They'll Call It Treason (11 page)

January 29 at 3:15
p.m.
EST

Greensboro, NC

Gray struggled to keep the accelerator steady. His foot itched to drive down harder on the pedal as if eighty-five in a sixty-five zone was not expeditious enough already. He abruptly flipped the vents shut; the hot air pouring into the BMW was suffocating.

Gray had casually left the office for a "quick break" after hanging up with Kate. He did not know what to think yet, he needed to escape somewhere to clear his head. And the last thing he had wanted at the time was to face a stack of loaded questions.

His mind had trouble with the rest. She claimed that she knew what had happened but would not talk about it on the phone. Instead, she kept repeating that Ethan was innocent and that they needed to get to the safe house.

Gray had urged her to stick to Ethan’s instructions to meet him in Greensboro. He needed to meet her, but he worried she would never forgive him.

I want to believe you Kate
, he thought. He did believe her. Then he did not believe her. His mind struggled between two possible realities – the one he wanted and the one the FBI was running with.

He hoped there would be time to talk before the Bureau sent someone to bring them both in for questioning.

What could Ethan hope for? Running from the FBI, CIA, NSA? Who knew what other acronyms might be chasing after Ethan this very moment? It was inevitable he would be caught. It was only a matter of time and in what state he came back. Running would only make it worse.

If Ethan is innocent why is the FBI claiming he’s not? What do they have to gain? No, there is a logical explanation. There has to be.

In the end Gray knew there were only three real scenarios. Either the FBI had screwed up, they were falsifying what happened or Ethan was actually guilty. His heart would not allow him to find Ethan guilty

No. Someone, somewhere just screwed up. It's just one epic, out-of-control, screw up.

Maneuvering between a semi-truck and an old Buick going ten under in the fast lane, Gray flicked his blinker on to turn off the interstate. He tried to assure himself that everything would be alright.

Just listen to her, Gray. Just listen. Then the Bureau can take care of the rest. They’ll work it out.

He could not throw away everything he had worked for his whole life to come to Ethan’s aid. Not without proof. Betting against the Bureau would be foolhardy.

Ahead the diner came into view.

Please understand, Kate.

January 29 at 3:30
p.m.
EST

Greensboro, NC

The warmth of the diner was welcome after confronting the nippy evening air. Kate sat at a petite corner booth inside AJ’s, a local mom and pop’s joint. The booth was old and uncomfortable. A stray spring had pricked her shin and the smell of grease hung in the air.

She felt out of place. This was Ethan’s restaurant of choice. She had never been without him, until today. Kate stared across the table at the empty seat opposite her. Ethan's absence made her feel desolate.

I don’t know if I can do this.

Kate sipped on her coffee, thinking how much she would prefer a bottle of vodka. Anything to ease the pain and slow her racing thoughts.

No. Kate, you can’t be like that. Calm down, get a hold of yourself. You’re in control.

She tried to quell her fears, but she knew she was lying to herself; control was way beyond her grasp. This course of events had been forced on her. All she could do was ride it out.

Ding ding.

The bells at the entrance door jingled. Kate’s eyes darted to the entrance, anxious to see Gray. A tall black man with graying dread-locks down to his waist bobbed in. He looked too old to be sporting such a look. She returned her gaze to the coffee cup in front of her, her hands still clasped around it tight.

Her eye caught the engagement ring on her finger. She sighed, remembering the joy that had filled every part of her being when Ethan had presented it to her. A warm smile crept across her lips. She could do this. Ethan needed her, and she needed him.

Ding ding.

Her eyes shot to the entrance door again. Gray strode in. Still donning his black slacks and a white button up, he searched the small dining room. Kate waved, trying to be discreet.

Gray grinned when he saw her, but Kate could see the reservation in his eyes. There was something uneasy in his eyes, something that made Kate nervous. He walked over, avoiding eye contact, and sat in the seat opposite her.

Kate’s mind drifted to the day she met Ethan. It was nearly four years ago, an Independence Day celebration.  Gray and his wife, Sofia, who had been Kate’s roommate in college, hosted the party every year until their divorce.  It was Gray and Sofia who had introduced her to Ethan.  Kate had arrived at the party, an unsuspecting victim of a matchmaking scheme.

It had been awkward at first. Sofia introduced her to the green-eyed beast, he had held more muscle mass back then. It had all been a blur. Dinner, laughs, fireworks and now she wore a ring. She loved him. And now – now she didn’t know what to do.

Kate attempted a smile, but only a halfhearted grin crossed her lips. Gray sat looking at the table, his hands clasped together on the tabletop, silent.

He took a deep breath and looked up at Kate, “How you holding up?” His voice was quiet and worried.

She glanced at him for only a moment before looking down at the table again, “I’m alright.”

“Kate, you’ve heard what they are saying about Ethan, right?”

“Yes,” her voice trembled.

Gray let a few moments lapse.  Then he broke the silence, his voice sincere and worried. “You don’t believe it, do you?”

She looked back up at Gray, her eyes deep and troubled, “No, of course not. Ethan couldn’t, he just couldn’t.”

“I know. Something has gone wrong somewhere.”

“Ethan wanted me to tell you what happened, at least what he could tell me over the phone.”

Gray looked up at her intently, waiting.

“He said that he and Jason went down to Georgia because they got a tip that the Congressman was in danger. They went to prevent it, to protect him,” Kate explained. “But another agent in Georgia stopped them. It was another agent that killed Jason and helped the shooter, not Ethan.”

Another agent?

The idea had crossed Gray’s mind during the drive down from Norfolk. He had quickly buried the far-fetched notion.

Could it be though?

He trusted Ethan, but for a moment he wondered if that trust was misplaced. Just one more thing the Bureau would have to figure out.

“He’s going to Blowing Rock,” Gray’s voice trailed off, explaining what Ethan had meant over the phone. His unfocused gaze rested somewhere beyond Kate, off into the distance.

“What? But he said Rockingham.”

He refocused on Kate. “There’s no safe house in Rockingham. Not that I know of, anyway – not that we ever used.”

Gray let his eyes wander back to the table in contemplation and then back to Kate. “You remember when Ethan went undercover a few years back? Doing drug busts?”

“Yeah, that’s around the time we met.”

“That’s right,” Gray confirmed. “Well, you'll also remember he went through a small paranoid phase. I never could understand how he thought the way he did sometimes and remain in the Bureau. Never mind that though, he's long abandoned that nonsense.”

“Before he left the drug unit, he convinced Dante and me to go in with him to purchase a small cabin up off the Parkway in Blowing Rock, near Boone,” Gray continued. “Dante and I saw it more as a vacation spot, so we helped him."

Gray shook his head, reminiscing, "It's been years since Ethan's referred to it as the 'safe house.'"

Kate stared blankly at Gray.
Why did he not tell me?

“Ethan said that if anything ever happened, some crazy shit, we could go there. When he said the safe house in Rockingham, he meant Blowing Rock.”

“Why did he not tell me about this?” Kate begged.

“Don't let it get to you Kate. Ethan went through some major pains to be sure the cabin wasn’t tied to any of us. Most of all you. He felt it best not to tell you. Once we finally convinced him his fears were unwarranted he said he felt too much like a dumbass to tell you.” Gray explained. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard it referred to as the ‘safe house.’”

Even with Gray’s explanation, worry plagued Kate’s mind.
Does he not trust me?

“He was going to tell you Kate… eventually. He just never got around to it, I guess.”

Across the diner, the door opened with the familiar dinging and two men in black suits strutted in. He watched as Kate eyed the two men suspiciously.

Earlier than expected.

“Kate,” he said trying to divert her eyes. “We’re going to go with them. We have to let the Bureau do its job. They’ll figure this out.”

Kate’s mouth fell open in confusion.  Her eyes burned into Gray. The pain behind those brown circles dug into his heart. She believed he had betrayed her. It hurt, but he held his ground.

It’s for the best
, he assured himself.

“How could you?” She asked, her voice raised an octave. “It was an Agent that tried to kill Ethan. How do you know you can trust them? Don't you trust Ethan?”

Her words hurt more than he had expected them to. It all felt wrong, but he willed himself forward.

“We have to let the Bureau do its job,” he repeated like a broken record, attempting to keep his emotions at bay. He would do anything to defend Ethan and Kate. Cooperation with the authorities was the only way.

The two black suits moved among the tables until they stood next to Gray.

“Agent Whitaker, Doctor Connors?” the shorter, brawnier of the two asked.

“Yes,” Gray volunteered while Kate sat stone still, refusing to talk or even look at the two men.

“We’re here to take you in for questioning,” the other stated, towering over the booth, his eyes stern and commanding.

“Can I see your identification?” Gray asked, surprised they had not volunteered them up front.

“We’re with the FBI. I’m Agent Bradley Townsend,” the shorter one responded.

“I’m Agent Donovan Howard,” the other finished.

Something was wrong.  They should not have hesitated to flash their badges.

“Then you can understand why I'm asking to see your badges,” Gray asked. An uneasiness flooded into his stomach. “Please.”

Townsend reached for his coat. Instead of withdrawing his ID, he pulled the material aside to reveal a pistol.

Gray looked at Kate. Shame and a dull fear, not for himself but for her, washed over him.

Gray carefully got to his feet, positioning himself between the two men and Kate. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. His mind took inventory. Two agents, no imposters. At least two pistols, maybe more. The shorter man seemed tougher. His shoulders were broad and his stance ready. The taller man, Howard, was no pole himself though.

The diner was mostly empty. A mom and daughter sat near the front entrance, the girl's pony tails flopped about as she smiled happily. An older black man with dreadlocks sat in the corner lost in his smartphone. A waitress passed by the two so-called agents.

“I need to see some identification, fellows,” Gray repeated.

Townsend went for his gun, but Gray was quicker. He brought his fist up hard and fast into the man’s stomach, simultaneously grabbing the arm going for the gun. Without losing a second, Gray snapped back, yanking the arm with him. The gun clanged to the ground as Gray brought his elbow back, flat into Howard’s jaw.

Falling, Howard’s head slammed against the booth before tumbling to the ground. Townsend was recovering from the blow as Gray laid another fist square between his eyes.

A shrill scream rang through the dinner as a woman screamed “gun.” The diner erupted into panicked voices as its occupants tried to flee the small space.

Gray yelled back to Kate, “Let’s go!”

Kate slipped out of the booth, dodging the taller man's body as he tried to grab for her from the floor. She ran for the door as Gray put himself between her and the two men. Her thoughts became a blur as she realized they were on the run.

Gray swiped the abandoned gun from the restaurant floor and slipped it down the back of his slacks. He pushed Kate forward. They had to get out before the two imposters rebounded.

Crack!

Wood exploded inches away from Gray’s head on the exit door trim. He glanced back long enough to glimpse the not so gentle giant, Howard, back on his feet, gun in hand.

“Dammit! Run, Kate!” Gray yelled as they sprinted across the parking lot.

Dark, heavy clouds obscured the sky outside. The cool air sent a sudden chill down Kate’s spine. The whipping wind stung her nostrils. Gray trailed behind at a sprint, pointing toward his gleaming, gunmetal grey, BMW X5.

The few yards between the vehicle and diner seemed expansive as Kate’s heart pounded. The sound of the bullet breaking through wood repeated in her head. Finally to the car, she slung open the door and stepped in just as Gray jumped into the driver's seat.

“Keep your head down,” Gray barked as he shoved her down in the seat and revved the engine to life.

Clang.

A shot ricocheted against the hood. Gray’s eyes went wide.

“Oh, hell no!” Gray growled.

He rammed the shifter into reverse and slammed the accelerator. The SUV careened backward. Horns blared and tires screeched as the BMW bounced into traffic, jolting off the curb. Gray shifted into drive and dropped the pedal to the floor.

Gray laid on the horn as he barged through the first intersection. It was useless. Cars blared back and skidded out of control trying to avoid the oncoming BMW. Water began to splatter against the windshield and the wipers came to life.

Kate turned to see the chaos of the intersection. Without warning a black Charger careened around the turn, its back-end fish-tailing out behind it.

“They’re on us,” Kate told Gray. “Do you believe me now?”

Without answering Gray pressed the BMW forward, bolting through a red light. He bit his lip as a truck barely avoided clipping his rear bumper. Their pursuers slowed, letting Gray put a few car lengths between them.

His mind was frantic. What was the best course of action? Did this prove anything? There was more to the situation than he was previously apprised of, more than the media was telling. That much was deathly evident to him now.

Gray looked to Kate for a brief second. Her dark eyes begged him to trust her.

“Damn,” Gray yelled angrily. He jolted the SUV down a side street. He needed to know more. Maybe the only way was to get to Ethan before anyone else did. It was suicide though, running from the Bureau.

What was this though, other than suicide? He made up his mind.

“Were going to find Ethan,” he said. But it would have to wait until they lost their tail.

In the near distance Gray caught the sound of sirens. Now they would have to deal with the police as well.

Great! Just what we need.

Ahead he swerved to the right down another street at what looked like a bank and floored the gas again. Suddenly he braked. Traffic was at a standstill ahead of them. Thinking fast, he slammed the shifter into reverse and accelerated, swerving to miss an oncoming sport car.

Before Gray could bring them around the SUV jolted to the left as the Charger rammed into Kate’s door. Kate’s head bashed into the window; she yelped in pain.