Longing and Lies

She went up the next flight and down the hall, tapped lightly on Jean’s partially opened door.

“Come in.”

Ashley stepped inside and was surprised to see Bernard sitting in the office, as well. Bernard Hassell, Claudia’s husband, was Jean’s connection to Homeland Security, the FBI and CIA. Bernard’s influence ran so deep into that side of government that it was a little scary. None of the TLC members wanted to know what he really did. It was simply better not to. Other than that, he was a great guy and a dead ringer for Billie Dee Williams.

“Please have a seat,” Jean instructed as she took off her signature red-framed glasses.

Jean Wallington-Armstrong—although she rarely used her married name—was at that magic point in her life where she could have been thirty or fifty. She was in excellent physical shape, known to jog four miles a day and workout in the gym three times a week. Her skin was still smooth with a light sprinkle of freckles across her nose. Her arresting green eyes didn’t miss a trick and her lustrous red hair glowed with vitality. She could easily be mistaken for the actress that played Addison on Grey’s Anatomy before moving on to star in Private Practice. But most of all it was the power that Jean exuded, from her commanding presence to her no-nonsense attitude that mesmerized everyone who met her, which was why it was so hard to believe that any man could have gotten away with hurting her emotionally—like her ex-husband did. At least that was the urban legend that circulated around The Cartel. No one spoke about it outright, but there were whisperings, especially when Brenda returned. But that was another story.

“Bernard, good to see you.”

He nodded his head. “You, too. Congratulations on the high school case. Great job.”

“Thanks,” she murmured. She took a seat opposite Jean.

Jean opened a folder then looked across the wide oak desk at Ashley. “The reason I asked Bernard to join us is that he is going to be involved from the beginning.”

Ashley rested her oversized purse on her lap, crossed her ankles and waited. That was an interesting twist, she thought. Bernard usually brought up the rear or came on board when things got a bit dicey. So to have him involved from day one put her on alert.

“There has been a rash of children that have gone missing. Babies, infants. Some of them from their homes or right from the hospital never to be seen again. The government is keenly aware of this.” She flashed Bernard a look.

“But with a war on two fronts, the weak economy and a host of other national and world issues, they don’t have the manpower to tackle this the way it needs to be tackled,” Bernard said.

As they talked, explaining her assignment, Ashley fought down the nausea that brewed in her stomach. Her temples pounded and she felt the beads of perspiration lining her forehead and trickling down the center of her spine. She took in short breaths to steady her stomach as her heart thundered in her chest. Why her? Why did they pick her for this? Oh, God. Her throat clenched.

“We will need you to infiltrate several of these agencies,” Jean was saying, cutting into Ashley’s twisting emotions. “We think that is the best starting place. These agencies serve as the conduit from the places of abduction to the buyers. We’re just hoping that these children have not been taken out of the country.”

Ashley rubbed her damp palms along her thighs.

“Are you all right, Ashley?” Jean asked.

Ashley’s gaze snapped toward Jean. She swallowed. “Yes. I’m fine. Just thinking…how horrible it must be for the parents.”

Jean looked at her for a moment before continuing. “We decided that the best cover for this assignment is for you to have a partner.”

“A partner?” she echoed.

Bernard cleared his throat. He turned to Jean. “May I?” Jean nodded for him to go ahead. He leaned backward and folded his arms. “We need to ensure from the onset that your cover is tight. To do that we decided that it was best that you be part of a couple.”

“A couple?” she repeated for lack of something concrete to say.

“Yes.”

Jean opened a folder and adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her aquiline nose. “The FBI is part of this operation. I asked Bernard to go through the files and select the agent that would be best suited for this. His name is Elliot Morgan. He’s just returned from an operation overseas.”

“I’ve already briefed him on what needs to be done,” Bernard added. “And he’s agreed.”

Ashley adjusted herself in her seat.

“He should be here shortly, but we wanted to speak with you first. So if you have any reservations, now is the time to let me know,” Jean said.

Ashley cleared her throat. “I’ve just never worked with a male operative before,” she said, looking from one to the other.

“Under normal circumstances we try to tailor all of our assignments for Cartel members only. But this is a highly sensitive case. In addition to which, the FBI wants to be involved.”

Ashley nodded. The knot of tension tightened in her stomach. Did Jean know about that dark, painful part of her life? Is that why she was selected for this assignment?

There was a light knock on the door.

“Come in,” Jean called out.

All heads turned in the direction of the opening door.

Chapter 2

Elliot Morgan’s trained dark eyes took in the room and its occupants all at once. He was still tense and edgy from his undercover assignment in London where he was on the trail of a serial bomber. His senses remained on high alert, expecting the unexpected at any moment. In his shady world where no one was who they claimed to be, everyone was suspect. He’d seen more in his thirty-six years than most people had in a lifetime.

Ashley’s breath stopped somewhere in her chest and wouldn’t budge. The new arrival had virtually sucked up all the air in the room. Tall, dark, athletically muscular, he brought to mind the sleekness and danger of a predatory panther. His features were hard and chiseled with deep probing eyes and full lips. His closely shaven hair was more of a shadow than anything else. But it was more than his physical presence that was breathtaking. It was clear by the way he moved, the way he looked at each of them that he wouldn’t hesitate to make them a distant memory without hesitation. His body and demeanor was as much a weapon as anything that could be put in his large hands.

“Elliot.” Bernard stood. “Come on in.”

Elliot closed the door behind him and came fully into the room. His expression was unreadable as he approached the trio.

“Elliot Morgan, Jean Wallington and Ashley Temple.”

Jean extended her hand, which he shook. “Ashley is one of our most skilled Cartel members,” she said.

He turned slightly to his right. His jaw clenched. He extended his hand. “Pleasure,” he murmured taking her hand.

Ashley offered a tight-lipped smile and a short nod of her head.

Elliot pulled up an available seat.

“We were briefing Ashley on the situation and the plan that we’ve designed. I want you both to know that we understand perfectly that this assignment is out of the norm for you. I know you had your reservations, Elliot about working with someone.”

“It’s not what I do,” he said tersely. He turned to Ashley. “No offense, but I work alone.” His hard gaze dared her to refute him.

Ashley lifted her chin. “I feel the same way,” she tossed back ready to go toe-to-toe.

“But as you both know,” Jean cut in, “in this business it’s what’s best for the operation and not our personal preferences.” Her stern green gaze went from one tight face to the other.

“If we didn’t think the two of you were the right ones for this assignment we could have easily gotten someone else,” Bernard firmly stated. “Your expertise with uncovering information and taking on whatever persona necessary is going to be an asset,” he said to Elliot. Then he turned to Ashley. “You have an excellent record of getting suspects to trust you. That was apparent on your last assignment. Those are some of the skills we need,” he added, addressing them both.

“And we needed two operatives who didn’t have any personal attachments that would hamper the assignments,” Jean said.

“You mean, ‘Who didn’t have a life,’” Elliot said, his tone sarcastic as he tossed a meaningful look at Ashley.

Her eyes flashed. She pushed up from her seat. “Look, I’m sorry that you went to all of this trouble, but I’m not the one for this job.” She snatched up her purse.