Authors: Maya Banks
Chapter Twenty-One
Manuel woke to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He pried his eyes open, and the first thing he saw were blonde wisps of hair resting over his nose.
He smiled and nuzzled his face deeper into Jules’s hair. The phone went silent then immediately began ringing again.
Damn it.
He reached behind him with his left arm, careful not to move the arm Jules’s head rested on. He groped for a moment until his fingers touched the phone lying on the nightstand.
“This better be good,” he muttered into the phone.
“Get your ass out of bed,” Tony said. “I’ve set up a meeting with Senator Denison in an hour. It’s the only time I could schedule you in. He’s got a pretty busy itinerary for the next several days.”
“Shit. Where?”
“His office in the Senate Building. His aide will be expecting you.”
“All right, I’ll be there.” He looked down at Jules and then spoke quieter into the phone. “I assume you have the townhouse closely guarded.”
“Yeah, I have two FBI agents on the job.” He paused for a moment to chuckle. “You know the feds, they’re always up for something that would be at cross-purposes with the CIA. Your girl should be fine on her own for a while. Unless you’re concerned she’ll bolt?”
Tony left the question dangling, and Manuel felt a brief moment of indecision. He didn’t want to expose Jules to the senator until he knew for certain it was safe, but neither did he want to leave her alone in the townhouse.
He’d have to trust her. He
did
trust her.
“No, she’ll stay,” he said. “Just make sure no one takes an interest in this place.”
“No problem,” Tony said. “Good luck with the senator.”
Manuel replaced the phone on the nightstand then slowly turned over to put his arm back around Jules. She stirred in his arms and snuggled deeper into his chest.
Damn, she felt good. This was so right, waking up with her in his arms. If the meeting with the senator went as he hoped, they’d have a shot at a normal life together. And they could put the last three years behind them.
“Jules,” he whispered close to her ear.
She stirred again. “Mmmm?”
“I have to go.”
She pulled slightly away and looked up at him with sleepy eyes. “Go?”
“To see the senator. Tony just called. I meet with him in an hour.”
“So soon?”
He nodded. “The sooner the better. We need to get you on the right side of the law so you can be protected.”
He curled his finger around the ends of her hair then tugged her toward him. He nibbled at her jaw and worked his way to her lips before giving her a long, slow kiss.
“I want many more mornings like this. And the only way we’re going to get them is if I go meet with the senator and see what he has to say.”
She nodded and burrowed deeper under the covers.
Reluctantly, he slid out of bed and walked naked to the bathroom.
“Am I staying here?” she called.
He turned back. “Yes. There are agents watching the townhouse. You should be safe. But just in case, keep your gun close by.”
She stared at him as if she didn’t quite believe what she’d heard. “You’re trusting me to stay here alone?”
He cocked his head sideways. “Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”
She frowned and shook her head.
He smiled at her. “I’m going to take a shower now. Go back to sleep if you want.”
A few minutes later, Manuel walked out of the bathroom and glanced over to see Jules asleep again. He stood staring at her for a long moment then quietly left the bedroom. So much rode on today’s meeting. He just hoped like hell the senator was as receptive as Tony had suggested.
At the sound of the door closing, Jules cracked one eye and carefully surveyed the room. Manny had left. She waited for several minutes, listening for any sign he was still downstairs. When she didn’t hear anything, she crawled out of bed and went to the window overlooking the street below.
She was just in time to see the SUV she and Manny had driven to Bethesda heading down the street. She whirled away from the window and sprang into action.
Her bag lay on the floor in the corner, and she fumbled through it until she found her phone. She’d spent a lot of time wondering how she would be able to check her e-mail and get Northstar’s orders without Manny knowing, and now he’d made it very easy for her. Too easy.
He trusts you
.
She closed her eyes. No, she wouldn’t dwell on that. She spent a moment composing herself, mentally tuning out all the emotion, the pain and the anguish associated with what she had to do.
She hated that Manny went to the senator in hopes of a miracle fix and that he harbored hopes of a fairytale ending for the two of them. The CIA would never let that happen. They had Manny in their grip just like they had her. No matter what the senator might agree to, Manny would expect to settle down somewhere with a picket fence and a nice boring life, when in fact the only chance they’d ever have would be if they ran far and ran fast.
What she had to do was carry out her mission and then disappear. Let Manny continue to operate under the guise that he worked for the good guys. That ignorance would keep him alive.
She could live with more blood on her hands. She would trade her soul for his life.
When she reopened her eyes, she felt calm. She felt like the killer she’d become.
She turned the phone on and pushed the buttons to access her secure e-mail. Sure enough, one message sat in her inbox.
She read over the message, taking in the location and date of the hit. Two days. It didn’t give her much time to prepare. She arched her eyebrow when she read the locale. Ronald Reagan International Trade Center. Eight a.m. A political breakfast, no doubt. But then most of her hits were political in nature.
No I.D. on the target yet. She frowned. Why the secrecy? In the past, she’d had all the information upfront. Instead she was told the target would be provided to her the morning of the assassination.
The message went on to give details on the credentials she would be provided in order to enter the building. She let out a deep breath. This one would be risky. Lots of security. That it was in the middle of D.C. didn’t help.
But she hadn’t spent the last three years of her life making stupid mistakes. She was good. She’d been trained well. She’d succeed, and then she’d walk away from this life forever, and in the process leave behind the man she loved.
Her eye twitched, threatening to put a crack in her metal facade. She steeled herself and shoved the dangerous thoughts aside. Manny would be safe. That was all that mattered.
She reread the message, making sure she didn’t miss anything. Then her mind began to work, methodically mulling over her plan of action.
She would need to leave early and without detection. Stealth was her specialty.
Two days. Two more days with Manny before she walked down a path of no return. She was going to make the most of every minute.
“The senator will see you now.”
Manuel looked up to see a middle-aged woman in a business skirt and jacket smiling at him from the door of the senator’s office.
“Thank you,” he said as he rose.
She gestured him inside then closed the door behind him.
Manuel walked further into the plush office as a man rose from behind a highly polished mahogany desk.
“Manuel Ramirez? I’m Senator Denison.” The senator rounded the front of the desk and stuck out a hand.
Manuel gripped it and shook. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, sir.”
“Not at all. I was very intrigued by your situation. I’m hoping we can help each other.” The senator gestured to a chair. “Have a seat. Would you like a drink? Coffee? Tea?”
Manuel shook his head. “Nothing for me, thank you.”
The senator walked around to his chair and sat down. He leaned back and studied Manuel for a moment. Manuel took the opportunity to return the scrutiny.
Senator Denison was distinguished-looking, but then what senator wasn’t? He imagined it was a look very practiced, accomplished with money and the right clothing. Though the senator was probably close to sixty, not a gray hair dotted his head. On a brief note of amusement, Manuel wondered if it was good genes or the work of a good hairdresser. He’d bet money on the latter.
Having worked for the agency for several years, he’d developed a healthy distrust of politicians. Too many differing agendas, and too much changed every time a new president came into office. But if this one could help Jules, Manuel would revise his opinion.
“So what can I do for you?” the senator asked finally.
Manuel arched a brow. “It’s my understanding that there is something I can do for you, senator.”
Senator Denison’s expression relaxed and he laughed. “I like you, son. Tell you what. I’ll lay my cards on the table. Then you can lay yours.”
Manuel nodded.
The senator leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. “I want to crack the NFR. Your partner told me you had a certain relationship with one of its members.”
“I might,” Manuel replied.
“He also mentioned that you might be interested in a trade. Information for immunity.”
Manuel nodded. “Complete immunity. She walks away, or we don’t give you anything.”
“And what exactly can she give me?”
“Names, hits, contacts. I think you’ll be very interested in her story, senator, but I won’t expose her unless I have your
written
guarantee that nothing happens to her.”
The senator leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his neck. “What exactly is your relationship with this woman? I gather this goes deeper than a CIA agent offering a lead on a group the agency has tried to infiltrate for the last ten years.”
Manuel worked to keep his expression neutral. “She’s a victim, that’s all.” He wouldn’t give the senator more leverage by letting him know how much Jules meant to him.
The senator nodded. “Very well. I’ll send over the necessary documents by courier. I trust this will remain strictly confidential. My appointment has yet to be confirmed, and it wouldn’t do for the media to find out I’m offering immunity to a terrorist.”
“Of course. We have nothing to gain by going public.”
Senator Denison rose. “I’d like to meet her as soon as possible.” He rifled through his appointment book for a moment. “I have a speaking engagement day after tomorrow. It’s early, so I could meet you, say, that afternoon?”
“Here?” Manuel asked.
“No, not here. I’ll let you know. We’ll have to pick a better location.”
Manuel nodded. “Thank you, sir.”
“If she can give me everything you say, I’ll have you to thank.” He reached out to shake Manuel’s hand again. “Until our meeting, then.”
Manuel shook his hand then turned to leave. He didn’t allow himself even a breath of relief until after he had left the Senate Building. Then when the cold air blew over him, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Two more days. Then she’d be his, and no one could touch her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jules tensed when she heard the rattle of the doorknob. She willed herself to relax, then she pasted on a bright smile just in time to greet Manny as he walked into the kitchen.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he said as he enfolded her in his big arms.
She melted into his embrace and turned her mouth up to receive his kiss. “How did the meeting go?” She promptly stifled a giggle at the absurdity of the question. She sounded like Holly Homemaker asking her man how a business meeting went at the end of a day at work.
Manny guided her into the living room and sat her down on the couch beside him.
“It went well. The senator is willing to help us in return for your full cooperation.”
“So he wants me to tell him everything I’ve seen and done for the last three years.” She had never told another soul all the things she had done. Not even Manny. She could barely admit them to herself, let alone a complete stranger.
“Yes. If you give him everything you know, he’ll give us his guarantee that you won’t be punished for your involvement.”
“And you believe him?”
“Yes.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip as she studied the hope burning in Manny’s eyes. She’d give anything to be able to lay everything out for the senator, trust him with her life. The problem was, she didn’t trust him with
Manny’s
life. And he was the one in danger.
“When does he want to meet with me?”
“Day after tomorrow. In the afternoon.”
She breathed an inward sigh of relief. By then she would be long gone. She wouldn’t have to face that particular obstacle.
“Let’s make lunch,” she suggested, standing up beside the couch.
Manny followed her into the kitchen. “You sit. I’ll cook.”
So she sat at the bar and watched while he clanked around in the cabinets. After surveying the contents of the refrigerator, he stuck his head out and looked back at her. “How’s a hamburger sound?”
“Fine.” It wasn’t like she’d taste it anyway.
He collected the hamburger meat and began forming three patties on the counter a few feet from where she sat. He glanced up at her a few times as if about to say something. Finally, he paused, his hands still dug into the meat.
“Jules, if this works…that is, if the senator comes through, it will mean…it will mean that we can be together. In a normal relationship.”
She froze, unable to immediately formulate a response. How could she when whatever she said would be a lie? If she told him such a relationship was impossible, he’d demand to know why, and yet she just couldn’t commit to the fantasy of them being together when she knew damn well it wasn’t going to happen.
“I want that for us, Jules.” His eyes burned into her, heating her entire body with their intensity.
She finally looked down, unable to meet his gaze any longer. She’d handled difficult situations before. This shouldn’t be any different. But it was. She loved Manny. Had always loved him. And he stood there dangling what she wanted most in the world in front of her.