Always Been Mine (22 page)

“This is the perfect smart virus. It’s modified to have a suicide gene so it’ll become dormant after five days. A controlled epidemic.”

“That’s extremely dangerous,” Caitlin said. “If it is indeed a smart virus, what if it learns to defeat its suicide gene and decides to mutate?”

“I don’t have the technical data on the ST-Vyl virus,” Porter said. “I do know communications with buyers are being done on the Black Plane.”

“That’ll be hard to trace,” Caitlin said.

“Not for you,” Porter said.

“No,” Travis growled, standing up and facing the admiral. “No fucking way.”

“You said the virus has reached the United States?” Gabe interjected.

“What?” Beatrice exclaimed.

The admiral eyed Travis intently. “I’ve been on the trail of several individuals I felt were involved with Red Bridge from the beginning. One of them is the medical examiner (ME) who faked the DNA results on Sarah and Cooper’s death.”

“And?” Travis prodded anxiously.

“He has resurfaced in DC.” This time Porter looked at Gabe. “When you told me about how those five people were killed in the Cloverleaf District, I didn’t give it much thought at that time. However, when Ryker came into the picture, I decided to investigate further. The same ME did all five autopsies, but covered up the real findings on the official report.”

Gabe was having a bad feeling about this. Everyone was waiting with bated breath.

“The wounds were given post-mortem. They didn’t die from a bullet or the garrote, they died from hemorrhagic fever. Their internals looked like an IED blew up inside them,” Porter said. “Needless to say, the ME is in custody.”

“Holy fuck,” Nate whispered.
 

“That was how we were able to get a tissue sample to trace the genome of the virus.”

“How are they transporting it?” Travis asked.

“Cocaine shipments, that’s our suspicion,” Porter said. “We also think it’s in powder form.”

“Wouldn’t that be too unstable?”

“We know Ryker performed experiments. The problem is, we couldn’t find the location or the data.”

“You keep on saying
we
, Porter,” Travis said. “Who exactly is
we
? Do you even trust anyone right now in the CIA?”
 

“I am working with a covert group.”

“Does this covert group have a name?” Gabe inquired. This was the first he had heard of this.

“Their name is not important. They won’t want to work with anyone else at this point. But we do need someone who can hack through Red Bridge communication.”

“That someone won’t be Cat,” Travis reiterated ominously.

“I can speak perfectly for myself, Travis,” his wife retorted.

“Think on it,” Porter said. “I’m sure we can manage eventually, but Caitlin can do it faster. We don’t have the luxury of time. Intel is pointing to a transaction within the next three weeks.”

“If this has something to do with cocaine shipments, shouldn’t we be keeping an eye on Fuego?” Gabe asked.
 

“We already are,” Porter said. “Especially since Beatrice disappeared. The entire gang has gone to ground.”

“How about the Skulls? Do they have any intel at this point?” Travis asked.

“Crane is keeping his club out of this since the Russians are involved. We’re not getting help there.”

“Is there anything we can do besides involving Cat?” Travis asked.

Porter sighed. “There is something. Your team is handling Senator Mendoza’s security?”

“You don’t think the senator is involved in any of this, do you?” Beatrice asked.
 

“No, but they killed his uncle for a reason,” Porter said. “The assassination was blamed on the armed conflict in Colombia, but I’m not discounting he may have been a convenient patsy to mislead us about Gabe being the real target. It would be beneficial to have ears in his office, just to keep a pulse on the political landscape in Colombia.”

“I’m up for it,” Nate announced.
 

Porter nodded in approval. The admiral turned to Gabe. “How about you, Commander?”

“I’ll leave the security of the senator to BSI.” His gaze fell on his woman. She had an unguarded look on her face, looking so lost. Despite her earlier feistiness, she was in no way over what happened to her. “I want to comb through what we have of Beatrice’s abduction. We could be missing a clue here.” Beatrice looked at him apprehensively. She wasn’t ready to relive the nightmare, but they needed to debrief her while everything was fresh in her mind. Still, he couldn’t help adding, “When you’re ready, okay, babe?”

She sighed in resignation and nodded.

*****

Gabe looked on as Beatrice’s assistant kept her company in the living room. If Doug Keller wasn’t gay, Gabe would definitely have a problem with him. Right now, Doug had his arms around Beatrice; she was leaning against him with her head on his chest. They were murmuring, so Gabe had no idea what they were talking about. He was getting impatient with people showing up, although it was understandable given how many people cared for Beatrice. Travis, Caitlin, and Nate left an hour ago. It was ironic that the person who should be the most concerned was nowhere to be found. Gabe was getting dinner ready, something as simple as popping a frozen casserole in the oven.

“You want another beer, Doug?” Gabe called out.

Doug raised his bottle. “I’m good, thanks.”

Gabe went looking for Porter. He sure hoped the admiral didn’t leave without saying goodbye. Beatrice was used to her father’s indifference, but Gabe’s blood had been on a simmer since they got her back. Save for the shock of seeing his daughter’s arms brutalized, the admiral had remained mostly detached.
 

The safe house belonged to Porter. Whether it was CIA-owned or not, Gabe had no idea. Before they left his house in Alexandria, Porter told him to pack a bag for himself and Beatrice, plus whatever he needed for Rhino, enough for at least a few days.
 
Gabe agreed. Until they knew exactly what was going on, Beatrice’s condo and his house were not safe. This place was also equipped with state-of-the-art computers and a communications room. This was not just a safe house but a satellite op center.
 

He found the admiral on the back patio, smoking a cigar in the chilly January evening.
 

“Dinner should be ready in an hour.”

The admiral said nothing for a long time. He took a few puffs of his cigar and said, “I never planned to marry Lorraine.”

Beatrice’s mother. Gabe stilled, not sure where the admiral was going with this.

“She got pregnant,” Porter said. “At that time, it seemed like the honorable thing to do.” The admiral snuffed out the cigar under his boot. “I didn’t want a family to tie me down, but, Gabe, when I first held my daughter, I fell in love with her.” The admiral laughed derisively. “Hard to believe, huh, Commander?”

“What happened then?”

“I loved Beatrice, but she was a reminder that I was trapped in a marriage I never wanted, and that love slowly grew into resentment. When I realized what was happening, it sickened me. Why blame an innocent girl for my mistake? Seeing you with her now, how hard you’re fighting for her, reminded me of my failures. I failed to fight for the woman I loved, failed to cherish my daughter, and failed to make my marriage work.”

“Ah . . . Beatrice doesn’t know of this other woman, does she?”

The admiral’s eyes flashed a warning. “No and she never will. This is between you and me.”

“Of course. Where is the woman now?”

A pained look crossed the admiral’s face. “She died about six years ago. Cancer. She didn’t want to be the wife of a career military man. She wanted me to quit after a few years. She married someone else, never had kids.”

“Do you still resent Beatrice?”

“Oh, that resentment didn’t last long. It quickly ended soon after her fifth birthday, which I had missed.” Porter’s lips tipped in a rare smile. “I missed almost all her birthdays. When I came home a few weeks after she had turned five, she made it known exactly how unhappy she was with me. Feisty even at that age.”

Gabe found himself grinning, imagining Beatrice as a little girl, facing up against a stern admiral.

The admiral sighed. “Had me wrapped around her fingers by that time. A year later, I got recruited into covert and clandestine operations. I saw a lot of shit, Gabe, did so much shit. How could I go home and hug my little girl after I’d killed someone else’s father?” Porter leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, turning his head to look at him. “At that time we didn’t have the training nor the available help to work through the aftermath of a mission. It was a stigma then to show weakness; we were expected to tough it out and deal.”

Gabe couldn’t agree more. There were many veterans who came home messed up, homeless, and hooked on drugs.
 

“I remembered clearly the first time I pulled away from Beatrice. I shot and killed the leader of a drug cartel. We had intel that he was at home. He was guarded well, but we were able to breach his defenses. He refused to surrender, and the firefight that ensued was bloody. I shot him in the head and he dropped right beside a bed. I nudged him over and that was when I heard it. Crying. His daughter was under the fucking bed, saw her father shot down.” The admiral rubbed his face. “She was Beatrice’s age. I couldn’t go home and face my own daughter afterward. Then I thought of all the other reasons why I couldn’t let myself get close to her. Our covers were solid, but the longer you’re in this life, the probability of blowback becomes higher. That was when the rift started, and I just let it happen.”

“I think,” Gabe said carefully, “you spent your life being scared of loving someone again. Those are excuses, Admiral. You could have quit.”
 

“I let myself get drawn deeper into the CIA,” Porter admitted. “An op would take months sometimes. Before I knew it, Beatrice was all grown up, and Lorraine was divorcing me.”

For a fleeting moment, Gabe felt sorry for the admiral and his shitty personal life, but Porter had chosen his path. He wondered if the admiral would have given up the clandestine life if he had the woman he loved by his side.

As if reading his thoughts, Porter said, “I think about it sometimes, if I chose
her
, but then I wouldn’t have Beatrice. Even if I was the worst father, I couldn’t deny that she is the best part of me.”

Gabe didn’t even want to think about a world where Beatrice didn’t exist.
 

“Don’t fuck up with my daughter, Gabriel,” Porter said. “I’ve done enough of that in her lifetime. I don’t think I can change my relationship with her. You saw how I was after her abduction. I don’t know how to be a father.”

“You can try,” Gabe said.

“Thirty-two years too late.”

“Ben, it’s not too late. We nearly lost her. Don’t you think this should be a wake-up call? Doesn’t this defeat your excuse of trying to protect her by showing your enemies you don’t care?” Gabe nudged the admiral. “Maybe you should see the shrink at the NEST.”

Porter stared at him dubiously. “Don’t push it.”

“Okay, then, let’s help you become father of the year. You can help me get dinner ready.”

*****

“Does it hurt, honeybee?”
 

Doug shifted her in his arms to peer down at her. Next to Gabe, Doug probably had the hardest time dealing with what had happened to her. Unlike Gabe though, her assistant didn’t have the training most military guys had to shut it down. He cried when he saw her arms in bandages. Afterward, he hugged her and had not let her go since he arrived, which was over two hours ago. As for her, she still didn’t know how to feel: anger at the people who did this to her, relief that she was alive, or an underlying anxiety of what still lay ahead. They let her go. Why? Beatrice could only surmise that they wanted her to be a constant reminder to her father and Gabe that they failed to protect her. This was why Beatrice tried to act normal around everyone, because showing how terrified she was with her recent ordeal was letting the bad guys win. But pretending was exhausting.
 

“It does; I just don’t care,” Beatrice replied.
 

Doug chuckled. “Pain meds will do that to you.” He brushed her hair away from her face affectionately. “So how are you and Gabe? The man looked ready to slam the door on my face when I arrived.”

“We haven’t spent much time together since I returned. Prior to Travis, Cat, and Nate showing up, I was asleep.” Beatrice warmed over. “Such a great feeling being held in his arms. I feel safe.”

“Hey now, my feelings are hurt.”

“Don’t be silly, Doug. Tell me you wouldn’t feel the same if a man like Gabe was holding you.”

Doug cackled with laughter. “You have a point, sweetie.”

The back door slammed. Gabe and her father appeared in the hallway.

“What were you two up to?” Beatrice asked suspiciously.
 

“Nothing,” Porter said.

“Hanging out,” Gabe answered.

The two men didn’t look exactly guilty, but Beatrice was pretty sure something was up.

Something was definitely up. Gabe and her father were busy getting dinner ready. Seriously, how hard was it to reheat a frozen casserole? You really didn’t need a former Navy SEAL and an admiral in the U.S. Navy for it.
 

She and Doug were already sitting at the dining table. Her assistant leaned in to her. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen your father toss a salad.”

“I’ve got some great wine here, Doug,” her father said, bringing over a bottle. He looked at Beatrice. “Sorry, baby, you can’t have any with the meds you’re on.”

“Thank you, Admiral.” Her blond assistant looked perplexed as her father lined up some glasses and poured the wine. Not that Beatrice could blame him. Her father had barely said two sentences to her assistant in the three years Doug had worked for her.

“And here’s the chicken mushroom risotto casserole,” Gabe announced with much flare. The delicious aroma perked up her appetite at least. After he set down the still-bubbling dish, Gabe muttered something about getting the bread.