06. Honor Under Siege - Неизвестный

Cam swore and struggled to keep her temper in check. “Why didn’t anyone else know this?”

“Cameron,” Valerie said with a resigned sigh. “You know how every agency guards its intelligence. And certainly those of us in the field were never told anything. I didn’t learn this until after everything happened.”

“When they sent you to work with us,” Cam said bitterly. She’d been used, and although it hadn’t been the first time and in all likelihood wouldn’t be the last, she resented it.

“Yes. They were hoping we might find a lead to the cell in Paris in the course of investigating Foster.”

“What do you think you can do there on your own?”

Valerie shrugged, clearly frustrated. “I don’t know. Possibly nothing. But if I don’t find the link that ties Foster and Matheson and the Company together, I’m never going to be able to come in.”

“Come in now, with me.”

“I trust you, but you can’t protect me once I’m visible. And we both know the easiest way to make this all go away is to eliminate me.” Valerie drained her Scotch and set the glass carefully on the end table. “Whoever tried to run you down tonight probably knows about our relationship. Killing you would cut off one more avenue of escape for me.”

“I came to the same conclusion,” Cam said, hoping Blair hadn’t.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Cam laughed wearily. “For believing in the Company line, or for meeting me in the bar that first night?”

“Certainly not the latter. I’m coming to regret the first. I’m already responsible for one attempt on your life. I don’t want to be the cause of another.”

“I’m your best shot, and you know it.” Cam stood. “If you let me bring you in, I give you my word no one will know until we’ve identified Matheson’s source. I’ll personally guarantee that you are protected.”

“I don’t want to spend months, possibly years, in a safe house, Cam.” Valerie laughed. “God knows, if I wanted to disappear and start over as someone else, I could. I’m tired of being someone else. I want out.”

Cam made a decision based on everything she knew, and more importantly, on everything she believed. “Work with me and my team to find Matheson, and I’ll get you out.”

“I’m not sure even you can do that, Cameron.” Rising, Valerie slid her hand to the back of Cam’s neck and kissed her on the cheek. “I need to think about it.”

“The longer you stay under, the worse it looks.”

“I know.”

“What about Diane?”

“I shouldn’t have contacted her today. It was selfish.” Valerie hooked her arm through Cam’s as they walked toward the door. “I won’t try to see her again.”

Cam gave her a secure phone number as she shrugged into her jacket. “No one will know. You have my word.”

“I won’t be here in the morning, in case you were wondering.”

“I won’t come after you, not unless I have to.”

“Thank you.” Valerie smiled sadly. “Goodnight, Cameron.”

Cam drew her into a gentle embrace. “Call me. Soon.”

Chapter Twelve

Wednesday

Thomas Jefferson Matheson picked up the phone on the first ring. If he hadn’t been listening for it, he wouldn’t have recognized the faint buzz emanating from the electronic jammer. He’d put his own people on surveillance duty as soon as he’d gotten word of where the bait had landed. Trusting an agent he couldn’t directly control was not ideal, and he wanted his own back-up plan in place if he needed to settle matters himself. “Yes?”

“Nothing to report, sir.”

“No activity during the night?”

“No sir. Everyone is still in the apartment.”

“Really.” Matheson swallowed a generous mouthful of steaming coffee, ignoring the burn in the back of his throat. He’d slept well, risen before dawn, and worked out vigorously in the hotel health club for an hour. And he’d had a most satisfactory evening. “No one in or out?”

“Well…” his man said hesitantly.

Matheson heard the rustle of papers.

“Routine movement reported at…ah…around 1900 yesterday. Roberts went for a run…several hours later security changed shift… uh, today…three subjects arrived at 0800, most likely for start of shift briefing. Nothing beyond that.”

“You seem to be missing a few details in your report.”

“Yes sir. What would that be, sir?”

Matheson smiled, picturing the man squirming. He was new. “At 1932 last night, Roberts was struck by a passing motorist and may have sustained substantial injuries.” He still felt a surge of pleasure thinking about the flicker of shock on her face as he bore down on her. When

he’d had the good fortune of passing by just as she exited the building, his only intention had been to follow her. But the longer he’d watched her pound through the streets as if she owned them while he hid like impotent prey, the more his anger had grown. She had destroyed his compound and killed some of his best boys, and now she stood in the way of him completing his mission. She needed to be neutralized. “Apparently your surveillance team didn’t think it necessary to cover her.”

To the man’s credit, he defended his team. “I’m sure they felt it more important to watch for any contact between our critical target and those on site, sir.”

“It’s just as strong a possibility that Lawrence will contact Roberts. I expect Roberts will move her base today. It’s what I would do after a pre-emptive strike. As soon as you have a new location, contact me. Bleeker is the bait, but Roberts is in command. Without her, they’ll break ranks.”

“Yes sir. I’ll relay your orders.”

“Be prepared to take action soon.” Matheson felt his groin tingling as he considered a plan to turn the hunters into quarry. “I’m growing tired of this waiting game.”

“Are you sure you want me to come with you?” Diane asked as she packed her suitcase. “I know what Cam said, but—”

“If you weren’t already here, we’d come and get you.” Blair sat cross-legged on the bed in blue jeans and a long-sleeved navy T-shirt. Her hair was loose and she was barefoot. “I can’t believe I let you go back to Manhattan alone in the first place.”

“Who knew that these people… these maniacs… who tried to hurt you would keep coming? How can they possibly think they can gain power in this country? We aren’t some third world dictatorship that’s likely to topple at the slightest show of violence.”

Blair shrugged. “They’re fanatics. Look at all the paramilitary and right wing fundamentalist groups springing up across this country. They think they can change the order of things, and they’re recruiting more people all the time who agree.”

“God, it’s like those zealots who shoot abortion doctors and think that’s going to stop the pro-choice movement.” Diane looked at Blair in confusion. “I can hardly believe it’s real.”

“I can’t believe we didn’t see it coming, and after what happened last month, I don’t think it’s going to stop.” Chafing at the inactivity, Blair stood and started folding clothes. “Every psycho with an agenda is going to think they have a chance after 9/11.”

Diane stopped what she was doing, her fingers digging into the sweater she held. “I’m ashamed to admit that part of me wishes your father wasn’t president, because I hate to think of you or Cam in danger. I can only imagine how you must feel.”

Blair smiled ruefully. “You know, for the first time in my life I’m honestly glad that my father’s president, and I want him to be president for as long as he can be.” She carefully placed a silk blouse into the suitcase. “Because these fuckers, whoever they are, wherever they are, have to learn that we won’t be victims.”

“I guess we’ll have to keep that sexy dress you bought for the wedding in the closet a while longer.”

“Why?”

Diane regarded her with surprise. “I can’t imagine either you or Cam is going to want to think about wedding plans until all of this is resolved.”

“We’re not waiting for something that might never happen.” Blair folded her arms, part defiance, part comfort. “And we’re not putting our lives on hold until it does. I’m instructing Lucinda to slip a nice quiet statement out to the press today that Cameron and I intend to be married in a private ceremony before the end of the year.”

“Oh boy.”

Blair grinned. “And girls.”

“Indeed.” Diane kissed her cheek. “I think you’re the bravest person I know.”

“I wish I were,” Blair said. “I’m terrified every day that something will happen to Cam. And if it did, I don’t think I’d survive it.”

“I would never have imagined you with her.”

Blair lifted her shoulders. “We don’t choose who to love.”

“No. We don’t.” Diane smiled sadly. “Now I can’t imagine you with anyone else.”

“Neither can I.” Blair stroked Diane’s arm. She was already dressed to travel in a pale blue cashmere cowl-neck sweater and tan slacks. For the first time Blair realized that Diane, always slender, had lost weight. “How are you holding up?”

“It’s so hard, knowing that Cam saw Valerie last night and I can’t even speak to her.”

“Have you thought maybe you should try to let her go?” Blair reached for Diane’s hand. As hard as it was to ask, it was even harder to watch her suffer.

Diane twined her fingers through Blair’s and squeezed lightly. “Cam didn’t tell me very much about what went on. I understand that she can’t. She wouldn’t tell me exactly why Valerie is staying away, but I know it’s partly because of me.”

“She doesn’t want you to be hurt.”

Diane trembled and Blair drew her close. With a shaky breath, Diane continued, “Cam must trust her, because she didn’t try to detain her. I love Valerie. I have to trust her as much as Cam does.”

“You’re really sure, aren’t you?” Blair said.

Diane smiled almost shyly. “I really am. Nothing has felt as right since I met you.”

“Then I’m on your side,” Blair said, hugging Diane tightly. “And hers.”

“We’ll travel in two groups to Whitley Point,” Cam said, scribbling on a flip chart that she had dug out of the closet earlier. She couldn’t find the stand, so she balanced the oversized pad of paper on her knees facing Stark, Savard, and Davis, who clustered around her in the living room. “Stark, you and your people will take Blair and Diane. You’ll fly out of Andrews again at 1100 hours, but this time you’ll land at Westover, Mass.”

Stark frowned. “What’s there?”

“It’s an Air Force Reserve base, so it’s relatively low profile. We’ll have Tanner’s people pick you up in three vehicles and take you the rest of the way, each vehicle following a different route.”

“Who knows about the itinerary?”

“The flight plan was filed through Lucinda’s office, but there’s no attendant passenger list. Only Tanner knows the routes and final destination.”

“You’re putting a lot of faith in Tanner’s people,” Stark said mildly.

“My feeling is that we know more about her team than we could about anyone coming to us from inside the system right now. You’re the security chief. What’s your call?”

Stark took her time. “Until we find Valerie and Matheson, I don’t want anyone new getting close to Blair.”

“I agree.” Cam blew out a breath. “Basically we’ll handle Blair’s security in the same way the Vice President’s has been set up since the attacks. She’ll be based in a secure location away from the White House known to as few people as possible, and she’ll make very few and only essential public appearances. We can’t keep her completely sequestered—first because she’d never allow it, secondly, because we can’t make prisoners of our elected officials and their families, and finally because the public is going to be looking for her. She’s too popular to just disappear.”

“We’re going to be thin on the ground,” Stark said, “now that Davis has gone over to OHS.”

Cam nodded as she drew a grid and added names. “You’ll have to work with a smaller team than usual for the time being. Hara, Wozinski, yourself, and Tanner’s people. Can you handle it?”

Stark didn’t hesitate. “Yes, we can.”

As satisfied with the security as she could be when all she really wanted to do was take Blair to some remote island for six months, Cam switched her attention to Savard. “We’ll follow by ground as soon as you and Davis are happy that you’ve accessed all the data immediately available to us. You can use the computers in my office in the West Wing and wipe them when you’re done.”

“How long will you need, Felicia?” Savard asked, sitting with her injured leg straight out in front of her. The cane she’d used in lieu of her knee immobilizer rested against the arm of the chair. She looked focused and steady.

Davis smiled, her dark eyes glowing. “I want to make sure I look in everybody’s closets and leave myself a backdoor before we leave. Say, three hours.”

Cam checked her watch as she stood. “It’s 0815 now. We should be leaving DC by 1200 hours, which puts us into Whitley Point around 2300.”

Savard and Davis rose, and Savard asked, “Where will we rendezvous, Commander?”

“In case anyone is checking, I’ll schedule you and Davis for a meeting at FBI headquarters at 1130 hours. On your way there, the meeting will be canceled and a vehicle will pick you up at 13th and Pennsylvania Avenue.” Cam regarded Stark. “When would you like to depart here, Chief? If there’s anyone following Blair, they’ll lose the trail at Andrews.”

“We’ll have the vehicles out front at 0900 hours. I’ll wait downstairs until then.”

“Thanks,” Cam said, appreciating the few moments of privacy she would have with Blair. After returning from her meeting with Valerie, she’d been up all night talking to Lucinda and the president’s security adviser. She had yet to tell Blair the specifics of the plan, because she hadn’t worked it out until shortly before Stark and her security team had arrived. She was sore and tired, but it felt good being in the field again. Working. Doing what she knew how to do.

When the others had left, Cam walked down the hall to Diane’s bedroom and tapped on the door. “Can I talk to you a minute, Blair?”

“Sure,” Blair said. After she’d finished helping Diane pack, she’d gone to the kitchen for more coffee and heard the murmur of voices in the living room. Although she knew Cam wouldn’t exclude her from the discussions if she asked to sit in, she also knew that Cam and Stark were getting their first real test of working together in their new roles. She doubted that anyone in security or intelligence was going to like being overridden by agents from the new Homeland Security Office, not even Stark, not even when the agent in question was Cam. She decided her presence would only add to the tension. “When are we leaving?”

“About forty-five minutes.”

Blair glanced over her shoulder at Diane. “I’ll meet you in the living room in a few minutes, okay?”