Brad Thor - The Athena Project

Pence was the one who had bugged her apartment and her car without a warrant and without the FBI’s approval. But from that, they learned that Suffolk was looking to place someone in DIA. That was why Matthews had studied up on all the conspiracy theories surrounding it. Pence had a pretty good feeling that if they dangled Ben in front of her, she’d take the bait, which was exactly what she had done.

Warrantless eavesdropping was the first of Dean Pence’s sins. Ben Matthews’s sins began when he first took Suffolk to bed. She had made so many advances, he was worried she was getting suspicious. He told himself that if he didn’t sleep with her, it might blow the entire operation. It was a lie and he knew it, but he couldn’t help himself.

Not only did he know it was wrong, he also knew what Pence would do to him if he confessed, so he lied to his partner as well. This entire operation felt cursed, and part of him wished that he had never met Victoria Suffolk.

Dean Pence looked at his watch. “If she can lead us to her handler, there could be a whole network of Russian spies we could take down.”

Once again, Ben shook his head and repeated. “I’m telling you, she’s good. I don’t think she’s going to make that kind of mistake.”

Their meeting was pretty much over. If Matthews was going to get out to DIA in time for his shift, he had to get going.

After an uncomfortable pause, Pence said, “Ben, I need to ask you something.”

Ben was now looking at his own watch. “What is it?”

“Are you having sex with her?”

“Who?” replied Matthews. “Suffolk?”

“Who else?”

Ben looked his partner right in the eyes. “I am not having sex with Victoria Suffolk.”

“Not that anyone would blame you,” said Pence. “She’s extremely good-looking.”

“Dean,” Ben insisted. “I’m not having sex with her. Okay?”

“You’d tell me if you were, right?”

“Of course I would.”

Pence shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe this is a bad idea. You’re still raw from your divorce. Dropping you into a situation like this isn’t fair.”

The elder FBI agent was right. It wasn’t fair. Ben’s divorce had been beyond messy. His ex had kicked him in the teeth so hard and so many times it was a wonder he didn’t need to eat all of his meals through a straw.

His wife had been the one who cheated, but throughout the bitter, scorched-earth proceedings, she had blamed all the problems in the marriage on Ben.

All things considered, was he vulnerable? Absolutely, but divorce or no divorce, there weren’t many men who could say no to a woman like Victoria Suffolk. The fact that Ben Matthews hadn’t even caught as much as a second look from a halfway attractive woman in the eight months since his divorce had begun to nudge him dangerously close to the desperate column.

Women like Suffolk didn’t happen to men like Ben Matthews, at least that was what he believed. Sleeping with her was wrong on multiple levels and he knew it. It was something that had been bothering him more and more. Nevertheless, he had yet to find the strength to bring it to a halt.

Determined to shield himself and the relationship from criticism by Pence, Ben lied a final time. “I’m not having sex with that woman.”

His partner studied him. “That’s almost believable,” he joked. “Wag your finger and say it like Bill Clinton this time.”

“I’m going to be late for work,” replied Matthews as he opened the door and stepped out of the car.

Pence put the Mazda in reverse and followed him. Rolling down the passenger window, he said, “Ben, for what it’s worth, I do believe you.”

“You don’t sound like it,” replied Matthews as he pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked his truck.

“You’re a big boy, Ben. You can make your own decisions. Just be careful, okay?” cautioned the elder FBI agent. “I’ve got a bad feeling that Victoria Suffolk is going to turn out to be a very dangerous woman.”

Jogging in the Arapaho National Forest was one of Vicki Suffolk’s favorite things to do. Today, though, she wondered if maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea. She had a very bad feeling that someone or something was following her.

It was the same trail she always took and one she had never seen anyone else on. The feeling coming over her was not one of regret that her private corner of the world had suddenly been discovered. This was a visceral feeling of being stalked.

She had already doubled back twice, trying to flush out whoever was behind her, but that hadn’t worked. Part of her mind wondered if maybe her imagination was in overdrive, but her instincts quickly shut down that dissenting opinion.

The one thing she had been taught was to always remain calm. The moment she let fear take over would be the moment she lost. That was easier said than done. Her heart was pounding and the adrenaline was coursing through her bloodstream. She could almost sense the thoughts of the thing pursuing her. It was powerful, hungry, and extremely cunning. It had to be a bear.

Unlike her beta-male, conspiracy-obsessed “boyfriend,” Ben, Vicki Suffolk didn’t have a problem with guns. While she kept hers a secret from him, she never went jogging, especially in a national forest, without it.

Unzipping her runner’s pack, she withdrew her Glock Slimline 36. It held six rounds of.45 caliber ammunition in a single-stack magazine. Would six rounds plus one in the chamber be enough?

She drew the pistol and turned to face whatever was pursuing her. The forest grew quiet, all of its creatures seemingly holding their breath in unison. It was as if someone had just hit the Mute button.

Was that really it? Or was her mind playing tricks on her? She waited, straining her ears for any sound of approaching danger. She peered into the forest around her, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was following her. She heard nothing and she saw nothing, so she did nothing.

She stood frozen for what felt like an eternity. Whatever was out there was patient, very patient.

A wind blew down along the path and teased the hairs on the back of her neck. Her skin, which had been covered with a thin film of sweat from jogging, was now cold and clammy to the touch. She could feel a chill spreading throughout her body.

The anxiety she was experiencing seemed to be playing itself out in the clouds above the tops of the trees. They were gray and telegraphed a rapidly approaching storm. A storm meant rain and rain meant acoustic cover for whatever was following her.

Taking her eyes off the path for a moment, Vicki glanced uphill. There was an abandoned miner’s cabin only a few hundred yards away. She couldn’t see it from where she now stood, but she knew it was there. It would keep her dry. It would also give her a tactical advantage over whatever was out there stalking her. Cautiously, Vicki made her way toward the cabin.

Fifty feet from the door, she heard a branch snap somewhere behind her. The rational part of her brain told her that if there was a bear back there, she’d never outrun it. All she could hope was that her shots would all find their marks and that seven rounds of.45 would be enough. She gripped her pistol tighter than she ever had in her life and picked up her pace. She needed to get to safety.

The trail gave onto a clearing beneath the trees. It was covered in pine needles and fallen branches. Up ahead was the abandoned cabin, its windows broken and its roof falling apart. Vicki didn’t want to look over her shoulder, but she knew she had to. If a bear was indeed after her, she’d need to turn and shoot.