The Puppeteer (35 page)

“I just came to drop off some more food,” Sam said, handing Ty a basket.

“Dani will want to say hi,” Ty protested.

“Then Dani can call. She deserves a few days without family bugging her. She deserves a few days to hole up and spend time with you.”

“You're very understanding,” Ty replied with a smile.

“I have three kids, believe me, I understand how important
alone
time is with your partner,” she added the emphasis and a pointed look at Drew, who ignored her. Before anyone could protest any more, she waltzed down the hall and disappeared into a waiting elevator.

“They're a lot alike aren't they?” Ty mused as he closed the door.

“You have no idea,” Drew responded with a shake of his head, no doubt thinking of all the years he'd known the two women.

“No idea what?” Dani asked as she entered the room wearing a pair of Ty's boxers and his shirt. It wasn't much better than a sheet but, of course, Ty thought she looked good either way.

“Nothing,” Drew answered. Dani shot him a suspicious look, then changed tactics and started pawing through the bag of food.

“Sammy left?” It wasn't a real question so no one answered. Satisfied with her perusal, Dani grabbed an apple and then plopped down on her sofa and looked at Drew. “So, what's up?”

Ty watched indecision flit across Drew's face and hid a grin. He'd probably never seen Dani looking so relaxed, so happy. It threw him off. Drew cast a look at Ty who shrugged, grabbed his own apple and perched on the sofa behind Dani.

“Maybe I should come back later,” Drew spoke.

“You're here. You know I'm not going to let you leave before you tell me what you came to tell me,” Dani replied.

Drew eyed her for a long minute, looking like he was debating whether to take her at her word or not. Deciding on the former, he sat down and told them everything he'd learned from Sonny Carlyle.

“A few months after his dad was killed, Frey approached him. At first he wasn't sure what Frey wanted, but because he seemed to know so much about Sonny's dad, Sonny listened to him, even sought him out after a while. Sonny learned from Frey that his dad sometimes did work for the CIA. Nothing huge but enough that he earned some good friends and allies. But then, Frey told him, one of the allies switched allegiances and, when Sonny's dad confronted him, he killed him. Sonny said Frey told him that we, the CIA, knew who killed his father, but chose not to do anything about it because we needed the rogue agent more than we needed his father.”

“We needed a rogue agent?” Dani repeated.

“Frey convinced Sonny that this agent had enough valuable information, even though he was playing all sides of the coin, that we planned to overlook his father's murder.”

“And this agent is?” Ty prompted with a drawl.

“Fictional,” Drew replied. “Carlyle only had contact with three agents. All three have been checked out, just in case. All three are clear.”

“So Sonny thought the government his dad tried to help was protecting the man who killed him?” Dani surmised.

“Pretty much about sums it up,” Drew shrugged.

“So, what was Frey's solution?”

“Sonny wasn't very clear on this. He said that Frey suggested talking to Bradley Taylor, the guy who runs Eagle's Wing and maybe Taylor could help him 'work through it.' Taylor's not talking, but when we raided the Eagle's Wing compound, we found detailed maps of the IRS headquarters, along with security information and potential weak points.”

“Put it together with what we know they were collecting from Getz and we can assume they were going to target the tax man. Somehow that seems appropriate for an anti-government militia. But why Sonny? Why wouldn't Frey facilitate the transaction through both Getz and Taylor?” Ty asked.

Drew took a deep breath and let it out. “This is Adam's theory and, though he's the newbie, I think it has some merit.” Drew paused and looked at both of them. Ty had slid down onto the sofa and was sitting next to Dani. “We know Frey and Robertson know each other. We know Frey helped Robertson get elected and we know Frey has worked with a lot of companies Robertson and his cronies own or control. We also know Robertson's polls are low, some of the lowest in history, and there is an election coming up in a few months—”

“Drew,” Dani sat back and warned as if she could stop Drew from saying what he was going to say next. Drew cast her a sympathetic look, like he'd give anything not to have to say it as well.

“We also know Sonny holds a Saudi Arabian passport. He's not a dual citizen, since it's not allowed. He was born in the United States but applied for a Saudi Arabian passport based on his mother's nationality. He isn't a dual citizen, but he has possession of both.”

“Shit,” Ty breathed. Drew looked like he concurred.

“You think Frey was orchestrating an attack on the IRS headquarters as a favor to bolster Robertson's polls and he needed Sonny, or someone like him, because he wanted to be able to lay the blame at the feet of foreign terrorists. Even though Sonny isn't foreign,” Dani added.

“It's what Adam has suggested,” Drew replied.

“And you agree?” Ty asked.

“And what would happen when Eagle's Wing claimed the attack? How would they get around that?” Dani interjected.

“I'm not sure whether or not the attack would take place, but the effect is still the same. If it had been successful, Robertson reinvigorates the war on terrorism, calls on the country to come together, and, low and behold, we have a second-term president. But, even if the attack was foiled, it would still bode well for Robertson. He'd be able to sell his success to the press, point out that we're still at risk and that we need leaders like him to keep us safe, and, bang, we have the same result, he gets re-elected,” Drew replied with a mix of cynicism and anger. “As for Eagle's Wing, I hate to say it, but who do you think the people will believe capable of such an act? A militia no one has ever heard of before, or a young man with ties to the Middle East?”

“And, of course, the fact that Sonny has a foreign passport provides the added fodder and saves the president from the embarrassment of having to admit that some terrorists are home grown,” Dani finished in disgust. “But why Sonny? It seems like any number of people could have performed the same function.”

“We're working on that,” Drew responded. “There might be a reason, or it might be chance. Either way, we'll find out.”

“So, where does that leave us?” Ty asked, after a long silence in which they all digested the information.

“We've got some feelers out to try and figure out how involved Robertson is. We still want to go after Frey, we still
will
go after Frey, especially now, knowing he's involved in arms dealing as well as a planned attack against a US target. The question is whether or not we'll have Robertson's support or if we'll have to wheel and deal.”

“You think we'll get his support?” Dani asked, curious.

Drew shrugged. “I don't know. I don't know how involved Robertson is in this. We know Frey is a master manipulator. If he's been manipulating Robertson all these years, Robertson might be glad to have a chance to get rid of him. On the other hand, if Robertson and Frey are in it together, we'll have to use another route.”

“Such as?” Ty prompted.

“Extortion,” Dani supplied. Drew looked at her and cracked a smile.

“Such an ugly word don't you think?” he responded. “And it wouldn't be extortion, it would be blackmail.”

“You let us go after Frey and we won't tell the public you're an accomplice to murder and attempted terrorism,” Ty interjected, disbelief palpable in his voice. “If he's involved, I'd say that's a pretty small price to pay.”

“True,” Drew conceded. “I think we'd make sure he never ran for public office again. And once he was out of office, we probably wouldn't let things lie, but we wouldn't go public.”

“What? You'd sick the IRS on him or something?” Ty said.

Drew chuckled, “You'd be surprised how effective the IRS is at destroying a man's life.”

“What's the timeline?” Dani asked.

Again, Drew shrugged. “Hard to say, a couple of weeks maybe? Hopefully sooner rather than later, given that the election is coming up in less than five months.”

“You'll let us know?” Dani asked.

Drew nodded and stood. Dani and Ty followed suit. “Dani,” Ty said, looking at Dani. “Can you go heat up some of that pasta Sam brought?”

Dani shot him a look and let her gaze travel to Drew. She shook her head and laughed. “Yes,” she said, going up on her toes as he ducked his head down to kiss her. “But if you wanted a chance to talk to Drew without me in the room, all you had to do was ask.”

“And you would have listened?” He asked in earned disbelief.

“Probably not,” she said over her shoulder. “You just got lucky this time that I happen to be hungry, too.”

The men watched her leave and then Ty gestured Drew toward the door. When they were out in the hallway, he spoke. “I want to know everything, whenever you have it,” he said.

“Revenge is a nasty beast, Ty,” Drew said.

Ty stared back.

Drew nodded. “Right, of course,” he said with a sigh.

“I'm serious, Drew,” Ty cut in. “This man killed Dani's parents and god knows how many others and, more importantly to me, at least, he almost killed her. He knows who she is now, he knows
where she works. He's a man who knows a lot of nasty people and I'm not willing to take the chance that he might know someone who would take care of her for him. And we both know she won't be able to go.”

There was a long silence during which Drew studied Ty.

“How deep do you want to go?” Drew asked, finally.

Ty knew Drew was remembering the conversation they'd had earlier that summer—remembering Ty's own internal conflicts and why he left the SEALs. If Ty joined forces with Drew on this mission, he'd be going straight back into the lion's den.

“As deep as it takes to get him out of her life permanently,” came his fast reply.

“It's been a while since you've been active,” Drew pointed out. And they both knew what he meant. Active in the military, active on foreign missions. Active with the kind of skills and training he'd had when he was a SEAL.

“I'll take care of it,” was all he said, already planning a training regimen.

Drew studied him for another long span of silence before giving him a curt nod and turning away.

“Make sure you do, because Dani will kill me if anything happens to you,” he added over his shoulder as he disappeared into the stairwell.

Ty stood for a moment in the silence of the hall, contemplating what he'd just promised. He hated the idea of leaving Dani to go after Frey, though he knew he would have to. He would hate being away from her and he would hate knowing she would, at some level, begrudge him his involvement. She would want to go herself, but there was no way he or Drew would let her. She would be pissed, but she would understand it wouldn't be safe to take her, wherever they ended up going. He wasn't worried that Frey would get her—though there was that. But it wasn't likely, given the extent of her injury, that she would ever be the field operative she was a month ago. He knew it, Drew knew it, but Ty didn't think Dani had even thought about this yet. When Drew refused to let her go after Frey—and Ty knew he would—it would be like slapping her in the face with this fact. Not only would she have to deal with her involvement
with Frey and her belief, as misplaced as it was, that she let him get away, she'd have to start coping with the fact that her career as she knew it, was over.

Ty sighed and turned back toward the apartment. The time would come soon enough when Dani would have to confront her uncertain career future. In the meantime, he would spend his time working on their future.

Chapter 24

“WHERE'S DANI?” DREW ASKED
as he stepped through the door Ty held open.

“Shopping with Sam. Picking up some clothes for the kids, or so I'm told,” Ty answered, closing the door behind Drew and moving toward the kitchen. It was hard to miss how bad Drew looked, including the look of relief that crossed his face after finding out Dani wasn't home. His eyes were red with fatigue, his usually immaculate clothes were rumpled—his shirt was even untucked—and his facial hair was growing in, making him look almost scruffy.

“I'd offer you a beer,” Ty said, opening the fridge. “You look like you could use it, but you also look like it might put you to sleep.”

Drew eyed him as he pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and didn't answer. Ty pulled out a bottle for himself, popped the top, and leaned against the counter, knowing Drew would talk when he was good and ready.

A half a beer later, in which time they'd done nothing but sit in the quiet, Drew rubbed his hands over his face, swore, and asked for one himself. Ty handed him a bottle and then sat opposite him as Drew took a long pull.

“Robertson's done,” he said.

Ty blinked. “Excuse, me?”

“He's out.”

“Out, as in out of reach? Out of the dealings? Out of what?” Ty prompted, leaning forward, listening.

“Out of the election,” Drew said under his breath. Then, taking another deep breath, he spoke louder. “He's not going to run. He's withdrawing from the election.”