I have to tell someone. I work for the same company you and Aiden did. I analyzed some intelligence we received from our overseas allies and I have reason to believe your brother is alive. My cover—that is, my work with the State Department—puts me in touch with important people.” She shoved a hand through her hair as if frustrated with her explanation. “I know this sounds crazy, but I need you to believe me.”
Connor’s thoughts shifted into overdrive. She worked for Sphere, the organization responsible for his brother’s death. Sphere’s agenda was buried beneath a flurry of excuses and stories and rationalizations. It was one of the reasons Connor didn’t work for them anymore. “You work for Sphere?”
Kate looked around as if someone could overhear them. At least she had the paranoid-operative part down pat. Not that he had room to judge.
“Yes. I work there,” she whispered.
“Let me tell you something, Kate.” If that was her name. “I know how Sphere operates. They told me he was dead. Now you are telling me he is alive. If someone gave you that false hope, I’m sorry.” They could be manipulating Kate into seeking him out. This could be another attempt to coerce Connor to work a mission for them. “If my brother was alive, he would have contacted me. You’re being played.”
Kate shook her head. “This isn’t a game. Aiden needs you. I have a picture in my smartphone that might change your mind. Can I get it out and show it to you?”
Connor nodded his assent, and Kate reached into her back pocket and withdrew a slim phone. She typed on it and then turned it to face him. Connor closed the distance between them, poised to react to any sudden movements. Sphere would take out a target by any means necessary: deception, surprise, full-on attack. If Kate pulled out a weapon, he’d disarm or kill her.
The picture on the screen startled him. Aiden was sitting on a dirt floor, a bamboo fence behind him. It was too small for Connor to notice any photo editing. She could have gotten a picture of Aiden and inserted it into the setting. A phony picture to tear at his resistance was a simple lie for Sphere to manufacture.
Connor should have told her to leave the moment she mentioned knowing Aiden. He should have forbidden the slim ray of hope that his brother was alive from shining on his thoughts. But the thinness of his brother’s face, the bruises, the worn and tattered clothes spooked Connor. Could Aiden be incapacitated and unable to send a message to Connor for help?
Thinking of his brother in desperate straits took hold of his core and shook him. If the picture was real, and if it was recent, it wouldn’t help him locate his brother. Unless Kate had more, Connor would have to mount his own operation to search for his brother. It would take time and resources.
Growing up, it had been he and Aiden against the world. To know the only person he’d ever trusted could be hurt, in need and alive changed everything. Kate might be lying, but was he willing to stake his brother’s life on it?
“Did you check if the picture was edited?” he asked.
“The picture is legit. I obtained it, with great difficulty I might add, from work. A contact of mine in Tumara believes I work for the State Department and that I have a streak of goodwill in my blood. He sent the picture to me in case it developed into an international incident. You know, American held against his will by the Armed Revolutionaries,” Kate said.
When someone lied to him, Connor usually knew it. He sensed it. Nothing about Kate screamed liar. What was her angle? “What do you want?” Connor asked, cutting to the chase.
“What do I want?” she repeated, her eyes wide and confused. “I want you to help Aiden.”
Was Connor ready to believe that this woman was telling the truth and his brother was alive? That he was already thinking about how to find Aiden told him that he’d bought Kate’s story. “Tell me what you know and I’ll take care of the rest.” He’d fill in or locate the missing information. If Aiden was alive, Connor would find him.
Kate blinked at him, her bright blue eyes giving away nothing. “If I tell you everything, you’ll take off and I’ll never hear from you or Aiden again. You’re taking me with you and I’ll tell you what you need to know as you need to know it.”
Gutsy. She’d shown up on his property, asked for his help and then set the terms of their arrangement. “Tell me everything and we’ll go from there.” She was right in deducing his intention. Once she spilled the information he needed, he’d ditch her. He preferred his work how he preferred his personal life: solitary.
“Nice try. We work together on this.”
“If you work for the agency, why not find him yourself?” It was as much a challenge as it was a test.
“I’m a computer analyst, not a field operative. I’ve completed the mandatory cross-training, but I am not foolish enough to attempt this alone.”
Sphere recruited two types of people: highly skilled assassins with unique talents, like him and his brother, and überintelligent supergeeks who excelled in their areas of technical expertise. Connor couldn’t envision Kate rapidly typing at a computer. Most attractive people used their looks to their advantage and she couldn’t do that behind a computer. Sphere liked attractive operatives to work the field. A good-looking woman could pull information easily from a smitten man.
Kate set her hands on her hips, bringing his attention momentarily to the dip in her slender waist and the roundness of her hips. “I know the odds are stacked against me. If you won’t help me, you’ve taken away my best option. But I can’t let this go. I won’t let this go.”
Connor glanced at her smartphone again. “This might be a setup. You might be too late. You could lose your life trying to save his when he’s already dead. They could be using you to find and tie off loose ends.” As he spoke the words, his doubts whispered less loudly. What if Aiden is alive?
“I don’t believe he’s dead. I won’t give up,” Kate said, her voice quiet and determined.
Connor would never forgive himself if Kate was right and he did nothing about it. She’d trapped him, as perhaps she’d planned. He had to take action. “Aiden is my brother. I’ll search for him until he is either home safe or I know this is a lie.”
Relief rushed across her face. “Thank you, Connor. You won’t regret this.” She reached for his hand and he jerked away. He wasn’t agreeing to an alliance with Kate. He’d search alone. Having another person along would bungle the operation.
He stepped back from the door and gestured for her to come inside. “Stand here,” he said, pointing to a location next to the entryway.
Watching her in his peripheral vision, he pulled his travel pack out of the closet. “I work faster and better alone,” Connor said.
Kate’s eyes narrowed. “You can work faster with information. Information I have. I speak Portuguese—the most common language spoken in Tumara—plus Italian, Spanish and Arabic. I know the area and the culture. I know the political climate.”
She was bound and determined to search for Aiden. He’d accept it. For now. He opened his bag to check his supplies. “I speak a number of languages myself. I have boundaries. I have lots of them. Respect them or I’ll leave you wherever we are without notice and I won’t look back.” He glanced at her in the mirror.
Kate’s eyes widened. “That’s fair.” She seemed unsure. “Spell them out.”
He waited a beat and she stared at him. She was serious. She wanted him to give her a list of rules, the dos and don’ts of spending time with him. Most people who met him quickly understood he didn’t like idle prattle, he didn’t like people being close to him and he preferred to be alone. The most comfortable path was to give him as much leeway as possible. He could be harsh and direct and didn’t hesitate to be blunt. What was it about Kate that made him censor and soften his words? “You want boundaries? Don’t talk except when you have relevant information. I’m jumpy and don’t like surprises. Give me space.” He composed