Long Road Home(27)

“Go to sleep, baby.” Manny pulled her down beside him and tucked the cover over them both.

She knew she should return to her own bed, but she couldn’t deny herself the comfort of his embrace. Snuggling deep into his arms, she laid her head on his chest, closed her eyes and prayed for sleep to come.

Chapter Twelve

Manuel stood by the bed watching Jules sleep. She was curled up in a ball like a kitten. He wanted to reach out and touch her but didn’t want to disturb her. Perhaps sleep was the only time she could escape the horrors that haunted her.

How had things become such a mess? Years ago, all he had wanted was a normal life. Marry Jules, have a few kids, live the American dream. Even his recruitment into the CIA didn’t hinder his goals. He’d dedicate a few years to Uncle Sam then go on to more normal pursuits.

Instead he’d been locked in a never-ending nightmare. The difficulties facing him and Jules seemed insurmountable. He wasn’t naive, and he wasn’t an eternal optimist. He had no clear idea how he was going to extricate them from this cluster f**k.

The NFR was obviously pissed enough to want to take her out, and if the U.S. government ever found out about her involvement, much less the things she’d done during her years with a known terrorist organization, they’d throw her under the jail.

In this climate, terrorists weren’t tolerated at all. You didn’t even so much as hint that you were sympathetic to such causes or you’d draw the ever-omnipotent eye of Big Brother.

And where did that leave him? CIA agent aiding and abetting a known terrorist cell member. Jesus, it didn’t even bear contemplating.

He checked his watch. They still had an hour before he needed to wake her so they could catch their flight. He walked into the bathroom to call Tony.

“I was just going to call you,” Tony said.

“What’s up?”

“I have the info you requested. NFR’s recruitment tactics.”

Manuel burned with anger over the mere mention of their tactics. They were no better than animals.

“They’re pretty tame when compared to most radical groups,” Tony continued on. “Basically their M.O. is to approach a subject, outline the group’s objective, leave a way to contact them and disappear.”

“What else?” Manuel asked.

“That’s it. It’s up to the individual to either contact or ignore the invitation. They aren’t into forced recruitment. It doesn’t make for loyal followers.”

Bile rose in Manuel’s throat. Had Jules lied to him? Had she taken him on the ride of his life? No, she wasn’t that good. No way in hell that anguish had been feigned. “Are you sure you aren’t mistaken, Tony?” he asked. “Are there any documented cases of more persuasive means?”

Silence fell over the line. “What are you saying, Manuel? Was Jules forced into the NFR?”

Manuel sighed. “I’m not sure what the hell I’m saying. Jules has a slightly different account of her induction into the NFR.”

“You believe her?”

He paused. “Yeah, I do. Something doesn’t add up. Her story matches what you said to a point. Some guy approached her in France. Fed her a bullshit line about who her real parents were then left her with an envelope and told her to call him the next day. Only that’s where the similarities end.”

“What do you mean, exactly? And what’s the deal with the parents? Didn’t you say the Trehans adopted her?”

Manuel frowned. He wasn’t ready to tell Tony what had happened to Jules. Not until he was able to figure it out. The whole story. “Yeah, she was told her real parents were Frederic and Carine Pinson.”

“Hmm. I’ll do some checking. Maybe I can come up with something.”

“Thank you, Tony. This just keeps getting more complicated.”

“No problem. But Manuel, you need to be careful. If she’s who you say she is, you’re going to have to keep a low profile. The higher-ups already want you to bring her in. They’ve been looking for a line into the NFR for a long time now. They wouldn’t hesitate to use her if they could. And if they couldn’t…well you know what we do to terrorists.”

“See what you can find out about the people the NFR has assassinated in the last three years,” Manuel said. “I need to know everything I can about Jules’s involvement.”

“Will do,” Tony promised. “Now get on the plane, and for God’s sake, when you get to D.C., keep out of sight. Sanderson’s about to have a coronary wondering where you are, and if he smells you in D.C. you’ll be up shit creek without a paddle.”

Manuel laughed. “Thanks for the heads-up, Tony. And thanks for helping me,” he added after a long breath.

“Not even going to dignify that with a reply.”

Manuel slid the phone back into his pocket. He walked into the bedroom, mulling over what Tony had related. Part of Jules’s story made sense. But the rest was just plain bizarre.

He seethed imagining her at the mercy of the man who’d hurt her. He knew without a doubt she’d told him the truth. But… There was always a but. Had she told him the whole truth? Had she left out any part of the story?

He sat down on the edge of the bed, resting his hand on her head. Was she still trying to protect him? How could he get her to give up that absurd notion? Whatever she thought, he wasn’t going to let her get herself killed just to save his ass. He wasn’t some junior agent out for a joyride. He could take what the NFR could dish.