Page 4 of Fatal Betrayal

"So, where do we start, boss?" Nick asked.

"I'm putting you with Caitlyn, Nick. She'll read you in on an ecoterrorism case we're developing. She should be here any second. In the meantime, grab some coffee and say hello to old friends."

"I could use some coffee," Nick said.

"The breakroom is out the door and down the hall to the left," Flynn said.

"We'll catch up later, Andi," Nick promised.

"I'm looking forward to it."

As Nick left, Flynn turned to her. "We've been working on a slowly developing trafficking case that I want you to weigh in on. Savannah will get you the pertinent information. It's early in the investigation. We're just starting to dig in."

"Great."

"I'll show you to your desk," Savannah said, as Flynn's admin told him he had a call.

Savannah led her to an empty desk by the window. "It's not an ocean view, but you'll get some sun."

"It's fine," she said, setting her bag on the desk. "I can work anywhere."

"Dana is the office admin. She ordered you some business cards for when you need to operate in an official capacity." Savannah motioned to the small box on the desk next to a mobile phone. "That's your new phone. Our team numbers are programmed in. I assume you're using your own weapon?"

"I am," she said, tapping the gun at her waist. "Do we work in teams, have partners, go solo?"

"All of the above. Depending on the case, you could be undercover on your own, working with a partner or part of a bigger team. In this unit, we check our egos at the door. Lead agents change on every case. Sometimes you're in charge, sometimes you're backup. We do what we need to do to get the job done. While we sometimes work with the LA office and share resources, we mostly work independently."

"How does that go?"

"Very well, because Damon and Flynn get along great."

She nodded. "I know they were always good friends when they weren't competing to be the best, but it's still hard for me to understand how Flynn could build this unit without oversight and with so much flexibility. How did he manage that?"

"Flynn has a way with people, especially the director, and this unit has proven itself to be extremely valuable, which has given us even more leeway." Savannah paused. "Why don't I grab the file on the investigation we're starting and meet you in the conference room in a few minutes?"

"Sounds good."

"That's going to have to wait," Flynn said, interrupting their conversation with a grim look on his face. "I need you, Andi."

"What's happened?"

"A six-month-old baby was kidnapped from her home this morning. Damon heard you were working for me now, and he wants you to run the case through our unit."

"All right." A surge of adrenaline ran through her, as it did at the start of every investigation. "Details?"

"Not many," Flynn replied. "Nanny was home with the baby while parents were at work. She went to check on the child, and she wasn't in the crib. Back door was open. No sign of forced entry. The alarm was off." Flynn paused. "I'll drive you to the house. Damon will meet us there. Savannah, can you set up a team here? We'll need security footage from the homes and businesses in the area. Address is 416 Manor Drive, Beverly Hills."

"There should be plenty of security systems in that expensive neighborhood," Savannah commented.

"Apparently, home security at this property wasn't operational, but hopefully someone else's camera caught something," Flynn said. "Let's get our forensics team out there as well."

"I'm on it," Savannah said.

"Ready to jump into the fire, Andi?" Flynn asked.

"Always. Let's go. She grabbed her new phone and put a few business cards into her pocket, leaving her bag behind. Then she followed Flynn down to the garage, her mind sprinting with the few details she'd been given. There was a ticking clock with kidnappings. Every single minute counted. She couldn't afford to waste even one.

As Flynn drove, Andi looked for information about the family on her phone. Neil Benedict, the father of the missing child, was a movie producer, following in the footsteps of his famous father, Robert Benedict, who had produced several blockbuster films in the seventies and eighties. While Neil hadn't reached the same superstar status, he had several successful films, including a documentary that had won an Emmy the previous year.

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