Strong, p.4
Strong, page 4
“You’re still the most beautiful thing when you sleep,” Cole drawled from where he leaned against the dresser and looked at her from over the foot board.
“And you still have no sense of boundaries. Get out, Cole.”
“No,” he said simply, a sly grin lifting the corners of his ever-so-sexy mouth ever so slightly.
“I should have known you would never respect the job I need to do here. I can get my things packed and the firm will send another attorney.” She adjusted the blanket around her body.
“No. You’re the best at what you do, and that’s not idle flattery. I remember how you don’t like that.”
“I’m surprised you remember me at all,” she snarled, angry for allowing herself to be put in this position.
“Ouch, but completely untrue. You might be surprised to hear that I’ve never forgotten anything about you. When I close my eyes, I can still feel your pussy clamping down on me as your nails dug into my back, and you yowled like a wildcat. Tell me Kennedy, did any of those boys you tried to take up with pull you beneath them and make you cry out for them as you writhed on their cocks?”
“Out. Cole. Now.” He didn’t move. “What do you want?”
“No. I used to love to watch you sleep. Did you know that? I loved seeing you relaxed, lying softly in my arms.”
“Really? And here I thought you used that time to plot your deceptions. Did you count on me to be so blissed out from the way you fucked me that I would either not notice or not care?”
“My deceptions?” he asked as he stepped away from the dresser. “I’m not the one who wasn’t using her real name. I’m not the one who’s history is a fabric of lies, ruses, and half-truths.”
“No, you’re just the guy who lied about everything else, then then left me to deal with the fallout.”
“Fallout? Not much of a fallout that I could see and for the record, I was coming back. I did come back, and I would have taken care of the problem.”
“And what was I to do? Wait for you to come riding in on your great white steed and save me? Considering you’re the one who put me in that position, the likelihood of you being my knight in shining armor was slim to none.”
Cole shook his head. “What did they tell you? Why didn’t you even give me a chance to explain?”
“Explain what, Cole? That you were a traitor? Why aren’t you spending the rest of your life in Leavenworth? Or Guantanamo?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he said moving toward her more aggressively.
“It doesn’t matter. Either you get out and leave me to get your brother out of this mess or I’ll resign and go back to Seattle. Tell me, Cole, did you kill Cyrus? I remember you had nothing kind to say about him in Italy.”
“No, I didn’t. And for the record, neither did any of my brothers. We may have wanted the old bastard dead—certainly we had cause—but none of us would have shot him in the back and we sure as hell wouldn’t have set up my little brother to take the fall. I wish we had another viable option, but we don’t. You’re the best at what you do.” He turned to leave, thank God, but then stopped and turned back. “I don’t know what they told you, but I’m sure it had no relationship to the truth. You need to know that I never would have let them harm you. Never.”
He pivoted on his heel and walked out. Every instinct in her wanted to get up and run to him, to bring him back, to believe whatever explanation he may have told her, but she didn’t. Instead, she fell onto her side, curled up, hugged the pillow to her body, and sobbed into it.
In the past, she’d merely given in; this time, she tossed the pillow across the room and sat up on the edge of the bed. “No,” she said to the door. “You do not get to do this to me again.”
Leavenworth? Guantanamo? Just what had the boys from the Agency told her? He knew whatever had happened after he’d left had enabled her to walk away from them and get them to create a phony background that could withstand some vigorous checking. He wondered if she’d actually ever attended Georgetown. Everything had become so confused when they were in Naples.
Naples, Italy
Seven Years Ago
Two men sat in a casual coffee house on the outskirts of Naples. Their table was far enough from the patrons that they felt safe to talk.
“We’ve had some intel from one of our contacts down on the docks. It seems our old friend, Aaron Mosby, has a large arms deal in process. One of the splinter cells out of the Middle East is looking to make a name for itself,” said Cole Waverly of NATO Intelligence. “We’ve been hearing rumors for a while, but every time we thought we had a thread to pick up and follow, it evaporated.”
“So why are you bringing this to Navy Intelligence?” asked Peter Hutchinson. “Why not report it up your chain of command or bring it to HQ?”
“Because I think we may have a mole in NATO Intelligence and this whole thing smells like an Agency op.”
“But why me? You asked for me specifically.”
“Because you served with my brother, Cash, and he vouched for you,” answered Cole as he looked him in the eye. “I know I’m way out of bounds, but I also know there is something hinky going on. Mosby doesn’t have the bankroll for this size of a deal. Where did he get the money? How did he get the contacts? He’s always been a small-time dealer. I’ve made inquiries through channels and every time I think I’m getting somewhere, I run into a roadblock.”
“Mosby has come onto our radar of late. We’ve had people watching him. We never saw you.”
Cole grinned. “I’m good at what I do. What do you know about the new JAG attorney, who got assigned here last month?”
“Quinn Borland? Not much, why?”
“I think she may be an Agency plant.”
Hutchinson nodded. “That might make some sense. Normally new JAG attorneys come in looking to make their bones. They’ve been assigning her to administrative matters, and she’s just been going along.”
“Any way you can find out what she’s working on? Her clearance? What files she’s looking at?”
Hutchinson shook his head. “No. I tried to talk to her and got brushed off and not in a try again sometime way, but a drop dead and never speak to me again kind of way.”
Cole laughed. “Not used to rejection? Cash had some pretty ripe tales about the two of you. Don’t you know? Nothing is off limits to a little brother with a good bottle of whiskey.”
Hutchinson smiled. “Throw in a good cigar, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Both men laughed, grateful for a moment to be able to let their guards down.
“Any idea what time Quinn’s shift ends?” asked Cole.
“No, but I can find out. You really think she’s Agency?”
“I don’t know that she is, but then I don’t know that she isn’t. Right now, if I don’t know for certain what side you’re playing for, I assume you’re the enemy.”
Chapter 5
Naples, Italy
Seven Years Ago
“Quinn looks like you’ve got an admirer,” called Vanessa Fielding, one of the senior JAG attorneys.
Quinn had just walked into the JAG headquarters at Naval Command in Naples. Sure enough, there was a small, free-form clay pot with at least eighteen kaleidoscope roses. She smiled. She’d have to talk to Cole. They’d agreed to keep their budding relationship on the down low.
“Borland?” called the Admiral from inside his office.
Quinn placed her bag in her desk drawer and answered her summons.
“Come in, shut the door, and sit down,” he barked.
Quinn did as ordered, noting that Trenton Culp was lounging against the admiral’s credenza.
“Sir?”
“The flowers, Borland, who are they from? And before you think about lying to me, you should know that Culp here spotted you with a NATO operative, one that’s under suspicion.”
“First, Sir, with all due respect, I don’t appreciate you suggesting I’d lie to you. Second, Cole Waverly is with NATO Intelligence and last time I checked, they were supposed to be on our side.”
“Waverly’s dirty. We just haven’t been able to move against him. Everybody knows it. It’s why he hasn’t been reassigned,” said Culp. “Now, what have you told him?”
“I haven’t told anyone anything,” said Quinn. “I know my job, Culp. I know what’s at stake.”
“Do you?” he said, eyeing her with hostility and suspicion.
“Yes, you’re setting me up to infiltrate Mosby’s operation.”
“You were recruited to sleep with him. That’s going to get a little crowded if you’re already spreading your legs for Waverly.”
“See here,” sputtered the Admiral.
“Stay out of it,” growled Culp. “You made a deal. I expect you to fulfill your end of the obligation.”
“Why? You didn’t.”
“It’s not our fault that the op went sideways.”
“I’m not sure I believe that. I told your buddies back at the Agency that I’d do what you needed me to when they got my brother’s wife and child out and safely back home. You have yet to provide me with evidence that has been done,” said Quinn, reining in her temper.
“I told you these things take time.”
“And I told you I wasn’t going to whore for you until it did.”
“What the hell is going on here?” asked the admiral.
“My brother was Agency and was sent in deep cover. He ended up marrying the daughter of a tribal chieftain and having a child. His cover was blown and one of the extremist groups was going to behead him. Culp came to me and said they could get him out but needed my help. I agreed in exchange for my brother and his family being extracted. Something went wrong and my brother was killed. There’s been no word about my sister-in-law and nephew.”
“Was her brother one of yours?” asked the admiral.
“He was ex-paramilitary living in a region not known to be friendly to Americans...”
“In other words, yes,” said the admiral with disgust. “And you agreed to this?”
“I wanted to save my brother. Now that I can’t do that, I want to see that his family is taken to safety and provided for.”
“You’re a hell of a sister,” said the admiral.
“If that’s all, sir,” said Quinn, standing.
“It is. I’ll get to the bottom of this, Borland.”
She’d walked out of the admiral’s office with her hands shaking. Once in her own office, she closed the door and took her cell phone out of her purse, calling the only person she knew could help put this right. It was time to level with Cole.
“NATO Operations. This is Wecht, can I help?”
“Wecht? It’s Quinn Borland. I’m looking for Cole.”
“I’m sorry, Commander Waverly has been reassigned and is no longer available.”
Before she could respond, the line went dead. As if they’d been waiting for the call to end, there was a knock on her door. It was Vanessa Fielding.
“Problem?” she asked.
Quinn shook her head. “I don’t know. The flowers are from a guy I’ve been seeing. He’s with NATO. I just called his private cell and was told he’d been reassigned and was no longer available.”
Vanessa frowned. She was career JAG and was rumored to be next on the promotions list.
“That’s not good. Did whoever answer the phone identify him or herself?
“Yes, a man named Wecht.”
Vanessa slid down into a chair. “Wecht? You’re sure?” Quinn nodded. “That’s not good. Wecht is part of their internal affairs group. They only bring him in for big game. If he’s answering Cole’s cell, Cole has run afoul of them. He’s either on the run or they’ve arrested him, and he’s headed to some dark hole until they get what they want from him. You need to start limiting the damage any association with him might do to your career.”
Without another word, Fielding got up and left her office.
Things had gone from bad to worse. That very afternoon, a bulletin had gone out that Cole Waverly was wanted for espionage and treason. He was accused of betraying his country and going into the illegal arms trade, taking several top-secret guidance systems with him. Aaron Mosby had disappeared, and Quinn had been brought up on Article 133 charges: conduct unbecoming an officer, which had revealed her covert work for the Agency. She’d been cleared of all charges and specifications, but it had made her persona non grata with both the Navy and the Agency, who’d left her to twist in the wind.
It had been made plain to her that she was no longer welcome at JAG.
“How bad is it, Vanessa?” she’d asked of the woman who’d stepped up to act as defense counsel.
“Bad. There’s a lot of posturing going on. I’m not sure what the Admiral knows, but he’s negotiated with Command to allow you to quietly leave the service as Quinn Borland. He also made sure that your real name was restored and service records for Kennedy Greyson will be in place so that you can move on in civilian life.”
“My brother’s family?”
Vanessa shook her head. “The Agency has disavowed any knowledge of you or your brother. His family has disappeared.”
Kennedy closed her eyes and sighed. “It was all for nothing. And Cole?”
“Last anyone heard, he was working with Mosby.”
“You must think I’m such a fool.”
“No. I think you got used and abused by the Agency for the noblest of reasons.” Vanessa extended her hand. “I’m proud to have known you and wish I could have done more.”
“You kept me out of prison. I wasn’t sure how you were going to pull that off.”
Vanessa grinned. “Me either.”
Looking Glass Falls, Idaho
Present Day
Kennedy had packed her things, come back to the States, rolled up her sleeves, and gone to work. She’d tried reaching out to old colleagues to see if she could find out anything about her brother’s family and been rebuffed. Just when she’d thought she’d found someone in the private sector who could help, she’d been contacted by a United Nations group that her sister-in-law and nephew were in a refugee camp.
Their first meeting had been on Canadian soil three months later. Shortly after that meeting, Kennedy had moved to Seattle to become a named partner and head up the criminal division of a new law firm. She set up her brother’s family in Victoria, Canada and saw them as often as possible.
Cole Waverly and his betrayal of both country and her had become a bad memory, but one that still had the power to rip her heart out every time she thought about him. Even after seeing the evidence, she hadn’t been able to believe he’d been a traitor and now, here he was living as though nothing had ever touched him. Just this morning he’d shown up bold as brass, staring at her across the footboard of the bed.
Kennedy pulled on a pair of jeans, boots, and a loose, silk sweater with a deep, scoop neck. She needed to get her head on straight; maybe a ride would help with that. She wandered out to the barn to find Cole saddling a horse.
“Counselor? I was just going out for a ride. Care to come along?” he asked with a sardonic smile that had always seemed so much a part of him.
“I don’t think so. Seriously Cole, how are you here? The last time I heard anything about you, NATO had declared you rogue, you’d joined Mosby’s operation, and you were wanted on charges of treason and espionage.”
“I would think you would have learned that you can’t believe everything you read,” he said as he steered the horse outside and mounted it. “You sure you don’t want to come? As I recall, you always liked to come and did so easily and frequently.”
“God, you’re an ass. You left me high and dry in Naples and yet you act like I should be grateful.” Emotions flooded her brain and body. She spun on her heel and stalked back toward the guesthouse, determined to extricate herself and her firm from whatever was going on. At this point, she wouldn’t allow the firm to represent Clay Waverly, but would refer them to an excellent competitor that could do the job.
The sound of Cole dismounting and handing his horse to one of the ranch hands reached her as she increased the speed with which she was approaching the guesthouse. She could hear Cole’s footsteps behind her. She changed direction, heading to the main house, instead, to keep from being alone with Cole again. She managed to evade him until just before she reached the French doors that led into the study.
Cole caught her by the arm, halting her forward momentum, then spun her around to face him. “It wasn’t your gratitude I wanted, Kennedy. It was your honesty, your trust, your faith in me.”
“My faith in you?” she asked incredulously.
He nodded. “They told you I was a traitor and had joined ranks with Mosby. Ever wonder how his organization fell apart? I’d have thought at spy school they would have taught you to spot a well-done op.” He shook his head. “And here’s the stupid part, I almost scrubbed the whole thing when I found out what Culp had tried to do, then washed his hands of you.”
“My friend Vanessa defended me against those charges and did a damn good job.”
“She did. Ever wonder how that evidence she used to clear you came into her possession?”
Kennedy stopped and looked at him, really looked at him for the first time. He still had the same rakish good looks he’d had when they’d been together. Memories from their brief but intense past washed over her, threatening to undo all she’d done in the following years. She had to remind herself he’d disappeared without a word, leaving her to pay for the games he and Culp had been playing.
His angry expression softened. “I told my handler that if they didn’t find a way to get the charges against you dismissed, I’d scrap the op, testify, and blow the whole damn network out of the water.”
