Free Past Sins by Debra Webb Page B

Phantom had found her and she sure as hell couldn’t imagine what he wanted. Maybe to finish the job of ruining her? Apparently the fact that he’d played a large part in ending her career three years ago wasn’t quite enough. She said as much to Director Hamilton.
    He rubbed his chin again, those analyzing wheels turning in his head. “I’m not so sure it’s as simple as that, Vanessa.”
    She didn’t bother correcting him. He didn’t know her new name, there was no reason for him to. “Why do you say that?”
    “What would he have to gain? We both know Landry. It isn’t as if he would launch an operation, official or unofficial, without some sort of motivation. There has to be a reason. A goal. Andrew Page, his superior, is a good man. I can’t see either of them being the culprit now or then.”
    She resisted the urge to touch the small gold heart…the only connection she’d kept to her old life besides the old cell number. She wasn’t afraid of the necklace. She’d checked it out. No tracking device, no bugs. Obviously he’d known her location before he’d had some jerk call her old Sheara number, otherwise he wouldn’t have known about Jeffrey, but he hadn’t learned it from the necklace.
    She blinked, remembering that Jeffrey was waiting for her to return.
    “I should go.” She stood before she could change her mind.
    “You’re welcome to stay the night, Vanessa.” Hamilton rose from his chair, his movements a little slower than she remembered. “Get some sleep. Let me check into this. I’ll get you and your friend to a safe house.”
    She shook her head. “You do your thing and I’ll be in touch. Is there a secure line I can use to contact you?”
    He rattled off a number and she entered it into the address book of her cell.
    When she would have walked away, he drew her attention once more. “Stay under the radar, Vanessa. Whoever started this could be an extremely dangerous enemy.”
    She let him have a good long look at the determination she felt before she spoke. “So can I.”
    “Touché.” He laughed softly. “I wouldn’t want to lay odds on either side, especially if Landry is the one. Just give me twenty-four hours to ensure that the Agency or Interpol isn’t up to something we don’t know about. There may be a legitimate reason he’s drawing you out.”
    She doubted that, but she had no proof either way. “Twenty-four hours.”
    This time she got all the way to the front door when the guard named Smith stopped her. “The clothes.” He gestured to the garb she wore over her own.
    “No problem.” She stripped off the uniform she’d borrowed. As tired as she was, it gave her immense pleasure to watch Smith’s indifference turn to interest, then disappointment, as her fully attired body was revealed beneath the baggy uniform.
    She tossed the bundle at him and left. “My weapons.” He returned her Beretta and the knife. She tucked both away, noted the time and hoped Jeffrey hadn’t started to get nervous. If she moved quickly enough she could be back at his position in twelve or thirteen minutes.

     
    Jeffrey had just checked his watch and heaved a worried sigh when she reached him.
    “I’m back,” she announced.
    He whipped around at the sound of her voice, gun drawn, and she was enormously grateful he didn’t fire off a round. Maybe she should have warned him of her approach a little sooner.
    “Are you all right?”
    He looked agitated and very pale, even in the near-total darkness. He had been worried, worried sick. Guilt weighed heavy on her shoulders.
    “I’m fine. Let’s get out of here.”
    “Did you find the man you needed to see?”
    “Yes.”
    “What did he say?”
    Olivia kept walking, assuming he would follow. “Nothing I didn’t already know.”
    “So what does that mean? What do we do now? Is it safe to go back to L.A.?”
    Waiting until they were in the SUV and on their way to tell him what came next was totally necessary. If she told him