The Agent's Surrender. Kimberly Van Meter
Chapter 24
Epilogue
“They can’t do this.” Holden Archangelo, CIA special skills officer, held his temper by the thinnest margin as his superior, Reed Harris, chief of staff, military affairs, looked up at Holden’s sudden appearance in his office. Holden gripped the door frame with Jane Fallon hot on his heels. “There’s been a mistake,” he said, ignoring Jane’s rigid, unwelcome presence.
“Your personal feelings are clouding your judgment,” Jane cut in, her lithe and muscular frame nearly as stiff as her inability to see Holden’s side. “If the accused were anyone other than your twin brother, would you have the same objections?”
He ignored her point. “Miko’s innocent.”
“He was proved guilty,” Jane countered. “And he will be treated as any person found guilty of treason.” She looked to Reed for affirmation.
“We all can sympathize with your position, Holden,” Reed said, leaning back in his chair with a heavy sigh.
Holden swallowed. Yes, the entire department knew Miko was Holden’s twin brother, which was why the case had been given to Jane and not Holden.
He kept his gaze trained on their superior, effectively trying to ignore Jane’s presence, which was near impossible. Pissed as hell would’ve been too mild of a phrase for the impotent rage choking him. He could admit Jane was a solid investigator, but he believed her final determination had been personal. Very personal. “Permission to remove Agent Fallon from the case for someone less biased.”
Jane sputtered, and he could feel the force of her glare even though he kept his stare focused on Chief Harris. “Sir, I take offense to his accusation,” she said. “My service record is impeccable, and I’ve given this office no reason to question my skills or my ability to separate my personal feelings from a case.”
Chief Harris grunted in agreement, giving Holden a sour look that warned him to tread carefully. “Don’t let your mouth overload your ass, son. Agent Fallon is more than qualified to handle this case. Permission denied. What’s this about anyway?” He pushed the paperwork on his desk and tapped it with his stubbed finger. “Nothing is in this file that we all didn’t already know was coming.”
Jane had concluded that Miko had been guilty of killing several people—including his own boss at the U.S. Department of Informational Development, or I.D. for short—and then committing suicide when the situation got too hot.
From the minute Holden had been told that Miko had killed himself at his own bar, something hadn’t passed the sniff test. No way would Miko have committed suicide. Not in a million years. Honor was something the Archangelo boys held sacred, and there was nothing honorable about taking a coward’s way out. “He didn’t do it,” he said between gritted teeth.
Jane shook her head, irritated. “Why are we having this conversation? I have eyewitness testimony that your brother ate a bullet. Harsh, yes, but sometimes the truth doesn’t pull punches.”
Holden had talked to Nathan Isaacs briefly about Miko’s death and, though Nathan had been there when Miko died, this was not an open-and-shut case. As difficult as it was for Holden to accept that Miko had pulled the trigger, he could not believe the story ended there. “Something was missed. No one knew my brother like I did, and I’m telling you, something isn’t right,” he finished hotly.
“I’m sure the family members of most suicide victims share similar conviction, but I assure you, nothing was missed,” Jane retorted, almost bored. “The truth is it doesn’t matter how you feel about the matter, your brother did, indeed, kill himself and you’re going to have to find a way to deal with that knowledge. It’s time to face facts and move on. Miko Archangelo was found guilty of his crimes and, as per the regulations, will be stripped of all military honors effective immediately. Frankly, I find your outrage a little confusing. The report was finished a month ago.”
“Yeah, and someone made sure that I’m just now seeing it,” he shot back, leaving no doubt he believed it was Jane’s doing. “Funny how that happened. If I’d known about your findings, I would’ve found a way to put a stop to your little celebration ceremony.”
Jane colored but held her ground and looked to their superior to end the controversy once and for all. “Sir?”
Reed considered a moment and then said, “Son, I know you’re hurting. You and your brother shared a close bond. But there comes a time when you have to accept the facts as they are given. Miko made a grave error in judgment and got in over his head. It’s that simple. It hurts, I know, but we’re not in the business of sugarcoating the truth.”
Holden spied the tiniest lift of Jane’s mouth and burned at the thought she might get the upper hand in this. Not because of their shared history—but because Miko’s honor depended on Holden succeeding.
“I have new evidence,” he blurted, taking a risk when he didn’t have all his ducks lined up just yet. Jane frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but Holden wouldn’t give her the chance to shoot him down. “Sir, I know I’ve got a dog in this fight, but that’s all the more reason to let me at least see this through, whatever that end might be. Let me chase down this one lead, and if nothing comes of it, I’ll let it go.”
“This is ridiculous,” Jane protested, shooting Holden a dark look. “The case is closed. What’s next? Reopening every closed case when a family member squawks at the outcome? This sets the potential for a very dangerous precedent.”
“If your investigation is solid, Jane, you have nothing to worry about,” Holden returned. He couldn’t give a rat’s ass if Jane Fallon came out looking like a junior officer with her first real case. All he cared about was clearing Miko’s name.
“And what’s this new piece of evidence and why didn’t you present it when Jane was conducting her investigation?” Reed asked. The older man watched him intently. “Did you purposefully withhold information in an attempt to protect your brother?”
“No sir. This information came to me only recently.”
“What information is that?” Jane crossed her arms.
“It’s my lead,” he said coldly. “I’ll chase it down. I wouldn’t want your bias to color your judgment.”
“My bias? What about yours?”
“If my brother is truly guilty, I’ll close the book and let it be. I know he’s not, though. If you had known my brother, you’d know he couldn’t have done the things you say he did.”
“And would you say your brother wasn’t capable of gunning down innocent people? Because he absolutely did that,” she countered. “That’s irrefutable.”
Holden swallowed. True, and that piece of the puzzle didn’t make sense. All kinds of bad stuff had been happening under the auspices of I.D., which had subsequently been shut down, but Holden had a feeling the rot went even deeper than they’d uncovered. And somehow Miko had been at the heart of it.
“So spit it out,” she pressed, her green eyes narrowing as she awaited his answer. “What’s this new compelling evidence that miraculously appeared at the eleventh hour?”
He glanced at Reed. “I’d prefer to share that information in private.”
His boss shook his head. “Jane is the investigating officer. Technically, any information you have should be shared with her, too.” Reed’s stare bounced from one officer to the other. “I really have no reservations with Jane as an investigator, nor do I feel