Page 109 of State of Retribution

“Awesome.Just what every Secret Service agent wants to hear from their protectee.”

Sam chuckled at his sarcastic wit.She loved that about him.“When we get there, I need to talk to the sergeant alone, okay?”

“Yes, that’s fine as long as you feel comfortable being alone with him.”

“I’ve never had any reason not to be.There’s another guy in that unit, Offenbach, who hates me.If he’s there, you’ll probably figure out who he is right away.”

“The good news just keeps on coming.”

“I know it’s hard for you to believe that not everyone loves me.I don’t get it either.”

His snort made her smile.

Talking to him helped to keep her from stressing over what the hell Fitzgivens wanted with her as they cut through the lobby on the way to the opposite side of the building.She’d worked with Fitzgivens during the sniper case but hadn’t had contact with him since.

When she stepped into their office, of course the first person she saw was Offenbach, who’d been busted down to Patrol officer after Sam’s sniper investigation uncovered that he wasn’t at a conference in Philadelphia he was supposed to be attending.Instead, he’d been in an Atlantic City hotel room with a woman, much to the surprise of his wife, the mother of their six children.Because he was such a talented marksman, they’d kept him in sharpshooting despite the demotion.

The look he gave her was nothing short of hateful.Actually,hatefulwasn’t a strong enough word to describe it.Sinistermight be better.

“Where do I find Fitzgivens?”she asked a young female officer, who pointed to a door at the back of the big, open space.

“Thanks.”Sam felt Offenbach’s gaze burning a hole in her back as she and Vernon made their way to the closed door.

Sam knocked.

“Enter.”

She opened the door, stepped inside and closed it behind her, relieved to be out of Offenbach’s line of sight for the moment.

“Hey, LT.Thanks for stopping by.”Fitzgivens had Irish coloring, with reddish-brown hair, brown eyes and a weathered complexion.

“No problem.What’s up?”

He gestured for her to have a seat in his visitor chair.“It’s a touchy matter.”

She sat, crossing her legs.“Aren’t they all?”

“Some are more so than others.”He seemed hesitant to proceed and kept his voice down when he said, “I want you to know I don’t offer this info up lightly.It goes against everything I believe in as a man and a police officer to rat out a colleague.”

“Okay…”

“Offenbach.”

“He hates my guts.”

“Yeah, that’s putting it mildly.”

“It’s funny how he blames me for catching him in the act of fucking up at work and home but takes no ownership of his own actions.”

“I’ve said as much to him, but it goes in one ear and out the other.”Fitzgivens was clearly uncomfortable as he seemed to choose his words carefully.“You need to look out for him.He’s unhinged over what went down and how his whole life blew up in his face.Because he’s not self-aware enough to look in the mirror for someone to blame, he’s focused on you.”

A chill went down her spine.

“And…” His face twisted with a combination of agony and hesitation.“He’s big into drones.In fact, I’d use the word ‘obsessed’ to describe his fixation.It’s all he talks about.”

The chill turned to horror that quickly.

“Now, I’m not accusing him of anything, but I wanted you to be aware, and whatever you do with this info is up to you.Obviously, I’m way out on a limb here, but if you could keep me out of it, I’d appreciate it.”

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