Page 7 of So Wicked

Michael chuckled. “She’s an ASAC with three years of experience who just got assigned to the most celebrated field office in the Bureau. She had it hidden while Smythe was there, but she has a cot in her office.”

Faith pressed her lips together. “Lovely. You don’t think she’ll try to give me a pep talk, do you?”

He shook her head. “I think she’ll be very grateful to interact with you as little as possible until they find someone to take her place.”

“So you don’t think she’ll stay?”

“No. She’s at least two years from being considered for SAC, and when she is, they’ll start her at a nice easy office. San Angelo or Lebanon.”

“Lebanon?”

“Missouri.”

“Ah. I have no idea where either of those places are.”

“Exactly. From what I’ve read about Gardner, she’s competent, by the book and doesn’t make waves.”

Faith scoffed. “No wonder Smythe wants her here.”

Michael accelerated onto the freeway. “Yep. This office just experienced the worst loss in its history. Putting someone here who would try to run the office like their own little fiefdom is the opposite of what we need.”

Faith glanced sideways at him. “You like her, don’t you?”

He shrugged. “She’s a band-aid. I don’t feel about her one way or the other.”

She frowned. “Still, I feel like they could have promoted from within. Maybe Desrouleaux or maybe you.”

“They won’t pull Desrouleaux off of the Messenger case. And they want me with you because we’re the winningest team in Bureau history. Besides, neither of us have been ASACs, and I’ve been a supervisory agent in nothing more than name.”

Faith’s frown deepened. “Right. When the Wall needed someone with authority to babysit me.”

“If you’d listen, you wouldn’t need a babysitter.”

Faith took another deep breath. "So, was this your idea?"

"The suspension? No, but I agree with it. And deep down, I think you do too, or you would have fought it a lot harder. Ditto the safe house."

She whirled on him. “I donotagree to being moved a thousand miles away.”

“It was supposed to be two thousand until you appealed to Smythe’s desire to make you not the Bureau’s problem.”

“So that’s what this is? Step one to my dismissal?”

“That depends on you, Faith. Try to step outside of yourself for a second. You just lost a friend and mentor who—let’s be honest—shielded you from a lot of the consequences every agent not named Bold would have suffered had they taken the actions you’ve taken. And before you get pissy with me, I’m just as broken up about the Boss’s death as you are. That’s why I’m not arguing my administrative assignment. I am in no shape to go into the field right now. Neither are you. So let’s both accept that.”

“Yeah, but you’re not being sent away.”

“You know why they’re sending you away.”

“Yeah, but…” she took another deep breath. “Yes. I understand the Bureau’s reasoning, and I understand that in most cases, this would absolutely be the right decision. But this isn’t most cases. You know that this killer will keep escalating until he sees me pay attention to him. How many more people die before the Bureau figures it out? You? David? Ellie?”

“I am very well aware of the risks,” Michael assured her. “And I even agree with you that at some point, we need to change our approach to the Messenger. But in order to do that effectively, you need to be at one hundred percent.”

“I’m nevergoingto be at a hundred percent! That’s what this killer is counting on!”

“And if you make a mistake with him like you made with West, you might end up looking like the Boss.”

An image of the Boss’s body flashed across Faith’s mind. She shivered and looked out the passenger window just in time to seeMichael exit the freeway. She recognized the exit. “That donut place?”

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