Radiant Surrender (CSA Case Files Book 6) (4 page)

“Your parents were arrested this morning.”

Jessie stared speechlessly at Gavin as he walked around the counter of the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards. Taking down a mug that appeared to have been left there by the previous occupants, he went about pouring himself a cup of coffee from the old beat-up Black and Decker ten-cup pot that Townes had brewed earlier. He’d used a napkin for a filter and the coffee tasted like bleached paper. She blinked a few times, thinking maybe she’d fallen asleep on the couch earlier as she’d thought of ways to get Townes to place some calls for her. It wasn’t until Gavin lifted the cup to his mouth that his light green iridescent eyes connected with hers. The planetary pull that emanated from his entire being hadn’t lessened, but his words had just shattered her soul.

“What did you…” Jessie whispered harshly, unable to swallow around the lump in her throat or even finish her question.

“Your parents were arrested by the FBI early this morning in a predawn raid of their home. I’ve called in Lou Moser, who will do what he can do get them out on bail, if at all possible. In all likelihood they won’t be granted bail. Even if by some likelihood they were, it would require around the clock monitoring via GPS ankle bracelets until their case goes to court.” Gavin shifted until he was leaning against the far counter where the sink was located, bracing himself with one arm as he used the other hand to hold his mug. He was speaking as if this was an everyday occurrence. Her parents weren’t criminals and they sure as hell wouldn’t be able to handle this kind of stress in their lives. “There can be no contact for now, although I’ve directed Lou to let your parents know that you are safe.”

“Safe?” Jessie felt like she only understood every third word of what was being said. “You’re telling me the FBI arrested my mother and father, Gavin. I need to be with them. I have to call my sister. I—”

“You said you trusted me last night. If that is true, then you’ll sit your ass down and listen to what I have to say.”

Jessie’s entire body was shaking with so many emotions that she barely registered his suggestion. Even if it sounded relatively straightforward, she found it hard to process. He didn’t need to get all insensitive about it though. She slowly made her way to the stool that Townes had previously occupied and used the foot rail for a little help in positioning herself on the cracked brown naugahyde. She laid her head in her hands, gently touching her cheeks and trying to cool them down even as they flushed with more blood.

“My parents aren’t Russian spies—”

“They were a long time ago, Jessie. Your parents worked for the old KGB as deep cover sleeper agents, but fortunately they were abandoned when the agency dissolved in 1991 and never activated for any missions. Prior to that they’d been here for many years and followed protocol. Having no contact with their handler, they were to have a family and live as normal everyday American citizens. They chose to stay in the United States and assume their cover identities after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and their former intelligence agency was disbanded. Your father had been employed by a defense contractor and maintained that career to this day. Your mother was originally meant to infiltrate the human resources department at your father’s employer. However, that was before she had your sister and chose to become a stay at home mother. I’m sure they never expected that their true identities would be revealed to anyone, let alone you or your sister. With that said, it doesn’t erase the fact that they entered the country under false pretenses and their initial intentions were to spy on the United States.”

Jessie tried to recall memories of her childhood for anything that might have given credence to the information that Gavin was disclosing. She remembered writing an ancestry paper and needing details regarding her grandparents. Her parents had told her that they’d died and never offered any heritage particulars. She’d had to research their surname and penned in that they were English. Now that she’d thought back, it was rare that her parents would mention relatives and extended family had never been spoken of. She was feeling slightly queasy at the realization that her parents had lied about everything.

“This isn’t an assumption,” Gavin stated, after having taken another drink of coffee. “I spoke with Lou. Your parents gave a statement and immediately requested political asylum and expressed their wish to speak with you and your sister. I’ve designated one of our contract agents to collect Sarah and I’ll ensure that he stays in contact with her family until things are resolved. For right now she’ll be taking care of your parent’s house and property. I’ll do my best to prevent the FBI or CIA from involving your sister and her family beyond the initial interview process.”

“I need to speak with Sarah. She might be older, but she’s always been more dependent on our parents and less able to deal with real life situations. This isn’t going to go over well. She’ll need my help.”

“Lou is conveying what I’ve given him permission to disclose.” Crest placed his mug on the counter behind him and then settled back, watching her closely. It wasn’t in the manner that she used to catch him staring at her when they worked together. This was a
how will she handle what’s coming next
look. Feeling absolutely helpless that her family was forced to deal with what had just transpired without her, she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear anything else. “There’s a specific reason your parents’ past has come to light and it’s connected to the federal warrant that’s been issued for your arrest.”

“Why is all this happening to my family?”

Jessie just wanted a straight answer. Her life was finally on course with a new position at the local FBI field office in downtown Minneapolis, an apartment at Elan Uptown that she loved, friends she enjoyed nights out with, and although things hadn’t quite worked out the way she’d thought they would with Gavin…she was content with her personal growth. It had taken her a while to get to this point. Seeing him again had everything imploding before her very eyes and she could feel her life spiraling out of control once again.

“In one word? Ryland.”

“Ryland?” Jessie brought her hands down until they were flat with the granite countertop. The coolness seeped into her palms but did little to put out the flames of fury that the name produced. “Ryland is doing this? Why? I thought Taryn and Ethan had neutralized him once they’d discovered his true identity.”

“Keeping with the original plan and making this the point—the CIA had a hand in making Ryland into the man he is. The Agency doesn’t want their duplicity revealed to the public since they’ve often used his services to eliminate foreign and domestic government officials who didn’t see things the organization’s way. The CIA is using you to discredit me and dismantle everything that I’ve built, as well as keep me occupied while they figure out how to eradicate this threat.”

“But I don’t work for you anymore. Why would they use me?”

“You are a former employee, as well as having made it known that you had more of a personal interest in…” Gavin put forth an effort of finishing his explanation with a small motion of his hand before placing it back on his arm. Jessie might be struggling with everything that was being thrown her way, but he didn’t get to just pass off their attraction as if it were a bug to be waved away. “The CIA does their homework, Jessie. These agents aren’t tenderfoots and they knew I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to you as a valued friend.”

“Then they must have uncovered that
you
wanted
me
sexually.” Jessie wouldn’t allow him to deny his feelings. He didn’t get to do that. This wasn’t the time nor place to bring up their past, but there were certain things she wouldn’t stand for him minimizing. She slipped off of the stool but kept the counter in between them as she refocused on her dilemma. “Help me understand this. If you already know what the CIA tried to prevent you from uncovering then why are we standing here? Do whatever it is you do to fix these types of situations so that I can be with my family.”

“It’s not that simple, Jessie.” Gavin dropped his arms to his sides as he pushed off of the sink and closed the distance between them. Although he stayed on the opposite side of the counter, she inhaled his understated spicy fragrance that somehow was only distinct to his body chemistry. It distracted her slightly and given that she needed all of her faculties she leaned back away from his personal space. “Ryland won’t release the names of his targets that they contracted him to eliminate unless I manage to produce a full pardon for his crimes from the president of the United States.”

Jessie felt as if she’d taken a blow to her chest and the air came out of her in a whoosh. A cold settled into her bones that she’d never experienced before. There wasn’t a chance in hell that Ryland would receive a full pardon, which meant she was fucked ten ways to Tuesday—and not in the way she would have liked to be by Gavin. No, this meant that she would go to prison for the rest of her life for a crime she didn’t commit and there wasn’t a damn thing anyone could do to stop that…not even the great Gavin Crest.

Chapter Four

C
rest had tried his best to remain impartial when he’d walked through the apartment door. He had the intention of treating this as any other case that came through the preprogrammed gristmill of Crest Security Agency. He’d even prided himself on the fact that the four identical apartment buildings that faced each other across one intersection would finally be used for the purpose he’d intended them to be.

The city of Minneapolis had originally scheduled the buildings for destruction when Crest had stepped in to purchase them as an investment and as a project to pay back the community. The four structures were all interconnected via utility tunnels with each building housing three hundred apartments that varied from one thousand to six thousand square feet. The buildings had originally been built as part of a city reclamation project and cheap federal loans had allowed the developers to turn four city blocks of old crumbling brick tenements into modern, fairly attractive public housing during the late eighties. Over the years the buildings had been mismanaged and a certain criminal segment drove the area into the ground. As each of the buildings began renovations after Crest’s acquisition, security was stepped up considerably and the undesirable element that had previously occupied much of this zone was driven out. Through a series of internal and community policing maneuvers, internal security and city police had made the area just too hazardous for the criminal element to thrive.

The building complex was located close enough to the downtown area that mass transit was available and now that the drug dealers were forced out, everyday working families had moved into the clean, quiet, and reasonably priced neighborhoods. Crest had reserved numerous apartments in each of the buildings with the intention of using them to house clients who needed a safe place to stay while hiding them among the daily movements of a thousand plus families. The bonus of such an acquisition was that underground utility tunnels connected the buildings’ service garages and the maintenance shops so that a person could be transported without having to be exposed to public scrutiny.

Crest’s original intention of maintaining a professional demeanor when he arrived went by the wayside as Jessie stood before him and panic appeared in her delicate features. It made his stomach harden into a ball and he stepped in front of her before he thought about his actions.

“Jessie, I won’t allow you to be a pawn in Ryland’s game with the CIA.” Crest pulled her into his arms and regretted his actions instantly. Her petite body melded against his and for the first time since before she’d left CSA he allowed himself a moment to hold her in a comforting way. The warmth of her was hotter than any sun and as he gently rested his chin on top of her head, he soaked up what he could. “I’ll do what I have to in order to obtain Ryland what he wants.”

“Ryland doesn’t deserve a pardon and you know it,” Jessie whispered as she slid her arms around his waist. There was a slight tremble in her voice but she refused to break. He felt pride in the strength she was showing. “I know the contacts you have, Gavin, and even you don’t have that type of influence politically.”

“Don’t underestimate me, Jessica.” Her full name fell off of his lips as smooth as the whiskey he’d downed earlier. The statement came out more of a command and that wasn’t how he’d intended it. With his luck she’d misconstrue what his intentions were. He stroked his hands over her back and then eased her away from him, needing to keep the previous distance between them. “In order for me to do my job I need you to stay here and not give Townes a hard time. He is going to move you to another finished apartment later today. Considering his role in the security scheme around here, he has access to the entire complex. I was hoping once he settled down and quit sowing his wild oats he’d be a good fit for CSA, but you’re likely to ruin it.”

Jessie looked up at him, her long lashes slightly wet and illuminating her dark green eyes. Her full lips were a darker shade of rouge, reminding him of the cherry Chapstick all his girlfriends in high school had carried and he resisted the urge to be the reason they swelled with passion. Her classic features, her petite body, and her downright sinful sensual aura would be the death of him if he wasn’t careful. He left her standing there as he retrieved his lukewarm coffee.