Hunted by the Past, page 11
“Traits of a sociopath.”
Blinking at Kayden’s grim statement, I corrected, “Psychopath. He may have started out as a sociopath, but with his tendency toward collateral damage and the assumption his personality is fracturing under each assumed ability, he’s more of a psychopath now.”
Despite the topic, a quick grin flashed over Tag’s face. “That psychology class is coming in handy.”
I gave him the answer his comment demanded. I flipped him off.
“Psycho or sociopath,” Kayden said. “It doesn’t matter what label you give him, what matters is stopping him.”
Ellery was like any killer, he had to start somewhere. There was only one person here who would know what tipped him over edge and started him on this path. I turned to Delacourt. “What happened on his last mission?”
“The details are still classified, but,” she held up a hand when I opened my mouth to argue, “his last operation went sideways. According to the official after-action report, their initial target, a small band of rebels, turned out to be a bigger force than anticipated. All but four of the men made it back. After repeated failed recovery efforts, command declared the four missing men, including Ellery, killed in action.” Her impassive expression hid her thoughts. “That was nine months before your team was attacked.”
“Our team had been working the case for four months.” I worked through the timeline. “So he was missing for five months before the investigation started?”
She gave me a short nod.
“Which meant there was no reason to link a dead man to the theft and possible sale of classified information.” I looked to Tag.”Do you have copies of our initial assessments?”
He did his mojo with the scattered piles and handed me a set of reports. Kayden came and read over my shoulder.
I worried my bottom lip with my teeth as I reviewed the documented information. Our leads on that last assignment had been slim, our interviews fruitless. Yet something had to connect Ellery to our investigation. I just couldn’t see it. “What am I missing?”
“Not what,” Delacourt corrected and handed me another piece of paper. “Who.”
I took it and examined the list of names. One of them rang a bell. “Ramirez.”
Going back to the initial reports, I found what I was looking for, an interview done with one Tito Ramirez, Private. The attached picture brought back my initial impressions. Ramirez was a twitchy little Hispanic guy who served as a clerk at the base depot. At the time, his disciplinary record with its minor infractions pinged on my radar, but nothing had panned out.
I looked at Delacourt and something in her expression had me asking, “What’s his connection to Ellery?”
“Shortly after his interview, Ramirez came under investigation by the MCID. Some prescription painkillers went missing from an incoming delivery. Nothing could be proven, but he was discharged under a cloud of suspicion.”
I set the report aside. “Which means he was already gone when Ellery went to trial.”
Behind me, Kayden stilled, then reached around me, and snatched the report. “This Ramirez?”
“Yeah.”
“I saw him,” he murmured, studying the image carefully.
“When?”
“At the cabin.”
Startled, my brain came to a full stop. “My cabin?”
He nodded.
“No way was he in my house,” I argued. “He wasn’t in any of the scenes, Kayden. I know what I saw and trust me, he wasn’t anywhere around.” Only after the words left my mouth did his earlier words about catching glimpses of Ellery’s thoughts resurface. “Wait, you mean it worked?”
He nodded. “Yeah, this face,” he tapped the photo, “was there for just a moment, and then gone.”
“It worked?” Delacourt snapped, setting tension alight. “What exactly did you do, Shaw?”
Uh-oh. Looking between Kayden’s chagrined expression and Delacourt’s cold command face, I leaned out of the line of fire. Even Tag pushed back from the table a bit. Smart man.
Kayden’s jaw tightened, but his self-preservation switch must be malfunctioning because he didn’t back down under the Colonel’s stare. “In an attempt to retrieve more accurate information regarding Kelsey’s attack, I piggybacked on Cyn’s ability to boost the energy signatures.” He paused before adding, “Sir.”
Her eyebrows disappeared under her neat hair. “You attempted to combine psychic abilities unmonitored?”
Why was it, when she asked it that way, it sounded like a really bad idea?
Disapproval colored her face, but Kayden held his ground remarkably well, considering. “It worked.” His answer emerged a little tight and defensive.
“And you considered the possible repercussions worth the risk of disregarding one of the few rules you agreed to when you signed up for this team?”
Oh shit! Something more serious was at play here, and I started to worry for Kayden. Hell, I started to worry for me. Maybe I should have asked him a few more questions, but it was a little hard to ask the right ones, if you don’t know what you’re doing in the first place.
He held her gaze without flinching. “I did, yes.”
Breaking their silent staring contest wasn’t something I really wanted to do, but I waded in bravely. “What kind of repercussions are we talking about here?”
For a few heartbeats, Delacourt continued to watch Kayden. Then she turned all that disconcerting regard to me. “When two sympathetic abilities, such as a Tracker and a Watcher—”
“Watcher?”
“Someone who views the past or present, but can’t actively change it,” Tag, the ever helpful, clarified.
Delacourt nodded. “When similar talents combine their energies, strange changes take place.”
“Define strange,” I prompted.
“When discussing psychic abilities, it depends on the individuals involved. Combining two talents has three outcomes.” She began to tick them off with her fingers. “One, one ability will cancel out the other. Two, one ability will become dominant, or three, the two will combine into something unique to the pairing.”
“There’s a fourth,” Kayden added.
For a moment, something peeked from behind her controlled expression, but I didn’t know her well enough to understand it. She turned back to him. “Yes there is, but it comes only if you merge two talents continually over an extended period of time. Unless there’s something neither of you shared, I think we can consider that off the table.”
What the hell were they talking about?
Before I could ask, Delacourt continued, “What were your results?”
When Kayden played statue, I answered. “All it did was amp things up.” Her attention swung back to me, so I fumbled along. “For both of us.”
Since Kayden didn’t refute my statement, I kept going. “The first time, before Kayden came crashing in, I couldn’t hear a thing.” I managed the small white lie as memories rose to replay in vivid detail. “The images…memories,”—the same memories making it so damn hard to get through this now— “they had no soundtrack until he joined in.” Hidden by the edge of the table, my hands curled into fists. Suck it up, Cyn. “Plus, I couldn’t make out Ellery’s face either, thanks to some strange staticky mask. When we combined our talents, the mask cleared enough to confirm Ellery’s identity.”
“The energy signatures were stronger,” Kayden finally spoke. “I think that’s why I caught a glimpse of Ramirez’s face.”
“And you don’t think that could be attributed to the situation you two were viewing?” Delacourt asked. “According to our phone conversation, Shaw, Arden watched her sister being killed. You don’t think that might have more bearing on the intensity of what you two saw than combining your talents?”
The stark words triggered a sucker punch of grief. While I did my best to relearn how to breathe, Kayden put a warm hand on my shoulder in an unexpected show of support, before answering Delacourt. “What happened didn’t change. The first time through, Cyn had no audio, and her visual was limited. When we linked up, not only did she get more information, but so did I.”
Still stinging from the colonel’s unintentional hit, I didn’t mask the cutting edge in my voice. “Which means between the two of us, we got a positive ID, a soundtrack, and a possible lead. So, yeah, I’d have to agree with Kayden, it was worth it.”
She studied both of us, and whatever thoughts spun in her head were indecipherable to us mere mortals. Finally, she said, “Perhaps repeat performances should be avoided.”
It came across as an order, not a question. I didn’t dare look at Kayden as he had no choice but to answer to her. As for me? My teeth snapped together before some very unwise words fell out of my mouth. She was no longer my commanding officer, but I needed her resources, so silence was my best option. There was no way I could agree to not use something that might come in handy down the road. Especially without knowing what facing Ellery would entail. What I did know was that I wouldn’t hesitate to use whatever I could to make him pay.
Tag redirected her attention before either Kayden or I were forced to respond. “Sir, Ramirez’s last known is in Phoenix. You want me to check it out?”
Delacourt continued to eye Kayden and I, before she turned to Tag and gave a small head shake. “No, I need you in Vegas to check out the last known addie on our missing person.” She rose, stretched and then turned away. “You can work with Risia.”
Despite the strain in the air, it was almost comical how fast Tag’s easy-going expression morphed into one of male horror at Delacourt’s last order. It was the kind of fear you saw when a man was faced with a crying, or raging, woman. “Risia?” He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “No offense, sir, but it’s probably better if you send Kayden.”
Slowly, Delacourt turned back to him, and pinned him in place with a implacable stare. “That was not a suggestion, Gunderson.”
“Yes, sir.” He bit out. He turned back to the table and began to gather up the various stacks. A muscle twitched in his jaw.
Just based on his reaction, I vowed somehow, someway to meet this Risia. I stood and helped him collect the papers. Handing him a pile, I held on until he looked at me. “What’s wrong, Tag? Did you finally meet a woman wise to the ways of your charm?”
If fire had been his ability, I’d have been a little charcoal brisket. “Not funny, Cyn,” he hissed, snatching the pile out of my hands. “The woman’s a pain in my ass.”
Patting his arm, I snickered. “There’s an ointment for that.”
He growled.
Teasing Tag carried a comforting familiarity, and loosened something tight and painful inside me. “This Risia, is she part of your team?”
“She’s a seer.” Kayden took an empty glass from the table to the kitchen. “Damn accurate, too, but she’s zealous about her privacy.”
“Hopefully she’ll be able to work with Tag on locating Megan Rouser,” Delacourt chimed in, as she paced the living room, most likely tired of sitting around. The colonel was never one for sitting still.
Running through my recently ingested information, I placed the name. “Lance Corporal Rouser left on leave two weeks ago, right? So why is she listed as a possible victim of Ellery’s?”
She came to a stop near the French doors and kept her back to us. “Rouser took vacation. That vacation was up a week ago. She’s been my administrative assistant for the past two years, and is not one to disappear on a whim.”
“Is she psychic?”
Considering who she worked for, Delacourt’s answer was unexpected. “No.”
She didn’t turn around, but if her spine straightened anymore, it would shatter. “But she does have access to information Ellery would find very useful. I’d like to make sure she’s not in his hands.”
“Understandable.” I handed Tag one last pile to tuck away.
Delacourt turned back around. “Shaw, Arden, you two check out Ramirez’s last known.”
“Roger that.” I grabbed the report on Ramirez and tucked it in with my notes. “We may come up empty.”
She retrieved her satchel, took some papers Tag offered her, and tucked them inside. “Find him, track his friends, and run his ass down. Ellery needs an in to the less desirable connections, and based on Ramirez’s history, he has those.”
She looked at both of us. “Let’s make sure Ellery hasn’t reached out lately.” She settled her bag on her shoulder. “Watch your asses tomorrow. I don’t have time to play nice with the locals if you get stuck in a ten by two cell. Clear?”
“Sir,” Kayden acknowledged, and I dipped my chin.
“I want verbal reports at sixteen hundred tomorrow.” She included Tag in her orders. “In the meantime, I suggest you all get some rest.” Then she looked at me. “Arden, walk me out.” Without waiting for an answer, she spun on her heel and headed down the short hall.
Shooting Tag and Kayden a worried look and getting shrugs in return, I double-timed it after her.
Even at eleven at night, the heat still hung around, refusing to give up its hold. This far north though, it was bearable. Lights shone from behind various cabin windows and the faint sounds of music drifted on the air. We made our way to the parking lot and toward a standard black SUV parked right next to my Jeep. The SUV’s locks popped and Delacourt dumped her bag on the back seat. Closing the door with a muted thump, she turned and leaned against the SUV, crossed her arms, and studied me.
Not fidgeting was difficult, but I managed. Between the night and the dim light, it was hard to read her expression, so I waited for her to speak first.
“Flash wanted me to approach you about joining PSY-IV before that last mission,” she said. “I refused.”
Nerves tightened at her unexpected statement, the impending conversation not the one I envisioned. Uncertain where she was going with this, and unsure I wanted to follow along, I kept my emotions under lock and key. “I’m sure you had your reasons.”
“Maybe,” she agreed quietly. The night settled between us and she finally asked, “Do you think rank overrides humanity?”
It was a strange, unexpected question considering who was asking. What the hell did she want from me? “Excuse me?”
“If you’re going to work for me, we need to clear the air. The last thing this operation needs is for the past to come back and bite us in the ass.” She leveled her gaze on me. “You blame me.”
Folding my arms, I kept my mouth shut, because there was no way to answer that without lying.
“You blame me,” she repeated, softer now. “And you have a right to, but, Cyn, I blame you, too.”
Even though it wasn’t a surprise, hearing her confirm it, hurt.
She kept talking, leaving me with no choice but to stand there and listen. “I came up through the ranks with Flash, with Eric. He was…” she paused, turned her head to the side for a moment, then raised it back up defiantly. “He was a good man, a great friend, and when he was killed, I was very angry and very hurt.”
The amount of throttled emotion behind her simple statement created a huge understatement. Uncomfortable knowledge blossomed, altering my perception of Delacourt. Tonight, I wasn’t talking to the intimidating Colonel, I was facing someone who loved Flash, loved him on a level I didn’t even want to think about. Under the old resentments rose a new layer of sympathy, and I let her talk. If I interrupted her, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to continue, and something told me she needed this.
“Pressure and questions were coming from different directions, and my ability to handle it effectively was compromised.” That inner core of strength I admired so much, came to her rescue. Her spine straightened and the slight hunch to her shoulders disappeared. “When you joined, I watched you. Initially for Carl, then because Flash took you under his wing, but then I recognized certain characteristics, ones I knew first hand. You are a remarkable soldier, Arden. You’re quick, you think outside the box, and you’re an asset to any team.”
Stunned by her unexpected compliments, I dropped my gaze and waited for the other shoe to fall.
“But…”
And here it was.
“Your loyalty can become problematic.”
Yep, not taking that one silently. “Explain that to me, because I’m not sure how loyalty can be problematic.”
“Let me ask you a question.”
I gave her a short nod.
“What comes first? You, your team, or your orders?”
The question was too easy. “The team.”
“Why?”
“For a mission to be successful, the team must complete it. Sometimes orders can’t take into account what happens in the field.”
“Ask me the same question,” she prompted.
“Um, what comes first, sir? Team, mission, or you?”
“The mission.” Her answer fell between us with merciless finality. “Do you know why?”
I shook my head.
“In any given operation, there are numerous factors that come into play. Most of which, command will not share with their teams. There are reasons soldiers are given information on a need-to-know basis. I knew there was a leak somewhere, either on the joint team, or from someone close at hand. This meant I couldn’t tell the team all they were facing, just what was deemed necessary to trap Ellery. I couldn’t warn any of you of what might be used against you.” Furious emotion turned her voice husky. “I couldn’t protect Eric, but I knew you would.”
And there it was, the real reason she went after me the way she did at the trial. “I tried,” I choked out.
She took a step toward me, and I backed away. She stopped. “I know that now, but then, then I needed someone to blame.”
My bitter laugh cut through the night. “Because God forbid you look in the damn mirror, right?”
She took the hit.
I spun around, giving her my back, fighting to pull my shit together. “Sorry,” I ground out.
That had been grossly unfair. Delacourt had been stuck between a rock and a hard place, but it still fucking hurt, because she couldn’t blame me any more than I did. Even Kayden’s reassurance that there was nothing I could do, could erase months of guilt.
