A Thin Disguise by Catherine Bybee

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

For the first time in Olivia’s adult life, she felt as if the skills Richter had taught her were being used for the greater good.

The first week after returning, Sasha, Claire, and Olivia worked together to build a network of websites and email addresses. Two weeks in, Jax returned from Europe and joined them. Between the four of them, they were able to create legitimate-looking FBI and federal marshal websites that would fool the top hackers in the business.

The plan was to give Friedrich something to follow.

The London team kept Friedrich in sight, and when the opportunity presented itself, Sven, the top hacker on that team, infiltrated Friedrich’s room and programed the man’s computer to pick up what they were laying out when they were ready.

Isaac tried twice to handcuff Olivia to a chair before he finally conceded. The sparring between them reminded her of her early years at Richter, when fighting was for points and fun . . . and never really meant to hurt someone.

Lars didn’t actually cry when he saw her, but he was pretty quiet and went out of his way to ask her if she was okay almost every day. Olivia put him at ease the best she could, and gave him a good ribbing about Pam, who he apparently called on occasion.

At night, Olivia and Leo would either work together on the plan at Neil’s headquarters or snuggle on Leo’s sofa in front of a fire in his small Glendale home.

And she belonged.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Neil’s team had eyes on Friedrich, she’d be concerned that they were being watched.

But for now, the only spidey sense crawling up her spine was how quickly she was assimilating into Leo’s life. Feeling him lying beside her at night had helped chase away some of the hellish landscape of her nightmares. She knew there was no way to erase the demons of her past, but maybe in time she could achieve some kind of balance.

Once the decoy protection program home that was housing Marie had been secured, and the trail of bread crumbs was in place, it became a twenty-four-hour game of dodge and weave.

Olivia sat in front of one of Neil’s computers late in the evening, when it would be morning where Friedrich was in France. Patiently she waited until the man logged in to his computer before accessing the hacks she’d designed and Sven had placed.

“You sure this is going to work?” Claire asked at her side.

Leo was leaning on a table behind her. Sasha and Neil were close by.

“He thinks I’m invested in Marie. The smart thing for me to do would be to find the girl and move her . . . or protect her. And since I’m shacking up with Mr. FBI over here”—she looked over her shoulder and smiled at Leo—“I would eventually infiltrate Leo’s system and find a database. But not right away. Friedrich will know this. Even if he doesn’t follow my path to fake Marie, we will make sure he stumbles upon the intel.” Olivia itched to press buttons when she saw that he’d logged in. But before she put the plan in action, she needed to watch what he was doing.

“There is still a chance he could know we’re watching.”

Olivia shook her head. “He was good. I was better.”

Friedrich’s computer powered up completely, and he put in a password.

Claire leaned forward to type. Olivia stopped her.

“We should get his password,” she suggested.

“Not needed.” Her eyes stayed glued to the monitor. Sasha and Neil walked up behind her. “I changed mine every day.”

Friedrich pulled up a Gmail screen.

Hope flared in Olivia’s chest.

Leo leaned forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Less than a minute later, Friedrich was in Leo’s email.

“Holy shit,” Leo cursed.

His hand tightened on her shoulder. She reached up to squeeze it. “This is what we want.”

“How long has he been in there?”

“I’m going to guess daily,” Olivia informed him. “But don’t worry, he’s waiting for me to hack in to get into the federal database. Harder for him and easier for me because of you.” Olivia leaned back in her chair, stretched her arms over her head, then moved to the keyboard.

She sent an email to Leo’s address from one of the sites they’d set up. In the subject line she typed “Richter Urgent.”

It took five minutes for Friedrich to open the email. It was allegedly sent by Checkpoint Charlie requesting immediate information about a former student that might be on an American most-wanted list. In the email he implied that a mutual friend might be in jeopardy.

“Charlie would never ask this question,” Claire said.

“No, but Leo wouldn’t know that. So when Leo jumps on his email for the night, he might just log in to his office email and give Friedrich the link he needs . . . or the link that I need.” Olivia waited, forcing herself to move slowly to not tip off Friedrich.

A half an hour later she opened the email, as if she were Leo . . . that was when the hack into his computer was up and running.

Friedrich’s fingers were typing quickly to catch up.

“I didn’t go to hacking school . . . Tell me what’s going on,” Leo asked.

Olivia typed while Claire explained. “You know how hackers get into your computer and steal personal information through email? A good hack only requires you to open the email. So Olivia sent you a fake message from Charlie, you open it, and now your computer is subject to whatever information she wants to get from you. We open that up for Friedrich to follow along.” Claire pointed to the computer screen. “Pretending to be you, she logs into the FBI site, our fake FBI site, and that login and security is now compromised. You would be searching for the name Charlie just dropped, and if Friedrich is paying attention, he will now start working on Marie’s whereabouts.”

Olivia pretended to search for the name acting as Leo. Twenty minutes in, she logged off.

They all watched as Friedrich moved around the fake website, roadblocks stopping him from getting far. Around midnight, Olivia used the alleged hack as if she were going into the FBI site to search for Marie as well. Unlike Friedrich, she was able to push open a window, a fake one, that sent her to a new site. A trail of bread crumbs and slow delivery of intel had to be paced to keep Friedrich from the truth.

The door to Neil’s office opened, and Jax walked in with Cooper. “We’re ready for our shift.”

Having given Friedrich enough information to keep looking, Olivia and Leo went home, leaving the three younger members of the team watching Friedrich’s online movements.

Olivia stretched out beside Leo, exhaustion in her bones.

“How long will this part take?” Leo asked.

“A few days. The last bit of intel will make him think he has a jump on me. He’ll want to get there first,” she said, yawning. “It will still take him a couple more days once he’s on the move.”

“Enough time to get to the decoy house?”

It had been an exciting and exhausting day. “Yes. He’ll leave Europe with a jump flight, change identities, and get to the US. Once he’s here, he’ll obtain what he needs for the hit. I don’t think he’ll waste time casing the location. Only enough to know I’m not there.”

“Then we’re on to phase two,” Leo said, pulling her into his arms.

“So long as nothing goes wrong.” She was too tired to think about that now.

Leo kissed the top of her head. “Go to sleep. We have time.”

She couldn’t keep her eyes open even if she wanted to. “I’m glad I’m not doing this alone,” she admitted out loud.

He squeezed her tighter. “Me too.”

For the next three days, they worked around the clock, dribbling information to Friedrich until everything he needed to know to get to Marie was available to him.

Only then did they leave California to beat Friedrich to the finish line.

The decoy witness protection home sat in an older neighborhood in a suburb of San Antonio, Texas. It had been fortified and surrounded by Neil’s team. The occupied home on the south side was a vacant rental, and a logical place for Friedrich to infiltrate to take his shot. The home on the north side was owned by a single man who won a four-night, three-day vacation south of the border, courtesy of Neil’s never-ending pockets. The actual home with the address they’d fed to Friedrich as Marie’s, Neil had rented from the owners stating a need for a photoshoot. Not only did the owners receive a pretty steep paycheck for the space, they were going to have an entirely secure home with a state-of-the-art security system free of charge.

The European team kept eyes on Friedrich when he left that part of the world. When his flight arrived in Boston, Neil had eyes on him until he left. From there the man flew to Austin and rented a car.

AJ was on point to follow, but the risk was too great when Friedrich veered off of the main highway. That was when nerves started to rumble. Olivia thought of it as the few minutes of silence NASA has to go through when their spacecraft is reentering the atmosphere. You knew it would happen and approximately how long it would take . . . but you never really knew until it was over.

Olivia sat in a huddle with the rest of the team, all of whom were dressed in different costumes and disguises. Or, like her, were armed to the nth degree, wearing combat gear and prepared for the worst.

Cooper sat to Sasha’s left, a stick of gum in his mouth, his knee bouncing with energy. Both of them were dressed for war. Claire wore runner’s pants and earbuds, giving the illusion that she was out for an evening run. Lars and Isaac were dressed as plumbers, and the surveillance van was a modified work truck parked one block over.

“As soon as Friedrich infiltrates any adjacent homes, we move. Let’s do this without one shot fired,” Neil instructed. “Sasha and I will take the south home. Leo and Olivia the north. Everyone else, be prepared to move if he chooses a different house altogether.”

They’d kept the actual decoy home empty . . . with the exception of the special effects set up to cast shadows as if someone was walking around. The blinds were selectively closed with cloth that would make it difficult for Friedrich to see with an infrared camera or goggles. This would force him to move closer and wait for a shot. Logically, the houses closest would be used.

As Olivia pointed out . . . he would want to get in, kill the girl, and get out without anyone hearing a thing. That’s what they wanted, too.

The last thing any of them wanted was a gun battle in a residential neighborhood. Hostages were not an option.

What they needed was for Friedrich to follow the fake intel and get close to the target that was supposed to be Marie, and the team would take him down. Then the third part of their plan could begin.

Olivia placed her hand over Leo’s. “This is going to work.”

“It has to.”

It was midday, and the residential neighborhood was quiet. The homes were spread out enough to offer some protection from people in the neighborhood. The team was accustomed to breaking into homes unnoticed. And in cases like this, Leo and Olivia walked right through the front door like they belonged.

“Team One in position,” Sasha reported for her and Neil.Their voices came through the earpiece.

“Team Two in position,” Olivia said, looking at Leo as they walked through the vacant house.

“Team Three.”

“Team Four.”

Time ticked by in slow minutes.

Olivia watched the street from the highest window in the house.

In any other assignment, she’d have her sniper rifle out, her scope dialed in, and her exit ready.

The more time that passed, the more concerned she became.

The time on her synchronized watch said Friedrich should have arrived thirty minutes ago.

“Maybe he was hungry?” Isaac suggested from his position.

“He can’t get anywhere close without us seeing him,” Neil reminded them.

That didn’t stop Olivia’s palms from starting to sweat.

Claire’s voice sounded in her ear. “Incoming from the south.”

Olivia blew out a breath, watched the street.

When the Jeep drove by, it was as if the entire team froze.

Lars reported next. “Exited from the north.”

“Well, shit.”

Olivia took a breath. “Hold tight.”

Minutes passed.

“He’s circling back around.”

After two sweeps past the houses, Friedrich parked outside the block and was seen leaving the Jeep on foot.

“Claire?”

“He’s taking position from the thicket of trees in the north property,” Isaac reported.

Olivia moved her location and found a back window. “Do you see him?” she asked anyone listening.

“He’s moving closer. Be alert.”Neil’s voice was tense.

The movement was brief, then for thirty minutes, Friedrich crouched in the overgrown corner, watching the house they’d set up as Marie’s location.

“Drawing him in,” Sasha reported.

Without looking, Olivia knew Sasha had turned on the remote setup and activity that would suggest someone was sitting on a sofa watching TV.

“Headed toward you, Team Two.”

While Friedrich moved, so did Olivia, ready to intervene the second he infiltrated the house.

“He’s cutting the power,” Sasha reported.

“Moving in position,” Cooper announced.

“Team Four ready on your call, Team Two.”

Olivia made eye contact with Leo, who had his back to the wall by the side door.

The light in the hall went dark, the sounds of appliances running went silent.

“Making his entry through the south door. Weapon in his right hand.”

Time moved slowly and Olivia counted every heartbeat she felt inside her chest. She heard the lock moving and crept closer to flank the door with Leo.

Leo stood prepared to pounce, his weapon an extension of his arm. His opposite hand stood ready to make the move at the same time.

The door opened.

A silencer poked through first.

Leo signaled and they both rushed.

Olivia reached for the weapon, and Leo pulled the man inside.

The distinct sound of the gun firing shot through the ceiling as Friedrich managed two rapid rounds before Olivia relieved him of his weapon.

Neil was yelling commands through their communication system, and Leo was wrestling Friedrich to the ground.

The element of surprise had worked long enough to take the gun, but not to stop the fight for dominance.

Leo tossed his gun the moment they both hit the floor.

Olivia secured the weapon and pointed it at the two of them.

Friedrich managed an elbow to Leo’s kidney and lifted a fist to strike another blow.

“Freeze,” Olivia yelled, her aim ready to make him stop.

Friedrich hesitated and looked her way.

Only then did she realize the team had filled the house. Half a dozen guns were leveled . . . red dots covered Friedrich’s face and chest. One wrong move and he’d resemble swiss cheese.

Friedrich slowly opened his long fingers and lifted his hands in the air.

Leo was on him, forcing Friedrich’s hands behind his back and into a pair of handcuffs.

“I want to see my attorney.”

Leo lifted him up to his knees.

“That’s not how this is going to work,” Olivia announced.

Cooper walked in the back door and tossed Friedrich’s bag onto a table and started to rifle through it.

“What are you doing?” Friedrich asked.

“Leo was never a target,” Olivia said to him. “Navi isn’t as stupid as his ‘cousin.’ You popping me was not a split-second decision.”

He stayed silent.

“You had one target all along. It wasn’t until after Budapest that I remembered a lone SWAT member on the opposite side of the courthouse whose position was optimal for a kill shot. Only your intel was off. Marie wasn’t exiting the door you expected. Your exit wasn’t secure.”

Friedrich remained silent as Olivia spoke.

“You were unable to touch her. So you slap me. Make damn sure I saw you before I went down to guarantee I’d come looking for you. You tell me to walk away. I’m a ghost and no one needs to know I’m alive. All I have to do is look the other way.”

Olivia glanced around the room. “Only you’d done your research. Knew enough about this team to understand that we don’t walk away from a job half done. So you waited for Leo and me to track down Marie so we can protect her. And in turn lead you right to her.”

Friedrich’s next words were muttered in German.

“Stealthy bitch indeed,” Olivia repeated.

“She’s not in Texas, is she?” he asked.

“Couldn’t say.”

“What do you want from me?” Friedrich asked.

Olivia turned to Cooper and exchanged the silenced handgun for the burner phone he had in his hand. She waved it in the air. On the other end, Mykonos Sobol, not his “cousin Navi,” would be taking the call. Funny how phones like these ended up in prisoners’ hands.

“You’re going to make the call.”

He shook his head. “I can’t do that.”

“You can. And you will.” The phone dangled in her fingertips. “Mykonos only has to believe Marie is dead to achieve what he desires. To make an example of the girl and brag to those he wants to control that he made sure she was dead. Since Marie has no intention of a resurrection, no one will ever know.”

Friedrich narrowed his eyes. “Even if I did this, what do you do with me?”

“You disappear. Find an island somewhere. I understand Bali is a great place to retire.”

Friedrich’s expression shifted. His lips pressed together in a thin line. “Leave him alone.”

“I’m not threatening your father,” Olivia told him. Her eyes looked at Neil, who offered a nod. Their tracking had found Louis Schmidt in Bali, where he was enjoying the life of a king . . . all bankrolled by his thankful son who loved him unconditionally. “This is your exit, Friedrich. Take it.”

“If Mykonos learns that Marie is alive, the bounty is put on me.”

Olivia looked around the room. “The bounty is on you now.”

Friedrich attempted to look smug. “You want me to believe that everyone in this room is willing to shoot an unarmed man?”

Leo leaned close to Friedrich’s head and spoke for all of them. “It’s Texas, and you’re breaking and entering with a gun that has your prints all over it. There doesn’t need to be a bigger reason than that in this part of the country.”

For the first time since Leo had put Friedrich in handcuffs, the man looked less than confident.

Olivia approached, the phone in her hand.

Neil turned away from the scene and walked out the back door.

“Time to call this in.”

“And if Mykonos wants proof?”

“We’re professionals. We don’t take trophies.” Did he think she was new?

Olivia held the phone up, her finger over the call button. Burner phones were one-time use with one number on the other end and were destroyed once the message was relayed.

Friedrich gave a single nod, and Olivia pressed the button.

It rang twice before it was picked up.

Mykonos Sobol’s voice answered. “Tell me,” he said in Russian.

“It is done,” Friedrich answered in the same language.

Leo looked at Olivia.

She kept her expression neutral.

Olivia rolled her finger, telling Friedrich to continue.

“I expect our agreement to be fulfilled within the hour. You’ll never hear from me again. I expect the same from you.”

“A pleasure” were Mykonos’s final words before Olivia disconnected the call.

The color in Friedrich’s face had turned ashen. “What now?”

“We return to your hotel, wait for the funds to hit your bank, and then get you on a flight.”