Alex And Cassidy: Betrayal Part 40

"For my family."

Ca.s.sidy nodded her understanding and kissed the agent's cheek. "You know, Agent Toles," she said as she led the woman up the stairs. "I really do think you have that backwards."

Thursday, May 15th ane..."

"Jon, listen to me. She is in." Krause smiled. He had little doubt that Alex Toles would feel the need to immerse herself in the task of infiltrating The Collaborative. He also knew that there were things he needed to disclose to the agent. He sensed her apprehension regarding his motives. It was an odd reality that the world of espionage by its nature incited suspicion and at the same time mandated trust between partners. Alex Toles would soon become his unlikely partner. They shared many things in common. This he understood as well. Intellect, a call toward service, and a need for challenge both physically and mentally were attributes that made them both ideal candidates for the work that lay ahead. Moreover, their hearts, while not cold, were not easily commanded by another. His eyes flickered in amus.e.m.e.nt as their common realities pa.s.sed through his mind. "Jon?" Jane called to him.

Krause mentally slapped himself for allowing his musings to wander so far. "I understand."

Jane's eyes narrowed. She crossed the room and retrieved an envelope, placing it in his hands. "What is this?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Matt gave it to me. He also gave me one for Alex. I had Stephanie drop Alex's off on her way back to school." The CIA agent opened the envelope and studied its contents without expression. "Well?" Jane urged.

He replaced the paper into its shelter and looked at her. "I need to see Toles."

"Well, you will at the..."

"No. I need to see her before the dinner."

"Jon?" Jane inquired, concern coloring her voice.

"Trust is imperative, Jane."

"I do trust you."

"Yes, you do, but that is not enough, so does Agent Toles. She is not..." He placed the envelope on a table and considered how to proceed. "Daniels," he paused and took a breath. "We need to retrieve something form him." Jane studied him closely as he continued. "There is something else. Matt thinks there is more information there. Maybe on Daniels' computer."

Jane understood the implication. "You are not going to tell me; are you?" Krause's expression remained resolved and unchanged. "I see," she continued. "Daniels is not a diplomat. That I know. What about Russ?"

Krause allowed a slight sigh to escape his lips. "There are things that are best kept in a very tight circle, Jane. Especially now with what we," he stopped momentarily. "I don't know what Amba.s.sador Matthews knows and what he doesn't. He is no diplomat. No more than John was a politician. We all take our orders from someone. What Matthews' agenda is, what his role is; who his directives come from; I don't have that answer. That is where Alex comes in. No matter, we have a mission and that just got a bit more complicated."

"Is this what John was..."

The handsome agent took hold of both of his friend's arms. "John did what he felt he had to do. It was never about any one exchange, Jane. You know that. I need you to do two things for me." She tugged at her lip with her teeth and waited for his request. "I need you to take something to Alex and I need you to get her to your room tomorrow before the dinner."

"Jon..."

Jon Krause broke into a smile. "You can't protect her from this. Not this. You know as well as I do this is part of who she is."

Jane knew he was right but she wished that Alex would turn away. That had never been Alex's nature, not from the moment the former first lady met the young Army lieutenant. Alex had a fierce determination and loyalty, but also an insatiable curiosity that drove her. She thrived on challenge. It seemed some people were built for this life. Unlike her husband, Alex was one of them. John Merrow was as capable as any man either she or Jon Krause had ever met, but the life he had led was never his calling. President Merrow would have preferred a life flying through the clouds and imagining distant places. Alex Toles was different. She shared the former president's deep compa.s.sion, but she possessed a need to search and a need to understand her world that Jane Merrow had seen present in men like the one standing before her. "I know. It's just..."

"If anyone can survive this business, Jane, trust me it is Alex Toles."

The woman laughed lightly and allowed her head to rest against her friend's chest. "I'll make the calls."

"You want me to go where?" Claire Brackett asked for confirmation.

"This is not a request, Claire."

"Forgive me, I thought you were less than pleased with my interactions with Dimitri."

The admiral nodded. "You miss the point. You called yourself a cobra. Did you read the story I told you to?" His daughter rolled her eyes. "That's what I thought. The mongoose kills the cobra, Claire. It looks like a cuddly little creature, but when it strikes it strikes without warning and it is lethal. I need you in Moscow. This is my directive, not Dimitri's or his uncle's. And, perhaps, just perhaps, sending you will quiet Viktor's need to call in whatever favor you owe him now."

Claire Brackett avoided her father's gaze. "What is it you need?"

"I need you to ensure the delivery of a package."

"Call Fed Ex," she mocked.

"You are not as witty or amusing as you think, Claire."

"Fine. What is it?"

Her father just smiled. "The contents are not of importance to you. Just get it into Dimitri's hands. He has a meeting with Colonel Hadad on Wednesday. We are already overdue. Amba.s.sador Matthews will have the package. All you need to do is retrieve it from him in London on Sunday and deliver it to Dimitri in Moscow on Monday. He will, in turn give you a package to deliver to Amba.s.sador Daniels before returning home. That is it."

"And, how exactly will that cancel my debt?"

"It may not. It does put you back in play on my terms. It does put you in the middle of a sensitive exchange. Tensions are high. This has been shelved too long and our a.s.sets are beginning to grow restless."

"Worried?" she sneered.

"Let's just say I am aware of the consequences should this go awry."

"And?"

"And even you don't want to imagine what those might be. Trust me," he a.s.sured her.

She stood and straightened her posture. "Whatever you need, Daddy," she soothed sarcastically as she made her way to the door.

"And, Claire?" She turned with her hand on the door. "Distance yourself from the good congressman." She smirked. "I'm giving you fair warning. He is not the belle of this ball anymore." She nodded her understanding but her dismissal of her father's stern caution was evident.

"Don't screw this up," he muttered as he watched her leave.

Friday, May 16th "Alex, I'm sorry to disturb you."

Alex stretched out on the bed and looked at the clock, 3:30 a.m. "Who is it?" Ca.s.sidy grumbled, pulling her pillow a little closer.

The agent kissed her head. "Go back to sleep," she whispered to an already complaint school teacher. "What is it Fallon?"

"s.h.i.+t, I'm sorry. It's only like 3:30 there, huh?"

"It's okay Fallon. What is it?"

"Look, I don't know if it is anything. But, well..."

"Fallon, out with it already."

"Did you know Tate originally worked for the Department of Treasury?" Alex considered the statement silently. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah. Secret Service?"

"Says Intelligence Research."

"When?"

"2002 until 2006."

"He worked for FinCEN," Alex surmised.

"What?" Fallon asked for clarification.

"FinCEN. Surprised you never crossed paths with them during your money laundering investigations. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Patriot act baby. What about before 2002?"

"Captain, NYPD 1996-2001."

"Interesting."

"Sounds typical," Fallon a.s.sessed.

"It does. I wonder, though. What did A.D. Tate do when he left the NYPD until he began with FinCEN?"

Fallon could hear the wheels spinning in his partner's brain. "And?"

"And, I wonder what the good captain did before he became the good captain."

"That's easy. Right here. Lieutenant, 1992-1996. Detective, 1990-1992..."

"Well, I think it might be worth a call. Why don't you call our good friend Detective Ferro? See if he recalls anything about Joshua Tate."

"I mentioned Tate during the Fisher investigation. He never said a word."

"Just check it out," Alex urged him.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm not really. FinCEN deals extensively with international money laundering. You have to admit. It is interesting."

Fallon laughed. "Yeah, I guess it is. So, uh...set a date yet?"

"Fallon it's 3:30 a.m. and I am in London."

He laughed harder. "Didn't answer my question."

"Don't worry, you'll be on the invitation list." Alex glanced over and caught Ca.s.sidy mumbling in her sleep. "I have to go. Call Ferro. See if he can dig a little....and Fallon, just don't schedule anything for the 31st. Tell Kate, she'll remember."

"Why?" Alex started laughing. "That's like two weeks away."

"Can't fool you," Alex poked. "Gotta go. Call you when I get back Monday...and Fallon?"

"Yeah?"

"n.o.body knows yet, except Rose...so just..."

"I got it."

Alex hung up her call and crawled back in bed beside Ca.s.sidy. In a few hours she would be making her way to Jane's room, though she was certain it was to meet with someone else. She sighed. The envelope Ca.s.sidy had handed her didn't tell a full story. It certainly shed a good deal of light on the enormity of what she was entering into. It mapped out a small framework of known ent.i.ties; businesses, intelligence personnel, politicians and freelancers that were tied to the known sale of technology, secrets and even drugs. She couldn't imagine how on earth Jon Krause planned to immerse her in this in any believable way, but that was the least of her concern at this moment. She brushed Ca.s.sidy's hair aside and snuggled against her with a deep sigh. "I swear," she whispered softly. "I will keep you both safe, no matter what I have to do."

"I know you will," a scratchy voice answered. "Just keep yourself safe too."

Alex couldn't help but smile as she felt the body next to her wiggle closer. Ca.s.sidy surprised her in the simplest of moments. "I will."

"I'll hold you to that," Ca.s.sidy answered before drifting back to sleep in the agent's arms.

"Agent Toles."

"Agent Krause."

"You ready for this?"

"I'm not sure I know what this is yet."

Krause nodded and smiled. "You looked at the files." Alex lifted her eyebrow. "So you know Daniels is a player."

"Yeah, apparently."

"Look, Agent Toles....Daniels is set to give Matthews a disk tonight. That's not its final destination. It's marked to be delivered to Moscow where it will pa.s.s to an SVR agent who will take it to Bucharest. There he will receive a drive with appropriate bank routing numbers."

"Okay. What is he delivering?" Alex watched Krause carefully. He was difficult to read, but she sensed his hesitancy. "What is he delivering, Krause?"

"Schematics. Locations and schematics."

"For?"

"The placement and use of organophosphorus materials."

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose. "Chemical weapons?" Immediately her thoughts were flooded to an investigation she had been tasked with some years ago. The trail of funds led her to a Somalian fringe group that had ga.s.sed its own people. She straightened her posture and pressed down her emotions. Looking at the man before her it was obvious there was more. "What else?"

"Toles." Alex challenged the CIA agent with her eyes. "Protocols," he stopped momentarily and moved to begin a steady pace across the room. "Scientific protocols. I would call them instructions rather than experiments."

Alex was beginning to understand. "You are telling me this disk is a roadmap to some type of biological weapon. Is that right?"

"Yes."

"Who is the buyer?"

"I don't know specifically. It isn't my operation, Toles. That's not how it works. I only know it has been delayed multiple times. It won't be delayed again. I know it is a Yemeni interest."

Alex regarded the man silently for a moment. "Is this what he was trying to prevent?"