Chapter Twenty-Two
ANDRE SIPPED HIS steaming coffee while his gaze scanned the area behind their hotel. Night had fallen several hours earlier, and the area surrounding the hotel was quiet, just the way he liked it.
He thought over the information they’d gathered today and what they hadn’t. Unfortunately, Veronica had not called Riley yet, so they were no further along in locating that lab.
How had Garcia and Mendoza found scientists who could weaponize a virus? Andre could see them trying to break into the US market by selling drugs, weapons, or women, but not a weaponized flu virus.
He frowned. Maybe that was the way to track the men down. Someone must have reported the scientists as missing. If that didn’t get them anywhere, perhaps looking for a lab or tracking purchases of supplies for the lab would take them closer to their goal.
The door to the second bedroom opened, and Riley stepped out.
“Everything all right?”
She shook her head. “Can’t sleep. Do you want help keeping watch?”
“Sure. Want some coffee? I made a fresh pot a few minutes ago.”
“Sounds good.” Riley headed toward the kitchen and poured herself a mug of coffee. She sniffed, then sipped and moaned. “Perfect. I’m so glad this was your handiwork rather than Grant’s.”
He chuckled. “To be fair, he does a great job making coffee in his own kitchen with his fancy coffeemaker and freshly ground coffee beans. Everywhere else, though, his coffee is lethal.”
She motioned toward the French doors. “Anything going on out there?”
“Not so far. I’m sorry we didn’t walk in the garden tonight. I intended to take you, but you were too tired when we finished our discussion.”
“We’ll take that walk, eventually.”
They stood in silence on either side of the French doors and sipped their coffee.
Riley had just finished the last of her drink when her phone signaled an incoming call. She checked the screen. “It’s Veronica.” She swiped the screen with her thumb. “Thanks for calling, Veronica. You’re on speaker with Andre.”
“Hello, Andre. Riley, I have ten minutes. What do you need?” The other operative sounded tired.
“We think we know Obsidian Storm’s plan, and we’re hoping you can help us derail it.”
“What’s the plan?”
“To weaponize a flu virus and turn it loose in the US.”
“Are you sure about this?” Veronica asked.
“Nearly 75%. We’re looking for confirmation and a few other pieces of information. The most important piece of info is the location of a private lab where they can work on the virus.”
“You’re talking about a list of specific equipment.” Veronica remained silent for a few seconds. “That might stand out. Anything else?”
Andre hadn’t planned to ask her for anything, but since she’d volunteered, he would tell her what they needed.
Hopefully, one of them could discover the information in time to use it.
“Find out if anyone reported some scientists missing. No way would Obsidian Storm have members trained as scientists.”
“Probably not. I really hope you’re wrong, Riley.”
“So do I, but I’m not.”
“You said your confidence level is only 75%. What haven’t you told me?”
“When I worked for the CIA, my first field assignment was Obsidian Storm’s leader, Eduardo Garcia. My handler sent me in because Obsidian Storm was working on weaponizing a virus, specifically the flu virus. My handler told me the threat was over when I returned to the States.”
Andre scowled. “He was wrong. Just as my superior officers were wrong. They told me the same thing.”
“Wait. You were part of Riley’s mission?”
“Sort of. We arrived less than an hour after Riley left. We discovered her handiwork and finished the job by taking out the second in command and most of the first-tier soldiers.”
“So you two never crossed paths but ended up working together and…dating?”
“That’s right.” If he had his way, they would do more than date. Andre intended to marry this woman if she’d take a chance on him.
They had a job to do first, though. Dismantling Obsidian Storm.
Again. And killing a virus that could kill him.
Just the idea of working around germs of any variety, even a super-flu strain, gave him the creeps.
He hoped Riley was wrong this time. Not likely, though.
His girlfriend didn’t make mistakes often, and Andre didn’t think she was wrong this time either. “Can you help us, Veronica?”
“It’s possible. I’ll contact a couple of people who might know something. I can’t guarantee they’ll talk to me. My reputation took a hit when I helped Fortress find Adam in Belize.” She laughed softly. “Totally worth the hit.”
“We’d appreciate anything you can do.”
“Do you have any idea where this lab might be located?”
This was where they were in pure guesswork territory. “Rumors on the Internet say Obsidian Storm packed up and moved to the other side of the Chihuahua Province. It makes the most sense for the lab to be in their compound.”
“Easier to protect that way.” Veronica paused.
“Adam is signaling that my time is almost up. I’ll make a few phone calls and see what I can find out.
We’re boarding the company jet now, so we should be back in the States in a few hours.
Hopefully, I’ll have something by the time we land.
Should I have Zane pass you a message or call you and Riley? ”
“Call us. Artemis and Echo are together.” He gave her his number. “If you can’t reach Riley, call me. We won’t be far from each other.”
“You got it. Talk to you soon.” Veronica ended the call.
He looked at Riley. “What do you think?”
“Your idea of checking for missing scientists and the sale of lab supplies is brilliant. I didn’t think of that.”
“You would have.”
“I don’t know.”
“I do. There’s no doubt in my mind who the smart one of us is, and, baby, it’s not me.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Thanks.”
“I merely speak the truth.”
“So, what now?”
“Veronica will do what she can to help. It’s our job to bring all the pieces together in time to take care of Obsidian Storm.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“It’s still in development.”
She rolled her eyes. “In other words, you don’t.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Yeah? Well, work out loud. It might help.”
“For the moment, I think we should focus on Berkley and Cowan.”
Her eyebrows winged up. “Are you saying that because you want your hands on Berkley?”
“It’s a benefit of the plan.”
“So, if you’re not planning to beat him to a pulp, what are you planning to do with him?”
“Find out what he knows and how deep he’s involved in this thing.”
She froze. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“You believe he’s involved with Obsidian Storm?”
“Don’t you?”
She was silent for a moment, then dropped her head. “Why didn’t I see that as a possibility?”
“You trusted him, Riley. He was your recruiter and your handler. You don’t expect someone on the side of the good guys to flip to the other side.”
“I’m wondering if my judgment is off.”
“Well, you didn’t trust Cowan.”
“We need to look deeper into Cowan. Something is off with him. Is it possible Cowan is the culprit, and either turned Berkley or is setting him up as the fall guy?”
Andre considered that for a moment. “It’s possible. We need proof before I’ll take Berkley off the top of my perp list.”
“You really want Berkley to be guilty, don’t you?”
“You bet I do. He hurt you. I won’t forget that.”
Riley turned toward the coffee table where her laptop sat. “I should get to work. The sooner we find Berkley and Cowan, the better. We have to come up with enough information to determine their guilt or innocence. What we have isn’t enough to get the job done.”
He grimaced at that one. Yeah, she was right.
They needed to do an honest analysis of the evidence.
That didn’t mean he wanted Berkley to be innocent.
Andre wanted Riley to know without question whether Berkley had duped her or if he was innocent.
She needed to know for her own peace of mind and for confidence in her ability to judge people’s character.
When she booted up her laptop, Andre returned to the French doors and scanned the area behind the hotel again. A shadow moved in treeline across from the hotel.
He straightened away from the wall and waited, alert. Seconds later and ten feet from the original position, the shadow appeared again, then merged back into other shadows from the trees. Andre’s jaw clenched. Their reprieve was over.
“What is it?”
“We have company.” He knocked on Elias’ door and opened it a crack. “Company.”
“Friend or foe?”
“Unknown. Let’s capture him and find out.”
“Two minutes.”
Andre returned to his post at the French doors and waited for the next appearance of Shadow Man. He wasn’t disappointed. A minute later, the shadow moved again, this time on the other side of the tree. The guy was angling for a better view of the suite, which meant he knew where they were.
How? Riley had used her alternate identification to secure the suite. How could they trace this location based on that? He grimaced. Whoever was after his woman had deep connections. Berkley? Maybe. No one could deny that the CIA had a long reach.
A door opened, and Elias stepped into the living room, dressed and ready to roll. “Where?” he asked.
“Beyond the garden, in the treeline. He’s moved twice in the last five minutes. He’s looking for a better view of the suite.”
Elias scowled. “He knows where we are. How?”
“That’s what I don’t understand.”
“Riley’s identification may be compromised.”
“She can have Zane create a new identity for her. I’ll talk to him after we return with the peeper.”
Good way to think of him. Andre brushed a kiss over Riley’s mouth. “We’ll be back soon. We might need a setup for interrogation.”
“He can’t scream the place down. Someone will call security.”
“We’ll figure something out.” He followed Elias from the suite and down the stairwell.
Soon, the two men exited the hotel at the other end so the peeper wouldn’t know they were coming for him. Let the man think they were unaware of his presence. They’d be poor operatives if that were the case.
Together, they entered the treeline and merged with the shadows of the tall cedars and maples. Stealthily, they moved closer to their quarry. Signaling Elias to take the right and circle to the perp’s far side, Andre split off from his teammate and palmed his weapon.
He placed his feet, careful to avoid leaving footprints or stepping on a fallen branch or twig and giving away his position.
He might not have much respect for anyone who stalked an innocent woman, but from his movements, this guy had training.
If he’d learned only half of what was taught, the stalker would be dangerous.
A brush of fabric made Andre freeze in his tracks.
The sound came from in front of him and to his left.
He adjusted his course to intercept the man who had made that sound.
By normal standards, the sound wasn’t loud and was what he’d expect from an agent who hadn’t been in the field for a while.
Was the stalker Berkley or someone else?
He prayed the unwanted visitor wasn’t Brown or Ludlow. The thought that one of those men knew about Riley and would hurt her to smoke him out made Andre want to hurl.
He scanned the stand of trees in front of him as a shadow shifted, then he heard a sigh. Andre smiled. Gotcha. As he closed in on the target, he caught another movement a few feet beyond. Elias.
Andre tapped his earpiece in a specific rhythm to tell Elias when to make his move. He’d love for the perp to bolt. Andre relished a fast chase this morning to work off his frustration over their lack of progress.
He was in position ten seconds later. The target was dressed in black, with a watch cap on his head. No visible weapon. Yet.
Elias made his move, and the target’s head whipped in that direction. Instead of confronting Elias, the man spun in the opposite direction and ran.
Andre shifted into his path, weapon drawn, and waited.
The man skidded to a stop and slowly raised his hands.
When Andre walked toward him with his weapon fixed on his target, he moved close enough to recognize the man who had shown up for an unknown reason. “So, we finally meet, Nathan Berkley.”
“Who are you?”
“Your worst nightmare. We need to talk.”