Free Fated Identity (Red Star #6) by Kennedy Layne

It trailed lower to where she’d been earlier, to when they’d pushed aside all that was wrong and loved one another. “Crest is suggesting I go into Langley.”
    “And do what?” Brienne couldn’t believe Grady was even considering such a reckless motion. “The ISI already knows about our association. Either they will take you out on sight or they will have every available source they have here in the United States glued to you, waiting for an opportunity to bring you in and do God knows what in order to get you to talk. You and I both know something of this magnitude takes time. Didn’t you sit here during dinner and reiterate those same words?”
    “We don’t have time, Brie.”
    Grady was considering putting himself in the crosshairs of ISI to gain their attention…on purpose. Brienne needed to find a way to change his mind before he ended up being chained up to a ceiling, beaten, and tortured. That wasn’t going to happen.
    “You aren’t going.” Brienne was firm in her stance, ignoring the dark gaze Grady was shooting her way. He never did like being told what to do, but he wasn’t calling the shots around here. Neither was Crest, for that matter. She crossed her arms and stood in the middle of the small kitchen, daring for Grady to argue with her. “I won’t be responsible for the most likely outcome should you and Crest try to do this. Telfer might be dealing with his superiors and putting out the firestorm this has all caused, but he’s good at his job. He will have people in place, such as those within the Technical Collections Section in the Science and Technology Division, to ferret out whoever disclosed my identity.”
    “This isn’t a normal operation and you know it,” Grady countered, slamming his half-empty bottle onto the counter. Water droplets sprayed and she wasn’t surprised when the plastic practically collapsed beneath his grip. “Damn it, Brie, this is your life we’re talking about. People are out there doing their best to see it snuffed out. Crest has multiple angles covered, but Telfer has a leak inside his section. How far do you think he’ll get without knowing who he can trust?”
    “ISI had to have bought the intel from someone and left—”
    “A paper trail?” Grady was already shaking his head in response to what she was implying. “Those agents within your department are seasoned. There is no way in hell they left evidence of their ties to ISI. This is going to come down to traditional methods of investigation. I need to be onsite.”
    The evening had been an emotional rollercoaster and it was as if the ride had never been brought to a stop. Their coaster car was still on the tracks and about to go another round. Brienne wanted off, but Grady was in the first seat with his hands high in the air. She wouldn’t allow him to ride alone.
    “Brie, you and I know how this works.” Grady was now standing in front of her, his strong arms pulling her to him. Brienne closed her eyes, wishing she had half the strength to physically prevent him from leaving this sanctuary. “Should ISI be monitoring the approaches to Langley, they’ll eventually spot me. It’s better we have the upper hand. Maybe they’ll make a mistake and call whomever it is they have in their grip. Telfer has those tech boys monitoring every individual cell phone of every person you’ve ever had contact with.”
    They could stay up all night discussing this, but it wouldn’t change a thing—at least the facts. Brienne needed time to mentally go through everything regarding Raheela, from every word spoken to those that weren’t. Had she known? Had she already been in a safe place, knowing her husband was about to eliminate any remaining threat to a mission that had never truly been completed? Crest needed to reach the port before Raheela was able to fade into the masses as if she’d never existed. In the meantime, Brienne wouldn’t allow the time she and Grady had left to be wasted by