Authors: Geri Foster
A.J. leaned closer. “Frank, do you think the Secret Service is involved?”
“How can they be?” Brody answered. “I trust President Davis. He’d never send me a man he didn’t trust completely.”
“What about El Paso?”
Frank rubbed his chin. “You’re right.”
“Could also be the hotel staff?” Zoe offered.
“Maybe someone paid a maid?”
“Okay, that’s simple. What does the hotel bring in the room every day?”
“Well, they clean, bring in towels, toilet paper, tissue, soap, shampoo, stuff like that.”
A.J.’s eyes widened. “The soap.”
“What?”
He ran to the bathroom and pulled back the shower curtain. He picked up the square packet. “Is this the same soap you got yesterday?”
Frank studied the wrapped soap, his brows furrowed. “It looks the same, but the back seam isn’t completely sealed.”
“Let’s take the soap and stuff in the bottles to get tested.”
“Frank, you’re going with us.”
“But, I want them to think I’ve fallen for whatever they have planned.”
“You can do that, but wait until after we check this stuff out. Brody, get your buddy on the phone and have him find us a lab.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll get the CIA to open their lab for us. We’ll have the results in minutes.”
***
A
.J. was a nervous wreck. Zoe was pissed, and Frank’s life was still in danger. This had all the making of a crappy night.
“Do you think they’ll let us in at this hour?”
“I’ll call Vince. He’ll open the gates.”
They arrived in Langley an hour later, and Vince waited at the side door. Next to him stood a tall, reed thin man with a white lab coat on. “Follow us.”
They went downstairs and the technician gently opened the bottle of shampoo and tested it. “These are fine. Nothing dangerous there.”
Then he picked up the soap, took a knife, and opened the back of the bar. He scraped off a thin layer and put it through the chemical analysis machine.
“And we have a winner. This has at least four dangerous drugs coating the outside of the bar. If you put this on your skin, you’d be dead of an apparent heart attack within minutes. Someone went to a lot of trouble.”
With that information, they went back to A.J.’s hotel room, where they knew they wouldn’t be overheard. He put his hand on Frank’s shoulder. “They know you shower every morning.”
“Yeah, I think they’ve figured that out from whoever cleans the room. I want to go find who’s behind this. Who put the soap in my room?”
Brody cleared his throat. “My guess is they’re long gone or dead. But, we can probably catch whoever paid them.”
“How?” Frank asked.
“Security cameras. Let’s see who’s been here that doesn’t belong.”
“What if the soap was handed off somewhere else?”
“Who wants you dead besides Gabric?”
Shaking his head, Frank sat on the bed. “Could be any one of a dozen people I’ve put away, but I can’t think of anyone in our government. I trust those guys.”
“We know Stallworth gave the Croatian the information about out safe houses.”
“Who’s controlling Stallworth?” Frank asked.
“Homeland Security.”
“Let’s check them first.”
“Do you think the director has a grudge or is an ally of Gabric?”
“I don’t know, but let’s get me back to my room. I’ll show up tomorrow and surprise the hell out of someone.”
Brody walked their boss to the door. “I put a tap on Campbell’s phone. We’ll track his calls and see who he contacts after the hearing. Tonight you and I are bunk partners.”
“That’s good with me.”
Grabbing the evidence bag holding the bar of soap, Brody said, “I’ll keep you alive.”
Frank turned back and hugged Zoe. “You stay safe, hear me?”
She nodded, biting back tears. “Okay.”
“This will all be over soon.”
B
efore Brody left, Zoe asked for his keycard.
A.J. walked over to her and put his hand on her wrist. “What are you doing, sweetheart?”
“I want to be alone tonight.”
He instantly released her and stepped back. She didn’t dare look at him while she gathered her things and left the room. She rushed out the door before he could stop her.
Alone in Brody’s room, she cried until she could barely breathe. Shattered and broken like a discarded toy, she wanted to curl up in a ball and shut out the world. Her heart hurt and every dream she’d ever had the courage to conjure up between her and A.J. was suddenly gone. Vanished into thin air. There wouldn’t be a happy-ever-after for her, not now, maybe never.
She’d always known the day would come when her past would catch up with her. Bring all that blackness and sorrow to her door. When everything she’d ever done would slap her in the face.
Now, her past had ruined any chance she had with A.J. and dread crawled inside her chest and expanded.
Any feelings A.J. may have had for her were gone. She saw that in his eyes, his actions and his touch.
She couldn’t wait for Frank to get on the witness stand tomorrow and have everything over with. She wanted to go home. Back to normal and hide away for a while. Maybe take a vacation.
The next morning, wearing a simple skirt and blouse she’d bought at the same time as the awful dress, she slipped into a pair of wedges. Hungry, she went downstairs for breakfast before going to Capitol Hill. She noticed A.J. had slipped a note under her door that he’d gone to see Frank and to make sure everything was in place. That signaled every threat was contained or A.J. wouldn’t have left her alone.
She ate without tasting then took a cab. Once there, she was allowed to enter the courtroom, where she found Brody waiting. Gabric and Campbell sat at a table in the front of the room. They both appeared to be very jovial for a life or death trial.
Then Frank walked in and sat down in the front row on the opposite side of the room behind the prosecution. Campbell turned white as his starched shirt. His mouth gaped open and his hands shook. Gabric tossed the lawyer a furious glare.
Before the judge came in and called the room to order, Frank barely acknowledged the stunned men and leaned over to whisper in the prosecutor’s ear. Then he settled back with a well-satisfied smile.
Frank was the first called to the witness stand. After his testimony, Campbell nervously asked for a recess, even before cross-examination.
Frank glanced at her and Brody, but she wondered where A.J. was and why he wasn’t in the courtroom. Had he gone back to Dallas?
Refusing to look at his client, Campbell immediately left and stepped into the hall.
***
A
.J. stood next to the Homeland Security Director, Marcus Cope. They’d met at a few briefings, but neither A.J. nor Frank agreed with Homeland sticking their noses into Falcon business. Vince Colanglo had called Cope under the guise of a quick meeting. They were having a casual conversation when Cope’s phone rang.
A.J. slipped his hands in his pockets and braced his feet. “You should probably answer that, Marcus. I think it might be Craig Campbell. He’s probably a little mad that Frank Hamilton is still alive.”
“What?”
“Yeah, we discovered the soap. Vince’s lab rat found the drug right away. Clever, but not quite good enough.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. Besides, I have a bug on Campbell’s phone. I know you two worked together to set up Frank’s murder.”
“I have no part in that.”
A.J. took the Director’s phone, slid the screen, and punched speaker.
Campbell’s voice shouted through the speaker. “What the hell went wrong, Marcus? Frank Hamilton is alive and talking his fucking head off. Do you realize Gabric will have us killed?”
A.J. closed the phone. “You want to stick to that story?”
Vince took Marcus Cope into custody. Before the day was over, Cope admitted he and Campbell had been in on a plot to keep Frank from testifying. Gabric had paid them both a small fortune, but the two men were also looking for the glory of being part of a revolution where they’d come out winners.
After Frank and President Davis shook hands, Brody made arrangements for everyone to fly home.
Zoe still hadn’t let him say much, but A.J. knew he had to make things right. She sat next to Frank on the plane and wouldn’t look at him. The second they landed at DFW, A.J. took Zoe’s hand and grabbed a cab.
“Let go of me,” she demanded. “I have nothing to say to you, and there is nothing you can say to me.”
Z
oe simply wasn’t in the mood to accept any excuses A.J. might have come up with on the way to her house. She couldn’t put her feelings out there again, only to be crushed like an insect.
Inside the cab, A.J. gave the driver directions then settled back. “Do you mind if I go to your house since mine was destroyed?”
Looking out the window, she said, “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.” It was the least she could do for everything he’d been through.
“How about forever?”
She turned and glared. “A.J., there is no forever between us.”
“Yes, there is. You belong with me, and it’s time we both faced up to that fact.”
Her eyes widened. “After the way you treated me in DC?”
He blinked. “How’d I treat you?”
“Like you couldn’t stand the sight of me.”
He reared back, his eyes wide. “What? Are you crazy?”
“You hated seeing me dressed as a prostitute.”
“Yes, I did. But only because of the pain I knew it brought you. How you had to relive a horrible past. All I felt for you was agony.”
“You looked like I was a freak.”
He took her hand. “We’ve both done some things in our past we can’t ever live down.”
“Not you.” Pulling her hand away, she folded her arms. “You’ve had a pretty charmed life, until you came to Falcon.”
“Ha.” He laughed. “I was the wildest teenager in the state of Texas.” He let out a sigh. “I don’t know how my parents put up with me.”
“You were just growing up.”
“No, I was eighteen when I decided, and after already making life in my house miserable for everyone, I stole a car.”
Zoe turned and placed her hand on his arm. “Did you get arrested?”
He nodded. “Went to jail until my parents bailed me out. While I was out awaiting trial, I decided I’d rob a convenience store.”
“You were so foolish.”
He smiled at her. “Foolish, self-centered, and arrogant. Anyway, the robbery fell through because my father drove up just as I was opening the door to make my move. He took me home and gave me a stern lecture. That didn’t mean much to me.”
“You didn’t learn your lesson?”
“Not even close.” He twisted to face her and entwined their fingers. “Two days later, I learned my mother had been diagnosed with MS two years earlier. She’d kept it hidden from us kids because she didn’t want us to worry about her.”
“Oh, A.J., I know you must have felt horrible.”
“Horrible didn’t describe it. I realized what loving someone more than yourself meant. That’s the way I feel about you, Zoe. You are the most important thing in my world.
She leaned her head on his shoulder and said, “You’re sweet.”
“Okay, it’s settled. We’ve both been through some pretty bad crap. We either understand that and let it go, or we turn our lives over to it and die inside.” He brushed her lips. “I want to live with you forever.”
She straightened and stared into his eyes. “Are you being honest, A.J.? I don’t want any lies between us. If you have a problem with other guys I’ve been with—”
He kissed her long and hard. “The only problem I have is we’re in a cab with our clothes on.”
She smiled. “In all this conversation, did I hear a proposal of some kind?” She kissed his nose. “Like a happy-ever-after?”
“You heard right.”
“Let’s not let past mistakes define us. You’re the man I love, and like me, you finally got the message that love heals everything.”
“Yes, and I’ll remind you of that every day.”
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Books by Geri Foster
The Falcon Securities Series
Out of the Dark
Out of the Shadows
Out of the Night
Accidental Pleasures Series
Wrong Room