Page 89 of Missing Justice
Taylor stilled with the mug halfway to her lips. “Excuse me?”
“You know, cats, a dog, fish, anything?” At Taylor’s look of confusion, Meg went on. “There’s a stray cat in our neighborhood. I’m trying to find it a home.”
A stray cat. Right. “I work long hours, so no, I don’t have pets. Doesn’t seem fair to leave one alone all the time.”
“What made you want to become an FBI agent?”
Not the first time she’d been asked that question, but it still seemed out of place. “Who wouldn’t want a job with long hours, mediocre pay, and bad guys shooting at you?”
They shared a smile. “Must be tough being on suspension.”
Ah. The rub. “The Bureau is under a lot of scrutiny and pressure to solve this case. Once I do that, my suspension will be lifted.”
Meg’s smile turned cool. “You and Matt seem to be working well together. I assume you’ll give him credit where it’s due.”
“Of course. I didn’t mean to imply—”
“Your family,” Meg interrupted. “Do you see them much?”
Charlie may have been the more assertive sister, but Meg knew her way around an interrogation. A sharp, sarcastic reply burned on Taylor’s tongue, and she bit it back. The sisters were Matt’s employers and she didn’t want to piss them off or offend them. “My mother and father are divorced and living on opposite coasts. I see them when I can.”
“Your job gets in the way.”
Was this leading somewhere? “Much like you, I love what I do, and I’m devoted to my career. You’re lucky to work with your sister. Do you seeyourparents much?”
Charlie swung into the room and stopped at Meg’s chair. “No, we don’t.”
One side of Meg’s mouth quirked. “Touché, Agent Sinclair.”
Charlie leaned a hand on the back of her sister’s chair and put the other on her hip. “I believe what my polite but curious sister here is trying to get around to is that we think of Matt as a little brother and we don’t want to see him get hurt.”
Taylor jerked back. “Get hurt? Byme?”
Meg held up a hand as if to reassure her, but Charlie slapped it down. “Professionally, Matt could get a black eye over this case if you screw up. Oh, wait, you alreadydid. The potential for us to lose Walt as our client is nearly a certainty if he finds out Matt is working with you, which means, you’re jeopardizing our agency, Taylor. Add to that the fact that your recent actions have gotten you shot at and suspended, and I’d say you’re definitely putting Matt’s career—and possibly his life—on the line along with yours.”
Meg scooted forward and set her mug on the desk, giving Taylor a serious look. “It’s obvious Matt cares about you. In fact, I’ve never seen him so…enamored. I’m concerned about his emotional well-being once you go back to being an FBI agent and no longer need him for this case.”
Taylor’s hackles weren’t just up, they were shooting lightning bolts. “I’m notusinghim for this case. I care about him too. Very much so. And I’m sure you two have done your homework. You probably ran a background check on me the minute Matt mentioned my name. What is it that you really want to know?”
“As you just stated,” Meg said, “you don’t have time to visit your parents, or even to keep a pet. Exactly how do you propose you have time for a committed relationship?”
Was she serious?
Charlie cleared her throat. “Matt’s relationship with you is none of our business, but we do care about him, and don’t want to lose him. He’s the best we’ve had at our agency in a long time, and we only hire topnotch candidates.”
Maybe it wasn’t just Taylor they were worried about. They were worried about Grey poaching Matt.
For some reason, that made Taylor smile. “Matt is committed to you and this agency, but he’s a grown man with a stubborn streak and some pretty lofty goals in life. All of us want what’s best for him, but I doubt any of us can keep him from taking risks and doing what he believes is right, fair, and just. I fully support him in that, and you should too.”
Charlie winked at her. “I think you just answered our biggest question, Taylor.”
Meg smiled, a big, goofy grin. “With flying colors.”
It took a second for Taylor to realize she’d just been had. She ran her hands through her hair and chuckled. “Well played, ladies. You had me going there for a moment with the big sister act.”
“Oh, we do consider ourselves his big sisters,” Charlie said. “If you break his heart, I guarantee your suspension from the FBI will be the least of your problems. But, yeah, we wanted to see what you’d say if we pushed you about him. I think you passed.”
“She did.” Meg gave a real smile and rose. “I’m glad we’re on the same page, Agent Sinclair. We’ll let you get back to work now.”
