The nurse stared after him, her mouth agape, her head slowly shaking. “All those looks and a hero too.” She stepped toward the bed, checking the monitors. “You’re a lucky woman to have a man like that in your life.”

  Tong stared at the door. “We just met.”

  “Well, sweetie, a man like that doesn’t come and check on a stranger out of the goodness of his heart. He’s interested. The question is, are you?”

  Tong wasn’t about to answer an impertinent question from a nurse likely only interested in the gossip her reply could provide. Yet the smile breaking out at the corners of her mouth betrayed her feelings.

  “I see that you are. I hope it works out for you, sweetie. How you met will be one hell of a story to tell the grandkids.”

  “Grandkids?”

  Tong flinched at Leroux’s voice at the door, and a wave of guilt swept through her as if she’d been caught cheating on her boyfriend. This was all so confusing and unfamiliar.

  Yet it could be wonderful.

  9 |

  The Forbidden Palace Beijing, China

  Kane rubbed one of the ceremonial golden doorknobs on the massive doors to the Forbidden Palace. He needed all the luck he could get, and while he didn’t believe in Chinese superstitions, they certainly couldn’t hurt him right now. He strolled through the gates playing tourist, leaving Xu waiting in the SUV. No tails had been spotted, though that meant nothing. This was his enemy’s home turf. They could follow him by drone, satellite, CCTV camera, or have fifty agents assigned to him, none following him for more than two minutes. He had to assume they were watching him.

  He spotted the asset standing near the Arrow Pavilion, the man fidgeting, shifting from one foot to the other, far too nervous to not be conspicuous. Kane strolled toward him, his phone in his hand, snapping several photos. He held out the device.

  “Excuse me, sir. Do you speak English?”

  His asset, Duan Guofeng, flinched, clearly uncertain as to what was going on. “Yes.”

  “Can you take my photo, please? I just hate selfies. I prefer things to look more natural.”

  Duan took the phone and Kane spoke without moving his lips, a long-practiced technique that could get him a well-paying gig on the Vegas Strip. “We’re probably being watched. After you give me back my phone, I’ll shake your hand. Palm me the intel.” He stepped back, positioning himself so the palace was in the background, returning to normal speech. “Just tap the red button.”

  Duan did as told, saying nothing, fear in his eyes as his head whipped from side to side, paying little attention to the task at hand.

  Kane smiled. “Thank you so much.” He rejoined Duan, who reached into his pocket as he handed the phone back. Kane checked out the pictures, horribly framed, then extended a hand. “Thanks again.”

  Duan shook it and something was pressed into Kane’s palm. He wrapped his fingers around it as he let go. “You have yourself a good evening now.” He froze his lips again. “Don’t do anything until you hear from me.” He flashed a smile then walked away, not looking back. He completed his circuit of the square, snapping another dozen photos before sauntering back to his waiting SUV.

  Xu held open the rear door and Kane climbed in, Xu sealing him inside the sanctuary Kane was confident wasn’t bugged, the tinted windows protecting him from any external surveillance. He opened his hand, squeezed shut since the exchange, a small USB key revealed. He had no doubt Duan wanted to explain what was on it, why it was so important, but if any of what he would have said was true, it was far too dangerous to have let him explain.

  “Where to, sir?” asked Xu as he climbed in the driver’s seat.

  “Zhongguancun e-Plaza. I feel like being around people.”

  “Yes, sir.” Xu put the vehicle in gear and they slowly pulled away.

  Kane slipped the intel into his shirt pocket then leaned back, closing his eyes. In less than thirty minutes his mission would be complete, and he had to think that if he made it to his next contact, he was getting away with it, for surely the Chinese would have had enough time to review any footage taken of the exchange and confirm for themselves what had happened. The fact he and Duan hadn’t been taken down the moment they shook hands had been a shocker. Epps had said they weren’t sure what was going on, and from the moment he had heard of what they suspected Casey had done, he had had his doubts.

  He was a good judge of character and simply couldn’t see the woman betraying her country, at least not willingly or knowingly. Perhaps Langley was wrong about this. Perhaps she had merely committed suicide and they were misinterpreting her note. He sighed. He couldn’t remember the last time he had wanted a mission to end so desperately. His family was hurting and he should be with them.

  This intel better be worth it.

  10 |

  Outside the Forbidden Palace Beijing, China

  Duan Guofeng sat in his car, his entire body trembling as he gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white, his palms sweating. Things hadn’t gone as planned, not by a long shot. He was supposed to talk to Kane, to warn him, and to tell him he wanted out. His job at the Ministry of State Security provided him with access to a lot of intel, the trusted position earned with more than two decades of service. But years ago, his father had been killed in Tiananmen, and he had sworn if he ever had a chance to do something to exact revenge on his government, he would.

  Street protests were ineffective with the Communist regime. You had to find something that embarrassed the leadership, to catch them doing something the public would find so appalling that the grassroot support would crumble, leading to the fall of those responsible.

  And he had found it.

  When he had come across the raw transcript of a debriefing that was never supposed to happen, a debriefing cut short when a senior party official entered the room, he had been shocked. The recording should have been destroyed immediately, the transcript should have never been made, but somebody had screwed up.

  Or, perhaps they hadn’t.

  Perhaps they wanted what had been said to be preserved, to somehow get out into the world where the shocking revelations might do some good. Whatever the reason, whatever the cause, it didn’t matter. It had come across his desk, and the moment he saw it, he knew after all these years, he finally had something that could truly damage those in power.

  His immediate instinct was to copy the transcript, but all network activity was monitored. He had instead taken photos of his screen, quickly flipping through all the pages, then moving on to the next file, though not before flagging the file as “Low priority. Enemy propaganda.” If the records were reviewed, no one would ever believe he hadn’t read the file and not reacted to it. When he had returned home that day, he had transferred the photos, making several copies before encoding a message and posting it on a dark web messaging board monitored by the Americans. His government was fully aware of the site, and one of his jobs was to monitor it, something he’d been doing for years.

  Two years ago, he had made his first posting, warning the Americans that the site was compromised. To his dismay, his warning appeared to have no effect. A week later, he had found a file sitting on the desktop of his computer at home. How it got there, he had no idea, and his initial thoughts were to simply delete it. But the fact it said “Open me” in English had him double-clicking. It contained a web address and a password. It was a travel website featuring tours of the Great Wall. It appeared entirely legitimate. In the upper right corner, there was a small link, “Agent Login.” He had clicked on it and entered the password, and his world had changed forever.

  Within a week, he had met with someone Chinese who had vetted him, and after a few months, he had met with Dylan Kane, a man who seemed far too young for the responsibilities forced upon him by his country. What was strange was Kane had never asked him to do anything, and was never disappointed that there was nothing to report.

  He had asked Kane about it, and the young man had simply shrugged. “One day, you’ll come across something that we need to know, and you’ll know that you can trust me. And when that day comes, I’ll know to trust you because you’ve never wasted my time, so if you do come across something important, I’ll know to believe you.”

  It made sense at the time, and it was proven three days ago when he had made contact outside of the normal schedule.

  He released his grip on the steering wheel. He had done his job. He had delivered the intel. And if he was right, the Americans could use it to bring down the current leadership and, perhaps, a more moderate one would follow. He had no delusions about Chinese democracy. Perhaps someday, and he would be honored if he were a footnote in the history that would be written about it, but right now, he just wanted to get home to his wife and the weekly family dinner with his two adult children and their families that always brought him so much joy it stiffened his resolve to change his country for the better.

  Somebody rapped on his window and he recoiled in fright. He couldn’t see who it was, but he could see their finger pointing down, indicating for him to lower his window. He could start the car with the push of a button, put it in gear, and speed away, but where would he go? This was China. They would find him in a matter of hours if not minutes. His shoulders slumped and he pressed the button, the window slowly dropping out of the way. The man bent over so Duan could see his face. He was young, in a cheap suit, with an ID hanging around his neck, flipped the wrong way.

  “I’m going to have to ask you to move, sir. We’re closing this area for maintenance.”

  Duan nearly soiled himself in relief and his head bobbed furiously. “Yes, yes, of course. I’m sorry, I’ll leave immediately.” He started the engine and pulled away as the young man stepped back. He glanced in his rearview mirror to see him talking to his wrist, and his heart nearly stopped as the man turned his back on him. Had he imagined it? Was he merely talking to himself while he scratched his nose? Or was he indeed talking into a communications device, reporting back to his superiors about his encounter with the traitor?

  What am I supposed to do?

  11 |

  Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, Virginia

  “You can’t be in here.”

  Leroux jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the nurse’s statement. “The doctor said it was okay since she didn’t have any family nearby.”

  “It’s all right. He’s my boss,” said Tong.

  “And your friend, I hope.”

  Tong smiled and the nurse rolled her eyes. “Sweetie, you’ve got them coming out of the woodwork. I wish I had whatever it is you have.” She headed for the door and Leroux stepped aside. “Honey, the competition is stiff. Good luck.”

  Leroux gave Tong a puzzled look as he approached the bed. “What was that all about?”

  Tong shrugged and winced, gripping her bandaged shoulder. “I’m not sure.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been shot.”

  Leroux laughed. “That tends to happen when you get shot. I don’t know what they’ve told you, but the doctor said they removed the bullet, repaired all the damage, gave you a transfusion to replace the lost blood, and says you’ll make a full recovery, though you’ll probably need some physio.”

  “What happened?” she asked.

  Leroux patted the side of the bed and she nodded. He sat on the edge. “You don’t remember?”

  “Yes, I remember what happened. I mean, after I was shot I passed out, so I don’t really know what happened after that.”

  “Oh, well, apparently the gunman shot half a dozen more people before one of the passengers grabbed him, managed to wrestle the gun away from him, then shot him. The details are still sketchy. I’m only going by what I’ve heard on the news. I haven’t read any official reports yet.”

  “How many died?”

  “Four, I think. For a few minutes, I thought you were one of them. We all did.” His voice cracked and his eyes burned as he squeezed them shut. “I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered.

  She took his hand and he clasped it, opening his eyes to find tears rolling down her cheeks.

  “I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it.”

  She reached up and touched his face, wiping away a tear of his own that had escaped, sharing a forbidden moment, neither saying anything. He sniffed hard then let go of her hand.

  “Why does life have to be so complicated?”

  She wiped away her own tears. “It wouldn’t be life if it weren’t.”

  He grunted. “True enough.” He inhaled deeply, squaring his shoulders as he forced the brave face. “The team sends their well wishes. You’ll be happy to know that Randy was almost in tears, so when you get back you’ll be able to tease him about that.”

  She giggled. “And here I thought deep down he thought I was a Chinese spy.”

  Leroux laughed at the memory. “Yeah, he definitely put his foot in his mouth that day.”

  “Speaking of the team, what’s going on with the op?”

  “I’m not sure. I handed control over to the backup crew.”

  “So, Avril is handling things?”

  Leroux frowned at the mention of the woman’s name.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  He sighed. “I wasn’t going to tell you this since you’ve got enough on your mind, but Avril is dead.”

  Tong gasped, her heart rate monitor adding twenty beats. “What happened? How?”

  “She didn’t report in for her shift, so they sent someone to check on her. They couldn’t get in, so Echo Team was sent. She committed suicide and left a note suggesting she might have been a traitor.” Tong’s heart rate continued to pick up and he took her hand. “Breathe. Just calm down.”

  Tong drew a deep breath then exhaled loudly repeating the process several times, her heart rate rapidly returning to normal.

  “Okay, good. Last thing we need is you surviving a crazed killer just to have me kill you with words.”

  She laughed then frowned. “If it weren’t you, I would say everything you just told me was bullshit. I’ve known Avril for years. There’s no way she’s a traitor. But more importantly, there’s no way she committed suicide. We went out for drinks after work just two weeks ago. She was as happy as I’ve ever seen her.”

  “Depressed people can be experts at hiding their pain. Trust me, I know.”

  “True, but she was seeing a guy and it was becoming serious. She was in love, thinking of the future.”

  “You mean marriage?”

  “Yes. I don’t think they had talked about it yet, but she said it was a possibility. She said she could see them getting married and starting a family.”

  Leroux leaned back, folding his arms. “Huh. Maybe they broke up. Maybe that’s what caused her to give up hope.”

  “It could be, but people break up all the time and they don’t kill themselves. Something more had to be going on for her to do that.” She pursed her lips, shaking her head. “It just doesn’t make sense. I can’t see her doing it. Yet, if she left a note…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Who would have thought a crazy day could get even crazier?”

  “Yeah, it’s been a little nuts, but don’t you worry about it. You just focus on getting better. And I don’t want to see you back at work until you feel up to it.”

  She gingerly rotated her left shoulder, wincing. “It doesn’t feel too bad.”

  He chuckled. “You just wait until the drugs wear off.”

  She groaned. “That’s right, I forgot about that. I’ll be back as soon as I can. With everything that’s going on, you’re going to need me.”

  “Everything that’s going on?”

  She gave him a look. “You know damn well that Sierra Protocol was initiated the moment they read that note. The entire Agency is going ape shit right now and the only reason you’re not neck deep in it is because you’re here with me.”

  “Exactly where I should be. But you can take it easy, the Chief hasn’t enacted Sierra Protocol yet.”

  She gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Good, then maybe things aren’t that serious.” She yawned. “I’m exhausted and I’m about to fall asleep on you. So, why don’t you go back to work? Thank everyone for the well wishes then come see me tomorrow.”

  He smiled as he rose, taking her hand once more. “If I can, I’ll come by this evening and give you an update.”

  “Thanks, boss.”

  He eyed her. “I think you can call me Chris, don’t you?”

  She smiled. “Only out of the office.”

  He desperately wanted to give her a kiss, just a peck on the cheek, but lines had already been crossed. Instead, he clasped her hand in both of his then touched the entangled fingers to his chin. “I’ll see you soon.” He left the room, nauseated, guilt overwhelming him. He had always known deep down he had feelings for her, but this was beyond that. This was love, though there were various forms of love. Was this love for a woman that he wanted to be with, or was this love for a friend? And was the intensification of the feelings merely because of the situation? A traumatic event had happened. They had both given in to a moment of relief. Was he merely reciprocating her feelings for him out of sympathy?

  He sighed. He loved Sherrie with all his heart and he couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. And this situation with Tong and her feelings for him was something he had thought they had put behind them. When he found out, he should have insisted she be transferred, but that wouldn’t have been fair. She had vowed she would be fine, and until now she had been. And in her defense, she had done nothing wrong today. He had been the one that had cracked, and she shouldn’t be blamed for his weakness.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He flinched, not noticing Fang approaching him. “Nothing.” He needed to confide in someone, but she wasn’t the one. She was best friends with Sherrie, and the last person in the world he wanted to hurt was the woman he loved. The only person he could think of to talk to was Kane, but he was in China on a critical op where if Casey indeed were a traitor, he might be in extreme danger. He gently shook his head. “It’s just difficult to see a friend like that.”

 

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