Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
At three o’clock, Seth and Callie walked into the range with Luna at their side. Daphne, Emma, and Rory were sitting in the meeting room with drinks. They’d put plates and side dishes on the console table at one end of the room, and they beckoned Callie in while Seth went to find his guys.
She squeezed his hand before they parted, and he knew she wanted information. To his way of thinking, she deserved it. She’d helped them figure out a major issue with the Athena Project, and she’d been instrumental in identifying the saboteur. He planned to argue for her inclusion in what happened next if it came down to it.
Kane was out back, cooking chicken on the grill. Seth walked out and clapped his teammate on the shoulder. Kane arched an eyebrow, but his smile was friendly.
“Sorry, man. I was being a moody prick.”
Kane laughed. “What’s new about that?”
“Not much.”
“My point. And hey, I was a dick too, so let’s call it even and be done. Unless you want to hug it out?”
Seth snorted. “I’m good.”
He went inside and found Ghost, who was in his office. “FBI picked her up two hours ago. I’ve got nothing yet.”
Seth sank onto a chair with a sigh. “There’s still so much we don’t know. Who the fuck is Mikhail? Who trashed Callie’s place? I hope she’s got the answers because Callie really deserves a fucking break.”
Ghost leaned back in his chair, hands folded over his abdomen. “I really thought when I sent you to protect her, I’d cracked the code. No pun intended. But damn, dude, I thought you were the one who’d be impervious to any mushy shit. Then you go and get involved at a rate of speed that’s quite frankly astonishing for someone who’s always been cool-headed. You want to tell me what’s going on with you two?”
Seth shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. We’re figuring it out. It’s early days.”
Ghost pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, fine. Just don’t fucking get her pregnant, okay? I don’t have time for more of that shit.”
“Not planning on it, boss.”
Yet. Maybe someday if Callie wanted to.
“I have a daughter though. Gave up my parental rights before I ever joined the military. Probably should have said so before when you told us having no family ties was a requirement for this mission. Not that I’ve ever spoken to her, or even know where she is. But she’s out there.”
Ghost looked stunned. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing to say. I should have told my friends years ago. I’m telling you now, and I’ll tell the guys as well. If it changes your opinion of me, nothing I can do about that. It’ll be no worse than what I’ve thought of myself all these years.”
“My not knowing what to say was the fact I’m just learning this about you, not that it happened. I know you joined the military at eighteen, so I’m guessing you were a kid yourself. No shame, brother. No judgment. You probably did the right thing for her. I assume she was adopted?”
“Yeah.” There was a knot in his throat. All these years he’d kept it to himself and he’d been wrong. Callie was right that the people who cared about him would understand.
“I was adopted,” Ghost said. “My parents were good people who couldn’t have children of their own. My birth mother was a teenager. Giving me up was the best choice for me . I’m glad she wasn’t selfish about it.”
Seth blinked. “I didn’t know.”
“Not something that’s ever come up, has it? The conversation now warrants it, so I’m telling you. Maybe don’t feel so guilty about it, huh? I know that’s easier said than done, but think about what I told you.”
“I will. Thank you, sir.”
“Knock it off with the ‘sir’ crap, Seth. I think what we’ve just shared requires first names, don’t you?”
“Yes. Alex. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Daphne appeared in the doorway. “There’s a woman to see you, Alex.”
“Doesn’t she know the range is closed on Sunday?”
“I think she does. I also think she doesn’t care.”
Seth had a bad feeling about this. “Is she blond, pretty, and looks like she rips men’s balls off for entertainment?”
Daphne’s lips quirked. “That about sums it up. Special Agent Diana Corbin asked me not to say it was her.”
Ghost groaned. “Well fuck me, how the hell did she escape from Kentucky anyway? She hasn’t been gone a month. And what does she want with me?”
“I’m not sure, but she said it was important.”
“Okay, fine.” He started to get up but then sat back down. “You know what? Wait five minutes and bring her back here. Seth, round up the guys and join us.”
“Got it.”
Seth hopped up and went to find Blaze, Chance, and Ethan. They were in the stock room, discussing the merits of the new laser sights that had come in. Seth sent them to Ghost’s office and went outside to get Kane, who was just putting the last piece of chicken in the foil pan. He turned off the grill and carried the chicken to the meeting room, then he and Seth went to join their team.
They arranged themselves around the room and waited for Daphne to show Diana in. To her credit, Special Agent Corbin didn’t blink when she saw them gathered. She strolled in with the grace of a gazelle and took the chair Alex indicated.
“Welcome back, Agent Corbin.”
“Thank you. I’m happy to be here.”
She was cool, aloof, and so elegant she almost seemed out of place in a shooting range. Which was hilarious because she had to be pretty damned good with a weapon. She wouldn’t be an agent if she wasn’t.
“Didn’t like Kentucky?”
“Oh, I liked it just fine, Mr. Bishop. Turns out I was needed here.” She let her gaze slide over them. “It’s been decided at levels above my pay grade that our office needs a special relationship with yours. I’ll be your liaison.”
“Of course you will,” Ghost said. “How delightful.”
She arched a brow. “I have information. You might want to tone the sarcasm down.”
“Duly noted.”
She took a notebook from her pocket and flipped it open. “Joanne Robbins cracked like a fresh egg. She set the fire in the building because she wanted to put a stop to the project she was in charge of. She believes that in the wrong hands it could be a tool for harm. She tried to sabotage it from within, but Caroline Crowell is too good at what she does to be fooled for long. So Dr. Robbins wanted to stop the project indefinitely. She wasn’t trying to hurt Ms. Crowell, or so she says.”
“Bullshit,” Seth spat.
Diana’s gaze slewed to his. “I happen to agree with you. There’s a lot more here, but I’m afraid I’m not able to discuss it. It’s too bad you don’t have a SCIF. I could talk freely in there because I’ve been given permission to do so.”
She looked meaningfully at Ghost for long seconds.
“Oh Jesus, why don’t we just take out an advertisement in the Sutton’s Creek Bee? Let everyone know we have special meeting rooms available.” He did air quotes when he said special meeting rooms . Would have been funny if it wasn’t so serious.
“I believe you did take out an ad in the Bee,” Diana said. “Though I didn’t see any mention of a special room.”
“Kane, go tell Daph we’re headed into the meeting room for a few minutes. And ask Callie to join us.”
Diana frowned. “I don’t think having Ms. Crowell?—”
“This is my territory, Agent Corbin. I make the decisions.”
She glared at Ghost, and he glared back. Then she nodded as regally as a queen. “Of course.”
Callie walked in, her gaze going around the room. She went to Seth’s side and he put an arm around her. Then Ghost led the way into the SCIF, and they arranged themselves around the table. Seth gave Callie his seat and stood behind her. Ghost indicated that Diana could have his seat at the head of the table while he leaned against one of the computer banks, arms and legs crossed. Seth knew, because he knew the boss, that he wasn’t amused in the least.
Diana studied the room. “This is impressive. Looks like some money went into this place.”
“You know how it is,” Ghost drawled. “Daddy gives, and Daddy takes away. Care to tell us how you found out about this?”
She slid a glance at Callie before deciding to speak. “People in Washington talk. Even when they aren’t supposed to. The director is an old family friend, though I don’t think you knew that.”
“You’ve got me there.”
“I heard it from him when I went to see him about my inconvenient trip to Kentucky.”
Ghost laughed. “Son of a bitch, you were holding out on us, Agent Corbin. Friends in high places indeed.”
“Maybe not as high as some,” she said pointedly. “But good enough.”
“Now that we understand each other, what have you got for us?”
“If Joanne Robbins is a foreign agent, she’s a very bad one. She’s been babbling since we apprehended her. Over the past few months, she’s become afraid the Athena Project will be a tool for harm in the future. She said that while President Willis is a good person she believes will use the technology responsibly to protect this nation, she wasn’t certain that a future president wouldn’t see it as somewhat of a license to attack other countries at will. That’s why she sabotaged the code and why she set the fire a few nights ago. To stop Athena from being a tool wielded by tyrants. Her exact words.”
Callie made a noise. Seth put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
“She said you’re too good.” Diana directed her gaze at Callie. “She knew you were going to find the dormant code and figure out who’d put it there. She wanted to scare you, make you quit before it happened. She swears she wasn’t trying to kill you, but she also knows if you’d been in the lab another ten minutes without the sprinklers, you’d have succumbed to the smoke.”
Diana lifted her gaze to the rest of them. “She’s a talented programmer. She interfered with the sprinkler system, and she removed the evidence she’d been in the building at the time of the fire. I’m not sure I believe that she wasn’t trying to kill Ms. Crowell.” Another look at Callie. “You don’t have to report for work tonight. She made that up and sent it to you only. Presumably to try and dissuade you again. Not sure what her plans were this time.”
Callie trembled, but was it fear or outrage? “But she hired me! And gave me the freedom to work independently. Why would she do that and then try to scare me away or kill me? She could have fired me. What would I have done then? I’d have left, that’s what. What the fuck is wrong with people?”
“We don’t know everything yet, but she was ordered to hire you and ordered to put you on Athena. The directive came from the company founder, Dr. Griffin. But she believes someone else convinced him you were the right person. She doesn’t know who. She couldn’t fire you, Ms. Crowell. She could only make you want to quit.”
“Or kill me,” Callie muttered. “She knew my story. And she knows my sister depends on me. I guess our lives were worth it to her though, if it stops a tyrant. By all means.”
Callie sounded bitter, and he didn’t blame her. His own thoughts about Joanne Robbins weren’t exactly civilized at the moment.
“Do you believe her?” Ghost asked.
“I believe it’s what she believes. Naturally, we’ll be watching Dr. Griffin and monitoring his contacts.”
“Anything else for us?”
“Yes. The two Russians in custody, Abram Federov and Dima Smirnov, who were picked up impersonating UAH students….”
Callie stiffened, and Seth knew she’d figured out precisely who they were impersonating.
“Federov is being handed over in a prisoner exchange with Russia. But Smirnov… Well, the man we have in custody isn’t him.”
“Who is he?” Ghost asked.
“Exactly who he says he is. Cyril Dyka. He’s been released.”
“And where is Smirnov?”
“No idea, unfortunately. We’re working on it.”
Ghost rubbed a hand over his face. “Okay. Do you have a photo?”
Diana slipped a small paper from her pocket. “It took time to find this because they’d hidden it well, pointed all evidence at Cyril Dyka being Smirnov. But this is Smirnov.”
She turned the photo so the group could see, and Seth knew she’d been dramatic on purpose. Looking for a reaction, which she got when Callie shot to her feet with a gasp.
He already knew what she was going to say.
“That’s Mikhail.”