Alex And Cassidy: Betrayal Part 45

She chuckled sarcastically. "Why do I think there is more to it than that?"

"Probably because there is. They didn't deem you Spider for no reason. You're resourceful and creative."

She rolled her eyes at his a.s.sessment. "Matthews said that there were people who didn't want me in this. I thought he meant John." She stopped and regarded the man before her. "That isn't who he was talking about; was it?"

"No, Alex. A lot of people wanted you kept at bay. You got too close too many times when you were at the NSA. That's why John supported your move to the FBI. He thought you would be safer. But, I don't think that is what Matthews was referring to. I think he was talking about your father."

"What does my father have to do with any of this? He runs a medical supply company."

"Oh, come on, Alex. You don't really think O'Brien ran off to your father for some kind of dirt on you just on the spur of the moment? How would he even know to do that?" Alex covered her mouth and shook her head in disbelief. "I didn't know myself. That is the truth," Krause continued. "I knew Carecom was a major donor to many of our candidates. I knew he helped navigate the establishment of the accounts and that he donated privately to certain campaigns when asked. He has ties to Callier, to the admiral. Callier let it slip once during your investigation into the Somali gas attack that he asked your father to compel you into a new line of work"

"My father does not make my decisions. How would my father get mixed up in this, Krause? He never even served. For G.o.d's sake he went to Harvard Law School. He's an Ivy League brat."

Krause let out a heavy sigh. "I don't have that answer, but he is. Your father has major contracts with the military, surely you knew that."

Alex stared at him blankly. She had never taken any interest in her father's business dealings. As far as she was concerned he ran a successful small business. "I never really paid it much mind."

Krause nodded his understanding and continued. "The doc.u.ments on Daniels' computer....they identified a source, an individual with the means to transport goods safely through customs and even across hostile borders."

"Sphinx?" Alex asked.

"No. I was not even aware Sphinx was being used as a handle. Until, last night this person was known only as The Broker. In the note that John left me about Dylan, he mentioned The Broker. He had been unable to identify....Alex, The Broker... he's your father."

Alex stood frozen in place. "What are you telling me, Krause?"

"It gets worse."

"Of course it does."

"The protocols, we interrupted those. But, there is something we didn't know. There is a s.h.i.+pment...it's already in process. Looks like it is heading into Northern Africa under the guise of measles vaccinations."

"And what is it?"

"My best guess?" Alex nodded. "Small pox strain."

Alex pressed on either side of her forehead forcefully with her fingers, covering her eyes. She let out a rush of breath and shook her head. "My father is involved in this?" Krause kept his gaze focused and unwavering. "Jesus. Why didn't you tell me, Krause?"

"I told you; I didn't know."

"No, you didn't know he was this 'Broker', as you call it. You knew he was involved. Don't you realize this could put Ca.s.sidy and Dylan at even greater risk? You want me to trust you? All these secrets. G.o.d." She pinched the bridge of her nose again and took a deep breath. "Between your secrets and my father's lies..."

Krause moved closer and looked directly at Alex. He softened his voice slightly and hoped that she would hear the truthfulness in what he was about to say. "Listen to me. I would never put Ca.s.sidy or Dylan, for that matter, in danger. Not ever." Alex did believe that, but she had no intention of ceding her ground. He needed to understand that she was his equal. He nodded his understanding of her stance. "Alex, not every lie that is told is done so with malicious intent and not every secret is sinister. You know that. Sometimes we make the best choices we can to prote..."

"Yes, I know. To protect what we love. I do know. I also know that secrets and lies have a way of being discovered. When they are, and trust is broken; we often lose far more than what we sought to protect. You have some loyalty..."

"We all have something to protect in this. All of us. What that is will determine where we fall in this game, that and how far we are willing to go."

She sighed. "All right, Pip. You didn't call me here just to unveil this epiphany about my father. What is it?"

"I need you to get access to his office. Some of the logs that we were able to trace; the messages to Daniels originated from his home."

Alex let go a chuckle of disgust. "You might have guessed that I am not speaking with my father." He raised his brow and Alex shook her head. "Fine. I'll figure it out. How soon?" He looked at the floor. "Great," she sighed. "What am I looking for?"

"Cargo container numbers, s.h.i.+pping manifests, I'm not sure exactly, Alex. You'll know when you see it. It's slated from Boston. The departure date was unclear, so..."

"I got it. And if I find the information? Then what?"

He shrugged. "We stop it."

Alex laughed. "Just like that?" Krause shrugged again. "I'll see what I can find, but I want you to do something for me," she said.

"What is that?"

"If you want me in this, Krause...you are going to have to start telling me everything. I mean it. No secrets, no lies. You find out from Mr. Callier what you can about my father."

"That's it?" he asked.

"No, there is one other thing..."

a.s.sidy and Dylan were engaged in a packet of homework when Dylan suddenly looked up to his mother. "Mom?" Ca.s.sidy directed her attention to him.

"What, Dylan?" Dylan kept his eyes focused on his finger as it made swirling patterns across the kitchen table. "Dylan?"

"When you and Alex get married," he stopped and shook his small head.

"Dylan, what is it?" He shrugged. "You can tell me, sweetie."

He kept his eyes down and shrugged again. "Well, Cat gets to carry your rings and Uncle Nick will be with Alex. I have to sit with Grandma."

"What do you want to do?" He shrugged again. "I see." She lowered herself to her knees in front of him and brushed a tear from his cheek. "Dylan," she sighed. "Do you want to stand with Alex?" He would not meet her gaze and began tugging at his bottom lip. "Mm-hmm; why didn't you just tell me that, sweetheart?" Another shrug prompted Ca.s.sidy to envelop him in her arms. "You were afraid you would hurt my feelings?" She felt his affirmative nod against her as his tears broke forth. "Oh, Dylan...it makes me very happy that you love Alex so much. I would love for you to walk with me, but I understand if you want to be with Alex."

"But I do want to be with you, Mom."

Ca.s.sidy sighed. "I know you do. It gets complicated, huh? Listen, I don't want you to worry about this, okay?" He looked up to his mother a bit sheepishly. "We'll work it all out. I promise. All that matters to me is that I have you and Alex. If it was just the three of us there I would be happy." She kissed him on the forehead and wiped his remaining tears. "I love you more than anything Dylan. All that matters to me is that you are happy. Okay?" He nodded. "So, you let me worry about this. I promise we will make it all work somehow." She ruffled his hair slightly. "What do you say you and I go grab a pizza together? Alex will be home late. Just you and me."

"I have to finish my math," he reminded her.

"Yes, you do. How about this?" Dylan looked at his mother hopefully. "You work on that and I will go order us a pizza. That way it will be here by the time you are done. Then, maybe I will let you show me what YaYa taught you on that pool table." Dylan's eyes grew wide. "Mm-hmm. Mothers have a way of finding these things out," she winked. His small mouth flew open wide. "Oh, don't worry," she a.s.sured him. "Your secret is safe with me." Relieved, he cast his eyes back on his homework. Ca.s.sidy shook her head in amus.e.m.e.nt as she watched him. He was truly the light in her world. She'd meant what she had said. For Ca.s.sidy, all any wedding needed to consist of were the two people who mattered most to her. She had suggested a ceremony at Nick's restaurant because she knew the sentiment would mean a great deal to Alex. It never occurred to her that Dylan might feel torn between them. She was certain Alex had not entertained that notion either. Dylan's need to be close to Alex reaffirmed what she knew; they were already a family.

Alex took a seat at a small table in the corner of the cafe and ordered a cappuccino. She stretched her neck from side to side, attempting to relieve her tension. A waitress appeared and placed two napkins on the table, sliding one slightly forward before placing the agent's drink on the other. "If you need anything else."

"I will let you know," Alex answered. She retrieved the cup and casually took a sip before turning over the napkin closest to her. She continued toying with the napkin, sipping her cappuccino for several more minutes until the waitress returned.

"Anything else?" the waitress asked.

"Yes, another one. To go please, and the check." The waitress nodded her understanding. Within a few moments she returned and placed a covered cup and the check on the table. Alex laid down a ten dollar bill and wrapped the coffee cup in the napkin she had been fiddling with. She made the short trek to her car, throwing the small package she was carrying into the first garbage can she pa.s.sed. Reaching her car, she signaled a left into traffic and followed the street for several blocks before pulling into the parking lot of Fast-Go Dry Cleaners. She rolled her eyes slightly and opened the door. "Picking up," she said. The small dark skinned man behind the counter gestured to a door on her left. She nodded her understanding. "I really hope you got all the wrinkles out," Alex remarked sarcastically.

"A few at least," a voice answered.

"It's hotter than h.e.l.l back here. What is this all about Taylor?"

"I thought it best we take care. What happened with Krause?"

Alex rubbed her brow. "Lots. What did you find out about my father?"

"Not much. Carecom is like every other company. There have been no red flags that sent the NSA into overdrive. Political contributions are typical."

"Yeah, well...that may be, but there's more to it."

"Probably," he admitted. "You actually trust Krause? Alex, the man..."

Alex folded her hands and brought her thumbs to her temples. She needed to make a decision. How far should she let her old friend Michael Taylor in? Given all she now had learned, was it possible that Taylor was not completely truthful about his own motivations? She drew in a deep breath, tightened her lips and then looked at him directly. "Do I trust Jon Krause? The truth?" Taylor nodded his encouragement. "I have my reasons, Taylor. Yes, I trust him."

Taylor's surprise was evident. "How do you know he isn't playing you?"

"I suppose I don't. He has nothing to gain by doing that. Not that I can see."

"What aren't you telling me?" he asked.

"Quite a lot actually," she said. "You first. Why all these hurdles? What did you find?"

"I didn't find much on your father. Fallon met with his detective friend. Got some interesting information. I did a little digging. Well, actually a lot of digging...on your old boss."

"Tate?"

"Yeah. Seems Tate did go to the Secret Service and work within FINcen. Thing is, he was still on the payroll at State."

"What are you talking about? Tate worked for the State Department?" Taylor arched his brow. "Doing?" she asked.

"Cla.s.sified. So highly cla.s.sified that I had to make a personal plea to Secretary Carver. Who, reluctantly, released a few files to me," Taylor told her.

"And?"

"He worked on a project, Alex. A joint DOD, State Department project."

"And?"

"The project name was SPHINX."

Alex nodded. "I see."

"That's it? He worked on a project we were a.s.signed to three years later. You don't find that odd?"

"No, I don't. It makes perfect sense, actually," she responded.

"All right. What the h.e.l.l is going on? I'm not as sold on your new friend's motives as you seem to be."

"I'm not certain I know anyone's motives at this point, Taylor." Alex was about to cross a line she had hoped she would never have to choose to cross. So far in her career she had managed to avoid deception. Now, all things considered, she needed to immerse herself fully. In this case, that meant deceiving her old friend. "Taylor, Jon is Dylan's father." She let the words pa.s.s, feeling at least somewhat relieved that they were not a total lie.

"You are telling me that Krause and Ca.s.sidy..."

"Look, if you trust me...trust this; Jon Krause, whatever his past, whatever his connections, loves my family as much as I do. So yes, I trust him."

"Did you ever consider that might make him more of a threat?"

"I have. Believe me. I have. If you trust me, Taylor, you will trust me on this judgment. I don't like it, but everything in me tells me to trust him."

Taylor groaned but conceded his defeat in the matter. "So, what do you make of Tate?"

"I don't know. It fits. Makes sense why John would want me a.s.signed to him at the bureau. If he knew about SPHINX then he would be able to deter me from investigations leading in that direction."

"What else?" Taylor inquired sensing there was more.

"I need you to focus on chatter surrounding Northern Africa. s.h.i.+pments, medical but with a darker..."

"I think I understand."

"Taylor, listen to me. John was CIA. I am betting Tate was working under agency directives as well. My father is bankrolling at least some of this. I still think O'Brien's accident...well, there is more there. Why try to kill a congressman? As a fall guy? What could he possibly have done or not done?"

"I suspect he was playing both sides."

"Of what? He may be an a.s.shole, but he isn't a complete idiot."

Taylor laughed. "Well, that's a glowing appraisal," he said. Alex smirked. "Suppose that the movement of money and s.h.i.+pments was compromised or hindered by legislative restrictions. Let's just say O'Brien made promises in too many directions."

"Yeah, but politicians do that every single day. I agree, but there's more, Taylor. Brackett didn't shack up with him for no reason. And it isn't just because she arranged that accident."

"How do you know she..."

"Oh, she did. I don't need a smoking gun to know that. She's vested in him and believe me, he is not her type. She's getting something or she is wanting something from him. There's more. I have other fish to fry this week," Alex explained.

"I heard."

"Yeah, well. Unfortunately, Ca.s.sidy will be dealing with most of that situation with our mothers. Look, Taylor, this s.h.i.+pment that's slated for Northern Africa. It looks like it may be a biologically engineered..."

"Christ almighty, Toles. Who would..."

"Who knows?" Alex admitted. "We'll figure that out later. Right now where it is going, how it is going and when it is going have to be the priorities. Get Brady on that. Anything at all. My suggestion?" He waited for her to continue. "Get a tap on my father. Hone in on Carecom."

Taylor nodded. "And Tate?"

"Time will tell."

"If you find this s.h.i.+pment you're going to need a way to stop it. You want Brady..."

"No."

He took a deep breath. "Krause."