her lap between both of hers. “This must be hard for you.
“Inot as hard as it is for you. I wish I could change
that.
Blair shook her head. “No. One of the things I love about you is how
clear you are about the right and wrong of things. About what should be
done, no matter the cost. But theres nothing clear about any of this, is
there?
“Nothing has been clear to me since the moment I saw one of my own
agents standing outside your door pointing a gun at your heart, Cam
said bit erly. “I dont even know how to begin to think about that.
It was so very rare for Cam to voice her pain and disil usionment that
Blair had to struggle not to pul her into her arms. Instead, she leaned
close and kissed Cams cheek. “Il talk to Diane. It wil be okay.
“Im
sorry.
“No. You shouldnt be. Not for doing what must be done. Blair rose.
“You wil be careful with Valerie, wont you?
Cam stood. “Shes a victim in this too. Im sure
of it.
“I trust your judgment. I do. Blair skimmed her fingers along Cams
jaw. “But youre the one thing in my life I cant do without.
“Il
remember
that.
Blair smiled gently. “See that you
do.
Chapter Twenty
C am tilted her chair back and scrubbed her face. A glance at her
watch confirmed what she already knew. It was late, almost 9 p.m.
Felicia and Savard looked just as exhausted as she felt, but neither had
complained despite twelve hours of nonstop work at the computers. The
rest of the guest house was dark, the only light coming from the
computer monitors and a few muted lamps. She appreciated why so
many government buildings had so few windowsthe less intrusion
from the outside world, the easier it was to become lost in the work to
the exclusion of everything else. Even the important people in your life.
“Where
are
we?
Savard deferred to Felicia, who had the most expertise in terms of
computer investigation. Felicia shrugged.
“Between the files at Quantico Ive been able to access and our own
scans of Mathesons academy records, we have solid IDs on al four of
the gunmen at the Aerie. We have names for the faces now and were
digging deeper.
“What does that give us in terms of Mathesons connection to the
Company and
Valeries
handler?
Felicia shook her head. “Nothing yet. These men were al too young
to be contemporaries of anyone who might have recruited Valerie.
Savard said, “If Valerie was recruited as a teenager, then were probably
looking at someone Mathesons age as her handler. She spread her hands
in frustration. “He could be anyone.
“We have to work from the assumption that Valeries handler
and Matheson are tied together. It may turn out that theyre
not, but thats a more probable scenario than postulating
that Valeries contact within the Company reported the plans
for the raid on Mathesons compound to someone
then relayed the message to Matheson. Cam stood up and
walked to the window, rol ing her shoulders and trying to work
out some of the stiffness from the previous weeks injuries and the
tension of poring through files all day. The first floor of the
main house was alight, and she wondered what Blair was
doing. “I dont believe in coincidences. The only person outside
of our team who knew about the raid was Valerie. She reported
to her handler and Matheson was tipped off. A plus B equals C.
“Matheson has had a lifetime to build up a network inside
the system, Felicia said. “Were looking for a needle in a
haystack.
“Maybe. But men like Matheson know that the most
secure network is one thats small and built on personal
loyalty. She turned away from the window and the reminder of
the rest of her life to face her agents. “What creates the greatest
loyalty?
“Chain of command, Savard said
immediately. “Family, Felicia replied.
“Start with Foster and the other four men from the assault on
Blair, and find their brothers, cousins, uncles, fathers,
grandfathers every male relative who might have been
associated with
Matheson or
Savard frowned. “What about the women?
Cam shook her head. “Not likely. Matheson runs a military
academy for boys. All of the assailants were men. All of the
paramilitary personnel at his compound were men. He
doesnt entrust women with authority.
Felicias eyes flashed. “One of his many
mistakes.
“Agreed, Cam said with quiet satisfaction. “Hes going to
regret underestimating us.
* * * * *
“I was wondering when you were going to surface, Blair
said when Cam walked into the kitchen a little after 10 p.m. She
pulled the red sweatband from her forehead and let her hair fall
free on her shoulders. Shed just come from a run on the beach
and still wore sweatpants and a cutoff T-shirt. “Theres
chicken in the oven.
