The Fey (20 page)

“
What?” Alex
asked.

“
You intelligence folks
despise secrets and that’s a doozie.”

Alex smiled.

“
Can I come to this one?”
Joseph asked.

“
If we get it all worked
out. There’s a question of a child.”

Joseph knocked Alex with his shoulder.

“
You can’t believe that
John cheated on you. You guys have that one and only true
love.”

“
I don’t really know what
I believe,” Alex said. “I’m just trying to follow my
heart.”

“
I’ve never known your
heart to lead you wrong. We wouldn’t have Alex if you hadn’t
followed your heart in Lebanon.”

Alex smiled. Joseph adopted the baby who had
been at the center of a complicated hostage situation in Lebanon.
Called the ‘Beirut solution,’ that extraction was currently used as
a training exercise for Special Forces intelligence officers. So
far, no one had worked out the solution.

“
I heard they asked you to
teach,” Alex said.

Joseph nodded.

“
You’d make a great
teacher, Joseph.”

“
I’d like to do it
but…”

“
You’d have to leave the
house,” Alex said. “I’ve felt like that.”

“
Maybe when the girls are
a little older.” Joseph bit into a cookie. “These are pretty good.
I bet the kids would love them.”

“
I’m certain you can bring
a dozen or three home.”

Joseph smiled at her.

“
I was thinking about
going to the memorial while I was here. Will you come with
me?”

“
Of course. I need to
change, then we can go. We’ll bring these IRA guys to guard
us.”

Joseph stood when Alex did. Alex ran
upstairs changing into her Alyssa clothing and eyes. She heard the
men laughing in the kitchen. The entire team learned Irish Gaelic
as a way of communicating privately in the Middle East. She smiled
to herself. She was jogging down the stairs when John came in the
front door.

John caught her in his arms at the bottom of
the stairs and kissed her. He swung her around then kissed her
again. She giggled and hid her head in his shoulder.

“
I have some news,” he
said.

Alex raised her eyebrows.

“
DNA samples from all
parties were submitted today. Ben thinks we’ll have the results by
the end of the month.”

Alex smiled.

“
Kiss me again,” John said
and she did.

“
DNA? How did you get it
from Néall?” Cian said coming down the hallway from the
kitchen.

“
His father,” Alex
said.

“
And Eimilie?” Eoin asked
following behind Cian.

“
The police arrived at her
door with a subpoena. She wasn’t happy about it but what could she
really say?”

“
Hey Joseph,” John said
when he spotted Joseph behind Eoin.

“
John,” Joseph
said.

Joseph held his hand out for John to shake.
John took his hand then hugged Joseph.

“
It’s great to see you.
Have you met Alyssa?”

“
Holy crap Alex,” Joseph
said. Pressing a hand to his heart, he stepped back from the blue
eyed Alyssa. “When you said you needed to change I had no
idea.”

“
Sorry, I should have
warned you. This is Alyssa. She’s kind of a washout.”

“
I see that,” Joseph said.
“Did you actually gain weight?”

“
It’s padding.” Alex
lifted her shirt to show the body padding. “I’ve been so anxious
that I’ve been losing weight again.”

Joseph nodded his head. His intelligence
officer’s struggle with anxiety always kept her thin.

“
We were going to visit
the memorial,” Alex said to John. “Wanna come? These guys said they
would guard me today. I figured we could all go.”

“
Where’s Max?” John
asked.

“
Paris. Things are
starting to come apart with Fran.”

“
Again?” John
asked

Alex shrugged. “He’s taking some time to see
if they can work it out. He left an hour ago with Delores.”

“
Delores?”

“
Our next door
neighbor?”

“
Oh right.”

“
He’s probably at DIA if
you want to catch him.”

“
Let’s take his car,” John
said. “I think we’ll fit better.”

“
I can drive,” Joseph
said. “We’ll fit in my Durango.”

“
Sounds good. Do you have
your incense?” John asked.

Alex nodded.

“
I brought my lighter,”
Joseph said.

Alex smiled at Joseph and he hugged her.

“
It’s really good to see
you,” Joseph said.

“
You too.”

They checked weapons. Everyone except John
carried a loaded handgun. They left the house in a laughing group.
John sat in the front to catch up with Joseph. Eoin brought a bag
of Snicker Doodle cookies. Joseph stopped at the drive thru
Starbucks for coffee. They laughed, ate cookies and drank coffee on
their journey to Fort Logan Cemetery. Arriving at the cemetery,
Cian and Eoin were wide-eyed at the fields of white markers.

“
This is a military
cemetery,” Cian said.

“
Yes,” Alex
said.

“
I’d want to be buried
with my brothers in arms.”

Alex touched his arm.

“
By the time we bury you,
you’ll have other brothers in arms,” she said.

Cian’s eyes flicked in her direction then
returned to watch the green grass and white markers.

“
It’s just hard to imagine
so many people,” Cian said almost under his breath.

“
I know,” Alex
replied.

At twelve-thirty on September eighth, Joseph
pulled up to the memorial. Cian and Eoin had never been to the
memorial before. While Alex took Joseph’s hand, John walked with
Eoin and Cian to the obelisk.

Holding hands, Alex and Joseph walked to
Alexander’s grave. One stone at a time, one dear friend at a time,
Alex placed the incense and Joseph flicked his Zippo. They were
weeping, tears seeping from guarded eyes, after Alexander’s stone.
As John, Cian and Eoin stayed out of the way, the two friends moved
arm in arm from stone to stone. Lighting the last incense at
Charles O’Brien’s grave, Joseph spoke of forming the team, how they
chose each person and how, risking everything, they selected a
woman, Alexandra Hargreaves, for their intelligence officer.

Alex and Joseph were holding each other
when, in unison, their cell phones rang. Stepping back to answer
the phone, Alex’s gaze shot toward John when his phone rang.

“
Holy fuck Alex, where are
you?” Raz screamed into the phone. “Talk to me. Alex say
something.”

“
Raz, I’m at the Cemetery.
Joseph came for a visit so we decided to see the team.”

“
Oh my God,” Raz
said.

She could hear him working to control his
emotions when her phone beeped that there was an incoming call.

“
Raz, I’m all right. Ben’s
on the other line. Do you mind if I click over?”

“
No. Alex… you know I
…”

“
I do,” she said. “I do.
Just hang on for me. Okay.”

Clicking over to Ben.

“
Hey sperm donor, what’s
up?”

“
Oh my God Alex. Where are
you?”

“
I’m at Fort Logan. Raz is
on the other line.”

“
And Max? Alex, where’s
Max?”

“
At DIA.”

“
Oh my God.” She heard
Ben, the super spy, weeping into the phone. “I thought…”

Alex shook her head and looked over to
Joseph. His face blanched white as he spoke into the telephone. She
glanced over to John. Noticing John’s distress, Cian came over to
stand next to his brother. John spoke in a staccato flood.

Alex’s phone beeped again. Her Sergeant was
on the line.

“
Can you hang on?” Alex
said to Ben.

“
Yeah,” Ben
said.

She clicked over to her Sergeant.

“
Fey”

“
Major?!? You’re
alive?!?”

“
Yes, can you hold on? I
have Homeland on the other line.”

She clicked over to Raz.

“
What happened?” she
asked.

“
There’s been an
explosion. Max’s car and John’s car were rigged with C-4. VBIEDs.
They both went off at twelve-thirty. The homes are… I’m sorry,
Alex. I never expected anything like this.”

“
Like what?”

“
Our home is
destroyed.”

F

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Alex breath caught. The words–our home is
destroyed–ripped through her. Her sanctuary, her one safe place,
her home was gone forever. She siphoned out a breath.

“
Our
neighbors?”

“
The bombs were designed
to have full impact on our homes. Your neighbors have some damage
but no one was home. Oh my God, Alex, where’s Max?”

“
He’s on his way to
Paris,” Alex said. She looked over at John. “I think he’s on the
phone with John. Are you still in Atlanta?”

“
Yes,” Raz said. “I’ll be
there tonight. Alex… I… I’m just glad you’re all right.”

“
I love you too,” Alex
said.

“
Oh God,” Raz said. She
heard him sniff in the background. With a gust of wind, he blew out
a breath.

“
Do you want to hold or
just come here?” Alex asked.

“
I’m on my way,” Raz said.
“We’ll buy another, Alexandra. We’ll rebuild. At least…”

“
We’re alive to do it.
Yes,” Alex said.

“
Yes. I’ll call you when I
get there.” Raz clicked off the phone. Alex pressed a button and
her Sergeant was on the phone.

“
Sergeant? I just heard
the news.”

“
Call me when you
can.”

“
I will. Please let
Colonel Gordon know that I am all right.”

“
Yes sir,” her Sergeant
said clicking off the line. Alex clicked the phone again connecting
to Ben.

“
Ben?”

“
Claire says to tell you
that you must come for a visit before you get blown up.” Ben’s
humor helped him gain some control over his emotions.

“
I need a dress for my
wedding. Would she make one for me?”

“
She’d be honored,” Ben
said. “Alexandra…”

“
I’m all right,” Alex
said. “He fucked up.”

“
Yes, it looks that way, ”
Ben said. “Let’s hope that’s true. Are you armed?”

“
Yes, we’re driving
Joseph’s car. Should we return home?”

“
Go home. The police are
looking for you. Then…”

“
We’ll stay downtown
tonight. Don’t worry. Would you mind…?”

“
Alexandra, what can I
do?”

“
Will you call my Dad? I
haven’t talked to them since… He’ll be crazy and Mom…”

“
I’ll take care of it.
Just… be safe,” Ben said.

“
Always,” she
said.

She looked down at Charlie’s grave. For a
moment, the world seemed to stand completely still. Her eyes traced
the sunflower carved into the stone. Twelve petals, a stem, two
leaves… The words, “Captain Charles O’Brien, Loving father and
husband. The very best of the very best” echoed through her head.
As if the world stopped moving, in that moment she felt nothing and
heard only silence.

In a rush of sensation and sound, like the
bomb that destroyed her home, sadness and loss overwhelmed her. In
front of Charlie’s grave, she fell to her knees and wept into her
hands. John came behind her, pulling her from the grave, to hold
her in his arms. She clutched at him, burying her head in his
shoulder, her tears falling unnoticed from her eyes. She felt a
hand at her back, and turned to see Cian standing behind her.

“
We need to leave,” Cian
said. “It’s not safe to stay in one location for too
long.”

“
Was it IRA?” Alex asked.
She swiped at her eyes with her hand.

“
No,” Cian said. “When the
news goes International, you’ll get confirmation of that. But it
wouldn’t surprise me if it looked IRA.”

“
Why?” John
asked.

“
It’s additive, brother.
Someone is trying to break Alex’s mind.”

Alex nodded. She looked over at Joseph who
was still on his cell phone.

“
Did you speak to Max?”
she asked John.

“
Yes,” John said. “He was
at DIA and saw the news bulletin. I told him to go to France. He
should be on the plane.”

“
Ben will check on him,”
Alex said.

John nodded. “We’re alive.”

“
For now,” Alex
said.

“
We’ll stay downtown.”
John pulled her back into his arms and whispered into her ear. “It
will be great fun. We’ll call room service, drink all of those
little bottles of alcohol and I will make love to you all night,
cherishing every single moment I have you alive and in my
arms.”

Alex closed her eyes and rested her head
against his chest. Then, with a jerk, she remembered his betrayal
and pushed away from him. Their eyes held for a moment. She shook
her head.