Page 132 of Second Chance Savior

I pulled Charlie in front of me, hugging her around the waist. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s perfect. Makes me want to get to work.”

I laughed. I adored this woman.

We found Trace at the computer in his office. Aidenappeared next, then Owen, who was walking in with Brynn. The FBI agent had just driven down from Denver.

In fact, Brynn was the one who’d called this meeting.

After greetings and hugs all around, we did exactly what Charlie had wanted. We got to work.

Brynn connected her laptop to our system, and she put a schematic up on the wall screen. It looked like an organizational chart, but with an amorphous shape. Names, titles, connecting lines. Some were blank.

The rest of us gathered around the table, waiting for her to explain. I put my arm loosely around Charlie’s waist.

“As you all know,” Brynn said, “the FBI has been spinning its wheels trying to investigate Stillwater for the last few months. Their results have been abysmal. Or at least, that’s how it appears. You also know the truth. That we’ve created a secret task force within the FBI to make use of the list that River decrypted.”

She nodded at me. I nodded back.

“Most of Stillwater’s moles, we had to leave in place,” Brynn continued. “That was a difficult choice. One that we all struggled with, because that meant allowing them to continue operating. It was the only way to make Stillwater believe that we’d never gotten access to the list. But we made contact with several of those operatives. Persuaded them to become double agents.”

I had an idea of what thatpersuasionlooked like.

The FBI had hushed up Agent Rainey’s connection to Stillwater. It would’ve been way too embarrassing for them. As far as the public knew, Rainey had buckled under the stress of his job and lashed out against his partner and the lieutenant governor as a desperate cry for help.

Rainey had been in federal custody, having pled not guilty by reason of insanity, when he’d died mysteriously in his cell.

Stillwater had gotten to him. At least, I assumed so.Maybe the FBI had disposed of that problem themselves. Either way, SAC Stanford’s task force could point to Rainey’s death when they made contact with Stillwater’s other moles.

Do you want to work with us? Or do you want to end up like Rainey and Jud Hale?

Brynn gestured at the screen. “Well, I’m finally able to share the results of the task force’s investigation.”

“About time,” Trace muttered.

“Lieutenant Governor, gentlemen,thisis Stillwater. Everything we’ve learned about their internal structure over the last few months. We have the identities of those at the top of Stillwater’s operations. Their inner ruling circle.”

Aiden crossed his arms. “You’re sure it’s accurate? You weren’t being fed misinformation by people still loyal to Stillwater?”

“Extremely sure. By flipping their operatives, we’ve been able to feed false info backintoStillwater. We have everything in place to take them down. And that’s where you come in.” Brynn looked around the room. “I told you we’d bring you in when it was time. I’m ready to make good on my promise. A joint undercover op. But this will be completely off the books. The rest of the FBI will disavow any knowledge.”

Trace glanced at me, and I nodded at him. Agent Somerton was speaking our language. Aiden and Owen voiced no objection. I couldn’t imagine they had one.

“I can leave you alone if you’d like to discuss,” Brynn offered.

“Not necessary,” Trace said. “We’re in.”

After the meeting finished, Charlie pulled me into an empty office and shut the door.

I laced our fingers together. My thumb nudged at herengagement ring. Nobody had noticed it yet. But I loved that she was wearing it here. A declaration to everyone that she was mine, and I was hers.

But she was chewing her lip. I knew that look. She was worried and trying to figure out how to voice it.

“You’re okay with this, right?” I asked. “I thought we talked about it. You were in favor of the Protectors working with the FBI.”

“I was. Iamokay with it. But this undercover op. It had better not be you.”

Smiling, I touched her chin. “Sweetheart, I’ve been in the news way too much lately. Stillwater knows me, and they know Aiden, Trace, and Owen too. We’ll have to bring in someone else.”

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