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“You woke up standing over Bu’Tay’s body. What woke you?”
“I don’t know! I went to sleep the night before, after doing a spot check on one of our witnesses. Then I woke up, fully dressed, standing over Bu’Tay with a knife in my hand. Nothing made sense. I had seconds to assess my situation, then you called my name.”
“You ran.”
“Yes, I ran! I didn’t know what was happening. Wait… Why were you here? Were you following me? That time you had Stenikov follow me… I thought that was a training exercise.”
“It was not.”
All this time, he’d known she’d been with Bu’Tay in the warehouse and he never asked her about it. Never once mentioned it.
“That night, we caught an og’dal on surveillance and combed the area looking for him. We had no idea you were involved until I scented your presence, Ms. Walsh.”
Her lower lip trembled, then she swiped at the tears and straightened her back. “Has everything between us been nothing more than strategy? A way to get information? Do you have any feelings for me at all, Zirkov?”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Walsh,” he said, his voice as void of emotion as the day she’d met him. “I don’t get involved with co-workers. I needed to assess you, to learn of your role in what’s been happening. You are the source of the leaks. The question is whether you were a willing participant. Tell me everything and I’ll recommend the DAA keep you out of prison.”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“As Commander of GI7, and for the safety of those I protect, I have to root out the mole and secure my unit.”
Nothing mattered more to Zirkov than protecting his people, but she’d never been one of the team. Only an outsider.
Maggie began shaking. The man she’d fallen for had been using her, no different than the og’dals who shoved that device in her head.
A part of her wanted to crawl off somewhere and never see him again, but the rest of her, the woman who loved him, couldn’t believe he’d do this. Zirkov stood for honor and justice.
“Tell me this is all a bad dream,” she pleaded.
Zirkov didn’t move. Barely blinked.
The sound of slow, derisive clapping echoed through the warehouse. “You put on an entertaining show, Commander Kesk,” a male said as he stepped out of the shadows. “Is this the so-called proof you have?”
Maggie knew that voice all too well. “Assistant Director Sutherland. You’re part of this?”
“Commander Kesk said he could prove your innocence. But this little demonstration only proves he has a relationship with you. That alone makes me question his judgment and objectivity.”
Cold silver eyes focused on Sutherland. “Og’dal slavers controlled her. She has lapses in her memory. My marshals provided the implant the doctors removed from her brain as well as documentation from the tekklan scientist who developed the neurosphere.”
“That might lower the charges from Treason and Murder in the First Degree to Involuntary Manslaughterifyou could prove your assertion. We have no such device logged into our evidence. Only a doctor’s statement saying they performed brain surgery and removed a device of alien design. My experts theorize the device enabled Ms. Walsh to communicate with the og’dal slavers.”
“The evidence that could clear her went missing in the DAA, a department under your control, Sutherland.”
“Are you accusing me of being corrupt, Kesk?”
Maggie’s eyes bounced back and forth between the two males. Zirkov hadn’t been setting her up. He’d been trying to get an honest reaction from her, one that Sutherland would witness and believe. With the neurosphere missing, Zirkov sought an alternate way to make Sutherland believe in her innocence. He’d risked his reputation and freedom in the process.
“You’re either involved directly or your incompetent leadership has enabled whoever is responsible to frame Maggie. Which means you haven’t caught the mole, only an innocent, and the danger to Earth’s security remains.”
A memory of being in Sutherland’s office exploded in Maggie’s head, nearly bringing her to her knees. She’d told himeverythinggoing on in GI7.
The exit routes Gabriella would use from the courthouse. Ri’Nom bringing the raakesh to Dal. The safehouse Konnitch and Kaci hid in to escape the Brotherhood.
All of it. Every damn piece of information GI7 hadn’t shared with Earth Intelligence.
Maggie’s eyes snapped to Sutherland. “You’re working with the og’dals.”
The smile fell from his face. “False accusations won’t save you.”
