Beck had to shake his head. “You never seemed depressed.”
“The drugs will do that to you,” Ezra allowed. “Uhm, I’m pretty sure during that last year you never saw me when I wasn’t high. I was excellent at hiding it, though I know some of the guys in the unit I was in at the time suspected I had a problem. I got called in by my CO one day and I thought I was going to get in serious trouble. Instead that man on the tape was there and he offered me a place in what he called a special unit.”
“Just so we’re clear,” Eve began, “you’re talking about Levi Green. He was the man who recruited you onto the unit you were in when the incident took place.”
“Yes. I saw him the once and then one other time during the six months I was with that unit. I didn’t talk to him much. He talked to my CO much more. I also wasn’t given his name. That alone let me know we were working for the Agency,” Ezra explained. “But I trusted them. My two favorite people in the world were agents.”
Beck didn’t want to think about what his brother’s words were doing to him. He wasn’t going to forgive Ezra. He didn’t have to. He didn’t have to forgive the people who had done him wrong. He could understand it in Kim’s case, but he would still be married if Ezra hadn’t played his games.
Wouldn’t he? Then there was the issue of Levi Green picking Ezra Fain for his “special” unit. “He picked you specifically?”
Ezra nodded. “Yes. He said he’d been looking for the right corpsman to fill the last spot. I took it because I thought I might be able to hide my problems. I got on that team and realized I didn’t have to hide at all.”
“Because they were all corrupt in one way or another.” Tag was looking down at the file in front of him. “Levi put together a group he could manipulate if he had to. Every man on the team had issues. Did Levi supply you with drugs?”
His brother’s jaw tightened. “Someone did. I think we can probably bet it was him.”
“I’ve got Theo working on finding out if Levi had any other special teams,” Tag explained.
“I think he did.” Kim glanced Tag’s way, a serious expression on her face. “I think he had one in each branch of the military. He bragged about it to me once and told me his units would take him far. Most of us work with whoever is in the area, but Levi would move his own teams around the globe if he had to.”
She’d never told him that. Suspicion was an old friend, and he felt it brush up his spine. Why wouldn’t she have told him?
She turned his way as though she could read his mind. “I wasn’t aware of this until after our divorce.” She went back to speaking to Tag. “And obviously, we were working for the same agency during the time with the Lost Boys.”
“You were a good agent.” Tag looked almost sympathetic. “I truly understand the walls you had to put up. You were walking a very fine line, and I appreciate everything you did for us during that time. Charlie told you about the office, right?”
“Yes.” Her face went a careful blank. “It looks nice.”
“It’s yours for as long as you want it,” Tag offered. “I know you don’t need the paycheck, but you do need the work. This isn’t some sympathy offer. I’m not trying to placate your ex-husband. I think you’ve got excellent instincts, and I can’t buy your experience. I want you to take the next couple of months and think about staying here with us.”
“I appreciate it.” The smile was back on her face. “I especially appreciate having a safe place for Roman for the rest of the summer.”
“We’re going to make sure you’re all safe,” Tag promised. “Now this seems to be getting emotional and that is icky. Do y’all need to sort this out and then Beck can write up a report?”
“I think that would be best,” Eve said quietly. “I wasn’t aware they hadn’t talked. This is not the place for family history to be revealed. Why don’t we leave you the conference room?”
“No,” Kim said. “It’s all right. It’s better to get it out here and now so I can answer your questions. The truth of the matter is Ezra didn’t understand the whys behind the missions he was sent on. We’ve all read the report Levi wrote?”
He should have taken Ezra up on his chance to make this private because it was obvious that his offer of coffee hadn’t made a dent in Kim’s walls. He wasn’t sure why, but they were all up again this morning. She was sitting feet away but further than ever.
“The one that he never actually turned in? Yes.” Charlotte sat back. “In it he accuses Ezra Fain of being the ringleader in delivering several packages of contraband materials to rebel groups in Southeast Asia. These materials include guns and other weapons of war. And they could go in under the radar because recon is what MARSOC does.”
“Yes, I got the feeling it was Levi’s version of Iran-Contra,” Alex said. “So this was his way of covering his tracks. How did Solo get involved?”
“He wasn’t just covering his tracks.” The enormity of what Levi had done hit Beck forcibly. “He set Kim up to take the fall. Who handed the op over to you?”
“The director came into my office the day before it was going down and said he needed me to oversee a recon op because the original handler was dealing with something
