“But you did what you came here to do,” Nick said after a moment. For the first time since she’d left earlier that night, Lara could see Victoria in the distance.
“What’s that?”
“You got answers,” he said. “Not to mention an evil twin.”
Lara wanted to smile, wanted to laugh at his nickname for a man so unapologetically cruel, but found her humor lost among the boards of the pier.
“Listen,” she started. “About Moretti and what happened...”
Nick put his hand up to stop her. “We don’t have to talk about this now,” he said. “Our main focus should be on wrapping this thing up and getting some much-needed sleep.” He nodded toward Victoria who finally saw them. Her look of concentration was so sharp Lara was almost afraid she’d get cut. Beside her, looking phenomenally less intimidating, was Cass.
“I figured she’d be shipped off by now,” Lara said as way of greeting Victoria after she walked to meet them.
“I thought after everything you just did, you might deserve to have any more questions you might have answered,” Victoria said. “I know Ty told you this briefly after you were pulled from the water, but I wanted there to be no confusion. After Mason revealed he’d sent word to his brother, I immediately called a Code Red to the US Marshal to move the Minnows.” Lara felt a genuine smile grace her lips, immensely grateful for her boss. “I also managed to request that Moretti be moved to solitary confinement until it’s clear the family is safely moved. So far, so good.”
Another burst of affection surrounded Lara’s heart for the woman before her.
“Thank you,” Lara said, touching the woman’s shoulder to show she meant it. Her heart felt lighter. Victoria gave her a small smile.
“Thank Mason Moretti and his long-winded, damning-as-hell speech. I almost had enough time to call my daughter to see what happened on the last episode of The Bachelor.” Victoria sobered. “We also got everything, everything on tape. The Moretti twins won’t be going anywhere any time soon.”
“Good,” Nick spoke up, finally dropping her elbow. She couldn’t help but agree.
Victoria moved aside, motioning to Cass. Lara took her cue, and Victoria followed. She may have been giving Lara a chance to finish their conversation, but that didn’t mean she was going to let her do it alone. Nick, however, detached from their little group to go talk to one of Mason’s hired shooters, still detained at the end of the pier. She noted his bandaged hands, meaning to ask about them but forgetting. Everything was happening so fast.
Cass’s eyes widened a fraction behind her glasses as Lara stopped in front of her.
“You jumped,” Cass said. It was more of an exclamation than a simple statement or a question.
Lara nodded. “I did.”
Cass held out something that had been within her arms. Lara belatedly realized it was her torn shirt and jacket from the third floor. On top of the suede was the wire she’d also stripped off. Lara took her things with a small nod, slightly touched by the thought.
But then she remembered why they were all at Pier 17 in the first place. Lara’s back stiffened.
“I tried to shoot him again before he jumped,” Cass said. “But—”
“Why were you in my dad’s house, Cass?” Lara asked, cutting the woman off. It was the only answer she hadn’t yet gotten from her before Mason showed up. It was one she realized she really wanted to know.
The redhead let out an exhausted breath. Like a balloon with a newly torn hole, she began to deflate. “Katya, but now I foolishly realize it was probably Mason pulling the strings. During our talks she encouraged me to search the house.”
“But why? I hardly ever go there myself.”
Cass seemed to shrink down even more, ashamed, but still with enough decency to keep eye contact. “I was looking for evidence that your dad really did kill your mother,” she admitted. “I knew it would have been the final twist of the knife in your heart.”
Lara’s breath caught. Anger so poignant rose like a tidal wave. With or without manipulation from Mason or Katya, it was a callous desire Cass had tried to fill. It was akin to kicking her once more while she was down, taking advantage of the great pain in her past to torture her in the present.
“I’m so sorry,” Cass said, fresh tears in her voice. “I really am.”
Lara remained quiet, tamping down the anger before it became everything she was. They all had already been through enough. Even in Lara’s bones did she feel the weight of exhaustion. She turned back to her boss, whose face was pinched once more. Whether Victoria was angry, astonished or just focused on tying up all loose ends, she wasn’t sure.
“I’m done,” Lara said to her, not wanting to look at Cass just yet.
Victoria nodded and produced a pair of handcuffs. She placed them on Cass’s wrists and read her her rights.
“I don’t know what will happen as far as your future is concerned, but right now you’re being arrested for obstruction of justice,” Victoria explained, no leeway in her tone. “Do you understand?”
Cass nodded. Her body language all but screamed defeat. A definite submission to her fate. Wounded, even. Lara reached out and held Victoria’s wrist, pausing the procession to the car. Her boss didn’t question the move and silently waited for Lara to say one last thing.
“You saved my life,” Lara said. “You could have let him kill me, but you saved my life.”
Cass’s expression remained stricken, her red-rimmed eyes filled with sorrow. She didn’t respond. Lara let go of Victoria and watched the two walk away.
CHAPTER NINE
The light of the next day found the Crisis Management Unit in a very different situation, starting with a knock on Lara’s hotel door.
After Cass had been taken away, Lara and Nick had both been sent home to get off of their feet. Although she knew he still wanted to talk about everything, Lara couldn’t deny that going back to the hotel alone had been a nice change from the hectic, people-filled night. Just like the rest of her team, Lara needed time to process her thoughts about everything that had been learned.
Though, as soon as she had gotten out of the shower, she’d fallen into the couch and found sleep instead of closure.
The change in sleeping locale disoriented her as the knock on the door sounded again. She pushed her legs over the side, feet to the floor, and groaned. Dull pain wrapped around each part of her, rubbing raw, as she moved. Most notably was the radiating heaviness at her side and back. Simply rolling her shoulders wouldn’t readjust the discomfort or change the fact she’d had quite the beating only hours beforehand.
Grabbing the blanket she’d slept with, she covered her barely clothed body and went to the peephole. It needed cleaning, but she could just make out the face. She opened the door a crack.
“Xander?”
The blond-haired, blue-eyed man wasn’t smiling but didn’t particularly look grim. Either way, she was more than surprised he was at her door.
“Sorry, I hope it’s okay, the posted guard let me knock. I said it was FBI business,” he greeted, seemingly picking up on her thoughts. “I called a few times, but you didn’t answer.”
Lara turned toward the couch. A small flashing light was just beneath it. No wonder she hadn’t heard the thing go off. That plus hard sleep.
“It’s fine,” she said. “What’s up? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, nothing new on the case or anything. I’m actually here because of Ty.” That got Lara’s attention. She opened the door farther. “He had the idea that, after everything, it would be a good idea to come into the office.”
Lara’s eyebrow rose. She wasn’t one for skipping work, but Victoria had given her the day to recoup. With Mason in the hospital under heavy guard and the recording she’d gotten being copied several times over and given to the right people, her legwork hadn’t been immediately needed.
“Before you hurt yourself trying to figure out why the hell he wants us in now,” Xander said, cu
tting her thoughts off, “he thought it would be good for us—all of us—to hang out and, well, hold a small remembrance of sorts for Mei.” He gave a halfhearted shrug. “He seems to think she would have liked us all sitting around, toasting her after a victory on the case that...” He paused, seemingly trying not to be too blunt. A trait he often exhibited.
“That killed her,” Lara filled in, saying what he was trying to sugarcoat.
He nodded. “I figured you probably felt pretty shitty today, so I’d give you a ride,” he continued. “I wasn’t too far away, anyways.”
Lara took a step to the side and motioned the man in. She liked Xander, but it felt almost awkward to let him into her sanctuary. Maybe he felt it, too. He held up his hand.
“I’ll wait in the car, if you don’t mind,” he said. “I have to make a call.”
Lara, grateful, promised she wouldn’t be long and watched as the man retreated. Her thoughts turned to Mei and how senseless her death had been. All because of Mason and the crazy that was encapsulated within his mind. The sorrow she felt for the agent was almost matched with the thought of Ty left behind feeling guilty and alone. It was true, they hadn’t worked together long, but they had bonded. To lose that—that partnership—was something Lara realized she couldn’t have taken.
The memory of Nick getting into the water to save her as she struggled to stay afloat came back in full force. The memory of him clutching at the barnacles, knowing the pain that would follow, just to let her rest, rushed in behind. He’d gone into an unknown yet danger-filled situation all for the sake of having her back. They were partners, and no matter how much Lara had wanted to build walls around herself, she knew that bond was important.
And that had been taken from Ty by a man hell-bent on bringing Lara down.
She more than owed it to him—and Mei—to follow his lead. Even if she would have rather gone right back to her couch and slept for the next two days straight.
Lara dressed as Xander did. Wearing more of a traditional FBI uniform, she put on a pair of dark slacks, tucked a gray blouse into it, and put on a pair of black boots that had almost no heel. Not caring to feel any more of a pull on her arms, she forwent a ponytail and kept her hair down across her shoulders. In need of a deep clean from the night before’s activities, she grabbed a dark blazer. Since she dressed in relative speed to her injuries and short notice, Lara even took a little extra time to put on makeup. Though, if only for the fact that Mason had left a bit of a bruise across her cheek. She covered it with concealer and a deep desire that no one would notice in the light of day.
If they were truly to remember their friend, she didn’t want any attention on her.
Xander was no longer on the phone when Lara climbed into his car. He kept quiet the entire ride, and she was okay with it. After all of the truth that had been found the night before, small talk seemed out of place and definitely out of character.
“You know, I never wanted a kid,” he said as he parked the car. Lara’s eyes rounded while her entire body tensed. Xander kept his eyes ahead of them. “With the career I wanted—with the day-to-day stress and danger and bullshit—I just didn’t want a kid in that picture. So when I found out about Maddy, I wasn’t happy.” He moved his hand over the steering wheel before letting it fall back to his lap. Lara didn’t move. “Karen was mad that I didn’t act the way dads are supposed to when they find that stuff out. She wasn’t ready for a kid, but, you know, she seemed to take the news a lot better than me.” He shrugged. “So I spent the entire pregnancy trying to make up for that. I tried to learn as much as I could about what to expect—even got that book—and converted my home office into a nursery. I’d heard nothing could prepare you for a kid, not any book or show or any one person with experience and advice, but I didn’t accept that. With what we do, with what we’re trained to do, it makes people like us value control. I didn’t want to lose that. I’d never wanted a child,” he said, reiterating his first point.
Lara’s heart was somewhere within her, waiting for a pointed blow. Waiting for the reason he’d brought up the topic of his daughter. He’d heard everything about hers through the wire. He had to know that, though her body was physically sore, her heart had a hurt that may never heal because of what she’d done. Nevertheless, she waited in silence for him to finish.
“But, then I saw her. I was there when Maddy was born.” Xander’s tough exterior softened exponentially. His tone went from fact to affection so strong that Lara’s eyes glazed. He didn’t smile, but Lara knew what the memory meant. “The doctor handed her to me, and everything changed. They were right, whoever they are. It’s true nothing can prepare you for a kid, but the most surprising thing is, nothing can prepare you for how you feel when you first see them. The pure, unfiltered love for her, something that couldn’t even hold her head up yet, nearly knocked me off my ass. From that moment I knew that I’d do anything for her. That, no matter what happened, I’d always put her first. I’d always protect her. I’d always make sure she had the best life possible. Because that’s what parents do. That’s what we do and that’s what you did.” For the first time since he began talking, he looked at Lara. In that moment his blue eyes seemed to connect directly to every emotion within her. “I won’t pretend to know the feeling of what you did for your daughter, but I know that love you feel. You gave her the chance to live the best life she could, and that is the very core of what it means to be a parent.”
The blow she’d been waiting for turned into exactly what Lara hadn’t realized she needed. Xander Harrington had just taken the hardest decision of Lara’s life and absolved any lingering guilt, anger or sadness at making it. He had empathized with her as one unlikely parent to the other. He had leveled with her in a way that the rest of the team couldn’t.
He had shown her that he understood her choice and showed no judgment from the one person she thought would look down on her for making what she thought had been a mistake.
Lara was absolutely dumbstruck, surprised and utterly thankful for the bizarre speech. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she refused to cry. Instead she cleared her throat and gave the man the smallest of smiles.
No more words needed to be said on the topic. He nodded and started to get out of the car.
“Now let’s go drink some alcohol before noon and remember the fearless Agent Wang.”
* * *
Mei Wang had touched more lives than Lara had originally thought. What had started out as the idea of a small gathering of the team to remember her turned into a conference room filled with other agents and employees from different floors. The overflow of faces Lara didn’t recognize stood between the table and the walls, each ready to pay their respects to one of their own, lost in the field.
Victoria took the floor first and said the words that every boss says when their subordinate meets with tragedy. She stood tall and spoke fluidly, infusing each breath with strength they all needed. When she finished speaking, Lara realized she was sitting straighter.
Xander went next, and, despite the lengthy, insightful speech he’d give her in the car, his comments on the woman were short. Yet, obviously meaningful to him. Once again, he was able to show absolute empathy for the situation.
“Losing someone is hard. Losing a partner—” he gave Ty a quick look “—seems to be worse. I didn’t know much about Mei personally, but I did know one thing that let me know she was a good person.” He paused, and Lara found herself leaning slightly in. “She knew all the words to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, and that, alone, was enough for me.”
Lara smiled, remembering the two agents had sat outside of the Hot Spot Bar together in her car, waiting for the Black Stamp Serial Killer to strike. She wondered if it was there that Mei had shown him that skill. Everyone in the room gave a few bites of laughter, and Xander took his seat. Nick was up next.
Lara hadn’t had a chance to talk to him alone since they’d arrived just as the makeshift service began. Like the rest of the team, without pr
ovocation, he hadn’t worn his normal street clothes. Instead he’d opted to dress more formally. He wore a black, tailored suit with a white button-up. A black skinny tie hung high at his collar, knotted with pure perfection. His hands still were no longer completely bandaged, but she spied beige-colored squares on each palm. She hoped that meant they weren’t as bad off as they had seemed. Despite the situation, Lara couldn’t help but marvel at the attractive man before them.
“I’ve known Mei longer than most here,” he started, tone even. “But, like Agent Harrington, I didn’t know her as well as I probably should have. What I did know was she was kind and compassionate and, at the same time, put up with absolutely zero shit.” The agents around them laughed. Lara included. Sure, cursing wasn’t appropriate for a funeral or even a memorial, but this? Well, it was something else. Nick said a few other words that were nice and honest. Despite her feelings for the man and how she’d reacted to the realization that he and Mei had history, Lara felt her heart reach out for the man. He’d known her on a more intimate level than the rest.
Nick changed places with Ty who had been waiting off to the side. Like the men before him, he didn’t talk long. He told a story of the first time they’d worked together as partners and how they’d fought about everything. From what to eat to how to tail someone the proper way to who drove.
“She was stubborn, but I don’t need to tell you all that.”
Once again, a speech was ended in laughter.
Lara’s body ached, but she found herself standing and walking up to the front of the room. A few whispers spread across the crowd, and she wondered if they realized who she was. Regardless she faced them all.
“Because the team was so new,” she started, “I couldn’t even begin to know all of the things that made Mei the person you all seem to remember so fondly. But I was around her long enough to recognize one thing that I particularly liked about her. Our jobs—all of them—are hard. No matter your position or your pay, if you work here, then you know the job can and will be difficult.” There were a series of nods throughout the room. “Some days it’s all you can do to come in, to get a new case, to see the horrors we see and to face the people we do. Without a doubt I know Mei dealt with this struggle—like the rest of us—but she never let it slow her down. Why? Because Mei was absolutely determined.” More nods came from the people around her. She was only stating what they all already knew. “Keeping such a strong will and desire to keep fighting isn’t a trait found in everyone, but Mei, by God, had it in spades. And that alone made her one hell of an agent.”
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