential attack on the White House and had felt obligated to warn someone on the inside to be aware and safe.
What she hadn’t expected was for Anne to be kidnapped along with the VP and used as leverage to lure CJ out of her hiding as a trade for the lives of Anne and the vice president.
She’d offered to make that trade to free two innocent people. But Declan’s Defenders had had other plans. With her help, they’d brought down the Trinity sleeper agents, freed Anne and the VP and saved the day without bringing CJ out in the open.
She owed them a lot for their sacrifices and the risks they’d taken to rescue the hostages. They had been right in assuming a trade would accomplish little. Trinity wasn’t known to leave anyone alive to identify their agents in a lineup. Had they made the trade, CJ, Anne and the VP would have died.
Using the information Anne had provided about entry and location of offices, CJ stepped through the doors, scanned her card and proceeded through the metal detectors. The card worked, the metal detectors didn’t find anything amiss, and she was on her way into the West Wing.
One hurdle crossed, on to the next. She found the office of the Homeland Security Advisor, Chris Carpenter, pasted a smile on her face and entered.
Having seen several pictures of the man, CJ recognized Carpenter at once. He stood in the middle of the front office, waving a stack of papers at some poor woman.
“How am I supposed to get anything done without help?” he asked.
“I’m only on loan until they bring in a temp to replace Dr. Saunders,” the woman said. “I have work to do in my other office, as well. I can’t do everything.”
CJ cleared her throat to gain their attention. “Are you Mr. Carpenter?” she asked, knowing the answer before he gave it.
/> “Yeah. Who are you?”
“HR sent me as a temporary replacement for Dr. Saunders.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” the other woman said and rushed for the door.
CJ held out her hand to the man standing in the middle of the room. “Charlotte Jones. You must be Chris Carpenter, my new boss for the time being.”
He gripped her hand absently and gave it a brief shake. “Can you type? Ever done any fact checking?”
CJ nodded. “Both.”
“Are you even set up on the computer network?” Carpenter shook his head. “I don’t know why they send me replacements when we have to spend the next two weeks getting them up and running on the server. By that time, Dr. Saunders will be back from sick leave.”
“Let me see what I can do before we get tech services involved,” CJ said. “Where will I be sitting?”
“You’ll have to sit at Dr. Saunders’s desk. And, speaking of tech services, they’ll be in today to rearrange the connections in my office. And about damned time. I’ll be out most of the morning and early afternoon to meetings. You’ll have to familiarize yourself with the office on your own.” He stared down at the papers in his hands. “These will have to suffice until I can make the changes.” With one last glance, he headed for the door. “I’ll be back before the end of the day.”
After Carpenter left the office, CJ sat at the desk he’d indicated and tapped the mouse. The screen came to life. She stuck her access card into the reader on the computer base unit and entered the password Jonah had set up for her. Like magic, the computer came to life and let her into the server used by the staff of the West Wing. Once there, she sifted through various files searching for ones created by Chris Carpenter.
None of the files on Dr. Saunders’s computer provided any information, clues on the attack, a connection to Tully or the Trinity sleeper agent, posing as a Secret Service agent who’d set off the explosion. But then, CJ hadn’t expected to find anything obvious. She needed to get onto Carpenter’s computer to see if there were any files or emails stored there that could lead them to the man in charge of Trinity.
Until Cole arrived, she didn’t dare walk into Carpenter’s office or log on to his desktop computer. Having a representative from technical services gave her a good excuse to be in the Homeland Security Advisor’s office. Or better yet, she would be the first line of defense should people want to go into Carpenter’s office. She could waylay them with the news Chris was in meetings all day. At the same time, she could warn Cole someone was outside the door.
He only had to have enough private time to download the contents of the computer onto a portable hard drive. Then he’d make the adjustments to the office as requested, to the best of his ability, and get the heck out before anyone discovered he wasn’t really part of the tech services team.
CJ spent the first half hour using the bug sweep device Jonah had given her to check the entire outer office for any signs of hidden cameras or microphones. When she was certain there weren’t any, she carried a document into Carpenter’s office, leaving the door open in case someone walked in. She had the excuse of leaving the document on his desk as the reason for being caught in his office.
The bug scanner came up empty. With both offices clear, she felt more confident Cole would be able to do what he had to do without being observed.
With nothing else to do to pass time, CJ studied the data pertaining to the Department of Homeland Security. She received emails from Carpenter giving her a list of tasks to accomplish by the time he returned to the office that afternoon.
CJ wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with some of the items on the list, but she gave it her best shot. Thankfully, Trinity had insisted all of the children placed in their hands be educated in math, the sciences, English and foreign languages. What she didn’t know, she searched on the internet for information.
By the time Cole appeared, she was ready to get on with the work they’d come to do. And seeing him again brought back memories of their night together. Her body warmed.
“I’ve checked the offices for bugs,” she said in a low voice. Though she’d checked, she still didn’t fully trust that the device she’d used was fail proof. In a louder voice, she asked, “Are you the technical services representative here to move Mr. Carpenter’s office around?”
“I am.” Cole waved the work order in his hand. “Point me in the right direction and I’ll get to it.”
She led him to Carpenter’s office, opened the door and let him in. “I take it you know what has to be done?”
He nodded. “I’ve got a work order with detailed instructions.”
“Let me know if you need anything from me,” CJ said. “I’ll be out here, manning my desk.” She left the door open only a crack. Enough that Cole could hear her, but not enough that anyone could see him sitting at Carpenter’s desk, downloading data onto a portable hard drive.
CJ sat at her desk, facing the door to the hallway, her nerves on edge, fully expecting guards to come storming in looking for her with her fake clearance and identifying her as the person tapping into a computer hard drive. They’d haul her and Cole off and send them somewhere to be interrogated. Maybe even Guantanamo Bay to perform a little waterboarding on them to get what little information they could out of them.
Though she didn’t care much what happened to her, she didn’t want to see Cole thrown in jail for trying to help her find the Director of Trinity and put a stop to its form of terrorism.
A few minutes crawled by. CJ tapped her fingernails on the desktop, wondering how long it would take to make a complete backup of a desktop computer’s hard drive.
She had just risen to go check on Cole’s progress when a dark-haired young woman with a smooth, white complexion and coal-colored eyes entered the doorway to the hall and smiled. “I heard we had a replacement for Millicent.” She entered, holding out her hand. “I’m Katie Wang, I work with the director for Europe and Russia.”
CJ shook the woman’s hand, trying to think of some way to get her out of there as soon as possible. “I’m Charlotte Jones. I’m just temporary staffing, filling in for Dr. Saunders. Is there something I could help you with?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I was working with Millicent on a project involving some connections in Russia. Mr. Carpenter knows about it. If he asks you to pick up the ball and run with it, you can call me. I can fill you in.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to do that. You’re in the directory?” CJ asked.
“I am. Anything you might need, feel free to call.” Katie headed for the door. “We were all sorry to hear about what happened to Millicent. I visited her in the hospital. She’s home now recovering.”
“I’m glad to know that. I’m sure she will be missed while she’s out.”
“At least HR got it right on sending a replacement.” Katie wiggled her fingers. “See ya around. And good luck.”
As soon as Katie Wang left the office, CJ pushed through the door into Carpenter’s office. “How’s it going? Need help moving furniture?”
“Not yet. I need another five minutes to complete this download.” Cole nodded at the computer and the flash drive sticking out of the front.
“Carpenter is supposed to be out of his office all morning,” CJ said. “I don’t expect him back anytime soon.”
“Convenient. Maybe you can help me. The work order shows he wants the credenza moved to the west wall.”
“Let me check out front and then I’ll be back.” CJ dashed out into the front office. Since it was empty, she turned back to the Homeland Security Advisor’s office. She was just about to push through the door again when she heard voices in the hallway. One in particular was very familiar and had her heart racing.
She ducked her head into the inner office. “Got a problem. I hear Carpenter heading this direction.”
“I can’t
stop the download now, or I’ll have to start all over again.” Cole glanced at the monitor and shook his head. “I need another three minutes.”
“I’ll do the best I can,” CJ said and ran to her desk in time to take her seat.
Chris Carpenter entered the area with another man CJ didn’t recognize at his side. “I have that file on my desk. I’ll only be a second.”
CJ stood and blocked Carpenter’s path. “Oh, good. I’m glad you came back. I’m stuck and need a little guidance on one of the items on your list.”
The Advisor tried to step around her. “I don’t have time to help. Ask someone in one of the other offices to assist. I need to grab a file and go.”
“Sir, the technical services guy just got here.” CJ went to Carpenter’s office door and stopped, her fingers curling around the handle. “Did you want to give him any directions on how you want your office arranged? He’s ready to begin but had some questions.”
“It’s about time tech services got here. I put that work order in over a month ago. Yes, I’ll speak with him.” He turned to the man waiting in the doorway to the hall and held up a finger. “Give me two minutes.”
The man nodded.
CJ prayed Cole had managed to cover the flash drive as she pushed the door open. “Mr. Carpenter is here. You can ask him what you wanted to know now.”
Cole stood by the blank wall, away from the computer and monitor. “Is this the wall you wanted the credenza on?”
Carpenter nodded. “It is.”
“Did you want it centered or offset to the right or left?”
CJ walked around the desk and stared at the wall with her head tilted to one side. “Centered would look good,” she said. She shot a glance at the computer monitor. Cole had turned it off. Though the computer hummed as the files and data downloaded to the flash drive, having the monitor off made it appear as if the computer was powered down or in hibernation mode.
