Chapter 12
"Just remember, if you double cross me I will destroy everything you hold dear."
Chapter 12: Here We Go
"Ok, audio and video are live," Weiss said, scanning the TV sets as the van pulled to a stop a block away from the ice arena. He turned to Caitlin. "Ready?" He asked her, knowing that one could never be completely ready for something like this.
She checked her watch. Fifteen minutes to seven. She nodded. "Ready."
"I wish I could go in with you, but Valdez knows me now, so it's not the best idea."
She nodded. "I know, Eric."
"Oh, I forgot to give you this." Eric reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box, which he handed to Caitlin.
She creaked the top up and looked at the beautiful gold chain with the diamond pendant in the middle. "Eric, what is this? You shouldn't have..."
He smiled sheepishly. "Actually, I didn't. Marshall did."
"Who?"
"Marshall Flinkman, resident CIA technician god. He placed a tiny video camera in the stone. When you press the pendant, it takes still photographs. We need you to get as many shots as possible of Valdez, his henchmen, and anything identifying your location.'
"Got it." She handed the necklace to him. "Put it on?"
He opened the clasp and put the necklace around her neck, grateful for the chance to touch her without looking suspicious to the others. He fastened the necklace and slid his hands down her neck to softly rub her shoulders.
"And here I thought that you had done something sweet," she ribbed him.
"Well, I did pick between the diamond and the pearl; Marshall made both because he wasn’t sure which you'd prefer. He also informed me that this comes in silver as well as gold."
"Good to know." She smiled up at him. "I need to get my equipment."
Eric watched as she put on her comm device. He wanted to grab her and hold her, kiss her, ask her not to go through with this. But since they were in a CIA van with five other agents, he settled for "Agent Sinclair, make it back safely and my collection of yo-yos and a lifetime's supply of the daily first cup of coffee are yours, along with my eternal gratitude."
Caitlin chuckled, trying to expel the nerves that were gathering in the pit of her stomach. "I'll take the coffee and the gratitude, but keep the yo-yos, Agent Weiss. They belong with their daddy." She reached her hand out for him to shake.
Eric took her hand, but instead of shaking it, just held it in both of his. His eyes glanced questioningly to hers as he felt a piece of paper between their palms. She withdrew her hand, leaving the note in his. "For when I'm gone," she whispered meaningfully.
He nodded. "Good luck. We'll see you in Bogota."
Caitlin broke her eyes away from his and forced herself to open the van door and climb down. She could say, without a doubt, that leaving him at that moment was the hardest thing she had ever had to do.
Eric watched the door close behind her, willing himself to not follow her. Forget being shot, this was officially the worst moment of his life.
"Weiss." Vaughn's voice snapped him back to reality. "She knows what she's doing. Come on, let's get set up."
~*~*~
"Is everything in position?" Weiss asked from the van, watching the video feed that they had been able to get from the rink's security section.
"Yep. Looking for the target." Vaughn scanned the crowd from his position in the bleachers. His eyes came to rest on a group that was seated about ten rows up, behind the Kings' goal. "Bingo. Target in row J, behind home team's goal."
"Copy that," Weiss said. "Prowler, this is base. What's your status?"
"Entering stadium now," Caitlin replied.
Vaughn saw her come in from his vantage point. "Prowler, this is Boy Scout. Be advised, one of them is headed toward you."
Caitlin glanced around and spotted what she assumed to be one of Valdez's goons. He walked to her and stopped, pretending to study his program. "Ms. Sinclair?"
"Yes."
"Senor Valdez has been expecting you. Please come with me." He placed his arm casually on her back, letting his hand slide under the bottom of her jacket. She felt, with a healthy amount of panic, the small pistol he directed at her spine.
"For insurance. You understand," he said with a sly grin.
"Of course," she replied through gritted teeth. They began climbing the stairs together. As they headed up to where Valdez was sitting, Caitlin fiddled with the necklace. Thanks, Eric. Or should I say thanks, Marshall?
They reached the row where Valdez was sitting, and for the first time in two months, Caitlin saw the face in person that she had been seeing in her nightmares ever since their last meeting.
"Caitlin, querida. So good to see you again." Valdez rose to greet her, as if they were friends having dinner rather than adversaries. You have to convince him you're NOT enemies, remember?
Caitlin forced herself to smile. "Likewise, Senor Valdez."
"Thank you for meeting with me. Please have a seat."
She gave a dirty look to the guy who was still pointing the pistol at her. "As soon as this guy gets his hands off of me."
Valdez nodded at the guy, who pulled the gun away from her back. Caitlin sat down in the seat that Valdez had indicated.
"So, Caitlin, I trust that you've thought about what I’ve proposed?"
"Yes, I have. And to be honest, at first I didn't like the idea. After all, you did murder my partner."
"Ah, yes. That was necessary, my dear. I needed him out of the way." He placed his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it up and down her arm, making her shudder with disgust inside. "He was blocking the path to you, and I couldn't have that."
As he listened, Weiss slammed his fist on the interior of the van, wishing it were Valdez"s face. "Bastard. Remind me why we're not taking this jerk down today?" He muttered to Vaughn over the frequency.
"Because," Vaughn replied smoothly, "we need him. Rafael Valdez is our key to destroying SD-3. If we bring him in too soon, that tie is gone." He scanned the game, pleased to see that the Kings were tromping the Islanders, then focused his attention back on Valdez and Caitlin. "Besides, you're just mad that the guy's hitting on your girlfriend."
Back in the van, Weiss glanced at the TV, which thanks to Caitlin's necklace featured Valdez's sneering face. "Well, there is that."
Caitlin restrained herself from leaping over the chair and strangling Valdez. "But senor, I'm nothing special. Why would you kill just to get to me?"
Eric snorted when she said that. Not special? You’d be surprised, sweetheart. He twisted the cord of the yo-yo he held in his hand nervously, waiting to hear Valdez's response.
Valdez grinned. "On the contrary, you are quite special. It's so hard these days to find a smart, talented agent, and you are nothing if not smart." Valdez paused. "Smart enough to know that you deserve more than your precious CIA can give you."
Caitlin sat in silence for a long moment, deliberating what words to use. "Señor, for awhile I did blame you for David's death. But then I thought about it, and came to realize that his death could have been prevented if the CIA had been on the ball, protecting us like they should have been. A few more agents on detail, for security, and David Brandt would have walked away alive. So you see, my grudge is not against you, but rather the CIA," she lied, hoping against hope that it was convincing. "I'm hoping that a man of your status will be able to help me get the revenge I need."
Valdez's eyes glinted. "So you wish to join me?"
She nodded.
"And cut all your ties with the CIA?"
"Absolutely. An agency that inept doesn't deserve my loyalty." She fiddled with the necklace, taking a few photographs of Valdez as she did so.
"I wish I could believe you."
Her hand stilled, and she forced her voice to remain calm. "What do you mean?"
He gestured to the necklace. "Quite a beautiful piece of jewelry. I'm willing to bet that your Agent Weiss gave it to you."
She smiled. If only you knew, Valdez. If only you knew.
"Yes, this was a gift from Eric. I won't venture to lie to you about that. But it's not what you think."
"What is it, then?" Eric muttered under his breath as he listened to Caitlin and Valdez talk about him.
"Oh, no?" Valdez asked. "Then please, enlighten me. Why did he give you the necklace? And how involved are you with him?" His eyes flashed warningly. "If you want me to trust you, my dear, I'd suggest you tell me the truth."
Caitlin thought about what she could say. She could tell him that Eric was just a guy with an unrequited crush on her, or that it was just a gift from friend to friend. But she couldn't make herself do it. She was already lying about everything; she would never let this part of her life, the part with Eric, be a lie. "Eric is...very special to me. I didn't expect to meet him when I moved to L.A., and I certainly didn't expect all that has happened between us. He's very important to me, but it has nothing to do with him being CIA. You have to believe that."
Eric sat in stunned silence in the van. Wow. This girl’s good at making me speechless.
"And the necklace?" Valdez questioned.
"A Valentine's Day present," Caitlin responded smoothly.
"How sweet," he said sarcastically. Valdez motioned to the man who had escorted Caitlin. Without a word, the man once again pressed his pistol into Caitlin’s back. "This question literally is life and death, Caitlin, your life and also the lives of your family. Have you told Agent Weiss or anyone that you are meeting with me?"
She looked him straight in the eye. "No."
"Very well; then I think it's time for us to go." Valdez rose and motioned for his men and Caitlin to follow him. "Just remember, if you double cross me I will destroy everything you hold dear. I didn't hesitate to remove Agent Brandt, and I won't hesitate to do the same with your Agent Weiss...or your mother."
Caitlin paled, but nodded. "I understand."
Valdez slid his arm around her waist. "Good. Shall we?"
As Valdez and Caitlin walked down the bleachers, Weiss motioned to the driver to head to the ice arena to pick up Vaughn and the crew. He scrambled frantically for his cell phone, dialing Devlin's number. "Director Devlin, it's Weiss. Listen sir, I need to ask a favor. Can we send a security detail to Sinclair's family? Valdez has made some thinly veiled threats to Sinclair about them, and I'd just feel a lot better if we made sure they were protected." He visibly relaxed as Devlin answered affirmatively. "Thank you, sir. Yes, Gabrielle Sinclair and Haley Thomas." He gave Devlin the addresses and hung up the phone with a sigh of relief as the van pulled up in front of the arena.
"What's up?" Vaughn asked as he climbed into the van.
"Devlin agreed to protection for Caitlin's mother and sister."
"Good thinking. OK, Caitlin and Valdez are headed to the east parking lot. Get ready to follow," he said to the van driver.
Weiss sat back down with a heavy sigh. "And so it begins."
Posted by Carrie on 09:45 PM