Conspiracy (Alex and Cassidy Book 4) Read online

  CONSPIRACY

  Book Four: The Alex and Cassidy Series

  Nancy Ann Healy

  Text © Copyright 2015 Bumbling Bard Creations

  All Rights Reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced without permission.

  ISBN 10: 0692608907

  ISBN 13: 978-0692608906

  A Note from the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  A Note from the Author

  When I began writing the Alex and Cassidy series, I had no way of knowing where it would lead me. In many ways, I did not know where it would lead these characters. I am often asked what the books are about. Are they lesbian romances? Are they political thrillers? Are they crime novels? Novels and stories, no matter their genre are about people. Characters become people to the author and hopefully to the reader. The plot moves stories along and offers characters challenges and experiences so that the characters may grow and change. Sometimes, the plot is also meant to convey deeper messages.

  As I write Conspiracy, our world and our country are facing numerous upheavals and crises. We are divided on many issues. We face struggles abroad and challenges at home here in the United States. In our effort to understand our world, we often make broad, sweeping statements and assessments about each other. We label groups. We determine that individuals are either good or evil, moral or immoral, compassionate or bigots, heroes or villains based on tidbits of information we see at a distance. People are holistic beings, within them resides the capacity to accomplish extraordinary things or to strive only for mediocrity. The characters in the Alex and Cassidy series are no exception.

  What makes someone a hero or a villain? Is it their intentions or their actions? At the end of this series, that is a question for each reader to pose about each character. Who are they? What motivates them? Why do we consider one a beacon of morality and goodness, and another the epitome of selfishness and evil? As the author, I cannot tell you what to believe. That was never the purpose of these stories. It is for you to decide who Alex, Cassidy, the congressman, Claire, Krause, Eleana, Fallon, Tate, Merrow, Jane, Edmond, Viktor, Rose, Helen, Nicolaus, James, Brady, and all the others you have met are. Is any one of these characters a hero? Is any one of the people you have encountered on the page a villain? If so, why?

  We create this world. In this series, all of the characters have an active role in shaping the world that they live in. They see that world through different colored lenses, just as we do. I hope that you have enjoyed getting to know this colorful cast of characters as much as I have enjoyed creating them. Their journey has allowed me to travel places that were once only in my imagination. That has reminded me that from our dreams we create our reality. Everything we create changes us and the world we live in. We may not think so, but it does.

  As I close this chapter of the series, I want to thank those who have traveled with Alex and Cassidy on this journey. I have laughed with these characters, cried with them, screamed at them, cheered for them, and marveled at the love they share along the way. I hope that you have too. So, what is the series? Is it romance? Thriller? Crime? It’s about relationships. It’s about people. Hopefully, it is about the extraordinary power of love that connects us in unexpected ways, and in so doing demands that we strive to become our better selves.

  I know that taking this journey has enriched my life. I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to say thank you.

  Thank you to all the readers. I cannot express my gratitude enough to all of you for your enthusiastic support. The heartfelt emails and messages, the witty and amusing memes and videos, questions, comments, and rants that I have received over the last two years have amazed me. You have made me laugh and brought me to tears with your personal stories and observations as much as any of these characters have, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  Special thanks to my wife, Melissa and my son, Christopher for enduring my late nights, constant jokes about tacos, occasional tantrums, increased travel, and the need for quiet when they would have preferred noise.

  Thank you to MC and Natalya for their willingness to act as translators. Your knowledge, time and friendship are appreciated more than you will ever know.

  Thank you to Jay, Kim, Caroline, Chelsey, Tami, Angie, Robin, Robin Lynn, Charlotte, Tina, Heather, Mary and the host of other people who have been with Alex and Cassidy since day one, and have supported not only their journey, but mine. To the many friends that have encouraged me over the course of my life, I want to say this—I do believe friendship is the light of life, and that belief is subtly embedded in every word I write.

  Finally, thank you to the many mentors that I have had over the years who encouraged me to reach higher. In particular, Mrs. Jamo and Mrs. Agnew, the two teachers who made the greatest impact on my young life. To my parents, and my Nana, most of all my mother for teaching me the power that unconditional love has to heal and to strengthen us through both adversity and triumph. And, to Pina and Renée for the work they shared with me, helping me to open myself in new, sometimes frightening ways, giving me new found courage to live my life with an open heart and mind. I would not be walking this path without all of you, and I am grateful every moment for the impact you have each made on my heart and my life.

  This book is for all of you. I leave you with a quote from a book that captivated my imagination as a youngster. It reminds me a bit of the world that Alex and Cassidy live in as they confront Conspiracy—a world, not unlike our own.

  “Yet man will never be perfect until he learns to create and destroy; he does know how to destroy, and that is half the battle.”

  ~Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo

  Chapter One

  February 20th

  “No, it isn’t fine,” Alex Toles blared into the phone. She continued her nervous pacing in the office as she listened to the man on the other end of the call. “Listen to me. This merger has been in the making for over six months,” she said firmly. “I don’t care what you have to do, just get it done!” Alex pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned in frustration. “Just get it done, Jason. MyoGen is key to Carecom’s future. Yes, well, if you had wanted to give me a present you would have taken care of this—yesterday. Call me the minute you know something. I don’t care what time it is,” Alex instructed. “Yeah, I know. You too,” she said, finally taking a seat at her desk. “Just what I need,” she grumbled.

  Alex had been burning the midnight oil for the last three weeks in an attempt to solidify a merger between her company Carecom, and the genetics and bioengineering company MyoGen. It was a merger that she had poured all of her energy into. MyoGen was ahead of the curve in the development and research of genetic applications in pharmaceuticals. Of course, that was an unofficial program. Officially, they developed everything from life-saving medicine to designer drugs. Most of Alex’s life was officially unofficial. She had been at the helm of Carecom for well over a year. On the surface, Alex was building her father’s business into a mini-empire to honor his legacy. Beneath those calm surface waters lay a tumultuous undertow—the truth.

  Car
ecom had been distributing medical supplies globally since the end of World War II. Alex’s grandparents had built the company. It had been engineered to provide a reliable cover operation for the newly organized intelligence community. Over the years, Carecom delivered far more weapons, money, and state secrets than it ever hoped to distribute IV bags, syringes, or surgical implements. Carecom was a CIA controlled business. At least, it was intended to be. When that had changed, Alex still was not certain. She did know that her father had been engaged in numerous illicit activities. Moving money to foreign governments through Carecom channels was only part of his legacy. Carecom also assisted in the delivery of technology to rogue groups, warlords, and terrorists under the guise of military medical shipments. It was all part of the landscape of international intelligence. Alex had wondered many times who came up with that term—intelligence. At one point in history, the intelligence game had been focused on gathering information to provide a tactical advantage in warfare. The end game had been to ensure the physical and financial security of a nation. That had not been the reality for many years. The intelligence community, Alex often mused, should have been called the arrogance community.

  The Central Intelligence Agency was anything but a cohesive unit. It existed officially in the unofficial world of espionage. Accountability, Alex had learned, became an impossible task when there were no rules and no transparency, but rather endless veils that concealed countless secrets. Alex had become immersed in a world that was still unfathomable to her most days. Her father had been part of this world. Her grandparents had been part of this life. Her brother was in as deep as anyone she knew, and all of that meant that her family was continually at risk. That was what had led her here—her family.

  Alex looked at the pictures on her desk and smiled. Just seeing the faces of her wife and children always seemed to calm her anxiety and frustration. It was ironic, Alex thought, that had she never met Cassidy O’Brien, she likely would never have ended up here in this office. It started as a simple investigation. At the time, Alex was working with the FBI. She had been sent to investigate threats against a congressman’s ex-wife. Alex picked up a photo on her desk of Cassidy and chuckled. It still amazed her that one assignment had changed her entire life. She fell in love with Cassidy O’Brien in what seemed like an instant. Alex suddenly had a family. That initial investigation had uncovered the tip of an iceberg. An iceberg that many had hoped to keep hidden below surface waters forever. An iceberg in scale that Alex had never imagined possible. An investigation into what had been considered a simple stalking had turned out to be not so simple. It led Alex into a hidden world of false identities, hidden agendas, money, and greed; a world full of men and women with an insatiable lust for power.

  Cassidy’s ex-husband, Congressman Christopher O’Brien had been recruited and used as a pawn in an international, high-stakes chess match. He had been a well-placed pawn whose arrogance had put Cassidy and her son Dylan at risk. Dylan’s paternity, while not public knowledge, further complicated Alex’s mission. The man who had fathered the boy Alex now called her son was not Congressman O’Brien. Dylan’s biological father had been Alex’s best friend, John Merrow. He had served as her colonel during her tour in Iraq. Merrow had become a senator and finally one of the most popular U.S. Presidents in recent memory. And, he too had been in service of the agency. Alex was convinced that his efforts to derail much of the agency’s unofficial work had led to his assassination. Alex’s father’s dealings had resulted in his death as well. Her family was at constant risk. Merrow and her father had been part of a faction known as The Collaborative. The Collaborative utilized the Central Intelligence Agency along with all the government resources that the agency gave them access to. On the record they were legitimate agents. Off the record, they functioned outside of any government oversight. The Collaborative was an international conglomerate comprised of corporations, heads of state, and military leaders. Their objective was simple from what Alex could tell—make money, lots of it. If innocent people got hurt in the process, that was just the price of war. This was a war as far as Alex was concerned. She was determined to shake the foundations of The Collaborative until it cracked. Then, she would shake it some more until it broke into pieces. That was Alex Toles’ plan. MyoGen was the next hammer she would use to chip away at that foundation. Alex set down the picture of Cassidy, closed her eyes, and massaged her temples.

  “Napping?” a voice called from her office door.

  “If only,” Alex answered without moving at all.

  Jonathan Krause made his way into the office and took a seat across from his sister. “Bad day?” he asked knowingly.

  “Just a day,” Alex responded as she slowly opened her eyes. “What brings you down here?” Krause smiled and sighed. “Oh, that’s not good,” Alex surmised. “What gives, Pip?”

  “You first,” he said. “Let me guess? Issues with the MyoGen merger,” he surmised. Alex groaned. “Alex, it will work out. Jason knows what he’s doing. They’re not going to bail.”

  Alex shook her head. “I don’t know. Rand Industries is in play, making overtures at the eleventh hour. I don’t like it,” she said.

  “Look, you know this is part of the game. You’ve managed to acquire seven major players in the pharmaceutical industry in less than a year. They’re going to hold out until the last minute. It will be fine.”

  “You are awfully calm about this,” Alex said with a questioning gaze. “You and I both know that Rand is in Viktor Ivanov’s pocket. That doesn’t concern you? ASA has made its share of acquisitions too. If Viktor and the Russians get hold of…”

  “Alex, they won’t. Trust me.”

  “I wish I had your confidence on this one. And, I’m still curious why you seem so unconcerned about this. We both know that MyoGen is crucial in undermining The Collaborative. We fail to control their access and…”

  “I am concerned, but this is your department and you haven’t failed yet,” he reminded his sister.

  Alex sighed heavily. Jonathan Krause was the most unlikely best friend she could have imagined. She’d pondered their relationship for months before discovering that he was her half-brother. It was a discovery that took them both by surprise, and yet seemed to answer a million unspoken questions that they each had been asking. Alex was grateful for her older brother. They were kindred spirits. She loved her younger brother, Nick, but they were different people. She was Nick’s protector, his advocate, his cheerleader. She was the big sister. Krause was different. They were closer in age. They were alike in many ways. They had similar interests, similar ideas, similar talents, and even a similar taste in women. Krause had proved the big brother Alex had never imagined having. They were equals on every level, but he felt a fierce protectiveness of Alex and her family. Some of that Alex understood was rooted in his long-term friendship and affection for Cassidy. A good deal of it stemmed from the knowledge that his childhood best friend was Dylan’s father. There was no denying those factors. Alex also realized that Jonathan Krause had come to value her not just as a partner and friend, he loved her as his sister. He valued their relationship on levels that continued to surprise Alex. She was grateful for him, far more than she had verbalized to anyone. “Pip?” Alex gently urged him. “You either give me too much credit or there is more to this than you are telling me.”

  Krause nodded. “The Sparrow,” he said.

  Alex groaned dramatically. “What’s going on with Claire?” she asked. Claire Brackett continued to be a thorn in Alex’s side. The DCIS agent’s loyalty was constantly wavering. Claire had lost the woman she loved to her arrogance. She had lost her lover to the game they were all immersed in. That made her even more unpredictable. She had no anchor. Claire Brackett’s allegiance blew with the wind, and Alex wasn’t sure which way the wind was blowing now.

  “This ghost she’s been chasing,” Krause said.

  “Yeah? I thought that was just some folklore the locals had?”

  �
�Maybe,” he said.

  “Or?”

  “Or, maybe not,” he offered.

  Alex sighed. “So what?” Alex watched as Krause’s eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. “Okay. You think this person exists?” she asked. He just tipped his head to signify the possibility. “Well, okay. So what if he does? Pip, let her chase this ghost. If that keeps her out of our hair….”

  “Alex, you know she is not chasing this on her own accord. Why do they keep digging? Claire’s been in Russia and Ukraine more in the last six months than she has in her entire life. Why not let it drop? Who sent her? Something tells me it wasn’t Viktor.”

  “You think her father sent her?” Alex asked. William Brackett was another entity that Alex kept close tabs on. She wasn’t certain what motivated his actions. That made him a dangerous player in this game.

  “Maybe. I’m more worried about who they are looking for.”

  “They’re looking for a ghost,” Alex reminded him.

  “Yeah. That’s what worries me,” he said.

  ***

  “You sure you are feeling up to this?” Cassidy asked her mother-in-law.

  Helen Toles smiled. “Cassidy, I am fine. I already have one daughter ready to tie me to a bedpost, don’t you start. You’re my sanity,” she chuckled good-naturedly.

  Cassidy offered the older woman a sympathetic smile. Alex could be overbearing at times. Most of the time it was endearing, but Alex’s protectiveness could test a person’s patience from time to time. Cassidy had experienced that a bit when she was pregnant with their daughter, Mackenzie. Alex had been watching Helen like a hawk for weeks. “She means well,” Cassidy said.

  “I know. I have to get moving. You heard the doctor,” Helen said.

  Cassidy smiled as she fed a spoonful of peas to Mackenzie. Mackenzie promptly spit them out and Cassidy rolled her eyes. “You are just like your mother. Not everything in life is sweet, Kenzie, I hate to tell you,” Cassidy laughed as she wiped her daughter’s mouth.