Chapter Eight

F rom the lengthy silence on JT's end, Boone could tell his friend was struggling to comprehend the story Boone shared.

"You believe her?" JT's question, filled with doubts, stung, but Boone certainly understood it. He'd have asked the same thing if on the other end. After all, her own country thought her responsible for betraying them and for murdering her partner.

"Yeah, I do." Boone couldn't explain it, but when he'd looked at Ellie as she explained her past, he'd believed her.

"Alright. That's good enough for me."

Boone wasn't surprised. In the short time he'd worked for Hope Island Securities, he'd gotten to know the men and women who worked there. They were all strong in faith and most had weathered storms that helped them do the job day after day when faced with some of the most heart-wrenching cases around, like the missing child case Boone had taken on.

"Well, let me work on getting a safe house for Ellie and you. I'll have our people help with protection. You said you had a license plate number for me to run?"

Boone gave it to him. "I'm sure it's a rental, but it's someplace to start."

"Got it. I'll let you know what I find." JT paused for a long moment before telling Boone to be careful. "This could escalate into an international event very quickly. If she's being actively pursued by Mossad then our interference will be frowned upon. And if this does involve Syrian Intelligence, well, that's a whole other ball game. Our government has enough friction with other countries as it is." He sighed deeply. "On another note, have you heard the latest projection from the weather service? Looks like the storms gathering in the Atlantic are gaining in strength."

Boone glanced over to where Ellie sat at the counter staring into her cup. "Not what we need right now. And I get what you're saying about our interference, but I'm telling you something's wrong here."

"I believe you, and I trust your judgment," JT told him. "Let me see what I can do to get you out of sight. That's our first step. Get her safe. We'll figure out the rest from there."

Boone told him about the couple he'd seen walking on the beach. "It seemed fairly early for a stroll." Then he mentioned Dottie. "I'm guessing the people who owned the illegal petting zoo had her and other animals stashed in one of the homes along the beach. My guess is the one next door."

"Agreed. I'll get Will Kelly, our chief of police, involved. I'm guessing the people watching Ellie were staying at that house and didn't realize it had been inhabited by a pig." He hesitated. "She can't keep working at the Hopeful."

Boone realized as much. "I'll figure out something to tell Hank."

JT chuckled. "Good luck. Hank is sharp. She'll know something's up."

"Yes, she will." But he could tell the older woman liked Ellie. Hopefully, she wouldn't press too much.

"Stay close to her until you hear from me. I'll be in touch soon."

"Copy you." Boone ended the call and joined Ellie. "He's working on getting you someplace safe to stay. Once that's accomplished, we'll get the team together and go over the information we have." He faced her. "You won't be able to keep working here."

Ellie slowly nodded. "I know. I feel awful about it. Hank hired me to take over for Suzanne. Now, I'm leaving her in a lurch. "

She had a good heart. "Hank will understand. Thankfully, it should be slowing down due to the weather."

He heard someone at the rear entrance and strode to the back door. "Ellie, is anything wrong? The door's locked," Hank called out through the locked door.

No time like the present to get things over with.

"Just a second." Boone unlocked the door and opened it. Hank was clearly surprised to see him.

"Where's Ellie? Is she okay?"

Boone's first hint that Hank suspected there was more to Ellie's story.

"She's fine, but something did happen." He strode back to the dining area, where Ellie waited for them.

Hank looked from Boone to Ellie. "Well—tell me."

Ellie gave as few details as possible while leading Hank to believe she was being chased by a stalker.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I knew something was wrong—I could just tell it from the way you acted—but I never imagined this."

Ellie lowered her head. "I'm sorry that I'm going to have to leave you shorthanded."

Hank was quick to tell her not to worry. "I have a friend who will give me a hand from time to time."

"Thank you, Hank." Ellie glanced Boone's way. "For now, maybe I can help you out. Just for a little while."

Boone didn't like the idea of Ellie staying in the same place as the attack but he believed he'd have a fight on his hands if he tried to stop it. "Only until we finalize the safe house."

Hank squeezed her hand. "Are you sure, Ellie? I don't want to put you in further danger."

"I'll be fine. Boone will be here." She squared her shoulders expecting him to argue.

Hank smiled. "Good, because I've enjoyed working with you." Not one to show emotion, Hank busied herself behind the counter.

"You know this isn't wise," Boone whispered.

"Maybe not, but I won't leave her shorthanded with the storm coming. And I can't run out on another person like I have in the past. I can't."

He blew out a sigh. "Alright, but, like I said, it's only until we have a safe location to take you. Until then, keep the back door locked."

"I'm way ahead of you, Boone." Hank headed toward it.

Boone's phone alerted to an incoming call. Tobias's number popped on the screen. "I have to take this."

He put space between himself and Ellie. He didn't want her overhearing the conversation.

"Shalom, my friend," Boone said in greeting.

"Shalom. Sorry about not being able to talk earlier. Too many ears. Your request was vague. Can you elaborate?"

Boone did his best to explain Ellie's position without giving too much away.

"Ah, yes. That was before my time with Mossad, but I remember hearing about the case. A female agent who sold secrets to the Syrians. She's on the wanted list."

Tobias confirmed Ellie's belief that Mossad was actively searching for her. Boone fought against being discouraged. Ellie mentioned the men from earlier spoke Arabic. His instincts insisted they were not Mossad agents.

"You'd better tell me why you wish to know about one of our rogue agents, my friend."

Boone hesitated. "Can I trust this is just two friends talking?"

Tobias hesitated much longer than Boone hoped. "You can. I owe you. You saved my life."

Boone looked Ellie's way. "What if I can prove your traitor isn't her?"

Tobias paused for a long moment. "There's evidence that says differently."

"I know it's asking a lot, but can you tell me what happened?"

Tobias could get into real trouble by divulging Mossad intelligence to an outsider. "I can give you the short version. An agent by the name of Daniel Malin, Ayla Galante's partner, was shot with her weapon. He died. Mossad did its best to cover up the assassination to protect itself, but I've seen the file. There was evidence that someone within Mossad was feeding secrets to Syrian Intelligence. Daniel, the lead agent, set up a trap claiming to be meeting with an agent who worked within Syrian Intelligence. It was him and Ayla. They were supposed to flush out the traitor . . . only turns out she was the traitor. She was the one who turned on Daniel and killed him."

Nothing Tobias said made sense. Ellie claimed to love Daniel. She spoke about his murder. He told Tobias as much.

"How do you know she's telling you the truth?"

Tobias was a good man. He'd proven himself to be trustworthy during the time they'd worked together. Was Boone making a huge mistake by trusting Ellie?

He didn't think so. During some of the worst cases he'd worked undercover for the CIA, the one thing that kept him alive was trusting his gut. Now, it told him Ellie had been framed.

"The same way I know I can trust you to keep this conversation between us," Boone finally said.

Tobias chuckled.

"Is there anything you can give me that might point to someone else being involved?"

"Not really. Both of their apartments were searched. There was an unusually large amount of funds in her account. Seemed to prove she was on the take." Tobias sighed. "I'll try to get my hands on the actual file, but I can't promise anything."

"Whatever you can give me would be welcome. Be careful, Tobias. I have a feeling there is so much more to the story than what you and I currently understand."

"For your sake, I hope you're correct. As your friend, I must tell you to watch your back. Goodbye, Boone. We'll talk soon." Tobias ended the call.

Boone chose not to share his conversation with Ellie because Tobias appeared convinced Ellie was guilty.

He found Hank's stash of sandbags and went out to prepare the shop for the possibility of flooding while Ellie and Hank filled orders for the handful of patrons looking for an early afternoon pick-me-up. Was he wrong? He'd trusted Ellie's word while not really knowing her well.

Once the last of the bags were in place he went back inside and pulled out a chair at one of the tables that would allow him to watch the entire room and door.

Ellie smiled at one of the male customers who thanked her and left the coffeehouse. She was a well-trained spy. Mossad agents were experts in intelligence collection, covert operations, and counterterrorism. They underwent an extensive two-year training period. Ellie would know how to make a lie believable. He'd certainly learned to sell a cover story during his time. After a while, the lies take over and you lose a little more of the real you.

The incoming message brought his attention to the phone in his hand. JT had run the plates. As expected, the car was a rental. The name on the lease is Conrad Biggs.

I did a search on the name. Nothing to draw any attention. I'm guessing they created just enough information to make the background check believable. Paid with a credit card from the same address in a small town in Massachusetts. I've brought in Will—I trust him to reach out to the police department there. They'll check out the address, but I have a feeling it's going to be a bust.

Having the Hope Island police chief involved worried Boone a little, but Will was a good friend of the team, and JT trusted him.

Will and his people had searched the house next to Ellie's place. They found evidence of someone squatting there illegally There were take-out containers piled up and slept-in beds. The forensics team was searching for fingerprint and DNA evidence.

Boone thanked JT for his help.

Any luck on securing a safe house on the island?

JT's response came quickly. Working with Declan on that one. I'm sending him and Eli to you for backup. Stay safe.

Things had been set into motion. He'd have his team here with him. It was going to be okay.

So why didn't it feel okay?

Throughout the afternoon, customers came and went. Several stuck around to chat with Hank. These were the locals.

When Eli and Declan arrived, Boone was grateful for the assist.

They spotted him and came over, each clasping Boone's hand. The team had taken him in and made him feel at home right from the start. For someone who couldn't seem to fit in, that was a welcome experience.

Both pulled out chairs at Boone's table.

"JT and I figured the best place to get Ellie out of sight is on Breakers Island. It's a small island a little way off the coast of Hope. I have a cabin there. There's only one other family that still comes there from time to time so it's not on anyone's radar. The cabin's small and a bit rustic, but it's a good place to hide. No one will be looking for her there." Declan scanned the dining area looking for trouble. "I just hope this storm lets up before we leave. Crossing the water in these conditions won't be easy."

Boone blew out a relieved sigh. "Me, too. I appreciate the use of the cabin. That's a huge relief. Still, we don't know if they're sitting on this place or not. We'll have to be careful getting there."

Declan nodded. "You believe her?" His attention homed in on Ellie clearing tables.

Boone didn't hesitate even though there was a small part in the back of his head that warned him to be careful. "I do. She didn't kill her partner."

Like JT, Eli told him that was good enough for them. "Might be wise to have someone else go back to retrieve her things . . . oh, and by the way, thanks for bringing the pig to my wife to babysit." Eli pretended to be upset. "She wants us to adopt one now."

Boone chuckled. "Sorry about that. I wasn't sure who else might be willing to watch Dottie until we could pick her up."

"Dottie. That's fitting. Sashi sent me a picture." Eli scrolled through his phone and brought up the picture of the piglet. "I have to admit, she's kind of cute. But a pet pig?"

Boone held up his hands. "I get it. The thing wandered up to Ellie's house, and she seems determined to keep it. Can you send me that picture? I'll show it to Ellie. It'll make her feel better knowing Dottie's in good hands."

"Sure thing." Eli's expression sobered. "I'm guessing these men we spotted yesterday are here for Ellie and not Sashi."

Boone knew his friend was worried about his wife's safety after everything she'd gone through in the past. "Probably. They may be Syrian Intelligence Agents. Ellie believes they've never stopped searching for her."

Ellie came over with coffee for them. "I wasn't sure what you all drank," she told them after Boone introduced the two men. "There are coffees and my Rocky Caramel espresso drinks. Help yourselves." Her worried gaze bounced between the street out front of the coffeehouse and Boone.

"Thanks for these." Boone tried one of her signature drinks and told her about the safe house. "As soon as we can leave Hank comfortably, I'll have Janine—she's one of our people—pick up your things and meet us over at the dock."

Ellie's tension didn't ease any at the news. "Thanks. I don't have much so it shouldn't be hard to collect." She glanced over her shoulder as another group of people Boone didn't recognize came in. "I'd better go help Hank." She hurried away.

As he watched her go, Boone could almost see the weight of the world on her hunched shoulders. He wondered what she would be like when the past holding her down was gone. When? That was an awfully positive assumption.

"She has no idea how they keep finding her?"

Declan's question pulled Boone back to the conversation around the table.

"None. She told me she got rid of everything from her past. Except her engagement ring and weapon. The phone is a burner. I don't get it."

Declan's frown deepened. "There's something from her time in Israel and with Mossad that's allowing this. Maybe a laptop or tablet?"

Boone shook his head. "Nothing. Not even a water bottle or coffee cup."

Declan didn't let it go. "There's a connection somehow. We just have to find it."

Boone had no idea what it could possibly be. Once they were safely out of sight, perhaps the team could help Ellie go over everything she'd experienced since the night her fiancé died. Declan was right. There had to be some way. Finding it would be key to breaking the hold her enemies had on her. At least, for the moment.