Page 9 of Cooper's Command

Crap.

Nova quelled the instinct to cringe as she held Cartwright’s gaze. She’d never seen her boss look at her as intently as he was right now. Eyes narrowed. Brows furrowed. And if he clenched his jaw any harder, he’d likely crack some molars.

The man was pissed.

She gave him a guarded smile, crossing her arms as she met his harsh glare. “Assistant Director Cartwright. You do realize what time it is?”

The man didn’t so much as blink, staring her down until she had to focus on not squirming. “Long past when we should have had this conversation, Special Agent Martin.” He held up a folder. “Do you know what this is?”

“I don’t suppose it contains papers for an upcoming promotion?”

“Glad you still have your sense of humor and no… it doesn’t. It’s a report I received from our federal brothers in the Bureau.” Cartwright leaned toward the camera, his brown eyes searching hers. “You do remember who the FBI is, don’t you? That they have jurisdiction in human trafficking cases? That we’re notsupposed to step on their toes unless they ask us to? And no, calling in favors isn’t an official request, regardless of who inside the DEA made that request.”

Nova pursed her lips. He obviously knew Bellamy’s parents, Finn and Jade, had pulled some strings to get Nova involved in the Moody investigation. And it didn’t take a psychic to see what Cartwright thought about Nova venturing outside of his jurisdiction. “I’m familiar with the appropriate protocol, sir.”

“And yet, it states that you knowingly included yourself in a federal case. One directly related to Special Agent Tate’s death and his unsanctioned investigation into Octavia Reynolds, which, in itself, is an epic conflict of interest. All while on mandatory leave. Does that ring any bells?”

“With all due respect, I wasn’t about to leave Tate’s case in the hands of some federal agents who often can’t find their heads stuffed up their own asses. Not when it was practically thrown in my lap. Tate was family, and I conducted myself accordingly.”

Cartwright simply stared at her — his mouth curved into the beginnings of a frown. “You didn’t go to Hawai’i to work on your tan, Agent Martin. You saw an opening to insert yourself into Tate’s case and you took it. Which was bad enough. The fact you’ve been covering for Tate for the past five years. Hiding Octavia Reynolds. Lying to her family, the government, and me in the process, is another matter. Are you saying that was you conducting yourself accordingly too?”

Nova rolled her shoulders, doing her best to ease the tension slowly creeping down her spine. “That was me having my partner’s back. A man who was hands down the best undercover agent the DEA has ever employed. And let’s not forget that his investigation is the reason Eric Moody isn’t still trafficking teens in from Bogotá. That a murderer and all-round evil bastard isn’t a threat anymore.”

“Which is the only reason we’re evenhavinga conversation. And as much as I applaud Tate’s initiative, the man was in way over his head. As are you.”

Nova stood there for a few moments before sighing. She’d assured Tate she’d accept whatever fallout resulted from their rogue mission. And that hadn’t changed because he was dead. “I’m not sure what you want me to say. I’m not sorry for putting my loyalty to my partner before protocol. Especially when Tate was risking everything to ensure justice was served. And if given the chance, I’d do it again. If we’re being frank, I think that makes me a better agent.”

“What it makes you is just as reckless as Tate was.” Cartwright scrubbed his hand across his hair. “I should have seen this coming. You and Tate were always too close. Too alike. But hindsight and all that…”

He placed the folder on his desk. “Which brings me to why I’m calling. Since you’ve been entrenched in the Colombian underworld for the past decade, I’m not sure you’re aware that we opened a satellite office on the Big Island a few months ago, after a string of possible cartel activities was brought to light. Local law felt it would be prudent for their detectives to have direct access to our agency in the hopes of preventing any kind of drug incursion from taking root in the community. It just so happens, Detective Sargent Emery McClane discovered what could be the makings of a distribution lab earlier this evening. And as luck would have it, our resident agent is currently in Honolulu wrapping up a joint operation with ATF. I believe you’ve worked with Agent Paulin before?”

Of course, it had to be Richard Paulin, or Dick where she was concerned. Because it was obvious she wasn’t going to catch a break anytime soon. “We were in the academy together and stationed in Florida for several months before I was partnered with Tate.”

And it hadn’t ended well when Tate had picked her over Paulin. A fact he’d made known to more than one supervisor, not that it had swayed Tate’s decision.

“Good. Then you shouldn’t have any issues.” Cartwright cleared his throat, staring directly at her. “Effective immediately, you’re being reassigned from Bogotá to our satellite branch on the Big Island.”

Had the monitor glitched? Maybe switched feeds? Because she could have sworn Cartwright had just pulled her from Columbia and assigned her to Hawai’i. And was that relief easing all that previous tension? Making her feel almost giddy when it meant she’d have more time with Cooper?

It only took a quick glance Cooper’s way to realize she hadn’t imagined the exchange. She could only describe his expression as a mixture of cautious optimism with a healthy dose of disbelief. As if he wasn’t quite sure he’d heard Cartwright correctly, either.

She refocused on her boss, doing her best to school her features. Though, she now understood why Emery was in the room, despite the nagging suspicion that she could still end up in handcuffs if she didn’t play her cards right. Managed to upset Cartwright even more. “Not to downplay the gravity of the situation here, but I was in the middle of a highly intricate undercover investigation when I had to pull myself out because of Tate’s murder.”

Which hadn’t been easy without burning every contact she’d made or outing herself as a fed.

“I’m aware of how deep you were in. But now, you’re needed there.”

“And the months I’ve spent infiltrating Moreno’s inner circle? Gaining his trust enough that I might have a chance at burning his entire operation to the ground?”

“Is being picked up by Special Agent Ross.”

“Ross?” Nova bit at her bottom lip as she speared her fingers through her hair, praying she’d misheard the other agent’s name because this was worse than having to play nice with Paulin. “Did his parents finally sign his permission slip so he can stay out after dark? Or will they be rooming in a nearby hotel?”

Cartwright cracked a hint of a smile before lacing his fingers together on top of his desk. “Agent Ross has promise. And in case you haven’t noticed, we’re a few agents down.”

“Then why pull me out when I’m your best chance at crushing Moreno? With those two bricks I collected just before leaving — all thanks to that rogue operation everyone’s so upset about — I now have a viable lead on their supply route. What I suspect is much farther-reaching than just Columbia.”

“Because I know how you operate, Nova — your penchant for pushing the limits. And after everything that’s gone down, it’s apparent you’re only one bad decision away from ending up just like Tate.”

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