Betrayal (38 page)

“So, what are you saying?” Alex looked at Jane.

“Alex,” her friend implored.

“You are telling me that there is a government within the government? Is that what you are saying?”

“That is what we are saying, yes, Agent Toles,” Krause intervened.

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose. “For what purpose?”

He nodded and pulled out his chair, taking a moment to pace across the kitchen toward a window. “That’s really the question; isn’t it?”

“Krause, what the hell does that mean? You don’t know the objective? You work for these people, don’t you?”

“Alex,” Cassidy put her hand over the agent’s to calm her.

Jon Krause looked at Jane who offered him a halfhearted smile of encouragement. “Agent Toles, John and I…we were raised to be who we are. To do what we do. Do you understand? The objective? We took orders. Orders to protect our country. That was the objective.”

“Protect the country? Selling arms to warlords and drug dealers? You are telling me he knew about all of this?” Krause nodded. “Why? Jesus Christ,” Alex pulled away from Cassidy’s touch as her anger began to burn hotter. “So, now what? You want my
help
?”

“Yes,” he said.

Alex let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Why now?”

Jane looked at Cassidy and then made her way to Alex. “Alex, listen to me. We are pretty certain that John was working against The Collaborative.”

“The what?” Alex asked.

“The Collaborative,” Krause repeated.

“The Collaborative?”

Jane took Alex’s arms. “Alex, please….please, sit down.” Reluctantly, Alex complied. She looked at her friend as Cassidy gently stroked her back. “Listen, for a long time there have been people working to root out the source; determine who is really pulling the strings.” Alex looked at Jane skeptically as the former first lady continued. “Matt…he never went that way. Even when our father tried to convince him to take a role in Admiral Brackett’s office at the Pentagon, he refused. Things didn’t make sense to him. John…He called Matt that Saturday. Left a message. They never spoke.”

“All right, what does this have to do with O’Brien?” Krause started to answer and Alex stopped him. “What about Cassidy and Dylan?”

Krause looked at Cassidy and smiled. “I’m sorry, Cassie,” he said honestly. “O’Brien is nothing more than a pawn. The admiral chose him, among others. He fit a profile; ambitious to a fault, adept at storytelling; a convincing liar.” Cassidy shook her head and rolled her eyes as he continued, “he was easy to manipulate.”

“And now?” Alex asked.

“Well, Claire Brackett has tipped that on its head. Look, Agent Toles, I will tell you everything I can. I don’t know as much as I know you would like to believe. I can tell you about transactions, players…orders,” he stopped. “We are all pawns. Nothing more.”

Alex studied his expression. “Why? What changed?” She looked at him and caught his gaze drift to the woman beside her. Alex chuckled and shook her head.

“They killed my brother, Agent Toles.”

Alex sighed. “So, where do we start? We both have something to protect.”

“SPHINX.”

“What do you know about it?” she asked.

“Not a lot. Enough to know it leads somewhere deeper than even I have been.”

“What did he want me to know about Iraq?”

“I don’t know, Agent,” Krause admitted. “He would never speak about that; never. SPHINX leads to something deeper. It was not my operation, not part of my duties.”

“Okay…what do you want me to do?” she asked.

“Matthews.”

“The Ambassador?”

“Yes,” he answered.

“Jane is closer to Russ…”

Krause looked at Alex. “No. Jane needs to be out of this part.”

“Why not just come to me, Krause? Why involve Cass?”

“Cassidy is involved, Agent, no matter whether you or I like it that way. Dylan, well no matter whether they think he is O’Brien’s or John’s or….”

“You’re worried they might use him as leverage. Against who?” Krause looked at her blankly. “Shit. Against me?”

“Maybe. Against anyone.”

“And Cassidy?” Alex asked.

He sighed. “Agent Toles, I came here because I don’t intend to let anything happen to Cassidy or Dylan. Now, after John; after what happened in France; this is the only way.”

“This is crazy,” Cassidy muttered as she put her face in her hands.

“Cassidy,” Alex whispered. “I won’t let anything happen to you or Dylan.”

“What about you, Alex?” Cassidy’s voice raised a decibel.

The agent attempted to smile. “What did I tell you, earlier?”

“I know, I know this is a lot,” Jane said quietly. “You deserve to know, Cassidy. John tried, my father tried to keep me from it. When John came home from Iraq, things just didn’t add up. Not for me. It wasn’t just PTSD. It was something else. I heard him on the phone screaming at someone about murdering innocent people. That’s when I went to Matt. That was the first time I heard of The Collaborative.”

“Jesus,” Alex muttered. “Cass, maybe I should step…”

“Don’t you dare, Alex,” Cassidy cautioned.

“Alex,” Jane said. “Cassidy is safer with you than she would be without you and so is Dylan.”

“All right. Cassidy doesn’t need all the details. Krause?” He nodded his agreement. “Why don’t we take a walk,” Alex suggested. “Let Cassidy and Jane breathe.”

“Alex,” Cassidy stopped the agent as she went toward her jacket on the back of a chair.

“It’s all right,” Alex kissed the teacher. “Better we know. We’ll be back.”

“So, this ‘Collaborative’,” Alex asked as the two agents headed back toward the house from their walk.

“Yes?”

“What is it?”

“Exactly what it sounds like, Agent. A group. A group of politicians, military leaders and businessmen. They move merchandise, they remove liabilities and place assets.”

“Who?” Alex asked.

“I suspect the list is much longer than we have time to cover. The Russians, French, British….it’s grown even in the time that I have been in the CIA.”

“ASA?” He confirmed her question with a nod. “And?”

“Technologie Appliquée, Source System Innovations, among others,” Krause offered.

“So, O’Brien was in France for some trade as a set up. And…”

Krause chuckled. “Brackett changed that course.”

“Krause, how deep does this go? If the president…” He just offered a cockeyed smile and sighed. “Jesus Christ,” she shook her head. “And what if we do find out who is pulling the strings? What then?”

“We start pulling some of our own, Agent. We are not alone in this.”

“You mean Matt?”

“Yes, but there are others across multiple agencies. The Admiral’s decision to assassinate John, his trust in his daughter, it has fractured trust in him. Now is the opportunity, before he has a chance to repair the cracks.” Alex stopped their movement and the taller man smiled. “I don’t expect you to trust me, Agent Toles.”

“But you trust me?” Alex tipped her head.

“He did,” Krause looked toward the house. “She does.” He turned back to Alex and she firmly held his gaze. “Whatever you think, Agent….There are only two people I have ever trusted completely. They both trust you. That’s enough for me.”

“You love her?”

Krause laughed. “Agent Toles…”

“Nah, don’t even bother,” Alex said as she began moving again. “She’s easy to love.”

“Yeah…”

Cassidy and Jane were sitting in the living room sipping wine when the two agents entered. Alex raised an eyebrow and looked at Krause who chuckled. “Something wrong with my coffee?” she asked trying to lighten the mood.

The teacher sipped from her glass. “Unless you would like to peel me from the ceiling,” Cassidy looked at Jane who tried
to suppress a giggle, “I think my beverage choice is the most advisable.”

“I see,” Alex answered as the doorbell rang. “Jesus, who could that be now?” Cassidy shrugged, anticipating her mother or some friend of Dylan’s and took another sip of her wine. “I’ll get it,” Alex offered somewhat playfully. “You just relax.” The agent’s mind was rolling through a million scenarios and she was relieved to see that Jane had successfully eased some of Cassidy’s anxiety. This was their reality now. Alex had feared that whatever her friend the colonel had been involved in, it was connected to much of her work at the NSA. Her biggest concern now was how all of it connected to Cassidy and Dylan. She was still unsure about Krause, but something told her she needed to follow him. She would, she told herself, remain guarded where his motives were concerned. She let out a breath as the doorbell rang again. “God, these kids are impatient,” she laughed as she opened the door, expecting one of Dylan’s friends.

“Agent Toles,” the cocky voice greeted.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Alex’s voice dropped to a low hum.

“On your feet I see?” The agent stared at the man, pressing down her rising temper.

“Alex, who is it?” Cassidy made her way into the hall and saw the congressman in the doorway.

“Get out,” Alex warned him harshly as her hands began to push toward him.

“Alex, no,” Cassidy pulled the agent back. Alex complied but left her stare to bore into the man still outside the door. “What do you want, Chris?” Cassidy asked dryly.

“I want to see my son, of course,” he answered smugly.

Cassidy nodded. “You are not welcome here.”

“Like it or not, Cassie…Dylan is my son too.”

Cassidy let out a sarcastic chuckle. She had not intended to have this conversation now, nor had she anticipated it would be
here. Looking at the man before her she could not recognize him. He was a stranger. He was a fraud. He was the person who nearly cost her the family she had just found. The contempt she felt for him was profound. “What you are Chris, is a lying, manipulative, opportunist.”

“I’m his father, Cassie.” He looked at the agent and smirked. “I don’t think the agent here can make that claim.”

“No?” Cassidy stepped directly in front of her ex-husband. “You shot Alex,” she whispered with venom.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Cassie. See, this is what I was afraid of. You are delusional. Dylan needs to be with…”

Alex moved in quickly and grabbed the congressman by the shirt. “I will end you, O’Brien.”

Cassidy pulled the agent back again. “Alex,” she whispered, “he’s not worth it.”

“Well,” he said, brushing the wrinkles from his shirt. “A court might not agree with that, Cassie.”

“Mm. Is that a threat?” the teacher asked. He raised an eyebrow. She moved in again and whispered directly in his ear. “You are not the only one who can keep secrets, Christopher.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

She shook her head. “You think you’re the only one who had any affairs?” His face dropped slightly and Cassidy suddenly felt a sense of empowerment. “Dylan had a father, it was never you…not even when I wanted it to be.”

“You have lost your mind, Cassie.”

“Have I?” She nodded and looked at Alex whose gaze remained fixed on the congressman, ready to intervene at any second. “I don’t think so, Congressman. I think you should leave….now.”

“This isn’t over, Cassie.” He looked at the agent and felt his temper boil. “You, bitch,” he muttered as he leaned toward her.

“I wouldn’t do that,” a voice beckoned from behind the teacher. A strong hand took hold of the congressman’s,
squeezing with a force just shy of breaking every bone in the hand it held. “You should leave.”

The congressman looked up. “You’re a fool, Krause. When the admiral….”

Jon Krause laughed. “You’re nothing, Chris. Smug, stupid and small.”

“So, what? I suppose you are Dylan’s father? I should have known that….All that…”

Krause shook his head. “Unlike you, O’Brien, if Dylan was my son, I can promise you, nothing would keep me from them….”

The congressman snickered and looked at Cassidy. “I never took you for a slut.”

Alex’s fist flew and met immediately with the congressman’s face, dropping him where he stood. She stood over him ready to continue the assault when Cassidy pulled her off. “Enough!” Cassidy yelled at them all.

The congressman reached his feet and stroked his jaw. “Fine. I will ruin you,” he said to the group.