Radiant Surrender (CSA Case Files Book 6) (35 page)

J
essie had stopped by her apartment to change into something more comfortable. Gavin had invited her along to have dinner with Terry and his father and it meant a lot that he would include her. They weren’t going anywhere fancy, so she’d showered and changed into dark blue denim capris with a ruffled cream sleeveless blouse. She let her hair hang down around her shoulders and reapplied her make-up, choosing a lighter shade of lipstick for the casual occasion. She’d told Gavin that she’d be ready around six-thirty, so when she heard a knock on the door a half an hour prior, she smiled at what he might have planned for the next thirty minutes.

She capped her tube of lipstick and tossed it into her make-up bag that she’d set on the sink. Being with Gavin this past week had shown her, and hopefully him, that they were meant for one another. Having to go back to a normal routine when her parents were still in prison, her sister still coming to terms with what they’d done, Ryland technically still out there to cause whatever grief he might have planned, and a new relationship had been overwhelming. Whether Gavin intended to start them off slow or not, she appreciated the time to acclimate and almost wished they had time this weekend to go back to the lake house.

Halfway to the door Jessie heard her phone ring. It happened to be in her purse located in the living room chair, so she snatched it on her way to the small entryway off of the kitchen. She’d almost had her hand on the doorknob when she saw Gavin’s name on the screen. She slid the button on the display.

“You’re early,” Jessie said with a smile, finally closing her fingers over the handle.

“No, I’m not,” Gavin replied, correcting her assumption. “I had to stop for something so I should be there right on time.”

“Oh. I thought you were the one knocking on the door.” Jessie had yet to put on her heels, so she lifted herself up on her toes to look through the peephole. “Oh shit.”

“Who is it?” Gavin’s voice held that tone that he took when he resorted to business, but this time she couldn’t blame him. She quickly thought of how to handle the situation. “Jessica?”

“It’s John,” Jessie whispered, planting her bare feet on the cold tile. “I’ll just tell him what Lou told us and do my best to convince him that he needs to give a statement. He won’t have to hide after this either.”

“Jessie, do
not
open that door.”

“If he knows the facts it shouldn’t be an issue,” Jessie said, not liking that Gavin didn’t trust her to know how to handle herself. “I’ll keep him here until you arrive, but I have to let him in. What if he leaves and doesn’t return in time for the hearing that Lou has scheduled? We can’t take that chance, Gavin.”

“So help me, Jessica, you won’t be able to sit for days if you open that door.” Gavin sounded like he did when they’d been at the lake house, but this wasn’t about them. This had to do with her parents and he’d have to get over the fact that she thought differently. “This is your safety we’re talking about and that is
my
responsibility. This isn’t up for discussion.”

Jessie could see his point, but it still wouldn’t change her mind about letting John into her apartment. The man on the other side of her door was the only chance her parents had of staying in the country, as well as out of prison. She only had to keep him here for ten minutes, for she knew that was how long it would take Gavin to get here when she stated her intentions.

“I’m not letting him walk away,” Jessie said, placing her fingers back on the doorknob. “You might want to let Taryn know he’s here so she can track him if we need to. I’ll see you soon.”

Jessie disconnected the phone before Gavin could say anything else and then she swung the door open, a small smile on her face. John hadn’t aged well and from the hardened look of his skin he hadn’t led a pleasant life. His outer appearance told a different story and one that was made of money. His black suit gave off a vibe of importance, yet there was an underlying feeling of menace that was hard to ignore. Jessie told herself she only needed to keep him here long enough for Gavin to arrive.

“Uncle John, I didn’t know if I’d hear from you,” Jessie exclaimed, using the old title to make things familiar. She even stepped in to give him a hug, which was returned before she made room for him to enter her foyer. “Please come in and make yourself at home. There’s been a slight change of plans that I think will benefit both you and my parents.”

“Oh?” John didn’t appear too pleased with that statement, but since his back was towards her she couldn’t see his facial features. He walked further into the room and she followed at a distance while maintaining a hold on her cell phone just in case she needed to call Gavin should this not go as planned. “I finally have the papers in order for you and your parents to return to our country. The only problem I foresee is getting them out on some type of bail or a home monitoring system to where I can circumvent the system. I have a private plane secured as well as connections once they reach specific international airports.”

“I don’t understand,” Jessie said, taking the cushioned seat closest to the door while John sat on the sofa. She didn’t like the manner in which he made himself at home and an edge of uneasiness crept in where her confidence had been. “The plan was for you to get my parents to a country where there was no extradition—not back to Russia. As for me, I had not intended on going.”

“It’s the best I can do and I still have contacts back home that will ensure your parents’ safety.” John had a folder in his hand, which he held out for her. Jessie sat forward and took the file, careful not to touch him. “I think it’s in your best interest to go as well, at least until they are settled.”

Jessie opened the packet and flipped through three separate identifications, along with falsified driver’s licenses, birth certificates, and passports. John had definitely come through for them, which was saying something considering that he could have remained hidden where no one was the wiser. She glanced up to find him studying her and waiting patiently for her to expand on her previous statement. He appeared almost too serene for her liking.

“Uncle John, there’s a really good chance that the lawyer my parents have can prove they were never activated on an espionage level all the while asking for political asylum.” Jessie paused, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the way his lips thinned out and his shoulders straightened. She set the file on the coffee table and shifted until she was on the edge of the chair, just in case she needed to make a run for it. “Lou Moser can help you as well. You don’t have to continue to hide. Once you give your testimony to the judge that you and several agents were sent here but never truly initiated, Lou can argue that it was against your will and that you fear for your safety should you return to a country that abandoned you.”

“That’s not going to happen, Jessie.” John said her name as if she were a child and then nodded toward the file as he stated his intentions. “There are several reasons why that won’t work, but it’s pointless for me to go into them. I need to know if your parents gave their attorney any information that would lead the authorities to me.”

“Of course they didn’t,” Jessie quickly assured him, not knowing anything of the kind. Lou had made the case to her parents and they no doubt had already provided the court with enough information to know John’s appearance and the name he used back then. According to what Gavin had said, John had many aliases and he would be able to stay underground for as long as needed. “I was hoping to speak with you first and try to convince you that this is a way to start fresh without having to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life. John, this is what my parents have wanted and you can give that to them. It’s to your benefit as well.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” John looked disappointed more than he did angry, but that didn’t ease Jessie’s worries about what he might do. “I’ve built an empire underneath me and giving up my identity would threaten what I’ve created. If you asked for time to speak with me, chances are your parents have already given the authorities some information. I need to know what that is.”

Jessie felt she was missing something to this conversation. There wasn’t anything that her parents had in their possession to give to Lou or the courts. She had the one picture that Taryn had been using to locate John, but it wasn’t like they had turned the photo over to the authorities. She debated telling him that, but she didn’t want to let on that she’d been using CSA’s resources.

“They have access to nothing,” Jessie revealed semi-truthfully. “The police showed up out of nowhere and took them into custody before they had a chance to do anything. If they had known where you were, I would have contacted you instead of the other way around.”

“Then I think I’d better send someone to your parents’ house to ensure there was nothing left behind. Were you going somewhere this evening?”

“Yes, but—” Jessie could have kicked herself for saying that, for he might think someone was waiting for her and decide that he should leave. She glanced at her watch, feigning interest in the time. She had another five minutes before Gavin would be here and she was starting to feel a little worried this wasn’t going to go as planned. “I’ve got another hour before I was supposed to leave for a party. Do you have someone that you can call to go over there? It’s been so long since you’ve been in contact with my parents, it’s highly doubtful they would have anything to connect you to them.”

“Did you search the house?”

Jessie thought about lying, but she was relatively sure that John would see through her deception. She’d gotten what she’d wanted, which was his attention on something other than where she was supposed to be and that maybe someone would be coming to collect her. She continued on this topic in hopes that it would give her some more time.

“As a matter of fact, I did,” Jessie confessed with a purposeful shrug of her shoulder in what she hoped appeared nonchalant. What she really wanted to do was wipe the perspiration from her palms, but she didn’t want to take the chance that he would see and notice that she still had her cell phone. “I was hoping to find you, but my parents must have destroyed any evidence that associated you with them. I’m sure that was part of their training and I must admit, I was disappointed when I thought I wouldn’t get to speak with you. But that’s all behind us now since you paid a visit to my sister. I still wish you would reconsider telling the courts what occurred back then when the KGB abandoned their agents here, but I do understand why you won’t. I’ll relay your answer to my parents and let you know if they’d like your assistance to leave the country or if they’d rather take their chances with their lawyer in hopes of being able to convince the court that they did nothing wrong. Is there a number where I can reach you?”

Chapter Thirty-Three

N
ot even a week had passed since Crest had faced death in the form of a grenade, but his fear paled in comparison to what he felt seeing Jessie’s apartment door ajar. He drew his weapon, not waiting for his team to arrive. He’d notified them the moment Jessie had disconnected their call. Adrenaline rushed through him as he cautiously entered the foyer, knowing immediately that no one was inside. The air was too still and the impression he usually obtained when someone had him in his or her sights was absent. He still did a sweep and when he found nothing instantly contacted Taryn who was waiting for his call as he ignored the slight tremor in his fingers.

“Crest, is Jessie okay?”

“Are you watching the street? They’re gone.”

“They didn’t vacate the premises. I have eyes on every exit they could take on foot. There have only been two vehicles that have entered the parking garage and both are residents.”

“I want to know the moment you have anything,” Crest barked, disconnecting the call and surveying the living area for any sign that Jessie may have left behind to indicate what had happened. He saw the cell phone the moment he walked back around the couch. It had fallen or been thrown underneath the coffee table. He knelt to pick it up, checking to see what her last action had been. It was the call to him, which gave him nothing to go on. He contacted Jax, knowing his team would have entered the building by now. “Shut down the building. That includes the parking garage. No one gets in and no one gets out.”

While it was Jessie’s fiery personality and spontaneity that drew him to her, it might be the one thing that cost her life. She didn’t listen to him when he told her not to answer the door and he’d felt powerless when she didn’t heed his warning. That would change once he got a hold of her because he refused to believe that her decision was fatal. Nothing else seemed out of place, so he went to stand when he caught sight of something underneath the chair. It was a folder of some sort and he was able to snatch the corner.

Passports, driver’s licenses…new identities for three people. Crest had to look again, confirming that he wasn’t wrong. He wasn’t. Jessie’s picture was in place of a woman named Janet Wister. Jessie had her parents’ handler give her a new identity as well, for she’d planned to escape with them to another country. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her photo.