The Gambit (33 page)

I glanced at the red light on the phone and saw it was coming from my assistant’s line. I pressed the speakerphone button.

“What is it, Sharon?”

“I have a call on hold. Line four.” Her voice was shaky. I hadn’t heard that kind of tenor from her since the bombs went off outside of Wall Street.

“Then why didn’t you transfer it to me?”

“Because. I was afraid you wouldn’t pick up.”

“All right, Sharon—stop the nonsense. I have to go.”

“You’ll want to take this call.”

Something tugged at my gut—intuition. Maybe it was something greater? Like a God, if there was one. I had covered too many stories that kept me sleepless for me to believe in that anymore.

“Thank you. I’ll grab it.”

“Mhmm,” the line clicked off.

The red light on line four blinked every other second. My breath was shallow. Why was I so damn nervous? I picked up the cold plastic phone and pressed the button.

“This is Ian,” I said in the unfluctuating tone I had for years.

“Ian—it’s me…”

My stomach sank in relief. Her soft voice was soothing even when talking to a bundle of nerves like myself. Suddenly, my relief turned into alarm. What if
someone
was listening to her? To me?

“Ra—,” I stopped myself from saying her name. “Are you okay?

“I’m okay as I’m going to be in a situation like this.”

Fear welled up throughout my body, for her safety and mine.

“Are you crazy? What if
they
are listening?”

“They might be.”

“What?! Why do you sound so calm then?”

“My line is secure.”

Thank God
.

“Good. Why did you call?”

“I figured I owe you some sort of explanation,” she chuckled. I couldn’t help but smile.

“I was worried about you, you know.”

“I could imagine.”

“I’ve been wondering. Why were you with him in the first place?”

“You know,” her voice was short.

“Do I?” I countered.

“I believe so.”

She was right. I
did
know.

“Guilty as charged.”

“Anyway,” she began. “I called you for a reason. I have a very important question to ask you.”

“Shoot.”

“Have you been given any…confidential information?”

“Regarding?”

“This, Ian. All of this.”

“This is the most confidential conversation I’ve had all year.”

There was a long pause. I thought she had hung up.

“Hello? Are you there?”

“Yes.”

“What did I do? You sound upset.”

“I’m not gonna lie. I’m a little disheartened.”

“Why, because I don’t know any more than you do about all of this?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, it’s…it’s not your fault.”

I wiped my hand up my forehead, stretching the skin and rubbing all of my hair back. I wished I had more to give her.

“Any way I can help you, I will. You know that. I promised your dad when you were born that I would.”

“I know…” Her voice now a whisper. That somber tone in her words was hard to swallow. I knew I was only her godfather, but she was like the daughter I never had. I loved her.

“What is it exactly you are trying to do?”

“Piece together this lie before it’s too late.”

“You sound just like your father.”

“Really?” she asked. “I wish I could say that I know.”

I exhaled. The pain from losing her dad was a colossal weight she carried with her. I still felt that same weight on my shoulders every day. Such a great man Emilio was. Why did the good always go so young?

“You do. He was always trying to look at the bigger picture. That’s what made his work so great.”

“I know. I still read over the articles you gave me.”

“Good. I’m sure you will follow in his footsteps.”

“I hope to, Ian. I really do. There’s just one problem.”

“Which is?”

“That I am trying to solve the puzzle with only one of the pieces.” I paused, reflecting over her statement…
only one of the pieces
. “Are you insinuating?”

“Yes, I am. I have a feeling…that there are more pieces out there. This lie is spread out so far, and its roots are so deep, that it must have affected far more than just you-know-who.”

Owen
…

“Go on,” I said.

“He is the only piece I have. His story and his recollection of what happened at the final debate. That isn’t enough, though.”

“Enough for what?” I was trying to string together what she was getting at, but she was being vague in her explanations.

“What have been the cover stories lately? I haven’t seen a newspaper in almost a week. I’ve only seen the TV.”

Her question began to reveal the
real
picture to me.

“You and him. It’s all anyone wants to see. They want you in handcuffs, or worse—”

“Don’t say it,” her breath was sharp. It caused a momentary static in my ear.

“You aren’t thinking…” I murmured.

“Oh, I am. The thought has been embedded in my mind so deep since the day I met him, it is all I can think about. It is possible. That is why I called you. We have to give the people the truth. The
real
story. I know you value that. It’s what you and my dad established your reputations on. If anything, Ian, do it for him. In my dad’s honor.”

My eyes began to glisten just from the conviction in her tone. To hear the daughter of my best friend, now twenty-three and grown up, speaking like this…gave me chills. I was proud.

“All right,” I conceded, “Let’s do it. In his honor.”

I couldn’t tell whether she was laughing or crying in reaction to me accepting her proposition.

“Good. I knew you would agree. Thank you so much. I’m glad you didn’t believe the lie about him was true…and think bad about me. I’m sorry if I—”

“Don’t be sorry. You’re fine. I had my doubts about…
him
. The coverage is just too basic. Their story doesn’t have much depth. Just a lot of bells and whistles, like I told you when we were texting, the last time we talked.”

“That was the day I met him,” she added. “I recognized him at a coffee shop and made my move.”

“Wow! Bold move, I’d say.”

“It worked,” she chuckled.

“How will I get in touch with you?”

“You won’t.”

My forehead scrunched up from her statement. How could she possibly have wanted me to invest my effort into this story when I couldn’t even talk to the first and
only
piece of the puzzle?

“I will contact you. Find one of your tech guys and get some sort of secure line. One that I can be transferred to when I call.”

“Sounds good. Well, in the meantime…what do you want me to do?”

“Find the other pieces to the puzzle.”

A warm breeze blew past. It delicately tickled my bare skin, and I was still having a hard time processing the fact that I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. If I were back home I’d still be wearing my business slacks and pea coat. It was difficult to imagine the weather here was like this all year. What a luxury.

Briana and Grey were working tediously on the task at hand…to get me out of the country unscathed. I didn’t think I had ever seen Grey this stressed in my entire life. I bet whatever his plan was, it would have been unimaginably difficult for the brightest minds to execute. Grey was brighter. I gingerly touched the faux goatee on my face. It was so weird to feel, and I wished I could have ripped it off, but I knew it was necessary.

Necessary. Necessary. Necessary. I had heard that word thrown around loosely for days now. It made me so sick to my stomach I could have puked. Briana, Grey, and Rachel all said it at one point. I knew it was true. They were right…but nonetheless, it was still nauseating.

My elbows were propped up on my knees. I was alone, sitting on the sidewalk outside of the garage. I let my head sink forward towards my lap and I used my hands to cup my forehead. My knees bowed out from the sudden weight.

Fuck necessary. I was fed up with that word. I just wanted my old life back. To be able to walk into my office and know I was making a difference in this country. If I could just hear Cole’s throaty voice again or feel his heavy-handed slap on my shoulder one more time. How did my life fall apart so fast? Everything I worked so hard for had slipped through my fingers in a matter of days. It felt like I had known Rachel for over a month, but yet it had just been under a week.

My mind was awash in negativity. If only I had my bike. It would have helped so much at a time like this.

I took a deep breath, pulling the humid air into my lungs. I controlled my exhale and attempted to unwind. The phone call Rachel made to Ian had been lingering in my thoughts. Since it was through an encrypted connection on Grey’s laptop, the conversation was heard by everyone. Ian said something. Something that made my soul ache. I glanced down at my watch—it was past midnight. The feeling that accompanied seeing a new day had begun only added to the melancholy that enveloped me.

Tomorrow, I would be on a non-stop flight to Moscow.
Tomorrow
.

The words were like lead in my mind. I clenched my jaw in frustration from the utter lack of control I had over my life. Ian’s words hit me like a freight train in the gut. It resonated so sharply when I heard it that it was frightening…because, it was almost as if I
knew
that he was right.

Rachel had asked him what the cover stories were about recently. He said they were about us, and that
they
wanted us in handcuffs, or even worse—

Dead
. Rachel cut him off before he could say it. Most likely because I was in the room. With good reason. Rachel was on the target now, but I was the bull’s eye. They wanted me. I wondered. The majority of the critical injuries in the bombings were in my row, maybe I wasn’t even meant to make it this far? It was a possibility. A possibility that was truer than I would have liked to acknowledge.

Russia was my only hope to stay alive.

“I was wondering where you ran off to,” Rachel’s velvety voice called from behind me.

I craned my head backward and saw her approaching the sidewalk. Her wavy brown hair swung around at her chest, and a smile tugged at her lips as she plopped down beside me.

“Did you need some fresh air?” she asked.

I nodded. For some reason, words didn’t form. She placed a gentle hand on my forearm, with her face concerned. “Owen, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I managed to get out.

“What, was it what Ian said?”

I turned to her, looking her straight in the eyes.

“How did you know that?”

She snorted. “You’ve been down in the dumps since I got off the call. I’m not stupid.”