CaughtInTheTrap (12 page)

He slowed his pace to walk next to her. “I’m not trying to scare you; I’m giving you cold hard facts since you think this is a game.”

Her legs were getting tired.  With no exercise or real food for the last three days, she was dragging. “So, why just you, Zach?  Why isn’t there an army of FBI agents protecting me? You could be taken out and I’m on my own.”

He clapped his hands together. “Now you’re getting it! There are other agents working around the clock; you just don’t see them.  But, consider yourself lucky because I am the best at what I do. I told you I haven’t lost a victim yet. That is bound to change if you keep defying me.”

She frowned. “I guess I won’t be doing that anymore since you’re dumping me on another agent. But, if you are the best why are you deserting me when I need you the most?”

He looked at her. “You need me now? I should record this conversation.”

She stopped walking planting her dark eyes on him. “It’s not your life in danger. So, go ahead and laugh it up at my expense.”

“Carla, they have to come through me to get to you, so my life is in danger. Every damn victim I protect seems to forget that.”

In silence, they walked through the woods. He kept an eye out for animals on the hunt for food. Zach had to admit that he’d formed a newfound respect for Carla.  She was smart and used her head when backed against a wall and he shouldn’t have yelled at her for wanting to help him. She was willing to get killed to help him.  He didn’t expect the person he was in charge of protecting to protect him.

Sunlight beamed ahead as they came to a clearing in the woods. A herd of deer grazed in an open corn field, and they stayed a distance away so not to disturb them. Zach saw Carla struggling with the weight of the backpack under the scorching heat. He took the heavy backpack from her shoulders and hitched it up on his. “We’re almost to our destination,” he said breaking the silence.

“Good.  I’m tired and hungry,” she said with a whiny twang to her voice.

Weighed down by the two heavy backpacks Zach forged through the woods fighting off the urges to sneeze.  Summer time was his enemy since grass and trees rained havoc on his allergies.  Cold weather months suited him just fine since everything green was hibernating. He felt tension ride through his body.  He wished this ordeal was over.  He sniffed. “That wouldn’t be the case if you’d pick up a fork and eat. You don’t eat enough to keep a child going.  Are you one of those women that refuse to eat in front of a man?”

 “I eat in front of men. When I stopped competing I ceased the high protein diet.”

“I’ve meant to ask why you don’t compete anymore.  You’re still young enough to defend your records.”

Carla swatted at bugs swarming around her head. “An injury to my foot ended my track career.  Besides, the new blood entering the sport are faster and broke records left and right. Then that scandal with steroids being used to enhance the athlete’s abilities just ruined it for me.  It wasn’t my scene anymore.”

“As long as your nose was clean, why’d you care about the scandals?” He was talking again.  He should stop before another insult slipped.

“I had become friends with some of those accused.  I wasn’t going to talk about them or judge them. Everyone knows how the media alters the words of people.”

“Loyalty.  You can’t be loyal to everyone, Carla.  There are ways to remain friends and not get caught up in their drama.”

“Do you think I'm loyal to my cousins?”

He looked over at her.  Cuts and scrapes covered her arms and legs.  Red marks from bug bites dotted her pretty face.  She appeared fatigued. He couldn’t help but think he attributed to her exhaustion.  He’d been pretty rough with her.  When he returned from the bathroom, she had fallen asleep.

Zach still felt guilty for sleeping with her.  He had better control of himself and let his selfishness get to him.  Although, the guilt was kicking his ass the memory from the pleasure he got from sleeping with her was singing his praises.  Carla was the best lay he’d had in a long time.  He came to the conclusion that Rodney was crazy.  Black women were very sensual and sexy. Her body under him was magical.  He grew hard thinking about the way she molded around him. He sighed. Any man that got Carla would be one lucky bastard.

He pulled his thoughts away and answered her. “No, I don’t think that.  I think if you knew where they were you would tell me. You’d prefer them in jail rather than killed by Yezhov.”

“As stupid as that sounds, I would.  We have always been close.  Ty and Phil are more like brothers to me than cousins.  Their mom did everything she could to raise them once their dad left.  They always promised to take care of her once they got older and got jobs.  They loved her so much and when she died it did something to them.”

Zach heard the emotion creeping into Carla’s voice.  She was all about family; something that he could not understand.  They came to the next big clearing, and the barn was in sight up ahead.  Soon they would be on the road back to civilization and exposure to Yezhov if he’d stuck around; which Zach knew he would.  He’d been studying Yezhov for years.  He had the credentials to hide behind diplomatic immunity to escape charges if anything happened to Carla.

Yezhov had connections in Washington by way of his family.  His grandfather was a former ambassador and maintained strong relationships with former presidents and other high-ranking members of the United States government.  Bringing down Yezhov would be a task and Zach was determined to do it at any cost.

They reached the barn and Zach removed the tarp that covered the Ford Explorer.  Carla looked around while he packed the vehicle. “This barn is beautiful.  If I liked living in a remote area, I would restore it and make it my home.”

Zach closed the hatch. “Really?  You’re a people person.  There aren’t any other people around here for miles.”

She giggled. “That’s true.  It would be perfect for a person like you.”

He opened the door and motioned for her to get in the passenger’s seat.  Handing her two apples and a bottle of water, he asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You like being by yourself.  It's clear that you don’t care for people. We’ve been together for three days and not once have you mentioned a girlfriend or a special lady in your life.”

“That’s because I don’t have one,” he answered as he got in the driver’s seat.

“Why not, Zach? Do you only need a woman when you have the desire to have casual sex?”

“Casual sex?”

“Yeah. Casual sex.  Since you aren’t involved with one woman but apparently enjoy having sex, the sex you have is non-committal and pretty much meaningless since it is with women you feel nothing for.”

His jaw tightened, and he felt it twitch.  He needed her to stop talking and pointing out his flaws. “That’s brutal, Carla.  My work prevents me from having a relationship.  I’m gone all the time, and I can’t always reveal where I am or what I am doing.  That wouldn’t be fair to a wife or kids.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so blunt, but that’s not answering my question.  At any time in your life, will you ever want that?”

He put his sunglasses on as they hit the paved road.  She was asking too many personal questions.  He didn’t like talking about himself or answering personal questions. “Probably not.”

“Care to explain?”

He thinned his lips and tightened his hands on the steering wheel. 
This is gonna be a long ride
. “Not really but I know you won’t stop pestering me until I tell you something. First, I don’t care for kids and secondly, the thought of being tied to one woman for the rest of my life is scarier than what I do for a living.  I’m a bachelor for life. I like my life this way, and that’s how I intend it to stay.”

“I’m not judging you for wanting to stay single, Zach. In my opinion I think people put too much emphasis on coupling together.  I’m not one for casual sex, as you can tell.  But if I never get married it won’t be the end of the world either.”

“I’m not marriage material, Carla. I’ve done a lot to get what I need from people.  Women outside of my circle wouldn’t understand that and would look at me as monstrous or how you see me—as an uncaring and rotten person.”

She crossed her legs picking debris from her socks. “I did believe you were that way at first but not anymore.  I don’t have the ability to read people like you do. But what I do see is you protecting yourself.”

He glanced at her and frowned. “Why do women have to see things about us?  Just accept who we are and let it be that.  I’m not ashamed of who I am or what I’ve done.” Why was he explaining himself to her?  He didn’t care what she thought about him.

“Man, I’ve hit a nerve. I’m going to shut up and let you drive.”

His voice rose to cover the music on the radio. “No, don’t shut up now. Why do you think I am protecting myself, Carla?  I can’t wait to hear your theory.  You’ve known me three days and have me all figured out.”

Her voice was soft as she looked at him with caring brown eyes. “I don’t want to argue with you.  I’m tired and rambling because I don’t know what is going to happen to me.  Maybe I just need to talk now because once I’m dead…”

Her silence caused him to look at her.  Tears slid down her cheeks.  He pulled the car over and threw it in park.  “Hey, I’m not going to let that happen.  Carla, you have a whole life ahead of you.  You’re going to live to do whatever you want to do.”  He put his hand on her thigh. “You have to trust me.”

“I do trust you.  He’ll just wait until the coast is clear and then strike again.” 

“I’ll never stop hunting Yezhov.”

“Oh, please; don’t make me any promises.  This is not an episode of a crime show with the ending tied up in a neat bow. He’ll find a way to get me. You can’t protect me for the rest of your life, Zach.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I won’t have to because I’m gonna get him.”  He looked over the rim of his sunglasses to search her eyes.  He was looking for any signs of reassurance that she accepted his words as gospel. Behind the golden flecks, he saw hope peeking through.

A muscle flicked angrily at his jaw as he watched her dab tears away from her eyes. Yezhov was in for the fight of his life. The bastard made a big mistake going after this woman. Zach was determined to end Yezhov’s reign of terror with him dead.  Not behind bars for the rest of his life, but dead.

“Okay.” Was all she said after drying her tears.

Zach’s mind was inundated with plotting and planning as he drove the long stretch of highway back to Ohio.  His cell phone buzzed. He took it from the cup holder to answer. “Talk to me Lowes.  I need good news about now,” he said looking over at Carla, who had fallen asleep.  The chill from the air conditioner had her shivering at one point until he covered her with a light blanket. She fell back into a deep, peaceful sleep.

“Murphy, change of plans.  Your replacement will be at Ms. Parker’s apartment tomorrow morning.  You’re going to Russia in the morning.”

He kept his voice low. “Why the hell am I going to Russia?”

“We received a tip from our informant in Yezhov’s camp.  He believes he is there regrouping.  I want you to check it out.  If he is there, you know what to do.”

“Wouldn’t it make sense to have our contacts there or have the CIA do a search before flying me there on a whim? Even if he is there, I’m not going in there blind. It will take me a couple of days to infiltrate wherever Yezhov is holding up.  Especially, if he is hiding out in the mountains.”

“You’ll figure out what to do. Be at Hopkins airport to catch the redeye flight in the morning. Your reservation has been made.”

“Lowes, I don’t like going on wild goose hunts.  I’ve been camped out for three days waiting for word on Yezhov.  I don’t believe he’s in Russia.  The timeline is not conceivable and it doesn’t sound right to me.”

 “Shit, Murphy, are you getting caught up with that woman?  You’ve never questioned me before.”

He kept his eyes on the road. “You know I don’t do that. And I’m not questioning you, but the person feeding you the information.  Something’s not right.”

“I’m not getting that vibe and I expect you to make your flight. Yezhov will not slip under our radar again.”

Zach kept his temper under control. His senses were keen, and he never doubted them.  That’s how he stayed alive. “Hey, is Barry back on the case?”

“No, she isn’t.”

“Who is the agent replacing me? I wasn’t conferenced in on a briefing or anything.”

“I’m the SAC in charge, Murphy.  I don’t have to run every detail past you; I do it as a courtesy and not a requirement. But, if you have a problem with that, I’ll take you off the case altogether.”

He frowned, squinting his eyes at the phone. “I don’t have a problem with anything, but apparently your harsh reaction indicates something is going on with you.”

“It is.  I’m tired of losing to this bastard. I want him.  I want Tyrone and Phillip too.  But what are my chances of getting them if you’re cozying up to their cousin.”

“Lowes, I’m ending this call while I still have a job. I’ll contact you tomorrow.” He hung up the phone and tossed it in the cup holder. He was pissed on top of his suspicions rising. It didn’t make any sense to send him to Russia when there were people in place to do a reconnaissance mission if needed.

“Carla, wake up.”

She felt the hand shaking her on the shoulder and knocked it away.  She wasn’t ready to get up.  She was finally enjoying the sleep that had eluded her the last few days.

“Carla, you gotta wake up.  You’re home.”

She opened her eyes slowly recognizing the familiar buildings and the screeching voices of the neighborhood kids playing outside.  Carla sat up and rolled down the window. The noise level and the aroma of neighbors cooking out meant she was home.  “Man, it seems like I’ve been away from home for weeks instead of a few days.”

“Look, I want you to stay close to me.  Normally, I would have you stay put until I did a perimeter check, but there are too many people around for me to leave you alone.”

Carla unhooked her seatbelt and folded the blanket lying across her lap.  She didn’t know how it got there. “I recognize everyone outside. The people in this neighborhood watch out for each other, Zach. You’ll be the oddball around here.”