“Your office has a security code?”
“Yours has swipe cards.” Sal tugged down the handle and pushed the door open.
“Yeah.” Great. Now she sounded dumb. She swallowed down the embarrassment and took in the Northwest Counter-Terrorism Task Force office.
And gaped.
The wall to the right was all windows, beyond which was the Seattle skyline. Inside was all red brick and electronics. There were a few key things that indicated it really was the office of a federal law enforcement agency. However, they clearly managed to get the best of most everything they needed.
No wonder they kept it so secret.
The whole gang was here even after the major operation yesterday. Niall, the NCIS Special Agent. Haley, his girlfriend, who was the office manager—and former Navy Intelligence. Talia, the NSA analyst and computer whiz. Dakota, with her Native American coloring, was Homeland Security Investigations, and Josh—who Allyson had never actually officially met—was the DEA agent.
A dog barked.
The animal was a German Shepherd, tall and slender. It stopped a few feet from her and barked, its whole body leaned toward her.
“Good girl.” Dakota smirked but didn’t look over from her computer.
Was Allyson supposed to be impressed? “You teach her to do that?”
Josh strode around his desk to the waiting area. “She’s had what amounts to guard dog training.”
The dog had stopped barking but still leaned toward her. She expected to see a flash of teeth at any moment.
“Neema, place.”
The dog gave her one last death glare and then moved to the wall, where a dog bed had been placed in the morning sunshine. The dog sat. Not restful, but completely alert.
“Platz.”
She lay down with a groan.
“Josh Weber.” He stuck out his hand.
“Allyson Sanchez.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Huh. Maybe they weren’t all so bad—
Allyson caught the death glare Dakota shot her before she glanced at her fiancé, lips pressed into a thin line.
“I’m Haley.” The woman stood shorter than Allyson, her gaze assessing. Brows drawn together like she was trying to figure Allyson out. She had gorgeous dark features, and eyes that sparkled.
“Nice to meet you.” Maybe she should just stick with this line until kingdom come. It seemed to be working for her.
Talia looked over from her computer and eyed her. “Victoria should be here soon.”
“Thanks.” Sal touched her back, between her shoulder blades. He pretty much shoved her forward, but she covered it well—she thought.
She didn’t care much if they all gave her dirty looks. This wasn’t her team, and she already knew they were close. Probably it wasn’t just about outsiders though. Probably it was just her.
Had she really taken half an hour convincing her boss this missing persons was an ATF case, not just a personal matter, only to come here and be party to this?
Talia’s smile was proof enough. She hadn’t managed to hide her reluctance at all.
Allyson said, “How are you doing? I heard you caught a bullet yesterday.”
Several people in the room shifted. Tense movements. They didn’t want to be reminded of what had happened?
“Graze.” Talia shifted, and Allyson caught the edges of pain in the skin around her eyes.
“I’m glad it wasn’t too bad.”
Dakota’s head whipped around. “She got shot. There’s nothing not too bad about that.”
Allyson stared her down. She wasn’t going to cave.
Sal stepped in the laser beam of their locked gazes, breaking the tension. “Dakota, why don’t we have that conversation now?”
Allyson didn’t get a chance to hear her answer. Talia motioned to a chair and told Allyson to “take a load off.”
Allyson sat to the sound of Dakota scraping her chair back. The two of them walked to the kitchen area at the far end of the open office, beside a hallway where the bathrooms were and a closed office door with a strip of masking tape on the door that read VICTORIA in permanent marker.
“You have information about Vanessa’s coworker?”
Talia leaned back in her chair and nodded.
“Sure you’re okay?”
“Mason told me to take two weeks off.” Talia glanced at her. “I told him that if he wasn’t going to, then neither was I.”
“Didn’t he just get promoted to acting assistant director?”
She smiled, the softening of someone thinking about the person they loved. “He’s a shoo-in for the permanent position. I’m sure he’ll get it.”
Talia seemed happy. Content. Healed. Allyson didn’t know her well enough to say something and share in that fact. Her opinion, or pleasure, didn’t mean anything to the NSA analyst. She hadn’t even thought the woman liked her—personally or professionally.
Maybe Talia was only being nice because Victoria wasn’t here, and that was why Talia had told them the boss would be there soon. Allyson couldn’t deny that might be the reason the atmosphere in the office wasn’t full-on hostile.
She glanced at Sal and Dakota, who appeared to be having a heated and hushed conversation over by the coffee pot.
Talia said, “Are you okay?”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sal turn and look at her. She figured ignoring it was best. “Long night.” Not to mention the fact that one of their agents had been shot in the warehouse. These people were all back at work, while others were trying to pick up the pieces.
Allyson stood. “Maybe you could just…email me everything.”
She started to walk away. These people were going to do whatever they were going to do, and she didn’t have the emotional energy to shore up her defenses. She didn’t want to wind up bitter at them. They didn’t need that. Not when they actively worked to turn the tide of crime and terrorism. They saved innocent people’s lives, just like she did, and actively sought justice for wrongs that had been done.
Talia called after her. “Sit back down, Special Agent Sanchez.”
A thought occurred to her as she turned around. “Because you’re not done cloning my phone?”
Talia actually laughed. “I need you to have all the information, so you’re properly equipped when your friend calls back. Yes, I’m accessing your phone so that I can deliver it.” She paused, then explained, “Also so I can try to figure out where she is now.”
Allyson sat back down.
“The missing pharmaceutical employee was found on the side of the highway. Cause of death is blunt force trauma.”
“Car?”
Talia shook her head. “Smaller than that. Investigating detectives found a series of emails between the chief operations officer and Bridget McNamara. Threats and hostility on both sides. They got a warrant for her condo and found signs that she fought with someone. DNA was run, it’s the dead guy’s blood.”
Was Bridget being framed, or was Vanessa a killer? “On the phone she sounded distressed. She reached out for help, and I’m going to help her.”
“Even if she’s a murderer?”
“Everyone is entitled to tell their side of the story.”
Allyson didn’t like bullies, and she had a compulsion to help victims. The deep things that drove her had everything to do with being alone after Van had gone missing.
Being questioned.
Those side glances from teachers and students. She’d been at dinner with her father, a minister, at the time of the abduction…kidnapping. The night Vanessa had run away. She still didn’t know which it was, but she was closer to finding out the truth about what had happened. No one had been able to accuse Allyson of involvement because of her alibi. Still, that didn’t mean people hadn’t talked behind her back.
“This is our case now.”
Allyson blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Bridget McNamara’s boss is Malcom Kennowich.”
Everyone in the room braced. Allyson glanced around. “That means something to you guys?”
“Malcom Kennowich is the man behind Cerium. The man who had me sold. We’ve been chasing him for months, trying to figure out who he is.”
And Allyson had just tossed him into their laps.
. . .
That was why they’d had her come to the office?
“…talk to you.”
He turned back to Dakota. She should have just spat it out.
“It’s more important than a thirty second question/answer by the sink.”
Sal gritted his teeth. “I’ll make time. But I have to deal with this right now.” He pointed toward Allyson, who had stood up again. Didn’t look like Talia would be able to get her to sit back down this time.
Dakota started, “I know how to deal—”
“Don’t.” He didn’t need her attitude when he knew—or at least was mostly sure—it was because she saw everything changing around her and was getting freaked out at the speed of it. Even though Dakota was the one who’d fallen in love first. Before any of the other team members.
He said, “Not right now.”
Allyson’s whole demeanor was stiff. “You guys aren’t taking my case.” She shot him a look. Hurt. Disappointment.
He didn’t know which was worse. Together they caused a sharp pain in his chest. “Ally…”
She looked like she wanted to be halfway out the door.
It was Haley who said, “We’ve been tracking this guy for months, trying to figure out who he is and who has been selling modified CX gas, stirring up all kinds of mayhem. He almost destroyed us. We’ve barely survived up until this point. But we think this Kennowich is Cerium, and your missing friend could be the key to busting the case wide open.”
Talia said, “If we can find her, then maybe we’ll be able to prove it. Prove she didn’t kill that guy.”
“Which means you don’t know for sure if the two things are linked,” Allyson countered. “My friend’s call for help might have nothing at all to do with your case against Kennowich.”
“But it could—”
“You aren’t taking my case.”
He strode after her, shooting a side glance at Talia. “You didn’t think to warn me about the connection?”
“There wasn’t time.” Talia didn’t get up. Clearly she didn’t think there was anything wrong with springing this information on all of them.
He picked up his pace, even though it made a low thrum of pain slice through his leg.
None of the others had seemed surprised. Maybe it was just him and Allyson that Talia had sprung this information on. An attempt to get her honest reaction to this news about her friend’s involvement with a criminal.
Sal pushed through the door into the hallway where Allyson waited for the elevator, jabbing the button. The set of her shoulders said more than any words needed to. She was hurt, but she hid it well under a layer of irritation.
“I can smell what you guys are doing from a mile away.”
“You think we’re trying to steal your case?”
“I know you didn’t know.” She turned around. “And I know you’ve been looking into this Cerium thing for months now. But whatever’s going on with Vanessa, it’s mine to deal with.”
“You’re right to be the one to help your friend. She called you.”
How was he going to convince her that his team wouldn’t hijack it, though? She was never going to believe he didn’t bring her here just so they could absorb her into their investigation, or hijack the search for her friend.
“I didn’t share it with you so you could take over.”
“That’s not what I’m doing. I want to help you.”
“Because you have nothing better to do?”
He couldn’t tell her why. She would get the wrong idea if she thought he was there because he had feelings for her, and that wasn’t going to help him be able to walk away later. Too much had happened between them. Too much water under the bridge, or so the saying went. It wasn’t like it would ever work, and the fact was he’d waited too long. They were past the point he could have transitioned them from friends to something more.
He’d missed his shot with her.
She would never be happy thousands of miles from here in a small town, and he couldn’t live in the city forever.
After all, when he’d brought up his urge to get away, she’d barely known what he was talking about, the idea was so foreign to her.
Sal moved closer to her. “I had no idea your friend’s disappearance was connected to our case. I thought we were just coming here to hear about the murdered guy.” But they should pool their resources, right? That would be a quicker win for everyone.
The idea they could get the Cerium guy energized him.
“Great. Job done, you know all about the murder and so do I.” She turned and jabbed at the button again. “Now it’s time to go find Vanessa.”
Before the cops did?
He was just about to say, “Fine,” when the elevator doors opened.
Allyson flinched and took a half step back.
Victoria, several inches shorter than Allyson, but somehow more imposing, stepped out. “She knows about Kennowich and the Cerium connection?”
Allyson braced. “You’re not taking my case from me.” Then she stepped onto the elevator. “I don’t care who this guy is y’all are chasing.”
Victoria’s eyes narrowed.
Sal stepped between the open doors. He reached around to press the button that would hold the doors open and looked back at his boss. “How is Welvern doing?”
“He’s out of surgery, and he woke up.” Her face went carefully blank. “The prognosis is good, though he’s going to have to work his way back to being fighting fit.”
Sal nodded. Maybe Victoria was venting her frustration on Allyson, considering she wasn’t a personal friend. It was possible she was more willing to get mad when she had no connection. No camaraderie or friendship to burn. Which just made Allyson a handy punching bag.
Was that what was happening? And were the rest of them taking their cue from her?
It was possible there was another reason Victoria was stressed, but he didn’t know what it would be.
Regardless, this was hardly the way a State Department Director should be acting. Not the first indication he’d had that Victoria wasn’t a professional politician or diplomat. She definitely had her own ways of doing things. And it was often not the wisest, most people-friendly course of action. He’d actually respected that about her.
Was it possible to bring some harmony between the two of them?
“We’re pooling our resources.” The last thing he wanted was to be in the middle of two strong women at odds with each other. “We need to find Allyson’s friend, and that’s not going to happen by standing around talking.”
Victoria lifted her chin. “Keep me apprised.”
He didn’t miss the look the two women shared before the elevator doors slid shut.
Here he was trying to make peace, and they were just going to continue with this animosity? Honestly, that irritated him. Not that he thought his work environment had to be harmonious all the time. That wasn’t realistic. People butted heads and miscommunicated.
But why couldn’t they figure out how to be professionals about it, rather than falling back on all that passive-aggressive stuff? They didn’t need to be friends. They just needed to get over their hang-ups enough to show each other a little more respect.
The elevator opened in the lobby, and he stepped off the elevator.
“Guess I’m not the only one who’s mad.”
He turned to Allyson. “Let’s just find your friend.”
Hopefully fast.
Then things could go back to normal.