Radiant Surrender (CSA Case Files Book 6) (3 page)

“By way of warning, it won’t turn out well for you if I feel in any way you’re about to deceive me.” Crest rose from the couch, not bothering to give Ryland a second look. He leisurely walked around the couch and didn’t spare a glance the man’s way. “I don’t need to tell you to stay inside. The last thing we need is for the CIA to figure out where you’re holed up.”

“I’ve ensured they think I’m in New York. By the way, the same goes for you, Crest. If you try to double cross me, I’ll burn down everything and everyone you’ve ever loved.” The pause in Ryland’s words gave Crest an indication that whatever false leads were planted in the Big Apple would be explosive. It wasn’t as if he could do anything to prevent a tragedy from occurring that had probably already transpired. “No worries, Crest. The target’s death won’t interfere with our arrangement. As you already know, I’ve always kept my professional promises.”

Crest decided against engaging in another verbal duel and went about buttoning his suit jacket after he’d placed his tumbler back onto the side table. He continued walking to the door where he signaled to Kevin that he wanted a word outside in the hallway. Both of them stepped just over threshold, where Kevin closed the door enough so that their conversation wouldn’t be heard across the suite where Ryland remained drinking his scotch with a sly smile dancing across his lips.

“I’ll debrief the team via a teleconference call versus going into the office. It’ll save time.” Crest slipped his hands into his pockets and quickly went over who would be able to relieve Kevin. “Connor will be here this afternoon. Go home when he does and spend some time with Elle. I’m sure she thinks you’re a permanent roommate with someone else. For now your counterpart can park his gear in the butler’s pantry and he’ll remain here until I can make arrangements with his boss for additional personnel.”

“Elle understands,” Kevin replied, speaking of the woman he’d been in love with for a very long time. He stared at Crest for a moment before asking what he really wanted to. “Are you really going to arrange for Ryland to receive a full pardon? I don’t have to tell you how that will go over with the team, especially Jax and Emily.”

“I’m put into a position that I’m not especially thrilled with, but Jessie is my first concern right now. Ryland has tied my hands and I need to use what tools I have at my disposal right now to safeguard her freedom.” Crest imagined Jessie was now halfway to figuring out how to abscond from the safe house he’d arranged. He needed to get back and respond to the multiple unanswered questions she’d peppered him with before he’d left this morning. “Until I obtain the information I need Connor and Lauren’s wedding needs to proceed as scheduled so as not to tip our hand. If all goes well for our side, Jessie will be able to attend the blessed event.”

“Three weeks,” Kevin said, stating the obvious timetable as he leaned back against the door. “Elle spoke with Lauren last night. She’s nervous to continue the wedding plans with Ryland back in the neighborhood and who could blame her? Connor has assured her the nuptials will have enough security to invite the Pope.”

“I have someone posted at Jessie’s location that I believe has the capability of ensuring that Ryland doesn’t interfere with or prevent Connor and Lauren from getting married.” Crest had no doubt that Townes Calvert would do the job that he was being paid to do. With no agent going untouched by Ryland’s actions, it had been safer to get an outsider with the same abilities as well as a downright ruthless professional reputation when it came to dealing with men who had no humanity. Townes didn’t make or have friends and he didn’t want any. In a manner of speaking, he was just as emotionless as Ryland but with an uncompromising set of moral values. Maybe that was exactly why he didn’t have friends. “I’ll be certain to make introductions before then.”

“I’m glad to hear that you’re bringing someone else on board. With Lach taking only special assignments now that he’s engaged to Phoebe we’ve been a bit shorthanded.” Kevin crossed one arm over his chest as he used his other hand to rub his chin. “Speaking of which, if the presidential election had already taken place and Phoebe’s father was elected…you could have used your relationship to request a full pardon.”

“It’s a good thing the election hasn’t happened yet. Stan Dunaway wouldn’t have issued one, regardless of our rapport.” Crest respected a man who did what was right and should Stan Dunaway become the next president of the United States, it would only strengthen the country. Lach had felt it was in the best interest of his and Phoebe’s current situation to personally oversee her protective detail. Crest understood, therefore it was essential to bring someone new into the team to fill the void. “If you need anything or feel that Ryland is attempting to manipulate the current situation in any way, contact me immediately.”

Crest started for the elevator, slipping his hand inside his suit jacket to retrieve his cell phone. Activating the newer model with his fingerprint, he spent the time descending to the lobby by going through his messages now that he was assured that Kevin had things taken care of here. There was nothing inside of his emails that was deemed more essential than what CSA currently had on their plate. By the time he made it to his vehicle he’d already connected to the offices. He wasn’t concerned that the FBI or the CIA could listen in on the conversation for a matter of days. Taryn was a consummate professional when it came to communications encryption. If either agency used their interagency links with the NSA to decrypt their electronic communications, it would be a matter of days before they got any results…that was, if they managed to get the hop pattern close enough to intercept enough of their burst transmission in the first place.

“Taryn, gather everyone around for a SITREP ASAP. Encryption package
Bravo 3
message and transmission on my count to sync.”

Chapter Three

J
essie Miller considered herself a strong and resilient woman. Yes, a woman that his Lordship, Gavin Crest, still thought of as a twenty-one year old little girl that he’d hired right out of the local community college so many years ago. She was now twenty-six with a bachelors in business administration and the man that she’d admired and loved for years had her confined to a claustrophobic apartment that was currently awaiting major renovations—a safe house from what she’d gathered—somewhere in downtown Minneapolis. It might as well have been in downtown Baghdad for all the amenities it offered. To add insult to injury, Gavin had assigned some social reject, Hell’s Angels wannabe as her guardian who refused to answer any of her questions. It didn’t help that he smelled of old motor oil and cheap cigars. She didn’t like feeling helpless and she certainly didn’t like the position she’d been placed in by Gavin. She’d had enough.

“Mr. Calvert, I’m going to ask one more time,” Jessie said, placing her hands on her hips. She was still in the same gray yoga pants and ratty T-shirt, sans any make-up, that she’d been in when Gavin had shown up at her apartment door last night and basically absconded with her. She’d been in such shock when he’d backed her against the wall and his body had been flush with hers that she hadn’t thought twice to do as he’d asked. He still had that kind of effect on her. Now she was paying the price for her stupid schoolgirl crush on a Type A man. “You either get Gavin on the line or one of the CSA agents. If you don’t, I swear that I will take the first thing I pick up and throw it through that window and scream bloody fucking murder.”

Townes Calvert was sitting at the kitchen counter of this one bedroom apartment that Gavin had holed her up in. In front of him was an open newspaper and a cup of coffee. Jessie wanted to swipe everything away just to see what his reaction would be. His facial expression hadn’t changed from the moment he’d walked in. It was almost as if he was bored with her frantic attempts to communicate with him.

The man was nothing like his debonair name suggested. Townes had rugged features, a slightly crooked nose, a two-inch scar that traveled the length of his jawline, and the build of a heavyweight champion wrapped in biker leathers. The black eagle, globe, and anchor on the side of his neck definitely fit in with his image. Jessie couldn’t decide if he’d done his time in prison before, during, or after his stint in the Corps. She had to wonder how many more black ink prison style tats he had. As with all men who looked exactly like they had fallen out of an old copy of
Easy Rider
magazine, she had to tamp down the urge to needle him and test his metal. As far as she was concerned, demanding to speak to Gavin or one of the members of the CSA team shouldn’t be all that hard of a feat to accomplish.

“No.”

Jessie was relatively sure that the vision of him turning another page of that damned newspaper turned a shade of red. Townes’ one word answer made something snap inside of her. She was exhausted, angry, and downright afraid that the information Gavin had given her last night was true. She needed to speak with her parents, she needed a change of clothes, and she needed to place a call into work. If the FBI thought that she’d stolen secret intelligence from their servers and sold it to another country she needed to proclaim her innocence. She hadn’t done anything wrong and it was high damn time that she be allowed to prove it.

Without a word Jessie spun on the heels of her running shoes and marched through the open living area. As promised she grabbed the first thing she saw, which just happened to be the lamp that had been placed on a side table beside a micro-fibered covered, old stained beige couch. She didn’t stop and she’d just gained the momentum needed to hurl the decorative light through the twenty-second floor window when a hand closed around her wrist.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Gavin hadn’t needed to speak for Jessie to know it was his touch that seared her skin. She allowed him to take the lamp from her grasp. As she glanced Townes’ way she was pleased to see that he was rubbing his hand over his craggy face in exasperation. If he’d just done what she’d asked it wouldn’t have come down to her carrying out her threat.

“What I should have done hours ago,” Jessie exclaimed, turning around and facing the man who would inevitably break her heart again. She hadn’t had time to sort out how she felt that he’d walked back into her life after months of self-imposed exile. She’d been too busy trying to comprehend what she was being accused of along with rationalizing why it was he thought her parents were sleeper agents for Russia. It was the most ludicrous thing she’d ever heard in her entire life. “You show up at my door last night with those outrageous claims, leave me here with some nonverbal biker trash I don’t know, and then expect me to behave like a good little well-mannered girl you met at last week’s cotillion. You made your decision long ago about any type of relationship between us, so don’t go acting like I need to follow your goddamned orders. If I have to go to drastic measures to make my point, so be it. Now that you’re here I want you to take me to my parents. They’ll tell you the truth and this mess can be cleared up.”

Gavin’s green eyes reminded Jessie of lightly colored Venetian crystal and right now they appeared harder than any metal found on earth. He very deliberately set the lamp back down on the side table and calmly turned back to Townes, who was now standing and folding his newspaper. Just one time she wanted Gavin to honestly react with some kind of emotion to something she said or did. As it was, the adrenaline that she’d been feeling was still flowing through her veins and she had plenty more to say whether or not he wanted to listen.

“Townes, would you please give us a moment?”

The even tone of Gavin’s voice grated her already frayed nerves and made them completely raw. Jessie took a deep cleansing breath, knowing him well enough that he would want to have his say before he listened to hers. What he didn’t realize was that she wasn’t his personal assistant anymore. In fact, she didn’t need to justify herself to him for any reason. She was her own person and she would damn well be heard.

“Yes, Townes,” Jessie said in agreement before adding on her own suggestion. “And don’t worry about returning. Gavin and I will be leaving this luxury loft shortly.”

Townes obviously didn’t realize or care that he was treading on thin ice with her because he didn’t even bother glancing her way as he made his way to the front door of the apartment. It wasn’t like she would have to deal with him anymore anyway, but she would have loved to have had the authority to force him to listen to her. She had no idea where her patience came from, but she was actually able to keep silent until she heard the click of the door after his departure.

“You need to take me to my parents. They’ll tell you that they were born in the United States and that they raised my sister and me in a two-story home in Cumberland, Wisconsin. They are as American as you are, Gavin.” Jessie continued to speak as Gavin took off his suit jacket as if he’d planned to stay awhile when she was ready to walk out the door. She ignored his blatant calculated actions and said the rest of her piece, ignoring his lean frame and his polished, crisp appearance. It had taken her a long time to come to terms with his rejection. The quicker she was out of his presence the better. “Once we get that resolved I need to speak with my supervisor to find out why they think I’m selling information to Russia.”