Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Ana stared in a daze at the flashing blue and red lights off in the distance down by the riverbank of the Danube, opposite of where the Buda Castle sat perched regally on Castle Hill.
Was it really only yesterday they were in Georgia and Porter had been shot? The Huntsman killed?
Now here she was in Budapest, a gorgeous and romantic city, and just one hour ago, Russians had opened fire on the Volkov yacht, exposing yet another dirty agent.
God, she could use a break. One that involved a pond, ice cream, and fireflies—without the weight of the world on her shoulders this time.
A mix of Hungarian law enforcement and American FBI agents worked side by side as they dealt with the crime scene down below. A.J. and his team had preferred to stay out of the limelight. Too many questions they wouldn’t be able to answer, so they’d moved out of sight.
She was standing in an empty parking lot that had a view of the scene. Two vehicles were parked behind her, which housed A.J.’s crew as they wrapped up mission details.
She’d changed into fresh clothes in the back of the van twenty minutes ago since she’d been covered in blood—thankfully not hers.
Only a scratch on her forehead from when she’d hit the glass.
So, not bad. Poor A.J. had been the one with a massive purple bruise on his chest from when she’d shot him.
God, how could she ever erase that memory from her mind?
At the feel of A.J.’s arms wrapping around her waist from behind, she let go of a relaxed breath.
“Hi,” she whispered, grateful to be safe in his embrace.
She tipped her head back to catch his eyes.
“Oh, this isn’t just a sweet hug, is it?
” She’d learned to read the man well, and based on his tight mouth and the scowl on his face, he was upset about something.
She turned in his arms, and when she saw Kyle standing off to the side behind A.J., she knew why he was unhappy.
“Oh.” She stepped back, and A.J. tore a hand through his hair. “I’m gonna go see if we’ve heard anything about Winters yet.” He reached for her hand, checking to make sure she’d be okay, and she gave him a reassuring squeeze.
For a minute, she’d been concerned Kyle was dirty, too.
Apparently, Director Mendez had sent Kyle to Hungary on special assignment to not only help with taking down Russian mobs, but to keep an eye on his fellow agents to ensure none were corrupt.
And it was one reason why Mendez had trusted Kyle to lead the team tonight.
“Hi.” Kyle was wearing his FBI blue raider jacket now, paired with jeans and loafers. He crossed his arms, standing in front of her as A.J. reluctantly left to climb into Harper’s mobile unit.
Tucking her hands into her pockets, she took an awkward step closer to her ex. “Thank you for the assist tonight.”
His mouth tightened, and his eyes fell to the ground. “I vouched for those agents. I didn’t expect one of the guys on my team to be dirty. I handpicked them,” he said with disgust.
“Don’t blame yourself. We’ve all been duped. Betrayed.” And Kyle most likely felt betrayed by her, too. Her secret life. “It couldn’t have been easy when you found out about my parents.” She had to apologize at some point. “I’m sorry I never told you.”
“I knew before the news broke the story.” His gaze lifted, and the lamppost nearby threw a shadow across his face when he advanced a step closer. “I found out four months ago, actually.”
Four months? “That’s when you stopped calling,” she whispered in understanding. He’d been phoning her while on assignment with the hope of getting back together, and then the calls just stopped. She thought he’d given up, but oh wow, he’d found out the truth. But how?
He nodded as if reading her thoughts and letting her know that yes, whatever she was thinking was true.
“As I’m sure you know now, Mendez tasked me to be the eyes and ears at the attaché here, worried that corruption within the task force could easily happen, given the Feds had permission from the Hungarians to take down Russian organized crime. ”
“And he told you about me?” Mendez knew her history from what A.J.’s team had told her.
“I stumbled upon some old photos while looking into the Volkovs once they were rumored to have re-emerged. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a sixteen-year-old version of you standing in the Buda Labyrinths with two notorious Volkov spies who died fifteen years ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you found out?” Her arm went tight to her abdomen, her forearm applying pressure to cope with the moment.
“I went to Mendez with my concerns about you and was shocked to discover he already knew and, in fact, signed off on your hire.” He hissed a low breath.
“He wouldn’t give me the details. He said what happened to your parents was classified.
And he forbade me from telling anyone, including you, that I knew your real identity. ”
She turned back toward the sea of officers and agents in the distance. “Is he the one that asked you to come to Headquarters when you heard about the hit against Katya?”
“Yes.” Kyle’s hand came down on her shoulder, urging her to face him.
“It was you in Porter’s house Monday night,” she said at the realization. The unnaturally colored contacts. The deep voice. It hadn’t been Winters. The frame was too lean. “Why were you there?” She forced herself back around.
He brought a hand to his bearded jaw. “I had concerns Porter might have been dirty. And when we got the call about him going MIA, I was worried he may have faked his own disappearance. I wanted to check out his house. I won’t get into what I knew, but—”
“You didn’t leak the surveillance footage, did you? Steal the contents of the safe?” She took two worried steps backward.
“Of course not, and I never expected to bump into you that night. I was upstairs completing my check of his house when I heard someone come in. I did see the safe behind the framed photo on the wall in his office, but I couldn’t access it without any tools, so I’d planned to come back before—”
“Before I surprised you.”
“I didn’t want to hurt you, but I wasn’t sure what to think once I realized it was you,” he explained.
“I assume someone else was there before you and I showed up. I went to check the security footage, but it’d been wiped clean.
Given the news leak, it clearly wasn’t you who deleted the surveillance.
” His tone was a bit calmer now, though he had to be so angry with her.
“After seeing me there, and with what you knew, why’d you still believe I was innocent, that I wasn’t the mole?” She remembered learning Kyle had led the “not-guilty charge” against her.
He reached out and lightly squeezed her upper arm. “I can read you like a book, Anastasia. I may not have known your secrets while we were together. But you, a dirty agent? No.” He shook his head. “That I refused to believe.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
His lips tipped into a tight but forced smile. “We weren’t right for each other.” He released her arm and tossed a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m guessing that Navy man is right for you, though?”
“I, um.” She peered over to see A.J. stepping out of the back of the van, probably nervous to leave her alone too long. “He is,” she whispered, eyes remaining on A.J.
“You know, my parents were going to turn themselves in,” she admitted, needing Kyle to know the truth for some reason. Well, hear it from her first. “They’d planned on handing over the ledger to the Bureau to protect me.”
“But Porter stopped them?”
“And Winters,” she added, and Kyle’s eyes widened in surprise. Guess he didn’t know about him yet. Mendez had kept his word.
“I have a copy of the ledger. A translated copy. And between Adrik’s testimony and the ledger, we’ll be able to clean house,” she said like a promise.
“Good.” He nodded, then turned A.J.’s direction. “Ana?” He stole a look back at her. “I’m glad you found someone who makes your heart work,” he said and then blinked a few times as if he hadn’t quite correctly articulated what he was thinking, but she understood.
And her cold, dead heart was very much alive, thanks to A.J. “I hope you find someone, too.” She smoothed her hands up and down her arms as she watched Kyle leave and A.J. come forward.
“You okay?” A.J. palmed her face and angled his head as he studied her.
“I will be once we have Winters in custody and the translated Daylight Ledger in the hands of the FBI as my parents had intended.” She looked up at him and hooked her arms around the back of his neck, lacing her fingers together.
“I really like you, Alexander James,” she confessed, knowing her statement came out of the blue, but she’d needed to say it.
He threaded his hands through her hair, which was down over her shoulders now. “Well, I’m falling in love with you, Anastasia,” he said in a tender voice, dipping in for a kiss.
She pulled back once his mouth brushed hers to catch his eyes. “I’m falling, too,” she whispered, then kissed him again.