Redeem My Heart (7 page)

“Dane Moza and Gene Cyril. I’m in the process of attempting to locate them, but it will take some time and considerable effort.” Crest glanced at his watch but didn’t make a move to stand. “Taryn was able to make it so that it appears you’re in Minneapolis consulting with CSA. She’ll monitor the hotel and the office building’s reception desk, seeing who makes an appearance and then track him or her from there via CCTV and the like.”

“I’ll work on getting Ryland to cooperate a bit more,” Fallon reassured Crest, not wanting him to take any drastic measures quite yet. The tension between Ryland, Crest, and the other members of CSA could be cut with a knife and she was afraid that could become more literal than figurative. “He’s the key, as much as you don’t want to believe that.”

“You’ve opened a door that you can’t shut—broken the proverbial seal.” Crest studied her and she did her best not to shift under his stare. It was as if he could see into her soul. “You’re a federal agent who is very close to exposing a covert program that was never meant to be public knowledge. We have no idea how the program indoctrination worked, if it can be deactivated, or even if Ryland was ever a part of it to begin with. You’ve placed yourself in the middle of this thing and made yourself a target on multiple fronts. Townes will stay here on the grounds.”

“I—”

“That’s not up for debate,” Crest intervened Fallon’s objection. How was she supposed to get Ryland to trust her if someone was constantly underfoot? She shook her head in disappointment, wishing Crest would show a little more faith in her abilities as an agent. She might not be in the field but she could still take care of herself. “You won’t even notice he’s here.”

“Have you looked at the man?” Fallon asked, taking another sip of her coffee and wishing away the headache that was starting to form. The change in topic helped, but not by much. “He resembles a heavyweight cage fighter who has an unhealthy affinity to leather and chains. I’m surprised he doesn’t clank when he walks.”

“Appearances can be deceiving,” Crest said softly, the double meaning hitting home. Fallon had been trying to lighten the conversation, but she’d been striking out on the attempts. She gave up and stood, walking to the tray where she set her coffee cup. Any more of that stuff and she’d have an ulcer. “Fallon, you’re a very intelligent woman who’s trying to do the right thing for all the wrong reasons. Hell, some could say the same of me. I could have killed him a long time ago and removed any future feasible threat to my team.”

“Why didn’t you?” Fallon asked, turning so that she could observe Crest while he answered. She truly wanted to know his reasons. “You had ample opportunity and you certainly had just cause.”

“Taryn’s world was turned upside down when she realized that Yvette Capre was the product of her father’s dalliance. Taryn had been through a lot emotionally, so you can imagine the mental anguish she suffered upon discovering that Travis Bowers was Yvette’s half-brother. She’d had a lot to work out and I wasn’t going to pile on more baggage than necessary. With that said, I also didn’t expect to receive a phone call from you that put your life in danger over the very man I warned you to stay clear of. At this very moment, Ryland is more useful to both of us alive than dead. Not that circumstances could change…anything is possible.”

Fallon got the message loud and clear.
If necessary
. Crest wouldn’t hesitate to kill Ryland should those circumstances change and here Fallon was delivering Ryland right into Crest’s crosshairs. It wasn’t a situation she’d
wanted
to be in, but this is what fate had delivered and she would see this through to the end.

“Have you thought about what you’ll do if Ryland wasn’t a part of E.D.A.? Let’s not sugarcoat this and say it isn’t personal, when Jax was more than accurate in what he
didn’t
say. You’re fascinated with Travis Bowers, you’re attracted to Ryland, and you want the two to cancel each other out into some derivative that is acceptable for you to be with.” Crest slowly shook his head and Fallon steeled herself for the disappointment he was about to express, but he surprised her. “It’s human nature to seek out those individuals that make us feel alive…those that can give us that adrenaline rush of excitement, whether of a sexual or platonic nature or just living our lives. Ryland is that prescription for you, but even those people that have an addiction know when they should seek help. Be smarter than the compulsion, Fallon. He is poisonous to everything he touches. Even he knows that about himself. Ask him.”

Some profiler she was—a moth to the flame. Fallon barked out a humorless laugh, the coarse sound pathetic to her ears. Crest could easily walk into her office and take over her caseload. For that matter, so could Ryland. Both men were accurate in their profiles of her, but it wasn’t just about the physical incentives. She felt empathy for an innocent boy that no one could see below the surface and she wanted to be there when the manufactured hollowed shell that enveloped his tortured soul she knew to be there broke.

“Crest, we have a problem,” Jax announced as he walked into the room with an unusual apprehension. He held tight to his cell phone, signifying he’d been called with some type of update. He never once glanced in her direction. “Giorgos Houliarakis was just assassinated…on U.S. soil.”

Fallon met Crest’s gaze, both of them knowing this couldn’t be a coincidence. E.D.A. had been developed to eliminate alliances that weren’t beneficial and to further the agenda of those in command. The covert program had to have been reinstated and they would be coming for their most successful pupil.

Chapter Five

R
yland strolled along the shoreline, ignoring the brisk cold air coming in off of the ocean. Winter had definitely arrived, but there wasn’t a chance in hell he would return to the warmth of the house anytime soon. It was a ruse anyway. Four walls that confined holier-than-thou stances that were nothing more than appeasements for their small souls. It was laughable, but he had no energy left for such riposte.

“Is it necessary to follow so closely considering there is surveillance coming from the beach house a click away or do you have something to say?” The wind carried Ryland’s inquiry to the man thirty feet behind him. The CSA agent had stepped outside before Ryland’s shoe had hit the sand. He stopped and turned, facing down the brute covered in leather. “You do realize that if I wanted to leave here I could be successful in my endeavor, but it would most likely come at the expense of your life.”

“You could take a running start at that one if you want. I’d drop you like a hot rock.”

Ryland studied the man in front of him, truly bemused by the inconsistent bearings this agent displayed. His outer appearance was somewhat uncouth, with his leather and chains. His long hair was pulled back in a band of some sort at the base of his neck. The two-inch scar that traveled the length of his jawline and the way his nose bent in the middle suggested he was familiar with hand-to-hand combat, and yet the intelligence behind his dark grey eyes suggested an intelligence that was akin to his own. Ryland wouldn’t underestimate this one and he applauded Crest’s new hire.

“If you’re to be my shadow, I should call you something besides the abrasive adjectives swirling in my head,” Ryland said, starting back toward the house. He’d gotten what he’d wanted, the information he’d collected stored away for later use. The beach house a click away was a nuisance, but not an issue. There was nothing for miles on the right side of Fallon’s property. When the time came to leave, he shouldn’t have a problem. “Unless you like Rock.”

“Townes will be fine.”

Ryland shot Townes a sideways look as he passed him, noticing he once again fell into line about thirty feet behind him. He sighed in resignation, accepting that this particular agent had his own set of rules. He wasn’t like Crest’s usual hires, so this man must bring something to the table that the others hadn’t. He bore watching.

“So, Townes, tell me,” Ryland said, carrying on the conversation for his own amusement. “Were you briefed on my résumé?”

“I know all I need to know.”

A man of few words. Ryland could respect that. It didn’t aid him in any way, which made Townes unusable. A shame.

The walk back was met with silence, but there had been something bothering Ryland about this new team member of CSA. He’d just been about to walk up the wooden stairs to the large deck when it dawned on him. He set his hand on the banister and waited for Townes to close the distance. He stopped at twenty feet.

“Calvert.” Ryland waited for a reply, but Townes remained silent and continued to watch him closely. “Your brother was Demri Calvert. I’m assuming Crest knows?”

Ryland was honestly surprised by this man’s restraint. It had been nothing personal, but Demri Calvert was the man who’d been in Travis Bowers’ grave for years before the exhumation that Taryn had managed to get sanctioned to prove that the teenage boy hadn’t died. Demri had been stationed alongside Travis and unfortunately had discovered the nefarious dealings he’d been into with the local black market. Ryland had disposed of the threat and shortly thereafter had been recruited by the CIA. Demri’s death had been a necessity and nothing more.

“I didn’t take you for a man who assumes anything.”

Ryland studied Townes to gauge his intentions, but there was nothing. What had Crest hoped to gain with his latest acquisition? It wasn’t like the former Marine to let someone else do his dirty work for him, so bringing in Townes to eradicate him wasn’t even taken into consideration.

“I won’t offer up the empty platitudes that Demri didn’t deserve his fate.” This is what Ryland had been trying to convey to Fallon. He had no remorse for killing the young man. It had to be done so he could complete his mission. “It was just business.”

Ryland managed to turn back and walk up the stairs without showing his perplexity at his own thoughts. Demri hadn’t been an assignment. Contracts from the CIA had come afterward. He attributed his wayward thoughts to Fallon.

“Know this,” Townes stated, surprising Ryland before he was able to open one of the French doors to the dining room. “I’m not going to be showing you my back like my brother.”

Ryland wasn’t about to have such a private conversation in front of Crest, his team, or Fallon. All were looking through the glass doors and waiting for him to enter. It was apparent that something had occurred during his walk and he found he’d rather deal with them than Calvert’s brother. That in itself was unusual and Ryland was becoming irritated with himself.

“Duly noted.” Ryland swung open the door, the warning of what Townes had to say taken under consideration. Ryland’s reception wasn’t a warm welcoming from the looks on the faces waiting for him at the dining room table, but it was more than evident they needed him for something. “Lunch anyone? I’m rather hungry after all that fresh air.”

“Dane Moza.” Crest pushed another file over to join the thicker one that Fallon had requested he look at earlier.

“Smart. Cunning. Capable.” Ryland removed his suit jacket and walked over to the corner of the room where a beautiful period coatrack was positioned in the corner. It reminded him of the one in Crest’s office, only this had less lumber in it. He ignored the unpleasant looks he received regarding the Kimber .45 ACP in his Miami Rig holster with two spare magazines and jackass straps to keep everything in place. He turned around and took a seat on the far end of the table, away from everyone where he could keep an eye on them. “He timed his retirement just right and has managed to stay off the grid to escape the contracts placed on his head by the DGSE, among others. I personally didn’t take that one due to my previous relationship with the man.”

“So you did work with him,” Fallon asked, leaning forward and tapping her pen against the papers in front of her. She’d changed out of her black pantsuit and into a casual pair of jeans and an oversized cream knit sweater that made her appear years younger. She’d also pinned her hair up; one strand hung down the right side of her lovely face. “When?”

Ryland had changed his mind about offering up information regarding this
mission
they seemed hell bent on. It wouldn’t hurt to give them some breadcrumbs if it meant time alone with Fallon. He thought back to his days with Moza.