Chapter 2 #2
“The day I arrived, my trainer and mentor, Viktor Rousseau, told me that I never had to be a victim again. He taught me everything I needed to know about defending myself, something that, until Viktor, I hadn’t been able to do on my own.
I hadn’t been able to protect my little sister or myself.
With his training techniques, I was able to show up, get my message across and feel like I’d done something to help myself and my country.
We were given a purpose. They told us that our mission was vital to national security because we could eliminate threats.
Only they weren’t all threats. Some were inconvenient witnesses, potential whistleblowers and journalists getting too close to the truth. ”
“When did you discover this?” Rogue asked.
Keira glanced out the window. “I started seeing through the lies several months ago. I was collecting data, watching, taking it all in. It wasn’t until they tasked me with eliminating Senator Morales that it sank in for good.
You see, they brainwashed us to focus on the mission. Everything else was static.”
“Why didn’t you complete the mission?” Rogue asked softly.
“I was in Morales’s apartment, standing outside his bedroom door, when I overheard him talking to someone on the phone.
He said he was going to expose Strickland and Kaufman.
That he had evidence that Strickland was using government black ops funds to build a private army to eliminate his opposition and clear a path for Kaufman and his illegal contracts. ”
“Deputy Director Alan Stickland works for the governor of Texas,” Rogue said.
Keira nodded. “Many of the missions we worked on were at his direction. Some of them were linked to cartels, which made it easy for us to believe we were doing the right thing. But other targets were questionable. When I overheard the senator, it hit home. We’d been used to do the dirty work for people even more evil than those we’d taken out.
The senator was going to expose them. He had evidence.
I wanted him to. I was tired of them lying to us, sending us on missions for their own selfish greed.
I left an SD disk on the counter in the kitchen.
The evidence I had been collecting for him to add to what he had.
I was done being used. Done with the brainwashing. So, I left.”
“But someone killed the senator.”
Her mouth tightened, and her nostrils flared. “Apparently, they really wanted the senator to die that night and initiated a backup plan to make sure the job was done.”
“And the stone they found on the counter?”
She shook her head. “Their backup plan left a calling card that would point to Onyx. Me. Thing is, I’ve never left a calling card. Ever. We were trained to be ghosts. No one should ever know we’d been there. Leave no traces. No fingerprints. No images on surveillance cameras.”
“The news had footage of a person dressed in black sneaking into the apartment complex around the time of the senator’s death.”
“Onyx wouldn’t have let that happen. It wasn’t me.”
“It was their backup plan.”
She nodded, took another bite of her sandwich and swallowed before continuing. “Since leaving Onyx, I’m now a thread they want to tie.”
“And by teaming with you rather than turning you in, I’m in the same boat—as well as my boss. We’re in this together.”
Her brow dipped. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We suspected something wasn’t right with this case. And since our mission was directed through the government, albeit unofficial channels, we knew the dangers if we sided with the target.”
“You could walk away now and tell them I escaped,” she offered.
Rogue shook his head. “A senator is dead. The killer is still running free, and I’m not letting that slide. I figure you know more about this than I do at this point.”
“All my data was in that motel room,” she said. “And my laptop.”
His lips twitched. “I might be able to help you with that.” He tipped his chin toward her plate. “Finish up so we can get out of here. I’m not sure how safe we are sitting in one place for too long.”
She glanced out the window, a crease forming on her forehead. “You were able to find me. I’m sure the other task force is using the same methods.”
“I thought you said Onyx knew how to be ghosts,” Rogue’s eyes narrowed.
She nodded. “Part of me wanted to see who would come after me. If they were some of my sisters from Onyx.”
“So far, all I’ve seen is men in combat gear.”
She nodded. “Same.”
“And part of the problem is your burner phone. We were able to find the number and track it whenever you used it. If you haven’t already, you might ditch it.”
“I did after we set the time and place of our meeting.”
“Good.” Rogue finished his burger and shake.
Keira ate a couple more fries and pushed her plate away. “I’m ready when you are.”
Rogue laid a couple of bills on the table to cover the meal and tip. “Let’s go out the way you came in.”
Keira led the way down the hallway with bathrooms on one side and an exit door at the end. When she started to open the door, Rogue stepped in front of her. “Let me.”
She shrugged and stepped back.
Rogue pushed open the door and looked around the back side of the diner for any sign of men in combat gear or a sniper lying in wait to pick them off. Nothing moved. There weren’t any other buildings with rooftops that had a clear line of sight to the back door where he stood.
Satisfied they were safe, he waited for her to join him. Using his body as a shield, he walked with her to the SUV and held the passenger door for her to enter.
She hesitated.
“I promise, I only want to help. I’m not going to abduct you and turn you over to Kaufman and Strickland.” He pulled his gun out of the holster at his belt. “Here, take this. You can hold me at gunpoint just to make sure.”
She glanced up into his eyes and held his gaze for a moment. “No. That won’t be necessary. If you tried to do such a thing, I’d just kill you.” She spoke the words as if it were just another day of sunshine and wildflowers.
Rogue chuckled as Keira slid into the passenger seat.
He rounded the front of the vehicle and climbed in. Then he reached behind the seat, pulled out her laptop and the rolled-up butcher paper and laid them in her lap. “Look familiar?”
She ran her fingers over the laptop and the paper, nodding.
“Oh, and I almost forgot,” Rogue said.
When he reached into his pocket, she stiffened, her hand going to the gun under her jacket.
“It’s okay. I’m not going for a gun or knife.
” He pulled out the flash drive and handed it to her.
“Just so you know, I’ve seen your murder board and what’s on the flash drive and forwarded copies to my boss and his technical support guy.
You can trust them. They’re already digging into the data and looking for other leads and evidence that will hold up in court.
However, I couldn’t get into your computer. ”
“Thank you.” She smoothed her hand across the laptop as if trying to decide whether to share what to do next.
Only a moment passed before she opened the laptop and pulled up several data files.
“I hacked into Kaufman’s corporate data and found financial trails between Kaufman and shell companies.
I also found communications between Marcus Kaufman and Alan Strickland, as well as between Strickland and Viktor.
” She opened a file. “These are the training records of four active Onyx operators. There are more.”
“How have you managed to get into all that data? That’s the kind of thing our technical expert does for us.”
She shrugged. “Though the last foster home I lived in was something akin to hell, they had high-tech computers. The oldest son was into illegal hacking. I picked up a few things.”
“From what you’ve told me so far, Kauman is involved in illegal arms trade through Kaufman Syndicate.”
“And human trafficking,” Keira said. “In respect to the girls stolen for the Onyx program.”
“Viktor Rousseau is the trainer and handler of the operatives.”
Keira nodded. “And Deputy Director Strickland provides government cover and identifies targets. I’m scratching the surface. I need more hard proof—damning communications and financial records.”
“Why don’t you hand over what you have to the police?” Rogue asked.
She was shaking her head before he stopped speaking. “I have some of the pieces, but we need more.”
“Testimony from other Onyx operatives?” he suggested. “Would they flip?”
Keira’s lips twisted. “I’m not sure. We’d need to get to them before Viktor gaslights them and tells them I’m a traitor to my country.”
“He’d do that?” Rogue asked.
“Yes,” Keira said. “He’d have the others turn on me.”
“And do his dirty work.” Rogue glanced through the windshield, digesting everything, his stomach clenching at the extent to which Kaufman would go to line his own pockets.
Keira closed the laptop and nodded. “That’s what I have so far.”
“We should ship those files to Swede, our tech guy,” Rogue said. “He might be able to dig deeper.”
She nodded. “When I get access to the internet.”
Rogue nodded. “The question is where to next?”
“I need to keep moving.” Keira reached for the door handle.
Rogue grabbed her hand to keep her from getting out of the SUV. “Where are you going?”
“Away from here before they catch up to me.”
“We’re in this together, now. You can stay with me.”
She glanced toward a big trash bin. “I’m not going anywhere without my motorcycle. It’s saved my ass a number of times.” Keira pushed her door open and stepped out. “You can follow me or wait until I contact you.”
Rogue hurried to get out and follow her. “Do you have another burner phone?”
She nodded. “I saved your number on it.”
“Then call me now. I don’t like not having a way to get in touch with you. Especially if you ghost me,” he said with a twisted grin.
Keira pulled her cell phone from her pocket.
A movement caught Rogue’s attention and set his combat instincts on high alert.
A big black SUV with darkly tinted windows rounded the corner to the back of the diner.
Rogue shouted. “Get down!”