Betrayal (4 page)

The sound of breaking glass was almost deafening. Jonathan Krause looked at the cabinet now shattered in front of him.
Red streaks trickled down in spiny lines. “GOD DAMMIT!” he yelled. He moved his bloody hand to cover his watering eyes. If the world could stop spinning, it had now. And, he knew as quickly as it had stopped, soon it would begin to spin uncontrollably. “No stopping it now,” he reached for the picture. Speckles fell onto the glass as his thoughts flowed freely. “Brothers, now what? He has no purpose…no courage…Jesus, John.”

Cassidy sat on the front porch in a large wicker chair filling out what seemed like endless forms and sipping her iced tea. She had the perfect vantage point to keep an eye on Dylan who was determined to climb the small tree in the front yard on his own. She looked up and giggled at his various strategies, a running jump for the branch that was slightly over his head, a standing jump and then a stretching reach. She shook her head slightly and sighed. Alex was on her mind now. The agent would be home soon and Cassidy was certain the short trip would have taken its toll. President John Merrow was special to her lover. She did not know all of the reasons why, but she understood that the president loved Alex and that Alex loved him in her own way. Watching Dylan, Cassidy found herself looking to the heavens for guidance or perhaps absolution. John Merrow was a good man, she thought. He was far more selfless than the man Dylan knew as his father. He was gentle even though he was commanding, not unlike the woman she loved. She laughed at the irony and returned her focus to another paper in her lap. The sound of a car coupled with a familiar voice excitedly screaming Alex’s name roused her from her task. As she stood, she noticed that Alex was on her phone and the pensive expression on the agent’s face.

The sight unfolding in front of her as she reached the railing nearly took her breath away. Dylan was running toward
Alex. Alex scooped him up and was holding him tightly. There was no doubt now; Alex was crying. Cassidy brought her hand to her mouth. She could feel her body beginning to tremble. Something was very wrong. Almost as if in slow motion she began to make her way off the porch. Alex was kissing the top of Dylan’s head and she heard her son ask with genuine concern, “Alex, why are you crying?” The agent pulled back from the boy and held his face in her hands. Her tears were falling at a pace Cassidy had only seen once before; the first night the agent awoke from nightmares about her time in Iraq. Cassidy kept her pace steady as Alex finally lifted her gaze to see her lover approaching.

“Alex?” Cassidy spoke nervously.

The agent forced a heavyhearted smile. “Go climb, Dylan,” Alex suggested. He looked at her, not wanting to leave her side. “Go ahead, Speed. I’m just happy to see you. Go on.” Reluctantly he turned, continually looking back at the two women he loved. Alex reached for her lover’s face as her tears began to fall again.

“Alex?”

The agent shook her head. “He’s gone.”

It felt to Cassidy as if someone had hit her in the chest. “When?”

“Jane just called. It hasn’t been released yet.”

“Alex,” Cassidy managed as Alex’s hands caressed her cheeks.

“I don’t understand, Cassidy,” Alex’s voice cracked and Cassidy stilled herself as she felt the strong woman collapse into her. She held her close as Alex was unable to suppress her emotion.

“I love you,” Cassidy assured. “I’m so sorry, Alex.”

“Cass…”

“It’s okay, Alex. It’s all right.” Alex held onto Cassidy so tightly that she was sure she was supporting them both fully. “Let’s go inside, okay?”

“I’m sorry…Dylan…”

“Dylan will be fine. He just loves you. Come on. I’ll have him come inside for now. Let’s just go in.” Alex nodded. “Dylan!” Cassidy called him over. “Come on, we’re going to go in for a bit, okay?” Cassidy smiled as her son willingly complied. She could see the concern on his small face. He loved Alex, and Cassidy could not help but think how proud she was to have a child with such a kind and gentle heart.

Dylan ran up beside the two women and looked up at his hero’s face. Alex smiled at him broadly and gestured to him to climb onto her back for a ride. She felt Cassidy’s hand slip into hers and she silently spoke to her friend as they headed for the front door. “Yes, Colonel, they are easy to love.”

assidy sat beside Alex tenderly rubbing her back as the agent held her cell phone to her ear. “Taylor?” Alex asked.

“Alex? Did you see him?”

Alex took a deep breath and swallowed hard. “He’s,” she paused allowing Cassidy’s touch to steady her for a moment. “Jane just called me. He’s gone.” The silence on the phone was deafening. “Not long after I left. Announcement soon.”

“Alex, I don’t know what to say,” Michael Taylor confessed with a stress and sadness in his voice that was palpable.

“There’s more. He, he told me…Follow Brackett and Krause, something about Mutanabbi Street that day. I don’t know.”

Michael Taylor shifted in his chair. Alex Toles was seldom agitated. John Merrow held a place in both their lives that few could understand. “Okay. Let’s just deal with that later. Alex, how are
you
?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you home?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Is Cassidy with you?”

“Yeah. She’s here.” Cassidy kept vigil, gently caressing Alex and silently watching her struggle. Her heart was breaking at the sight before her. “I’m all right,” the agent said softly. Cassidy sighed at Alex’s words. That was a lie. The heartbreak seemed to pour off the woman beside her.

“Do you know,” Taylor began.

“You know what I know right now,” the agent said plainly.

Taylor blew out an audible breath. “Let me know…”

“Of course. I promised Jane I would be there. But,” Alex looked at her lover and tried to smile.

“Alex?” Taylor called to her gently.

“Yeah…I need to talk to Cass.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll call you later.”

“All right. Alex, whatever it is….He loved you; you know that?”

Alex felt as if she were being pressed by heavy weights. It was difficult just to allow air to fill her lungs. “I know,” she said quietly. “I’ll….”

“Go,” he said as he hung up the phone, closing his eyes in disbelief.

Cassidy called gently to the agent. “Alex, honey….” The tall, beautiful woman turned slowly to her lover. Cassidy’s eyes reflected so many things to Alex now, concern, pain, disbelief, but most of all an abounding love that she could hardly process. Alex felt Cassidy’s hands brush her hair aside and wipe the tear that was streaming down her cheek. “What can I do?” Cassidy asked lovingly.

The agent smiled and took the hand that was holding her face lightly. “Cass, Jane….She wants you and Dylan to come with me for the funeral.”

“Okay,” Cassidy said. “Whatever you need, you know that.” Alex shook her head and held her bottom lip between her teeth. “What? Alex?”

“Cass…She knows.” Cassidy did not understand. “About Dylan, Cass.”

The teacher’s mouth fell slightly open and she wiped her face with her hand. “I don’t understand.”

“John told her about that night.”

“Why?” Cassidy looked at Alex with tears in her eyes.

The agent nodded her understanding. “Listen, I don’t know, Cassidy. They’ve always had a…well a rocky road…but he loved her in his own way.”

“Alex, I’m not sure I should…”

“He would have wanted that.” Cassidy looked away. “He told me…You two are easy to love.”

Cassidy shook her head. “Alex, we were never…”

“I know that. I know what he meant. He meant it for me. He was right. It’s your decision. I will support whatever you want to do. There will be so much press, and you know that O’Brien….”

“Alex, what do you want me to do?”

“No. You need to do what you….”

Cassidy saw the answer in the agent’s eyes that she expected. “We’re going with you.”

“Cass, if you…”

The teacher let out a sigh and took both of Alex’s hands. “Do you love me, Alex?”

“Cassidy, you know…”

“Do you love me?” Cassidy repeated softly.

“More than anything in my life.”

“Hum. Don’t you know, Alex,” Cassidy faltered. She shut her eyes tightly and then opened them to look directly into blue eyes that had become dark with grief. “When I said I wanted to be with you forever; I meant that.”

“I know that,” Alex smiled.

“You do?” The agent nodded. “That means through everything. Everything, Alex.”

Alex nodded again and kissed her lover’s forehead. “Cass?”

Cassidy had her eyes closed reveling in the healing that the slightest touch from this woman seemed to bring. “Hum?”

“Can we just spend tonight with Dylan?”

Cassidy pulled away slightly to look at the agent. “Of course.”

“I just…I….”

“Is it because of John and Dyl…”

Alex stopped her lover’s thoughts. “I need to be with my family. Both of you.” Cassidy offered the agent a cockeyed smile. “Is that okay?” The agent’s thought was interrupted by two fingers pressing to her lips.

“You never have to ask if it is all right for us to be together. I just hope you never ask for us to be apart.”

Alex smiled. “I just hope we can get to those boring things you mentioned soon.”

Cassidy closed one eye and pursed her lips. “I think I have just the remedy for that.”

Alex was puzzled. She watched as Cassidy moved across the room and picked up a stack of papers and placed them squarely in her lap. “What’s this?” the agent asked in confusion.

“Oh, forms, you know; school stuff.” Cassidy watched as Alex thumbed through the pile and noted the look of shock on the agent’s face at the number of papers before her. “See? Problem solved. You wanted boring.” Alex chuckled earnestly. Cassidy had a way of knowing just what to say or do at any moment. It might only be a momentary diversion, but it was exactly what Alex needed, to see something normal in her life. She looked up at Cassidy and smiled. “What?” Cassidy shrugged in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Do butlers do paperwork?” Alex asked with the raise of an eyebrow, referring to Cassidy’s favorite pet name for the agent; Alfred. Cassidy nodded. “Really?” Alex remarked. “Well, I guess I’d better get to it, huh?” she said, setting the papers on the coffee table.