Dark Deceptions (28 page)

“Without Kim to answer our questions definitively we’re not going to have anything but conjecture.” Emmett shook his head.
“The more important thing is to consider the fact that if there was a plan B, then that means Kim had to have already planned
for the possibility of failure with his initial scenario.”

“You’re talking about the fingerprint and hair sample.” Tyler frowned.

“Yes.” Emmett nodded. “It’s easy enough to transfer a print from one surface to another if you know what you’re doing. All
Kim had to do was have one of his flunkies secure Annie’s print and while he was at it, grab a hair sample.”

“Rivon could have managed it,” Lara suggested. “He met with her several times. Or maybe Kim’s people pulled the samples when
they took the kid. Annie’s hair and prints had to be all over the room.”

“Or maybe it was the man in the hotel room,” Annie said, her brows drawn together as she considered the idea. “It would certainly
explain his presence.”

“Makes more sense than anything else we’ve considered,” Nash agreed. “I don’t suppose you have anything new on his identity?”

“No.” Lara shook her head. “Langley verified that the fingerprints we lifted weren’t in any of our files. And the DNA hasn’t
popped yet either.”

“But maybe we have a new angle,” Hannah said, already typing furiously on her laptop. “Annie, you told me the guy was Asian,
right?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “But I can’t be sure. I didn’t get that good a look at him.”

“What about you, Nash?” Drake asked.

“I didn’t see him except for a brief moment, and that was through the haze of the hotel curtains. He was definitely Asian
but he wasn’t old enough to be Kim, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“No.” Hannah shook her head. “I wouldn’t expect Kim to do his own dirty work. But usually when people plan an operation as
big as this one, they have someone they trust. Someone at the top who is privy to all the planning and is part of the implementation.”

“But we haven’t seen any evidence of that at all,” Emmett said. “None of the accomplices we’ve turned up so far have a Korean
connection. Hell, not even an Asian one.”

“Understood,” Hannah said, still typing. “But the people we’ve uncovered so far have just been lackeys. Paid help, so to speak.
Even the big guns were the kind of folks that couldn’t easily be tied to Kim. But nobody operates in a vacuum. And the intruder
at Annie’s hotel room has never fit what we knew of the plan.”

“So you’re saying that he’s the inside guy?” Nash frowned, turning the idea over in his mind. “Someone Kim knows and trusts?”

“Exactly.” Hannah nodded. “The lower-level operation was for Annie’s benefit. So that she’d believe that she had to kill Dominico.
By having unknowns on the payroll, Kim had insurance that if things went badly, Annie wouldn’t have anything to implicate
him. Just Rivon and the planted information about Ashad.”

“But Kim was at the farmhouse,” Annie said, shaking her head. “Which meant Rivon and the others saw him.”

“And they were all supposed to die,” Tyler reminded them. “That bomb was meant to take out the whole lot—except Rivon.”

“Well, it definitely wasn’t Rivon in my hotel room,” Annie said.

“It was someone Asian,” Hannah reiterated, still typing.

“So maybe we need to be checking the fingerprints against Asian databases,” Drake suggested.

“Korean in particular.” Lara nodded. “Although I have to say that even if it is a Korean, Kim could have been working with
anyone. And figuring out who isn’t going to be easy.”

“Yes, but maybe we were looking in the wrong places,” Nash said. “And if we can tie the intruder to Kim, it’ll go a long way
toward proving Annie was framed.”

“Needle in a haystack,” Emmett muttered.

“Can’t you check DNA for that kind of thing?” Drake asked. “Alleles or something?”

“Come again?” Nash asked.

“Alleles are part of a pair of genes. They’re used to identify particular characteristics. Race, among other things,” Lara
explained. “But I’m not sure that identifying the intruder’s nationality is going to definitively tie Kim to the intruder.”

“It might. If the man is related,” Hannah said with a triumphant smile as she flashed a new photograph on the overhead screen.
The man looked like a younger version of Kim. “It seems there were two brothers. Jin and Chin-Mae.” She waved at the screen.
“Meet Chin-Mae.”

“So why are we just now hearing this?” Tyler asked.

“Because Chin-Mae was just a kid when his brother died. And because his father’s always kept him off the radar. I stumbled
across a reference when I was searching for info on Kim. But I hadn’t put two and two together until you mentioned the age
of the assailant in the hotel room. Anyway, I know it’s a long shot. But the CIA has a DNA sample on Kim. Which means we should
be able to compare it to the DNA we found on the hotel balcony. Right?” Hannah asked.

“It’s possible.” Lara nodded. “Assuming I can obtain the full records. It’s just a simple paternity test.”

“And if we can prove that it was Chin-Mae in my room,” Annie said, hope mirrored on her face, “then we’ll be a whole lot closer
to proving the connection to Kim.”

“Which would be a good thing,” Avery responded, striding into the room. “Sorry to have to break up the meeting, but I need
Annie and Nash to come with me. Tom Walker’s here. And I’m afraid he’s gunning for Annie.”

I
don’t care what the fuck you think you know,” Tom said, his expression guarded. ��I’ve got the authority to take Annie back
to D.C. for prosecution. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

Avery had sequestered the four of them in a conference room deep in the bowels of headquarters, away from prying eyes, although
Annie figured the room was probably wired for sound. Her head was still reeling from all the developments of the day, her
primary concern still Adam’s safety. But not only had Avery doubled security, he’d had someone from A-Tac with the boy all
day.

So at least for the moment, she felt like she could concentrate on the present. On fighting for her life—possibly quite literally—as
they tried to present the case that Annie’d been framed. Needless to say, Annie still felt as if she were caught in a dangerous
tug-of-war. And worst of all, she was having trouble concentrating with Nash in the room.

She knew he had doubts. And until those doubts were assuaged, she knew that he wouldn’t be able to trust her completely. Professionally,
she needed that trust. Needed him to believe in her innocence and the necessity of finding and taking out Kim Sun once and
for all. And on a personal level—well, she wasn’t certain she was ready to deal with all of that. He’d hurt her as much as
she’d hurt him. Maybe there was no recovering from that.

The thought was more painful than she could have imagined.

“Until I verify the truth about what happened in Saida,” Avery was saying, his expression thunderous, “and until we hear from
our respective commanders, you’re not going anywhere. I don’t like being played.”

“No one has been playing you, Avery.” Tom shook his head. “Saida is just old news in light of today’s assassination.”

“But we have proof that Kim Sun was involved,” Nash argued.

“You have theories.
I
have proof.” Tom waved the file with the fingerprint and DNA evidence.

“And I have the ear of the president,” Avery said, pulling all attention firmly back to his corner of the table. “Which means
that I expect you to tell me the truth. Were there counterorders for the mission to Saida?”

“You know as well as I do that I can’t confirm or disconfirm anything without proper clearance.” Tom crossed his arms over
his chest, his face guarded. “Annie shouldn’t have shared classified information. It’s a breach of protocol.”

“There is no protocol on an eight-year-old mission,” Annie snapped, her patience wearing thin. She’d never been much on playing
the political game, and despite the fact that she’d once considered Tom her friend, the day’s revelations had left her doubting
the validity of her memories.

His motives, seen from her new vantage point, seemed suddenly suspect. Especially considering the fact that Homeland Security
and the CIA weren’t particularly good at playing nice with each other, turf wars regularly erupting as their missions intersected
and overlapped.

Annie might not be ready to completely commit to trusting A-Tac, but in a firefight she’d take Avery and Nash over Tom every
time.

“Even if there was protocol,” Avery said, his voice deceptively soft, “Annie’s no longer bound by it. And considering the
enormity of the situation at hand, I think the time for full disclosure is at hand.”

“I haven’t got the authority,” Tom insisted.

“What am I missing here?” Avery asked, shaking his head. “You said it yourself—the operation’s old news, which makes it a
dead issue as far as internal agencies are concerned. All I’m looking for is confirmation that Annie’s version of events is
true.”

“What about the evidence against Annie?” Tom asked, deftly turning the argument away from the past. “Are you just going to
pretend it doesn’t exist?”

“It’s not like that kind of thing can’t be faked,” Annie ground out. “Besides, if nothing else, there’s my word that I didn’t
do it. That used to mean something. What happened to you? You’ve turned into the kind of blustering bureaucrat we used to
make fun of.”

“I care about our country’s security. And I care about bringing Dominico’s killer to justice.”

“Well, you’re barking up the wrong tree. I didn’t kill the man.”

“So you say.” Tom shook his head, clearly not buying the idea.

“There are definitely signs that she’s being played, Tom,” Nash said. “The timeline is there for her to have been at Dominico’s,
but the rest of the facts don’t line up.”

Tom’s eyebrows shot up. “Surely you of all people aren’t buying into this?”

“I don’t know what to think.” He shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he watched Tom. “But I also don’t understand why you’re
out to get Annie. She’s right, you know her. Know us. And yet, you’re not interested in helping her at all.”

“I’m interested in justice.”

“You’re interested in you,” Nash said. “That’s always the way it’s been. I just didn’t realize how much.”

“You always had a weakness when it came to Annie.” Tom shrugged. “But I’m not as easily fooled. And I just can’t ignore the
fact that we’ve got evidence that places her at the scene. And nothing you’ve told me here is strong enough to refute those
facts.”

“It’s enough to cast reasonable doubt,” Avery said. “And last I checked that’s all that’s needed. We know that Kim Sun was
behind Adam’s kidnapping. And if the child is to be believed, Kim is behind the phone calls as well. And once we establish
for certain that the man in Annie’s hotel room was Kim’s son, we’ll have incontrovertible evidence that the two of them are
part of this.”

“Maybe. But that only gives testament to Annie’s motivation. If Kim is still threatening her son, it follows that she’d finish
what she started. And there’s the fact that she ran away from here. Why would she do that when this is probably the safest
place she could be?”

“Because she overheard us talking about your coming to get her,” Nash admitted, his words sending Annie’s stomach reeling.
Listening to Tom, even she was starting to believe she was guilty.

“Seems to me that just supports her guilt. I mean, why would an innocent person run?”

“I was fighting for my life—and Adam’s.” Annie felt as if she were drowning. One step forward, three steps back. “But I was
coming back when Dominico’s goons intercepted me.”

“Because you were in trouble.” Tom smirked. “Have there been any further phone calls?”

Annie shook her head. “No, but—”

“My point exactly.” Tom smiled, the expression lacking any humor. “Dominico is dead. Your part in this little farce is over.
And there’s no further threat to your son.”

“As long as Kim Sun is out there, there’s a threat. Surely you can see that?” She shot a look at Nash and Avery, hoping for
support. “The man is looking for payback. He said so himself.”

“I see nothing of the sort. If Kim Sun was involved, I’ll concede that he should be brought to justice, but that doesn’t change
the facts as they stand. Which means that you also have to pay for your crimes.”

“I didn’t kill Dominico, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you use me as a scapegoat.” She shot a pleading look in Avery’s
direction.

“What’s really going on here, Tom?” Avery asked. “Nash and Annie are right. You’re just a little too zealous about bringing
her to justice. The facts may not all be in place. But I, for one, think we’ve got something more complicated than just an
ex-CIA agent taking out a diplomat to save her son. I can understand why she’d run. But if nothing else, I can’t see her taking
her son along while she offs a man.”

“She had no problem putting him in the middle of a gunfight on the side of the highway.”

“That wasn’t my fault. Maybe I could have handled it better. But I was fighting for Adam’s life,” Annie responded, wondering
if she’d every really known this man at all. “That’s what all of this has been about. Fighting to free my son. And you of
all people know how much he means to me. What I gave up for him.” The minute the words were out she wished them back. It would
be so easy for Nash to put it all together. But he wasn’t paying attention, his concentration centered instead on Tom.

“I don’t know anything about you anymore,” Tom said, his tone dismissive.

“Well, I know that she saved two of my operatives.” Avery frowned. “That’s got to mean something.”

“Yeah, that she played you. I saw the reports. Nash’s gun jammed. And the only other fingerprints on the gun were Annie’s.
Are you saying those were transferred as well?”

“No.” Annie shook her head, her eyes on Nash. “I did handle the gun. I unpacked the gear. But I didn’t do anything to it.
Even if I’d wanted to, there wasn’t time. And besides, my son was in grave danger. Why would I want to thwart the effort to
rescue him?”