Fated Identity (Red Star #6) (4 page)

Brienne slowed down and took the time to hide the weapon she’d taken from his glove compartment underneath her jacket. She placed her fingertips against her ears with a wince and rubbed the areas as she examined their surroundings. He moved his jaw from side to side as well, trying to subdue the ringing. He took her cue to holster his weapon, albeit reluctantly. The less attention they brought to themselves, the better at this point. They were about a block away from Union Station, but it was enough of a distance to allow them to reevaluate.

“I think we need to catch a cab,” Brienne shouted, her words getting caught up in the incessant buzzing. It was apparent she was talking too loud and he signaled she needed to lower her voice. A few curious stares were shot their way. “Staying visible out on the streets will only put us and other innocent pedestrians in the line of fire.”

“We need to get you underground.” Grady noticed that Brienne’s attention was on his lips since her hearing had yet to fully return. He repeated his statement and waited for her to nod her understanding. “Stay close.”

Brienne’s quick nod of acquiesce had Grady changing direction. The adrenaline produced by what had just happened was starting to wear off. Damn, that was a close call. Had Brienne been by herself during that ambush, she never would have had time to stop both converging tangos coming at her from opposite directions. He couldn’t even fathom that scenario.
Why
was she being specifically targeted and not any other agents within the section?

The temperature was above normal for this time of year and the sun was beating down on the asphalt, producing an uncomfortable heat. The normally delicious aroma drifting from the hot dog stand did nothing but generate nausea. Once they were able to blend in with the crowd, people weren’t watching where they were headed and Grady didn’t have a spare minute for pleasantries. He was determined to get Brienne to safety and he didn’t stop until they were at the Georgetown Law School off of New Jersey Avenue.

Grady didn’t waste time heading directly for McDonough Hall, where the office of the Dean of Students was located. There were advantages to still being in the field, one of them being established contacts who were dependable.

David Pierce was the current Dean of Students, as well as a source for the FBI and CIA to tap into regarding foreign students coming into the university with less than stellar goals of education. The student visa ruse was usually quickly spotted and many a terrorist plot had been diverted using this method of detection. Dave was currently with another staff member, but quickly dismissed the younger man once Grady and Brienne appeared outside his door.

Dave’s office was small, but the furniture was an immaculate red oak with ornate handles and matching bookcases off to the side. Literature and history books adorned the shelves, but it was the miniature metal models of World War II planes and tanks that gave the room a unique look. His office furnished the impression that the professor was a historian managing his own tiny museum.

“You’re bleeding.” Dave was already standing when he took some tissues from a box he kept on his desk, handing them over with a look of concern. Grady had dismissed the small cuts as insignificant seeing as it wasn’t Brienne who’d been hurt. He could take care of himself at a later time, but he would clean up the best he could seeing as it was distracting Dave. “Grady, what happened? Do I need to alert security?”

“No,” Grady replied, pressing the thin white material against the small cuts on his hand. The blood quickly soaked in, but the majority of the wounds were superficial. Only one was still bleeding. “I need your vehicle. I can’t explain right now, but we’re in a bit of a bind.”

“Of course,” Dave replied, his gaze drifting to where Brienne was looking at her cell phone. Grady had thought she’d left it in her purse back in the car, but she’d apparently had it on her person. She was holding it up before he could give her a dressing-down on security protocol. She’d already turned the device off, as he had done with his own back when they’d stopped running. “I’m parked…”

Dave continued to give instructions on how to reach his vehicle, leaving Grady to scrutinize Brienne. She was standing to the left of the door with her right arm straight at her side, giving her the opportunity to draw the weapon from underneath her white jacket with little effort should the need arise.

Brienne appeared calm and collected, her breathing even. There wasn’t even a tremor in her hands, though there were a few smears of blood on her sleeve from when Grady had pulled her from the car. The pallor of her face had whitened and caused the red lipstick on her lips to become even brighter. He would have given anything to be able to pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay, but he made an effort to never lie unless it was a life and death situation.

“I appreciate this, Dave.” Grady tossed the used tissues into the trashcan, taking time to pull the desk phone toward him. It was the standard black and silver model installed in most offices. He’d be able to place a call without turning on his own cellular device. “Would you give us a moment alone? We won’t be long.”

One of Dave’s best qualities was that he never asked questions, though he was always willing to provide answers and toe the line. He vacated the office without a second glance. Grady had already dialed the number of SSA Telfer and pressed the speaker button before the door had completely shut.

Brienne hesitated and shot a sideways look at the doorknob. She most likely wanted to lock it, but Grady wasn’t concerned with anyone walking in unannounced. Dave wouldn’t have gone far and would be monitoring the traffic in and out of the department.

“Telfer.”

“We ran into a problem en route to our meeting,” Grady informed Brienne’s SSA, keeping an eye on Brienne to see if she wanted to add anything to the conversation. She stepped forward, about to speak when Telfer cut in with a directive no agent wanted to hear.

“Agent Chaylse is in the crosshairs of ISI. Bring her in now.”

The line disconnected, leaving Grady and Brienne to deal with the aftermath of such a decree. He didn’t hesitate to reach for her, bringing her into his embrace and wishing it were that easy to shield her from what was to come. The ISI was Pakistan’s premier military-operated intelligence service. These weren’t amateurs who were after Brienne and they had to have had help from inside the Agency to pull off what had almost transpired today.

“We’re going out on our own,” Grady murmured, pressing his lips softly against her temple. Brienne nodded slightly in agreement, because even she knew there was only one logical choice to make given their circumstances. “There isn’t a chance in hell you’re going back to Langley to ride this out.”

‡

B
rienne removed her
soiled white blazer and tossed it on the couch before sitting on the edge of the middle cushion. The décor of the beach house located on the Jersey shore was modern, but she was too exhausted to care if she scuffed the cream twill fabric with her dirt-stained pants. This morning’s events had certainly put things into perspective. She rested her forehead onto the palms of her hands, wondering how her day had spiraled so out of control.

It had taken Grady and Brienne around six hours to reach their destination, but two of those had been used to switch vehicles at no less than three different locations. She’d only ever worked with Grady on overseas missions, so seeing his impressive reach with little to no notice here in their homeland was quite a sight.

It was no wonder the Agency, along with the FBI and other notorious government organizations, hadn’t wanted him to retire. She would have taken the time to state how impressed she was had she not been so damned busy trying to figure out who was responsible for leaking her identity and doing their best to eliminate her.

“Why don’t you go and take a shower?” Grady said, finally stepping away from the front door where he’d been resetting the security alarm code. The beach home they were currently using did not have a garage, so they’d left the last car Grady had borrowed near the boardwalk with hordes of other tourist vehicles. They eventually made their way to the beach and walked the winding sand trail as if they were nothing more than the typical vacationers. Her high heels had been dropped on the tile he was now vacating as he made his way to the kitchen. “I have a few calls to make.”

“Don’t you mean
we
have a few calls to make?” Brienne restated his declaration, finally having enough of the brushoff. She stood, in spite of the fact that her body protested, and made her way into the pristine cream shoreline kitchen with light gray granite countertops. Everything else in here was cream as well, if she discounted the bowl of green apples sitting on the stone-topped island. The owners could have done a lot more if the adornment was to add color. The somewhat sterile design matched her mood though. “I’m more than capable of conducting this investigation as if it were any other assignment. You need to trust me, Grady.”

Brienne couldn’t stand the clip in her hair any longer, especially considering the taut prongs were only adding to her pounding headache. Someone wanted her dead and it was all related to Brendan “Red” O’Neill. She had no other connection to Pakistan or to the ISI. She finally released the clip, running a hand through her hair and closing her eyes in relief as some of the built-up tension faded away as her hair fell.

“I never said you weren’t capable, Brie. And you know for a fact that I trust you with my life.”

Grady’s affectionate nickname for her was unexpected. Brienne stilled her movements as their gazes connected across the small island and the little appalling bowl of green apples. His dark eyes were narrowed, as if daring her to dispute his statement. His normally immaculate suit jacket was wrinkled from the long ride and his tie was slightly askew. He’d been by her side this entire time, doing everything needed to ensure her safety. She had no doubt that he cared for her, but his love for Madison was holding him back from living his life with someone else.

“I know,” Brienne admitted softly, conceding a bit and accepting the fact that she was relatively safe here. She’d always been independent, but she’d have to continue to stand on her own two feet now that she’d made the decision to be reassigned away from D.C. and the memories she and Grady had made together. Only she didn’t have that escape route anymore. “I’m not a victim, Grady. I refuse to be a victim for anyone.”

“But you
are
a target,” Grady reminded her, taking the time to remove his suit jacket, fold the sleeves just so, and lay it across the counter. She couldn’t help but look at the wounds on his left hand, wondering if there were any shards of glass still embedded into his skin. She was surprised when he came around the island and tenderly slipped his fingers in her hair until his thumbs were underneath her chin. “Your safety is my primary concern. You. This is my specialty, Brie. I don’t mean to take over and exclude you from any decisions, but—”

“It comes naturally,” Brienne finished in a whisper, giving in to what she needed. The warm comfort of his touch was everything she required to breathe easy and release the built-up tension running through her. “I’m so scared, Grady. The ISI? What the hell did I get caught up in that would cause this kind of reaction?”

“Your source apparently had some very accurate and meaningful information, making the ISI a little too uncomfortable with what she revealed. The first thing we need to do is confirm she is still alive. There are too many balls in the air right now and some are going to crack when they hit the ground.” Grady smiled tenderly, the way he usually did when he told her he was leaving town on assignment. He didn’t say that this time, but instead leaned forward and softly brushed his lips against hers. “Go and use the SAT phone I gave you to make contact. I’ll follow up with Telfer, since he’s going to be rather displeased at the fact we didn’t follow direct—and might I add lawful—orders. We’ll then clean up and decide afterward what our next move will be.”

Brienne breathed deeply to capture the subtle masculine fragrance of Grady’s cologne. He’d worn the same brand since she’d known him…he was a creature of habit. She didn’t appreciate the emotional wavering she was experiencing at having made the decision to end their relationship. It was the right thing to do and yet the regret for what could have been was beyond anything she’d ever experienced. Her throat constricted when his fingers gradually drifted away from her. It was as if their ship had sailed into the mist and the gathering darkness was what was left of their relationship.

Grady moved silently across the tiled floor and into what Brienne assumed was the bedroom. The width of his back told her more than the size of his lean upper body, but of the baggage he carried from his past. Could he not see that she was more than willing to carry some of the weight?

Brienne hadn’t expected Grady to stop before crossing the threshold into the next room, but he paused and turned only enough so that he could see her expression at what he had to convey. She now wished more than anything that he hadn’t.