Betrayal (26 page)

Jonathan Krause held the phone to his ear and listened to the message as it played. The voice was thick with rage and the CIA agent immediately knew there was danger ahead. “Krause. Mitchell. You were right. Sparrow seems to have left the nest. I am on my way. More than your congressman will fall.”

Krause swallowed hard. “What the hell did you do Claire?” He grabbed his gun and hurriedly made his way to the door. “Ian, be careful. Shit…John, I wish you were here.”

“Cassie?”

“Hum?”

“Are you going to tell me what is going on in that pretty head of yours?” Rose asked.

Cassidy laughed. She had spent the last two days talking about nearly everything with her mother. Rose’s admission that Cassidy’s father had struggled with addiction throughout most of their marriage was difficult for her to comprehend. To Cassidy, her parents had what seemed a storybook love affair. That had been the imagination of a ten year old mind. She wondered how she could have romanticized something that had clearly caused so much pain within her family. It was a revelation that set her thinking about her own son and who he was. She tried to convince herself she could lead him to believe he was someone else. Now, it seemed clear to her that the truth was something he deserved and it terrified her. Christopher O’Brien was not Dylan’s father. His father was a man with flaws as well, but Cassidy was beginning to realize that the flaws of the real man, and even her own shortcomings, would be far more palatable for Dylan than a secret revealed after many years. “It’s nothing,” Cassidy assured her mother.

“Cassie, I know you better than that. I know you’re angry…”

“No, Mom; I’m not angry with you at all,” Cassidy said as she plopped onto the sofa. She listened as Dylan played above their heads in his room. “Batman returns,” she shook her head. “I swear he becomes more like Alex every day.”

Rose smiled. “He loves her.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Cassie, what is it? Is it your father?”

“No,” the teacher sighed. “You are right though, Mom.”

“About?” Rose asked.

“Well, secrets can have unintended consequences.”

Rose nodded. “I’m sorry, Cassie.”

“No…it’s all right, Mom. Really, it is. I understand. I even appreciate it. I really do.” Cassidy reached over and took her mother’s hand.

“Then what? You want to tell Dylan about his father?”

“I want to tell Chris. I’m not certain how to tell Dylan, Mom. He’s seven. But, yes; I do. For a lot of reasons.” A faint smile slowly played on Cassidy’s face.

“Oookaaay?” Rose squinted. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Alex and I had a talk before she left.”

“About?”

“About having a family together,” Cassidy answered. Her mother bit her lip to contain her smile. “You don’t seem surprised.”

“Should I be?” Rose asked.

“I thought you might think it was awfully soon for us to be talking about that,” Cassidy admitted.

“Well, are you talking about it or did you already do something about it?”

Cassidy laughed heartily and rolled her eyes, soliciting a wink from her mother. “I just think that we should have an honest slate before that happens…if it happens.”

“Uh-huh,” Rose muttered.

“What?”

“Cassie…”

“What?” Cassidy asked again with some urgency.

Rose snickered. “
If
it happens?”

Cassidy was about to deliver a smart retort when her phone rang. She looked at the screen and smiled. “Alex?” Rose patted her daughter’s shoulder and left the room to give her some privacy.

“Hey,” the agent said quietly.

“I didn’t think I would hear from you.”

Alex took a deep breath. “Guess I missed you.”

“Huh. Really?”

“Yeah, maybe a little. Hey, is Speed there?” Alex asked hopefully.

“Yeah, hold on. He’s in his room being Batman.”

Alex laughed as she heard Cassidy call to Dylan. She could hear him bounding down the stairs and Cassidy’s command to ‘slow down’ in her ear.

“Alex?”

“Hey, Speed. Whatya doin?”

“Mom told me to clean the Batcave.”

Alex fought her inclination to laugh out loud. Cassidy was inventive. She had been determined that Dylan was going to clean his room before Alex got home and she had clearly taken the perfect approach. “So, is the Batcave shipshape?”

“Almost,” he said. “Batman had Alfred to help.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. I will be home in a couple of days though.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, I promise. You helping your mom?”

“Yeah. Grandma is making sgetti tonight,” he told her.

“Wow. I can’t believe I am missing that,” Alex said with disappointment.

“So, come home.”

“I wish I could, Speed. I’ll be back before you know it and then you can show me the new and improved Batcave.”

“Okay,” he said quietly.

“I love you, Dylan,” Alex said softly.

“Love you too, Alex,” he replied. “Here’s Mom.”

“Hey,” Cassidy said. The line was quiet. “Alex?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“What’s wrong?” Alex sighed. She hated being away. In the past she had enjoyed the constant travel her job entailed, never really wanting to be at home. The fact was she didn’t
really feel like she had a home. The risk, the excitement, and the fast pace of her work left her with little time to think about what she might be missing. Now she needed to still her emotions and focus on her job. She missed Cassidy and she missed Dylan. She needed to hear them both before she headed off to her assignment. “Honey? Are you okay?” Cassidy asked.

“I’m fine. Just tired. How are you doing? I mean with your mom and…”

“I’m all right. I will be better when you are home, though,” Cassidy admitted.

“Me too. I can’t talk long, I just wanted to call while I had a minute.”

“Alex…are you sure everything is okay?”

“Yes. I’ll be home Saturday morning if all goes well here.”

“In New Mexico?” Alex didn’t answer. “I see,” Cassidy continued.

“Don’t worry, Cass. Okay?”

“Too late.”

Alex chuckled. “I’ll see you in less than forty-eight hours.”

“You’d better.”

“Then you can fill me in on everything. Plus I think I recall something about tacos,” Alex reminded her lover.

“You and your tacos. I’ll see if the chef is available that day.”

Alex was grateful for the levity. “Will the chef have an apron?”

“What the chef will have is a butler.”

“Yeah…I got it.”

“Alex…”

“I promise, Cass. I will be home by Saturday.” Cassidy remained silent. “Cass?”

“I’m sorry, I just miss you.”

“I know. I miss you too. I love you, Cass.”

“I love you too, Alex. Just come home soon.”

“No place I’d rather be. See you soon.” Alex closed her eyes and hung up the call. She couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding that seemed to be coursing through her. “I swear, Cass,” she said to herself. “I’ll be home.”

he pier was dimly lit, casting shadows along its planks that took on the appearance of ghostly figures. Christopher O’Brien shivered. The air felt crisp but the chill running up his spine was produced by something else altogether. This was not his world. He traveled in a world of suits and ties, tuxedos and cigars. The only guns he saw were those in the hands of Secret Service agents and policemen, occasionally in testimony, or on a tour of some manufacturer. Now, he felt the pressure against his hip as if it were a cancerous growth. The weight in his deep jacket pocket centered in his mind. Why would he need a gun? She had told him this was taken care of. No one would be meeting them. Whoever was watching, hoping to catch Congressman Christopher O’Brien engaging in illegal activity would be left wanting. What hadn’t she told him? The sound of his breath releasing echoed in his own ear and he heard the woman behind him beginning to chuckle.

“You really are a stuffed shirt,” Claire Brackett observed.

“I didn’t hear you complaining about it earlier,” he snapped.

The tall redhead laughed and kissed him on the cheek, not as an endearment but to remind him that she remained in control. “Just do what I told you. Wait by the pole. If all goes as planned no one will show. Look at your watch and shake your head as if you are annoyed.”

“What about you?”

Brackett pulled out her sidearm. “I will be here.”

“With that? Jesus, Claire. Just what are you expecting?”

“The unexpected.”

“Dylan…come on.”

Dylan made roaring sounds as he pushed his toy Batmobile across his floor. “I have to park the Batmobile, Mom.”

Cassidy rolled her eyes. “Of course you do. Grandma has dinner ready. Finish up and come down,” she said as she turned back toward his door.

“Mom?” Cassidy stopped and allowed her eyes to fall upon her son who was carefully placing his car in a make believe garage. “Is Alex chasing bad guys?”

The teacher considered her answer for a moment, noticing that his eyes still had not lifted to meet hers. She walked to his bed and sat on the edge. “Dylan, come here.” He complied slowly, still looking at his feet. “Are you worried about Alex?” He shrugged. “Are you worried about me?” He shrugged again. “Sweetheart?”

“If Alex is chasing the bad guys; what if they come here?”

Cassidy sighed and pulled him onto her lap. “Dylan, no one is going to come here.” He nestled against her and chewed on his bottom lip; his eyes fixed on the hand that held him. The abrasions from Cassidy’s altercation with Carl Fisher had healed, but in Dylan’s mind they seemed to be fresh. Alex’s absence unsettled him. Cassidy had felt his presence in the doorway of their bedroom the night Alex had left and called him to her. Even with his grandmother home and all of his mother’s assurances, he had not slept in his own bed since the agent’s departure. Cassidy did not tell Alex, afraid it would distract her and keenly aware of the anxiety that knowledge would produce. To Dylan, Alex had become his parent and more; his best friend and their protector. “Dylan, we are safe. I promise.”