Compromised Identity

“The one in my car.”

“Wait.” Sean stopped, pinning his hands to her shoulders so she’d look at him and not away as she had a habit of doing when she was cornered. “You know him?”

“I don’t know his name, but he was in the ID card facility earlier when I was there and I wish...” She shook her head and balled her fists again, which seemed to be her trademark move when she was frustrated.

Or scared.

Sean watched her eyes as she talked. This had her spooked more than she would ever let on. Jessica Dylan did not have everything as held together as she tried to make it appear, but with her driven need to prove herself, she’d never give him the satisfaction of seeing her crumble.

Fighting the totally inexplicable urge to draw her close, an urge brought on by her unexpected vulnerability, Sean dropped his hands and took a step back. “You wish what?”

“Nothing. Just that I could figure out where I’ve seen him before today.”

“So this isn’t the first time you’ve encountered this guy?” If the man had been following her before the incident yesterday, it was for certain this operation was much bigger and Jessica wasn’t a random target. “Think. Where?”

“I don’t know. That’s what’s bugging me. I’ve seen him, but my mind won’t place him. I’ve run through everywhere I’ve been for the past week and can’t picture him in any of those places.”

“Describe him. Tell me everything about when you spotted him inside, anything you remember about him, no matter how insignificant. His appearance, what he was doing, everything.” Before Sean took one more step, he needed to know what he was up against. Even though he’d had a brief glimpse of the suspect, he wanted to hear her details, see if having her talk would trigger another memory.

“Not very tall. My height maybe. Light brown hair. Tanned skin. He looked like...” She pulled in a gasp, reaching for Sean, eyes widening with something close to excitement. “He’s on the cell phone.”

“What?”

“His photo was in Channing’s email. That’s why he seemed familiar. I’m sure of it. It’s one of the first emails, one of the oldest.” She grabbed his wrist, animated once again. “If you can let me see the backup you made of that phone before they deleted the emails, I’ll recognize him.”

She’d recognize the man, but would it do them any good? Each attack came closer to stealing Jessica and, if the pattern continued, when it happened again, he might not be able to reach her in time.

FIVE (#ulink_2600706e-2a6f-583f-a810-dceb82dc958d)

“Something else is going on here.” Sean dragged a hand down his face and glanced at the clock in his rental car as he sat in Jessica’s driveway talking to his team leader. It was just past six in the evening, and he was already flagging. If he didn’t get sleep soon, there was no telling how much longer he’d be able to run on fumes. It hadn’t been that long ago when he could make it through a forty-eight-hour stretch without batting an eye, but those days were gone after the events of last spring made him feel a whole lot older than his thirty years and made sleep harder to come by.

He grimaced. Stupid nightmares were not going to keep him from what he wanted out of life. He’d beat them the same way he’d beaten every other challenge. With stubborn willpower.

Willpower that wasn’t keeping his emotions out of this thing with Jessica Dylan. She was getting into his head already, and that was definitely not something he was used to. Needing some time to adjust to her presence, he’d cleared the house and let her go in for some time to herself while he made the call to headquarters.

“Tell me what you’ve got.” A clatter punctuated Captain Ethan Kincaid’s words. He was either on speaker or headphones. Likely headphones. The man never stopped moving even to have a conversation.

“The guy who came after her yesterday... He was more intent on silencing her than saving his hide.”

“You’re sure?”

“I know the look.” A loud bang cracked on the line, and Sean grimaced, pulling the phone away from his ear. “What are you doing?”

The silence grew long and loud before Ethan finally cleared his throat. “Dishes.”

Sean coughed to cover a laugh, then gave up and let the grin sound in his voice. “The one-man destroyer of terror cells is doing dishes?”

“Knock it off, Turner.” Even Ethan sounded amused. “That terror cell wouldn’t have come down without you and Ashley. And you deserve more of the credit than the rest of us.”

Sean frowned. Last year at this time, he’d been in Afghanistan, gathering intelligence on a terror cell led by an American contractor, Sam Mina. Things had gone south quickly in the spring, and Sean’s best friend, Ashley Colson, ended up in the crosshairs because of his decision to pull her into the mission. It was a choice that nearly got them both killed.

“I know what you’re thinking. Stop beating yourself up.” All amusement vanished from Ethan’s voice. “Mina’s in jail. The cell he led has fallen apart. You’re safe. And believe me, Ashley is more than fine.” Ethan should know. He’d married her two months ago.

Sean cleared his throat, shoving the conversation aside. He didn’t want to talk about the past. All he had was the future, and even it was on a shaky foundation. “Ashley’s more than fine because she talked you into doing housework. Tell me again why you’re doing the dishes, Kincaid?”

For a minute, it seemed Ethan wasn’t going to take the bait, but he finally spoke. “She’s all spun up because my parents will be here for Thanksgiving, and she spent the entire day making pies. Oh, and that was after she ferreted out a hacker in Turkey. You know. Typical Ashley day.”

There was nothing typical about Ethan’s wife. Sean could testify to that. He had known her his whole life. Sean might count himself a master at data encryption, but when it came to everything else about computers, Ashley Colson Kincaid beat him without even having to fight.

“Speaking of her hacker tracking ability, I need her to remote in to Staff Sergeant Dylan’s desktop computer. If she saw Channing downloading data, I want to know what it was. If Ashley and I sift through it together, we have a better chance of finding something.”

“Done. Just be careful not to tip your hand to the mission. If we’re right and this is a terror cell, we don’t know who’s involved. Get with Ashley and set up a time. Think you need me to put a team together for you and send them out there?”

For a half second, Sean considered the offer, but he rejected it. Having only recently been cleared for full duty after his injuries, he hadn’t had a chance to vet and put together his own team. “After what your partner did, I’m not sure I trust anyone I haven’t personally selected, and you’re wrapped up in your own mission.”

“Mitch was one guy.”

“One guy who nearly managed to tear down the entire unit.” Their Special Missions Unit was working at skeleton status, rerunning background checks on each member after Craig Mitchum sold out to be Sam Mina’s inside man. Trusted team leaders like Ethan and Sean were spread thin as the unit regrouped, each doing the work of three men.

“Do me a favor, Sean. Remember you’re down there to see if this thing has legs, not to show you can handle an entire mission all by yourself. Don’t get in too deep trying to prove something.”

Sean clamped his back teeth together. Ethan Kincaid might be one of the people closest to him, but the man had no idea what it felt like to be helpless, unable to save yourself or the person you loved most in the world. If this mission blew up and Sean succeeded in bringing down another cell, it would prove he could do this job, would finally confirm to himself that he was truly past all that had happened in Afghanistan, that he wasn’t a failure and a danger to the people he cared about.

“I know you heard me say that.” Ethan was more stubborn than Sean gave him credit for.

“I heard you. Have any suggestions?”

Ethan’s exhale was loud in the microphone. “Tate’s out there in the wind, itching for something to do. Do you trust him?”

Though officially retired from the Army, Tate Walker acted as their jack-of-all-trades, their go-to guy when things went sideways. He’d lost his home and his identity while working to save Ethan and Ashley and now spent his time tucked away, building a new facade of a life. Aside from Ethan himself, Tate was the one guy Sean knew wouldn’t turn on him. “Call him in.” He’d breathe easier knowing someone had his back.

“Done. Based on his last location, he should be there in a few hours, but keep him close. He’s too valuable to us undercover to let anybody see him out there too much.”

Sean rolled his shoulder, trying to stretch the knot that persisted there. “I’ve let Specialist Dylan know what’s going on, so she’s clued in to the investigation. She’s shaken up a little, but she refuses to admit it.”

“You’re certain they were going to kill her?”

“Positive. They’ve made two overt attempts, and I had a buddy at a local lab test her drink.” Dropping off the sample was why he’d nearly been too late to save her at the Soldier Center. “It was tetramine.”

Ethan whistled low. “Rat poison out of China? That stuff’s a hundred times worse than cyanide. What made your buddy test for that?”

“Apparently, it’s making a comeback.” Sean held tight to the bottom of the steering wheel. “These guys aren’t playing. They’ll come after her again. We’ve got to be vigilant.”

“You’re in front of her house, aren’t you?” Ethan’s voice rang with conviction.

“Why would you say—”

“Knowing you, I’d expect no less. Just don’t let the neighbors catch you haunting the driveway.”