Page 103 of Avenging Angel

The scandal has renewed an old and uncomfortable debate surrounding America’s intelligence community. The CIA operates in secrecy because much of its work must be conducted in the shadows and in the darkest dregs of society. Its officers have prevented terrorist attacks, rescued hostages, and carried out missions the public will never know about. But that secrecy can also become a wall behind which wrongdoing survives. Before one of the Dominion raids, Ludlow told his officers that protecting the country had never given them permission to become the very threat they were sworn to stop. Whatever justification CIPHER once carried, he said, ended the moment innocent people became acceptable casualties.

The raids may have ended Project CIPHER, but they have not answered the questions it leaves behind. Authorities must still determine how many children were taken, how many survived, and how many may still be living under assumed identities. Congressional and international investigations are expected to follow, with particular focus on whether an intelligence agency built to operate beyond public view can remain clandestine without becoming unaccountable. The CIA helped create CIPHER. Now it is helping to expose it.”

Daisy takes the paper from me and tucks it under her arm. “As you can tell from the article, we were able to get the drive Bennett downloaded containing the coordinates for every facility across the globe. The numbers are staggering: 1,819 teenagers taken, and not just girls. More than a dozen facilities housed males who were groomed to be the very political leaders the CIA, then Dominion, wanted to control. It’s a mess, but it’s a mess that is getting cleaned up. It just might take decades to do it.”

After a deep breath followed by a slow exhale, Daisy says, “You accomplished your mission, Eva. Dominion is exposed, hurt, and bleeding. And since you’ve moved on, it’s time that I do the same. Like you, my mission is complete. But before I go, one last thing. You didn’t just save Brit Larson; you saved a family. While there is plenty of therapy in their future, it appears as though it will be a happy ending. Your sacrifice was noble, and one day I’ll get to thank you in person. For now, just know that you’ll always hold a special place in my heart.”

Final Epilogue

Daisy

“Ibaked muffins!” I exclaim as I walk through the conference room doors that Angel is holding open for me.

“Are they edible this time?” Owen asks without bothering to look up. “The last batch you made was better suited for grilling burgers.”

I huff, fighting the smile that threatens to give away how much I appreciate the banter from my brother and friends. “They were not charcoal; just a little crispy around the edges.”

Angel takes the box from me and places it on the table. “Daisy didn’t lie; she did bake a batch of blueberry muffins that are currently lining the bottom of her trash can. These are from Bakery and Cakery.”

“They didn’t need to know that,” I whisper to Angel before I make my way around the table to my seat. I reach for an orange cream cheese muffin and begin picking off little pieces from the top, savoring the chewy texture of the top and saving the cakey bottom for last.

Angel takes the spot beside me, grinning at the idea that we’ll be working together. We had a long talk about whether the Southern Knights would be the right fit for him. In the end, it was the values we cling to with every mission that were the deciding factor—not me. He’s still worried that the day will come that we won’t be able to save each other.

“My days of subterfuge are behind me. I’m not starting my first day as a Southern Knight by trying to pull one over on the team.”

Owen taps his pen against the table, raising an eyebrow at Angel. “I really thought you’d take the offer from the FBI. They could use a man like you.”

Director Ludlow had offered Angel a promotion in order to keep him with the CIA, but Angel refused. Then Finnegan swooped in with an offer of his own; one that was pretty hard to refuse. In the end, Angel declined that one as well, feeling as though his service to the government is at an end.

Angel’s expression turns serious. “I’d rather work with an organization that includes God in its mission parameters and has an ethical code that they adhere to; one that follows Biblical principles. I pray before every assignment, but not once has the team I’ve been on before prayed together as a whole. You can’t put a price tag on that. At least Roger gives you all of the information as it comes in. There are no secrets here.”

Jeremy snorts as he reaches across the table for a breakfast pastry. “You mean that there are no secrets pertaining to the job. I’m sure we each have secrets of our own. Now that you’re one of us, Angel, I should warn you that protecting bankers and oil billionaires on a regular basis isn’t nearly as exciting as infiltrating a terrorist cell. Will you be able to handle all the boredom?”

At that, Angel guffaws. “You all seem to find yourselves in enough trouble that I doubt boredom will be an issue. It’s why Vinny has agreed to be a contractor for you. He’s not looking for the day-to-day excitement, but he’s also not ready to retire from doing what needs to be done to make this world a better place.”

I rest my head on Angel’s shoulder and smile up at him, then at Owen and Jeremy. “Vinny will be a great asset for us on the West Coast since he’s settling down in Oregon. He and Dottie are still going strong, and I doubt it will be long before we get the wedding invites.”

Rescuing the men in the room from the inevitable wedding debate we always seem to have when the subject of marriage comes up, the rest of the team trickles in. Jaxon and Faith take the seats to my left, and Jack files in behind them. I smile when I see Scott in the hallway kissing Grace goodbye before she heads to her office. Those two are just so cute and further proof that two people who love each other can work together.

Once we’re all seated, Roger comes in, closes the door, and makes his way to the head of the table with a stack of folders. “Before I get started, I’d like to welcome our newest member to the team: Angel Conway.”

There is a round of applause and a few shrill whistles to commemorate the moment. I also know that Roger is having lunch brought in after the meeting. When the noise dies down, Roger passes out the assignments.

“Most of these are mundane and just your run-of-the-mill protection assignments. Honestly, we can use the break after weeks of debriefs with both the FBI and the CIA.”

I drum my fingers on the folder in front of me. Out of all of us, I got the worst of it because of my abduction. They asked me all kinds of questions; some so ridiculous that I thought I was being punked. “As they say, ‘no stone left unturned.’ How is Genevieve?”

“She’s doing surprisingly well,” Roger says. “Genevieve was a little shaken up after the ordeal, but now she’s determined to go into law enforcement. Northwyck Academy for Girls will be funding any and all post-secondary education for her and placing an additional two million dollars in a trust for when she turns 25. It was either offer a settlement or end up in a lawsuit that would have closed the school down permanently. Bankruptcy would have ensured that both parties lost. As it stands, attendance has dropped by 30 percent since word got out they ignored a warning that resulted in the kidnapping of one of their students.”

“I guess justice is served…” Scott says as he swivels in his chair, “…if one considers buying your way out of punishment justice.”

Angel responds. “Negligence is a civil crime, not a felony. In this context, justice was served in the most appropriate manner. Jerry sifted through the correspondence to the school regarding the field trip, and none of it contains coercive language. The only stipulations to receive the funds were that the trip had to be in the Crater Lake region to meet the needs of the field experiments and it had to be during a specific timeframe. The headmistress had no idea that Bennett could monitor their internal communications to ascertain the chosen location. As far as the school is concerned, they weren’t complicit in any crime other than ignoring a very vague and ambiguous warning.”

Jaxon clasps his hands, leaning back casually in the office chair. “Speaking of Brad, have you heard from him?”

I snort in an unladylike fashion. “He wants to be as far away from us and this mess as possible, especially after spending three weeks detained in an FBI field office while his life was getting torn apart. Suffice it to say, he’s not the happiest camper.”

Owen grunts. “What did Brad expect? He may have been framed by Bennett, but he did work for Dominion in their accounting department. We just had to be sure that he wasn’t tied to anything illegal, especially anything related to CIPHER, before letting him go. The false ID of Douglas Jenner was implanted by Bennett for the sole purpose of leading a person down a rabbit hole if they got too close. I’ve often found there’s a kernel of truth in every lie.”