Page 76 of Montana Freedom

Exactly what I wanted. Let him stay distracted enough for me to figure this out. Still, my palms itched with the urge to move.

They hopped out of the van, and I slammed the door harder than was necessary. It felt good.

“What’s up?” Jude asked.

I showed him the phone screen, and he swore. “How long?”

“I don’t know. But we don’t have much time. We don’t know where Simon is. And if he gets her? She’ll be lucky if he kills her quickly, based on what I know of him.”

Liam was glaring toward the van like he could burn a hole through it with his gaze. “This is the FBI’s operation,” he said. “Could they have set it up?”

“Using her as live bait?” Noah asked. “Not like this. I know Phillips is an ass, but the FBI does take protecting people seriously.”

“No,” Liam said. “That’s not what I’m asking. I don’t want to be the one to say it, but is there any possibility these two guys aren’t working on the right side?”

My stomach dropped. Phillips had been abrasive and pushy from the beginning, shoving me, Emma, and everyone around us toward the outcome he wanted, no matter who was hurt by it. I currently had a bullet wound on my shoulder because he was so determined to use Emma to catch Simon.

“I don’t want to think about it either,” I said. “But we have to.”

“Let’s go talk to him. I have some choice words for him if he has anything to do with this.” Noah took a step, and Jude’s hand landed on his shoulder.

“Hold on. If he’s a part of it, we need to know first. If it’s the worst-case scenario, they’ve been running circles around us because they have more information than we do. We need to find out if they’ve gone rogue before we say anything. Call the field office.”

Liam shook his head. “If they are in on it and they get a call, it’ll tip them off.”

“What’s the better option?” Noah asked, his question carrying only genuine emotion. “Risk them being tipped off by their superiors, or risk them leading us on a wild goose chase because we don’t know enough?”

“Neither is a good option,” Jude pointed out. “We’re doing the best with what we have, and the longer we stand here talking about it, the less time Emma has.”

“I’ll call them,” I said. “They know me. At the very least, I can try to talk to someone who was there when both Emma and I were. While I call, think of options for going after her quickly. Both plans involving the agents and not.”

Pulling out my cell phone, I did a quick Google search to find the general number for the field office. It wasn’t a number I’d thought I needed to have saved.

“FBI Seattle field office. How may I direct your call?”

“I need to speak to a duty agent. Immediately. This is a matter of life-and-death.”

There was a brief pause. “May I have your name, sir?”

“Daniel Clark. I was in your offices three weeks ago. I promise I’m not being funny or making a joke. A woman’s life is on the line.”

“Hold please.”

The vague but pleasant hold music playing in my ear felt like the soundtrack to the end of the world. Every note I might have enjoyed at another time grated across my nerves, and I paced back and forth, unable to keep myself from roaming behind the van like a caged animal.

“This is Special Agent Madeline Knight. I was here when you were with Miss Derine, Mr. Clark. How can I help you?”

“I’m currently in Polson, Montana, with Agent Eric Jones and Agent Cole Phillips. After their badgering, and you all deciding to use her name as bait and getting me shot, she finally agreed to help draw out Simon Derine. But she’s gone. I had a tracker on her, and she’s been taken. And before I go in there and tell them that, I want assurances that this setup wasn’t sanctioned by the FBI.”

Dead silence came from the other end of the line.

“Agent Knight?”

She cleared her throat. “Mr. Clark, I understand the severity of the situation right now, and I’m not blowing you off. I need to put you on hold to talk to my superior. It will be no longer than five minutes.”

“Thank you.”

Once again, the hold music started, but this time, it felt better. It felt…like movement. Not interminable waiting.

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