Chapter One
CIA Headquarters,
Langley, Virginia
“You asked to see us, sir?” Devlin Law stood at attention waiting for the chief to look up from his desk. Ted Meade stood opposite him in the doorway.
Frank Lauder looked up from the thick folder on his desk and pointed toward the conference chair to the front of the shined mahogany. “Have a seat, both of you.”
As instructed, Devlin sat with his eyes on the file in the chief’s hand, his gaze then traveling to the frown it clearly generated.
“What’cha got for us, Chief?” Ted asked, head angled in curiosity.
“Do you know what’s in this folder?” The question was rhetorical, even as Lauder tapped the top of the manila. “This is a complete dossier on Ivan Solokovich.”
The chief’s frown deepened, and he pushed the file forward. “File reads like a goddamned Clancy novel, except the bad guys and bullets are for real.”
“Sir,” Devlin acknowledged with a snort. “We’re well acquainted with Solokovich and his bullets.”
Meade nodded. “Up close and personal.”
“I’m well aware, gentlemen, which is why I requested this meeting,” Lauder replied. “Operation Exodus hasn’t been as fruitful as we hoped. For the past two years, undercover field agents have infiltrated the trafficking ring, but they’ve only identified low-level captains.”
“Capos?” Ted questioned. “You make this ring sound like it’s Mafioso.”
Lauder looked at him. “For lack of a better term, it is, or at least, it’s run in the same manner. Captains handle the lower-end transit and distribution, you know, more localized. No sooner do we close one route, before they circumvent us and open two more. It’s worse in the countries that peddle in sex tourism.”
The chief lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. “We’ve been up against unyielding pressure to nail these bastards, especially since the last three sting operations have turned up children as young as two years old. Sold to the highest bidder.”
“Jesus,” Law exhaled, keeping his eyes on his chief. “And you think Solokovich is at the top of the food chain in this?”
The chief blew a stream of smoke between his lips and shook his head. “No. He’s not the head, but he knows who is.”
“If our guys haven’t uncovered the top mutt in this dirty business, then how did we nail Solokovich to the wall?” Meade asked.
Lauder tapped the file again. “We haven’t. Not yet. He’s the comfy accountant who knows too much and we intend to squeeze him.”
“So, you’re saying we don’t have a list of names, then.” Law angled his head, trying to follow the chief’s rationale.
The chief looked at them both. “Solokovich not only knows his own superiors, but more importantly, he knows who is fielding their routes and protecting their investors here in the U.S. and in the major cities across Europe.”
Lauder crooked his fingers in quotes at the word investor. “This octopus is huge with sticky tentacles in politicians’ pockets across the globe.”
Meade exchanged a look with Devlin before nodding. “So, you want us to use our contacts to put pressure on this piece of shit?”
Inhaling, Lauder chewed on the edge of his lip, considering. “You two are the best wet work assets I have. They don’t call you the ghost and his shadow for no reason.”
“Now you’re talking our language.” Meade shrugged. “You want the soft little bastard taken out. No problem. Like you said, Dev and I are the best.”
Leaning back farther, Lauder grinned, pointing his cigarette at them. “Easy there, killer. We want those names first, and Lady Luck has finally smiled on us.”
Devlin and Meade exchanged a look before turning back to the chief.
“We’ve had a break, gentlemen. Solokovich has fallen out of favor with his cartel and with rumors of Russian collusion swirling around Washington, the media feeding frenzy has everyone calling for investigations left and right, and crooked politicians with ties to this dirty business have got to be squirming. Solokovich is feeling the heat. Based on the latest chatter, he’s to be the sacrificial lamb if things reach a boiling point.”
“So, bring him in, then. Offer him asylum.” Meade shrugged. “Isn’t that protocol for high-level informants?”
Lauder shook his head. “He won’t come. Like I said, this shit reaches deep into the political arena, not just abroad, but here, as well—or at least that’s what Ivan implied. You have to remember, this isn’t drugs or even money laundering. When it has to do with children, there is no sanctuary.”
“What is Solokovich looking for then, especially if there’s no place for him to hide? Are you even sure he’s got the goods?” Meade pointed out.
Taking another drag, Lauder then gestured to both men. “He’s got them all right. He’s ready to go all Snowden with a paper trail so long and deep, the media would sell their souls to get their hot little hands on the documents, but he wants us. Better to be incarcerated as a repentant whistleblower than dead accessory.”
“If all you want is a snitch, then why do you need me and Ted?” Devlin posed. “We’re assets, not undercover field agents.”
Lauder looked at him, his cigarette dangling from two fingers. His expression said it all.
“Solokovich won’t come to us, so you want me and Teddy to play pony express and collect this paper trail, deliver it back in a nice neat package, and if things go south, you want any trace of him and our deal eliminated, right?” Law smirked.
A grin spread across Lauder’s face as he stubbed out his butt. “That’s why you’re perfect for this job. I don’t have to sweat the details with either of you.”
He paused with his hand still over his ashtray. “I want this done legit, boys. Any hint we’ve stepped out of line and Solokovich’s paper trail might as well be written in crayon for all it’ll be worth. Those involved will find any excuse to delegitimize what we uncover. Understood?”
“Of course, boss, by the book,” Meade replied.
Lauder nodded. “Good. That’s why I know neither of you will complain about me bringing in Jessica Banning.”
“Banning?” Teddy balked. “She’s an analyst and a British national. Plus, she’s not trained in field work.”
The chief’s eyes fixed on Meade. “Do you think I’d pick a random analyst for something this important? This mission has international reach, and as such, our team cannot be just U.S. operatives.
“Banning did her training, both in the field and in front of a jury, plus she’s a linguist fluent in Russian, among other languages. She’s done her due diligence with Army Legal Services in Britain and MI5, and since then, has been a legal liaison with our own Judge Advocate General’s office for years. She’s an Operations Law expert who can quote international governance chapter and verse.”
“Solokovich requested a non-operative,” the chief continued. “He doesn’t want this hand-off to be with the agency. He requested a neutral, and he insisted the neutral be female. Banning is so far off the radar, no one will know who or what she is, but us. She will meet with Solokovich and collect the evidence and you two will provide cover and clean up, if it comes to that.”
Lauder’s gaze moved between his men, but Devlin noted the chief’s eyes flicked in a quick upward glance to the left. Years of training taught him not to overlook the slightest micro-expression.
A quick glance up and left was analytical, calculating and usually pointed to a deception, while a glance up and right pointed to recall, memory. For assets, the slight nuance often meant the difference between life and death.
The chief wasn’t telling them everything.
Lauder pressed a button on his desk phone.
“Yes, sir?” a voice replied.
“Send in Jessica Banning.”
***
The door to the chief’s office opened and closed and Jessica stood inside the entry with her hands folded. Her eyes took in the three men. The chief, obviously, and two agents, one she knew only by name, Ted Meade—but the other she knew by sight. Every inch of gorgeous sight.
Devlin Law.
She clasped her hands tighter. The man was sex incarnate. Sensual elegance in his trademark athletic cut suit. Her gaze took in his polished look, from his chiseled features to his impeccable manner. James Bond had nothing on Devlin Law.
Everything about the man screamed danger and elegance, as if he was as much at home holding a glass of champagne as he was slitting your throat.
With a quick inhale, she forced herself to focus on the chief. She had no idea why she’d been summoned to the chief’s office, and with Devlin Law close enough to smell his cologne, she needed to keep it together.
Law had already caught her staring one too many times, and her cheeks flamed thinking about the last time. Frappuccino in hand, she toyed with the straw in her mouth, watching him from afar as he stood talking with someone on the grounds not far from the courtyard.
He’d just come back from a run and hadn’t hit the showers yet. She licked her lips at the way his damp T-shirt clung to his chest and shoulders, at his long muscular legs and the way his nylon shorts molded his lower body, leaving nothing to the imagination.
As his friend left, Law turned in her direction, and she jerked from her X-rated musing nearly swallowing her tongue when she realized he jogged her way.
Self-conscious, she lowered her cup, giving her lower lip a quick swipe with the tip of her tongue for any stray whipped cream, not sure where to look or what to do.
A sexy smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he approached, and when he stopped in front of her bench, her heart skipped a beat.
“You missed a spot, Ace.” A full-on gorgeous grin spread across his face and he winked, reaching to wipe a smudge of cream from the side of her lip with his knuckle.
Before she could unscramble her brains to speak, he turned on his heel and jogged away. She’d avoided him ever since, but that didn’t stop that singularly sexy moment from blooming into nightly sex dreams, complete with her bent over that same bench, spread wide for him.
“Ms. Banning?” the chief said again, clearing his throat.
She shook herself from her daydream and blinked.
Pull it together, Banning. You’re an expert analyst, not a sex starved loser. “Yes, sir,” she answered quickly. “I…I…didn’t expect to be in such distinguished company, especially since no one explained why I was asked to join you.”
“Then let me bring you up to speed…”