Jessica’s eyes flitted back and forth between Faith and Michael.Both FBI veterans wore identical serious expressions.She swallowed and said, “Well, fuck it.In for a penny, in for a pound.”When Faith started to protest, she said, “Oh, shut up, Faith, I’ve made my choice.”
Michael grinned and hooked a thumb at the younger woman.“I like her.”
Jessica blushed, and Faith realized that her new partner found her old partner attractive.She hoped the heartbreak of finding out about Michael’s wife wouldn’t be too much for Jessica to handle.
Congratulations, Special Agent.You’ve officially identified the least of your worries.
“Step one is getting you guys to safety,” Michael said.“I’m going to call some friends of mine and get you set up in a safehouse.Jessica, if you’re involved in this, that means you too.”
“What about you and Ellie?”Faith asked.“You guys can’t be out in the open either.”
“I still have a field office to run,” Michael reminded her.“I’ll find a safe place to hole up, but it’s going to have to be in Philly.Which brings me to my next point: I’m also in for a penny, in for a dollarbuck, but I can’t stay in Quantico indefinitely.We need to systemize our communication so we can share data with each other.That’ll be step two.
“Step three is going to be planning this investigation in earnest.This is very much not the same thing as investigating a serial killer.There are aspects to this that will affect how we can proceed.I’m going to ask very nicely—read,demand—that you guys don’t move forward until I tell you to.And you’ll have to let me take lead.”
Faith blinked.“Wow.Not that I’m complaining, but… you sound like you’ve done this before.”
“Not exactly this, but… well, let’s just say that Philly got real fun after you left.I’ll tell you the whole story later.Right now, we’re going to make sure you three have a place to stay where the CIA can’t easily get to you.”
He drank from his coffee cup, gulping the brew down until the cup was empty.Faith noticed Jessica’s eyes travel up and down his bulky but muscular frame.She must have heard the “and Ellie” part of Faith’s earlier question, but she supposed there was no harm in looking.Besides, she imagined they would have bigger things to address than Jessica’s burgeoning crush.
“You’ll notice that I said, ‘easily,” Michael said.“This is the CIA.Every crazy thing you’ve heard about them is less crazy than the truth.It’s not a matter of if they can get to us.It’s a matter of if they believe the cost of getting to us is worth the reward.Sneak peek at what our tactics are going to be: the goal is to make them believe the cost isnotworth the reward.We’re basically going to make them give up.Think North Vietnam versus the US.Annoying example, I know, and marginally traitorous, but it gets the point across.Don’t think of this as bringing people to justice, think of this as making the CIA’s goals too expensive.That might meannotbringing people to justice and contenting ourselves with the cessation of the 93rd’s program.
“Anyway, I think that’s all we can talk about right now.I’m going to get some shuteye.I have a room in the hotel across the way.There are vacancies if you guys want a room, but I figure Faith is going to want to stay with David.”
“Yes,” Faith agreed.
“I’ll probably grab a room,” Jessica said.Her eyes flickered to Michael again, but she pulled them away and looked down.“I’ll see if Rogers and Hammerton want to join me.At the hotel, not the same room.”She cleared her throat and looked at Michael.“Is your wife going to come down?”
She reddened, but Faith got the feeling she wasn’t trying to hit on Michael, just to remind herself that Michael wasn’t available.Poor kid.Maybe when this was over, Faith would try to find her a date.
“I’m going to try to convince her,” Michael replied, “but she’s stubborn.The whole thing with… Anyway, she’s stubborn.I might have Chavez stay over, I don’t know.”
He had stopped himself just before mentioning in front of Jessica that Ellie was Franklin West’s ex-wife.It was a secret that few knew and one that Ellie preferred to keep from becoming public knowledge.
It also meant that Ellie was a lot tougher than she seemed.They all were.Faith understood that they were facing a different kind of enemy than anything they’d ever encountered before, but that didn’t mean they were helpless.
She got to her feet.“I’ll see you both later.Michael, thank you again.Jessica, you too.It’s nice to have people I can rely on when the whole world’s going to hell.”
“Like I said,” Jessica replied.“Great hot springs.”
Michael blinked.“What?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Faith said.“Good night.”
She headed to the elevator that would take her to the third floor where David recovered from his brave, foolish, noble quest to save abused dogs from a cruel organization that saw them as nothing more than experiments.Faith would make sure that her husband succeeded in his quest.
They might be facing a threat unlike any they’d ever encountered, but so was the CIA.They would learn quickly that torturing animals to test some crackpot pseudoscience wasn’t at all worth the price they would pay.
And the people who had tried to murder her husband would face justice for their crimes.Faith would make sure of it.
EPILOGUE
Two days later…
David sat on the edge of the bed and stared through the translucent shower curtain as Faith lathered herself.The two of them had just made surprisingly satisfying love, the first time they’d had sex since Faith had come home from Texas to find him unconscious in a hospital after doing exactly what Faith had told him not to do.
She had been far too kind to him.Far too forgiving.David didn’t expect her to leave him, but he didn’t expect her to be this eager tobewith him after everything that had happened.He definitely didn’t expect her to be so cheerful about living in a cabin in Sterling, Virginia and commuting an hour each way to work every day.
