Security, and the Bureau got the same kind of chilly reception. Nevertheless, our mandate puts
us in the spotlight on this one.”
Ryan thought about that for a second. “I don’t see how,” he finally said. “The fact that March
managed to sneak himself and 50 pounds of SEMTEX H into the country can hardly be blamed
on the Agency.”
“You’re missing the point, Ryan. Discovering the link between March, Al-Qaeda, and Iran did
fall on us, and the consensus on the Hill is that we should have done it a lot sooner. Either way,
the NSC advises that we are now the lead agency responsible for tracking down Jason March.
Moreover, they want it done quietly.”
“Oh, well, that’s all right, then,” Kealey said drily. “I thought they might be asking something
difficult.”
Harper ignored the sarcasm. “I’ve been batting some ideas around with Director Andrews. The
only thing we can agree on is that March is the closest thing to a weak link the organization has.
After all, he’s the only one going back and forth, leaving a trail with every step he takes—”
“Which we haven’t been able to pick up on,” Ryan reminded him.
Harper tilted his head slightly, seemingly conceding the point. “That’s not entirely true. As far as
Senator Levy goes, we still have nothing. You’re right about that. The vehicle was rented under a
fake name, of course, and the FBI hasn’t been able to dredge anything up on the launcher that
March dropped in the Haupt Garden. The rain washed away any prints there might have been on
the weapon, which is why we didn’t get a positive ID right off the bat. We might have something
in the bombing, though. I got a call this morning from Virginia. A DEA agent based at the
Norfolk office was trying to crack a drugs-for-guns ring being run out of a waterfront bar, of all
places. Anyway, his informer sees Michael Shakib’s face spread all over CNN and tells the agent
that he’d seen Shakib meeting with someone in the bar two weeks earlier. He said he only
remembered because they got into an argument, and the owner told them to take it outside.”
“Who was Shakib talking to?”
“Guy by the name of Elgin, Thomas Elgin. He’s a piece of shit — his sheet makes for extensive,
if unimpressive, reading. Even worse, he’s a registered sex offender. Raped a thirteen-year-old
girl back in 1990, did ten years in Marion for it. You have to wonder why March would deal with
a man like that, directly or indirectly.”
“If you’re looking for someone to move explosives into the country, you can’t be too picky,”
Ryan said.
Harper had noticed the expression that came over Kealey’s face when he mentioned the rape
part. He was well aware of how Ryan dealt with such people. “March must have been pretty
confident. I wonder why he didn’t just try to get the explosives here.”
“There’s a lot of risk associated with the entire process if you go that route,” Kealey said. “First,
you have to find what you’re looking for in the quantities you need. If you want C4, the best bet
is going to be a military facility or a construction site. Either way, security is going to be tight,
and the theft is going to be reported immediately. If you try to buy it through a third party, you
could be walking into an ATF sting. On the other hand, port security is almost nonexistent in
places like West Africa. Then you only have to worry about U.S. Customs and the Coast Guard
on our side of the pond. The risk is confined to one part of the operation. No, I think he
definitely had to bring it in.”
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“Well, this guy Elgin might be able to tell you more. He’s a loadmaster at the Norfolk
International Terminals, working directly with the cargo coming off container vessels. It’s the
only lead we’ve got.”
“It sounds weak. What do you mean, ‘tell me more’?”
“It means I want you to go to Virginia,” Harper said. Ryan started to speak, but the other man
lifted a hand to stop him. “I know, I know. Let me explain something to you. The president is
out of options. The U.N. won’t support an air strike, but the public is demanding a response.
He’s in a tight spot, so he was pretty receptive to new ideas when the director showed him your
file. Ryan, the president is scared of Jason March. He’s scared of the man’s capabilities, his
connections, and his willingness to kill Americans. Brenneman wants somebody who can work
fast and get results. The logic is flawed; he thinks that if March can be found, then Al-Qaeda’s
ability to operate will be seriously hindered. He also thinks that March might lead you right
down the snake hole. It’s unrealistic, I know, but Director Andrews is willing to humor him.
They want you to go after him.” Kealey didn’t say anything for a moment. His face was empty as
Harper waited for a reaction. “Ryan—”
“I remember when you asked me to look at some videotapes, John.”
Now it was Harper’s turn to fall silent as he stared into his empty wineglass. He could hear
sounds of laughter from the two women downstairs, but it seemed much farther away than the
actual distance allowed. “Listen—”
“No, you listen. You know I’ll do it — that’s why I’m here. We’ve known each other for a long
time, ever since I was in the service and running jobs for your department. That’s too long to
bullshit each other. You should have told me the way it was from the very start. Barring that… I
mean, come on, John. At the very least, you should have known that I would figure it out on my
own. What I don’t appreciate is you trying to mislead me. I don’t ask for much, but I think I
deserve better than that.”
“You’re right.” A brief pause. “I mean that. I have to deal with a lot of people, Ryan. Most don’t
have the drive. Everything has to be spoon-fed to them… Sometimes I get caught up in that. I’m
sorry.”
Kealey waved away the apology; he didn’t want to make a big speech, but the point had to be
made. “Don’t worry about it. I just want you to be straight with me. That’s all I ask.”
That last statement caused a little smile to work its way across Harper’s face. “You’re looking
for straight talk… I want you to work with Naomi Kharmai on this.”
The deputy director was surprised when Kealey did not immediately refuse. “In what capacity?”
“I don’t want her waving a gun around, if that’s what you’re worried about. She’s capable, Ryan.
Her Arabic is better than yours, and I know you don’t have any Farsi. Besides, she’s…” —
Harper was searching for the right word, but couldn’t find it — “a more acceptable
representative of the Agency. She might be able to open some doors that are closed to you.”
“That’s an interesting way to phrase it.” Ryan was laughing, and Harper couldn’t help but join in.
“I could be acceptable. Give me a suit and a badge, see what happens.”
“That would be a first,” Harper said. The smile was broad across his face, but it faded with his
next words. “There’s one other thing, Ryan… Technically, you are retired from the Agency. As
far as this situation is concerned, you’re working as an independent contractor. That’s straight
from the director.”
“He’s covering his bets, huh?” The younger man frowned. “Is this because of…?”
“No,” Harper said. Then he hesitated. “Maybe. Bosnia might have had something to do with it.
You know about the bad press we got in connection with the torture of prisoners in Iraq.
Andrews is desperate to avoid more of the same.” The other man started to speak, but Jonathan
held up a hand. “It’s not about him, anyway. I’m asking you to do this, and I know that I don’t
have to convince you, so let’s not pretend otherwise.”
Kealey didn’t say anything. After what seemed like a very long time, he nodded, almost
imperceptibly.
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Harper let out a long breath and said, “Great. And thanks, Ryan. I hate to put you in this kind of
position, but I really appreciate it. And believe it or not, the director appreciates it, too.”
“I appreciated dinner. Julie’s a great cook.” Both men stood and moved toward the door. “One
more thing.” Harper turned to look at his guest.
“After this, I’m out. All the way. It’s getting serious with Katie, but she wouldn’t be able to
handle it if I stayed at the Agency. She deserves more, and she’s going to be angry enough when
she finds out that I’m going to Virginia. Besides, I don’t want to push my luck.”
A look of understanding came over the older man’s face. He had once served in the field as well,
and knew what his friend was talking about. “You’ve done enough, Ryan. More than enough. I
never thought I’d see you settle down, though.”
“That makes two of us,” was the amused reply as the two men went back down the stairs. Ryan
collected Katie from the living room and walked with her to the door.
“Thanks again for dinner. It was so nice to meet both of you,” she said.
Her golden-brown hair seemed to glow in the warm light of the foyer. Ryan couldn’t take his
eyes away from her.
Julie gave her a warm hug. “You too, Katie. Bring her back soon, Ryan, okay?”
He smiled and gave Julie a quick kiss on the cheek. “Absolutely.” Turning to Jonathan: “Naomi’s
back tomorrow, right?”
“Hopefully.”
“I’ll talk to you in the morning. We’ll probably leave for Norfolk in the afternoon.”
“Sounds good. It was nice to meet you, Katie.” He leaned forward to peck her cheek.
“Careful, John,” Kealey said, a grin spreading across his face.
There was general laughter as they went back down the stone steps in the frigid night air, but the
car was cold in more ways than one as Ryan turned the key and the engine purred to life.
They were halfway back to the hotel before he ventured an attempt at conversation. “So, it
seems like you got along well with Julie.”
“She’s great.” He could tell that she meant it, but the words were sharp.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ryan, if you need me to tell you…”
“Katie, I really don’t need this—”
“You know what I don’t need? I don’t need to be scared to death every time you walk out the
door. I don’t need that, okay? You almost died four days ago. I thought you were dead. To be in
that position, not knowing… Do you have any idea what that feels like? Of course you don’t.
Now you’re taking off again, right after I dropped my classes so we could—” She stopped
herself, but not before Ryan figured out what she had been about to say. So we could spend
more time together.
He sighed in exasperation. He didn’t mean to, and it was barely audible, but she caught the
implication immediately. “And who’s Naomi?”
“Katie—”
“Is she pretty? I’m sure she is… You don’t need to answer that.”
Ryan looked over at her. From high above, streetlights positioned along the road occasionally
cut deep into the shadowed interior of the car. Passing under one now, light flickered through
the windows and clearly illuminated the expressions within. He briefly saw tears welling in her
eyes, but the anger and suspicion he expected were not spread across her delicate features.
Instead, her face was clouded with fear.
The next exit was for Rock Creek Park, and he abruptly swung the car into the lane on the far
right. The road hummed quietly beneath the tires as Ryan eased off the accelerator. It was not
the way to the hotel.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see.” They drove on for a few minutes more until he parked the BMW on a road
adjacent to the park. Getting out of the car, he helped her into her black woolen peacoat. He
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noticed that she walked by his side, but stayed several steps away as they moved deeper into the
park. The distance was a gulf between them. The trees lining the footpath towered far above like
sentinels keeping a silent watch on the troubled couple below.
Katie slipped twice, Ryan catching her on both occasions before she fell. After the second fall,
he couldn’t help himself: “You’re a little drunk.”
Despite herself, she smiled reluctantly. “I think you’re right.” They were approaching a bridge
running over the partially frozen water. There were fewer lamps here, but the moonlight cast a
serene glow over the park and glittered on the ice covering the low stone walls. The stars were
bright in the clear sky. They were halfway over the bridge when Ryan stopped walking. He
noticed that Katie was shivering and pulled her close, rubbing her slender arms beneath the
heavy coat.
“You’re freezing… I’m sorry to bring you out here like this, but I wanted to talk. Not in the car,
and not in the hotel.” She looked up into his eyes, and Ryan went on: “I do understand how you
feel. I’ve lost a lot of people I’ve been close to. I’ll tell you about it sometime, but not now. Not
tonight.
“You asked about Naomi. I barely know her, Katie, but let me tell you what I do know. She’s
blunt, sarcastic, and ungrateful. She means nothing to me. Let me repeat that. She means nothing
to me, and that’s not going to change. I saved her life at the Kennedy-Warren and she didn’t
even thank me. Now I’m stuck with her for at least the next couple weeks when I want nothing
more than to be here with you. I want you to be able to trust me, because I trust no one more
than you.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a hand to stop her.
“Let me finish. I know that you’re afraid. Tonight I told John that this is the last thing I’m doing
for the Agency, and I meant it. A few more weeks at the most, and I’m done. I need you to be
strong in the meantime. It’s just a job for me. It’s important that you see that. There’s a lot I want
to do when it’s over, and I want — no, I need you by my side.
“Katie, I love you more than anything and I have to know: will you marry me?”
Ryan pulled a small burgundy box out of his pocket and opened it. He was scared to death, but
Katie’s mouth dropped open in amazement, her bright blue eyes sparkling with surprise and
happiness. She flung her arms around him, causing the box to tumble out of his hand. He
laughed and they kissed deeply. He had been terrified to ask, almost certain that she would
refuse him. Now, breathing in the fresh, clean scent of her, he knew that he would never regret
his decision. He was only angry that he had to leave the next day.
“I take it that’s a yes?”
Katie kissed him again in place of an answer. They held each other for what seemed like an
eternity until Ryan finally broke away.
“Now,” he said with another relieved laugh, “let’s find that ring.”
CHAPTER 12
LANGLEY ? NORFOLK, VIRGINIA
It seemed like much earlier than seven when he woke the following morning, his eyelids tight
