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“After this is over, I’ll make an appointment.” To pacify her boss, she rolled the pole along with her as she headed for the door. “Right now, we have a terrorist to catch.”
The men in the conference room glanced up in surprise as she entered. Emit, Cal, Trace, Rory, and Jeb, sat at the conference table, the giant wall screen showing multiple videos, maps, and a photo of the terrorist. Colton stood off to one side, arms crossed, fidgeting like he was as anxious as she was to do something.
Emit asked how she felt, and she realized she was going to be fielding that question for a while. “I’m good. What’s our sit rep?”
Several platters of sandwiches created a centerpiece on the table, and everyone had beverages. Colton snagged a plate from a stack on the sideboard and placed it and a glass of water on the table for her before he wheeled out a chair. She gave him a thankful nod, dropped into the seat, and helped herself to the food.
Beatrice and Vivi sat as well, Beatrice laying her tablet in front of her. “The CIA has Lydia at an undisclosed location, debriefing her. The other members of RING have been apprehended. Director Flynn is hunting for Romalov and knows nothing of this operation. We must keep it that way. Until I’m convinced Lydia hasn’t double and triple-crossed all parties involved, this is off the books. We can’t trust her.” Nods of agreement met her pointed gaze as she swept the room. “While the trackers in the watch, along with those we placed on Romalov, should give us a direct route to Bryant Maddox, we can’t wait until the two of them meet to swoop in and nab them.”
Trace picked up the thread of thought and her strategy. “We need to be in place if possible before Romalov gets there, but if he or Romalov get wind of us on their trail, they’ll go to ground.”
“And possibly destroy the watch, or use it to lead us astray,” Cal added. “If this Maddox fellow is as crafty as Lori claims, he’ll be suspicious and on alert already. He knows by now that his original plan has gone off the rails, and even though Romalov has the watch, he won’t risk his freedom to try and get it. There is only so much his blackmail can motivate Lydia to keep quiet about what she knows, and if he suspects the CIA is onto her and Lori, or that they have some kind of proof of his deeds, he’ll simply disappear and we’ll never catch him.”
Beatrice stared at the map. There were several routes highlighted in different colors. “As Trace mentioned, our best bet is to figure out where he’s going and be there before he arrives. If Romalov is smart, he’ll ditch the bike and steal something else, but he may not take that risk either. At this point, we should assume he’ll retrace his steps and head for Canada.”
Emit poked the tablet in front of him and a new map took center stage, the red route pulsing. “This path will take him across the border, and that’s most likely where he’ll hand off the watch.”
The door to the conference room opened and Moe strode in. “He won’t go back the way he came.”
Parker sucked in a breath, no longer hungry as she scanned him for injuries. He’d taken a shower and his hair was wet and slicked back. He was dressed in a casual blue shirt and tan cargo pants.
He studied the map, ignoring her and the others as he circled to the front of the table. “He had a whole team to bring in, now it’s just him. He can move faster and stay under the radar more easily.”
Beatrice stood and moved to stand next to him. “Which way would you go?”
Moe crossed his arms. “None of these routes. His mission has gone to hell, and he’s going to want to get rid of that watch as quickly as possible. On top of that, he’s injured. Maddox wants that watch more than anything, right? Why risk something happening to Romalov, who’s traipsing through miles and miles of rugged country back to Canada, to retrieve it?”
The hardness in his voice made Parker’s gut cramp. The feelings he must be struggling with. She wanted more than anything to pull him aside and wrap her arms around him.
She took a deep breath and noticed Vivi scrutinizing her. “What would you do?” she asked him. “The op is blown and you don’t know what Lydia might tell the CIA, but Romalov has the device with the evidence against you. Why not tell him you’ll pay him off to destroy the watch?”
He glanced her way, finally. His eyes were flat and hard like his voice. “Maddox isn’t after the watch.”
And there it was…the truth spinning like a spider dangling from a web right in front of her. In front of them all. “He wants Lori.”
Moe nodded. “She’s a source of the proof against him. Facts on paper can be manipulated and falsified, but if she were to testify against him, along with the documentation Lydia has, he’ll be a wanted man in multiple countries.”
The woman in question walked in the open door. “Then use me to take him down.”
All eyes landed on her. Beatrice shook her head. “It’s too risky. We can catch him without using you as bait.”
Lori and Moe stared each other down across the room. Parker’s nerves jangled with whatever nonverbal communication passed between them. “You know this is for the best,” Lori said, her eyes never leaving Moe’s face. “If we can capture him, I can cut a deal with Flynn and MI6. I’ll come clean about everything if it puts that bastard behind bars.”
Parker nearly choked. “You said the evidence could reopen all those cases you worked on, and strain the U.S. agreements with the U.K.”
She looked weary. “That’s true, but it’s time for me to stop hiding in the shadows and take responsibility for my mistake.”
“There were extenuating circumstances,” Vivi interjected. “You’re not the first field operative to have an affair with your boss, and I believe, in fact, the DO may have some insight into complicated situations involving such missions.”
Beatrice faced Lori. “I can’t make guarantees, but Vivi is right. Director Flynn has walked a fine line many times, in the field and in his current position. We’ll do all we can to protect you and provide you with legal counsel if you wish. They won’t want classified information such as this to come to light any more than you do, but if we capture Maddox, MI6 will be alerted and will pull strings to have him extradited.”
They all knew what that would entail. Years of investigations, possible acquittal, Lori’s reputation being dragged through the espionage mud.
“Hate to interrupt,” Rory said, tapping keys on his laptop. “Our target has changed course.”
In unison, everyone’s attention went from Lori to the screen. The potential routes disappeared, and the map with the blinking light took their place. No longer headed north, Romalov was now going east.
Moe squinted at the surrounding landmarks and pointed to a section of open ground. “Can you zoom in here?”
