Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The sun was over the horizon as Alex carried her outside into the cool morning air. Her jacket had disappeared somewhere between yesterday and now, but Alex was warm. Still, she wanted to stand on her own two feet and walk out of this awful place herself. Even if it hurt.
“Put me down,” she said. “Please.”
“Diana, I can carry you—”
“No, I want to—I need to walk out of here on my own. I don’t want them to see me and think they broke me. I want Viktor’s last memory of this moment to be me standing free while he’s in cuffs.”
The police were still outside in the courtyard, talking on radios. Viktor and Boris were in one car. Ackerman was in another, his head bowed. Gannon was in a third car, staring straight ahead.
“Okay,” Alex said, kissing her temple. He set her on her feet. It hurt like hell, but she straightened her spine and stood staring at those cars, at the men in them, and felt nothing but rage. Viktor turned his head to look at her, glaring, but she only lifted her chin higher.
“You have not won,” she murmured.
Alex gave her hand a light squeeze.
One of the cops walked over to Alex and shook his hand. It wasn’t until she started to pay attention to the people milling in the courtyard, really pay attention, that she realized what she had not before.
These men and women—because there were a couple women in camo like the rest—weren’t what she’d thought.
Their patches identified them as the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
She’d worked with OSI before. And maybe she shouldn’t be surprised to see them because Athena came under the purview of the Air Force and the newer Space Force.
It was natural they’d be involved in an operation to protect the project.
“Thank you, sir,” the man said. “Appreciate your help on this one. If you could, uh, wait a few moments? The major would like to speak with you.”
“I have a couple of minutes, but not more. I need to get Agent Corbin home.”
“Yes, sir. Understood, sir.”
The airmen started to get into cars and SUVs.
One by one, the cars carrying her attackers moved down the drive toward the road.
One did not move, however. When the other vehicles were gone, the men sitting in the front seat of the remaining car got out.
One opened the back door. Brent Gannon climbed out and another man unlocked his cuffs.
Diana blinked. Alex didn’t seem surprised, nor did his team, as Gannon walked toward them, rubbing his wrists.
“Agent Corbin, I apologize for what happened to you, but I’m damn glad you’re alive.”
“I…” She turned her head. “What is going on? Did you know about this?”
Alex met her gaze. His was troubled. “Not until he called me when we were on the way here. Still not happy you let this happen, Major Sharpe.”
Sharpe?
“I’m sorry, sir. Viktor Dashevsky didn’t inform me of everything, as I told you when we spoke last night. I only learned he’d arranged with Agent Ackerman to abduct his partner after it was done.”
“But you wouldn’t have stopped it even if you had.”
Gannon—Sharpe’s—eyes sparked. “This was an active investigation, sir. I’ve been embedded for months now. We were close to getting what we needed. And now we have, thanks to all of you.”
“At what cost?” Alex growled.
Diana put her good hand on his arm. The other throbbed, but the painkillers Kane had injected her with were helping. “This is the job,” she said, looking at Sharpe. “We’re investigators. We do what needs done. I assume you’re wearing a wire?”
Sharpe inclined his head in answer. “Thank you for understanding, ma’am.”
He grinned at her. He was strangely a lot more handsome than he’d been as Gannon. Younger, too. Not by much, but enough. As if peeling off that role had returned him to his natural state. Whatever that was.
“I’m impressed you roofied me, make no mistake. I didn’t see that one coming.”
“You were a bit of a pig as Gannon. I thought you probably deserved it.”
He looked a little ashamed. “Not a nice man, that Colonel Gannon. Quite a pervert, actually. Sorry for the porn and the noises you had to listen to, by the way. But Gannon’s finished for now.
Hope I don’t have to resurrect him, but you never know.
In the meantime, the militia leaders are rounded up, Dashevsky is in custody, and we’re on the way to exposing his organization for what it really is.
In part thanks to your groundwork, Agent Corbin. ”
“Sir,” one of the airmen called. “We need to be on the road. The transport is arriving in an hour.”
“Be there in a moment.” He turned back to Diana, Alex, and the team.
“We’re taking Dashevsky and his men to Guantanamo.
They’ll be held there to prevent, uh, interference from certain quarters.
You don’t have to worry about him getting out or coming after you.
It won’t happen. His reputation will be destroyed when the truth is known. Nobody will demand his release.”
Diana felt the shock to her bones. It wasn’t what she’d anticipated, wasn’t how she’d wanted it to go down—because she’d wanted to be the one who faced him across a table and levied charges—but it was damned good. Probably even better than she’d hoped for.
Viktor Dashevsky would no longer traffic in humans. He would no longer foment war and sell illegal weapons. Others would rise to take his place, because that’s how humanity worked, but she’d go after them, too.
Because that’s how she worked.
“Thank you, Major.”
He held out his hand. She put hers in it and they shook. He was careful of her, because of her injuries, but there was respect in his eyes.
When he turned and went back to the car, he got in the front seat and one of his men got in the back. Then they headed down the drive.
“Never had a clue,” Seth said. “He’s good. Sure explains why we never found anything we could really use, though.”
Alex humphed. “That’s a man who disappears into a role, for good or bad.
Right down to that ridiculous notebook entry about Greek mythology.
He was prepared for anything. Not a fan but have to admit we need people like him.
Reminds me of Ian Black,” he muttered. “Really wish I could make him pay for all that porn and squealing. Bastard played recordings, varied enough that it sounded real. So he says anyway.”
“Maybe some of them were real,” Diana said.
Alex shuddered. “God, I hope not. Nobody should sound like that.”
A big, black Suburban ambled up the drive with Chance behind the wheel.
The doors opened, the guys peeled off weapons and stowed them in the very back.
Three of the guys climbed into the back row.
Alex helped her into the middle row, then got in beside her.
She was weary and in pain, but she was strangely happy too.
He threaded his fingers in hers. She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.
The doors shut, the engine revved, and they were moving. Going to Sutton’s Creek.
Going home.