Defenseless (28 page)

I
arrive at Charlie’s mother’s house. Unease is all I feel. One of two things will happen here: she either doesn’t know that Charlie has vanished and I’ll tell her, or she knows and I look like a love struck fool. Either way, I have to be ready for the fallout.

Here goes nothing.

“Mark, right?” Dominic opens the door as my hand reaches for the doorbell.

“Yeah.” I shake his hand as he smiles. “Good to see you, Dominic.”

“Call me, Dom. Charlie isn’t here.” He leans against the doorjamb. “If you’re looking for her. I haven’t heard from her in a few days.”

That’s not encouraging. “When was the last time you spoke to her?”

“We don’t talk often, as you can imagine. It’s more of a when she feels like letting me know things.” Dominic steps forward after looking over to the right. Something caught his eye. “Why don’t you come inside? I’m sure my mother would love to see you.”

I nod and step through the doorway.

“Mom!” he yells. “Charlie’s friend is here. I’m going to take him to the game room.”

“I’m not really in the mood to play video games today.” I laugh.

“Not really a video game guy. I’m more into playing pool,” he corrects. His finger goes over his lips and I get it now.

“I haven’t played in years, but we had a table at the base in Iraq that we played on after missions.”

“Charlie and I grew up playing.” Dominic talks as we head toward the basement. “My dad was the master, though. I don’t think any of us ever beat him.”

We get to a room downstairs and he flips a switch. The lights go on and sure enough, it’s a game room. A minute later Priscilla joins us.

“Mark, it’s lovely seeing you again.” She smiles and walks toward me. Her hands take mine and she pulls me so we’re cheek to cheek. She lowers her voice to whisper in my ear, “Give him a minute before you talk.”

Dominic is over on the left, opening a control panel. He turns some lights green and then nods.

“So, how have you been?” She asks with a smile.

“Good.” My voice is even, though I feel anything but. They’re family members who have lived this life. They’re not stupid, and I’m sure Charlie’s father prepared them.

“We’re fine now,” Dominic says.

You can actually see Priscilla’s entire demeanor shift. “Where is she?”

“That’s what I came to ask you.”

“You were the last person she was with. She called me from Virginia Beach. Told me she was with you, and would call me when she got back. Now you’re here without her, and Dominic had to trigger the codes?” Priscilla’s brown eyes are almost black. She spits each word as I can imagine terror grips her.

I step closer, letting her see through my eyes. “She left my house nine days ago. I followed her to DC, but she was hell bent on getting rid of me. We argued, and as far as I knew, we were done. At the gala you hosted, she was drugged.”

“I assume these are connected?” Dominic asks.

“I think so. I don’t know, though. The guy who told me about the waiter and the information was keeping tabs on Charlie after I left her that day. He was concerned for her safety.”

“Nine days since you last heard from her,” Priscilla muses aloud. “But she hasn’t contacted any of us. We have one more day to wait. One more day, and I open it.”

Again, I’m slightly amazed at the lengths this family has gone to in the matter of what ifs. “Open it?”

Dominic takes Priscilla’s hand and walks her toward the couch. “We have to turn it back on. Five minutes is almost up.”

Jesus, these people are amazing. I mean they know the amount of time to keep coms down. How to trick the equipment. I should’ve been raised by them, not my cookie-baking, porn-stealing mother.

“I need to know what you have to open,” I press. Time is running out.

Priscilla’s eyes glisten a tiny bit before they turn to steel. “We have a protocol. If she goes out of contact, and we think she’s been taken, we wait ten days. Then we open the file. If we open it, though, chances are she’s dead. The last person we opened it for was . . .” Tears start to form again. “My husband. But we have to act as if this is normal. That she’s on a mission. No one can know we’re worried.”

“Okay.”

I’m not a parent so I can’t understand her emotions. I’ve never lost a spouse, so I can’t picture the movies that must be going through her head. But I love Charlie. For some unbeknownst reason, that girl got in my heart. I don’t know if we ever had a chance at fighting it off. But if I lose her like this—I’ll never recover.

Dominic shuts the lights back to red and nods so we all know. It’s no longer safe to speak freely. We have to play the part that she’s off doing whatever and we’re not concerned. All the while, we write notes and burn them in the fire. Dominic suspects she went to a safe house. Priscilla throws that notion out because she would’ve contacted her once she made it.

My thoughts circle round and round. If she went to a safe house, why no contact if they have this timeline set up? It all seems a bit coincidental to me. So, I think. What would I do if it were me? First, if I knew my house was compromised . . . I’d leave. Which we know she did. Next, she went where she could disappear . . .

“I need to go to my hotel. I’m exhausted,” I say and get up.

“I should get home, too. I have a busy day tomorrow.” Dominic gets to his feet and gives me a look. I’m sure he sees I’m full of shit, but he keeps his mouth shut. I shake my head so he doesn’t get any ideas.

This has to be done solo.

“Mark, stop by tomorrow. I’d love to talk more about the charity and what visions you have going forward. It’s great that one of Charlie’s friends is so involved. I’m sure she truly appreciates it.” Priscilla stands and walks both of us to the door. “Call me tomorrow, Dominic. None of your crappy politics when you’re working on the hill this week. I want you to do what’s best for everyone, not just you!”

“Good night, Mother.” Dominic kisses her cheek, and then he walks to where I stand, smiling. God, she must drive them insane. “I used to worry someone would kidnap her, then I realized they’d give her back after five minutes.”

We both laugh. “She’s something else.”

“You have no idea. That woman would give anyone a run for their money. I feared her as a kid. My dad was the easy one.”

“I doubt that.”

“Yeah, true. I was raised by two of the most intelligent and cunning people. It’s no wonder why my sister and I went into our professions.” Dominic smiles.

I like him. He’s good people. Even if he’s a politician, he has his head on straight. You can see this thing with Charlie has him worried, but he was smart enough to identify it. I know I’m being watched. We have proof of that from Frank. I can’t react, though. I have to act normal, which is hilarious because I’m sure they’ve figured us out.

“I’m heading back to my hotel. Maybe we can grab a beer tomorrow?” I offer because it feels like the right thing. No matter what, I’m getting Charlie back, and her family will be a part of my life. Because this woman is mine.

Dominic claps me on the shoulder. “I think you and I will get along just fine.” He hands me his card. “My cell is on the back. Call me if you need anything, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

We head off in different directions. I got a hotel in the National Mall area. That way I would be around the sights. After Frank showed me the photos of Charlie at the Lincoln Memorial, I figured I should be close to that area. I’ll head to her apartment tomorrow, but first, I want to take a look where she was last seen.

If only Frank had followed her farther.

The temperature drops during my walk, and I pull my jacket tighter around me. The chill in the air is welcomed and helps to sharpen my thoughts. Charlie had someone in her apartment when I was there, that’s clear from the photos, but why? They had to be CIA because of the car they got into. Then they were watching the Erickson’s house, so clearly this has something to do with her father. I pick up my pace as I spot the lights from the memorial.

Joggers and people on bikes pass by, even though it’s almost ten at night. This city is the ultimate chameleon. There’s deception and lies blanketed by the illusion of the truth. Every step closer, I think about how she was here and wonder if she’s in trouble. I left that day. I abandoned her when the predator was in her apartment. I knew something was wrong, but she pissed me off so much I didn’t think. “Frustrating female,” I mutter as I get closer.

I climb the steps and look around. This the first time I’ve been here. Every other time I’ve ever been to the nation’s capital, I’ve had no time to sightsee. “Why did you come here, Charlie?” I ask Abe. “What did she tell you?” I look around for something that would give me a clue. Maybe she stashed something somewhere. Then again, I’ll never find it. If she hid it, there’s no chance it’s still here.

I try to slip into what she could’ve been thinking. If I needed to disappear, then I would’ve found an exit that gave me a chance to blend well. There was no emergency that day, so she didn’t cause a diversion.
Think, Mark
.

“Hello, Mr. Dixon.” I turn as a man in a navy suit walks toward me. “You don’t know me, even though I know a lot about you. But I thought we should officially meet.”

If I were a betting man, I would lay money that he’s a member of the agency. Instead of going on the defensive, I relax and appear as if I was anticipating this visit. “I figured it wouldn’t be too long before you showed yourself.”

He pauses, and I wonder if I made the right decision. I need to trust my gut. You don’t give up your hand unless your cards are crap. For him to show himself means they need me in some capacity. “Why are you here?”

“Same reasons you are.”

“I’ve watched you for a long time. Once you became a part of her life, we learned quite a bit. Such a pity, all the trouble that’s happening to your friends.”

My fists clench as I fight the urge to smash them into his face. If they’re fucking around with us, I don’t care who he is. Then I remember that they could have Charlie. I won’t let them hurt her. “It is.” I keep it short and calm myself. I recall Jackson’s words about checking my emotions.

“You know.” He stands against the wall. “I’ve always loved this place. It’s funny that so many find Abraham Lincoln iconic. He built his legacy on honesty and freedom. Yet, so many of us live a life filled with chains and lies. Baffles me how many agents, politicians, and regular people come here for perspective. They find it and then go back to their ways. We spend our lives in the darkness and shadows, and here he sits for the world to see. Funny, isn’t it?”

His monologue is boring. The thing about people like him is they don’t often say anything without a meaning behind it. When they speak, they have hidden layers. In my training, I really learned to listen. If I had to break his words down, I’d take away that they don’t have her. Her old ways would lead her to stay in the darkness. She’s trained to hide.

“Interesting speech, Mr. . . .” I trail off and wait for him to fill in the blank.

“Smith.”

I laugh. “Of course. How original.”

“You shouldn’t be worried about who I am, but rather what I know that you must be desperate for.”

“I love a good riddle. Why did the chicken cross the road?” I’m over this guy. I don’t think he knows a damn thing.

“I doubt you’ll find this funny, Mr. Dixon.” He extends an envelope.

I don’t want to touch it, but at the same time, I know I will. My main goal is to stay calm. I can’t let him rattle me. In the back of my mind, I’m aware that I’m playing into his hand. Charlie would tell me to throw it down and walk away, but if they have her, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to get her back. I open the envelope and pull out a photograph. It’s her bound to a chair. Her arms and legs are tied, and she sits behind a black wall. Nothing descript about anything in this photo except her. She’s gagged and blindfolded, but the tiny tattoo on her leg lets me know it’s her.

“What do you want?” I ask. I’m about to become his puppet.

“I thought that would change your tune. There’s a file. She has it hidden, and I want it. Now, be a good boy and fetch it.”

He has no clue how fast I could snap his neck. I have a feeling this guy is high on the food chain. There’s no way he’s acting alone, but if I fuck this up, she’s dead. “What makes you think I can get it? You’re all spies, isn’t this your forte?”

“You’ve been in her office.”

“And?”

“Let’s not play games. I won’t hesitate to kill her.”

“I want proof she’s okay,” I demand.

“File first.”

“No dice. Let me remind you of my background. I’m not dumb. I’m not new at this. I want proof of life, and I don’t mean some photo you could’ve doctored for all the hell I know. I want to talk to her or video with a date and time stamp. I mean, my memory isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.” I fake being bored with this. I can’t remember how the hell she did that security thing. I doubt I’ll ever crack it.

“You’re in no position to make demands.”

“Actually, I am. So proof of life by tomorrow, or I’ll find her and kill anyone who stands in my way. Your choice.” I head down the stairs without looking back. I just made one hell of a move, but I have no other options.

If I fail, I lose her. If I lose her, I lose me.