Page 71 of Merciless Protector

A sense of melancholy washed over me. I still hadn’t heard from Shawn, and I worried for a number of reasons. I made it to the office and went directly to my boss, Special Agent in Charge Davis’s office.

“James,” he said, addressing me by my surname. “Can you tell me why you didn’t let us know immediately when you got away?”

I knew this question was coming. “You heard about last night?” He nodded. “I didn’t know who I could trust.” It was the easiest answer that would explain all my actions, and it was true.

He said nothing for a second, seemingly contemplating my answer. “Do you have a report on last night?”

“I sent the report.” I’d filed all the necessary paperwork electronically before I’d gone to bed.

“I want to hear again.”

My recount didn’t change, and he stopped me when I got to the shooting. “You didn’t shoot center mass?” he said.

“No, sir. We can’t question dead men.”

“Dead agents can’t get answers,” he countered.

“I trusted my training and ability.” He said nothing. “I would like to be in when he’s questioned.”

“You know you are on desk duty pending an investigation.”

I rolled my eyes. “I could have killed him and didn’t. That should prove something.”

He shrugged. “There are procedures that must be followed.” There was that word again: procedures. Detective Lacey had said the same thing. I was beginning to hate the word. “Did they take your service weapon?”

I shook my head and removed the gun from my shoulder holster. “It was my personal gun I used in the shooting.” I set my work-issued gun on his desk. “You saw my other report. I can definitively say the senator’s son is the one who held me captive.”

“And we have your word. But we need more than that for a judge to sign off on a warrant for a senator’s son.”

I folded my arms across my chest as anger bubbled up inside me. “Exactly why I didn’t shoot to kill a potential witness.”

“And if we can get him to finger the son for this, we can get that warrant.”

I blew out a frustrated breath. “So what you’re saying is a criminal’s word is better than mine,” I groused, even though I knew the answer to that.

“No, but since he was there to kill you, his testimony can’t be labeled as collusion with you.” He drummed his fingers together before adding, “You should go home and get some sleep. You look tired.”

Annoyed by the bureaucracy, I turned and walked out of his office. I hated being sidelined. He stopped me.

“I expect you here in the morning. Will go over all the time since the op until now.”

There had been gaps in the reporting, as I hadn’t wanted to implicate Griffin, Kelsey or Shawn. Something I needed to talk to them about. I had to find the fine line between a lie and the truth.

Still, there was one thing I forgot. I turned back and took the few steps to his office. “There’s something else you should know.”

He eyed me curiously. “What’s that?”

“I’m pregnant.” With that, I left his office and headed to my car.

I was so busy in my head that I didn’t hear the approach before it was too late. Someone grabbed my arm in a shadowy corner of the garage. I wouldn’t be taken again. I ducked and wrenched my arm up.

A low grunt came from the attacker as I twisted their wrist behind their back. My Quantico training was finally paying off. The person tried to wiggle out of my grip, but I held on tight.

From the shadows, I could see he was tall and broad-shouldered, but the black hoodie with the hood pulled low over his head obscured his face. Only I’d spent enough time in this man’s presence not to know exactly who he was. Fear prickled at the nape of my neck, but I refused to let it show.

“Ruin, what do you want?” I demanded, glaring at him.

He relaxed and revealed his face by removing his hood. Dim light cast shadows on his face. “I want to know why you aren’t with Rook.”

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