Chapter 15
“Is there anything else you’d like to add, Mr. Lopez?” Natalia waited for the cuffed man sitting across from her to respond.
There wasn’t much of a need, really. He’d already provided more intel on Arlo Sanchez than she or anyone else at Homeland could’ve hoped for.
Thanks to the deal she was able to secure, Mateo Lopez would receive a reduced sentence in an undisclosed corrections facility far away from the rest of Sanchez’s incarcerated crew. They wouldn’t know where he was. No one within the penitentiary would be aware of his affiliation with Sanchez.
Not even the facility’s warden.
The exchange of solid, actionable intel for his safety behind bars was a deal Lopez couldn’t refuse. From this day forward—aside from Natalia, Lopez himself, and a select few agents at Homeland—the man’s whereabouts would remain hidden from the rest of the world.
And with a specialized team of field agents already acting upon the information they’d been given on Sanchez, the smuggler’s days were all but numbered. Which meant, for all intents and purposes, that she was finally done with the case.
“That is all I know.” Lopez’s heavily accented voice filled the small room.
“You made a very wise decision today, Tommy.” Natalia stood from her chair and gathered the signed papers before her. “Your cooperation has been noted and is very much appreciated. If you think of anything else that’s useful, be sure to let us know.”
“H-he won’t find me, no?” His words became stuttered with fear. “Senor Sanchez…he can never know it was me. If he does—”
“He won’t.” Natalia’s assurance was firm. “As far as Arlo Sanchez is concerned, you’re simply a foreign prisoner who became lost in the system.”
The visible tension in the man’s shoulders eased as she turned and walked out of the room. She started toward the department’s main bullpen, making it halfway when she spotted Jason Ryker and another suited man at the end of the hall.
“Agent Foster.” His use of her formal title was not surprising in the least, given where they were.
“Agent Ryker.” She smiled with a cordial dip of her chin.
“I assume by the look on your face that you were able to secure the deal with Lopez?”
“I was. The second he talked, we started putting a team into place. They’ll have boots on the ground in a few hours, and after that, Arlo Sanchez—along with his entire smuggling operation—will be little more than a memory.”
“Excellent job.”
“Thank you, sir.” Another smile. “Of course, I couldn’t have done it without the help of R.I.S.C.”
“You’re referring to Jake McQueen’s company.”
She turned to the man with whom Ryker had been speaking. “And you are?”
“My apologies.” The silver-haired man stepped forward with an outstretched hand. “Bill Hume.”
Ryker chimed in with an added, “You may also know him as Governor William Hume of Illinois.”
Ah, yes. That Bill Hume.
“I thought you looked familiar.” She finally put the name and face together. “Natalia Foster.” The two shook hands. “It’s an honor to have you at Homeland.”
Looking a tad chagrined, the well-known governor actually blushed. “The honor’s all mine, I can assure you, Agent Foster. Especially after the heroic work you and your people have done in recent years protect the citizens of Chicago.”
Stopping a shipment of illegal weapons from hitting the city’s streets…preventing a terrorist attack of epic proportions when they’d tried blowing up O’Hare…
Natalia had to admit, R.I.S.C.’s presence in Chicago had already made an invaluable difference. She also wasn’t surprised to learn that the state’s highest government official was aware of a Homeland operation that had taken place in his largest city.
There was only so much they could keep under wraps, and there were certain people who couldn’t be left in the dark. Plus, as Ryker had so eloquently informed her on numerous occasions—
The more times these rich, bureaucratic assholes see proof of how our work benefits them and their careers, the better odds they’ll come to our defense someday if shit ever hits the fan.
“Just doing my job, Governor.”
“Efficient and humble.” Governor Hume turned to Ryker with a grin. “Better hang on to this one, Jason. She’s a pretty rare find.”
Ryker flashed her a quick, friendly smile. “You can say that again.” He chuckled. “Not a lot of humility to be found in our government these days.”
“Or anywhere else for that matter,” Natalia muttered aloud before she could stop herself.
But the two men beside her simply burst into laughter.
“Hey, listen.” Hume held out a hand to Ryker. “I have another boring meeting to attend, but I’ll be in town for a couple more days. Let’s get drinks before I head back home.”
“I’ll look at my calendar and give you a call.”
“Perfect.” The governor from Illinois glanced back to her. With a winning smile and a set of perfectly straight teeth, he said, “Agent Foster, it was an absolute pleasure. Thanks again, for all that you do.”
“Nice to meet you, too, Governor.” Natalia shared a parting shake with the powerful man.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and initiated a call before turning and walking away.
“He seems nice.”
“He is.” The man beside her nodded. “When he wants to be.”
“Typical politician, eh?”
“Aren’t they all?” Ryker laughed.
Natalia joined in because yes. Yes, they were.
It was one of her biggest hesitations in making the move to Washington D.C. She’d always hated politics, and her feelings toward the men and women involved weren’t a whole lot better.
Of course, the same could probably be said for her and every other CIA spy.
At least Natalia’s jobs had always had the world’s best interests at heart. In politics, too many players were merely out for themselves, driven in their decisions by little more than power and greed.
“So.” Ryker blew out a breath, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. “You want to fill me in on what Lopez shared over a cup of mediocre coffee?”
“Sure.” Natalia nodded. “I just need to drop these off with the team, but after that, I’ll be good to go." She motioned to the documents still secured in her hand.
“How about I go grab two coffees to go? I can bring it by your office, and when you’re done dropping those off, we can just talk in there.”
“Sounds like a solid plan to me.”
“Great.” Ryker smiled. “I’ll be back in a few.”
With a quick wave, the two promptly parted ways. As promised, she left the folder with Lopez’s statement, as well as other evidentiary papers with the woman on her team in charge of finalizing the deal with the DOJ.
Once that was taken care of, Natalia went straight to her office. She shut the door with the toe of her black boot while reaching for her cell which was nestled in the back pocket of her pants.
“Hey, you,” Jagger greeted her with a smile she could hear through the phone.
Her lips curved at the sound of his deep, manly voice, and her heart kicked as she thought of all the things she wanted to do to him when she got home.
“Hey, yourself.” She moved across the room and took a seat behind her desk.
“You get anywhere with your guy?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. What about you? Liam been keeping you out of trouble while I’ve been gone?”
“Poor guy’s been tryin’,” he teased. “Of course, you know what a job that can be.”
“Boy, don’t I?” Natalia’s laugh revealed a hefty dose of sarcasm.
After a natural pause in conversation ensued, Jagger’s softened voice came through the line once more. “You about done there, or should I see if my babysitter can stay later than planned?”
She laughed again. “I should be leaving within the hour.”
“Want me to order us some food so it’ll be here when you get back?”
“Yes, please.” Her stomach chose that exact moment to viciously growl. “Get whatever you want. I’m not picky.”
His tone deepened with a teasing, “You could’ve fooled me.”
She assumed he was referring to her still being single, and when it came to men, Natalia was absolutely picky.
To her own determent most of the time, but that was just the way she was.
It wasn’t her fault she was born with the good sense to be sure before considering something as big as settling down.
Is that what you’re doing? Are you really planning to settle down with Jagger?
If someone had asked her that same question two weeks ago, she would’ve burst out laughing in their face. But now…
Now that the thought is there, I can’t seem to stop it.
Natalia had never been the typical young girl with dreams of weddings and babies and white picket fences. As an adult, she’d developed almost an aversion to all things romance and love. Especially when she’d spent years surrounding herself with men who lied for a living.
Though it hadn’t happened in the way she’d envisioned, her time at the CIA had admittedly gotten her to where she was today. It had also jaded her in ways Natalia hadn’t recognized, let alone understood.
Everything changed when she began working for Homeland. More specifically, the day she became Delta Team’s handler.
Time and again, Natalia had borne witness to the insurmountable love those men had for the women in their lives. Until then, she’d convinced herself that true love and happily ever afters were nothing more than childhood myths.
And now, with Jagger, Natalia was finally starting to believe it could exist for her, too.
“How’s pizza sound?” The man in question spoke up again.
She smiled. “It sounds perfect.”
Just like you.
“I’ll order us a few buffalo wings and some salad to go with it,” Jagger offered. “Shoot me a text when you’re on your way here and I’ll put in the order.”
She smiled, wondering to herself if he knew buffalo wings were her absolute favorite. “I’ll let you know as soon as I’m ready to leave.”
Ending the call, Natalia set her phone down onto her desk and waited for Ryker’s return. Minutes later, the two Homeland agents were discussing Lopez’s statement behind closed doors.