Page 80 of Secret Crush

Chapter Twenty Eight

John sat next to Alice in the kitchen as they studied everything they had. His years in the FBI had taught him how to build a case. The organization of this empowered him. Alice replayed the video that Jennifer took of the man that reached for her again. He glanced toward her and something flashed on the screen. "Go back."

"What?" She handed him her laptop. "Where do you want me to play?"

The scene went backwards, but nothing caught his attention other than a man's profile beneath a dark cap.

His sister's quick thinking to order Jennifer to take video as she saved Alice showed her intelligence.

A knock at the door chilled his blood. He pushed his chair back as he stood. "Wait here."

She picked up the piece of paper detailing the first email to read. John walked toward the front door and peered through the hole. His old boss from the FBI stood on the front step. Finally. John ran his hand through his hair and opened the door. "Smith."

With a curled lip, his ex-boss peeked around the foyer and then said, "I'm here for your badge, Morgan."

John's jaw tightened. "I thought you'd send an agent days ago."

Just as John remembered, Smith curled his mouth into his usual sneer. "I wanted to do this myself."

With a frown, John let the man walk into the foyer and closed the door behind him. "Any headway on who is after Alice?"

"I'm here to review what you have. It won't take long."

Smith hated him and didn't care what happened to Alice. He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let me get everything."

Sweet-sounding Alice's voice penetrated the cold. "Who's at the door?"

With clenched teeth, John hoped to avoid niceties and send the man on his way. "Agent Steve Smith, my former boss, from the FBI. He's not staying long."

Smith straightened his shoulders. "This is the brunette from the note. I had no idea your tastes were quite so clean and innocent, Morgan."

Smith wasn't worth spending another moment with. John told Alice, "I have to go to my room and get him his badge. Please ignore him. I usually do."

With a welcoming expression on her face, Alice reached out to shake Smith's hand. His ex-boss actually broke a smile. "How did you get to be John's boss?"

Smith turned his back on John like he wasn't in the room. "Morgan was transferred to my division a few months ago. He had some personal insight on a few cases under investigation."

Alice laughed. "Rich people that the Morgans knew, no doubt."

Smith's metallic voice grated on his eardrums. "You're very perceptive."

His former boss wasn't worthy of being in the same room with Alice. From now on, he'd keep people like him from soiling her hands. John walked past them both to get his badge from the top drawer of his nightstand. Perhaps it was time to claim his last name and his birthright.

The door slammed and John closed his eyes. Had Smith forgotten something in his car? He slid open the drawer, picked up his badge and job-issued gun. His personal gun was still locked inside the drawer.

For years, John had planned on using the gun to arrest Mitch Morgan and right the world. Now he'd never have that opportunity, but his heart was okay with how things had turned out.

Alice kept him grounded in a way he'd never been before. She'd be his forever, once he convinced her his feelings were real.

He returned to the hallway. Ice went up his spine the second he entered the foyer. His gut felt like someone sucker-punched him and a buzz sounded in his ears. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "Hello?"

No answer.

A sour taste in his mouth grew as his stomach rolled. This wasn't happening.No. With heavy footsteps, he walked back to the front door. Unlocked, it opened wide into the blazing hot sun. All the humidity of the outside stuffed the room with its overpowering presence, but his skin was cold and clammy.

Alice was gone. Agent Smith kidnapped his Alice.

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