Page 16 of Laura's Truth
“You should. Someone obviously monitored your recent activity at Bragg. You were followed to the churchyard and the airport and from my angle, they had orders to kill.”
“You said you monitored me at Bragg. For all I know, this is an elaborate kidnapping and controlling me is key to your plan.”
“If I’d thought that would’ve worked, I would’ve come straight to you a year ago.” He checked the mirrors and met her gaze for a long moment before turning his attention back to the road. “I knew better. Showing up anywhere near you or Carpenter without new evidence would’ve been as good as a lethal injection.”
“That’s being a bit dramatic.”
He shrugged. “Depends on the perspective.”
Maybe so. “You don’t want to drop me off and you won’t tell me anything helpful,” she said, letting her frustration show. “Sounds like a no-win situation for you.”
“Does that mean we’re partners now?”
“Hardly. It means I can’t imagine telling Ross I had a gun on you and still let you drive off.”
“Is that a testament to your bravery or stubbornness?”
“Depends on your perspective,” she replied. She wanted the name, wanted to know what brought him out of hiding. The name was the logical jumping-off point that could guide them toward a specific threat looming at the foggy edges of her career in the field. Her record wasn’t perfect, but it was damned close. These days, she worked a routine assignment with her training post at Fort Bragg, but she still had her share of classified secrets from the past. She might not have a full explanation of today’s events, but she couldn’t keep ignoring the obvious. She’d come to Charleston as a favor to an old friend, but someone had followed her. Someone willing to kill her.
When she’d caught up with him today, she’d thought Garner was the enemy. She wouldn’t quite call him an ally, but other than putting a knife to her throat—when he thought she’d lied to him about being alone—he’d protected her. Laura didn’t like being wrong about someone, but when it happened, she owned up to it.
“Who are you hunting?” She would get the name. “And no more crap about me being a risk to your plans. No more games or deals, or I will haul you in at the first opportunity. We both know today’s chaos is related to you. Either to your sudden reappearance or the old case.”
“You’re pretty confident on that.”
“With good reason.” She studied the strong jaw and straight nose that created the hard lines of his profile. “I’ve been easy to find for years. If someone wanted me dead or wanted intel they thought I had, there were better times and places to jump me.” When he blew out a long, slow breath she knew she had him. “I’m willing to listen to your side of the situation.”
“His name’s Hackett. He works at the Citadel now and I have reason to believe he’s about to commit another act of treason during the last days of Spoleto.”
The name didn’t sound familiar. “Another?”
Drew nodded. “This might be my only chance to catch him red-handed.”
“You think catching him in the exchange or whatever will clear your name?”
“While that would be nice, my name and reputation don’t matter much. My career is long over. I want him to stop selling out good men and women.”
“I’m sure you’ve been freelancing. The CIA doesn’t always frown on that.”
“Call a spade a spade, Laura. I’ve been a mercenary.”
Her name, delivered again in that low voice, felt far too personal. With a mental whip-crack, she returned to the more urgent problem. “I can’t let you just run off and assassinate someone because you say they’re guilty.”
“I said catch, not kill. And even if killing was my only goal, this traitor deserves it. The truth would curdle your blood.”
“Vengeance isn’t justice.”
“Would Carpenter agree with that?”
“He would agree it’s not his job to be judge, jury, and executioner.” She said it with conviction. No one felt good about letting a killer run free, but there were laws in place for a reason. Primarily to keep society a safe place for everyone. “The families of those fallen soldiers will never have closure if he just dies unexpectedly.”
“The families know what they were told. They know their sons died serving their country. They already have closure. The secrets he’s selling now are only a further insult to the American people, to American concerns around the world.”
He was right. She racked her brain for a better angle. “How do you plan to stop him?”
“I’ll be there when he hands over state secrets. There will be no choice but to put him behind bars and see that he stays there.”
“So point me in the right direction and I’ll make that happen.”