Capturing Kate (17 page)

When she heard the tires pull into the drive, she stood up, nervous. Allison came in, tall and blond, her hair pulled into a neat bun, her khaki pants and white top impeccable. She pulled her sunglasses and her eyes slid around the room, over and behind Kate, who felt like a store mannequin.

“I’m Kate.” She stepped forward and held out her hand.

“Allison Bauer. How are you holding up?” The woman’s eyes appraised her, and Kate looked back.

“I’m alive,” Kate replied, trying to be flip, but the words came out somber. “Worried about my friends and family. I want to go home.”

Allison nodded. “I’m sure. It shouldn’t be too much longer. Sloan?” She raised an eyebrow. “The stuff is in the car. I’ll bring it in.”

“I’ll go with you.” Sloan got up.

“I can help!” Kate stepped forward, but Sloan’s expression stopped her.

“No. Stay here.”

She flushed red. “Fine.”

She watched from the doorway as the two of them talked in an undertone for several long minutes, gesturing, before they opened the back of the SUV to carry in the supplies. The body language was tense. Sloan had his arms across his chest and Allison had her chin up, shoulders back. What was that supposed to mean?

Allison’s movement were sparse, spare. She looked lean, a tiger in clothing. Kate figured Allison could probably kill someone ten different ways without messing up her hair. She was probably a serpent in bed. When she came back in, her arms displaying lean muscles through the shirt, Kate felt a sense of unease, inequality. She didn’t like being the small one, the protected one.

“So let’s talk,” Allison said, when the things were loaded into the corner. “As far as we know, the auction is still set for Saturday at ten a.m. MST. Our source says it’s still a go.”

“And no issues with—” Sloan gestured at Kate, “her?”

Allison regarded Kate with her gray eyes and shook her head. “No suspicion on his end that things didn’t go as planned.”

“What are they saying about me in the news?” Kate’s words tumbled out. “Anything?”

Allison didn’t look away. “Still nothing. Your friends and family don’t suspect anything yet, although there have been several calls to your phone from Lila, and she sounds a little concerned that you haven’t called back. Apparently she thinks you’re visiting your mom—no real alarm yet, but I assume that in another day or two that will change.”

“Oh, my God.” Kate put a hand to her mouth. “Lila.” She felt tears in her eyes. “Mom.”

Allison’s face was expressionless. “It’s better if you don’t think about it. Stay occupied other ways, if you can. Those are not things that will help you right now.” Her glance slid into Sloan when she said ‘other ways,’ and the look on her face—for a split second—seemed feral. “Sloan asked me to get you books, an iPad, a laptop—that’s all here. Drawing materials, too, if you’d like. Adult coloring books can be very relaxing and therapeutic. We’re giving them to many clients.”

Now that sounded condescending. Kate rolled her eyes. “Really? An adult coloring book? Why didn’t you bring me a sippy cup with some apple juice while you’re at it?”

“Your attitude is not helping you,” Allison said, her voice devoid of expression.

Maybe that was true, but the lack of empathy had Kate spitting her bitterness. “You have no compassion, do you? Have you ever been in this situation? You think you’re so smart and powerful, controlling me and my activities. Bringing me a book. Spanking me when you feel like it!” She shot a glance at Sloan. Allison raised one brow but didn’t otherwise respond. “I want to get out of here.”

Allison’s voice held a note of victory. “If you’re having a medical emergency or a mental breakdown, or if you’re unable to work with Sloan for any reason, I can arrange to have you transferred into custody in Chicago. We’ll get a transport vehicle here this afternoon and can have you at the facility by end of day. If we do it carefully, we can avoid raising any flags from Mancini’s team.”

Kate stopped short. “What kind of facility?”

Allison answered easily. “A place where you’ll be safe.”

“Will I be a prisoner?”

“You’ll be protected.”

Allison’s reply didn’t make Kate feel better. “Would I be allowed to come and go and talk to people as I please?”

“Like we’ve explained, you won’t be allowed to do that until sometime after the auction and after we have Mancini and his colleagues in custody, or get the information we need.”

“So basically it’s a jail. Will I be in a cell?”

“You’ll have food and a bed and entertainment.” Allison tilted up her nose. “Bathroom facilities. Medical attention as necessary.”

“But I’ll be locked in.”

Sloan interjected. “Kate’s staying here. Transfer right now for a nonemergency is too risky. All it would take is one random comment or one slipped piece of information, one person watching and seeing a single detail that’s out of place, and Mancini goes into the wind. We’re so close.”

Allison nodded. “I want to talk alone to Kate.” She raised one eyebrow.

Sloan got up and went outside, closing the door behind him without a sound. Kate felt anxious to see him go, and hoped he was close. Surely he was listening? Maybe this was a tactic—a double team thing. One person talked, the other listened?

“What do you know about Mancini?” Allison’s question took Kate by surprise. She’d expected something else, maybe something about the interpersonal relationship between her and Sloan, especially with her ‘spanking’ comment.

“I told Sloan everything I know. I’ve been getting information from an insider at the company about his polluted water. Nothing else. I had no idea there was all this—” she waved her hand, “intrigue going on. Ella was acting weird lately, scared, and the last time we met,” she swallowed hard, “she apparently sold me out to Mancini, and that’s when I got kidnapped. The guy was supposed to kill me. But instead he took me here to Sloan.”

“So you’re sleeping with him. How many times now?”

The question, coming so fast on top of the other, surprised her into answering. “Um, what? Why would you think that?” She felt defensive about feeling defensive. Where was Sloan?

“He thinks that’s a good idea?” Allison’s gray eyes drilled into her.

Kate felt sweat on her brow. “I think it’s my business,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant and non-threatened.

Allison’s small smile let her know it failed. “Anything that happens while you’re in FBI custody is FBI business. I asked how many times.”

“Fine. Two.” Kate was angry, and she let it show.

Allison nodded. “He used physical force on you?” She pulled out a notebook. “Violence? I need explicit details.”

Kate stood up. “You want to know about physical force?” She pressed her hands together. “Let’s talk about it. Let’s discuss how I was kidnapped from a park. A man grabbed me from behind, slapped my face repeatedly, punched me, then shoved a gag into my mouth. I almost passed out. He talked to another man about killing me and said he’d get the job done. Then he tossed me into the back of a car and drove me until I almost passed out again from lack of oxygen. I was so terrified of dying and never having my body being found that I ripped up my own leg to plant blood in the car. Oh, and he was an FBI agent, too.”

Allison opened her mouth and Kate kept right on talking. “If you want to talk about violence and physical coercion? That’s what I’ll talk about. I’ll tell you, and your boss, and your boss’s boss. The news, if I need to. So don’t complain about Sloan. All he’s done is fix my leg and keep me safe out here. Nothing he did even begins to compare to that monster. And don’t even start in on the fact that it was a scam. I didn’t know that. My body and brain knew I was going to die. That’s what I knew. That’s the
violence
I’ve experienced while I’m in FBI custody.” She was so angry she was spitting sparks.

“That’s fine.” Allison’s tone was bland, unemotional. She closed the notebook without writing anything. “You can talk about that when you’re debriefed. What did Ella tell you that made them want to kill you?”

“I don’t know!” The flip-flopping of topics had her so frazzled that she couldn’t think.

“What do you know about Mancini?”

“Nothing. Just the water plant.”

Allison nodded, but didn’t speak. She stared at Kate until Kate started talking again, to fill the silence. “That’s all. Except now, of course, Sloan told me about the nuclear sale and stuff. So, you know, I know that.” She drummed her fingers on the tabletop. “That’s it.”

“Nothing else?”

“Nope. Nothing else. Nada.” Kate picked at her thumbnail.

Allison was silent again, looking. She pressed her hands up against the underside of the table, as if holding it up. “Agents who use physical means of restraint and coercion typically bring in big intel. If they don’t, the questioning gets pretty intense. Brings up the issues of whether they’re suited for the assignment. Or the job at all. People higher up than Sloan have been ruined because of poor choices on assignment.” She locked eyes with Kate.

Kate fidgeted in her seat. “What do you mean, people higher up have been ruined?”

“If there’s anything useful you can tell me about Ella or Mancini, I’m waiting. It will benefit all of us.” Allison looked at the door, then back at Kate.

“Well, okay, this one thing? I’m trying to help Sloan with the code that Ella gave me.” Kate felt a sick lurch in her stomach, but figured she’d done the right thing when Allison finally smiled.

“Good. What code?”

“This set of numbers she gave me on a note. Sloan’s trying to crack it, but so far nothing. He’s on top of things. His team is definitely going to—”

“Tell me the code. Do you remember it?” Allison’s gaze was hawk-like. Her hands were back at the notebook.

Sloan came back in, swift and silent, and Kate was relieved at his appearance. “Not relevant, Allison.” He looked pissed. “You were supposed to be asking questions about the other.”

“She mentioned a code, and I want to understand what that is.” Allison stuck her chin up and stared at Sloan. “Is there a reason I’m not part of this op?”

He seemed comfortable with the silence and let it extend a full minute. Finally Allison shrugged.

“Not for you to know right now,” Sloan said, once she looked away.

“Our director might feel differently,” Allison said, her voice calm. “Once all the information comes out.”

“Perhaps.” Sloan’s words held no expression. Another silence stretched out.

“Especially given your history.” Allison shifted in the chair, tapped her pen on the notebook.

“Perhaps.” Again, no expression.

Allison looked at Kate. “I need to know if you are comfortable here or if you have any complaints you wish to register. And if you prefer to be moved.”

“I’m fine here. No complaints.” Kate’s words came quickly. “I don’t want to move to a facility. Sloan, I want to stay here.” She stepped closer to him, as if seeking safety.

Sloan’s voice was firm. “I’m making the call that she’ll stay here for security and to minimize cause for suspicion on the part of Mancini. Moving her now would cause too much risk.”

“All right.” Allison stood up and put on her sunglasses. “I’ll be in touch with any updates.”

She drove away at an even pace, gravel spitting out from the tires despite the low speed, and the dust that rose up took a while to settle back down into the ruts.

Kate took a breath, the unease in her stomach roiling. “What was that all about?”

Sloan’s voice was short. “She brought supplies—books and an iPad for you. No Wi-Fi, but it’s preloaded with popular novels from Amazon and has games. Drawing supplies. More food for us, since we’re not going into town again.” He gave her a look.

“She’s not your boss, right?”

“She’s a colleague.”

“Well, it sounded to me, and I’m no FBI expert, but it sure sounded like she doesn’t like you much.” Kate observed him. “Am I right?”

Sloan sat down. “My relationships with my peers shouldn’t be something you concern yourself about. Let’s just stay the course and I’ll take care of you until this thing is done.”

“I think she wanted me to say something bad about you.” Kate was fishing.

His voice was thoughtful. “She was supposed to ask you about your relationship with me and make sure you were all right. It’s not an easy topic. I hope you were able to say what you wanted.”

“It felt different, though. More about you than about me.” Kate took a guess. “Did you—were you two dating once?” She thought it was outlandish, but the look on his face confirmed her suspicions. “I’m right? You were? You did?”

“Kate. Let’s not get into this.”

“Tell me.”

He tilted his head. “Six months ago. It was inappropriate per the internal dating guidelines but we’re two adults, we kept it low key.”

“Did you sleep with her?”

His words were clipped. “We didn’t work out, we moved on. End of story.”

“Her questions were… weird.”

“She was just making sure you were in the proper frame of mind to make a decision.” But his voice was taut. “And it was appropriate for her to do so. Yes, it’s a critical mission, but if you needed a new handler then we owe it to you to give you that as long as it can be done safely and without suspicion.”

“Why didn’t you want her to know about the code?” Kate knew there was more to this than he was telling her.

He looked away. “My call. I have my reasons.”

“But I want to know.”

“Kate.” He sounded frustrated. “Let’s stop this topic.”

“I’m tired of you controlling everything,” she snapped, anxiety rising. Something about Alison had rubbed her the wrong way. Being treated like a child made her want to act like one, perversely. And that made her angry.

“It’s my job.” He snapped, too.

“Well, I hate your job.”

“Let’s see if you say that again when you remember how I saved your life.”

She screamed, letting out her anger. “It’s taking too long! I just want this to be over! I hate everything. I hated Allison. She’s mean and dumb and a bee-otch. Not even just a regular bitch, a beeeee-otch! Do you know the difference? It’s huge! She’s a cunt. She’s a cunty beeotchy cunt licker.”