“I’m sorry, G,” Greystone said.
Gabriel tossed him a nod. “I’m not the enemy here, Grey.”
“Tomorrow is the 8th,” Z said. “We’ve got two dozen undercover agents working at Dulles tomorrow. This is a challenge for us. We don’t know what kind of packages are being delivered or from what airline.”
“Or if they’re already here,” Stoni added. “They could have arrived early.”
“The original date was January 15th,” Halston said, “then Petrov changed it to the 8th.”
“We’ve got another team covering several locations in Ashburn, hoping to spot the two vans,” Z continued.
“But this assignment hinges on no changes to the original schedule, “Kathrine explained. “There’s been zero chatter about any deliveries and, to make this more challenging, we don’t know where they originated. These packages could be coming from anywhere. Russia, China, the Middle East. Even somewhere in the US. We have very little to go on.”
“This is where ALPHA steps in,” Sin said. “The CIA had been handling this case and managing Halston.”
“We were concerned for Halston’s safety since one of her handlers had been turned, so I took over,” Evangeline said.
“But we still don’t have control of the case,” Z said. “My attempts to take it have failed.”
“So did mine,” Sin added before pointing at Stoni. “We still have one more ace in our hand.”
Stoni shook her head. “If neither of you could do it, I don’t see how I can.”
Z took Stoni’s phone, scrolled through her address book. He dialed, put the call on speaker.
It rang, then a man answered, “Steve Belkin.”
Stoni glared at Z. “Steve, hello! It’s Stoni Alexander.”
“My favorite author. How’ve you been?”
“Busy,” she replied. “I wanted to see how your new position is working out for you.”
“Great. Never been happier. I want to thank you again for making my little problem go away.”
“It’s all about who we know, right?”
“Well, yes and no,” Steve replied. “Develin can’t stand me, but I’m grateful he likes you.”
After a pause, Stoni continued, “Do you remember what you told me after Sin cleared your name?”
Silence.
Stoni bit back a smile.
“I do,” he said. “I told you I owed you one.”
“I’m calling in that favor, Director Belkin.”
“What can the CIA do for you, Ms. Alexander?”
“Turn over the Halston Devereux case to ALPHA.”
“Dammit, Stoni. Are you doing Z’s bidding for him now?”
“How many cases is the Agency currently working around the world?”
“Several thousand.”
