Dire Distraction (6 page)

“No. It’s perverse, I know, when you consider what I do for a living. But it’s different when it’s someone you love. Anyway, we had a real fight about the possibility of her going into Iraq. Things were really unsettled there at the time. And she wanted me to set her up. Use my military contacts to get her a ticket to the front lines.” He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

“We had a huge fight. I refused to help her. I even refused to let her go—as Neanderthal as that sounds. And before we could resolve the issue, I got called away on a mission. I figured we’d work it out after I got back. After she’d had the chance to cool off.”

“Only she went in anyway.”

“And never came back.” He nodded, the pain rocketing through him, as strong now as it had been fourteen years ago. “And the last things I said to her were so damned awful.”

“Yes, but she knew you loved her.”

He looked down at the picture. “Maybe. Or maybe she figured she’d chosen the wrong guy.”

“I’m not following,” Sydney’s eyes darkened with confusion.

“Shrum was the one who got her the clearance. He’s the one who sent her into Iraq. Hell, I thought he was the one who got her killed. All these years, I’ve blamed him for her death. But what if I got it wrong? What if Evangeline simply decided she didn’t love me anymore? What if she decided she wanted to be with Martin?”

“You can’t believe that. You said yourself that what the two of you had was special.”

“What the hell do I know?” He pushed the picture away, his gaze meeting hers. “Maybe I’ve just been lying to myself. I mean, if this photo is to be believed, then my wife is alive and living with Martin Shrum. So tell me, what else am I supposed to think?”

I
just got solid confirmation from our people on the ground,” Gregor said, striding into the office. “Avery Solomon is in Laos. And he’s on the move.”

Michael pushed aside the papers he’d been reading, sitting back to watch his number two, a spark of anticipation igniting in his gut. “You’re sure?”

“Yes. He took off from Xieng Kok early this morning, Laos time. And he appears to be headed for Myanmar and Shrum. Although thanks to some local militants, he almost didn’t make it.”

“What happened?” Michael frowned. It wasn’t as if he’d lament Solomon’s loss, but he’d put a hell of a lot of time and energy into creating the opportunity to destroy the man himself. First emotionally, then professionally, and now, considering the man’s propensity to meddle, it was time to take him out physically as well.

“One of Wai Yan’s patrol on the river had him outmanned and outgunned. But Solomon managed to turn the tables. He blew up his own boat, theoretically killing himself in the process. Wai Yan’s men apparently bought into the ruse. They circled the wreckage once and then left it to burn in the river.”

“And you’re certain that Avery escaped?”

“Positive. Our man has been following him since he left China. And he says he saw them crawling out of the river fifteen minutes after the other boat was gone.”

“Them?”

“Yes. It seems he’s with another operative.”

“Someone from his team?” Michael questioned, his mind already trying to figure out which of the A-Tac stooges might also be caught in his trap.

“No. According to our intel, Solomon arrived on his own. No sign of anyone else from the team. But he immediately contacted a local CIA plant.”

“And where are they now?”

“Holed up in a shanty on the Laos side of the river. Do you want our man to take them out? It should be easy enough.”

“Never underestimate your opponent, Gregor. Especially when it’s Avery Solomon. Best to leave him alone for now. Besides, I want him to have time to dwell on his wife’s potential infidelity.” Michael reached out to adjust the photograph sitting on his desk, his heart twisting as he stared at the laughing face portrayed there. “Let it eat at him for a while.”

“If that’s what you wish.” The other man’s voice held a trace of doubt.

“It’s what I order. I’ll not have you questioning my decisions.” He gaze collided with Gregor’s. “If you aren’t up to all of this—”

“You know that I am,” Gregor said, cutting him off. “It’s just that your quest for vengeance has cost the organization. And there are those that are questioning your leadership. Delafranco’s attempt to take you out is proof of that.”

“His attempt ended in failure. That’s the important thing to remember. And that’s what the others will take from it. And although it may seem as though my personal goal has overridden my professional one, it’s really quite the contrary—one is simply feeding into the other.”

“And I support that. I just want you to be careful,” Gregory chided.

“I am always careful, my friend. Always.”

“Then take him out now. While it’s easy.”

“But you forget, there’s still the matter of Shrum. He’s become quite a thorn in our sides of late. He never lets anything go. Just like Avery Solomon. In their own way, they both present a threat to the Consortium. Funny how everything always comes full circle. And now we have the opportunity to take them out in one fell swoop. So we stick to the original plan.” He paused, letting the words sink in, then leaned forward. “Tell me about this other operative.”

“She’s been in the region for a couple of years now. According to our intel, her cover involves running a ferry service on the river. Solomon was posing as a professor who’d hired her to show him some of the local temples.”

“So the boat that they blew up was hers.”

“Seems to be the case,” Gregor agreed with a nod.

“Could be the attack on the river was about her then. Not that it really matters as long as they think they’re both dead. Do we have a name?” In truth, he really didn’t give a damn, but it wouldn’t hurt to understand the details. If things didn’t go as planned, the girl might be useful somehow. Solomon had always had a weakness when it came to women.

“Sydney Price,” Gregor said. “I tried to dig up more information, but whoever she is, her cover is solid and her past is buried pretty deep. I don’t even know if that’s her real name.”

Michael sat back with a smile, remembering a conversation in a sunny vineyard just outside of Vienna. “Oh, it’s real all right.”

“You know her?” Gregor’s bushy eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Not personally, no. But I know her father.” He paused for a moment—waiting for effect. “In fact, you know him too. Marshall Walker.”

“The Austrian ambassador?” If possible, Gregor looked even more surprised. “Could be a fortuitous coincidence.”

“I don’t believe in coincidence,” Michael responded. “We’ve been trying for months to figure out a way to pull Walker into the fold. Or at least tap into his resources. But the man is squeaky clean and doesn’t seem inclined to play traitor. But maybe we can use his daughter to force his hand. He’s a proud man—agreeing to side with us won’t be an easy decision. But he’s fond of his daughter, and I can’t imagine he’d abandon her for the sake of principle.”

“But if things go as planned, the girl will die along with Solomon. There’s no time to use her for leverage.”

“It’s not too late. We still have options,” Michael mused. “Our men have been trained in extraction even under the most difficult of circumstances. I don’t see why we can’t liberate Ms. Price at the same time we obliterate Solomon and Shrum.”

“I don’t buy it.” Syd crossed her arms over her chest, studying Avery, wondering why it was that she wanted so very much to erase the pain from his face. Maybe because he’d saved her out there on the river, or maybe it was something more—something she didn’t want to think about. Especially not now, in light of all that he’d just revealed. “It’s overkill. If Evangeline was truly that angry, she’d have confronted you with it. Not created some elaborate scam to make you believe she was dead. It just doesn’t make sense.”

“And yet the photo exists.” He ran a hand across the top of his head, a gesture she was beginning to recognize as a sign that he was distraught. Not that she blamed him.

The two of them had moved out onto the ramshackle porch of the shack, both of them armed as they talked, at the same time scouring the shadows of the jungle for signs that they weren’t alone.

“But why would Evangeline go to such elaborate efforts just because you had a fight?”

He was standing inches away. Close enough that she could feel his body heat. But she resisted the urge to reach out to him, knowing that it was important to maintain her distance.

“I mean, you’re right,” she continued, “forbidding her to go was a bit Cro-Magnon, but the extreme reaction to that would be divorce, not creating some kind of elaborate scheme to disappear with your ex-partner. It’s just not a plausible scenario. Unless…” she paused, biting her lip, hating to put voice to the words.

“Unless there’s more to the story?” he finished for her. “No. There’s nothing I haven’t told you. At least as far as I know, that is.”

“Before Iraq, was there ever anything that made you believe something was going on between Evangeline and Shrum?” She stared out at the night, not willing to face him with the question, but she could feel him tensing next to her, his hand tightening around the porch railing.

“No. And believe me I’ve been over and over it in my head. Martin, I’m sure, would have liked for me to believe that there was something. But I never saw anything to make me believe my wife was interested in anyone but me.”

“But you said Shrum was charming.” The idea was repugnant, but somewhere in the recesses of her brain, she could see that it once might have been true.

“He was. Is…for all I know,” Avery replied. “But Evangeline wasn’t the kind of woman to play games. Once she’d made her choice—that was it.”

“Which only underscores the fact that her staging her death just to avoid you doesn’t make any sense.”

“So maybe there was something else. Maybe I just didn’t want to see it.”

This time she reached out to cover his hand, turning so that their gazes met in the darkness. “I haven’t known you very long, Avery. But I’d bet my life on the fact that there isn’t much you miss. And if you honestly believe there was nothing going on, then I don’t believe it either.”

The heat from his hand radiated through her.

“Thank you.” The words were simple, and Sydney suppressed a shiver. A woman like Evangeline would have been a fool to throw someone like Avery aside. Especially for a man like Shrum. Which is why the idea was preposterous.

She pulled her hand free with a shrug. “I’m only stating the obvious.”

“So you think she’s dead.”

“I think there’s no way to be certain until we check it out. But I don’t believe for a moment that she is living there of her own free will. If she’s alive, then there’s got to be another explanation.”

“Well, for the life of me, I don’t know what it could be.”

“Maybe Shrum has something on her. Or maybe he’s been threatening you. If I loved someone that much I’d go to any extreme to protect them.”

“Shrum was competitive. And he most definitely wanted Evangeline, but I don’t see him using blackmail to force a woman to stay with him.”

“What if he’s lied to her? What if she thinks you’re dead?”

“Then he’s more despicable than I already believed.” He clenched a fist, his jaw tightening in anger. “If that bastard has done anything to hurt her…”

“We don’t know that, Avery. All of this is just speculation based on a photograph you found on a suspicious hard drive.”

“The Consortium is jerking me around. Hell, this is exactly what they wanted me to do. Question myself. And my memories of my wife.”

“You said they’ve done this before. Played on the team’s emotions to keep you distracted.”

“Yeah. Harrison, the computer guy I was telling you about. He lost his sister to a serial killer. And they fucked him over royally in an effort to keep us chasing our tails. Made him believe the killer was back.”

“Jesus. Have there been others?”

“In a manner of speaking. One of my team was turned. And another member was framed in the process—he was murdered. Damn near tore us all apart.”

“So when you say that this Consortium is gunning for A-Tac, you’re not kidding.”

“They’ve tried to destroy us. First from the inside, and then with distractions in an effort to make us look inept. And finally threatening team member’s lives. Take all of that and add in the terrorist threats, and it’s been a real ride. But so far, we’ve always managed to come out on top. Except that there always seems to be another move. These guys, whoever they are, they don’t give up.”

“Case in point.” Sydney nodded, chewing her bottom lip, wondering what it would be like to be part of a team like that. She’d been on her own so long she’d forgotten what it was like to depend on other people. The truth was that, when the opportunity presented itself, she’d pushed it away, and then realized she’d made a mistake—only it had been too late to fix it.

They stood for a moment in silence, watching the palm trees bending in the wind. It was a complicated situation. And Sydney knew herself well enough to know that she was on dangerous ground. But she was also a professional. Which meant her personal feelings had no relevance. She had a job to do. And Avery needed her help. It was as simple as that.

“So you and Shrum parted ways? After the explosion in Iraq, I mean.”

“Yes.” He nodded. “As I said, when I found out he was the one who’d arranged for her to be in Iraq in the first place, I was furious. And he was already angry with me.”

“For marrying her,” Sydney said, checking her gun, needing to do something with her hands, her heart twisting at the obvious pain on his face. Avery Solomon was a man who felt things deeply.

“And for winning. Everything has always been a contest with Martin.”

“With most men, I think. Especially when it comes to women.”

“You really do have a problem with relationships.” He tilted his head, studying her, and she nervously holstered the gun, feeling suddenly exposed.

“Let’s just say I haven’t got the best the track record. But I’m afraid that’s par for the course when you’ve lived your life in the shadow of a
great love
.”

“You’re talking about your parents.”

“Yes.” She forced a smile. “It’s almost impossible to measure up. But it doesn’t matter, I’m much happier here doing what I do.”

“Now you sound like Evangeline.”

“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment. Because no matter how much you want to blame yourself for what happened, it was never your choice to make. If she wanted to go, then she was going to find a way. Whether you helped her or not.”

“I know intellectually that you’re right. It’s just harder to accept that emotionally.”

“Emotions are fickle. They tell you what you want to hear. Good or bad. If you ask me, we’d be better off without them.”

“I think it’s our emotions that make us human,” Avery said, his tone resolute. “And it’s our humanity that sets us apart.” He shrugged, with a crooked grin. “Who knew I was such a philosopher?”

“I think maybe you’re wiser than you know.” Sydney kept her voice light, following his lead.

The time for deep conversation was clearly at an end. Which suited her just fine. There was something about Avery Solomon that made her want to bare her soul. And at least in her experience, that never lead to anything good.