Dark Deceptions (26 page)

“Well, it wasn’t because of me or my part in the mission.” She blew out a breath and pushed back her hair, trying to do as
Avery’d asked and keep the emotion out of it. “We made it inside the warehouse without incident. Took out two of their guards,
before either of them had a chance to radio for help. In fact, in hindsight, maybe we should have known something was off.
It was just too easy.”

“According to intel, Jin was being kept in a room on the top floor of the building,” Nash said. “We secured the stairwell,
and had made it about three flights when Jake, the communications guy, got a garbled message from base. We couldn’t make out
any of the details, but it was clear that something was wrong. Somehow the kidnappers had learned we were coming and set up
an ambush.”

“We thought about aborting, but we were so close to our objective it seemed ridiculous to bail.”

“We’d been in tougher spots and come out in one piece.” Nash nodded. “Anyway, we were all of one accord. Find the kid and
get the hell out of there.”

“So we came out on the top floor and started making our way toward the room intel had designated. But before we were halfway
down the hall, all hell broke loose.”

“They were coming at us from everywhere,” Nash interrupted. “They’d definitely been expecting us. It was full-out war. Everything
was chaos. All I could think of was trying to get the team out alive. But when I tried to signal for retreat, Annie had disappeared.”

“Mission always comes first. And I knew I had to complete mine. So I made it to the room where they were supposed to be holding
Jin. It was empty, but as I turned to go, a man rushed me, firing all out. I hit the ground, rolling to try to avoid the bullets,
and shot on instinct. The fighting outside in the hallway was gaining momentum, but the room was suddenly silent. I realized
I’d managed to take out my attacker. And when I turned him over, I saw that it was Jin.”

“Well done. While the rest of us were getting the shit kicked out of us, you managed to accomplish your objective,” Nash said,
bitterness coloring his voice.

“I tried to come back into the hall,” she snapped, reliving the fear she’d felt in that moment, “but the fighting was too
heavy. So I climbed out a window and managed to maneuver my way down. Once I was out of range, I started to call for backup,
but before I could make contact with anyone, the building exploded. There was fire and smoke everywhere. Debris raining down.
The damn thing was like a beacon inviting all comers, all chance of secrecy blown with the building. So I radioed Tom and
told him what was going down, and then I went back in.” She met Nash’s gaze, her own steady. “To get you.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it again, waiting.

“At first I couldn’t see anything. But I could hear. There was still gunfire. Which meant someone was still alive. So I made
my way back to the stairwell. The smoke was so heavy I could hardly breathe. Parts of the stairway were completely gone, and
I had to literally claw my way up.

“But I kept going. The only thought in my mind was that you were trapped up there somewhere. I made the third-floor landing
and realized there was no way to go any farther. The entire staircase had collapsed in the blast.

“So I made my way into the hallway. Everything was on fire, masonry crumbling around my head. There was no one on the floor,
at least no one alive. So I moved forward, remembering finally that there was a workman’s passage in the west wall. A crawl
space between floors.

“Above me, the shooting slowed and then stopped. I knew I had to move quickly. So I made my way into the work space and up
the ladder leading to the fourth floor. By the time I accessed the hallway, there was fire everywhere. I found Drew—the interpreter—first.
He was already dead. Bullet wound to the head.

“Jake was next. He was still alive. Barely. Shrapnel had torn off his right arm. He was bleeding to death, and before I could
do anything, he was gone. I’d taken too long.”

Annie paused, gulping for air, but when Avery started to speak she shook her head. “I need to finish this.” She dragged her
hand through her hair, the memories coming fast now. “I was certain, then, that Nash was dead. I don’t think I’ve ever felt
as alone as I did in that moment. There were other casualties. Enemy combatants. And I have to tell you I rejoiced in their
deaths.

“And then there was a noise, coming from the far end of the corridor. I pushed my way past debris, praying that I hadn’t imagined
it, that somehow, Nash had managed to survive. And then he was there. Battered and broken, but alive.” She smiled despite
herself, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at Nash. “I tried to explain what had happened but you were bleeding badly
and totally beyond comprehending. And the fires were getting more intense. I knew I couldn’t carry you. And I sure as hell
wasn’t going to leave you.

“So I dragged you to a window and shot off a flare. I knew it was the equivalent of a Hail Mary pass. But it was our only
chance. And miracle of miracles, a helicopter appeared out of the smoke. Tom riding to the rescue. Clearly, that’s the part
you remember.

“But I was there, Nash. I held Jake as he died, and I pulled you out of the rubble. I didn’t leave you. I wouldn’t do that.
Not ever.”

“Then why didn’t you come to the hospital?” he asked, his voice rough with emotion. “Why did you just disappear?”

“I did come. Once. But you were pretty out of it.”

“And after that?”

“Tom said it would be best if I didn’t come again. That to protect the operation I had to disappear. So I left.”

“Hell of a story,” Avery said, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he considered her words.

“Exactly the word I would have chosen,” Nash said, anger and confusion coloring his voice.
“Story.”

“So you don’t believe her?” Avery asked.

Annie held her breath, waiting. Feeling as if somehow everything that mattered depended on his answer.

“I don’t know,” he said, avoiding eye contact. “Some of the details fit with what Tom told me. Others don’t.”

“What about your own memories?” Avery frowned. “How does Annie’s story match up to that?”

“I don’t have any memories,” he sighed, his frustration evident. “At least not cognizant ones. The doctors said it was normal
to forget, my brain protecting me. I remember everything up to our arrival in Saida, but after that I’ve got a big gaping
hole. There are fragments, but most of them don’t make a hell of a lot of sense. I’m afraid all I really have to go on is
what Tom told me. And, at the end of the day, he wasn’t actually there.”

“I’m telling the truth,” Annie said, her own frustration cresting. There was so much riding on their believing her. “It happened
just the way I described it.”

“Then why would Tom let me believe you deserted me?” Their gazes collided and she willed hers steady, her stomach tightening
with anxiety.

“I don’t know,” she snapped. “Maybe for the same reason he didn’t tell you about the real objective of the mission. Maybe
he didn’t trust you anymore. After all, you were the one deserting the ship.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Annie. I wasn’t deserting anything. I was just seizing an opportunity. A good one, I might add. And besides,
Tom supported the move. He even helped me secure the transfer. So I hardly think trust was the issue.”

“Then I guess it was just need to know.” She shrugged, the gesture an attempt to hide the fear and doubt crashing through
her. “Maybe he lied to protect me. To keep me safe.” It was a comforting thought, but she knew in her heart the facts weren’t
there to support it.

“And maybe you’re the one who’s lying,” Nash said, his voice taunting.

“You don’t believe that.” She leaned forward, her hands clenching the edge of the table, feeling as if everything important
depended on his answer.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I guess I don’t. But that doesn’t change anything.”

“You’re wrong,” she whispered. “It changes everything.”

Silence stretched between them, and for a moment, everything else disappeared. Avery, the war room. All of their problems.
For just one second out of time, there was nothing but the two of them and the emotions that bound them together.

Then Avery cleared his throat, and the fragile connection broke, placing them back on opposite sides again. “So what happened
after the rescue?”

Annie leaned back in her chair again, forcing herself to breathe. To clear her mind of everything but the situation at hand.
“Nash was evacuated to a military facility in Germany. And the CIA went all out to create a cover story for the incident—an
American construction company helping to advise a Lebanese conglomerate. Something went wrong and the building exploded. A
horrible accident with limited casualties. Fortunately for everyone, the fire destroyed most of the evidence.”

“What about Kim Sun?” Avery asked.

“He was told his son perished in the fire. I don’t know the particulars. I wasn’t there.”

“Where were you?”

“After the airlift, I went back to Vienna—” Annie paused, looking down at her hands. “There was a safe house there. My cover
was blown, so I waited there for word on Nash, and for orders from Tom.”

“How exactly was your cover compromised?” Avery asked.

“Someone who saw me in Saida and connected me with the explosion? I never really knew for certain. Once Tom got the ball rolling,
things moved pretty quickly. I went to visit Nash, and from there I was sent back to the States.”

“Did the CIA handle your relocation?”

“I assume so, although I never had contact with anyone beyond Tom and a few people he said he trusted.”

“Did you stay in touch with him?” Nash asked.

“No. Only a couple of times in the beginning. I needed his help with a few things. But after that, he made it pretty clear
that I wasn’t to call him anymore. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I mean, they tell us from the beginning that we’re expendable.
That for all practical purposes we don’t even exist. I knew if things ever went really wrong I’d be on my own. But I guess
I never expected to be completely cut off.”

“So you had no contact with anyone from your old life?” Avery asked.

She swallowed tears as she fought against memories. “There was no one to contact.”

“And Adam’s father?” Nash queried, his words cutting through her doubts. “Did he know the truth?”

“I told you, he wasn’t in the picture.” She wrestled for control and won. “Just a mistake I made. Although that isn’t really
accurate, I suppose, considering Adam is the greatest gift I’ve ever had. Look, I know you’re trying to figure out if I inadvertently
gave myself away. And I can’t tell you that it’s impossible. But I did everything I could to keep my past buried. I had to,
for my son.”

“Still,” Avery said, “if Kim knew you killed his son, he’d have had the motivation to find you.”

“And make me pay,” Annie said, shivering as she remembered Kim’s words. “That’s what he said on the phone—in the motel room.
He wanted to make me pay.”

“By kidnapping and killing your son.”

“So you believe me?” Hope flooded through her even as she forced herself to remain wary.

“There’s no denying he kidnapped Adam. We’ve got witnesses who can identify him,” Avery allowed. “And when you couple that
with the events of eight years ago, it all falls into place.”

“And Dominico?” she asked, keeping her expression guarded as she watched Avery. “Do you still think I killed him?”

“I’m not sure it matters what I think once Homeland Security gets hold of the evidence. But, no, I don’t think you did it.”

“So you’ll help me?”

“If I can,” Avery said. “But you have to do things my way. Is that understood?”

Annie nodded, her gaze darting between the two of them.

“And the two of you have to find a temporary truce. I can’t have you working at odds with each other. There’s too much riding
on this.”

“Fine,” she said, her agreement a necessary evil. She knew she couldn’t trust them. Nash, most of all. Last night, he’d made
her feel as if anything were possible. And then he’d callously ripped it all away, his doubt negating the love she’d thought
she’d seen in his eyes, a love she’d thought long dead.

Hope was a dangerous thing.

Especially in the hands of a fool.

O
ne of the things Nash loved most about Sunderland was the campus. Set among towering trees, the ivy-covered brick buildings,
some dating back to the 1800s, were surrounded by stone walls and cobblestone walkways. The quiet hush of the grassy lawns
lent an air of academic solitude even when the grounds were flooded with students. And now, on a Saturday, with only a few
students out and about, it was positively peaceful.

Or it would have been if only he didn’t have so much on his mind.

For eight long years, he’d believed Annie had betrayed him. Left him to die in Saida. And now, in the space of only a couple
of hours, everything he’d believed had been turned on its end.

He headed up the steps to the Aaron Thomas Center. Usually he prided himself on staying removed from operations, on keeping
his personal feelings locked away. But this was different. This was Annie.

And yet, he’d doubted her. From the beginning, he’d believed she had crossed over to the other side. And with Dominico’s death,
the evidence of her guilt had seemed irrefutable. But if he truly cared about her, surely he’d have never allowed himself
to be swayed.

It was all so damn complicated.

And it was far from over. Avery was right. There were other forces at work here. People who didn’t give a damn about Annie’s
past. About Kim or his son or the things she’d done for love of country. All they were going to see was a scapegoat. And the
evidence mounting against her.

Which was why it was crucial that Avery win Tom over when he arrived. That he convince the powers that be to let A-Tac work
with Annie to take down the real culprit—Kim Sun.

Nash blew out a breath and nodded at a couple of passing coeds as he stepped into the faculty elevator. The girls giggled
and whispered as they passed. Nash suddenly felt old. And tired.