Chapter 10 #2
“FBI Director Mendez and CIA Director Rutherford. Plus myself, of course. Then the two men who were sent to meet up with the rescue team in Chile—Jared Morgan and Don Hopkins,” Dryden answered.
“And the girl’s safe house?” President Rydell asked. “Who knows about her present location?” The president’s eyes lifted to the ceiling as if trying to piece together what might have happened.
“Only Morgan and Hopkins. The rest of the task force was aware we had a team going after the girl,” Dryden began, “but they didn’t know the details about the operation.”
“Does this mean a member of the task force may have sent someone after me? After Dryden?”
She chanced a look at Liam. He remained rigid, his arms pinned to his sides, his biceps tight and flexed—or was he just that chiseled?
“Possibly. And if so, they probably hoped you knew the safe house location,” the president answered.
“I didn’t recognize the guy who came after me tonight aside from seeing him at a bar,” she said, thinking back to the dead man from her apartment.
“Hired help,” Liam said in a low voice. “A hitman.”
“Are we assuming someone on the task force is in Carballo’s pocket?” Dryden asked.
“No,” Liam responded. “If they knew about the mission they would’ve tipped off Carballo before we ever got there.”
“This is why you left Vegas,” she said almost under her breath. “And now—”
“We hired Liam and his associates as civilian contractors to handle the job since we couldn’t,” the president explained.
Liam kept his eyes on Emily for a moment before directing his focus to President Rydell. “Our orders were for a rescue op. This is the first I’m hearing Elaina’s a witness.”
“And who is the witness?” Emily asked.
Liam brought a closed fist to his lips and tapped it there. “Elaina’s an eight-year-old kid we rescued from one of Carballo’s compounds in Argentina.” He drew in a sharp breath and glimpsed the president. “But please tell me we didn’t kidnap the daughter of Ricco Carballo opposed to rescuing her.”
The floor became quicksand beneath Emily’s feet. She needed to sit, but she also couldn’t get herself to walk.
“It was a rescue,” the president said in a firm voice. “We don’t make it a habit to kidnap people. Not on my watch.”
The slight spinning sensation refused to relent, so she forced her feet to carry her to the couch.
“But Elaina may know something that can help us, and she’s only willing to talk to you, Liam,” the president added and pushed away from the desk. “You must’ve made quite an impression on her.”
“Sir, why’d we need to send Liam and his team into Argentina? Why couldn’t we send our own agents?” It was hard for her to believe By-The-Book-Dryden would back the president on something like this, but clearly, he had, or they wouldn’t be in the White House right now.
“Carballo has high-powered men in the Argentinian government, just like he did in Mexico when we went after him there and failed five years ago,” the president explained. “We couldn’t risk someone tipping him off we were coming.”
“And you really supported this?” Emily asked her boss.
He dipped a finger into the collar of his sweatshirt and pulled the material away from his body. “I wasn’t made aware of the methods of retrieval, only that Liam’s team, in some capacity, was involved.”
She called bullshit, but she wasn’t about to voice her thoughts so blatantly. Not in the Oval Office, at least. “Room for legal deniability?” she asked in a sharp voice, the lawyer in her rising to the surface.
If word got out about the president’s or Dryden’s involvement in a secret mission to Argentina . . . it could go one of two ways, depending on the media’s mood.
“I still don’t understand what an eight-year-old abductee might know to help take down Carballo,” Liam interrupted her semi-derailed thoughts.
“You couldn’t get at him before with the help of the Mexican government when he lived there, so what makes you believe you can get to him now that he’s hiding out in Argentina? ”
Was this really what Liam did for a day job? Went up against people like Carballo?
Worry climbed up her spine, leaving little marks, like the kind her mom placed on her bedroom doorframe to measure her growth as a kid.
“Carballo’s old school. He doesn’t have digital files.
He records his transactions in notebooks.
Scribbles plans on whiteboards. You think the girl saw something that can help us?
” she asked before the president could answer Liam, but she still had doubts.
What could a kid have possibly seen to help take down a ruthless cartel leader?
Instead of responding, the president’s attention pivoted to Dryden. “I need to speak with Liam alone. I’ll need you and Emily to leave. My apologies.”
Dryden pointed to his chest. “Mr. President?”
“As AG of the United States, it’s better if you don’t hear what I’m about to say,” he said. “You already know too much which could compromise your position. Or your future—”
“Someone came after my family and Emily tonight,” he cut him off, not seeming to care about his political career.
“Which is why you need to officially close the case against Carballo for now, and be under twenty-four-hour surveillance and protection.”
It was an order. The set-in-stone kind based on the president’s tone. But she couldn’t resist a rebuttal. “Close the case, sir? But we’re so close.”
“This is an instance where the justice system won’t be able to help us out,” he answered. “Close the case.”
“Yes, Mr. President.” Dryden nodded.
“I don’t want to go.” Emily stood and crossed her arms. “I killed a man tonight.” She wet her lips, trying to find the words. The backbone to stand up to the Commander in Chief of the United States. “I’m in this now. And I want to help.”
“Emily.” Liam turned to face her, his eyes meeting hers. A plea in his intense gaze, but she couldn’t back down.
“I’m not going to be locked away with guards.
I can’t live like that.” She shook her head.
“You’ve already admitted to me you sent a team of civilians to a sovereign nation without permission to rescue a girl who you also want as a witness.
And what about her family? Where are they?
Don’t they want her back?” Hands to hips now, she eyed the president.
“You need someone on your side from legal to ensure you don’t get yourself impeached, sir. ”
“Mr. President, I don’t think we should put Emily in any further danger,” Dryden began, “but she does know the Carballo case inside and out, and maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have someone from legal in your corner.”
The president let go of a long sigh. “Fine.” He maneuvered around his desk. “You’ll need to sign some documents if you stay in this room.”
“Of course.”
Dryden wrapped a hand over her shoulder. “Stay safe.”
“You, too, sir.” She hugged him goodbye, and once he was gone, her attention returned to Liam, to the line darting through his forehead. The unease evident in the slight bow of his normally straight spine.
“You sure this is what you want? There’s no going back once you know the truth.” Liam studied her, worry in his eyes.
“Yes.” She kept her shoulders rounded back, her posture straight. No weakness allowed.
The president came between them and extended a folder in her direction. “Here.”
As a lawyer, she’d never been one to speed read and sign—but honestly, she just wanted answers, and so, she scribbled her name on every paper and handed them back to the president. “What about him?” She gestured toward Liam. “He doesn’t need to sign anything?”
“I’ve already signed away my life,” Liam said, and she wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.
The president motioned for them to sit after he placed her signed documents back on his desk.
“Given the probable leak in the CIA-FBI task force, I don’t know who we can trust, so I’ll need your people working this case.” He sat on the couch across from them. “I’m also pretty sure this extends beyond Ricco Carballo.”
“Because of the girl, sir?” Liam asked.
He nodded. “What you both already know is that Carballo gave up selling drugs for a new hobby.” He crossed his ankle over his knee. “After he evaded capture and took off to South America, he became an international tradesman of sorts.”
“Smuggling weapons, artifacts, people . . . mostly to Europe.” This much Emily knew.
“Weapons which often go to the Middle East and are used on our soldiers.” He caught Liam’s eyes now.
“We’ve never been able to locate Carballo because he doesn’t leave a digital trail, and he’s always on the move.
It also doesn’t help that he buys off so many officials we don’t know who we can trust.” The president paused briefly.
“But Jared Morgan did manage to acquire a high-ranking official as a CIA asset, and he’s become our eyes and ears down there. ”
“That’s how you knew about the girl and the compound?” Liam spoke up.
“Yes. So far, all of Morgan’s asset’s intel has been spot on, so the CIA has trusted him.
The asset wants Carballo gone as much as we do, but he’s playing both sides.
He has to, to keep up appearances. But he still hasn’t gotten close enough for us to pinpoint Carballo’s exact location.
Carballo never gets his hands dirty himself. ”
“But who is Elaina?” Liam asked, his tone gritty. “Why is someone on the joint task force willing to throw their career away to find her location?”
“Because Carballo isn’t the one who wants her, is he?” Emily asked before the president answered Liam. “Someone else does, right? Carballo’s just a middle man.”
“The asset informed us that Carballo had learned someone—the asset had no idea who—had negotiated to pay Carballo ten million dollars for Elaina.”
A slight tremble moved down her spine at the news. “Does Elaina’s family know we have her?”