Dark Deceptions (9 page)

“As long as he doesn’t get in the way,” Annie said, clenching her fists.

“I have never knowingly put a child in harm’s way, Ms. Gallagher.” Avery’s eyes narrowed as he studied Annie. “And I don’t
intend to start now.”

“I wish I could believe that.”

“Well, for the moment, we’re all you’ve got,” he said. “And I’d submit that it’s in your best interest to suspend hostilities.
The only way any of our objectives are going to be accomplished is if you give us whatever you’ve got on the people behind
your son’s kidnapping.”

Annie held Avery’s gaze for a moment, still defiant, and then with a sigh sank back into her chair. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything,” Tom said, pulling up a chair to sit in front of her. “No detail is too small.”

From his seat on the radiator cover, Nash listened as she told them about discovering her son missing, and the first phone
call from Rivon. Her pain was evident, her fear for her son coloring every word. Despite all that Annie’d done, she didn’t
deserve this. And even if she did, the boy certainly didn’t.

Nash quashed the conflicting emotions battling inside him, forcing himself to concentrate on the conversation instead.

“The initial call came from Rivon?” Tom was asking.

“I think so, yes.” Annie nodded. “Although he didn’t identify himself at the time.”

“And the call came right on the heels of your discovery that your son was missing?” Tyler was transcribing the conversation
on a laptop, presumably linked in to Hannah at Sunderland.

“Yes. It was maybe fifteen or twenty minutes later. I’m not sure exactly. I was pretty frantic.”

“And you never considered calling for outside help?” Nash asked, shifting so that he could better see her face.

“Of course, I thought of it. But as I said before, I wasn’t certain who I could trust.” Her words zinged across the room,
taking on a life of their own. “And once they called, all I could think of was getting to Adam.”

“And there was no mention of Ashad?” Avery asked.

“No. They made no effort to identify themselves.” She shook her head. “You mentioned Ashad earlier. Are you certain they’re
behind this?”

“We have credible intel that links them to Rivon,” Tyler said, looking up from the computer. “And there’s chatter connecting
you to them as well.”

“Well, I didn’t even know it was Rivon until I got to D.C. And he’s never mentioned anyone specifically. Just the ever-present
‘they.’ Frankly I’m surprised I’d be on their radar. Not only has it been eight years, but most of my career was spent in
Eastern Europe.”

“You know as well as I do that these groups have cells everywhere,” Avery said. “Besides, reputation carries a lot of weight.”

“But it was all such a long time ago. Why would they think I was any good anymore? I mean surely there are people out there
better than I am.”

“Quite possibly,” Tom said, “but if they were aware of your abilities, they were also aware of your circumstances. Which means
they’d recognize the fact that you were uniquely vulnerable.”

“Because of Adam.”

“That and the fact that you’d separated yourself from any kind of support.”

“I suppose that makes sense, but it still feels off to me somehow.”

“Actually, I’ve felt the same way from the beginning,” Nash said, surprised to find himself voicing his support.

“Have you had dealings with Rivon before?” Avery asked.

“No,” she said. “And believe me, I’ve racked my brain trying to be certain. But I can’t remember ever having heard of the
man before we met. Of course after the fact, I did a little research. But even that only supported the idea that I’d never
dealt with him. He works primarily in Central and South America. With some admittedly dubious ties to the Middle East and,
of course, his corporate work here in the States. But his rise in power has been mostly within the last five or six years.
Which means there was little opportunity for our paths to cross.”

“What about in Colorado?” Tyler asked. Annie had admitted that she and Adam lived on the eastern slope of the Rockies. Some
long-forgotten mining town on the Rio Grande. “Could your paths have crossed there?”

“I don’t see how.” She shook her head. “We kept pretty much to ourselves and I was really careful. I worked as a guide. Climbing.
So I was mostly working with folks on a one-time basis. And the people I did have regular contact with didn’t know anything
about my life before. Look, I’d never seen Rivon until I met with him in D.C. I’m sure of it.”

“Okay, so we’ll assume for the moment that Rivon is just the go-between.” Tom stood up to pace restlessly in front of the
fireplace. “That means the idea to use Annie had to have come from Ashad.”

“And it really isn’t that great a stretch to assume that they’d have heard about Annie’s work for the Company and her defection
after Lebanon,” Nash said.

“If it is Ashad,” Avery said, his expression inscrutable. “I tend to side with Ms. Gallagher on this one. Something seems
off.”

“Under the circumstances, I think you should call me Annie,” she said.

“So tell me more about the phone call.”

“There isn’t much. It didn’t last more than a few minutes. They said that they had Adam, and that they had proof. But that
I’d have to come to D.C. to see it.”

“Could you tell where the call originated from?” Tyler asked.

“I tried to track it. But my resources were limited. And to make matters more difficult, best I could tell, the phone was
on a relay of some sort.”

“Which means that even with the best technical help you couldn’t have traced it.” Nash watched as she pushed her hair out
of her face, the gesture familiar.

“So you left for D.C.?”

“Yes. Immediately. I drove to Colorado Springs and got the first flight out. I was in D.C. by ten-thirty the next morning.
I made my way to the hotel he’d indicated. When I arrived, there was a message. A time and place for the meeting.”

“And the proof of life?”

“That makes it sound so cold,” she said with a shiver. “But yes, he gave it to me when I met with him. It was a photograph
of Adam, with a newspaper. Pretty standard stuff.”

“Do you have the picture?”

“Not on me,” she said. “It’s in my hotel room with the phone.”

“Phone?” Tom frowned, coming to a halt in front of her chair.

“Yeah. Rivon gave me a phone when we met. Told me it was to be our primary means of communication. I figured it had a tracking
device and I didn’t want it with me while I was scoping out Dominico’s apartment.”

“To kill him,” Tom said, his eyes flashing with disgust.

“Obviously, I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that,” Annie replied. “But as I said before, nothing is more important than my
son.”

“Did they tell you where to stay?” Avery asked.

“Initially, but I moved almost immediately after checking in. And then again last night. So far at least they haven’t made
an effort to stop me. Which is why I figured the phone probably gave away my position.”

“So Rivon asked you to kill Dominico when you were in D.C.?” Tom asked.

“Yes. But not in the original meeting. He made it clear at that time that the people he worked for wanted me to take someone
out, but he wouldn’t say who it was. And I refused to go along with any of it without first talking to Adam. The photograph
was already old.”

“And I’m assuming he agreed,” Nash said, “considering the fact that I interrupted your plans for Dominico.”

“I told you, I wasn’t going to shoot him. At least not then. I was just trying to ascertain my options.”

“Annie, that’s bullshit and you know it. I was there, remember?” Nash shook his head, still not comfortable with the idea
that Annie could so easily have killed an innocent. Even to save her child.

“You’re always so quick to believe the worst.” She shook her head, her mouth drawn tight. “Everything black and white. God,
to think that I—”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Tom said. “The point is, you’re here. And for the moment at least, that means Dominico is safe.”

“But they still have Adam,” Annie said, her voice breaking on her son’s name. “And if I don’t contact them soon, they’ll think
I’ve double-crossed them and gone for help. Which means my son’s life will be worth nothing.”

“When did they tell you that Dominico was the target?” Avery asked.

“Just before a video call with Adam.”

“So you have talked to him.”

“Yes.” Tears filled her eyes, and she angrily brushed them away. “They seemed to be treating him okay. He’d said he’d been
playing video games.”

“With Rivon?” Tyler asked, looking up from the computer.

“No. At least I don’t think so. I talked with Rivon first—in a separate call. He told me the target was Dominico. Then a few
minutes after he hung up, the phone rang again and this time it was Adam. If he’d been there, there wouldn’t have been a need
to terminate the first call. And after I talked to Adam, there was another voice—electronically altered so that I couldn’t
identify it. But I had the distinct feeling I was talking to whoever is really behind all of this.”

“And there was nothing that gave you any clue to his identity?” Tom frowned, dropping down into the chair next to Avery.

“I can’t even really be certain it was a man.” Annie shook her head. “As I said, the voice had been altered. It sounded like
one of those really bad computer programs. Definitely seemed male, but that could have just been a trick. I did try to record
the call. The phone they gave me is pretty high-tech.”

“Smart move,” Nash said.

“Just because I’ve been out of the game, doesn’t mean I’ve lost my edge,” Annie snapped, sounding just this side of losing
it. Which wasn’t really all that surprising when one considered that her son was trapped out there somewhere while she was
stuck in the brownstone rehashing the past couple of days with them. “Although in the end it didn’t work. I got nothing but
static.”

“We still need the phone,” Tyler said. “Hannah might be able to use the phone to triangulate a location.”

“Hannah?” Annie repeated.

“She handles our intel,” Avery explained. “We’ll need the picture, too. There’s a chance she could pull something from that,
as well. Has she contacted Jason?”

“Yeah.” Tyler nodded. “Per your instructions, he and Drake are on their way here now. Emmett and Lara are heading back to
Sunderland.”

“Good,” Avery said, with a satisfied shake of his head. “If anyone can find something on the phone it’ll be Hannah and Jason.”

“Jason’s IT,” Nash said, in answer to Annie’s obvious confusion. “He’s really good,” Nash assured her. “The best actually.
If there’s something there, he and Hannah will find it.”

“And in the meantime?” she queried.

“You’ll be transferred to Washington for further questioning,” Tom said. “Despite the mitigating circumstances of your son’s
kidnapping, you still attempted to take out a U.S. dignitary. Which means you’re in serious trouble. Worst case you could
be tried for treason.”

“Don’t you understand? I can’t go anywhere,” she protested, rising to her feet. “If they don’t hear from me at the appointed
time, Adam is dead. They made it perfectly clear what would happen if I contacted anyone. Please, you can’t send me away.
I’ve got to stay and see this through. It’s Adam’s only chance.” Tears spilled down her cheeks as she clenched her fists,
her body taut with anxiety. “Please.”

“If we can get Rivon,” Tom said, his attention on Avery, “we’ll get him to flip. And from there, we’ll have a chance to dismantle
the entire operation.”

“Maybe,” Avery said. “But she’s right; if she disappears, the principals are going to go underground fast. And the kid becomes
a liability.”

“Oh, God,” Annie whispered, her voice cracking.

“Look, Tom,” Nash interjected, her pain cutting him in a way he hadn’t expected, “if we use Annie, we’ll have an almost guaranteed
shot at getting to the real culprits. And at the end of the day, isn’t a sure thing better than a long shot? Especially when
the payoff is the same? The truth is that Rivon has reason to fear Ashad as much if not more than he fears the CIA. Which
means that getting him to turn may not be as easy as you think. And you’re assuming that you’ll be able to find him. Annie’s
right; if he doesn’t hear from her, he’ll probably disappear completely. And then the whole thing falls apart.”

“Including the plot against Dominico.” Tom’s tone remained stubborn.

“Not necessarily.” Nash frowned. “And even if you’re right, do you really want Adam’s blood on your hands?”

“He’s just a child,” Annie added, her voice pleading.

“Well, we certainly can’t let you just waltz out of here.”

“I don’t think anyone is suggesting that, Tom,” Avery said, as usual the voice of reason. “But I do think that Nash has a
point. We’re far more likely to make inroads with Rivon and the others if they think Annie is still a player. What time are
you supposed to make contact?”

She sucked in a ragged breath and glanced down at her watch, flinching as she read the dial. “Just over an hour.”

“Can’t she just call from a secondary phone?” Tyler asked.

“No.” Annie shook her head, her eyes still on the watch. “That won’t work. I’m not calling them. They’re calling me. On the
phone Rivon gave me. If I’m not there…” she trailed off, pain flashing in her eyes.

“You’ll be there,” Avery said.

Annie nodded gratefully, sinking back onto the chair.

“So you’re agreeing that we still need Annie?” Nash asked.

“Yes. I think it’s the best option.” He paused, his gaze meeting Annie’s. “For everyone.”

“Maybe, but I’d argue that this is a job for Homeland Security, not A-Tac,” Tom said. “Annie is our problem.” There was a
proprietary tone in Tom’s voice that set Nash on edge. Tom had always been Annie’s champion. And yet now it seemed he was
determined to bring her down. Or maybe this was about marking territory. Tom’s versus Avery’s.

“Not so,” Avery said, his tone firm. “Annie is ex-CIA, and this operation was given to A-Tac. You’re here representing Homeland
Security because my bosses made a deal with yours, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m in charge. And I say we use Annie
to find her son and take out Ashad.”