Commitment (11 page)

“From what? My brothers…My father…”

“Benjamin Krause?” Callier grinned. “He raised you.”

“What are you saying?” Krause asked.

Callier took the picture from the younger man’s hands. “He never wanted your sister or brother in this game either. He put more roadblocks in her way…”

“I don’t have a sister,” Krause interjected.

Callier’s eyebrow raised with a smile. “I think you already know that is not true.”

Krause uncharacteristically put his face in his hands. “Alex,” he whispered.

“Mm. Not that surprised; are you?” Krause could not answer his mentor’s question. “You are very much alike. Down to whom you fall in love with,” Callier chuckled.

“Why would my mother…”

“There is so much you don’t know, Jonathan. Nicolaus, Anthony, and I; we agreed. Many years ago, we agreed. Anthony was adamant that John would serve. No matter how hard John fought that,” Callier paused and closed his eyes. “And, Elliot? Well, there was no stopping him. God knows I tried. I am only grateful his sister allowed me to guide her down a different road. Nicolaus and I…This is not an easy life. Not one made for attachments. Not one that can ever guarantee any happiness.”

“No one has that guarantee,” Krause observed harshly. “You had no right…”

“Oh? You don’t think so? And, what of Dylan? What would you do to protect the boy?” Callier asked pointedly.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Krause replied.

“Did you ask one?” Callier nodded again. “Haven’t I? You wanted to know who Nicolaus Toles was. I told you. I told you before that I may not have the answers you seek and that the answers I had may not be what you expected.”

“You know what I was asking,” Krause answered.

“If you want to know who Nicolaus was, in any capacity, I have given you the key to it all.”

“A father who; what? Abandoned me?” Krause snapped.

“Hardly,” Callier replied. “Hardly. You think that your father; the father you knew was your link to this life.” Callier let out a heavy sigh. “He was not. Though he would love to make that claim. Nicolaus was not always simply a money broker. For many years, many….he worked in the field when his father was still alive. He had a partner; just like you.”

Krause shook his head in disbelief. “My mother,” Krause guessed. Callier nodded. “What about Alex’s…”

Callier smiled. “Helen is an amazing woman.”

“You know…”

“I was at their wedding.”

“Alex doesn’t know…”

“No. I’ve not seen Helen in many years. We were young, Jonathan. Hard to believe; I am sure,” he chuckled. “But, once upon a time, we were young. Nicolaus and I attended Harvard together. He studied law. I studied economics. Our paths were carved for us,” he paused and considered his next words. “Your father, Alex’s father, he loved Helen. He always loved Helen. The field is a strange place. You know that. Your mother was his confidante. In many ways his true best friend. Life….and death move us sometimes. There was never any regret on either of their parts. Your mother left her position. Married the father who raised you. And, there were no regrets for that either; not that I am aware of.”

“Does she know?”

“Who?” Callier asked.

“Helen? Does she know?” Krause asked softly. He could not understand the emotions coursing through him. He’d grown fond of Alex’s family. A sense of guilt seemed to creep over him.

Callier sensed his young friend’s distress. “You are not as cold as you would like to believe,” he said. “You want to know…Does she know who you are?” Callier asked. Krause nodded. “I don’t know that answer. I don’t believe Nicolaus ever told her that.” Krause hung his head slightly and sighed. “But, she knows he had a son, yes.” Krause looked up in shock. “Jonathan, I told you once before that you are like my son; as was John. As Alexis is much like a daughter to me, more than you realize. She is my goddaughter. My oath was given long ago to protect her.”

Krause bristled. “You made the call to have John…”

Callier sighed. “No. Things are not what they seem. The walls hear everything; all the walls that surround us, every minute. This room is my only sanctuary. It took years for us to devise a safe method of communication. There is one in this home. There is one at Carecom and one…one that resides off the basement of a townhouse in Arlington.”

For months, Krause had blamed himself. He had tried to warn John Merrow about the impending assassination attempt. He had planted deliberate chatter for the NSA and Secret Service. He had hired a sharp shooter to make it look good in case anything went awry; a shooter that never showed. Now, Callier was telling him that there was nothing he could have done to save his best friend. “He knew it was coming. Before I told him…before…”

“Yes,” Callier answered.

Krause attempted to absorb all of the information he had been given. He was surprised to find tears had begun to sting the back of his eyes. He had felt it; a connection to Alex. A soft buzz in his pocket startled him. He shook off his thoughts with an audible exhale and looked at his phone. “Shit,” he mumbled. He looked to his mentor. “I assume there is a safe line in here?” Callier nodded. “I need it,” he said, barely masking the urgency in his voice.

“Alex?” Callier asked. Krause nodded. “This way.”

lex kept a close eye on Cassidy as Cassidy puttered about the kitchen. It had been a long night. Dylan slept for hours after their afternoon visit with his father. When he did awake, the scene had turned emotional. It took Alex and Cassidy more than an hour to calm him down. For Alex’s part, she felt utterly helpless and unbelievably guilty. Dylan would not share what he had overheard his father say. Cassidy was not certain if his father had directly made accusations or threats regarding Alex. He just kept begging not to have to leave his parents, and for Dylan, that meant Alex and Cassidy. Alex could tell by her wife’s demeanor that Cassidy had been pushed beyond her limits. It was rare for Cassidy to shut down. When Alex attempted to approach the subject gently late in the evening, Cassidy had simply said she was tired. Now, they were awaiting the arrival of Brian Fallon. Alex was fairly sure that a visit from Uncle Brian would cheer up Dylan, but where Cassidy was concerned, she remained at a loss.

“Cass?”

Cassidy continued her work at the kitchen counter, putting together a lasagna for their dinner. “Yeah?”

“Are you all right?

“I’m fine.”

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose and made her way behind Cassidy. She leaned over and placed her arms around Cassidy’s waist, gently turning her wife so that she could look at her. “Please tell me what you are thinking.”

Cassidy closed her eyes and pressed her lips together tightly. “Honestly, Alex…I’m not sure what I am thinking. I need some time to just…”

“I know,” Alex said. She kissed Cassidy’s forehead and breathed a small sigh of relief when Cassidy welcomed the embrace fully. “I promise that we will figure it out,” Alex said as she continued to hold Cassidy close.

Cassidy leaned fully into Alex, feeling her emotions begin to surface. Being with Alex was the safest place Cassidy had ever known. It was also the place where her heart controlled all reason and action. She sniffled slightly and pulled back. “Let me get this finished,” she said, avoiding Alex’s eyes. She was relieved when the sound of the doorbell pierced through the silence that hovered between them. “Go get that,” Cassidy said, placing a kiss on Alex’s cheek.

“Cass?” Alex turned back.

“Go on,” Cassidy said, offering Alex the faintest hint of a genuine smile. Alex nodded.

“Uncle Brian’s here!” Dylan called excitedly.

“Guess someone beat me to it,” Alex chuckled and moved toward the hallway.

“Hey, Speed, why don’t you go see if you can help Mom for a few minutes?” Alex suggested.

“Okay, but we are going to play pool later, right?” Dylan asked.

“Promise,” Fallon answered. “It’s time Alex was reminded who the dynamic duo is,” he winked.

Dylan scampered off toward the kitchen, and Alex shook her head. “So, is this a conversation for the living room or do I need a jacket too?” she asked. Fallon just raised his eyebrow. “That’s what I thought. Good thing there’s no snow on the ground,” she chuckled. “Help me go get some of the firewood out back?” Fallon nodded and followed Alex into the kitchen.

“Hey, Cassidy,” Fallon greeted.

“Hi, Brian.” Cassidy wiped her hands on a towel and moved around the counter to take her friend into a hug. “I’m glad you are here,” she said genuinely. “Aren’t you staying?” she giggled, gesturing to his coat.

“Thought I would put him to use,” Alex chimed. “Take a walk down back and bring up some more wood for the fireplace. Seems like a perfect night for it.”

Cassidy smiled and turned to see Dylan liberating himself a cookie from the counter. “Sneaky,” she squinted at him. “Can’t imagine where you get that from,” she looked to Alex.

Alex shrugged innocently. “Only one, Speed,” Alex directed. Dylan smiled and headed off into the living room. “We’ll be back in a few,” Alex said as she led her friend out the back door.

Cassidy shook her head in amusement. She was tired, and she was frustrated, but the arrival of Alex’s former partner lifted her spirits. Brian Fallon had been a good friend to them both and Dylan adored the man. If nothing else, the visit provided a momentary diversion for Cassidy. It was a diversion she desperately needed.

“So, believe me,” Alex began, “I am very glad you are here. Yesterday was unbelievable.”

“I’m sorry that O’Brien is such a…”

Alex laughed. “There are lots of words I could use for him. But…what’s going on? You said on the phone last night you thought Brackett was heading to London.”

“She is. No maybes,” he answered.

“Hmm. I called my good friend Ambassador Daniels this morning. Told him we needed to discuss some of the orders coming in from our clients in London. He seemed as if he was almost expecting my call.”

Fallon was puzzled. “You called him because of Brackett?”

“No, that was incidental. My father cut off most of the usual payment transfers to ASA about a week before his death. No reroute. Just stopped them cold. The accounts at ASA are closely associated with two of Carecom’s major accounts in Britain. There doesn’t seem to be any delay in the transfer of goods to those entities. It doesn’t make sense. If he wanted ASA shut out, he should have tamped down on the orders from these two British subsidiaries.”