Chapter 8: My Fiancé's Real Assignment
I looked at the phone as though it had become something poisonous.
“Say that again,” I demanded.
Daniel Mercer exhaled.
“Marcus was given instructions to bring you to a private meeting after the gala. If you refused, he was authorized to arrange a medical evaluation under the pretext of a security concern.””
“A medical evaluation?””
“A way to place you under observation without formally arresting you.””
I felt sick.
“And if I resisted?””
Silence.
“Mercer.””
“He was told to use whatever means were necessary to prevent you from contacting anyone associated with Black Harbor.””
Elias snatched the phone from my hand.
“You coward.””
“Captain Vance,” Mercer said.
“I assume you're there.””
“You assume correctly.””
“I need to speak to Nia.””
“You can speak to her after you explain why you sent us into an ambush.””
“I didn't choose the original target. I was ordered to transmit the revised coordinates.””
“You authenticated the transmission.””
“Because the command channel was compromised.””
Elias laughed bitterly.
“You expect us to believe you were just following orders?””
“No,” Mercer replied.
“I expect you to understand that if I had refused, none of you would have made it out.””
I took the phone back.
“Who gave you the order?””
“Malcolm Reed.””
“Who gave Reed the information?””
“I don't know.””
“Who was paying Northstar?””
“I have records that can answer that.””
“Then give them to me.””
“Not over the phone.””
I stared at the workshop wall.
“Where?””
“Tomorrow morning. Seven o'clock. An abandoned rail depot near the Elizabeth River. Come alone.””
Elias shook his head immediately.
“No.””
Mercer heard him.
“I expected that response.””
“Then you should have expected me to tell you to go to hell.””
“Captain, I saved your life.””
“You also destroyed it.””
For a moment, the line was silent.
Then Mercer said, “You're right.””
The admission surprised all of us.
“I have spent six years trying to undo what happened,” he continued.
“I can't change the decisions I made, but I can give Nia the evidence she needs.””
I took a breath.
“Why now?””
“Because Reed has decided the loose ends are becoming dangerous.””
“And you think I'm a loose end?””
“No, Commander. I think you're the only person who can prove what they did.””
He disconnected.
I stood motionless.
Frank's terminal continued displaying the personnel order with Marcus's name beneath the assigned-handler field.
I had wanted to believe Marcus was merely selfish. That his cruelty at the gala was the worst thing he was capable of.
Now I was looking at evidence that he had been assigned to monitor me.
Possibly for months.
Possibly for years.
Grace touched my shoulder.
“Are you okay?””
“No.””
She nodded.
“Fair enough.””
Elias moved toward the terminal.
“We need to copy the files before that system logs us out.””
Frank inserted an encrypted drive.
“I can make a forensic copy of the directory. It'll take a few minutes.””
“Do it,” I said.
As the progress bar crawled across the screen, I sat on a stool and stared at the floor.
Three weeks ago, Marcus had proposed to me in a restaurant overlooking the harbor. He had placed a diamond ring beside my dessert and told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life making me happy.
I had cried.
He had kissed my forehead and said, “You don't have to carry everything alone anymore, Nia.””
I remembered how those words had felt.
Now I wondered whether he had been rehearsing them.
My phone vibrated.
A text from Marcus.
*Please call me. I can explain everything.*
I stared at it.
Then another message arrived.
*I didn't know what they were planning to do to you.*
I typed a response.
What did you know?
The reply came almost immediately.
*I knew they wanted you to stop talking about Black Harbor. I thought they were trying to protect classified information.*
I looked toward Elias.
“Can we trace the messages?””
“Not safely. Assume the phone is compromised.””
Another message appeared.
*Nia, please. I love you.*
I felt something inside me twist.
I typed one final question.
Did you know who I was before we met?
The typing indicator appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Then the answer arrived.
*Yes.*
One word.
Four letters.
Enough to destroy three years of memories.
I set the phone down.
Grace swore softly.
Elias said nothing.
I looked at the screen until it dimmed.
Marcus had known my identity before our first date. He had known about my military service, my injury, and the operation that had nearly killed me.
He had known exactly who I was.
And he had chosen to marry me anyway.
“I'm going to see him,” I said.
Elias immediately shook his head.
“Absolutely not.””
“I'm not going to meet him alone. I want to know what he knew and when he knew it.””
“He'll tell you whatever he thinks will get him out of trouble.””
“Then I'll listen for the parts he can't explain.””
Grace folded her arms.
“Where is he?””
“His apartment is in downtown Norfolk.””
Frank glanced at the terminal.
“Before you go anywhere, you should see this.””
The file transfer had completed. Frank had opened a second directory containing Marcus's corporate records.
There was a photograph of Marcus shaking hands with Malcolm Reed at a private business conference.
The date was four years earlier.
A year before Marcus and I met.
Beneath it was a scanned meeting summary.
*Subject: Carter, Nia. Civilian reentry monitoring.*
The first paragraph was brief.
Hale has agreed to establish a personal relationship with the subject to assess her willingness to disclose details of the Black Harbor operation. Marriage may provide sufficient access to her private communications and personal records.
I read the sentence again.
Marriage may provide sufficient access.
I couldn't feel my hands.
Grace moved closer.
“Nia?””
I lifted my eyes.
“He didn't just know who I was.””
My voice sounded distant.
“He was assigned to get close to me.””
Elias's jaw tightened.
“Then the engagement was never real.””
I looked at the diamond ring on my finger.
For a moment, I couldn't bring myself to remove it.
Then I twisted it free and placed it on the workbench.
The small sound it made against the metal surface seemed louder than a gunshot.
“I want to know how much he told them.””
Elias nodded slowly.
“Then we go prepared.””
Frank printed the meeting summary and handed it to me.
“There is one more record,” he said.
“A payment authorization from Northstar to a company associated with Marcus. It was issued shortly after your first date.””
I stared at the document.
The amount was modest compared with the later transfers.
But the description was unmistakable.
*Initial assessment — Subject Carter.*
I closed my eyes.
The first dinner.
The questions about my injury.
The way Marcus had asked whether I still had nightmares.
At the time, I had thought he was trying to understand me.
Now I couldn't tell whether he had been listening because he cared or because someone was paying him to remember.
I slipped the documents into my coat.
“Let's go.””
Marcus's apartment building had a private entrance and a doorman who recognized me immediately.
“Good evening, Ms. Carter,” he said.
“Mr. Hale is expecting you.””
Of course he was.
I stepped into the elevator with Grace beside me. Elias remained outside with Frank, monitoring the building's security cameras through a connection Frank had established with the property manager.
The elevator opened on the thirty-second floor.
Marcus stood in the doorway of his apartment.
His tie was gone. His shirt sleeves were rolled up. A half-empty glass of whiskey sat on the kitchen counter.
When he saw me, relief crossed his face.
“Nia.””
He took a step forward.
I raised my hand.
“Don't touch me.””
He stopped.
Grace remained behind me, her arms folded.
Marcus glanced at her.
“Can we speak privately?””
“No.””
He swallowed.
“Fine.””
I removed the printed meeting summary from my coat and placed it on the counter.
His face changed as he read the first paragraph.
Then he looked at me.
“I can explain.””
“Did you know who I was before we met?””
He didn't answer.
“Marcus.””
“Yes.””
The word came out barely above a whisper.
I felt the last of my hope collapse.
“How?””
“Northstar had a list of personnel who had been involved in sensitive operations. Your name was on it.””
“And Reed asked you to approach me.””
“Yes.””
“Did he tell you to propose?””
Marcus rubbed his face.
“He told me to build a relationship. To find out whether you remembered anything about the revised coordinates.””
“How convenient that you fell in love with me.””
“I did fall in love with you.””
I stared at him.
“Don't insult me.””
“I'm telling the truth.””
“You were paid to investigate me.””
“I was paid to establish contact. The relationship became real.””
I laughed once.
“You expect me to believe that?””
Marcus stepped closer, his eyes shining.
“I know how it looks.””
“It looks like you planned a marriage to get access to my records.””
“That was the original assignment.””
“And the engagement?””
He looked down at the ringless hand I held between us.
“I wanted to marry you.””
“Why?””
“Because I loved you.””
“Or because you thought you'd finally get access to everything I hadn't told you?””
He shook his head.
“I stopped reporting on you after the first year.””
“Then why did you authorize payments to the shell company connected to Mercer?””
His expression froze.
I knew then that the answer mattered.
“What payments?”” he asked.
“Don't.””
He lowered his eyes.
“Northstar told me the money was for confidential security consulting. I didn't know Mercer was involved.””
“You signed the authorization.””
“I was told it was a legacy account.””
“You expect me to believe you never questioned why a company was paying a supposedly dead officer?””
Marcus gripped the counter.
“I didn't know he was alive.””
“Did you know Reed intended to take me into custody tonight?””
His silence answered before he did.
“I knew there was a contingency plan,” he admitted.
“I didn't know they would send armed men.””
“Did you know about the reactivation order?””
“No.””
I studied his face.
For the first time, he looked genuinely frightened.
Not for his career.
For himself.
“Marcus,” I said quietly, “what happens if I refuse to cooperate?””
He looked at the floor.
“Reed told me you'd be considered a security risk.””
“And what happens to security risks?””
He didn't answer.
I stepped away from the counter.
“You stood in a ballroom and called me nobody.””
His eyes lifted.
“I was trying to keep Reed from suspecting that I was no longer following his instructions.””
I stared at him.
“So you humiliated me to protect yourself.””
“I was trying to protect both of us.””
“No. You were protecting your career.””
He reached toward me.
“I can fix this.””
I stepped back.
“You can't fix three years of lies.””
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the screen and went pale.
“It's Reed.””
“Answer it,” I said.
Marcus hesitated.
“Put it on speaker.””
His hand trembled as he accepted the call.
Reed's voice filled the apartment.
“Mr. Hale, I assume Carter is with you.””
Marcus looked at me.
“Yes.””
“Good. Keep her there. A transport team will arrive in fifteen minutes.””
My stomach tightened.
Marcus swallowed.
“Sir, I don't think that's necessary.””
Reed's voice became colder.
“You were given a clear assignment. Do you intend to complete it?””
Marcus looked at the door.
Then at me.
For one brief moment, I thought he might finally choose to do something right.
He pressed the phone against his ear and said, “Yes, sir.””
I felt my heart sink.
Reed continued.
“Excellent. One more thing. Before the team arrives, search her belongings. We need the original authorization card.””
Marcus looked at my coat.
His eyes flickered toward the inside pocket where I had hidden Bennett's credentials.
Reed's next words were quiet, almost conversational.
“And Marcus? If she resists, remember what happened to the last person who tried to protect her.””
The call ended.
I stared at the man I had planned to marry.
“You knew,” I whispered.
“You knew they were going to take me.””
Marcus's face crumpled.
“Nia, I—”
I slapped him.
The sound cracked through the apartment.
He stumbled backward, one hand pressed to his cheek.
Then I removed the small recording device Grace had placed inside my coat and held it up.
“Thank you for your honesty.””
His eyes widened.
Outside the apartment, the elevator chimed.
Footsteps approached.
Marcus looked toward the door, then back at me.
For the first time in three years, he seemed unable to find the right words.
I turned to Grace.
“Time to leave.””
But before we reached the hallway, Marcus spoke.
“Nia, wait.””
I stopped without turning around.
“Reed isn't the one who ordered Black Harbor,” he said.
“He's only covering for the person who did.””
My blood ran cold.
“Who?””
Marcus looked directly at me.
“The person who signed the original mission order.””
I turned slowly.
May you like
He swallowed.
“Your father.””
