Betrayal (62 page)

“Maybe it’s just…”

“No, it is something, Fallon,” she said as she began to pace toward the water’s edge. “I found that in my father’s office.” She noted his silence. “On that paper, scroll down to where the words begin to appear. You see The Broker?” She gave him a moment. “Keep reading down.

He began to recite the list, “Crow, Fox, Goddess, Griffin, Hawk, Peddler, Phoenix, Sparrow…”

“Spider,” she said.

“And?”

Alex turned. “Spider, Fallon. That is
me
. I am the spider.”

“What are you talking about? Are you trying to tell me you have been agency all…”

“No. I didn’t even know about it until I was in London. At first I thought Matthews was bating me, but Krause confirmed it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t either. Not totally anyway. From what Krause told me I was assigned that handle when I entered Intelligence. Doesn’t make sense. That note is older than…”

“Maybe Krause is lying,” he interjected.

“Could be,” she admitted. “If he is, he is trying to protect me from something.”

“That’s a shift,” Fallon noted.

“I’m not so sure about that either. The Broker, Fallon,” she inhaled deeply and expelled her breath with force. “The Broker is my father.” Fallon’s face went pale. “Tell
me
. Krause and I, we stopped an exchange in London; made a switch if you will. There will be fallout. There’s another scheduled. Krause thinks it’s biological. He believes my father is engineering the transportation and probably arranged the money chain. Seems my father’s company is more of a front than a business.”

“Your father is CIA?”

“Didn’t say that,” she answered. “I don’t really know who we are dealing with. Yes, most are agency. Krause, Matthews, Ambassador Daniels, and John….but it isn’t formal channels doling out orders or missions, Fallon.”

“Then who?” he asked.

“Jane and Krause call it The Collaborative.”

Fallon rubbed his face vigorously with is hand. “Jane? As in Jane Merrow, the former first lady?” Alex just raised her brow. “Jesus Christ, Alex.”

“Gets worse, Fallon.” He shook his head. “You’d better sit down.” Fallon complied and sat on the tree stump. “Look, what the overall objective is in this, I don’t know. I do know that the president….John…was working from within much longer than most knew. He was close to something. He got too close, slipped his hand…”

“With you, you mean?”

Alex shook her head. “That didn’t help. He didn’t place me at Cassidy’s just to take care of Fisher. He was worried about their safety.”

Fallon was confused. “About Cassidy’s? Why? Because of O’Brien?”

Alex took a deep breath. “He hated O’Brien near as I can tell. O’Brien’s placement wasn’t his choice.” She skipped another stone and then turned back to him. “Yes, Cassidy…but also Dylan. He wanted them protected. He needed someone he could trust implicitly. He just never counted on…”

“Okay, but…”

“Fallon…Dylan,” she nodded and then smiled. “Dylan is John’s son.” Fallon looked as if he had not heard the words correctly. “You heard me correctly. The details really don’t matter. It’s true. Dylan is Cassidy and John Merrow’s son.”

Fallon put his face in his hands and digested the information. “Who knows?”

“Other than Cassidy and I?” He nodded. “He did. Jane, Krause and Rose…now you. That’s it.” He sighed. “There’s one more thing. You know O’Brien shot me.” He looked at her severely. “He showed up at the house after. Cassidy just….she lost it. She told him he’s not Dylan’s father.”

“He knows? Shit…Alex…”

“Nah…long story. Bottom line? He thinks Krause is Dylan’s father. Now, so does Taylor.” Fallon shook his head in disbelief. “I know it’s all crazy. I trust you, Brian. You need to know what is at stake. These people are dealing in chemical weapons, biological agents and God only knows what else. That alone would be reason enough for you to walk away. I can’t. It’s my family; more than I knew. With my father involved, I have to…”

Fallon turned and looked at Alex. “Alex, I’m in.”

She nodded and handed him another piece of paper from her pocket. “Memorize that number, Fallon.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a pin code to a warehouse in Baltimore. That’s all I know. Krause will be in touch. You will need that. Once you commit it to memory, burn it.” He swallowed hard and nodded.

“What about you? What did you make of Tate being at State?” he asked.

“My best guess is he is agency. At some point he made that turn. Makes sense. John trusted Tate. So we watch. And we watch Taylor. I made the suggestion that he focus Brady on chatter surrounding Northern Africa and a shipment. You need to keep looking into O’Brien’s accident. I still think there is more there. Watch Claire and be mindful of everything. Taylor can’t know you are working with Krause and me. You are the wild card.” Fallon nodded.

“What are we hoping to do?” he asked.

“Break them apart, expose them, whatever we have to do to shut down this Collaborative. First we have to figure out what their end game is and who they really are.”

“More stressful than a wedding,” he cracked.

“I definitely would not say that,” Alex smiled.

“Alex, no matter what…”

“You listen to me, Fallon. The moment I think your family is in any danger you are out. No arguments.”

Fallon’s frustration was evident. “So you can risk your…”

“No, Fallon. My family was already at risk. Dylan’s at risk just by who he is. Now, with my father in the mix…I have no choice. You cannot hide from these people and you can’t run from them. You
do
have a choice. I am letting you make it for now, but I will not let you risk Kate or the kids. It’s not worth it. If I had a choice…”

Brian Fallon saw the array of emotions cross his partner’s face. “Agreed,” he conceded. “Now, uh…how do you feel about bachelor parties?” he lightened the conversation.

“About the same as I feel about frills,” she laughed as she led him up the hill. She was relieved to have someone she
trusted completely on her team. As they made their way back toward the house, Alex captured sight of Barb and Rose and realized Brian Fallon’s presence was welcome for more than professional reasons.

Thursday, May 28
^th

etting nervous?” Rose asked her daughter. Cassidy just smiled as she poured them each a cup of coffee. “Alex left early this morning,” Rose changed the subject.

“Yeah. She’s been preoccupied all week,” Cassidy offered.

“You think she’s anxious about the wedding?”

Cassidy sat down and shook her head. “No. I don’t. At least not yet.”

“You worried?” her mother inquired.

“About the wedding? No. About Alex? A little.”

“Cassie? It’s not just that, is it?”

“No. I met with Steven on Monday.” Rose was unsure what Cassidy was driving at. “Steven Richards.” Steven Richards had handled Cassidy’s divorce. “About custody of Dylan,” Cassidy explained.

“I see. And?”

“Well, he expects what I expect. One way or another there will be a challenge to Dylan’s paternity. Whether Chris drives that or whether I have to.”

“Chris already knows, doesn’t he?” Rose sought confirmation.

“Yeah, he knows. But, you know Chris. This will not be about Dylan’s best interest.” She sipped her coffee slowly and closed her eyes in thought. It didn’t matter what Christopher O’Brien did. Cassidy was resigned to her decision. “Doesn’t matter, Mom. I had him start the paperwork. I’m seeking full custody of Dylan.”

“What does Alex say?”

“She doesn’t know yet,” Cassidy answered.

“You haven’t told her? Cassie…”

“No, not yet. I also spoke with him about Alex.”

“You mean that Alex would receive custody should anything happen to you.”

“Yes. Challenging the paternity also paves the way for adoption. If Alex would want that.”

“What do you mean
if
Alex would want that?” Rose looked at her daughter carefully. “You don’t think she would?”

Cassidy shrugged. “I do, but I would never assume.”

“And you haven’t said anything to her?” Cassidy shook her head. “Don’t you think you should?”

“I will, tonight. It’s sort of my wedding present.” Cassidy laughed. “Kind of a stressful wedding present, huh?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Rose reassured her. “I’m pretty certain there isn’t anything you could give Alex that would mean more to her.”

“I hope so.”

Rose grinned. Alex had shared her plans for Dylan’s involvement in the wedding ceremony with her earlier in the week. All Cassidy knew was that Dylan would be walking her down the aisle. Alex explained that she had spoken with Dylan, that he understood it was a very important job, and that he was a very important part of their ceremony. Cassidy accepted that explanation happily. Rose almost started to laugh. Cassidy was really the only one in the family that remained in the dark other than Cat. At first, Rose had cautioned Alex that Dylan might let the cat out of the bag, but Alex seemed completely confident in her grandson’s ability to keep the changes a surprise. To her astonishment, he had. In fact, he seemed to beam with pride in the trust Alex had placed in him.

Rose watched as her daughter contentedly sipped her morning coffee, noticing how Cassidy’s ring glistened in the sun. She marveled at the way Alex and Cassidy seemed to consider
the other so thoughtfully and with such care. “I am happy for you, Cassie,” she said with emotion.

Cassidy saw the tenderness in her mother’s eyes. “I know.” She smiled. “You love her almost as much as I do,” Cassidy chuckled.

“Probably so. If I was thirty years younger you might have some competition,” Rose chided.

“Yeah? I think that’s enough
L Word
episodes for you, Grandma.” They both burst into laughter. “Thanks, Mom.”

“For?”

“Oh, I think you know. Watching Alex go through what she has with her father. Well, I just know how lucky I really am.”

“Cassie, believe me when I tell you; you
are
very lucky.” Cassidy started to laugh at her mother’s response when she noticed that Rose had a tear in her eye. “You are lucky to have found someone that makes you so happy. But, believe me when I tell you that I am lucky too. I’d like to take all the credit,” Rose arched her brow playfully, “but the truth is that you were a compassionate child who has turned out to be an extraordinary woman. Not every parent can say that.” Cassidy was dumfounded at her mother’s heartfelt compliment. “I may tease you relentlessly, but I am always proud of you. Your father would be too. If you want my opinion, biased as it may be, Alex won the jackpot when she found you and Dylan.”

“Mom, I…”

Rose kissed her daughter’s cheek as she made her way to her feet. “There is no one in this world I love more than you Cassidy Rose. Not a soul. I would move heaven and earth to see you happy. I just didn’t have to.” She pulled her daughter to her chest. “You found what we all dream of. Just hold onto it.”

“I know that it isn’t exactly what you would have expected,” Cassidy admitted.

“No, Cassie, it is much more.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“I know. Now, finish that coffee so we can get moving,” Rose redirected the conversation. Cassidy wiped a tear from her eye as she contemplated her mother’s words. She didn’t see her mother do the same as she made her way to the sink. Rose looked back at her daughter with a sense of immense pride. She was certain that Alex and Cassidy had many hurdles ahead of them. That was life and their life was not like other couples’ in so many ways. But, their devotion to one another was unique. It gave Rose more than hope for her daughter’s future. It gave her confidence that whatever might come to pass, Alex and Cassidy would endure.