Page 41 of Fatal Betrayal

"No, you didn't. And after Elisa is found, I don't see any reason why Andi and I should ever see each other again."

"It's weird that a kidnapping would bring you back together. You've come full circle."

"This one will end differently. Elisa will come home, and someone will pay for what they did. That someone will be the actual kidnapper, not just the most likely suspect who looks good on paper. That's what I'm going to make sure happens."

"I hope that is what happens. I better get back to work," she added as a group of teens came into the bakery. She pulled her hair back into a loose bun on top of her head and gave him a smile. "You'll know the right thing to do when you have to make a choice."

"That's a lot of confidence you have in me."

"Because I know who you are, Cooper, and I've watched you my whole life. On another note, tomorrow is going to be a rough day. You should stop by Mom's."

"I will," he said, knowing that tomorrow was the anniversary of his brother's death. It wasn't a day they wanted to remember, but one none of them could forget.

* * *

Andi got to Chicky's Pancake House a little before eight on Wednesday morning and grabbed a table. The restaurant was busy, and the plates going by made her stomach rumble, especially the ones with large stacks of pancakes topped with strawberries and blueberries. But she started by ordering coffee. She didn't want to be digging into a big breakfast when Agent Burnett arrived. Maybe once they were done talking, she'd order something.

She was going to need to fuel up for what would probably be another grueling day after what had been another short night of sleep. She'd thought she'd exhausted herself by researching the Benedicts and everyone around them until well after midnight, but as soon as she'd gone home, gotten into bed, and closed her eyes, Cooper had popped back into her brain. He was so confusing, hating her one minute, saving her life the next. She didn't like feeling off-balance, out of control, and that was the way he was making her feel.

But she couldn't worry about their relationship. She had a job to do, a child to find, and while she didn't have a concrete lead to pursue, she did have a long list of people she needed to talk to. She would start on that list as soon as she found out what Agent Burnett wanted with her.

A moment later, Burnett walked through the door. She'd last seen him six years ago. She'd thought he'd aged then, because in her mind he'd been a tall, stern, dark-haired man with a ruthless glint in his eyes. But he'd started to gray the last time she'd seen him, and now his hair was completely silver and much thinner. He'd gained some weight around his waistline, and his step wasn't purposeful but more of a weary shuffle.

She knew he was fifty-two years old, because she'd done some research on him when she'd first joined the Bureau, wanting to know more about the man who had both inspired her to join the FBI and had also taken what she'd told him too far and allowed the media and community to go after Kyle when they had no evidence to actually charge him with a crime. That hadn't been clear to her when she was fourteen, but it had become crystal clear after she'd become an agent.

Their last conversation had been somewhat confrontational, as he'd gotten defensive about her questions regarding Hannah's kidnapping, which was now a very cold case.

He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down, waiting to speak until after the server poured him a cup of coffee and gave him a menu.

When they were alone, he said, "I was surprised to hear you joined MacKenzie's unit."

"I just started yesterday," she replied.

"That's what Damon said when he took away what should have been my case." His dark eyes seemed to get colder.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, wanting him to get to the point.

"Well, I'm confused about one thing. I'm off the Benedict case because I had a run-in with Mr. Benedict and his sidekick, your old friend Cooper Bradford. But you, the girl who helped us arrest Bradford's brother, is fine to work on the investigation. Help me understand that."

"I don't know anything about the case politics. I did hear you had a run-in with Cooper and Neil Benedict."

"It was a difference of opinion, but I always do my job."

"You should take up your concerns with Damon. I'm only interested in finding the missing child. That's what I do now, what I've been doing for the past seven years."

"Seven years is nothing to the twenty-four years I've put in. You don't come close to my level of experience."

"I can't argue with that," she said evenly. "But I'm good at what I do."

"So am I," he returned. "You didn't answer my question."

"What was the question?"

"Does Damon know you and Bradford have a past?"

"It hasn't come up, but it's not a secret," she replied.

"Then you won't care if I tell Damon about it."

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