Free Operation Sheba by Misty Evans Page B

“But he was wrong about me being safe. Someone, possibly an intricately woven group within the Agency, sold me and four other case officers out. I survived, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still a target. Why? Why would someone give five case officers up to a sure death sentence?”
    “Power, money, vengeance.” Smitty shrugged. His neck was slightly pink and he kept his gaze on a paper he was holding. “There are endless motivations, but we think power is the key here.” He chanced a glance at her.
    “Not money? They usually go hand-in-hand.”
    Smitty shook his head. “My money tracers have found no significant exchanges of money by the key players. No red flags in offshore accounts.”
    Conrad crossed to the futon. “Everything we’ve found, all the evidence we’ve gathered supports an eloquent power play, orchestrated by someone deep inside the Agency.”
    Power. A freaking power-grabber had done all this damage. Sudden anger flared in the pit of Julia’s stomach. She wasn’t good at playing the casual victim, had already done her time in that role. Ditto for turning the other cheek.
    Her anger morphed into steel-edged resolve. “How do you know there’s more than one person involved?”
    Both Conrad and Smitty looked at her, measured hope in their eyes.
    Smitty pointed to the computer. “We have evidence showing the S&T and INTEL directorates have been involved along with Operations. It’s minimal but there.” Science and Technology and Intelligence were the other two main directorates of the CIA.
    “How did you obtain that information?”
    Smitty glanced at Con and back to her. “I was running the European operations long before I officially received the title. Since I knew what to look for, I kept a close watch on all the agents and operators, and used all of my assets in the field to figure out how far this operation went. I uncovered a cache of info from several reliable sources outside of the Agency.”
    Conrad cleared his throat. “And some of it came from a source on the inside who’s been helping us.”
    She drilled him a look. “You already have someone inside Langley helping you?” She knew the answer to her next question, but she asked it anyway. “Then why do you need me?”
    Her ex-partner’s gaze was back on the coffee table. “Because you’re the one sleeping with Michael Stone.”
    Silence hung between the three friends with crushing weight. So now she had the truth. Julia swallowed the lump tightening her throat and persisted. “Who’s your source on the inside?”
    Smitty smiled at her as if reasoning with an irritable toddler. “Julia, you’ll be more effective to us if that person remains anonymous to you. Think about it. If you’d known about our operation, known that Con was alive, you wouldn’t have penetrated the Agency as well as you have.”
    Penetrated the Agency . Julia stared at a spot on the far wall. What a polite way to say shagging the boss. She crossed her arms over her chest and put a hand over her mouth. There she was not a minute ago thinking about kissing Conrad and completely forgetting about Michael. What was wrong with her?
    It was getting harder and harder to keep things straight. Once again, she reached for the safety of logic. “Why not take the information you have and give it to the DCI?”
    Titus Xavier Allen had been the charismatic Director of Central Intelligence for a brief five years. A former spy once in love with the clandestine side of the CIA, he was now the sixty-five-year-old DCI in love with the Hollywood side of government. Tailored suits, dinner parties and vacations in the Keys held more seduction these days than running agents.
    “Not until we have absolute proof about who’s in charge of the rogue operation.” Conrad vacated the futon and went to sit in front of the computer. His fingers poked awkwardly at the keys. “We have incriminating evidence, but if we take it to Allen right now, he’ll sweep it under the rug.