Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
WASHINGTON, D.C., FORTY HOURS LATER
Ana’s stomach felt like one of those tight sailor knots with all the twisty loops as the elevator ascended to her floor in the Hoover Building that Monday afternoon.
It’d be her first time coming face-to-face with her unit since she’d gone on the run, and although the media had cleared her name and Mendez had formally explained the truth to everyone at Headquarters, it was still nerve-wracking to be there.
She had no idea what kind of reception to expect from her co-workers.
Sweat formed between her breasts beneath her white silk blouse, and her palms were damp. She did her best not to slouch in fear, though.
She’d have felt better if A.J. could have come with her, but he wasn’t exactly allowed to parade around the FBI Headquarters, even though Mendez now knew the truth about his team and their clandestine work for the President.
A.J. had opened up on the plane ride back to the U.S.
and revealed the cloak-and-dagger story about how Bravo and Echo began eight and a half years ago.
Most of Ana’s theories had been correct, and the fact he finally opened up to her was more than a big deal—it was a welcome into his second and secretive family, one with his brothers and sisters in arms.
As soon as they’d landed in D.C., Mendez was at the airport to personally escort her home to locate the translated ledger.
When Ana pulled the box of her childhood belongings out of the storage area beneath the stairs in her townhouse, she was overcome with emotion.
It hadn’t been opened since she’d packed it immediately after her parents died.
She’d held back her tears in front of Mendez while digging through the items, but after handing over the stack of scroll-like papers to the FBI director, she broke down and cried in A.J. ’s arms.
Thieves. Con artists. Sent to the U.S. as spies.
But she was going to choose to allow some love for them to exist in her heart once again. A.J. had revived that organ in her chest, and knowing her parents had done the right thing when it mattered was enough to offer them forgiveness in their deaths.
After she’d collected herself, she watched Mendez leave with all the papers while A.J. held her tight to his side, a nervous energy bubbling inside of her to finally be at the end of a journey she’d spent fifteen years on.
Ana had previously provided Mendez with a list of ingredients as well as the “recipe” for her father’s magic trick.
Well, as best as she could recall. So as soon as Mendez returned with the papers, HQ lab techs were ready to get started.
With any luck, when she walked onto her floor today, she’d discover it’d been a success.
If it didn’t work, well, at least they had Adrik Volkov in custody. That was a huge win, and a judge in court would most likely prefer his testimony to some handwritten pieces of paper written a decade and a half ago.
Ana steadied her hand on the frame of the elevator door as it came to a stop at her floor. She took a moment to calm herself by thinking about waking up in A.J.’s arms that morning in her bed.
They hadn’t had sex after arriving in D.C. from Hungary late last night but falling asleep while he held her after such a traumatic weekend had been about as perfect as she could have ever hoped.
I can do this, she reminded herself as the doors opened.
She had no idea if she’d be allowed to stay on as an agent after today, given her identity was broadcasted all over the world, or if she even wanted to. Regardless, she needed to officially close this case that’d been open for over fifteen years.
Ana smoothed her hands over her hair, opting to wear it down to the office for the first time.
She took one step forward, her gaze on the red pumps she’d chosen to wear with her black slacks today instead of her usual dark ones. After a few more steps, she lifted her eyes from her shoes to see an agent at his cubicle rise at the sight of her, brows drawn together. Then another rose.
Dean spotted her next.
Griff.
Halle.
They all stood, and she clutched her chest when they brought their hands together to . . . oh, God, they’re clapping for me.
Words of congratulations. Comments about taking down Adrik Volkov. Finding the ledger. Apologies for their doubt. More and more words continued to flow as she slowly walked down the pathway between the desks, numb with shock.
She stopped when she reached where Dean and Halle stood. “I’m so sorry I kept so much from you,” she hurried out, still embarrassed by the secrets she’d kept.
Halle surprised her by pulling her in for a hug. And wow, she’d needed it. Tears of relief filled her eyes at the warm welcome she received but wasn’t sure she deserved.
“You’re one brave woman,” Halle said into her ear before pulling back.
“I can’t believe Porter and Winters are crooked,” Dean added while standing next to her and slapping a hand to her shoulder.
“Any word on the ledger?” she asked once the rest of the floor had settled down, and the agents returned to their work.
Only Dean, Halle, and Griff remained standing with her. “Mendez was waiting for your arrival to share if there’s news,” Griff stated.
“Winters is still out there.” Dean’s brows scrunched with anger. “And Porter may never wake up.”
Things had taken a tragic turn for Porter while she was en route back to the U.S.
, and the prognosis didn’t look good, but she couldn’t think about that right now.
“If the Russians didn’t get to Winters, he’ll come for his money eventually.
” But how long would Luke and Knox be able to sit and wait in the Maldives?
Plus, Wyatt and Natasha were marrying this month.
“Quinn.”
Ana’s attention snapped toward Mendez, dressed in a charcoal suit, as he stood in the doorway of a conference room. He motioned for her with a wave of the hand.
“I guess that’s my cue.” Ana smiled, then started Mendez’s way, still on edge and wired. She probably should have skipped the espresso earlier.
Mendez shut the door behind her, and she found herself alone in the room with him. No pictures on the wall. No warmth or comfort. Just a long, sleek metal table and a few swivel chairs. “Have a seat.”
She circled the oval table and pulled out one of the navy blue chairs.
Mendez slid a gray file folder down her way.
Her hand slightly trembled as she opened it.
“We had to take photos. The ink didn’t last long, and it was a hassle to keep making it reappear. Those are copies.”
It worked? Her stomach did some flips at the sight of her father’s recognizable handwriting. There were multiple pages arranged in various categories, from account numbers and names of judges to orchestrated hits by the Volkov spies. There was a lot of information. A lot more than she expected.
“Did my dad conveniently leave off his offenses from the list when he translated the copy?”
“I would assume so.” Mendez sat across from her and clasped his hands on the table.
“Porter and Winters aren’t listed, but I guess that makes sense since they weren’t Volkov spies and were instead taking money from the Russian government.
” She flipped through another page, searching for familiar names.
No one she knew personally, which was a relief.
And she noticed that many names on the list had been killed shortly after her parents died at the hands of the Russians.
“The SVR only began recruiting Americans shortly before”—he cleared his throat, a fist to his mouth—“your parents were murdered.”
Since the Russians never decoded the ledger, they didn’t know who or how many Volkov spies to eliminate fifteen years ago, which left a lot of people for the Bureau to go after.
“There’s one more page I thought you might want to keep.” He opened another folder, then slid a sheet her way.
Her breath hitched at the sight of a drawing of her. Hair around her face. Palm to chin. Eyes downward. I’ll always watch out for you, my red angel. Love, Dad, was written in cursive beneath. “Thank you,” she said looking up at him, liquid coating her eyes as she tried to hold back her tears.
“Of course.” He pulled his hands into his lap. “When the case is closed, I’ll get you the other drawings unrelated to the case.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Mendez unbuttoned his suit jacket before settling his hands on the chair arms. “I’m sorry I never told you what really happened to your parents that night.”
She promptly lifted her eyes to his dark ones, curious as to where he was going with this.
“I was assigned to the task force, along with Winters, back in New York. I personally met with your parents. Your father never told our team about the forger. He just said that he was in possession of the Daylight Ledger, and it would assist in taking down a lot of corrupt people in the U.S. government, from the top and on down. He wanted safety and protection for his family. Immunity. A chance to start over somewhere in the country.” From what she’d seen, Mendez was a buttoned-up guy when it came to emotions, so sharing his words probably wasn’t so easy for him.
“He wanted to give you a stable home life. Plant roots. He said you’d always wanted that. ”
She closed her eyes and drew the back of her hand over her mouth to hide the wobble in her lip. The tears just might fall if he continued.
“When your parents were killed, there was a thorough investigation to determine if there’d been a leak from my task force. We were all cleared, but evidently, not well.”
She forced her gaze to return to the director and did her best to remain steady. To not let the overwhelming emotions rope her in.
“There were concerns for your safety after your parents died. The Bureau and Central Intelligence Committee decided it’d be best to keep the truth about your parents’ motives hidden to prevent retaliation against you.
” Mendez’s eyes grew soft, a look of remorse mixed with compassion on his face, letting Ana know, in his own way, that he was sorry.
An apology for allowing her to believe for fifteen years her parents had died because of greed.
“We’re still trying to determine exactly what Winters and Porter had planned this time around, aside from a payday in the Maldives, but .
. . well, if Porter doesn’t make it, hopefully the team will get to Winters and force him to talk. ”
The team. A.J. and his people. “They’ll come through.” They’d never let Winters slip through the cracks. No way. “Will you keep their secret?” she asked, worried about A.J. and his team. Their truth was a fragile thing. In the wrong hands, it would be dangerous. Deadly.
“I’m still not sure how I feel about what they do, but I also don’t think this case would have ended quite the way it did, had they not intervened.
” His answer was honest, at least. She could use a little honesty after so much betrayal.
“But I’ll support the team to the best of my abilities,” he said as his phone began ringing. “It’s Jessica Scott.”
She sat taller at the news, and he surprised her by placing the call on speaker.
“Director Mendez, I’m calling to confirm our people have Winters in custody.”
Ana’s hand struck her chest with quick intensity, and she bowed her head.
“We were considering keeping him in the Maldives a bit longer to get answers before our guys bring him back to the U.S.,” Jessica explained. “He’s already talking. A bit terrified the Russians will come after him since he failed.”
“Good. I want to know everything he has to say and as soon as possible.” Mendez looked to Ana with a tight nod of approval.
“We’ll have the money in the account here transferred to the Bureau. Be in touch soon.” Jessica quickly ended the call, and Ana pushed back from the table.
Was it really over?
“Have you thought about your plans?” Mendez stowed his phone and rose as well. “You know, it might be tough to continue in Counterintelligence, but we could use your expertise at Quantico.”
“Instruct?” She reached for the ruby pendant she had on, the one her dad had given her for her sixteenth birthday, and clutched it as she considered his offer.
“Maybe take some time—as long as you need—and then let me know what you think.” He circled the table and offered her a hand. “Nice work, Agent Quinn. Your parents would be proud.”