Part Three: Loyalty and Betrayal
Now - May 2009
Jake and Hawkins didn't give Beck any hint about what they needed to talk about as the three men walked slowly - and, in Beck's case, rather painfully - to Beck's house. By the time they got there, Beck's leg felt like it was on fire, and he was wishing Kenchy had given him painkillers rather than antibiotics. Jake warned him everyone except Leyna was at the house waiting for them, so he wasn't surprised to walk - or rather, limp - into a house full of people.
Gail immediately fussed over him before shooing him off to get cleaned up. He sighed when he considered the stairs and Heather hastened over to help him up the stairs. "But one of the boys will have to help you in the shower," she quipped then she blushed. "Sorry," she said. "I wasn't thinking."
He grinned at her as they made the second floor landing and leaned towards her before he caught himself. He needed to end things with Leyna before he said anything to Heather and definitely before he kissed her again. He owed Leyna that much, if not more. And Heather deserved to have no doubts when he came to her with hat - and heart - in hand.
But his eyes broadcasted his regret when he put a little distance between them.
Heather dropped her gaze from his, shifting uncomfortably. She muttered something about letting him get cleaned up and bolted down the stairs, blushing furiously. Her friends noted her heightened color with interest, but kindly said nothing. Heather noticed the significant glances exchanged between the women, and knew they'd be getting the full story out of her later. .
Half an hour later, everyone was sitting in Beck's living room, attentively listening to Hawkins.
"While you were gone," Hawkins said, "another convoy was attacked."
Beck raised an eyebrow, watching him steadily. "The convoy we'd identified?" he asked.
Hawkins nodded, and turned to the others.
"As you know, we've been fighting a guerrilla war for the last six months with a group or groups we assumed were road gangs. We've also been continuing to ferret out any remaining pockets of ASA resistance. Most of those pockets have simply been placed under surveillance while some were..." he glanced at Beck who remained stone-faced, "eliminated."
"This most recent attack has just confirmed something we've suspected for awhile now. We," Hawkins included Beck and Jake in his story with a gesture, "realized very quickly that these attacks were always specific. Too specific."
Stanley frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that every attack for the last six months has been targeted. Specific convoys and occasionally individual vehicles that were carrying something of particular strategic significance."
"Well...wouldn't that be the point?" Stanley asked, confused.
Beck, Jake and Hawkins smiled a little.
Beck said, "Yes - except we've always had multiple convoys, including decoys, running at the same time and using different routes. When these attacks began to escalate six months ago, we increased the numbers, put more soldiers on them as guards, gave them more weapons and ammunition - and more often than not, the attackers would hit one of the decoys, or a convoy carrying cargo with limited value to them. For the last four months, they've never failed to hit the right one."
"That's impossible," Mary said, "unless -" She stopped abruptly, eyes widening as the magnitude of what was being discussed dawned on her.
"And," Beck continued, "while these guerrillas were unsuccessful the majority of the time, they've also managed to capture a convoy every now and then. That success ratio is beginning to rise. The attacks are better planned, better supplied, better coordinated, and always on target. The attackers are working smoothly together - they're working as a team."
"So they've learned to work together," Emily shrugged, one hand absently rubbing against her stomach, swollen with the baby due within the next six weeks. "That's not so surprising after two and half years."
"Considering there are supposed to be several road gangs operating in the area - at least according to Hawkins' sources - it seems odd that every group attacks smoothly. Like clockwork. With subtle similarities in tactics."
"Constantino has finally become a leader of men?" Eric suggested, only half-joking.
"Or he's finally leading people already trained in military tactics," Hawkins replied thoughtfully.
"Which would mean -" Jake trailed off, as everyone stared at him. "Ravenwood," he finished flatly.
"Wait a minute - that doesn't make sense," Heather protested. "Constantino hates Ravenwood - that's why he declared war on Jericho in the first place, because he blamed us for what Ravenwood did to them."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Jake suggested. "He blames Jericho more - always did."
"Or," Beck said, "he doesn't know they're Ravenwood."
"Or both," Jake sighed.
"Hell, all we can do is speculate," Eric said, throwing up his hands in frustration and pacing Beck's living room.
"This is all well and good," Heather said, "but what are we going to do about it? And why the secrecy? We're not insurgents anymore - we can deal with this in broad daylight now."
Beck, Jake and Hawkins shared a glance. "Because they know too much," Beck reminded her. He frowned, lips pressed tightly together, and shook his head. "We have a mole - probably more than one, and until we find them all, we can't operate in broad daylight." He glanced at each person in the room then met Hawkins' steady gaze. "Right now, the only people we know we can trust are the people in this room. And, of course, the President. We've all gone through hell together in one way or another, and none of you would betray Jericho or the President toanyone, least of all to Constantino or Ravenwood or whatever's left of the ASA."
They sat in solemn silence, absorbing everything they'd been told. Then Heather looked at him with clear blue eyes and said, "What about Leyna?"
*/*/*/*
Then - April 2009
Beck's furious gaze never wavered from Hawkins.
"She's still new to Jericho," he replied, his voice clear and firm. "She doesn't know enough to be a spy. Besides, she's too impulsive, too impetuous to keep from being caught." Beck had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Even he didn't truly believe what he was saying - but he also couldn't believe what Hawkins was suggesting.
"But can you trust her?" Hawkins asked.
"She's my wife!"
"Who has suddenly been found after being missing for three years. Found in a refugee camp run by former employees of J&R. And since her arrival, we've had an increase in guerrilla activity and an increase in information leaking to the outside of the wall. So I'll ask you again:can you trust her?"
Beck glared at Hawkins and wondered if he was once more being played by this enigmatic and incredibly dangerous man in front of him. He wondered if Hawkins had another hidden agenda, a black ops mission that needed a scapegoat and Leyna just happened to be someone convenient to be blamed - especially since she and Beck had recently separated. His mind whirled from one thought to another, thinking of things Leyna had said and done, thinking of things Hawkins had said and done, wondering who - or what - to believe.
He suddenly remembered Heather, almost two years ago now, fervently telling him he knew there was something wrong with the ASA. Begging him to listen to his instincts and trust them, trust her, trust the people of Jericho.
He took a deep breath.
"I don't know," he said hoarsely. "I don't know if I can trust her." He met Hawkins' eyes with an effort and said, "Put her on the list."
*/*/*/*
Now - May 2009
Beck met Heather's eyes steadily. "She's on the list of possibilities."
No one said a word.
After a moment, Heather asked, "Why do you think there's more than one?"
"Because it's not just the convoys. Other information has been leaking out - information about some of our more commonly known security protocols, the President's movements, even the Ranger's training program." Beck shook his head. "Fairly simple information to gather, nothing too damaging to us, and fairly simple things to change or protect. But the fact the information is being leaked is a problem and has to be stopped."
"So what do you want from us?" Stanley asked.
Hawkins smiled. "Like Beck said, we made a list of everyone who would know about these items. We all have contact with at least one of the people on the list. We're assigning certain people to each of you - and a different piece of intelligence for each target. We'll see which pieces make their way outside of Jericho. Keep in mind, this isn't a one-time thing. We have to keep this up until we're sure we've found all the moles."
Everyone nodded, faces grim.
Hawkins turned to Beck. "You have Leyna, of course," he said.
Beck's eyes snapped to Heather.
Heather met his gaze, puzzled by his expression. He blinked and turned his attention back to Hawkins.
"Of course," he said, and silently cursed the timing. He'd have to delay his talk with Leyna until this little sting operation was over. He briefly considered talking to her anyway - she was casually dating one of his captains, after all. He discarded the idea almost immediately. Finding who was leaking information was first priority, and he couldn't do anything that would limit his contact with Leyna any more than it was already. He glanced at Heather.
Damn it.
*/*/*/*
Now - June 2009
In the end, it was easy.
Everyone did their job, leaking their carefully constructed piece of intel to their assigned targets, and then left Hawkins to work his own network of informants. It was delicate business, and Beck decided ruefully that he actually almost missed the days when all he had to worry about was how much firepower the other side had aimed at his head, and where they were hiding.
In the last few weeks, Leyna had moved on from Beck's captain to the President's press secretary, to a congressman - one of the few who'd escaped Columbus with the President. She told him she still wanted to save their marriage, but she thought she may as well take advantage of their separation to enjoy a little more social life than Beck could manage to give her. Even though he knew their relationship was over - whether Heather still wanted him or not - Leyna's words still stung. He suspected that had been her intention.
He spent a lot of time thinking about Leyna, thinking about their life Before, thinking about the woman he knew now. Sometimes he wondered if he'd been blind Before, or if the Attacks, Elje's death and the life Leyna had led for two years had changed her. Sometimes Beck wondered if he'd ever meant anything to her; sometimes he wondered if their entire marriage had been built on illusion. Sometimes he wondered how his own feelings could have changed so much.
Mostly he wondered if she was a spy. And what he would do about it if she was.
Four weeks after they began their sting operation, Hawkins walked into Beck's office. He didn't have to say a word; Beck could see the truth written all over his face. Even though he'd braced himself for the worst, his stomach still roiled and the room seemed to tilt. He tossed the pen he was holding on to the desk and leaned back in his chair with a loud sigh. He met Hawkins' eyes with a mixture of anger, resignation and sadness.
"Are you going to say I told you so?" Beck asked Hawkins bluntly.
"No need; I'm sure you're saying it to yourself," Hawkins replied.
Beck gave a reluctant chuckle and motioned for Hawkins to pull up a chair. Beck leaned forward, his hands loosely clasped together on the desk and thoughtfully considered Hawkins.
"Now what?" Beck asked.
Hawkins slowly smiled his predator's smile. Beck sighed and hung his head.
*/*/*/*
Heather looked at him with a mixture of disbelief, horror and sympathy. She reached out without thinking and put her hand over his where it rested on her kitchen table.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "I - I don't know what else to say."
Beck gave her a half-smile, turning his hand to squeeze her fingers. "That's all you need to say," he said. Their eyes met, and Heather's eyes widened at the warmth and affection she saw in his face. She flushed and quickly dropped her gaze. She tried to pull her hand away but he tightened his grip. She frowned as she raised her eyes to his.
"Heather," he said, "I want to talk to you about something else." And there it was again - that warm, honey-smooth voice that always seemed to go right past her thinking brain and straight to her hormones. She shivered.
It wasn't fair, she thought helplessly. For the last few weeks, she'd been so good at making sure they were never alone together, and seldom near each other when they saw each other socially. She intended to move on; she was going to move on...even if it killed her.
He tightened his grip on her fingers and she refocused on what he was saying rather than how he was saying it.
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked cautiously, her stomach sinking. In her experience, conversations that started out with "I want to talk to you" never seemed to end well.
"I'd intended to talk to Leyna first, but..." he glanced down at their hands, then back at her, suddenly vulnerable and uncertain. "I'm going to ask Leyna for a divorce."
Heather caught her breath, her eyes widening as she stared at him.
"I was planning on talking to her as soon as we returned from our successfully disastrous road trip." He gave her a slight smile and she blushed and smiled back. "Of course, with the need to find the mole, or moles, I put it off so I'd have a legitimate reason for sharing my piece of intel with her. Now," he sighed and grimaced, "now Hawkins wants me to continue feeding her misinformation so we can trace it back to whoever she's working for."
Heather frowned. "I can understand that," she agreed slowly.
Beck nodded. "So can I. Damn it. Hawkins also thinks we might be able to turn this to our advantage, and - as he put it - you never waste a resource. Leyna's now a potential resource, whether she knows it or not."
Heather leaned back in her chair. "And that means -"
Beck nodded. "No talk; no divorce." He looked at her, his heart in his eyes. "No you," he said softly. "Assuming you still want me, of course," he added a bit anxiously.
She stared off into space and Beck found himself focused on her mouth as she bit her lip. He swallowed and forced his eyes back to hers.
She slowly smiled at him, then she stood and walked around the table to stand in front of him. She took his face in her hands and kissed him.
Both their shirts were off, and Beck was starting to open Heather's jeans as he pressed her down on the table, when the doorbell rang, startling them both. They froze, staring at each with eyes wide with consternation.
"Is the door locked?" Beck panted.
She shook her head. "And if that's Jake, he'll ring once more then walk in."
Beck swore softly, as he stood back and helped her off the table. They scrambled to replace their clothes as the doorbell rang again and Jake walked in, calling Heather's name. Jake came to an abrupt stop when he came into the kitchen to find Heather and Beck with heightened color and laughing uncontrollably.
He eyed them quizzically. "I...don't want to know, do I?"
*/*/*/*
"We'll keep the moles we've identified under surveillance," Hawkins told the group gathered at Gail's house, "and use them as tools to disseminate information that will help us, or help us identify and target who these people are working for."
"How are we going to control what information gets leaked out?" Heather asked.
"By restricting who has access to it," Beck said. "But we'll also be...adjusting information on occasion to meet our objectives." He looked proudly at them. "You all did your jobs like pros. We wouldn't have been able to get this done this quickly without you."
"No problem," Stanley grinned, clapping his hands and rubbing them briskly together. "It was easy!"
Hawkins and Beck shared a speaking glance. "Too easy," Beck said.
They all froze, eyes wide.
"They weren't really hiding their tracks," Hawkins explained. "They - whoever "they" are - wanted us to know they had access to our information. They may even have wanted us to find their informants. Which is why we need to trace the network back to its heart."
Mimi frowned. "Why would they want us to find their operatives? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose?"
"Not if the purpose is psychological warfare," Beck replied. "They're telling us they have eyes and ears everywhere. That even within the walls of Jericho, we're not safe. That the President isn't safe. And we can trust no one."
The group absorbed this in silence, then Eric quipped, "They're not from around here, then, or they'd know better."
*/*/*/*
That night, Heather and Beck agreed the safety of Jericho and the President came first, and they had to maintain their distance until they could identify the people Leyna was working for.
At least in public.
And, they ruefully admitted, in private. They'd proven they had no self-control - at the moment - but they'd also never been able to hide their connection to and affection for each other. There was no way they'd be able to hide an affair, especially not while Beck still needed Leyna to trust him and maintain a relatively close relationship with him.
It was disappointing, yet they were both happier than they'd ever been. They would be together - they just had to be patient.
*/*/*/*
Leyna confidently walked into Bailey's and straight to Beck's table. She dropped a quick kiss on his lips then slid into the chair across the table from him. Beck cocked his head to one side as he looked at her, probing his feelings. She was undeniably beautiful and he was still in love with the woman he remembered. But the Leyna sitting across the table from him wasn't that woman anymore. He now wondered if she'd ever been that woman, or if he'd been so blinded with love with her he never saw the truth of her.
He'd been hurt when he realized she'd only come to Jericho because he was a Presidential advisor. He'd been sick and angry when he discovered she was spying for parties unknown. And yes, he'd even been a little jealous when she began dating his captain after only being separated from him for a couple of weeks. Knowing what he knew now, he could see she'd been circling closer and closer to the seat of power - as close to the President as she could get.
It made her anger at Heather's friendship with the President much more understandable.
She was close to the President now, Beck thought. At least socially.
He and Hawkins had decided to keep the President in the dark about the moles since the three they had identified weren't privy to sensitive information about the President. They also didn't want anyone tipped off before they were sure they had identified all of the moles in Jericho.
Now as he listened to Leyna tell him about the dinners with the President and the parties with other members of congress and senators, he wondered if they needed to revisit that decision, put the President on her guard not only with Leyna but with everyone in her government.
Beck sometimes missed the days when all he had to worry about was putting down insurgents.
*/*/*/*
"Tell me, Heather - what do you think of Leyna?"
Heather choked slightly on her tea and stared at the President in consternation. They were sitting in Heather's living room, and had been talking about nothing and everything, laughing a little and enjoying some precious down-time. The President's security detail stood guard in discreet places outside the house.
"I realize that's a difficult question, considering how you feel about her husband," the President added.
Heather blushed furiously. "How did you -"
"Small town, remember? Besides, it's written all over your face when you talk about him. Or even think about him." The President gave her an understanding smile and a sympathetic look. "Under other circumstances, I'd be quite envious of you. To love that deeply is...a true gift." The President stared off into space, melancholy and sadness on her face. Then she shook herself out of her reverie.
"I'm not asking to make you uncomfortable," she said briskly. "I'm asking for your honest opinion."
Heather hesitated, her mind whirling. She knew she couldn't tell the President the truth; they'd all been told in no uncertain terms that the President was not to be told until they'd identified who the moles were working for. But she was a bad liar, and decided to stick to the truth as much as possible. "I - I'm not sure how unbiased I can be," she said honestly. "I - I do have very strong feelings for Beck which - may color my - my opinion."
"I understand," the President nodded. "I still want to know."
"I don't trust her," Heather blurted. "I - I can't even really say why. And she may just be a very private person, much like Beck is - but she - she never seems to really answer any questions. I'm assuming Beck knows the details of where she's been and what's happened to her in the last two years, but - but -" Heather struggled to find the words.
"She's too smooth," the President said. "Her answers are too glib."
"Rehearsed," they said simultaneously.
They exchanged an understanding look.
"What do you think she's up to?" Heather asked.
The President glanced around and leaned forward. "I think it has something to do with me," she whispered.
*/*/*/*
Jake opened the door and raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Heather," he greeted, stepping aside to let her in.
She nodded and thanked him, then she stood hesitating in his doorway, anxiously wringing her hands.
Jake's eyebrows rose slightly higher. "What's going on?" he asked curiously.
"I got a call about twenty minutes ago," she said. "There's a girl in a town in Michigan - she says her name is Elje Beck. I've told them to take her to Stanley and Mimi's. She'll be here the day after tomorrow."
*/*/*/*
Now - July 2009
"It can't be her."
"Beck -"
"Heather, Leyna told me - she said Elje died in her arms. It can't be her!"
"Beck! She looks like Leyna."
The silence was absolute.
Shocked.
Disbelieving.
Enraged.
Heather watched him anxiously. She could see him struggling to control himself; it was just a matter of time before he exploded.
"Beck," she said firmly, trying to reach him, to bring him out of the dark place he was in.
He looked at her, but Heather knew he wasn't really seeing her.
"Beck," she said again, more sharply. He blinked and focused on her. "I'll drive you to Stanley and Mimi's."
He nodded jerkily and rose to his feet.
*/*/*/*
"Elje?"
Beck's voice was infinitely tender, loving - afraid. The last time he'd seen Elje, she'd been nine years old. Now she was thirteen, and he was afraid. Afraid to hope, to believe, until the gangly girl-child sitting in the bedroom raised her eyes to his, caution warring with relief and hope in her eyes.
"Papa Ed?" she asked, faintly questioning.
He nodded, too choked with emotion to speak. Instead he silently opened his arms to her and with a small sob, she rushed to him, threw herself in his arms and began to cry, the noisy, uninhibited sobs of a very young child waking from a nightmare. Beck's shoulders shook with his own emotions as he held her close. Heather glanced at Stanley and Mimi, and they all silently withdrew.
He left the bedroom a long time later, his face drawn, the bewildered look in his eyes breaking Heather's heart. He sat down heavily at the table and stared at nothing for long, silent moments. Finally, he shook his head and blinked. He suddenly seemed to realize he wasn't alone in the room and finally looked at them.
He said, "She's in a world of hurt - but she's alive. And I have her again." He rubbed his face with both hands. He gave Stanley and Mimi a tired smile. "Thank you," he said softly, sincerely. "Thank you for letting her come here first."
"That's what friends are for," Stanley shrugged.
Mimi glanced at the closed bedroom door, her eyebrows raised in question.
"She's sleeping," Beck said. "She's exhausted." He sighed heavily. "If she could stay here until..." He trailed off, staring at nothing again, then shook his head and continued. "I need to talk to Leyna before I bring Elje into Jericho. Elje hasn't told me very much," he gave them all a twisted smile, "but I'm very much afraid we may need to protect her from her own mother."
Heather drew in a sharp, shocked breath.
Beck turned to her, looking at her but not truly seeing her. "Could you stay here? With Elje? I'd rather not let her out of my sight, but I need to deal with this. I'll call - let you know what to do next."
Heather nodded. "Of course," she said.
Twenty minutes after Beck left, the bedroom door cautiously opened. The three adults turned to look at the young girl hesitating in the doorway. The silence seemed to grow and become a living thing.
Finally Mimi gently said, "You can come out, if you want."
Elje hesitantly walked into the kitchen, looking around.
"Where's Papa Ed?" she asked.
"He's gone back to Jericho," Heather carefully replied. "He's gone to talk to your mom."
"Does she have to know about me?"
Heather frowned. "You don't want to see your mother?"
Elje vigorously shook her head. "She left me - left me all alone in Santa Fe. She saw me - and she just turned and left!"
Heather stared at her, the blood draining from her face. "She - there was a riot over food - she thought you'd been killed," she whispered through bloodless lips.
"There were no riots," Elje said flatly, sitting at the table. "When the Attacks happened, it was just me and Mom in Santa Fe. Her parents were in Houston; my dad and his parents were in Arizona. About two weeks after the Attacks, Mom went out looking for food and never came back. I thought she'd been killed. I was so scared - but I had to find food, so I started going out of the house, scavenging and trying not to have anyone notice me. I saw her about two weeks after she left me - I saw her - she saw me - she recognized me - then she turned and walked away! From me! Her daughter! No! No, I don't want to see her!"
Elje stopped, breathing heavily, her eyes wide - but no tears. It was a vastly different reaction than when she'd thrown herself into Beck's arms. Heather felt a chill go down her spine and wondered if they needed to protect the mother more than the daughter.
Heather swallowed with difficulty. "He's going to call after he talks to Leyna. He didn't want her knowing about you until he could -" she hesitated and bit her lip.
"Until he could check my story?" Elje said bitterly.
The adults exchanged glances and Heather shook her head. "No," she said. "Until he could check hers."
*/*/*/*
"Leyna," Beck said carefully, "I just received a phone call from a major in Michigan. There's a girl there going by the name of Elje Beck."
Leyna stared at him with wide, guileless eyes. "She's lying," she said flatly.
"Are you sure?"
"I told you - she never made it out of Santa Fe."
"You know that for sure?" Beck pressed.
"Of course! Eddie -" Leyna frowned at him.
"Leyna," Beck said quietly, "I need to know. What - when did you last see Elje?"
Leyna sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I've told you before - we'd gone to find food. I should have left her behind with her grandparents, I know, but they'd said they'd provide more if there were children. So, I took Elje with me. There wasn't enough food and people began to panic. Fights broke out all around us, and - and I tried to get us away from there but she was torn from me. I saw her go down and I was swept away by the crowd. By the time I got back -"
Leyna pressed a trembling hand against her lips as two tears seeped out from under her lashes. "Eddie," she whispered, agonized.
Beck fought the urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she finally told him the truth - for probably the first time since she'd arrived in Jericho.
"Leyna," he said, his voice hard. "I have to know. Did you touch her? Did you try to resuscitate her?"
Leyna stared at him in disbelief. "Of course I tried to save her! Yes, I touched her! I held her in my arms - her blood on my hands. I did all I could! You have no right to keep hounding me about Elje's death! You weren't there!" She threw her hands up and stood, knocking her chair over in her agitation. "Elje's dead - so you can just leave this woman - girl - whoever it is using Elje's name - in Michigan - she's a liar!"
*/*/*/*
Beck brooded.
He listened to the ringing on the other end of the line. Stanley answered and quickly put Heather on the phone when Beck asked for her.
"What happened?" she asked.
Beck took a slow, deep breath, then, "She lied."