She wasnt just smart enough to know better, she had known better and shed taken the job anyway, because shed been so desperate to find a way to help Celeste, so obsessed with the goal of prolonging her sisters life and making up for the fact that the disease had struck one of them but not the other.
As Celeste had accused her on more than one occasion, shed been so sure she was right, shed bent the rules to get what she wanted.
Sharpe focused on her, his eyes gone dark with accusation, with condemnation. Tell me more, and tell me fast. Ill need you to reproduce whatever you can remember about the vector and your work so I can kick it over to the Centers for Disease Control and Homeland Security and get them started on a counter-agent. Then youre going to sit down with me and the rest of my team, and were going to go over the past year of your life step by step. Youre going to tell me everything you can remember about the setup on the island. He paused. Basically, your butt is mine starting now, until I say otherwise. When its all over, if Im satisfied that youve cooperated fully, then well talk about your culpability and possible charges.
Sydney was surprised and not a little dismayed to realize that the slap of scorn in his voice mattered to her, that his opinion mattered when it absolutely, positively shouldnt. He was a means to an end, nothing more.
Still, she couldnt help wishing theyd met under different circumstances, maybe even during different lifetimes. She thought she wouldve enjoyed getting to know John Sharpe a bit better, and figuring out what went on behind those cool blue eyes. Unfortunately, under these circumstances in this lifetime, they were destined to be at odds.
She cemented that by standing and taking the two steps needed to bring her into his personal space, then looking down at him. Im sorry, but thats not how its going to work, Agent Sharpe.
He narrowed his eyes. Excuse me?
Reminding herself not to back off, not to back away, she inhaled a breath that contained entirely too much of his energy, and said, This is where the deal part comes in. Ill tell you everything I know, but in exchange, I want guaranteed immunity from federal prosecution no matter what happens, and I want my sister and me placed in protective custody, effective immediately. She faltered a little. Tiberius is going to try to get to me through her. I can absolutely, positively promise that.
Sharpe rose from the booth and looked down at her for a long moment, his eyes seeming to pierce deep inside her and see things shed rather keep hidden. She expected more questions, and braced herself to remain mute until she had a lawyer and a signed agreement, and assurances that Celeste was safe.
She was surprised when he said only, You disappoint me.
Then he turned and strode from the small room, his angry strides far too big for the tiny space.
When he was gone, leaving his energy to vibrate into nothingness, Sydney remained staring after him. Yeah, she finally said, pressing a hand to her churning stomach. I disappoint myself, too. The thing is, Im doing my best to fix it.
Unfortunately, she didnt think he saw it that way, which made him dangerous. Watch yourself with thatone, she told herself as she headed for the narrow ladder. Hes too smart, too sure of himself.
If she wasnt careful, Special Agent John Sharpe could ruin everything.
Chapter Three
John knew he shouldnt have been surprised by what Sydney had revealed. And he wasnt really. What surprised him was the depth of his anger. She might not have been Tiberiuss lover, but what she had done was far worse.
Hed wanted her to be innocent, he realized as they disembarked and slogged their way toward the main building of the coast guard station. Despite the fact that he damn well knew better, hed wanted her to be innocent, which she so incredibly wasnt.
Can I borrow your phone? she said suddenly.
He handed it over. Calling your lawyer?
She sent him a look that he couldnt interpret, but that touched his skin with a skitter of warning, of want. She said softly, Do you blame me?
She dialed a Maryland exchange, waking what sounded from her side of the conversation like the lawyer whod been handling her affairs while shed been on Rocky Cliff Island. He referred her to someone local and she made a second call.
Within fifteen minutes, a fifty-ish briefcase-toting blond woman in a mint-green skirt suit strode through the front door of the coast guard station, looking wide-awake even though it was nearly 3:00 a.m.
John watched her eyes skim the room and could practically see her thought process as she sorted through the coast guarders and himself before reaching Sydney: pilot, pilot, swimmer, cop, ahclient.
She made a beeline for Sydney, took up a protective position at her clients side and then turned to John, having apparentlyand erroneously, at least at the C.G. stationidentified him as the guy in charge. Is there somewhere private my client and I can speak? the lawyer asked.
John gestured to a nearby door, having already cleared it through the Renfrew brothers and their superiors. You can borrow that office. My people are pulling together the paperwork as we speak.
Sydney looked at him, and he caught a flash of nerves and worry in her lovely brown eyes. What about my sister?
The locals are already en route. Theyll make sure shes safe and get her someplace protected. Hed thought briefly about using the sister as leverage, but had decided against it, not because he had any compunction against using the tools given to him, but because he knew Tiberius well enough to realize the good guys would lose that leverage if they delayed.
Instead of looking relieved, she looked discomfited, and a little guilty. Youll need She trailed off, took a breath and said, Celeste is wheelchair-bound and requires special care. Youll need to take her care provider with her, or find someone else to do the job, and youll need a vehicle she can be wheeled onto. She shouldnt be removed from the chair.
Only his natural tendency to play his cards close to his chest kept John from cursing, not only because it meant reorganizing what was supposed to be a quick find-and-grab, but also because it proved what hed already begun to suspect: Sydney Westlake was planning on giving him exactly as much information as she chose to, exactly when she chose to. This wasnt a free exchange of information. It was a damn chess game.
Worse, he was finding himself intrigued by her rather than annoyed, which was surprising, and he didnt care for surprises. In his experience, they tended to end badly.
Let me guess, he said as a few more pieces of the puzzle connected in his brain. Your sister has Singers syndrome.
My twin sister. Yes.
Which explains why you locked the computers instead of destroying them. If hed been a cursing man he wouldve let rip right then, because the information added a whole new layer of complications with the realization that her goal and his werent the same.
He wanted Tiberius dead or behind bars, and wasnt really picky which way it went as long as the bastard was out of circulation and his operation disassembled piece by miserable piece. She, on the other hand, wanted to save her sister with a treatment that could potentially be used to topple the federal justice system, and then get her life back without any repercussions.
He wanted Tiberius dead or behind bars, and wasnt really picky which way it went as long as the bastard was out of circulation and his operation disassembled piece by miserable piece. She, on the other hand, wanted to save her sister with a treatment that could potentially be used to topple the federal justice system, and then get her life back without any repercussions.
Yes, she agreed, glancing away from him. The computers were firewalled against connection to any outside network, so I couldnt e-mail the files off the island, and Tiberiuss people wouldnt supply me with a flash drive or anything I could carry with me. I kept both my main and backup files on the system, and now theyre locked until either you take down Tiberius and get me back on that island, or Tiberius tortures the password out of me.
She said the words with such hollow calm that he believed her, and even felt a stir of compassion. He, too, had seen what happened to people who wound up on the wrong side of Tiberius. It wasnt pretty.
Look, he said, I can sympathize to a degree. If I had a sister Id probably feel the same way. But all the good intentions in the world dont change the fact that you went to the island willingly. His voice turned hard. I might have to accept this deal, but Ill be damned if I let you withhold valuable information in the hopes of saving your sister. Getting our hands onor destroyingthe weapon you created is our first priority. Bringing Tiberius down is our second. Im sorry, but recovering information that might or might not cure your sister has to come behind both of those things on my priority list.
He expected her to argue fiercely. Instead, she inclined her head ever so slightly. I know. She blew out a breath and pressed her palm to her stomach beneath the borrowed sweatshirt. In my head I know all that. I even told myself it would be okay if I died escaping, and Celeste died because I didnt make it out and get the cure to her, as long as Tiberius couldnt use my work the way he wants to. She paused, then shook her head. The thing is, Im not that person. Maybe it makes me selfish or spoiled, but Im not willing to make that sacrifice. She fixed John with a look. Its up to you, big guy. You take what Im willing to give you and run with it, or Im out of here the first chance I get, and then Celeste and I are off the radar.
He shouldve scoffed at the threat, but damned if he didnt think she could do it. Shed managed to lock down her workthough he had only her word on that oneand get off Rocky Cliff Island herself. Who was to say she couldnt grab her sister and disappear off the FBIs radar, as well?
His level of respect for her, which was already far too high considering they were on opposite sides of this particular issue, inched up another notch.
Write up your terms. He gestured to the empty office. Ill e-mail the info to my people and get the honchos to sign off on the deal. He fixed Sydney with a look. Then youre going to tell me everything.
She turned away, but then paused and looked back, and her eyes were dark with regret. Were on the same side, you know. I want Tiberius put away just as much as you do.
I highly doubt that.
Im sorry, she said again, so quietly he almost didnt hear her.
Steeling himself against an unexpectedand unwelcomesurge of warmth, he said, It doesnt matter whether we like each other or not, Ms. Westlake. I have something you want, you have something I want. Lets do the deal and take down Tiberius before he sells your virus to the wrong people and they use it to bring down CODIS. Once weve done that, you can get on with your life and I can get on with the next case. Its as simple as that.
But as he turned away, effectively ending the conversation, he knew damn well that none of this was going to be the slightest bit simple.
NERVES JANGLING in her stomach, Sydney followed her lawyer, Emily Breslow, into the office Sharpe had indicated.
She hated how her conversation with the agent had gone, hated having to play this game, but what other choice did she have?
Its like I always say, Emily began, waving her to one of the two chairs, which faced each other across a cluttered desk in the untidy office, if you have to deal with the Feds, it helps to deal with a cute one.
That startled a snort out of Sydney. Her new lawyer was nothing like shed expected. Tom Dykstra, the guy in Bethesda shed used to set up a living trust for Celeste, had fit her sober, cynical, suited-up image of a lawyer. Emily, not so much. Though she wore a suit, it was anything but sober, and even though it was the middle of the nightclosing in on morningshe was wide-awake, and her eyes held a glint of humor, as though she might laugh at any moment.
She was also, according to Sydneys Maryland-based shark of a lawyer, very good at her job. And she had a point about it being a side bonus to work with a cute Fed. The more time Sydney spent in the presence of John Sharpe, the more interesting he was getting.
Agent Sharpe seems veryfocused, Sydney said finally, though the word seemed entirely inadequate in describing the handsome, charismaticand dangerousman shed gotten herself tangled up with.
Hed have to be. Emily dipped into her briefcase and pulled out a thin folder. Here, sign this. Standard firm contract, yadda, yadda. While Sydney scanned the document, Emily continued, I called in a few favors on the way over and got the scoop on Sharpewhat there is of it, anyway. Hes thirty-five, no siblings, parents living abroad. The FBI recruited him straight out of Georgia Tech, where he was a star on both the football team and the chess club. Go figure.
When the words on the page blurred into legalese, Sydney blinked, trying to focus on the contract. Good business practice demanded that she read and dissect it line by line, but expediencyand a lack of other optionshad her signing on the dotted line of duplicate copies after only a quick skim of the document.
Besides, even though she knew it shouldnt matter, she wanted to hear the rest of the story. So he was a brainy jock, she said, prompting Emily.
Still is, from the looks of it, the older woman said, but more with the air of a connoisseur than someone who wanted him for herself. She continued, He made one of the quickest rises through the ranks ever seen, and is still fairly young to be heading up a unit. He has the reputation of being dedicated and driven, even ruthless sometimes, but everyone I talked to said that his word is good. He doesnt make a promise he doesnt intend to keep.
In other words, you think I can trust him.
Yes and no. The lawyer took one of the copies of the signed contract and tucked it into her briefcase, leaving the other in front of Sydney. His team has an excellent record of bringing down major criminals, and their conviction record is solid. I think you can trust him to follow whatever deal he signs off on to the letter. However, thats the keyhell do exactly what hes promised, and no more. Watch your back and dont assume anything about him or his motivations. You heard him out there. His job is to bring down Tiberius, not protect your workand maybe not even protect you, if you get in his way.
Ill keep that in mind, Sydney said, pressing a hand to her suddenly queasy stomach. And may I say that Im blown away by how much you managed to get on him in such a short time frame.