Sworn to Protect (Vows of the Heart) (32 page)

“Why so many passwords?”

“Between his computer and security systems, he’s probably got a password for everything.” Ethan stepped next to her and flipped the paper to the last sheet which had a list of numbers instead of words. “These numbers are codes for various security systems.”

“You mean alarm codes?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” She glanced at the sec
tion letter - S. Why S? Would Cordova have so many systems that he could begin at A and go all the way to S? Or did the letter stand for something else? S for security? That would make sense.

She flipped back to the first page, noting the first block started with the Roman numeral I. The next sections on the page followed accordingly. She turned to page two. The first section was labeled with an A, the second jumped to C, the third to D, and the next to F, the last section before the numbers was M. She scowled. “Is this the complete list?”

“As far as I know. Cordova has a hard time remembering passwords and numbers, he doesn’t even remember his own social security number.”

“He really has one?”

Ethan laughed. “Actually, I think he has about four, which is all the more reason to write them down.”

“And you got the codes to open the encrypted files from the first page only?”

“Yes.”

She again concentrated on the second page. Why did the section letters jump around instead of going in order like on the first page with its Roman numerals? With Cordova not being able to remember codes easily, he wouldn’t purposefully make it confusing. This system obviously made sense to him.

Bethany thought back to the time when she worked for Cordova. He had been talking to his most important people regarding a huge shipment of drugs entering Customs. Once the drugs were unloaded, it was Bethany’s job to drive them to their destination in the vehicle she had stolen.

Her stomach clenched as nausea rose within her. Cordova practically had to hold a gun to her head for that job. But she remembered him cautioning his people. If anyone began to suspect them, they were not to over-react. Hiding in plain sight was th
eir safest bet. That’s where Bethany originally came up with the idea of hiding in the fast food drive-through line.

Hiding in plain sight.

She stared again at the paper before her. The second page, where the alpha labeling began, all the passwords were written in simple block letters:

             
A.

             
              1. REHTNUG

             
              2. LADNEK

             
              3. SEKOTS

             
              4. NAMRUD

If Cordova had so much trouble remembering passwords, why didn’t he use ones that were actually words? Simply opening a dictionary would give him plenty of choices and would be varied enough to make it nearly impossible to guess.

She flipped to the section labeled M. and looked at the first password. NALGAE. For some reason an eerie sensation struck her. She looked at the second one - NOSDRAHCIR. And then the third. SBBOD. That one really bothered her. The shorter the password, the easier it was to figure out. Yet there were several short ones on the list. The fourth was TIARTS.

For some reason
, she looked at her legal pad.  She flipped through it, scanning everything, uncertain what she was even looking for.

She saw a place where she had written her own section, set up as a list, very much like what Cordova had done.

              U.S. Marshals slain:

             
1. Floyd

             
2. Simon

             
3. Richardson

             
4. Dobbs

             
5. Strait

She looked back at Cordova’s list, something niggling at her brain. What in the hell was it? This was worse than a crossword puzzle.

Puzzle? Backwards, forwards, and sideways?

She picked up a pencil wrote on her legal pad.

Her heart hesitated in her chest. “Ethan, I don’t think these are passwords at all.”

“What else could they be?”

She focused on Cordova’s list - SBBOD and wrote the letters backwards. DOBBS. She pulled out the legal pad with her own research on it and drew a line under the name of one of the Marshals Ethan had shot. She looked at the next password. TIARTS and did the same. STRAIT. Then she focused on the name above it. NOSDRAHCIR - RICHARDSON. The man who had walked into her motel room and shot Simon then tried to kill her. His partner - Dobbs.

She pointed at the section heading. “What if M stands for Marshals?” Flipping the pages, she noticed she had Ethan’s undivided attention. “A is ATF, C is Customs, D is DEA, F is FBI.”

“Why would Cordova put these names with his passwords?”             

“If Cordova suspected you knew about the computer files with the names of bribed officials and removed the ones who had been the most important, especially those on the ATF and Marshals lists, the ones you were accused of murdering, he would put the names in a secure place. With his passcodes in a
wall safe. He disguised these names as computer passwords - in a sense, hiding them in plain sight. That is one of his favorite ploys.”

“Shanahan and Floyd, they were shot, but aren’t listed. They defended us, they weren’t on Cordova’s payroll.” He turned the pages to section A. Ethan’s face suddenly turned gray. “Oh God.”

“Ethan, what’s wrong?”

“LADNEK backwards is Kendal, that was the name of the mole in the file room Tony discovered.” He hesitated, sucking in a deep breath. “Oh shit...oh shit.”

“What?” she asked, her heart in her throat.

With a shaking hand he picked up her pencil and wrote the first name listed under A. REHTNUG became GUNTHER. “Rick Gunther,” he whispered. “Tony’s partner and my friend. He was injured in the shootout trying to free me and Rochelle
, but he survived. They promoted him and he returned to work not long before this mess started.” He continued to write. NAMRUD became DURMAN. “Terry Durman...the one who tried to kill you at the cabin. Shit!”

“Ethan, does this mean what I think it does?”

“Rick Gunther, one of my closest friends and Tony’s partner, a man I trusted - we all trusted - he’s a damn traitor. He’s the reason my cover was blown and Tony and David were killed. Damn it, I’m godfather to Rick’s youngest kid.”

Bethany stared at him in shock. Ethan’s body shook and
he returned her gaze, his mercury eyes glazed with pain.

“And Rick is the only one on my ATF team who grilled me about not having any siblings.”

“Why would he even suspect?”

“I have no idea
, but if he used his position with the ATF or put pressure on one of the senators Cordova has in his pocket. He might have gotten Nathan’s records unsealed. That would explain how he was able to find Nathan’s apartment and the cabin.”

“What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” Ethan growled rubbing his temples. “I can hardly think straight anymore. I knew there was a traitor in my department...but Rick? He’s the last person I would suspect. I never thought anyone would be able to buy him.”

“You know the saying, every man has his price. I never wanted to do anything illegal, but Cordova forced me when he took my father.”

Ethan nodded slowly. “Cordova must have threatened Rick’s family, that’s the only way he could get him to roll.” He stared at the floor.

Bethany reached for his hand.

“What?” he asked, defeated.

“Come here.” She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, pressing her lips to the top of his head. She knew in her heart that no matter how strong Ethan was this betrayal would be like a knife in his soul. “Everyone needs to find a place of solace sometimes, Ethan,” she whispered, her hand soothingly stroking his hair and face.

He sighed heavily, his arms tight around her. “Bethany, I love you.”

****

Ethan sat in bed with his back propped against the headboard, his fingers gently stroking Bethany’s hair. She slept with her head in his lap as the predawn light gradually grew in strength. Ethan picked up his cell phone and dialed a number.

“Edwards,” the exhausted voice said.

“Cap, it’s me,” he said softly. “I’m sorry to wake you.”

“Ethan,” Edward’s whispered, his voice an strange mixture of strained relief. “I wasn’t asleep. What’s going on? I just heard you shot one of our own.”

“He was trying to kill Bethany,” Ethan snarled, trying to keep his voice low so he wouldn’t wake her. “He was one of Cordova’s men.”

Edward’s spluttered. “I’m beginning to believe your shrink, Lancaster. There’s no way Terry was
—”

“His name is on Cordova’s payroll, Cap.”

Silence descended with only the faint hum of background noise on the cell phone.

“What?” Edward’s whispered in shock.

“I managed to snag some of Cordova’s files. They list the people he has bribed in not only the ATF, but the Marshals too. Those men I shot were on his payroll and I can prove it.”

“Are you certain of this, Ethan? Terry had an impeccable record. He was one of our best.”

“I’m certain, and there’s more, Cap. You’re not going to believe this. Cordova’s got a mole buried deeper in the ATF than any of us could have imagined.”

“Who?” Edwards asked, his voice strangled.

“Rick Gunther.”

“God, no, that’s not possible. I’ve known Gunther for years. He’s one of your dearest friends for Christ sakes.”

“I know,” he whispered, his voice shaking. “I couldn’t believe it either. But not only is his name listed, it makes sense. Cordova knew my real name when my cover was blown, only someone on the team could have betrayed that.”

“But the mole we caught worked in the file room, Ethan.”

“Cap, Rick was the only one who suspected that I have a brother.”

“Brother?
You have a brother?”

“My point exactly. Did you hear about fire at the apartment in New York?”

“That...that was your brother’s place?”

“Yes. Cap, I need to set a trap for Cordova
, but that means you don’t tell anyone, especially Rick, of what’s happening.”

“Shit, Lancaster, do you know what you’re asking me to do?”

“Take the word of a wanted felon over that of one of your most trusted agents. Yes, I know exactly what I’m doing, Cap. I need your help if I’m to get Bethany out alive.”

Ethan took a deep breath and explained his plan. It took some convincing
, but Edwards finally agreed. Ethan hung up, then made another call to his brother. When he hung up a second time, he stared down at Bethany, his hand still stroking through her hair.

A terrible emptiness settled in his soul. Why did his heart scream at him that the countdown had begun - a countdown leading to one or both of their deaths?

****

Captain Edwards had hung up the phone
, but continued to stare at it for a long moment. “Christ, Lancaster, why did you have to call me now?”

A gun jabbed him painfully in the ribs. “I knew Lancaster would be forced to contact you sooner or later,” a gruff voice said. “You did very well. Damn
ed shame about Terry though, his grandfather has to have dialysis and needed that extra money.”

Edward’s stared up at the man who threatened to not only shoot him
, but his wife and children in their beds. “Why are you doing this, Gunther?”

“For the same reason you just betrayed Lancaster, for the sake of family. Cordova began mailing me photos of my children in their schools. Not only entering and leaving, but in their classrooms as well. They weren’t safe anywhere, and if I didn’t do what he said, they would die. But Cordova also paid me very well. As soon as Lancaster and Kress are dead, I’ll have enough money to take my family and disappear forever.”

“Do you think Cordova’s going to let you off the hook that easily?”

“Cordova will be in Columbia. Lancaster is taking the fall.”

“You bloody bastard, I’ll see you dead for this.”

“Not likely,” Gunther said, a humorless smile playing on his lips. “Now, pick up that phone and arrange everything as Lancaster wanted. Except, we’re going to make a few important changes.”

Bethany gathered their dirty clothes, pausing when she saw the Kevlar vest still tucked in her duffle bag. She had been lugging it around since the first safe house and all it did was get in the way. Irritated, she shoved it aside and continued gather their clothing. The hotel had a laundry room downstairs and she was going to make full use of it. It didn’t take her long to get the clothes in the wash and she returned.

Ethan, once again, cooked for all of them and it smelled wonderful. He wanted to talk about a plan. They had three days left before the convention completed and Bethany had a feeling Ethan wanted to bring this to a head. She couldn’t blame him. She wanted this over too
, but she was also terrified.