Chapter Eleven #2
“He didn’t have time to rape me.”
Must have been close based on how she’d described the events of that night. “I’m glad, but his attempt will stick in your mind and fuel your nightmares. You know what he intended to do.”
“I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong.”
“At sixteen, you didn’t have any training.
I assume that’s why you took martial arts lessons from the veteran who was in Homestead camp with you.
Riley, you’re a well-trained operative now with specialized training and skills from the CIA and Fortress.
Anyone who came after you now would regret it within seconds.
You can hold your own easily and defeat any opponent.
If the worst happened and he tracked you down to finish what he started, I expect you to gut him like a fish. Are we clear on that point?”
She smiled. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
Riley sobered. “You told me earlier to follow the money to learn the identity of the person coming after me.”
“That’s right.”
“But you asked Zane to do the same thing. Shouldn’t we divide our efforts rather than overlap them?”
“My gut says you should find Angie Dodd and your martial arts teacher instead.” The sun was high enough for him to see her cheeks go pale.
“I understand your reluctance to investigate Angie. All I need you to do is find her. Either I or someone else in Echo unit will investigate her. If she’s responsible for the assassins coming after you, we need to know so we can stop it. ”
“She wouldn’t do this.”
“Then let’s find out for sure so we can move on to other suspects.”
“What other suspects? As far as I can tell, we don’t have any suspects on our list.”
“You were a spook, Riley.”
“So?”
“You loved being a fieldworker. That means you foiled many plots and cost terrorists money. You made some enemies. Think back to your days at the CIA. Who had the most to lose? Who lost valuable things or people because of your work?”
She gave a short bark of laughter. “Too many to name.”
“Think about it and make a list. In the meantime, Zane is also checking Fortress for a leak. Can you do the same at the CIA without detection?”
“Of course. I left a back door in their system so I could search at will.”
“Excellent.” He dropped a brief, hard kiss on her mouth. “I know you’re still researching Christopher and his family.”
“You bet I am. I’m going to nail Chris’s jerk of a father to the wall.”
A nod, then, “Will you be able to handle those searches plus two more?”
Riley was silent for a moment. “You want me to look for Jared Brown and Harlen Ludlow.”
“You would have searched for them on your own.”
Her lips curved. “Maybe.”
“Ha. Definitely. I know you, Riley Sloan.”
“Fair enough. But I know you too, Andre Marsh. You’re going after Miles Thomas. Maybe not immediately, but you’ll go after him because of what he did to me and the other foster girls.”
That confirmed what he’d suspected. If a grown man had gone after one 16-year-old girl, chances were high there was a pattern to his behavior. “How many others?”
“I don’t know. I heard that through Angie. After I landed in Homestead, I didn’t hear the news or read newspapers.”
“I’ll see what I can find out. I’d be surprised if the news about a serial rapist didn’t make the rounds in Homestead, and if the word spread through the encampment, they were especially concerned.”
“We were easy prey. Perhaps that’s how Angie knew and told me. Gossip.”
And maybe not. While he appreciated all Angie did for Riley, something about the woman raised a red flag. Then there was her disappearance. Where did she go? Was it voluntary, or was she forced to leave the encampment by an outsider? Did she leave Riley behind as his girlfriend feared?
Many thoughts swirled in his head, several of which circled around Angie Dodd.
Andre wanted to talk to her. If Riley refused, he’d question the woman without her.
To be honest, though, he believed Riley was worried about nothing.
Why would this woman spend so much time and effort helping Riley if she was playing a game and intended ultimately to reject her and tear down her confidence?
However, on the slim chance Riley was right, Andre would be happy to interview Angie with one of his teammates.
Andre stood and held out his hand to Riley. “Come on. We need to move before Joe’s competitor shows up to finish the job.”
“I don’t understand it. What is so threatening about me that I have a $500,000 bounty on my head with a three-day deadline?”
“We’ll find out. It’s what we do.”
“I need a direction in which to start my search. I was involved with many cases, Andre, and I’m not supposed to talk about any of them.”
“Yeah? Think about this. Someone is targeting you, and you need help running information down on the perp to beat the deadline as well as to protect your teammates. Who would prosecute you for violating your contract when Fortress hires the meanest barracudas in the ocean of lawyers to protect your rights and defend your position?”
“Only someone foolish.”
“Exactly. The barracudas, better known as our legal team, would eat them alive. Besides, it’s not like our teams will run their mouths or post your activities on their social media pages. Who’s going to tell the CIA what you’re doing?”
Riley grimaced. “The Company knows or has access to many things that might surprise you.”
“They’re jurisdiction is overseas, not inside US borders.”
“Right.”
He rolled his eyes. “I know. No one plays by the rules these days.”
“Exactly.”
They walked into the kitchen, where Iona and Elias were preparing the last of the waffles and bacon.
Riley breathed deep. “It smells wonderful in here. I’m sorry I deserted the ship. I should have been helping you, not sipping tea.”
“You needed the time, Riley, and Elias is good at following directions.”
“Wait a minute.” Elias scowled. “I can grill. You tasted what I could do last night.”
“Save it. Grilling is not the same thing as cooking. In a kitchen, you’re merely an apprentice.”
He snorted. “And I suppose you’re a master chef?”
“I can’t claim that title, but I know my way around a kitchen.”
“Postpone the argument until later.” Andre seated Riley at the table. “We need to get out of here as soon as possible.”
Elias and Iona set platters of food on the dining table, then brought the syrup and butter. Soon, their plates and platters were empty. “We’ll load the dishwasher and start it while we load our gear in the SUVs,” Iona said.
“Where are we going next?” Elias asked.
“Micah Winter’s cabin. He offered it when Zane told him about our breach in security.”
“Does he understand we’ve been dodging attempts on Riley’s life and could engage the enemy again in and around his house?”
“Micah’s house is off the grid. Besides, he has plenty of insurance coverage in case that happens. He said he wasn’t worried about it since his wife has a great fondness for Artemis.”
“Let’s get moving, then. My skin is prickling.”
Andre straightened. “How bad?”
“Enough for us to leave now.”
Not good. If Elias thought trouble was coming, you could bank on it. The question was how soon trouble would show up on their doorstep. He grabbed his bags and Riley’s and walked out the front door. As he loaded their bags into his SUV, Andre casually scanned the area, checking for changes.
Nothing.
He knew something was off but couldn’t pinpoint where. Andre walked to the back of Elias’ SUV and helped him load his and Iona’s bags. “There’s someone out here, but I can’t find him. Can you?”
Elias rearranged the bags, scanning their surroundings. “Treeline. Left side of the tree with the birdhouse.”
“Let’s get the girls and make tracks. I don’t like this.”
They climbed the steps to the porch and walked into the house. Once inside, Elias went to the side of the picture window and eased the curtain aside.
“Trouble?” Iona asked.
“Maybe.” He turned as Riley joined them. “Ready?”
She nodded. “What do you want to do about our audience?”
“Leave him behind.” Andre wrapped his hand around hers. “I can’t think of anything more satisfying than leaving him in the dust.” He also didn’t want to put Riley in the position of having to interrogate another intruder. Not yet, anyway.
She stared at him, unasked questions in her eyes.
Elias looked at him with eyes that saw too much.
If he’d been on his own, Andre would have rounded up the watcher and asked him a few questions. Was it so wrong of him to want to protect his woman?
That decision, however, wasn’t the best one for him or Riley.
They needed information. The most efficient way to get it was to capture the watcher and interrogate him.
If Riley wasn’t up to asking the questions, he could ask them.
Interrogation was one of his skills, although he didn’t use it often. Might be time to dust it off.
Andre squeezed Riley’s hand. “On second thought, I don’t want this guy following us. We don’t know what type of weapons he’s carrying on his person or in his vehicle.” He glanced at Riley. “If you’re not up for another interrogation, Elias and I are trained to do it, too.”
“I’ve got this. Bring him to me.”
“Where?”
“Garage. I don’t want him inside Rod’s cabin.”
“You’ve got it.” He kissed her and motioned for Elias to follow him. They walked out the back door.