Chapter 17 #3
“Good news. I was able to worm my way into the personnel files, and your guy’s story checks out.
Aleksei Thompson. Thirty-four years old.
Graduated from college in three years at the age of twenty.
He was in ROTC. After graduation, he served five years in active duty, receiving multiple commendations.
He was Special Forces, but I couldn’t get details on his missions without hacking into the highly confidential stuff and sending off alarm bells.
After the Marines, he spent seven years with the bureau.
Sky-high marks on his entrance exams. Excellent tactical skills.
Glowing annual evaluations. Passed all the psych exams with flying colors.
Shifted from active agent to a consultant trainer at Quantico two years ago. ”
The vise grip around her ribs eased with each sentence. Her instincts hadn’t been wrong. They might be in a crazy situation, and by taking off her wig, she might have pushed the relationship too hard, too fast, but her heart had read Aleksei correctly. He was one of the good guys.
“Thank you. I really appreciate your help.”
“Of course. Any time. I feel bad for the guy. From the files, it seems like he’s really been through it.
It looks like he retired after his partner was killed during an undercover organized crime investigation.
I don’t blame him for taking one last shot at putting this Moresco guy away.
It seems like the entire team thought Moresco was behind the murder, but there was no proof.
The murder hit the headlines, so they had to shut the op down. ”
If she wasn’t already sitting, she’d have dropped to the ground. “Salvatore Moresco? From Philadelphia?”
“Yeah. There’s an addendum to the personnel file.
It looks like it was added earlier today.
It says Thompson initiated contact with an accountant at Pannetone & Associates a few weeks ago to follow up on a lead pertaining to Moresco.
Potential money laundering. I assume that’s when he contacted you.
There’s no more detail other than a link to an active investigation, which I assume is the explosion at your office that you told me about.
That file has a higher classification, so I can’t easily access it.
I’m sure I can get in if you need me to. I just ran out of time.”
Her throat constricted. Her blood went hot. She might actually vomit. What was the phrase Christian used? Initiated contact with an accountant.
He’d initiated contact with her all right.
The words made it sound so official, but there wasn’t anything official about it.
He’d tricked her. He’d used her. He’d known who she was from the beginning.
He’d played her, and she’d gone right along like an eager-for-attention golden retriever, thrilled with every scrap of attention he’d thrown at her.
She’d been gullible. Now she knew better. Step one was making sure Christian knew exactly what Aleksei had done.
“He didn’t tell me he was investigating Moresco. He acted like we were dating.” She hated how weak and shaky her voice sounded.
“Oh shit, Rose. That sucks. I’m sorry.” His tone was sympathetic, but he sounded nonplussed.
“You’re not surprised, are you?” she asked.
“He’s an undercover man. That’s how they catch criminals. It’s not pretty, but it works. Thompson needed information and likely didn’t know if he could trust you. He approached you in a way that made sense.”
That type of deceit would never make sense in her world.
But she wasn’t in her world anymore. She was in a world of pretense and lies.
A world where men handled guns with silencers as comfortably as a pen.
A world where people dumped phones so they couldn’t be tracked.
A world with explosions. A world where bodies were burned beyond recognition. A world that was not safe.
A world she didn’t have the skills to navigate alone.
“Can I trust him?”
“Come to DC. I’ll get to the bottom of this. I’ll protect you.”
She wasn’t going to DC. There was no way she was dragging Christian deeper into this mess than she already had. Sage and Ryker had saved her life. Literally. If she went to DC, she’d bring the danger that was stalking her to all of them. She would never do that. She loved them all too much.
“Can I trust him?” she repeated.
“Rose, this is not the time for you to be stubborn. Come here. Let me help you.”
She asked a third time, pouring ice and determination into her tone. “Can. I. Trust. Him?”
Christian sighed wearily. She didn’t know if he was still tired from surgery or exasperated by her refusal.
“Men like Aleksei Thompson don’t change.
He has excellent skills, and they’re still sharp.
He wouldn’t be a trainer if they were rusty.
Soldiers and agents don’t get the commendations and reviews he received unless they’re loyal and willing to serve at any cost. He might lie to you.
He might do things you don’t like or agree with, but a man like that would give his life to keep an innocent civilian safe.
A man like that would die for you if he had to. ”
And that was the kicker, wasn’t it? Her heart hadn’t been wrong in recognizing the goodness in Aleksei—it had just been wrong in interpreting his general goodness as affection for her specifically.
Being around him, knowing that he’d played her, knowing their deep conversations had been faked and that his feelings for her were an act was going to be hard. Really hard.
But whether she liked it or not, if she wanted to live through this, staying with Aleksei was her best option.