Betrayal (68 page)

“Mom?”

“Alexis,” Helen smiled and placed her glass of wine on the table to hug her daughter. “It was absolutely beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Alex said. “Thanks for helping Dylan.”

“Oh, I just made a suggestion, Alexis. Really, it was all inside of him. He is a very thoughtful young man.”

“Yeah, he is. He’s like his mom.” Helen agreed. “He was pretty excited about this bracelet you got. I think it meant a lot to him to be included.” Alex’s voice dropped to a whisper, “it means a lot to me too.”

Helen sighed and put her arm around her daughter. “You know, Alexis…Dylan and Cat, they are both very smart young men. I look at them and then I look at you and your brother. Time passes quickly. You shouldn’t waste it.” Alex was a bit confused by her mother’s musings. “You know what struck me the most about your vows, all three of you?” Alex shook her head. “Most couples talk about each other. And, Alexis…I have been to many weddings with children involved, none where they were included.” Alex studied her mother. “All of you talked about family. The family you have, the family you want to build.” She smiled at her daughter and pointed to the bracelet Dylan had referred to. “Dylan gave you and Cassidy something so that you could always carry each other. Even when you are apart, you are connected. Made me think that I never want to forget again that I carry each of you with me. We lost too much time, Alexis. Someday soon I will add another stone for my newest grandchild.” Alex smiled. “And,” Helen continued as she retrieved her wine. “I am betting that I won’t be the only one adding another stone in the not so distant future.” She pointed to Alex’s necklace. Alex shook her head. “Don’t worry,” Helen said giving Alex a light peck on the cheek. “I made sure my jeweler knew to expect you.” She laughed and walked away. Alex stood dumfounded.

“What did she just say?” Barb asked, coming up behind Alex.

“I thought you were bad,” Alex said.

“Me? Why? What did I do?” Barb asked seriously.

Alex rolled her eyes. “Twenty minutes married and my mother already has Cassidy pregnant.” Barb howled in laughter. “Laugh it up.”

Barb shrugged. “At least we’re consistent!”

Alex just rolled her eyes again. She made her way back towards the table she was sharing with Cassidy and stopped. Cassidy was standing surrounded by Dylan, Cat and the Fallon brood. Dylan and Cat were engaged in telling some animated story. Cassidy was listening intently and smiling. She was everybody’s mom. Alex laughed thinking it was no wonder her wife had become a teacher.

“You okay?” Rose asked.

“Yeah,” Alex chuckled. “No,” she corrected herself. Rose was perplexed. “Better than okay,” Alex smiled. “Much better than okay.”

“All right, Admiral. What was so important that you needed to see me late on a Saturday night?” Jon Krause asked.

Admiral William Brackett sat in a large leather chair sipping a glass of scotch. His expression was somber. His demeanor was quiet and reserved. From Krause’s perspective the admiral looked as though he had just suffered a great personal loss. Krause wondered momentarily if Claire Brackett had finally crossed one too many lines. The admiral gestured to the table at the far side of the room. “Pour yourself a drink and sit down Jonathan,” he said. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the large chair. Krause followed the admiral’s suggestion, pouring himself a short glass of scotch before taking a seat on the opposite sofa. “How are you, Jonathan?” the admiral asked. The sincerity in the older man’s voice sounded almost fatherly.

“I’m fine, Admiral,” Krause replied as he studied the man.

Admiral Brackett opened his eyes and leaned slightly forward. “Hum. Honestly, Jonathan…How are you?” Krause was puzzled by the question and shook his head slightly in confusion. “Come now. You lost your best friend and your son’s mother married today, if I am not mistaken,” he said gently.

Krause nodded. “I’m not sure what any of that has to do with why I am here,” he said.

Admiral Brackett sighed and leaned back again. “I had a best friend, Jonathan,” he said. “He was really my brother, more of a brother than either of the two that shared my parents.” The admiral sipped his scotch. “I was in love once. I mean, really in love.” He smiled. “And, we both know I have a daughter. So, answer me truthfully for once. How are you?”

Krause swirled the scotch in his glass. “Angry that my brother is gone,” he said without any evident emotion. “As for Cassidy and Dylan, well…They are getting something far better than I could ever give them,” he said simply.

Admiral Brackett smiled. “Agent Toles is a unique breed, Jonathan. It wasn’t always that way you know.” Krause watched the admiral closely as the older man rose to his feet and walked toward a book case. “I used to read to Claire when she was small. Whenever I was home I would read to her. Always stories that I thought would help her to understand life a bit. The notion that heroes are made and not born. The idea that loyalty is precious.” The admiral shook his head. “I’m not sure what she heard in those stories. I wonder if she listened at all.” Krause was beginning to wonder if in fact something had happened to the younger Brackett. The admiral pivoted and faced Krause again. “We’ve suffered a fracture. Not even a fracture, actually. The framework we have built….it’s in pieces. Shattered.”

“Admiral?”

“The Russians have moved on their own. There was an interruption in an important trade. One that was several years in the making. I don’t know where the breech occurred. London, Moscow…it’s unclear.”

The picture was become clearer. Krause was certain that the admiral was referring to the disk he and Alex had exchanged. “Sir, one transaction or trade…”

“Oh, it isn’t just one, Jonathan. The cracks have been appearing for years. Maybe John was on the right track, I don’t know.”

“What is it….”

“Jonathan, the Russians will begin a new alliance of sorts. They will revert. Do you understand?” Krause searched the admiral for his meaning with his eyes. “Do you know how long it has been since we have worked separately? I mean the Russians, the British, the Germans, the French and us?” Krause remained still. “Hmm,” the admiral chuckled. “More than seventy years, Jonathan. More than seventy. This? All you have come to know began amid war. War that shook the entire earth. What it produced required control. Quiet and careful control.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Krause admitted.

“All the details aren’t important,” Admiral Brackett sighed. “You will no doubt learn them all in time now. The fracture, that is important. We’ve had to make some changes. How Viktor and the Russian contingent of our organization respond will determine many things. Where they strike.”

“You think that Ivanov is going to retaliate? Against who? This is not America versus the Soviet Union. We are not in the 1950s or even the 1980s,” Krause observed.

The admiral tipped his head. “Yes, Jonathan. The question isn’t if they will retaliate, it is when and how. And when they do, well…I suggest you brush up on the history you mentioned.” Krause swallowed hard. He could see the concern in the admiral’s eyes. “This time, I am not certain that we are playing in the same orchestra. We may be looking at the same piece of music, but we exist under separate conductors.”

“What is it that you need from me?” Krause asked.

“I need Agent Toles.” Krause’s expression hardened. “Edmond has made a call, Jonathan. One I had hoped we
would never have to make. Everything has changed. The sides we take now, well….there
are
sides to choose.”

“I’m not certain,” Krause said, “that I understand what those sides are, Admiral. I can assure you that Alex Toles will not choose any side that compromises her family or her beliefs.”

The admiral nodded. “That is precisely why I need her.”

“And the sparrow?”

Admiral Brackett shook his head sadly. “She has chosen a different path.”

“And you are prepared for what that might mean?” Krause asked. “I’m not certain that I could do what you are suggesting as a father.”

“No. But, it is not my choice to make. It was hers. She prizes nothing beyond her own ascension. That only ever leads to one’s destruction.” Krause nodded his understanding. “Today, we live in a new world. To most people it will seem exactly the same, but trust me, Jonathan, it will not for long. Everything has changed.”

“What exactly do you want from Agent Toles?”

The admiral sat back in his large chair and closed his eyes. “That will become evident soon enough. You will know without me needing to explain. She will be faced with a choice. It will be your decision which way to guide her.”

“And if I choose to guide her away?” Krause asked.

The admiral shrugged. “That is your choice, Jonathan. I will not force you now. I will not force Alexis.” Krause roused at the admiral’s use of Alex’s name and made an immediate mental note. “But, you should know…both of you; there will be clear enemies to combat. The kind you both once believed you were fighting. Some will seek to rebuild the past. That will be the choice; the past or a new future.”

Krause leaned back into the sofa. He looked across to the admiral who was clearly lost now to his own thoughts. He was not certain what he made of this. It was clear to him that whatever The Collaborative had been, however it had been formed,
it no longer existed. He took a deep breath, feeling assured that he had been right. He had sensed it when John Merrow decided to walk in front of an assassin’s bullet. The wheels had begun to spin at a frenetic pace and he knew then the only thing to stop the out of control ride would be a crash. That was happening now. It had been inevitable. He simply did not expect it so soon. What would be rebuilt, that was what the admiral was referring to. This was the opportunity men like Matthew Waters and John Merrow had sought. It was the opening he and Alex Toles needed to discover why The Collaborative was formed and to trace its roots so that they could pull them out. It also presented a new set of questions and perils he could not predict. “Oh, Alex,” he thought silently. “I hope you are ready for this.” He took another sip of scotch as he sat in weighted silence with the admiral. “I hope I am too,” he admitted to himself.

“Hey, Speed.” Alex took a seat next to Dylan. She looked out at the small dance floor. Nick had cleared a space near the outdoor fireplace that Cassidy loved. Cassidy was dancing with Nick and laughing. Barb was sitting nearby with Cat, her mother and Kate Fallon. Rose was engaged in a lively discussion with Jane and Stephanie Merrow. “Getting tired?” He shrugged. “Too much cake?” Dylan giggled. “You bored?”

“Kinda,” he admitted.

“Well, it’s almost all over,” she said. The truth was that Alex was tired herself and she was anxious to spend some alone time with Cassidy. The note her wife had scribbled and placed in the bottle on her chair had piqued her curiosity. But, there was one thing she still wanted to do. One thing that, at this moment, eclipsed everything and every person surrounding her; every person but one. “You know,” she said getting back to her feet. “You called me Mom, earlier.” Dylan looked up at
her wondering if he had done something wrong. Alex smiled at him and put out her hand. “I’m pretty sure you promised me a dance. I’ve already danced with my wife. I’d really like a chance to dance with my son.” Dylan smiled. He had danced with Cassidy, danced with his Grandma and his YaYa, danced with Stephanie Merrow and danced with Cat and the Fallon kids to all kinds of songs. He was tired from all the excitement, but there was one person he had waited all night to dance with and she was standing before him now. Alex nodded to the disc jockey as the song playing faded and led Dylan to the dance floor. “I picked this song for you, Speed. Someday, when you are older and you listen to it, I hope you will know why.”

Cassidy watched as Dylan looked up to Alex. Alex had only told her that she had picked a special song that always made her think of Dylan. The sound came through to Cassidy’s ears and the words made her smile from within.
Never Alone
; that was the name of the song Alex had chosen. She could see Alex singing the words to Dylan. She felt a hand on her shoulder and clasped it. Somehow she knew that it would be Jane. “She loves you both so much,” Jane said. Cassidy just smiled, unable to speak. She watched Alex playfully twirl Dylan and saw him laugh. Then she saw Alex motion to her. “Go,” Jane whispered.