Page 41 of SEAL of Fate

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FBI HEADQUARTERS WASmore hole-in-the-wall than office, housed in a dingy, one-story brick building on a side street in Prineville. The lights were on, but paper covered the windows so that Jordan couldn’t see inside. Even so, it was a welcome sight. Ordinary people would be inside—people who weren’t trying to kill her. When had she eaten or slept last?Maybe they have a cell and some bread and water to spare. I wonder if jail food is really as bad as the movies make it out to be.

Jordan’s muscles and joints protested as she slid from the pickup seat. Jake followed with only the trace of a limp. After stretching and yawning, he trotted to the bushes that lined the building. Jordan smiled. “Good idea, Jake.”

Coop pulled Liam from the pickup, shoved him to his feet, and reached into the truck bed for his backpack. The trussed-up bodyguard stumbled when Coop grabbed his arm and pushed him toward the building. Liam caught Jordan’s gaze and sneered. “Too bad about your friend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jordan’s heart started to pound. Did this jerk know something about Travis? Had his cover been blown, after all?

Liam laughed as he shuffled past her. Jordan turned halfway and reached out her hand to stop him. “Do you mean Travis? Where is he?”

Liam whipped around and slammed his body into her. She stumbled off the curb and lost her balance, dropping to her hands and knees. He jumped after her, and all she could see was his face contorted with rage. Coop shoved between her and her attacker, thrusting Liam roughly against the building, his face pressed into the bricks.

Fresh blood seeped from the wound in his thigh, but still, he glared. “I don’t know what Alex saw in you, bitch.”

Coop punched him so fast that Jordan might have imagined it except for the man’s grunt of pain. “The lady asked you a question.”

“Fuck you.”

Coop forced Liam’s bound arms higher on his back, bringing him to his knees. “That’s not how you talk to a lady. You already need medical attention. I’m surprised you don’t see the benefit in being cooperative.” He glanced at Jordan. “You okay?”

“Fine.” Jordan pushed to her feet and rubbed the dirt from her hands.

“Ask him again.” Coop shoved his knee into Liam’s back.

“What happened to Travis?” Jordan tried to sound unaffected by the attack, but her voice shook.

Liam only glared at her until Coop rammed his face into the building, eliciting a groan. Jordan didn’t want to care that Coop was hurting the man, but it was hard to watch. What would the FBI agents do if they came out and found Coop torturing a prisoner? The thought forced strength into her words. “What do you know about Travis?”

“He’s dead or soon will be,” Liam growled.

“Keep talking.” Coop pushed him harder against the wall. Liam’s breaths came in short, painful gasps.

“He thinks he’s got something worth trading and wants the bitch in exchange. He’s going to the ranch, but he won’t be leaving.”

“When?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Liam spewed four-letter words as Coop twisted his bound arms upward. “Shit, okay. Midnight, all right?” The muscle-bound man collapsed when Coop released him.

Jordan glanced at her watch. It was eleven forty. “We can warn him.”

Coop grabbed the back of Liam’s shirt and hauled him to his feet, then shoved him toward the door, a frown creasing his face. Everyone inside stopped what they were doing when Jordan and Coop walked in with their prisoner. “Hang here for a minute.” He strode directly to a man at one of the desks, dragging Liam with him. The two spoke quietly for a few minutes. Finally, another agent appeared and led Liam away.

Impatience clawed at Jordan’s stomach. What was Coop waiting for? Didn’t he understand what would happen if Travis tried to make a trade? They’d kill him. The words echoed through her mind as she tried to grasp why she suddenly perched on the edge of panic.Because Travis is a nice guy, and he wanted to help me. That’s all.

The agent Coop conversed with picked up his phone and spoke a few words. A moment later, a petite Hispanic woman appeared and joined them. As the small group disbursed, Coop waved Jordan over and led her down a short corridor to an office.

Jordan barely waited for the door to close. “Coop, what are we waiting for?”

He glanced around the office, turned one of two wooden chairs in front of the desk to face the door, and dropped down.

She huffed a frustrated sigh and slammed her hands onto her hips. “Okay, you can sit here, but I’m returning to the ranch. Travis will walk into a trap if we don’t stop him.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Or...Liam is lying to get you back there so they can finish the job he screwed up. He gave up the information too easy.”

Gave up easy?Coop had nearly ripped off the guy’s arms. Nothing about what happened seemed easy, but if she’d learned anything in the past few days, it was that her judgment from day one had been questionable. “What if he’s telling the truth? Are you willing to bet Travis’s life?”

“I know how my partner thinks. He’d never do what they expect.”

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