Light of the Last Read online

  Reed held up his hand. “How could you purchase multimillion-dollar lab equipment?” He shook his head. “It would take years to acquire that.”

  Drew nodded. “We knew that, but we had no choice. We decided we were going to see this through, even if it took ten years.” Drew had to keep his trading on the exchange a secret. If the FBI knew he had been trading, they would find his account and then find Ben. “The equipment was incredibly expensive, even used. That’s what kept us from being successful.” Drew lowered his head. “I’m not sure it would have ever worked, but we had to try. Besides the equipment, Ben told me there were some calculations Dr. Waseem had derived that he didn’t have access to. Evidently they were destroyed in the lab fire.”

  Reed made a few notes. “Why did the gang kidnap Carlyle and the Branson children?”

  Drew looked up at Reed, not sure how to make this sound. “The gang wanted me, and they knew that Sydney was the best way to lure me in.”

  “Why were they after you? Were you encroaching on their territory?”

  Drew offered a weak smile. “Yes, but not in the way that you think. I…I was trying to help people…people they were trying to hurt.”

  Reed just stared at Drew, waiting. “Why?” he finally asked.

  Sadness overwhelmed Drew. Explaining why he helped people while facing prison was dealing face to face with the raw injustice of the world. Good guys really never do win, he thought.

  “Because my dad fought and gave his life defending people who couldn’t defend themselves.” Drew felt his eyes ache with rising tears and a lump forming in his throat. “And he taught me to do the same. He taught me that it’s wrong to do nothing when you have the power to do something.”

  Reed’s eyes softened.

  “That’s why the gang was after me. Because I was interfering with their attempt to control the area. They didn’t like it. They wanted to kill me.” Drew looked straight into Reed’s eyes. “Last night I told you I was one of the good guys. It’s the truth, whether you believe me or not. I don’t care what you do to me; I just want Sydney free from all of this.”

  Reed leaned forward. “Then help me help you. You tell us where we can find Berg, and we’ll wrap up this deal with Carlyle.”

  Drew shook his head. “I don’t know where he is. We were supposed to leave Chicago together, but when the Dragons kidnapped Sydney and the Branson children and I was captured by you guys, that all changed.”

  “Where were you supposed to meet him?”

  Drew hesitated. He doubted the FBI was buying the industrial espionage story. If they found Ben, his life would be in danger because there would be nothing the FBI could do to save him from the dark invaders.

  “I’ll tell you, but it doesn’t matter. He won’t be there.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because we had a backup plan if things went sideways.”

  Reed looked perturbed. He began tapping his thumb on the table.

  “I don’t know where Ben is because we each devised our own alternate plan if we were separated, captured, or killed. It was our firewall of security for each other. As far as I know, he could be on his way to Singapore.”

  Reed didn’t look happy, but he did look convinced. What made Drew nervous was the fact that this Mr. Ross apparently had been watching them all along. There was a good chance that Ross had men trailing Ben right now. He hoped Ben’s alternate plan had multiple decoys like they had talked about. Ben had learned a lot in the last few months, and Drew hoped his brilliant mind would take advantage of it.

  “We’re not done, but for now that’s enough. Is there anything else you want to say?” Reed asked.

  Drew’s mind made a sweep of every option and possible outcome he might face. His situation was desperate. In the game of chess, there was a desperation move that could be played to transport the king out of danger—the castle move. It was the only move in chess where a player was allowed to move two pieces in one turn. It often surprised the opponent if he wasn’t paying close attention to your pieces.

  “Yes, I do have one more thing to say.” Drew looked to his left, directly at the one-way mirror where he knew the supervisor, Mr. Graham, and the mysterious Mr. Ross were standing. He looked back at Agent Reed. “I want to speak with Mr. Ross.”

  Reed’s eyes opened wide before he could check his reaction. “Ah…who’s Mr. Ross?”

  Drew looked straight into his eyes. “I’ve been truthful with you, Reed, just as you’ve asked me to be. Please afford me the same honor.”

  Reed frowned, then glanced toward the glass. A few seconds later, the door opened. A man dressed in a dark gray Armani suit entered and walked to the table. Every step and movement of his body seemed preplanned, smooth, perfect. His white shirt, blue-and-white striped tie, and short gray hair that faded to white at his temples all conveyed exquisite style and intellect. He would command any room he entered.

  Agent Reed rose to his feet as Mr. Ross approached. Ross looked down at Drew, then to Reed.

  “I’m sorry, sir, I—”

  Ross reached for the recorder and clicked it off. He handed it to Reed. “Remove Mr. Carter’s handcuffs and leave us,” he ordered.

  Reed hesitated.

  “It’s all right, Agent Reed. Mr. Carter’s not going to try anything, are you?” Ross looked at Drew. His eyes nearly pierced him through with discernment.

  Drew shook his head. Reed removed Drew’s handcuffs and walked toward the door.

  “Agent Reed, make sure the observation room is clear too.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Drew rubbed his wrists, thankful for the space to move them again. Mr. Ross slid the other chair out and glided into a position facing Drew.

  “Well, Mr. Carter.” Ross held out his hands. “You wanted to see me and I’m here. What do you want?”

  Drew cocked his head. “Who are you, and why are you here?”

  Ross folded his hands and leaned forward on his elbows. “You are an unusual man, Mr. Carter, and you haven’t been completely honest, have you?”

  Drew swallowed hard, wondering what Ross was implying.

  “I’ve been watching you for quite a while now. You know things you’re not supposed to know. You see things you’re not supposed to see. You can do things other men can’t do. Isn’t that so?”

  Drew paused. How was he supposed to answer?

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” he said honestly, but inside he could feel his muscles begin to shiver.

  And if Mr. Ross wasn’t enough to unnerve him, a light invader stepped through the wall of the interrogation room and began walking around the two of them. Drew recognized him as the warrior who had talked to the large invader called Validus. Drew had to concentrate not to look at the menacing form circling them. The invader seemed fixated on Mr. Ross. He looked concerned, which concerned Drew.

  Ross smiled with condescension. “I think you know exactly what I mean. You have skills very few others have. Skills that allow you to take out an entire gang without getting shot. Skills that allow you to locate a man in a city of millions and whisk him to safety in a taxi cab.”

  Drew’s eyes widened.

  “Skills that allow you to know my name, even though you’ve never met me.”

  Drew put his hand beneath the table to hide the slight tremble. Something strange was happening. The light invader stopped pacing and looked straight at Ross.

  Ross leaned back in his chair, reached in his pocket, and pulled out a package of gum. He slowly and carefully removed the wrapper from one piece and slid it into his mouth. With a subtle smile, he offered the package to Drew. Drew shook his head and waited. Was this man a tool of the dark invaders? Perhaps tattooed, grungy gang members weren’t their only avenues of influence.

  “My job, Mr. Carter, is to find people just like you. People with skills. People with the potential to serve this great country like very few others can. I’m a talent seeker, Carter, and I must say that you have talent.” Ross’s smile w
idened.

  The light invader fingered his sword and squinted at Ross.

  “I don’t understand,” Drew said. “If you’ve been watching me, then why didn’t you bring me in earlier?”

  “Because I wasn’t done evaluating your potential, and now I know what you are capable of. Jake Blanchard has trained you well, but you aren’t as good as you can be…not yet, anyway.”

  Drew shook his head. “Who are you?”

  Ross looked at Drew as if he were moving in for a checkmate. “I am the invisible brother of the intelligence community. Normally I don’t make house calls like this; I leave that up to my recruiters. But when I began getting reports on you, I made an exception.”

  Drew lifted an eyebrow. The NCS? he wondered. Could it be possible that Ross was part of the National Clandestine Service, the most secretive organization in the US government?

  Ross continued. “Years ago we discovered a problem. It’s not a big secret that the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, Homeland Security, Military Intelligence, and a dozen other intelligence-gathering agencies don’t communicate with each other very well. And because of that, there are resources and personnel that aren’t utilized to their full potential. One of my jobs is to fix that problem. Because of my position, I have access to information that allows me to find—how shall I say it?—anomalies in the masses of humanity that we can utilize and position to our best advantage.”

  Ross’s eyes narrowed and his pleasant gaze turned icy cold.

  “At Drayle, you popped up on our radar, and we discovered an anomaly, Mr. Carter. The more I heard and observed, the more I realized what a shame it would be to have you waste away in a prison cell.”

  Drew was certain he came to the same conclusion that the light invader did, and at the same time. Mr. Ross didn’t know about the invader war, at least not yet. The light invader glanced at Drew with a steely-eyed look, then bolted from the room. Drew took a deep breath, not sure whether to be discouraged or grateful.

  “If you’ve been watching me, then you know I’m innocent,” Drew stated.

  Mr. Ross raised an eyebrow. “Innocent of assaulting two federal agents? Innocent of possessing illegal weapons on a college campus? Innocent of shooting eleven people in an abandoned warehouse?” Ross frowned. “Innocent intentions don’t eliminate guilty actions. I can’t obstruct the machine of justice in America, Carter.”

  Drew reclaimed some of his nerve. “Then why are you here, Mr. Ross?”

  Ross leaned forward once again. “I can’t obstruct justice, but I can divert it.” He let a subtle smile cross his face again. “You come from a family of military honor, of patriotism. Why aren’t you serving in the armed forces?”

  Drew felt a knot form in his gut. Ross was talking about the life he wanted but would never have. “That was my intention before all of this happened. Before the physics lab accident.”

  “How would you like to serve your country after all, Carter?”

  Before Drew could reply, Ross continued.

  “I’m going to offer you an alternative to prison, but consider this carefully, for you will only have one chance to accept. And should you accept, it will be more dangerous, more grueling, and more lonely than prison ever could be.”

  Drew looked at Ross through narrowed eyes. “Which agency?”

  “That would be up to me once you’ve completed the training…if you complete the training. A lot would depend on how well you do.”

  “I’m assuming this ‘offer’ requires me to give up all connections to my former life.”

  Ross nodded.

  “What about my mother and Jake? What will you tell them…and Sydney?”

  Ross puckered his lips. “How about the truth? Sometimes that actually works.”

  “The truth? I didn’t think you guys did that very often.”

  “Only when it gives us a better advantage than lying,” Ross replied. “We simply tell them that in your attempt to rescue Sydney, you assaulted two federal agents and are facing up to forty years in prison. The government offered you the option of serving in an agency. You will be highly supervised and restricted throughout your training and will have no connection with your former life until such time as the agency sees fit.”

  Drew thought how much better it sounded than some fabricated story, and certainly much better than prison, but also how painful it would be for his mother. He would also have to give up any hope of being with Sydney—the universe seemed intent on keeping them apart. But even more important, inside the intelligence community, Drew would have the opportunity to discover more about the invaders. He might be able to learn if there was some branch of the government that knew about them, or perhaps was even responsible for them.

  “And you’ll drop all charges against Jake, Sydney, and Ben?”

  Ross nodded once. “If we make you disappear, then what’s the point in charging them? Who would they have helped?”

  Drew looked down at his hands and then back to Ross. “Okay, Mr. Ross, I’ll do it. Can I see them before I…disappear?”

  “It will be arranged,” Ross said. “Reed will get you ready for the transition.”

  Ross got up to leave, then stared down at Drew. “Do you know where you’re going?”

  Drew stood up to face the mysterious man who seemed to know the answers to all the questions he asked. “The Farm.”

  Ross frowned. “To start with. And by the way, you only get one chance at this, Carter. Our washout rate is high. You screw this up and you’re right back on the road to prison. You understand?”

  Drew nodded. “I don’t have a degree. I thought that was a prerequisite for CIA training.”

  “I can take care of that.”

  “Thank you, sir, for an opportunity to redeem all of this,” Drew said.

  Ross shook his head. “Don’t thank me, Carter. I’m not doing you any favors. You’ll find that out soon enough.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Ross strolled to the door, opened it, and then looked back for a brief moment as if to convince himself he had done the right thing. “Don’t make me regret today.”

  Then Mr. Ross disappeared behind the white door.

  3

  THE HARD GOOD-BYE

  Drew waited for Sydney. She would be the first one he said good-bye to since she was already in Chicago.

  He raced through all the things he wanted to tell her. He hadn’t prepared for this. There were so many things to say, and many of them couldn’t be said. Drew couldn’t deny it any longer—he loved Sydney, but she deserved a life full and free from him. He had bartered for her freedom, and now he had to let her go…completely. The ache in his heart was unbearable.

  What a frustrating and bizarre turn of events. She seemed to know more than she let on, or was it that her innocence was a weapon against the dark invaders? Were purity and innocence weapons unto themselves? Drew thought he might go mad trying to figure it all out.

  One thing he knew for sure, whether Sydney truly understood the invisible war of the invaders or not, they could not let the FBI know that they knew. Like Jake, his mother, and Dr. Fisher, they would consider him insane, and he would end up in an asylum instead of with the CIA or even in prison.

  The door opened and Reed came in, followed by Sydney. For one brief moment, she looked so horribly sad, until she saw why Reed had brought her here.

  Her face lit up like the sun. “Drew!”

  She ran to him, and he embraced her. His heart flipped, which would make the next few minutes all the harder.

  “Please don’t touch the suspect,” Reed said, his voice firm but not cold. He stood at the door just ten feet away with his hands behind his back.

  Sydney turned and looked at him, then slipped away from Drew and sat across the table. Tears spilled from her eyes. It hurt to see her in such angst. He wanted to sweep her up and take her away to some faraway island, away from the mess he had brought into her life.

  She wiped her eyes and opened her mouth, but Drew stopp
ed her before she could say a word.

  “Sydney, I need to tell you a few things. Please let me finish before you say anything.”

  She reached for his hands, and hers were trembling. He hated what he had done to her. Just before she touched him, she hesitated, glanced toward Reed, and retracted.

  “Drew, I—” she began but Drew cut her off.

  “I wish I could say these things without others listening, but they’ve only given us a few minutes.” There it was, the hint not to talk about the invaders. “So here it goes…First, I need to tell you that I care more about you than you’ll ever know, and I am sorry that I’ve brought this on you. I never wanted anything or anyone to hurt you.” Drew lowered his gaze to the table and then back to her beautiful, sorrowful eyes. “Especially me.”

  Drew saw her straighten slightly, and a look of resolve filled her eyes. She was tough, and Drew loved her all the more for it. It made his next few words nearly impossible to say.

  “Second, you need to move on with your life and forget about me.”

  Sydney shook her head, but Drew continued.

  “I’m facing some serious charges. Truth is, Syd, it’s going to be a long time before I…Well, you can’t wait for me, and I don’t want you to.”

  At that, Sydney looked lost. “But all you’ve ever done is help people.” She seemed to recall something. “They said you assaulted two FBI agents, but I don’t believe them.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “I told them you would never do that.”

  “I’m sorry, Syd. It’s true.”

  Sydney pulled back a few inches, shaking her head, eyes wide with bewilderment.

  “I had to. They weren’t going to let me come and save you. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t risk losing you or Shana or Micah.” Drew clenched his jaw. “I didn’t care what the consequences were, I had to save you.”

  Sydney’s eyes darted to the mirror, to Reed, then back to Drew. “But they must know it was to help—”

  “That’s not how it works. It doesn’t change the fact that I assaulted two federal agents and stole their weapons. Those two offenses alone could get me forty years in prison. And then there’s the eleven gang members I shot.”