Page 6 of Redeeming Violet

I knew Zane had stuck me with Violet because my specialty was extracting information. However, the woman was proving to be a pain in the ass. Her lips were sealed tighter than a dick’s hatband, which was a shame. Had I not known she was a traitor, I would’ve been thinking of a multitude of ways to get her to open her pretty mouth.

“So, what’s it gonna be Violet? Sit with Nightstalker or go hunting with the men?”

Chapter Three

Violet

It was exhausting living a double life. I was so tired of trying to be brave. I wasn’t any good at this spy game shit; hell, I was a bad liar. It was a miracle none of my colleagues had caught on to what I had done. I couldn’t stay behind with Jasmin. I had to get my hands on the mini drone the SEALs were in possession of. The sooner this was over, the better. I didn’t think I had much more in me before I had a complete meltdown.

“I made a Chinese agent back in Virginia. I let him follow me for a couple of days while I tried to figure out why he was there,” I started to tell Jaxon.

“Wait. You had an MSS agent following you, so you thought you’d lead them to Zane’s house?” he interrupted.

I fought back the eye roll. “No. The agent was neutralized before I left Virginia.”

“Where is he now?” he asked.

“Dead on my living room floor. Another charge I’ll have to face when I get home. Anyway, he broke into my apartment. I was within my rights to shoot him. He had a thumb drive with him, the detailed mission briefs on two different SEAL Teams. Team Bravo had just returned to Virginia from an op in Bogotá, their entire mission had been tracked. I mean, they had a GPS lock on the team while they were OCONUS. Alpha Team’s Sudan Op was outlined as well – every last detail. The Chinese had tracked the first team so well, they had set up the sale of the team’s whereabouts to Wekesa, a Sudanese warlord. When the team lands, they will be tracked and Wekesa will have their exact location.”

“Why does the Chinese government want you dead?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Back to this shit? Violet, if you want our help, you have to come clean. About everything.”

I didn’t know why the Chinese wanted me dead. I hadn’t had any dealings with them until the man started following me. I wanted to tell them the truth, about everything, and unload the burden I’d been carrying for the last six months. I didn’t know how to do this – I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t ask for it or seek it out. He was right, I was a desk jockey. I didn’t know what I was doing.

“And I will. I’ll tell Zane everything and hand over all of the evidence I’ve collected when we get back.”

“What the fuck is so important in Africa that you can’t tell us?”

“The most important thing is getting Wolf, Abe, Dude, Benny and Cookie home in one piece.”

I turned in my seat and faced forward. I couldn’t stand the look of censure in his blue eyes. There was nothing he could say to me that would make me hate myself more than I already did. However, I didn’t have an option. I had to do this one last thing, then I would be free.

If they decided to leave me behind, I’d find a way to break out of the hotel room. I could track the platoon myself. The minute they activated the latest and greatest in mission hardware I’d have a lock. The government had spent millions developing a mini drone. They were much like the ones on the civilian market only smaller, quieter, had better video, battery life, and far better range. An operator could stay under the protection of cover more than a mile away and send the mini drone to scout an area, not putting human life at risk. The operator and the command back at the DOD could watch in real time.

But, there was a fatal flaw in the design. The drone could be hacked and had been.

Zane walked back to tell us we were getting ready to land. Jaxon filled him in on the Chinese agent and he looked like he was ready to explode. If I’d thought he was pissed when I showed up at his house, I was wrong.

“Let me make sure I understand fully. There is a dead MSS agent in your apartment?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Yes.”

“Jesus, fuck! You didn’t think you should’ve had someone to clean up the body?”

“Well, I don’t know Zane. You tell me. Is there a 1-800-pick-up-a-dead-MSS-agent in the phone book?

Jaxon chuckled, and Zane narrowed his eyes. “Yes, as a matter of fact there is. Me! Now you’ve left a rotting carcass in your house. Nothing screams guilt like a dead body. Did you think your neighbors would miss the smell of decomp? Mistake the oh-so-lovely aroma of decaying flesh for you not taking out the trash? For a CIA trained spy, you suck.”

“I’m not a fucking spy!” I blurted out. I was doing the best I could. I was being blackmailed, made to do things that were morally incomprehensible, followed, and now people were trying to kill me. There was only so much I could take. “I’m an analyst. The CIA recruited me from the FBI. You think I wanted any of this? I didn’t. I don’t. I don’t want to be involved in any of this. I’m doing the best I can. And I am guilty. I killed him. I’ll answer to it when I get home. I already told you, I’ll admit to everything.”

“Who are you protecting?” The question had come from Jasmin.

“No one.”

“Bullshit. I don’t believe for a second you’d help Timothy Clark unless he was holding something over you.”