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Aggie
Aggie breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the tracking dot moving again. Nix had sent her an emergency text, warning of FBI activity in the area.
She gathered her things and drove to the agreed-upon meeting point. As quickly as Zeke had disappeared into the woods, he reappeared, only this time, he had Sam Higgins with him.
Zeke ushered Sam into the vehicle, then got in himself. Unable to stop herself, Aggie grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him soundly.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“I was worried.”
He seemed to find that amusing.
Aggie glanced in the rearview mirror and caught sight of Sam. He looked awful. She had a feeling that it wasn’t just because he’d been living in the wilderness. His eyes were haunted, as if he’d seen things he wished he hadn’t.
“Any complications?” she asked Zeke.
“A few. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
She nodded, stepped on the accelerator, and drove away. She was sure he’d fill her in later, preferably once Sam spent some quality time with a bar of soap. They followed the route they’d outlined earlier and arrived at the safe house without issue.
“Tell me,” she said once Sam was in the shower.
Zeke filled her in.
“Do we need to send someone out there for Manelli?”
“No. I left him a flare gun. He’ll signal for help when he comes to. Assuming he doesn’t swallow it, that is.”
“What now?”
“Here.” Zeke placed a thumb drive in her hand. “Let’s see what all the fuss is about, then we’ll go from there.”
Aggie plugged the drive into her laptop. It had everything Sam had said it had—names, dates, schedules, pictures, even a few recorded conversations.
“This is gold,” Aggie said, blowing out a breath. “I have a feeling that once I plug in some of these names and follow the money trail, this is going to take us way beyond Parryville.”
Sam emerged from the shower, looking—and smelling—better than he had when he went in.
“Aggie, I’m sorry. Zeke told me what happened. I never wanted you to get hurt.”
“I know. You’re forgiven.”
Zeke snorted.
“That’s it?” Sam asked, doubt and suspicion clear in his features.
She shrugged. “That’s it. You were in a tough situation, and like you said, you didn’t mean for it to happen.”
Sam started moving toward her, but Zeke glared at him and shook his head. Sam turned around and headed for the tray of sandwiches and coffee instead.
“Feeling a little protective there?” she murmured softly.
He grunted, sending ribbons of warmth into her chest.
* * *
“It’s all set,” Aggie told Zeke several days later. “Sam’s agreed to testify. He’s officially in WITSEC, and Manelli will be remanded to a federal holding facility as soon as he recovers from his injuries. Seems like someone really did a number on the guy.”
Aggie looked at him expectantly, but Zeke just shrugged. “How’d they get Sam in WITSEC so fast?”
“Remember Matt Winston, the guy at Sanctuary? Well, his wife, Hayley, is a former Deputy US Marshal. She pulled some strings and was able to fast-track everything.”
“Your network is vast, Robin Hood. No wonder you’re able to remain so elusive.”
“You found me.”
He tilted his head and regarded her. “Did I though?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, I’m not an idiot. You weren’t some random job. Charley practically handed you to me on a silver platter and paid me fifty grand for the privilege. Who is she, Aggie, and why did she do that?”
Aggie couldn’t tell him about Charley without telling him about her brother, and she couldn’t do that, no matter how much she wanted to. “I can’t answer that.”
“How about you try? And while you’re at it, you can explain how you were able to warn me that the FBI was closing in on us out there with such impeccable timing?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. They weren’t her secrets to share. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?”
“Can’t.”
“Then, I’m sorry too.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m done with the need to know bullshit. You know everything about me and I know nothing about you. I’m done being a pawn in a game I don’t understand.”
He stared deep into her eyes. “It means, you either trust me or you don’t.”
His eyes hardened when seconds ticked by and she said nothing. Then he turned around and walked out.
* * *
Aggie stared out at the scenic view, seeing none of it. The chalet had always been her safe place. Her place to go to rest and recharge in between projects.
Not this time. Now, everything reminded her of Zeke. She saw him everywhere. Cooking in the kitchen. Working out in the gym. Naked in her bed.
Weeks had gone by without a word. Every day, her hope faded a little more that she would.
She got it—she really did. She had a lot of secrets. Her life and the work she did required anonymity and solitude, neither of which was conducive to a relationship. Her brother was the exception, and that was a secret she’d take to the grave. Not even Nix knew she and T were related. Nix thought Robin Hood was one of T’s Chameleons, nothing more.
Until Zeke, that hadn’t been a problem. She moved around a lot, changing identities like most women changed their nail color. She met new people, experienced new things, and eventually returned to her home base, feeling like she’d accomplished something.
It had been enough.
Her laptop pinged, signaling a secure message request.
“Speak of the devil, and he doth appear,” she quipped as T’s face filled the screen.
“You were talking about me?” he asked, amused.
“More like thinking out loud.”
“No word from Raguel?”
“No, and I don’t think there will be. Are you calling for a reason?”
“Do I need one?”
“Yes.”
He sighed. “Fine. I need you to run some financial forensics on a guy named Shelton MacNamarra.”
Aggie nodded, grateful for a distraction. It was time she got out of her own head and got back to work. She’d been dragging her feet in picking her next target, knowing that once she did, she’d be gone for months.
“Okay. Am I looking for anything specific?”
“Deposits made from foreign countries, particularly the Middle East and eastern Africa.”
“Sure. I’ll get right on it.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”