Two Evils (32 page)

“I can’t say what I’m going to do right now,” she began, “because I honestly don’t know. But as soon as I figure it out, I promise that you’ll be the first to hear of it.”

Her father and brothers smiled, as did John. The ringing of his cell phone broke the ensuing silence and he pulled it from his pocket. “This is John,” he answered, then raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, she’s right here.”

He then held out the cell phone to her. “They want to talk to you,” he said.

Billie frowned, and as she was putting the phone to her ear, she rose from the chair next to John’s and moved toward the door of the waiting room, stepping out of it for the relative privacy of the hallway. “This is Billie.”

“Billie,” came Rex’s voice. “I’ve someone on the line who has requested to speak with you. However, as the call originates from a secured location, you have only three minutes before the connection is terminated. Is that understood?”

“Of course,” she replied quickly. ‘Secured location’ could mean only one place—the safe house. She knew there wouldn’t be a landline on the premises, so one of the team had somehow convinced Presley or Green to let them use a cell phone. It was a risk she honestly couldn’t believe the agents had been willing to take.

A moment later she was hearing Wayne’s voice. “Hey, She-Devil,” he said.

In just three words, he seemed so much clearer than he had since their first encounter in the woods. Whatever Dr. Stone had given him to treat the apparent withdrawal symptoms must’ve done its job. “It’s good to hear your voice, Professor. What can I do for you?”

“What’s this shit I hear tha
t you added a new recruit to the team?”

She knew he was talking about Rebecca, but not using her name because they could not be assured of the security of the line—despite the CIA tech involved. Billie stifled a groan.
Damn you, Gabe
, she thought, and said simply, “There was no one else to do the job.”

“A job that may give us nothing,” Wayne pointed out.

“Maybe it won’t, but I’m sure Spin Doctor and Thunderhead have explained that we have nothing else to go on. Would you rather I simply did as asked?”

Wayne would know she was referring to the reason John had fetched her from the Virgin Islands in the first place—to find the team and return them to Bolling.

“I don’t like it,” he said after a moment.

“And you think I do?” she countered. “I’ve been
concerned since being informed the task was undertaken.”

“There’s been no contact since?”
Wayne asked.

Billie sighed. “No. I am hoping it simply means that our operative in the field has not had an opportunity to do so.”

“Try to let us know when you get word.”

“I’ll do my best,” she replied.

The line was abruptly cut off, and a second later a dial tone sounded in her ear.
Just in time
, she mused morosely as she pressed the end button and slipped the phone into her pocket, then turned and re-entered the waiting room.

“Is everything all right?” John asked.

She nodded. “Some friends are just concerned about the field.”

The others frowned or exchanged curious looks, but John’s eyes told her he knew what she was talking about. Billie almost laughed at how easily the agency double-speak came back to her and rolled off her tongue.

“No doubt, but as I said, the field can take care of itself,” he reminded her.

She sat next to him again.
“I know.”

Thomas and Stella decided a few minutes later that they were going to actually leave the hospital for dinner. Andy and Michelle said they’d be glad to join them and Teddy said that he’d get something later as he was about to head back in to see Kevin.

When they were alone, John asked Billie if she wanted something to eat. “You want to join your dad and the others, or do you just want me to grab something from the cafeteria?”

She wasn’t really in the mood to face a crowded restaurant, so she elected to get something from the hospital cafeteria—she knew they sold pizza down there that was fairly decent. “And bring something back for Teddy, would you please? I know he said he’d eat later, but there’s no sense in waiting if you’re going to get food now.
Then we can all have dinner with Kevin.”

“Sure,” John replied with a smile, and assured her he’d be back soon.

Billie leaned her head back against the wall when he’d gone, wondering for the umpteenth time why they hadn’t heard from Rebecca. It was getting near the end of shift—certainly she should have messaged them by now. She hoped it would be soon.

She was startled by the sound of a ringing telephone. Billie frowned, wondering where the ringing was coming from, and then realized it was resonating from her own pocket—she’d forgotten to give John back his cell phone. As she pulled it out she wondered if she should answer for him or let it go to voic
email, but that dilemma was solved for her when she recognized Rebecca’s number.

“Hey, how are you?” she said immediately when she put the phone to her ear.

“A little freaked out, actually,” Rebecca replied.

Billie sat straight. “Freaked out how?” she demanded.

“Well, I did the job, but I damn near got caught,” Rebecca replied. “I admit I’ve been a bit paranoid all day because of it, but I don’t think I’m being paranoid about this.”

“Rebecca, tell me what’s wrong,” Billie prompted.

She heard the younger woman draw a breath and release it. “There’s this MP that has been eyeing me every time I leave the office. I’ve seen him around a few times, but his being everywhere I turn after my side trip can’t be a coincidence. Or is it? I’d hate to be freaking out over nothing.”

Billie didn’t believe in coincidences. The fact that she’d nearly been caught and was now being followed told her that Rebecca had drawn undo attention to herself. This was
not
good news.

“Where are you now?” she asked.

“Still in my office—I’m kind of afraid to leave. The other clerk has already gone for the day or I’d ask him to walk with me to the bus stop,” Rebecca replied.

“Is there anyone else you’re friendly with—and at risk of offending your feminine independence, preferably a male someone—
that you’d feel comfortable asking to escort you?” Billie queried.

“Yeah, actually… A guy in IT has asked me out a few times, and I think he’s still here.”

“Good. Make sure he is, then tell him you’re not feeling well and would appreciate his walking with you or giving you a lift to the bus stop. Or better yet, a ride home.”

“But what if the MP really is watching me and follows us?”

Billie thought for a moment, then suddenly surged to her feet and out of the waiting room. “Good point—we don’t want him finding out where you live. Listen, get a hold of your friend. Get him to escort you to the bus stop, and then get on the bus as normal. But get off early at a public place—someplace with a lot of people. Text me with your location and I will meet you there. If indeed you’re being followed, the presence of witnesses should deter him from making a scene.”

“Okay, I will. Thanks, Billie.”

Saying she’d see her soon, Billie pressed the End button and shoved the phone back in her pocket. Moments later she pushed into Kevin’s room in time to hear Teddy telling him about his latest conquest.

“Oh, good grief, Ted, do you really think he wants to hear that shit?” she chided, but before he could reply she added, “
I need to borrow your truck. Hand over the keys.”

Teddy frowned. “Why not just ask John to take you wherever you’re going?”

“I’m just going to pick up a friend, Teddy. I think I can manage that on my own,” she returned sourly.

“Whatever, sis, he’s your boyfriend,” Teddy said, but nevertheless rose enough to pull his keys from his pocket and toss them to her over the bed.

Billie caught the keys in mid-air, saying, “He’s not my boyfriend,” before turning around and reaching for the door.

She moved so fast that she almost didn’t hear Teddy’s muttered “Coulda fooled me,” as the door shut behind her.

Billie hurried to the elevator. She was certain that wherever Rebecca got off the bus, it would be fairly close to the Pentagon. It would be a popular place with the locals, which meant there’d be a crowd. While Rebecca would stand out a little in her uniform, she felt sure that the after-work, early-dinner rush would provide sufficient cover until she could get to her—with the traffic in DC, it would take at least 20 minutes.

As soon as she was in Teddy’s GMC Sierra, she put it in gear, pealing out of the hospital parking lot as fast as the speed limit allowed. Not normally a worrier, Billie’s concern for Rebecca was stron
g; it was disconcerting to be so on edge, but she reminded herself that the last few days hadn’t exactly been filled with “normal” events. It was, she ascertained, clear evidence that she
needed
to get back to work. Her ability to keep a clear head had obviously been detrimentally effected by taking the last year off.

She had been on the road just a minute or two when John’s cell phone rang. Assuming it was Rebecca, she pulled the phone out—but it wasn’t Rebecca’s number.
It was Teddy’s. Instinct told her that it wasn’t her brother on the other end, and that who it actually was wasn’t happy. For a brief moment she considered not picking up, but John would just keep calling. So with a reluctant groan, she swiped her thumb across the screen. “Hello?”

“Billie, what the fuck are you doing?” John all but bellowed into the phone.

Billie felt herself frown. “I am merely going to pick up a friend,” she said slowly. “Rebecca called after you went to the cafeteria—I’d forgotten I had your phone, and when I saw who it was I didn’t think you’d mind me answering. She just wanted someone to come and get her.”

“Why? What happened?” he demanded.

“She only said she felt like some MP was following her around this afternoon—more than would be normal even for a military installation—so I told her to take the bus as usual but to get off early at a public place, that I’d come get her.”

John sighed, and she knew he was attempting to control his anger. “I wish you’d waited for me.”

“Firstly, Agent Courtney, I am perfectly capable of driving a car across the river and back all by myself. Secondly, I honestly didn’t think I should waste precious minutes that were better spent on the road, getting me to her sooner,” she replied, snark and annoyance slipping into her voice.

A poorly stifled grumble came across the line, then John said, “Fine. But call me the minute you have her.
Please.”

Fighting the urge to snap back that it was hardly necessary, Billie reminded herself that in spite of his attempts to reassure her of Rebecca’s ability to do the job they’d asked her to do, he was just as concerned about Eddie’s sister as she was. So she grudgingly agreed to call Teddy’s phone back as soon as she and Rebecca were on their way to the hospital.

About the time she was crossing the Potomac, John’s cell beeped, notifying her of a text message. Fishing it out of her pocket again, she swiped her thumb across the screen and pulled down the notifications bar. It was from Rebecca, letting her know that she was at the Sine Irish Pub & Restaurant. In spite of the seriousness of her plight, Billie smiled broadly at the choice—Sine’s had always been one of her favorite places to eat. Exiting the text folder, she opened up the phone’s dialer function and pulled up Rebecca’s number.

Eddie’s sister answered on the first ring. “Hello? Agent Courtney?”

“No, it’s Billie. Listen, I’m about halfway there, so hang tight, okay?” she said. “Any sign of the MP?”

Rebecca’s sigh of relief was loud in her ear. “No, thank goodness. But I still can’t shake that ‘someone’s following me’ feeling.”

“I know Sine’s—there should be a sizable crowd this time of day and it’ll only get bigger. Try to stay in sight of the door, but not too close. If he shows up and tries anything untoward, you pull a classic defense mechanism and yell ‘No’ as loud as you possibly can. While it can get pretty rowdy in the bar, someone is bound to hear you scream. And if that doesn’t work, do not hesitate to knee the bastard in the nuts and run like hell.”

Rebecca laughed nervously on the other end of the line. “Thanks for the advice. I know that as a Marine I should be a hell of a lot braver than I am, but to be perfectly honest with you I made it through Basic by the skin of my teeth. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m not soldier material. But I still wanted to serve my country, so I did my best.”

“Honey, you did just fine,” Billie reassured her. “And like I told you, there’s not a damn thing wrong with being a file clerk. You know as well as I do—probably better—that the brass would be completely lost without dedicated office personnel like you to do the legwork for them.”

“You’ve got that right!” Rebecca replied with another laugh, and much to Billie’s relief, so
unded a little more sure of herself.

“I’m just a few more minutes out, so buy yourself a drink and try to enjoy it,” she said. “I’ll be there soon.”

Hanging up, Billie put on a little more speed. She was forced to swerve when a silver Volvo cut in front of her, and she cursed as she corrected back into her lane.
And Dad used to worry about my driving
, she thought sourly.