Free Operation Sheba by Misty Evans

bypassing the European Chief of Op and her station chief with information a person in her capacity shouldn’t have had access to.”
    Julia sat forward and studied the copies of e-mail correspondence. Names were in code, but the messages provided a cache of information ranging from the itineraries of dignitaries to the logistics of packages containing gray arms entering the country.
    “Was Kramer paying for this information?”
    Conrad shrugged. “Not that we could track, which was odd. It would have made more sense if someone was selling the info to him, but it appeared they weren’t. Smitty and I decided we had to find out who was giving up the info and why. Since I was already inside, I continued to shadow Cari and intercept as much as possible in order to find out the identity of the mole. Her COS agreed to the arrangement.
    “After you and I blew up that warehouse, I was sitting around getting Durand drunk one night when he showed me this.” Conrad pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to Julia.
    Folded down into a small rectangle, the paper was creased and worn at the edges. Julia’s skin prickled with foreboding. If Con was carrying it on him, the link written on that piece of paper was crucial to the operation.
    “Apparently Cari’s friend in the Agency got bold enough to hand over names of operators in Europe—just the thing Kramer wanted. His plan was to expose the agents to the underground world and then sit back and watch. It wouldn’t take long for the terrorists, organized crime lords or drug czars to eliminate the CIA operators, effectively crippling the European operations with no direct involvement on his part.”
    “And exacting the revenge he wanted for his father and uncle,” Julia murmured, still holding the small piece of paper. Unfolding it, she began to read.
    The heading was the same as the previous e-mail, but the body of the message contained a list of six people’s names. She knew every person on the list, including the last one.
    Hers.
    Her breath stuck in her throat as she stared at her name. She dropped the paper on the table. “Holy Jesus.” She searched Conrad’s face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    Reaching out, he took her hands in his. “It was too late for me to stop the information from going out over Kramer’s network, Jules. Even if I had, you and the others were still compromised. I had to get you out of Europe and secured back here where you’d be safe. And I had to find out who sold you and the others out.”
    She stared at him in disbelief. “How could I be safe here if the traitor was in Langley?”
    “Your sellout wasn’t to fulfill a personal vendetta.” Smitty sat next to her on the couch. “Five other people were on that list as well. If the conspirators inside Langley had wanted to take only you out, they would have. An episode of misconduct could have been inflated to fire you, or, if they wanted you dead, they would have arranged an accident to end your life, and your life only, which would have been easy to set up while you were working in Europe.”
    “But messy to pull off with you right under their noses,” Con added. “You were safer here than anywhere else we could put you. Plus, with you inside headquarters, we had a better chance of uncovering the person responsible.”
    Julia sat immobile for a minute, questions bombarding her mind. She lowered her voice in an effort to control it. “Why was my name on the list and not yours, Con?”
    Conrad exchanged a glance with Smitty. “I have no idea, but it would have only been a matter of time before my cover was blown too. The best thing for me to do was make everyone, including those inside the CIA, believe it was blown and I was dead because of it. I could then watch your back and continue pursuing the people who sold you out.”
    Julia’s mind raced, trying to make sense of everything. A part of her wanted to throw herself into Con’s arms, tuck herself into his