Page 6 of Catch Me
He cleared his throat and sat forward. “Well, since it’s my bargain, I suppose it should be me. How did you figure out Reed was the agent who interrogated Rue?”
Relief and disappointment filled me at the same time as part of me was thankful that he’d asked such a softball question and the other part of me wished he’d asked the question I really wanted to answer.
“When Rue told me her story in Stockholm, I remembered reading reports and case studies that mentioned a few of the agents in charge of the Fleur de Lis case. Reed’s name stuck out. I couldn’t figure out how he’d gotten away with it, though. No one with that kind of history would have made it to the level he is at, or was at, now.” I scooted back into the sofa and drew my legs towards my chest, my arms coming to wrap around my knees. “That’s when I realized no one actually knew the age or the description of the Fleur de lis. They were really good about never mentioning any specific details and we all just assumed it was an adult. So I figured any files from then hadn’t been updated yet to the new system.” For several years now, the FBI had been working to digitize all files and cases into one central electronic filing system. All but a few had been cataloged. “I called in a favor to see if there were any files in Agent Reed’s past case log that hadn’t been uploaded yet. Low and behold, there were quite a few that seemed to be missing from the new system. My friend requested to see those files and suddenly there were a lot of questions about why they were omitted.” I shrugged slightly. “And from there, it just snowballed. They found the files, unsealed them and then delivered them to the desks that needed to see them.” Simon listened to me with eyes sparkling with intense interest, never interrupting to ask questions or admonish me or my methods. “It seems your friend Frank had quite a few cases he was hoping wouldn’t make it to the new system. He didn’t want anyone to have a permanent record of his indiscretions.”
Suddenly Simon moved in, so fast I barely registered he was moving, and kissed me. It was slow, soft and lingering. So different from the other kisses he had given me. I melted into him as a new kind of heat blazed, lighting me from within. And when he pulled away, I had to resist the urge to follow, seeking more.
My lips stayed parted, “I hope you don’t think that was you fulfilling your part of the bargain.”
He smirked, “No lass, that was me saying that you’re brilliant. But I’m pretty sure a knock- your- socks off kind of kiss is in one of your fantasies.”
I blushed. I didn’t want to admit that a world ending kiss actually was on my list. “If that was a fantasy kiss, you have some studying to do. But don’t worry, I’ll get you caught up.” I waved a hand, dismissing him and hoping that he couldn’t see the effect his kiss had on me. The smirk I ignored told me he knew exactly how much it did. I continued on, “Well, hopefully my brilliance pays off, and Rue knows I’m truly sorry for what I had to do.” Part of me worried that I’d done permanent damage to the budding friendship I’d developed with the beautiful hacker and mercenary. Simon seemed to read my thoughts and grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Rue is tough, Hannah. She’s also one of the most loyal people I’ve ever met. She was more pissed that you managed to get the drop on her than anything. When she finds out what you did for her, there won’t be anything left to forgive.”
Some of the worry faded away, and I smiled, giving his hand a squeeze in return. “Alright, my turn then.” I watched as some of the wariness returned in his gaze, but he didn’t let go of my hand, just nodded and said, “Ok, your turn.”
My eyes traced over every angle and plane of his face, noting the shadow of a dark beard coming in on his jaw and the way his gun metal colored eyes glinted in the low lamp lighting. Finally, I unlodged my tongue and asked the question that had been swirling around since he’d left me in Stockholm.
“What’s my sister’s connection to Tory?”
One blink was all that he gave me to show that my question had startled him and for a moment he was so still that I thought he wasn’t going to answer. I started to pull my hand away, but he gripped it tighter, his thumb beginning to slowly trace over my wrist and the pulse that fluttered there.
“That’s,” he hesitated. “A complicated question.”
I cocked my head, eyes narrowing. “We made a deal.” But I didn’t pull my hand back any further.
“I know, and I want to give you an answer, but it’s going to take more time than we’ve got right now.”
“Then give me the cliff notes version.” I waited to see if he would run from the question, or face me and give me the honesty I needed.
“You know, the Abromov group recruited Sybil as part of their effort to gain tech secrets, as well as bring brilliant minds into their organization.” I nodded. Technological theft from foreign espionage was nothing new and Sybil’s connection to the research department at Georgia Tech would have provided her with ample access to innovative programs and developments.
“Well, another part of their recruitment efforts went to indoctrinate disgruntled patriots who may be looking for an outlet for their frustrations. They use back channels, social media chats, or online groups to reach them. That’s how Sybil got her claws into Tory.” He cleared his throat and let go of my hand, leaning forward to brace his arms on his knees. I adjusted to scoot closer to him, but like he did with me, didn’t interrupt, just waited for him to continue.
“Tory was angry and tired of the,” he frowned at the memory, clearly bothered by it. “… restrictions, our government placed on us when we were on a mission. This was before we’d pulled away and operated as a complete Ghost unit. Before that, we were still technically a part of the British Military. She hated the pay. She hated the time away.” He shook his head. “I thought she was just ready to get out. Get married, settle down. I thought if I could just convince her to stick it out for a few more rotations, we could be completely done. Off the books and done.” He looked at me then. “Do you know why I hated Sybil so much, lass? It wasn’t because she took Tory from me. It was because she knew her better than I did.”
I frowned. “So you’re saying that Tory was radicalized in a chatroom?”
He nodded, his fists clenching and unclenching. “Who knows? Maybe she was already that way and I just didn’t realize it. I knew she liked to vent her frustrations and sometimes would say things that were kind of crazy, but I always brushed her off as just being unhappy. Somehow word got to the Abromov group and I’m sure it didn’t take them long to figure out who Tory was or what she did in the military. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure she didn’t seek them out herself. That’s when Sybil showed up.”
He ran fingers through his dark hair and he glared at the floor, a sudden edginess taking over him. “To put it simply, Tory sold us out. She knew from Sybil that the same weapons dealers we’d been chasing in Syria were the same buyers that the Abromov group had lined up. She tipped them off and was expecting a big payday from it. But then Sybil betrayed her, and when we showed up, there was an ambush waiting. Tory was caught in the crossfire.” The words tumbled out of him, dark and angry. “When she realized Sybil wasn’t going to rescue her, she thought she’d get some bonus points with the militants if she took out our team. Michael and Evan were with me. She used some of the weapons and set a trap, intending to blow us up and make it look like an IED went off. I caught her with the detonator switch.” He swiveled his gaze towards me and there was no remorse, no guilt, in those dark eyes. ‘I killed her.”
CHAPTERSIX
Hannah
Turning away, he blinked at the blank space in front of him as if by doing so he could remove the memory that played out in the theatre of his mind, then turned those delicious dark greys towards me. There was none of the sadness or regret that I expected to see in them. Just the clear-eyed gaze of a man who had made a hard choice but fully understood and accepted the consequences.
“And you’ve been hunting my sister ever since.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement, and he nodded slowly in confirmation.
“Aye. At first it was because I’d convinced myself that the militants and terrorists cells we hunted were just the little fish. I wanted the big fish. The Abromov group and everyone they associated with. But in reality, it was all about revenge. I blamed Sybil for Tory’s choices and beliefs.” He settled back into the couch as if the weight of his confession were suddenly lifted and he could relax. “It wasn’t until recently that I stopped lying to myself and admitted the truth.”
My head dropped to my knees, still tucked against my body as I studied him. A relaxed Simon was something new. The way he took up space on my couch, in my life, was always so imposing. So dominating. This was different, it was personal and intimate. I reached out to brush a lock of dark hair that had fallen across his brow. “And what was that?”
He caught my hand and brought it to his lips, brushing them softly against my knuckles. The tenderness of it transfixed me and I felt my breath catch. But then he released my hand and sighed, wearily. “That some people are just born evil and no amount of wishing or blaming others will change that.”
I pulled my hand back and shifted slightly away from him. Simon’s confessions were hitting too close to home. He seemed to notice where my thoughts drifted.
