Redeem My Heart (28 page)

“I highly doubt he will speak to any of you.” Ryland had no misgivings in his decision to remove Moza from the equation. He was also betting on Jessalyn to keep Moza in a secured NSA facility with only those in his inner circle providing security for the VIP prisoner until such time as he could be transferred to Guantanamo. “After all, we’ve all been trained by the best apparently. With the exception of Neoni, but every experiment has an unexpected deviation or two.”

“Ryland, what are you doing here?” Fallon whispered, her eyes darting to her office door. It was more than apparent she thought an E.D.A. recovery effort of some sort would enter at any moment and drag him away. They wouldn’t play their hand out in their own house though. “You’re risking your life for what?”

“I’m here to request that you stay here at the office until twenty hundred at the very least. I’d request longer if I thought you could get away with it, but Townes will have other ideas.” Ryland rose and buttoned his suit jacket, taking his time as he walked around Fallon’s desk. She was already shaking her head, but it appeared more about the fact that he wasn’t giving her a valid reason. She wasn’t going to receive one either. It was the safest choice for her that she remain far away from what was about to happen. He held his tie as he leaned forward, surprised when she leaned back in her chair and tilted her head in defiance. “I will do everything in my power to meet you back at your apartment before the clock strikes midnight. I cannot make any guarantees though, darling.”

“I was able to figure out how you contacted Moza, along with the details of where and when,” Fallon said, a hint of a challenge in her voice that Ryland chose to ignore. He’d never allowed himself to feel so passionately about someone before, but he’d already accepted that she was different. He also accepted that she was his sole reason to see this through the way he’d outlined in his plan; otherwise he would have disposed of both Quaid and Utley long before this moment and been done with it. “I
can
work out what you plan to do this evening.”

“I have no doubt you will,” Ryland murmured, leaning in and capturing Fallon’s lips despite her attempt to pull away by simply placing his hand behind her neck. By the time he was done, they were both breathless. He inhaled deeply, wanting her fragrance to linger with him as long as possible. He did need to convey something before leaving. He wasn’t a man who ever had trouble expressing his views, but he now found himself struggling with sincerity other people found so easy. He knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. “Should I not return this evening, I’d like you to believe me when I say knowing you has been a sincere pleasure. You’re unlike any person I’ve ever crossed paths with and if there were any way to ensure your happiness…I would have devoted every day given to us for just that purpose.”

“Stop it. You’re making it sound like you’re not—”

“You asked me once if I have ever loved,” Ryland continued, knowing if he didn’t that he would regret it immediately upon leaving Fallon’s office. He stared into those blue flames that he would have sworn heated the soul he claimed he didn’t have. She had the ability to make him believe otherwise. “I answered no, but this…penetrating ache…that has settled into my chest at the thought of you being hurt in any way is utterly excruciating. I would call that an obsession.”

“Obsession or love…it’s just a title.” Fallon tightened her hold on his hands and he found himself not wanting to let go. It was then that he understood the animosity from the men at CSA and others who would cut their wrists to bleed for those they care about. It was either a weakness that would be his downfall or the strength given to him to see this through and come out the other end alive. “It’s our decisions that show us how we truly feel for one another. And I’m asking you—begging you—to stay here with me. We’ll call Crest, Jessalyn, the President of the United States if we have to…but there is another way to handle this.”

Ryland slowly stood and leaned forward, pressing his lips gently against Fallon’s forehead. He thought he heard a catch in her voice, but he didn’t stay to confirm that. He walked out of her office and tried to find the traits of the man he’d once been, for only then would he have any chance of surviving this evening’s agenda.

Chapter Twenty-Three

F
allon called each and every CSA team member she could, managing to get ahold of only Kevin and Taryn. They both agreed that she should stay in the building for her own safety if Ryland had taken the time to issue the warning. He had good reason. He wasn’t one to dispense such notices to anyone in the past and Kevin had made the offhanded remark that she should feel honored. The animosity the team exhibited toward Ryland was understandable and there was nothing she could do to change that any time soon. But they didn’t know him like she did. They didn’t see the vulnerability he hid under his chivalrous, charming, and downright cunning attitude he chose to display like a shield.

“You haven’t had anything to eat since lunch, and that was only a quick salad from the cafeteria.” Townes walked into Fallon’s office holding a Styrofoam container, but his next statements were what finally gave her something she could work with. “Moza isn’t saying a word to anyone. You might think he was dead if it weren’t for the sound of his breathing. Taryn has put together more in-depth background checks on Quaid’s father and Utley’s uncle, especially during their families’ service time in the 1960s. She’ll have the electronic files to you shortly.”

Fallon would finally have something to use in creating profiles for either man’s relative, but it wouldn’t help Ryland tonight. Her sense of urgency began to grow, as it had over the course of the last few hours and she continued to pace the length of her office. Townes persisted to casually lecture her regarding her eating habits, which said a lot considering the man didn’t talk that much, while she scrambled to think of anything she might have missed throughout the day. It had taken her hours to unlock the ad that Ryland had placed in the paper to seek out a meeting with Moza. Why would Ryland then go and turn him over to the federal authorities? He wouldn’t, unless he had a back-up plan of some sort. She spun on her heel and walked around her desk, rummaging through the small garbage can underneath her desk.

“Fallon, have you heard a word I’ve said?”

“Shit,” Fallon whispered, locating the second ad she hadn’t bothered to look for. Ryland had used a family name that no one would have recognized had they not been privy to the pasts of the current players. “Ryland met with Gene Cyril today as well as Moza. I don’t think they were just targeting one or the other. I believe they’re going after both Quaid and Utley to seal the deal.”

Townes muttered a few choice words before setting the to-go box down on her desk and initiating a phone call. Fallon quickly grabbed her dress coat and her purse, only to find that Townes had placed himself in front of the door. He was shaking his head at her hastily attempted departure.

“Crest, Fallon thinks Ryland is working with Cyril.” Townes spoke quietly into the phone, most likely not wanting to announce it to anyone else still in the building. “She also believes that Quaid and Utley are both targeted, possibly at the same time. Jax and Connor are still in position, right?”

“You can’t keep me here, Townes,” Fallon stated determinedly, waving a hand to the doorway behind him. “Tell Crest to notify both Jax and Connor. Have him order Taryn to monitor the security cameras at their locations. You and I are driving to Quaid’s residence. He will be the one Ryland takes personally.”

Fallon waited impatiently, adjusting the straps of her purse on her shoulder. Townes apparently didn’t have to reiterate what she said since it went through the line loud and clear. It wasn’t long before he disconnected the call.

“Crest wanted me to pass on to you that he’s well aware of how to run his team and his business,” Townes said wryly before crossing his arms. “Fallon, what do you expect to do if we manage to get there before Ryland does? You’re assuming that Jax can’t handle a situation that involves Ryland. That’s not quite fair.”

“Ryland won’t hurt Jax. He’s not the target,” Fallon declared confidently as Townes proceeded to give her a disbelieving look. “You don’t know—correction, no one knows—the measured changes that have been taking place within him. We all agree that he can’t wash away his sin and that poor young Travis will never completely emerge after the program’s forced behavioral suppression, but Ryland is not the same man he was a year ago. He’s not the man who murdered your brother.”

Townes rubbed his scar in irritation and it was evident he didn’t believe a word Fallon just said, but it didn’t matter. She was leaving this building with or without him. She continued to stand her ground and it wasn’t long before he relented and stepped aside.

“Why Quaid?” Townes asked, falling into step beside her. The floor was mostly empty with the exception of a random agent or two. He pressed the down arrow and they waited for the doors to slide open. “Why would Ryland target him and allow Cyril to go after Utley?”

“Quaid is the one I had initially forwarded my recommendation to that we should begin an investigation into E.D.A., although it didn’t get very far from what anyone could tell. Ryland knows that, which ultimately gives him reason to believe it was Quaid behind the reinitiating of the program.” Fallon didn’t like that Townes was taking his time in joining her in the elevator. She needed to be there when Ryland made his appearance. She wanted to convince him that there was an easier way than eliminating both men. Would Ryland really go through with it? She didn’t want to believe it after these last few weeks. The man who had been Travis had managed to appear more and more. He had the beginnings of a moral compass now, which he could use as a guide to navigate through troubled waters, exerting control over his own actions. Townes finally pressed the lobby button, activating the doors. “Cyril becoming involved here has me believing he’s aware of E.D.A. and their recent maneuvers. Utley could just be collateral damage.”

“Why would Cyril execute those most recent contracts then?” Townes inquired, most likely just to keep Fallon occupied. She didn’t mind talking things through with him though, especially when it might trigger something that she remembered from her research. “Why not try to run again?”

“Where would he run to? He may have tried to draw attention away from himself,” Fallon asked and answered, breathing a sigh of relief when the doors opened. She waved to the security guard on duty before she and Townes stepped outside. The cold immediately struck her cheeks and she slipped her hands into her coat pockets as they exited out into the fall twilight chill. “Cyril had the ability to get out back in the day, but now? E.D.A. went to a lot of trouble to locate him, especially after considering that the reports of his death might very well have been true. I believe he went along with the program’s directives until he could figure a way out.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Fallon, but I think your theory just got shot to hell.”

Fallon hadn’t been looking at Townes while she explained why she believed Ryland would be the one to target Quaid, so she didn’t see the direction he was staring until after his statement. She quickly turned and spotted the reason he believed she was wrong. She was now second-guessing herself.

“Fallon, I’m glad I caught you,” Special Agent Quaid said, stopping when he reached them. His cheeks were red, indicating he’d been outside for a while. “Do you have a moment? Steve’s case just made the news and we’re going to need to give the media outlets something to distract the public until we turn up something concrete.”

Fallon had to wonder exactly why her immediate supervisor didn’t comment on Townes’ presence. It made her think that Townes had more influence than she’d given him credit for. She casually glanced around, not catching sight of Jax. Where was Ryland? She needed to get Quaid inside as quickly as possible.

“Let’s head back inside and go over what I’ve written up so far,” Fallon suggested, turning and waiting for Quaid to lead the way. She fell into step beside him, grateful when Townes covered them from behind. What did this mean? Where could Ryland be if he hadn’t already targeted Quaid? “I’d wanted another couple of days, but I can see why you or Steve would need to make some type of statement to reassure the public that we are doing everything in our ability to capture these people.”