Page 98 of Poison Evidence

“So we’re going to live that fantasy—guilt free.” He slipped an arm around her waist and backed her toward the bench. “You’ve given me hope and a reason to live, Ivy. Starting now, I’m never going to let you go again.”

Ian watched Rudy Fredrickson’s face as the DIA analyst spoke with ASAC Palea on the other side of the conference room they’d taken over as their base of operations in the new hotel where all the trouble had begun.

Yesterday, Fredrickson had roused and recovered quickly after the blow to his temple. Ivy, thankfully, had used a light touch that got the job done with no apparent lasting damage, which would go a long way toward saving all their asses if it turned out Fredrickson was innocent.

Ian’s vote was still out on that; however, an eyewitness on the dock had seen a kayak glide into Ulai’s hanger—likely Dimitri—beforeFredrickson entered Ulai’s attached apartment, followed a minute later by Ivy, who entered the hangar directly from the dock. It didn’t look good for the Russian spy.

Ivy had been adamant that Dimitri wouldn’t have harmed Ulai Umetaro, and Luke, surprisingly, had backed her up.

Ian didn’t know what to think.

Palea made no effort to lower his voice as he questioned Fredrickson, which gave a hint as to how the FBI agent leaned. “I’m just saying I find it hard to understand why you didn’t tip off Curt about your trip, or check in with me upon arrival, knowing I’m heading this investigation thanks to the DIA’s screwup.”

“I didn’t tip off Dominick for the same reason I went straight from the airport to the marina. Because I wanted to question Umetaro before Veselov—or one of you—stopped him from talking to me.”

The DIA agent glanced at Luke then Ian. “I have reason to believe the private contractors here are in league with the assassin. In fact, I believe they let him escape along with Ms. MacLeod.” He touched the bruise on his temple. “Which brings us to MacLeod. Everything the woman has said is suspect. She was in league with the assassin before she ever arrived in Palau. Phone records prove it.”

Mara had adequately rebutted that argument, which Palea knew. The fact that he didn’t answer the charge and merely nodded to Fredrickson said a lot about the Fed’s take on the DIA analyst.

The DIA had sent Fredrickson to Palau to aid in the hunt for Veselov, meaning the FBI agent couldn’t shut him out of the investigation—not without tipping off the DIA that they might have a mole in their midst. Such a warning would only make it harder to flush out the guilty party. For that reason, Palea, Luke, and Ian had to keep Fredrickson in the loop. But he was a suspect, not an ally.

Back in DC, Curt had FBI agents digging into the DIA analyst’s background, looking for clues to his loyalties. But Ian knew those kinds of investigations took months, while the handoff would happen in just a few days. It would make the exchange that much trickier, given that they’d have to keep an eye on the analyst, another on the Russians, all while protecting Sophia and Yulian Veselov—if mother and son were actually delivered for the handoff.

In two short hours, they would rendezvous—Luke, Palea, Ivy, Dimitri, and Ian—and formulate a plan. Then Dimitri would make his demands to his handlers.

It would take at least a day for Sophia and Yulian Veselov to travel to Palau. This would be all over in two days—three maximum—and he could go home to Cressida.

The one loose end was Zack Barrow. Ian didn’t know if he could leave while Zack remained free.

Chapter Thirty-Six

At last, Ivy had the AUUV wired to her computer. She’d ensured the tracking system was disabled, and a scan had confirmed it emitted no radio or satellite signals. Now it was time to get the hardware to reveal its secrets. The interface built into the AUUV was in Russian, which Dimitri translated for her until she had it connected to her computer, and then she was in the code, a language she could speak.

In the middle of the night, they’d retrieved the device from a house on Peleliu. Ivy had marveled at the number of fallback positions Dimitri had outfitted; even Ian was impressed. AUUV acquired, they’d returned, just the two of them, to open sea for safety. Zack Barrow and his allies were still in the islands and hunting for both the AUUV and Ivy. The vast open ocean was the safest hiding place.

Ivy had initiated lockdown on CAM, and it and RON had been sent to the US military base on Guam, giving them one less item to guard, which was a relief. Luke, Dimitri, and Ian had all wanted to send Ivy to Guam as well, but she refused because she was the only person with the technical expertise to hack into the AUUV. If they were going to turn the device over to the Russians, they would damn well have a copy of the data and programing for the US to sift through. To that end, Luke had given Ivy her laptop when they rendezvoused the night before.

Another advantage of having her computer; she’d exported copies of the detailed map layers created from the flyovers of Peleliu she’d done with Ulai during her first week in Palau. She and Dimitri would pore over that data and pick the site for the handoff. Once they settled on a location, they’d rendezvous with Luke, Ian, and Palea again and plant the AUUV in the jungle of Peleliu and prepare for the handoff.

The time for the exchange had yet to be set—but they expected it to be the following day. Everything was coming together. Now she just needed the AUUV to spill its guts and give them yet another advantage in this proxy war of spies.

She found the data files, hidden and encrypted, but she dispatched with the layers of security easily enough. A little easy, but what she’d expected for the first-tier security. The real data would be much harder to breach. The AUUV had several cameras. Most of the data would be either photos or videos. She’d bet anything that embedded within massive video files was the real data.

She’d have to break apart the videos—she’d be a miner, smashing through rock to find hidden gemstones. Like gems in their natural state, the data would be rough, flawed, and need precision cutting to bring the true value to light. She didn’t have time for that, but she could look for the markers that told her the gems were there. She’d make copies of everything, and CIA hackers could play to their hearts’ content.

Behind her, Dimitri leaned down and kissed her neck. “I love watching you at the computer. How absorbed you get. You could be anywhere in the world—a palace or a closet—and you’d never know it because your focus is razor-sharp on one thing.”

She arced her neck back to look up at him and made a face—surprised and amused. “Most people find my absorption irritating.”

“Not me. I get off on it. It’s like you’re fully being you without filters or lenses that we all present to the world on a regular basis. And I see the same intensity in your eyes when you touch me, when we make love. It’s potent to be the recipient of that kind of attention.”

His mouth dropped to hers for a deep, intense kiss. She gripped her seat as she leaned back, enjoying the slide of his tongue against hers.

This heat and intensity could be an everyday thing if they succeeded. Curt had warned her witness protection would be necessary if the GRU didn’t believe Dimitri was dead.

Could she—would she—give up her family to be with Dimitri?

The idea made her ill. She touched her belly with her left hand, the cast hard and abrasive even through her cotton tank top. It was still too soon to know if she’d conceived, but the idea of being able to raise their baby together—then choosing not to because she didn’t want to go into hiding—also made her ill.

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