Operation Sheba (20 page)

Chapter Thirty

Julia Torrison had never been real to him until she showed up at the mortuary. Even then—even after the last few days of helping her and Flynn and Smitty—she was simply the Queen of Sheba to Flynn’s Solomon. He was playing a fun, silly spy game with them, he, himself, tucked safely away in obscurity.

Watching her shoot the brother, roll, come to her feet and shoot some more as she ran toward him changed his mind.
O-kay,
he thought
, not a game.

So much for obscurity. So much for safety. Now he was smack-ass in the middle of something
big
. It scared the bejesus out of him, but was intoxicating all the same.

Julia was running all out now, looking every bit like a movie star in an action scene. But even twenty yards away, Ace could see the fear in her face, and he felt a surge of protectiveness in his gut. She wasn’t just a player in a silly spy game. She was a real, live person. Not just
any
person, either. A person Conrad Flynn was willing to risk his life for.

Conrad Flynn: invincible, unstoppable and damn near God-like. What Flynn wanted, Flynn got. In this case, he wanted Julia Torrison and the world be damned if Ace wasn’t going to help him.

Because in his book, Conrad Flynn walked on water.

“That’s my girl.” Conrad stood up and brought his gun to bear on the targets ahead. “Let’s roadhouse!”

Add Army of One to that list
, Ace thought as he jammed his foot into the brake pedal and jerked the steering wheel left. Conrad’s baseball cap flew off into the air as the Jeep spun in a donut, its back end coming to rest three feet from Julia.

As the Jeep swung around in front of his partner, Conrad held on to the roll bar with his right hand and fired three shots at the tree line.

One bullet punched a tree and the others rained down around the security officer Julia had shot. Not bad considering he was standing up in a moving vehicle and firing with his left hand. After that rain of bullets, a smart man would think twice before leaving the protection of the woods, and that would buy him and Ace a few more seconds to get Julia out.

She bounded toward the Jeep as it stopped, throwing up her left arm. Flynn reached out and grabbed her. Swinging her up into the backseat, he yelled, “
Go!
” to his wheelman.

As Ace pressed the accelerator and shifted on the fly, Conrad caught sight of not one, but three Agency officers hauling out of the tree line to shoot at them.

Ballsy bastards.

He pushed Julia’s head down and fired off another dozen of the 9-mm parabellum rounds near the ditch and the man still writhing on the ground. The bullets ricocheted off the ground, sending the others back into hiding.

Conrad ejected the spent clip and jammed a fresh one back in while continuing to balance himself as the Jeep jerked in acceleration. “Come on, Ace,” he shouted, thinking he could run faster than the CJ was moving. His wheelman definitely needed a different car. A speedy getaway this was not.

Lightning struck in the distance and Conrad could see rain begin falling in sheets as the storm moved in and they moved out. He switched the HK to his right hand and kept it trained in the direction of the woods for another half-mile before he glanced down at Julia. She was lying on her back, errant drops of rain hitting her in the face as she shoved the closed Toshiba under a too-big sweatshirt.

Ignoring the faded Marines emblem emblazed on the sweatshirt and raising his head to sky, Conrad let out a whoop at the stormy heavens that echoed over the hills like thunder. He hadn’t felt this alive in months.

God
damn
, even Smitty’s precious computer was safe.

Michael listened as Smith walked him through the disc’s contents. Listened while Smith explained from beginning to end Susan Richmond’s manipulation and calculated career moves. He listened as Smith laid everything out in a succinct and efficient time line.

And then he asked the question burning in his mind. “Why didn’t you come to me in the beginning, Smith?”

Ryan Smith was silent for a moment on the other end. “With all due respect, sir, Conrad and I thought you were the mole.”

Michael sat back in his chair, disgusted. “Flynn
wanted
me to be the mole.”

“Susan led us to believe you were.” Smith let out a tired breath. “She was the one who set this in motion and pointed us continually in your direction. It was nothing personal, Director.”

“The hell it wasn’t,” Michael said, more to himself than to Smith. He dropped his hand to the arm of his chair. “And you never doubted her.”

“No, sir. We’ve always believed her intentions were true.”

That was certainly believable, but Michael’s ego was still smarting from Smith’s confession. “Explain Julia’s part in this.”

“We purposely left her out of the loop for as long as possible. She knew nothing about any of this until three days ago.”

Three days. Three nights. Flynn and Julia together. “But she has been helping you and Flynn.”

“Because of you,” Smith said in defense. “She knew you weren’t the mole, and she was determined to prove your innocence.”

“And how did she do that?”

Smith was silent, as if gauging his answer. Michael shifted in his chair. “What did she do? Bug my house? Read my mail? Listen to my phone calls? Tell me, Smith. What did Julia do to prove to you and Flynn that I wasn’t the mole?”

“Cari Von Motz shifted our attention to Susan. She came to Julia with her journal and that’s what convinced us.”

Michael knew Smith was holding something back, but he let it drop. “Titus Allen is on his way here, to my house, at this very moment. I expect you and Flynn on my doorstep within the hour with every scrap of evidence you have to present to the Director. Got it?”

Smith’s answer came one beat too slow. “I will be there.”

“Flynn too,” Michael insisted.

“He’s a little tied up right now, sir.”

“You tell him to get his perfidious ass over here or I swear I’ll come after him myself.”

Smith assumed a soothing tone. “Director, Conrad is picking up Julia to remove her from harm’s way. Susan and her Agency officers are a real threat to her at this moment.”

Michael closed his eyes and rubbed them again with his fingers. Flynn to the rescue.
Goddamn son of a bitch
. “I’ll call Director Kipfer in security and ask him to find Susan and put a tail on her.”

“Aren’t you going to seek a warrant for her arrest?”

“We’re talking about the chief officer of the Counterterrorism Center, Smith. An employee who’s dedicated her life to the CIA without so much as a reprimand in her file. Absolutely every duck you have has to be in a row, and if it is, Titus and I will take the necessary steps and have Susan arrested. We need absolute proof, do you understand?”

“Of course. What about Senator King? He’s involved too.”

“We’ll deal with King in time. We have to tread lightly with him too. You have damning evidence from a black bag job, illegally entering and bugging Susan’s office. Neither Susan nor King knew they were being recorded. The law in this area must be interpreted carefully by carefully selected judges on our side if you know what I mean.”

“Susan got him to sign off on the operation. She has his signature.”

“She may have already destroyed it.”

“Right.” Smith sighed.

“King is not much of a threat to us or Julia right now. Let’s concentrate on Susan.”

“Cari too. If we have her, we have the star witness.”

“Any idea where she is?”

“No, but she said she would contact Julia to see if you’d agreed to her proposition.”

“Okay, get your butt over here and make your case. We’ll go from there.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Plan A had gone straight to hell. Susan sat in her home office in her desk chair and rocked it slowly, rubbing the glass globe between her fingertips. Cari was a first-class turncoat. Julia had escaped and disappeared with Flynn, alerting Michael before Susan could stop her. Ben Raines was in the hospital, and Susan was keenly aware of the security team watching her house from the street. Daniel had called to tell her Titus Allen was requesting a meeting with him at Michael’s house. She warned him of Julia’s threat.

Plan A was definitely shot. Within hours, if the damage was not controlled, Susan could find herself in jail, on the run, or worse.

Fortunately for Susan, not even Daniel or Cari knew all the details of her alternate plan.

Susan set the globe down and picked up her desk phone. In less time than it took for the globe to make a full rotation, she placed a call to a man as desperate as she was.

Instantly, Plan B was initiated.

Arlington

“Is Julia safe?” Smitty asked Conrad.

“She’s fine.” Con glanced over his shoulder at her in the backseat. She was staring out the Jeep’s back window, but he knew she wasn’t seeing the rain or the dark landscape they were passing by. They were on their way to a safe house Conrad knew was empty. A place Susan would never think to look for them. “The Queen shot Ben Raines.”

“No kidding? Injured or dead?”

“He won’t be using his gun hand ever again.”

Smitty whistled under his breath. “Self-defense, right?”

“Of course. You should have seen her,” Conrad continued, hoping he might bring Julia out of her melancholy. “Dropped Raines like a pro.”

“Tell her she did well.”

Conrad moved the phone and said to Julia. “Smitty says you done good.”

Julia looked at him, tried a smile and then turned back to the window.

“Did you tell her about Cari’s father?”

Conrad spoke to Julia again over his shoulder. “Cari’s father is none other than Senator Daniel King.”

Surprise registered on her face as she met his gaze. “I bluffed and told Michael to tell Susan I knew who it was just to throw her into a tailspin, but I never would have guessed it was King.”

“Did you hear that?” Con asked Smitty, smiling at Julia’s deviousness. What would Susan think about that?

Smitty confirmed he’d heard her. “She’s been hanging around you too long.”

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”

“I’m headed to Stone’s house. I walked him through all our information. He wants me to present it to Titus.”

Conrad rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah? What did he say about it?”

“You mean, what did he say about you?”

“That too.”

“He called you a perfidious ass.”

This time Conrad whistled. “I can feel the love. Stone always was too huggy for me.”

“He wanted you to come with me, but I explained your predicament with Julia and Susan. He said he’d put Susan under watch but he couldn’t ask for an arrest warrant until we present everything to Titus.”

“He’s right,” Conrad said.

“I’ll let him know you concur.”

“Just convince him, Smitty. Otherwise we’re all in a world of hurt.”

“No problem, Conman. This is my area of expertise, remember?”

“Any thoughts about what Susan’s doing right now?”

“Plan B, I assume.”

“Exactly. Watch your back, partner.”

“Ditto.”

Conrad closed his cell phone and ignored Ace’s look of inquiry. Julia spoke from the backseat. “What did he say?”

“He told Stone everything over the phone and now he’s going to meet with him and Titus. They’ll get a warrant for Susan once they have all the evidence.”

“What did Michael say about me?”

Ah
, Conrad thought,
that’s what she really wants to know
. “Smitty didn’t mention anything.”

“Oh.” She turned back to the window.

He racked his brain for something to distract her. “Stone did however call me a perfidious ass.”

That worked. She raised an eyebrow at him and a small grin passed her lips. “That’s it?”

“What do you mean, is that it? I just saved his career and the CIA from ruin and he calls
me
a perfidious ass.”

“What’s perfidious mean?” Ace asked from the driver’s seat.

“You deceived him and stole his girlfriend out from under his nose,” Julia said to Conrad. “I think technically ‘ass’ is a pretty mild revilement.”

“Revilement?” Ace looked at one and then the other in his rearview. “This is some kind of spy talk, isn’t it? Okay, I’m down with it. Just tell me what it means.”

Conrad ignored Ace and turned his head away to look out the Jeep’s window, but inside he was smiling to himself. It didn’t matter what Stone called him. Julia was right.

I got the girl
. Game, set, match, Conrad Flynn.

Michael handed Titus his requisite martini and sat behind his customized mahogany desk.

Titus took a sip and sucked the olive off the toothpick. “So my CTC chief is bringing down the house of cards, is that what you’re telling me, Michael?”

Thunder sounded overhead. “Yes, sir. Looks like she was shooting for your job ultimately.”

Titus was quiet for a long minute, savoring his martini and staring at the wall. He sucked his lined cheeks in. “Never did trust that woman.”

Michael let his surprise show. “Sir?”

“Always knew she was after my job.” Titus finished off the martini and set the glass on Michael’s desk with a flourish. “Had the hots for her once. Thank God she rejected me or she’d have busted my balls and taken over my job years ago. She was in love with Daniel King back then and couldn’t see I was the better man.” Titus winked at him.

At a loss for words, Michael just stared at his boss as the DCI went to the wet bar and mixed another drink. He came back to the chair and kicked his cowboy boots up on Michael’s desk. “Don’t look at me like that, young man. You’re in quite a pickle yourself with a woman right now. Lust makes us do stupid things.” He shrugged. “This Torrison, she worth damaging your career for?”

Michael sat back in his chair. “Is my career damaged?”

Titus waved him off. “Don’t be stupid. Your career is just taking off. I’ve been priming you to take over when I retire.” He pointed a weathered, but well-manicured finger at Michael. “Mind you, I’m in no hurry.”

“I thought you were coming here to fire me.”

“Fire you?” Titus laughed. “I was coming to tell you about Cari Von Motz.”

Again Michael was at a loss. “You were coming to tell me about Cari Von Motz?”

“She contacted me yesterday down in the Keys. Damn if I know how she got my cell phone number, but she told me some interesting stuff about you and Torrison, Flynn, Smith and Susan. Confirmed what I suspected. I flew back today to tell you Susan was gunning for you and your girlfriend. I figured I was next in line.”

“So you knew?”

Titus smiled at him. “This old spy ain’t as stupid as he looks. I’ve had my suspicions about Susan over the years, but could never prove a damn thing. I was hoping you’d keep her in line. That’s why I saddled you with her.”

Michael stared in disbelief. “And did you know Flynn was alive before Cari told you?”

“Ah,” Titus said, raising a finger. “Now that boy is an operator after my own heart. Can you believe him?” He shook his head and laughed. “A sac of steel, he’s got! I was never that good.”

Michael jabbed the end of his pencil into the top of the desk, noticing that Titus had not answered his question. “Flynn faked his death and misled all of us, Director. I hardly think he’s a hero.”

The old man dismissed his concerns with a wave of his hand. “Pull your shorts out, Michael. Flynn’s the best spy you’ll ever have working for you. Sometimes he’s unconventional, but he gets the job done.” He eyed Michael for a moment and then the boots came off the desk. “Wait, this is about Torrison, isn’t it?” He snapped his fingers. “Now I remember. She was Flynn’s partner in Europe, wasn’t she? That’s why you’re so upset.”

“I’m not upset,” Michael lied.

Titus nodded with a
sure you’re not look
on his face. “All right, I’ll let you deal with the two of them.” He sat back. “I invited Daniel King to talk to us here tonight. Thought we’d interrogate him a little and see if he gives anything up voluntarily. He should be here shortly.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “You think you can get information about Susan’s schemes from King? He’ll feign ignorance or deny it.”

“He might, but it will be fun putting him on the hot seat.” He rubbed his hands together with anticipation. “King wants to be President. He stands to lose more than Susan’s ever dreamed about. He won’t jeopardize that. If his ass is on the line, he’ll give her up without blinking and that’s worth more to us than Cari Von Motz’s journal and Flynn and Smith’s evidence.”

Michael considered the old spy’s reasoning. Having an esteemed leader of the senate come forward and testify against Susan would certainly solidify the others’ stories. “Smith claims King signed off on Susan’s operation to charge Julia and the rest of us with treason.”

“She covered her backside. I’d have done the same thing. That way, if her plan doesn’t succeed, she can put the blame on King. His name’s on the line, not hers. She could conceivably make it look like it was his idea and exonerate herself.”

“Why would he sign it then?”

Titus shrugged. “She’s always been very acute at working every angle. She either blackmailed him with Cari or promised him something to further his career. Probably both, knowing her.”

“Guess we’ll find out.” Michael tapped his pencil. “You want to be bad cop or good cop with King?”

It was Titus’s turn to look surprised. He smiled at Michael and returned to the bar with his glass. “You’re going to make a good DCI some day, Stone.”

He stuck an extra olive in his dry martini and saluted Michael from across the room.