Page 16 of Escape into the Night

The room was exactly what one would picture and the irony of it was not lost on her—large table, whiteboards wallpapered with photos, printouts of screenshots, and maps. Interspersed amongst the papers were scribbles and notes in dry erase marker as the handful of trusted agents worked through the remaining files and folders blanketing the steel tabletop. She counted at least three tablets among the detritus. Her appearance in the room brought the total personnel to half a dozen. Six intrepid agents attempting to take down an extremist group that had been plaguing the country for at least two years. She didn't love the odds, but she knew these people would be the best ones for the job.

Luke sat at the head of the table, stone-faced with his arms crossed over his broad chest. If looks could kill, they wouldn't have a terrorist group to hunt down. Taz sat to his right, if you could call his posture sitting. Two laptops and a fourth tablet precariously propped against a two-liter bottle of Coke hid him from view, but her entrance caught his attention, and his visible exhaustion caught hers in return. Tommy Gallagher, the newest member of their team, loitered to Luke’s left, looking all the part adoring, eager to please puppy. Rounding out their bare-bones crew were Agents Langston and Duprey. Good men who’d proven themselves over and over again, especially when it came to the work they'd already done on this insanity that was Bella’s life.

She passed the white boards, scanning the information that had been added in her absence, before turning to the group. “Let’s get to it, then.”

Grim faces and terse nods invited her to continue. “We’re dealing with something even larger than we initially assumed. This isn't news to most of us, but I’m going to say it anyway—someone with deep pockets and deeper connections is pulling the strings. We’re getting pressure from above to keep this quiet, we have virtually no leads, and very little evidence.”

“And some asshat is working against us from the inside,” quipped Taz from behind his fortress of screens.

“Si. We’ve already established we cannot trust the CIA. We have reason to believe someone inside the bureau is leaking information. Someone close to the Cohen-Williams family is working with the group as well. With pressure coming from the Attorney General, our investigation will be difficult. We run this clean and quiet.”

Luke snorted softly, his jaw clenching as he shook his head. “We take to the shadows.”

“Just like them.” Tommy, his expression typically affable and sweet, squared his shoulders with a look so intense and murderous, Bella found herself wondering what the young man had seen in his life to carry such staunch resilience.

Langston straightened in his seat before tilting his head side to side with an audible pop of his neck. “Clean and quiet. If we can't draw the rats out of the hole, we go in after them.”

“Si. But I need you all to understand the risks. I need you all to be careful. I refuse to lose any agents.” She scanned the assembly and gave a quick dip of her chin. “Taz will set us up with burner phones. We meet outside the bureau. Until we can determine the source of the leaks, we must tighten the formation and protect the integrity of the investigation.”

“See me outside of the headquarters. I'll provide the address for our off-site war room.” Luke’s weight shifted forward, his arms resting on the surface of the table. “We keep the circle tight and we don't move until we have undeniable evidence and a bulletproof case.”

“They can't see us coming. But we are coming for them.”

Eerie silence followed her statement as she turned her gaze to each face around her. The common denominator in every expression was grim resolution. Inhaling, she held her breath for a moment before releasing it through pursed lips. “God help us all.”

The soft-spoken sentiment was echoed sotto voce, the hushed whispers sending a chill down her spine. These men, her men, were undertaking a mission deadly enough to rival any of the action she had seen overseas. She prayed, not for the first time that day, that they’d all make it out alive. Unfortunately, the odds weren't in their favor.Dios mio, she thought to herself as she tightened her grip on the back of a chair. Too much blood had already been spilt. Her heart couldn't handle being responsible for even more, but the options were slim.Dangerously slim. As if reading her mind, each and every agent around her nodded. They didn't need to say it out loud. They knew the risks and even with that knowledge, they were here. A sliver of humanity amid a storm of monsters with one common goal—stop the madness before it swept through the country. So much for just another day at the office.

Chapter Nine

Caleb

Wolves.Calebwasalittle lamb surrounded by wolves. Mercifully, the event was nowhere near the scale of the ball he and Elias had attended, but the crowd felt three times more cutthroat. His eyes darted around the room and settled on Elias’ form across the distance. His smile was believable enough, but he knew exactly how fake it was. Everything about these events was superficial. That was the game—DC elites were insufferable but an unfortunately necessary evil. Showtime, Cay.

Squaring his shoulders, Caleb edged his way into another conversational group under the pretense of getting a refill. He needed lots of liquid courage to keep up the façade, after all. At least he could count on this crowd fully endorsing the fine art of day drinking. He was already halfway to tipsy and it wasn't even noon. Rosy cheeks and canned laughter from the other partygoers assured him he wasn't the only one who would be nursing a wine-fueled evening hangover.

Small talk and politics were the major talking points of the day, and he deftly navigated the land mines with his practiced mask of confidence and charm.What a lovely blouse. I adoreyour shoes. Who's your stylist? Your clutch is delicious.He could schmooze with the best of them, even if it left him feeling hollow and purely decorative. Such was the life of a political spouse, unfortunately. Mingling had never felt so exhausting.

He was balls deep in arivetingconversation about the perils of ‘woke’ agendas when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. It took every ounce of restraint he had not to squeal in alarm when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. The over-application of cologne penetrated his sinuses as an all too familiar voice broke through the hush of quiet chatter.

“Cay! I've been trying to pin you down all morning.” Aaron freaking Evans. Cay smothered a shudder of disgust and turned his grin toward the man.

“Senator, what a pleasure.” He lifted his wine glass in greeting before taking a gulp. Frat boys had nothing on him as he tilted the glass higher and downed the entire thing to refuel his reserve tank.Don't fail me now, Malbec.

“Walk with me,” Aaron quipped in all ice, his smile turning sinister. Perhaps that observation was simply Caleb’s imagination, to be fair.

“Ooo, clandestine luncheon chat. Lead the way, pretty boy.” Caleb swapped his empty glass for another on the bar, nodding to the hapless boy in an ill-fitting penguin ensemble of slacks and waistcoat typical of catering crews the world over. He smirked and winked before topping off the red wine.

“Nothing clandestine, Mr. Cohen.” Aaron’s hand shifted from shoulder to elbow, steering him away from the group he’d been talking with.

“That’s Cohen-Williams. I know hyphens are scary and confusing. You’ll get the hang of it, though!” Caleb kept himself easygoing and affable despite how twisted his gut was. “Montgomery-Evans has a nice ring to it. Or will you do Evans-Montgomery? Hrm… I prefer the former, if you're looking for opinions on the matter.”

“I'm not, nor would I ever.” Aaron stole a glance and the smirk on his face was not even close to kind or open. They slowed and eventually stopped in a corner far removed from the happy little clusters of conversation and brown-nosing. Elias’ concerned gaze from afar was met with a reassuring wink. Caleb could handle himself, as much as Elias’ need to intervene played across his features.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Senator?” Caleb lifted his eyes with an easy smile.

“We’ve heard some rumors, and I’m ever so curious to hear the news.” Feigning a casual air, Aaron let his shoulder rest against the dark wood paneling of the wall.

“Rumors? You'll have to be more specific. This is DC—rumors spread like STIs in a college dorm.”

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