Chapter 9 #2
“Give me a little credit, Keith.” The gorgeous woman scoffed. “I mean, do you honestly expect me to believe you just happened to be working with a group of known men from Sanchez’s crew?”
“Believe whatever the hell you want. I’m telling you, that was the first time I ever met those guys.”
“You’re telling me that your very first night working that section of the Illinois International Port District was with seven other men we know were on Sanchez’s payroll?
” Her head tilted slightly to the left. “And low and behold, that very same night, the bastard’s boat shows up hauling crates filled to the rim with a shit ton of illegal guns.
Come on, Keith. Is that really how you want to play this? ”
“Play it however you want, Foster,” Sinclair snarled back. “After all, that is your M.O.”
Talia’s spine stiffened again, the prick’s comment clearly hitting one of the woman’s many buttons. Jagger inched closer to the glass as he prepared for her response, watching them both carefully for the slightest sign of deceit.
There was a definite history between them.
Something that went way beyond having been fellow spooks for the CIA.
It was there, in the way Sinclair looked at Talia.
A hostility stemming from what, Jagger didn’t know.
And as he watched the interaction between the former colleagues, he planned to find out as much about Keith Sinclair as he could.
Who is this man?
Natalia willed the pounding in her chest to ease as she stared back at a man she’d once trusted to have her back.
Keith’s tall form was still as muscular as ever, and his dark hair was still kept short and tight.
Several strands of gray were now mixed throughout.
Deep crevices lined the length of his forehead.
But it was the bags beneath the man’s eyes that spoke volumes about the kind of life he’d led since she’d last seen him.
It had only been a few years since the two had last parted ways.
The same day Natalia was walked out of Langley.
To look at Keith now, however, she could’ve easily believed a decade had passed.
Working for an asshole criminal like Sanchez can do that to a person.
“Typical Sinclair,” she taunted back in retaliation to the personal remark he’d just made. “Still can’t take the heat, so you turn it around on someone else.”
“I can take the heat just fine, you snobby bitch. And I’m not turning anything around on anyone. Just calling it like it is.”
He’s trying to make it personal. Don’t fall into his trap.
Natalia pulled in a slow, deep breath before releasing it silently into the room’s stale air. He was purposefully goading her. Trying his best to make her snap back, or worse, lose it completely. Anything to discredit her standing with Homeland.
Just as he’d done with the CIA.
“Why were you in Chicago?”
“I live there?”
“Since when?”
“I don’t know…” He shrugged. “A little over a year.”
“How long have you worked for Sanchez?” Natalia decided to ask him point-blank.
“Already told you, I don’t know who that is.”
“Then explain to me how you came to work the port with a group of his men.”
“I was filling in for a guy I know.”
“This guy got a name?”
“Michael Hernandez.” Keith’s frustration was becoming more obvious by the second. “We used to work construction together. He called me up; said he had a gig open up last-minute if I was looking to make some extra cash.”
“And did you?” She stared back at him pointedly. “Need extra cash, I mean?”
“You know what went down at the agency after the clusterfuck in Afghanistan,” he charged. “What do you think?”
“What went down was that I took the fall for something that wasn’t my fault, and you got to keep your career.”
“My career went to shit right after you left. Wanna know why?”
Actually, yes. She did.
“Do tell.”
“Because no one wanted to work with someone they couldn’t trust to get the job done. They saw me, they saw some schmuck who stood by while his team leader fucked everything up.”
“I followed orders as they were given.”
Keith shot forward in his chair so fast, she barely managed not to jump. “Our orders were to locate and rescue those hostages!” Spittle flew from his mouth. “Instead, we lost them and one of our own men!”
“Those deaths weren’t on me.”
It wasn’t, dammit.
“Well, it sure as shit wasn’t on me. Yet, I get pushed out of a job I loved, can’t get hired by any reputable company all because I had the shit luck to be assigned on that fucking op with you. And here you are, the one on that side of the table.”
“And you’re the one wearing cuffs,” she shot back.
“So I suggest you start talking sooner, rather than later. Because we will verify your story, but I’m also going to be speaking to the rest of the men from the port, just as soon as I’m finished with you.
If one of those men gives up the goods on Sanchez first, there won’t be any deals left to be made.
So come on, Keith. I know you. Which is how I know you aren’t about to take the fall for two murders when you can put the blame on someone else. ”
“Lawyer.”
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
In the movies, cops always kept talking to the criminals after they lawyered up. Tried smooth-talking them into folding. Threaten to take away the perp’s kids.
As far as Natalia knew, Keith was still single and he hadn’t fathered any children. Even if he had, it wouldn’t matter because in real life, those tactics were illegal as hell.
“That’s how you want to play it, fine.” She pushed herself to her feet and casually placed the pictures back into the folder. “I’ll make sure a lawyer is assigned to you within the hour. You change your mind and decide to be smart about this, just tell them you want to see me.”
“Thanks, but no thanks.” Keith fell back into his chair with a shake of his head. With his cold, uncaring eyes locked onto hers, he said, “You’re the last person I want coming to my rescue.”
Feeling’s mutual, dick for brains.
As she slowly made her way to the door, Natalia contemplated her next move. If she asked the one other question burning into her brain, she ran the risk of revealing things she’d rather keep hidden.
On the flipside, if she didn’t say something now and those things were somehow still revealed later…
It could be like Langley all over again.
“I have one more question.” She stopped at the door and turned to face him once more. “I promise, it’s completely unrelated to this investigation.” That she knew of, anyway.
With a frustrated hand flailing her direction, Keith growled back a deep, “Just ask whatever it is and go.”
“Where were you in the hours leading up to the job at the port?”
“In my hotel room…asleep.” Keith frowned. “Why?”
“Anyone there with you who can verify that?”
“I just told you, I was asleep.”
“Doesn’t mean you were alone,” she pointed out what should have been obvious. “Could be you had a woman with you. Or maybe you woke up and got hungry.” Talia shrugged. “You could’ve ordered a pizza.”
“I was alone, and I grabbed a burger on the way to the port.”
When she asked next if he’d gone anywhere near the hotel where she’d stayed, another frown deepened the lines between his dark, bushy brows.
“I have no idea where that is.” He shook his head. “And why the hell would I go there? I didn’t even know you were in Chicago.”
She watched him closely. Studied his dark brown gaze. But no matter how hard she tried—thanks to the man’s former CIA training—it was impossible to determine whether he was being deceitful or telling the truth.
“No worries.” Natalia kept her tone intentionally light and airy. “I’m sure your cell phone data will confirm. And just so you’re aware, we’ll be talking to Michael Hernandez to see if he corroborates your story.”
The look he gave her was on the verge of being compelling. “It’s not a damn story, Foster. It’s the fucking truth.”
She stared back at a man she’d once considered a teammate. “For your sake, Keith, I sincerely hope that’s true.”
Reaching down, she turned the metal knob and pulled open the door. Letting it shut behind her, she gave the uniformed man standing guard a nod to let her know she was finished.
Natalia walked three steps down the long, tiled hallway before stopping at the very next door to her left. Fully aware that her interaction with Keith had been put on full display, she began talking before pushing the door open all the way.
“Well, that went pretty much as I expected. Don’t worry, though. I’ll keep at him. Keith’s too self-centered not to do everything he can to save his own ass.”
“Speaking of asses.” A face she did not expect to see turned her way with a grin. “Guy sure seems like a pretty big one to me.”
For the second time that day, Natalia found herself shocked into place by none other than Jagger Brooks.
“You. You’re…here.”
Was there a question in there somewhere, or did you forget how to coherently speak?
“I requested Mr. Brooks join me in observing the suspect’s interrogation.”
She turned to her boss, who was looking back at her with an unreadable expression. “If this is your way of asking whether I had prior knowledge that Keith Sinclair would be at that port, I can assure you, I did not.”
“Duly noted.” Ryker shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to Jagger with a sigh. “Told you.”
Wait…what?
“You thought I knew?” Natalia shot Jagger a frown.
Her wheels began to spin, rapidly formulating another disheartening thought altogether.
“That’s why you offered to fly me here, isn’t it?
” She looked him square in the eyes. “You used the cancelled flight as an excuse to come here so you could…what? Use my interrogation of a suspect to determine whether or not I was a traitor to my country?”
“Easy, now,” Jagger drawled. “No one here thinks you’re a traitor.”
“But you admit your offer to fly me here was something other than a spontaneous act of selfless chivalry?”
“Oh, it was a spontaneous all right.” He took a step toward her. “And I’m almost always a total gentleman. But in the interest of full transparency, I should also probably let you know your flight was never actually delayed.”
She waited for the smirk to come, but it didn’t. She thought he’d start laughing and say he was only kidding about that last part. It took a moment after neither of those things transpired for Natalia to realize the man was telling the truth.
No way.
“But the board at the airport showed—”
“Cutler hacked into the airport’s flight info board to make it appear as though your flight had been cancelled.”
“He what?” Natalia took an angered step toward him as a wave of rage rushed to the surface.
“Only for a little bit,” Jagger childishly defended his actions. “Just long enough for me to talk you into letting me fly you here, instead. The second we walked away from that board, I texted Liam, and he put everything back like it was. No harm, no foul.”
No harm, no—
“Unbelievable.” She looked back at the man as if he’d grown two heads.
Her gaze swung in Ryker’s direction next, but he simply shrugged as if to say he wasn’t surprised in the least.
God, save me from Alpha-brained men.
“You do realize, Liam could go to prison for what he did.” Natalia shot Jagger an arched brow. “And you would be in the cell right next to his.”
“Yeah, that probably would happen.” Jagger appeared to muse.
“If someone decided to tattle. Of course, that would bring more attention to this little investigation of yours. Could raise questions about former teammates and their connection to gun smugglers…and you. So I’m guessin’ you’re going to choose to let this one slide. ”
“You mean you’re hoping I let it slide.”
Jagger shrugged. “Potato, potah—”
“Don’t!” Natalia lifted a palm in the space between them. “Just…don’t.”
“Take the personal out of it, Natalia.” The rumbled order came from Ryker. “Try to see the situation from his team’s point of view.”
“Their point of view?” Her gaze narrowed.
“How about they take into account the past two years that I’ve been their freaking handler?
Or the times I had their sixes in the damn field?
” To Jagger, she asked, “How did you even find out about Sinclair in the first place? I didn’t even know he was one of the men at the port until I got here and was given the file. ”
She was still trying to come to grips with the emotions that had taken over the moment she’d opened that file and read Keith’s name. When she’d seen his picture, and…she knew.
“The team trusts you, Talia.” Jagger’s dark stare drew her in. “But you know better than most that trust only goes so far.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Oh, come on, Talia,” Ryker chimed back in. “You were CIA. You know exactly what it means.”
“I had to be sure,” Jagger rumbled next. “For the sake of my team.”
She bore her gaze deep into his with a demanding, “And are you?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation. That was something, at least.
Anger aside, Natalia kept her emotions in check. She refused to let him see the pain his doubt had caused. Because it hurt.
It hurts a lot, dammit.
More than she’d ever admit.
“Question my integrity again and we’re done.” To Ryker, she added, “That goes for you, too.”
“Hold up, now.” Jagger immediately jumped to the other man’s defense. “Ryker’s done nothin’ but sing your praises since I got here. This isn’t on him.”
“So it’s just you.” Did he honestly think that made it better? “Good to know.”
“Talia—”
“No, really. I always like to know where I stand with the people I work with.” She swallowed the giant knot in her throat. “And now, I do. If you’ll excuse me, I have nine more criminals to question. Unless, of course, you’d like to observe those, too.”
With no intentions of waiting for either man to respond, Natalia spun on her heels and stormed out of the room. Despite how hurt she felt, it was still surprisingly hard to ignore Jagger’s calls for her to stop as the door slammed shut behind her.