Shadows Amongst Light (The Spy Who Loves Me) (36 page)

             
“You? You put them there?”

             
“What do you think?”

             
“You were sent here to spy on me? You thought that I was the mole?” I added incredulously.

             
“No, yes...Adam believed that for a while Cameron I never thought of you as the mole and neither did Noah. We knew where your loyalties lay, but Adam needed proof. After all Judah is your brother. I was sent to confirm your loyalty and your innocence.”

             
“So Adam knows about my family ties? Is that why you came here in the first place?”

             
“Oh Cameron, how can you even ask me that. That’s not it at all. Yes, I was sent here to prove your loyalties, but I came willingly because I’d fallen in love with you from the start.”

             
I looked into his eyes and knew that Davis meant those words. I only wished that I could return his feelings.

             
“You still haven’t told me how you and Noah know each other.”

             
“I was hoping you’d forgotten about that,” he said and caught my determination. “Okay, okay, here it is. Noah and I went through training at the academy together. Adam was the person who trained us both--along with the rest of the team that he handpicked for the special anti-terrorist task force. At the time, we were just beginning to understand the importance of keeping track of these guys’ movements.

             
“We were the top of our group. Noah and then me. It was always a competition between us, even though we were, are good friend. Unfortunately, it was never much of a competition. Noah was always first. That’s why Adam took him under his wing. He was grooming Noah to take over his position one day.”

             
I was shocked by that. I’d thought Noah was out of the game altogether. I’d actually believed our little fairy tale life here was real. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

             
“I’m sorry, you didn’t know did you? You thought Noah was retired. I’m sorry, but you have to know how hard it is for someone like Noah. He’s used to the thrill of the game.”

             
“So he lied to me about being out. He deliberately let me think he was finished with it. That we were going to be just another happy normal middle class family. He never intended to stick around for good, did he Davis.”

             
“I can’t answer that, Cameron. Only Noah can. But I can tell you this. He loved you from the second he met you. He talked about nothing else. I was so sick of hearing about you and so jealous once I’d met you. I would have given anything to be Noah at that moment.”

             
“Sorry Davis, but if that’s supposed to impress me it’s not working. I’m not flattered. Tell me how you two ended up where you are?”

             
“As I’ve said, Adam was grooming Noah for his job and me being of Arab background, well it seemed fitting that I would be more usual stationed over there.”

             
“So how did you end up here in the states again? In Washington, in the same place as Noah?”

             
“As much as I’d like to say, I’d planned it so that I could meet you, that’s not the case. I was undercover.”

             
“Undercover? Where?”

             
“Cameron...”

             
“You were following my brother? How did you get that close to him?”

             
“Cameron, I know you want to believe that person you met in Washington is the same person you knew as a child, but you’re wrong. Judah is a cold-blooded killer.”

             
“Kind of like you and Noah...and myself.”

             
“No, not like that at all. You’ve seen the reports. Don’t try to deny it. I know you read Noah’s files. Judah is dangerous. He’s not the person you thought he was.”

             
“I don’t’ believe you.”

             
“It’s true, honey. He’s responsible for all those things and quite possible much more that we don’t even know about yet. He’s not the person you want him to be.”

             
And then something else occurred to me that sent chills through my body. “Davis, I’ve talked to him since leaving Washington. He knows where I live. He’s called me here...”

             
“I know,” he told me quietly. “I know all about it, Cameron. We’ve been monitoring you’re every move, remember?”

             
“Is he coming here Davis? Is Judah coming here for me and my son?”

             
“I don’t know. All I know is Judah isn’t who you think he is. There’s a very real chance that you and Ben could be in danger the longer we stay here. That’s why you have to help me. And you have to cooperate with me. I think he’s trying to flush Noah out by coming after you and Ben.”

             
“Why does he want Noah?”

             
“Noah has been tracking his activity for years. Noah has been responsible for stopping so many of Judah’s planned attacks before they could ever get off the ground. It’s become a personal vendetta for Judah.”

             
“So when I met you in Washington you knew about my brother?”

             
“No, I’d been working undercover in the Red Jihad for years. I watched Judah came in and out of that training camp. But we never understood his identity until just before I met you. You see, the guy that we believed to be the real person in charge proved to be only a decoy. One of Judah’s cronies set up to fool any intelligence that might be watching.

             
“I managed to work my way close to Judah after a while. He trusted me. When I came to Washington with him it was there that I begin to realize that we’d been chasing the wrong guy all those years.

             
“We had no idea until it was too late just how far-reaching the Red Jihad’s power really was.”

             
“What do you mean?”

             
“Cameron, they have people working for them that you can’t imagine.” Davis whispered. “High up people in critical government roles. The mole in The Organization ranks is only one small part of it. This is a serious threat. You remember before you left the document that you decode?” I nodded and he continued.               “I believe that was just a ruse planned by Judah to try and flush out the person within the ranks that was feeding Noah the information. It worked, because after you told Judah about that document my cover was blown and I was brought in.”

             
“Oh, Davis. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

             
“I know,” he said quietly. “But you know some of that stuff was true. The part about the major terrorist cells uniting. It’s happened. All under Judah’s leadership. Something’s about to break. And soon.”

             
“How soon?”

             
“I don’t know, but we believe it won’t be long. That’s why I have to get you to a safe place. I can’t be worried about you and Ben when this thing happens.”

             
“Then you do believe that he’s coming here?”

             
“I don’t know that for certain. That’s the whole thing. We don’t know where Judah is right now. We lost track of him a few days ago. He slipped our intelligence. The last confirmed sighting was in a training camp in New Mexico.”

             
“Oh my God.”

             
“Exactly. That’s too close for comfort. I need to get you to safety. And then I have to leave.”

             
“What about me, Davis? I can help.”

             
“No Cameron you’re out of it. You are not coming back for this. Stay with Ben and keep out of it.”

             
“So when do we leave?”

             
“After dark. We’re going to have to go by foot. I can’t risk driving out of here and being followed by whoever’s been watching you.”

             
“What do you want to do?”

             
“We’ll leave once its dark, probably after midnight when they‘ll think we‘re asleep. We’ll have to do it without using the lights. Cameron, there will be a car waiting for us just over the north range. We’ll have to hike over the range.”

             
“Wait, Davis that’s five miles at best. You want to do it in the middle of the night with a small child?”

             
“We don’t have a choice. I can’t risk alerting the person sitting on the house that was trying to escape. You’ll have to help me keep Ben quiet as well.”

             
“All right, I’ll do whatever I need to Davis. You can count on it.”

             
I saw him smile for a moment and then that serious expression I’d come to associate with Davis was back.

             
“Cameron, listen,” he told me urgently, reaching for my hand. “Once all of this is over. Once things are settled, we need to talk. There’s so much I want to tell you that I can’t.”  

             
“Momma I’m hungry.” Until that moment, neither of us had been aware that Ben had come into the room. But at the sound of his voice we both jumped guiltily and I pulled my hand from Davis’s

             
“Oh baby, you startled me.” I said as Ben looked from myself to Davis.

             
“What were you talking about, momma?”

             
“Nothing important baby. So you’re feeling better then?” I asked, my eyes pleading with Davis’s not to say anything further. I watched his reaction and saw that I’d hurt him with those words but Davis was silent.

             
“Yes mamma,” Ben said coming to sit in my lap. Lately, he wanted to be close to me more than he’d ever had when Noah was nearby.

             
“How bout I make you a sandwich and some soup? And you can help me.” Ben nodded and hopped out of my lap.

             
“I’ll be in the office.” I knew that Davis was going to be monitoring his phone and computer for any updates on Judah.

              For the rest of the day I stayed close to Ben, watching while he played in the great room. Davis stayed behind the closed doors of the office.

             
Ben seemed perfectly happy being me close, oblivious to the danger that was all around us.

             
I found myself constantly watching the horizon beyond the house expecting something or someone. I didn’t know what.

             
When Ben fell asleep for his afternoon nap on my bed, I took that time to pack a backpack with a few items we might need on the trip across the mountain.

             
Lately, everywhere I went I carried my weapon with me hidden away from my son. I found a flashlight and made sure it had fresh batteries. Then I packed the radios along with a change of clothing and some water and snack for Ben.

             
It would be pitch black we started out. The hike across the mountain range would take almost twice as long as normal.

             
Once, after Ben was born, Noah and I had made that hike just to see if we could. He’d carried Ben strapped to his back. We’d made it in just over four hours.

             
At night, it would be almost impossible to see anything around us. The mountain terrain was difficult at the best of times but at night, and this particular time of year. Three was the possibility of bears as well as other creatures. It would not be an easy trip.

             
I watched my son sleeping quietly and hated how hard this was going to be for him. Davis and myself would end up carrying him most of the way, but would Ben want to know why we’re making the trip in the first place. Especially why in the middle of the night.

             
As hard as it was for me to face, I’d always known that someday I’d have to tell Ben about our past life. I’d hoped that day wouldn’t come until much later, when he was more capable of understanding the reasons why we’d chosen the profession in the first place. I’d hoped that I wouldn’t have to do with without Noah’s help.

             
Just before sunset, Ben awoke from his nap. I took him downstairs with me to the kitchen to make dinner.

             
“Momma, where’s Uncle Davis?” Ben asked me while he watched me cut up potatoes.

             
“I don’t know baby. I think he’s working still.” I had told Ben to prevent any further questions on his part, that Davis was helping his father work on ‘computer stuff’. So far Ben had accepted that answer and had pretty much left Davis alone when he was in the office.