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The division of the CIA I worked for was similar to the internal affairs department of other law enforcement agencies. When someone on the inside was suspected of operating outside their limits of power, agents like me were brought in. The nature of the investigations our department handled precluded other agents being alerted of our coming in, in fact, we reported to the Office of the Inspector General rather than the Director of the CIA. Keeping my identity a secret was also the reason I wasn’t based in DC.
While I was good at my job, I wondered if the accident and the pain meds I was on because of it, were clouding my judgment.
I hadn’t been on the case that long, but my gut was telling me Cope was clean. Like Money, the man who’d originally requested an internal affairs agent be assigned, I felt there was something about Cope’s association with Irish that didn’t make sense.
Money was looking for more than my gut instinct, though, which meant I had to figure out a way to get closer to Cope, and not just between the sheets.
Allowing him to leave earlier was a mistake that needed to be fixed.
18
COPE
Asmart man would’ve walked out and kept going. Instead, I made it as far as the lobby of my building, turned around, and walked back across the street.
Rock was still on duty at Ali’s apartment this morning, which meant he’d witnessed my indecision. As did the other two operatives Decker had brought in after her place was broken into.
“You okay, Cope?” Rock asked when I exited the elevator.
“No.”
He smiled, but didn’t comment further. With the mood I was in, if he had, he might’ve lost a few teeth.
I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. When Ali didn’t answer after a couple of minutes, I took out my cell and called her. No answer to that either.
It was possible she was in the shower; it was also possible she had fallen or hurt herself or had a reaction to her medicine. I scrubbed my face with my hand. “I’m goin’ in, Rock.”
He handed me his key card, and I eased the door open. “Ali?” No answer. I let the door close behind me. “Ali, it’s Cope. Where are you?” Still no answer. I rounded the corner into her bedroom and could hear her singing.
I smiled and opened the door to the bathroom. I didn’t want to startle her. She was in the tub, eyes closed, with buds in her ears. I stood there for a minute, waiting for her to sense my presence, and began removing my clothes.
Once naked, I walked over to the tub, sat on the edge, leaned over, and kissed her shoulder. She opened her eyes and smiled but didn’t give any indication that I’d surprised her.
“You knew I was here,” I said when she removed one of the buds.
Her cheeks turned pink. “I wanted to see what you’d do.”
“What if I’d left?”
“I would’ve called after you.”
“Scoot forward.” When she did, I climbed in behind her.
“I’m sorry about earlier, Cope.”
“I am too.”
“I understand there are things you can’t discuss with me.”
“I think we can make this work, Ali.”
She sighed.
“You don’t?”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be here.”
“Why not? I would think the Express could keep you busy, especially with an election coming up.” She was holding something back, but she’d been right earlier; I was holding something back too. In fact, the ramifications of what I couldn’t tell her, had put her life in jeopardy.
