Betrayal (50 page)

“Cassidy…”

Cassidy had to squint in order to process the sight in front of her. “Cheryl?”

“I…I needed…” the woman began to stammer.

“Cass?” a voice called entering from the back door. “Where are you?”

“Come in,” Cassidy offered, noting the nervousness in the tall blonde woman. “In here!” Cassidy called to the agent.

“Thought you were going to pack,” the agent began as she turned the corner into the hallway. Alex stopped short as the strange sight of her lover and the congressman’s girlfriend
approached. Cassidy lifted her eyes to indicate that she was just as confused. It was clear to both Alex and Cassidy that the normally poised congressman’s girlfriend was shaken.

“Let’s go into the kitchen.” Cassidy led the woman and helped her gently to a chair. “Cheryl? Are you all right?” The woman looked up to Cassidy with regretful eyes. “Alex, can you get some water?” The agent swiftly complied with the request and handed a glass to the woman.

“Thanks,” she said softly, accepting the drink. Alex gave Cheryl a confused and concerned smile.

“What happened, Cheryl?” Cassidy asked as she pulled a chair to sit across from her.

Cheryl’s voice wavered. “I always knew, you know? I mean… what’s that they say? Leopards don’t change their spots; right?” Cassidy inhaled a deep breath and released it. No, they didn’t. She could imagine now what might have led the woman to this visit. “I thought that is where he was going….you know? To meet her…somewhere.”

“Cheryl,” Cassidy began gently. “What happened?”

The woman looked past the teacher and directly at the agent. “I’m sorry.” Alex was perplexed. “I can’t believe he would go that far.” She returned her sight to Cassidy.

“What did Chris do?” Cassidy asked directly, but softly.

“You don’t deserve any of this,” she said tearfully. “You never did.”

“It’s okay Cheryl. What happened with Chris?”

“He was with your father,” she looked back at the agent. Alex froze as Cassidy’s gaze turned squarely to her lover. “I couldn’t hear…but this,” she pulled a picture from her jacket. “He….” Cassidy looked at the picture and lifted her hand to cover her mouth in disbelief. There was Alex, beautiful and young in her uniform, a handsome young cadet’s arm around her. She stood and turned to the agent fully. Alex’s jaw was taut to the point that the small veins in her temples has begun to protrude. “I’m sorry,” Cheryl repeated.

Alex simply nodded and deliberately began to head for the door. Cassidy patted Cheryl’s shoulder as a gesture of comfort and moved to follow the agent. “Alex.” Alex was putting on her jacket and had her hand on the front door knob. “Let’s just talk about this.”

“I have to go.”

“Alex…”

“Not now, Cassidy. I have to go.”

“Where? Where are you going?” The agent stiffened and began opening the door.

“Alex, we are leaving at six tomorrow.”

“I’ll be back.”

Cassidy reached for the agent’s arm and was surprised when she felt Alex’s body tighten further in its resolve. “Please…at least let me…”

“Cassidy, not now. I’ll be back.” With those words the agent was gone.

“Ian, are you sure?”

The MI6 agent smiled. “It’s there, Jon, at the embassy.”

“Matthews?”

“I don’t know…wildcard. That’s why he’s there, though. To retrieve it.”

Krause wanted as much information as possible. “Does he know what is on the disk?” Ian Mitchell shrugged. “And Ambassador Daniels?”

“Daniels is the admiral’s footman.”

Krause bit his lip slightly and padded across the floor to the mini bar in is room. He retrieved a small bottle of scotch and poured two glasses. “So, Daniels has the disk,” he surmised his understanding as he handed his friend a glass. Mitchell nodded. “Any idea where?”

“Best guess?”

Krause took a seat and waited for his friend to continue. Mitchell swirled the scotch in his glass and narrowed his gaze. “It will be on his person.” Krause scratched his brow. “Problematic. I know,” Ian Mitchell admitted.

“Yes, but hardly impossible.”

The MI6 agent laughed. “No offense, Jon, I think the ambassador might be suspicious if you moved too close. And just how do you plan on engineering an invitation?”

Krause smiled and traced the rim of his glass with his finger. “I will be accompanying an old friend.”

“You’re escorting Jane? Is that really wise? I mean…”

“Our friendship is not such a secret in these circles. It creates the opportunity.”

“Perhaps, but you still have to get the disk from him. You may be good Jon; Paul Daniels is hardly a novice.”

“You worry too much, Ian.”

“Maybe…it’s a huge risk to do it there.”

“No. It is a huge challenge that provides the perfect cover,” Krause smiled. He missed these missions. For many years now he had been mainly a broker. He had come to believe that his days of penetrating difficult situations and attaining information without detection were a thing of the past. He had become a businessman of sorts. This mission is what men like Jonathan Krause trained for and lived for; purpose, adventure, excitement, even danger. The fact was that he had an asset he was now eager to employ. “I’m confident we’ll be able to make the exchange.”

“We? You know I…”

“Ian, you just be ready when I call. I have the disk covered. You worry about those banking transactions.”

“What about Matthews?”

“We’ll see where his alliances are,” Krause said as he finished his scotch. “I’ll be in touch, Ian. Just be ready when I call,” he repeated.

Helen Toles opened the front door and gasped at the expression on her daughter’s face. “Alexis?” Alex remained stoic and pushed gently past her mother. “Alexis…”

“Where is he?”

“Who?”

“Where is he?” Alex repeated sternly.

“Your father?” Alex’s expression remained painfully grim. “He’s in his office.” Alex began making her way down the hallway. “Alexis….” Before the older woman could finish Alex had opened the door to her father’s private sanctuary.

“Alexis?” he asked in surprise. Alex just tipped her head. “To what do I owe the honor of your visit?” he inquired smugly. Alex shook her head in disgust but still had not managed to speak. “Is this about you and your friend? I told your mother…”

The agent burst out in a sarcastic laugh. “My friend?” She rolled her eyes and bit her lip. “I’m not sure who you mean. No. This is about
your
friend.”

“My friend?”

Alex stared at her father harshly. “I almost can accept that you would hate me that much. But, Cassidy; why on earth would you want to hurt her?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Alexis.”

“Really? I wondered….how it would be that anyone could possibly know about R.J. and me. No one really
knew
. Well, except the person who happened to discover us; once.” She paused and watched as her father pushed back a little in his chair. “But, really? You would go to that weasel? What did you think? That it would push Cassidy away?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” he said pointedly.

“Explain it to me.”

“He has a right, Alexis…to be worried about his son.” Alex sighed in disbelief. “As I said, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Christopher O’Brien isn’t worried about Dylan or his happiness. He’s worried about himself. What
he
wants. Sound familiar to you?”

“You couldn’t understand, Alexis; what a parent sometimes has to do. You never cared about your family.” Alex shook her head. “I did what I thought was best; for everyone. The truth…”

“Don’t you dare talk to me about
truth
. I don’t even know who you are.”

Nicolaus Toles stared at the woman before him. There was a resolve and a sense of strength in Alexis Toles’ posture that he had never noticed. “He is the boy’s father, Alexis. You have no right to barge in here and…”

Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Let me say this so that you understand me….clearly.” She walked to the front of his desk and placed her hands squarely on it. “I am going to marry Cassidy. That makes Dylan
my
son. After everything… everything I know, everything your
friend
the congressman has put him through,” she stopped and glared at the man across the desk. He was a stranger. She took in another deep breath and shook her head. “Dylan is
my
son. Do you understand me? Not because I gave birth to him, because I would give my life for his happiness. Christopher O’Brien is no more his father than you will ever be mine.” She pushed her weight off of his desk and turned to leave. Helen Toles stood in the doorway, her mouth agape. Alex spun on her heels. “You are right about one thing,” she admitted. He looked up to her and she nodded. “I never cared much about family.” Her father began to let the hint of a smile show when she suddenly continued. “I never knew what it meant to have one until I met Cass.” He stared at her. Alex felt a wave of revulsion course through her. “Cassidy and Dylan are
my
family. So, I do understand what a parent will do.” She looked briefly at her mother and closed her eyes to gather the rest of her strength before turning back to the stranger across the room. “Anything. You should know; I would do no less for my children, or my wife. I guess we have very different ideas about what that means.” She placed her hand on her mother’s shoulder and shook her head sadly. “Goodbye, Nicolaus,” she said as she left the room.

Helen Toles watched her daughter as she swiftly left the house, never allowing her confident posture to falter. “What have you done?” she asked her husband.

“I did what I had to do,” he said without remorse.

Tears had begun to stream down the older woman’s face. “She is your daughter,” she said achingly.

“No,” the answer came. “She is yours.”

“Yeah. She just pulled in….Are you all right?” Cassidy closed her eyes and sighed. “Why don’t you come here...No, my mother will be here. Come and stay with her and Dylan……I know…..I will. I promise. Just think about it.” Cassidy placed the phone slowly on the night stand and headed down the stairs. Alex was just walking into the kitchen from the garage as she entered the room. “Hey.”

The agent stopped her pace and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry I left like that.”

Cassidy deliberately made her way to Alex and gently took the agent’s face in her hands. “No. I’m sorry.” Alex nodded and kept her eyes closed. “Alex…”

Alex opened her eyes and kissed Cassidy’s forehead. “I’m okay.” Cassidy looked at the agent skeptically and Alex laughed. “I swear, I am okay.” She began to make her way toward the table. “I am a little worried about my mother.”

“Yeah, so am I,” Cassidy said as she began heating a kettle of water. “I think she is more worried about you though.” Alex looked at Cassidy quizzically. “She called me right after you left there.” Alex put her face in her hands. “She was….well, Alex…she was a mess. I promised I would call her when you got home.” Cassidy made her way to the agent and sighed heavily. “I just called her when I heard the car.”

“Probably crazy, right?” Alex began.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t love the idea of her there with
him
.”

“Well…about that.” Alex looked up at her lover. “I suggested maybe she come stay here; at least while we are away.” Alex didn’t respond. “Alex? I hope that’s okay. I just…”