“I was telling Rory that I love her,” I whispered softly as tears welled up in my eyes.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hannah and Claudia exchange helpless glances. I didn’t blame them for not knowing how to react. I barely knew how, and I was the one that said it. I opened my eyes as wide as they would go in an attempt to dry the moisture gathering there and cleared my throat, feeling a little self-conscious.
Claudia rose and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to get her back,” she said. She held out her hand, wordlessly asking for the numbers she needed to get a tracking order for. I reached into one of my jacket pockets and pulled out a small piece of paper. Claudia took it with a sympathetic expression and, after giving me one last pat on the arm, disappeared to start making calls.
Chapter Thirteen
After the bombshell I’d just dropped, everyone and their brother needed to be informed about the situation. My dad had arrived not long after Claudia had gone to see about the tracking order, and the two of them made easily a dozen phone calls each, presumably to other bosses in the agency, although they could’ve been talking to anyone. I wasn’t paying enough attention to be able to tell. I was pacing back and forth wringing my hands and standing at the window staring into space.
My mind during that time was busily traversing some pretty rugged terrain. I sort of heard the sounds of commotion around me as each new person arrived and was looped in on the circumstances we were attempting to navigate our way out of, but I didn’t register the specifics of who was being told what. As far as I was concerned, none of that mattered. Only getting Rory back did.
But we were being forced to wait. For the judge to sign the tracking order for us. For the phone companies to give us the trace. For Walker to call us back with details on where and when he wanted to do this meet. For some information we could actually act on instead of the litany of endlessly gruesome possibilities we were staring down at present. I don’t need to reiterate how waiting has never been my strong suit.
“Hey, gunner,” a soft voice all but whispered almost directly into my ear.
I closed my eyes and let out a heavy sigh, recognizing that tone immediately. Without much thought, I turned and fell into Allison’s arms. I rested my chin against her shoulder and took a long moment to relish the feel of her holding me.
Allison had one arm wrapped securely around my back and the other running soothing trails across my shoulder blades as she pressed kisses to my temple and cheek. We were standing in a room full of people who were likely soaking up our display with more than a passing interest, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I needed the consolation of her embrace too badly to leave it.
“We’ll get her back, Ryan.”
I sighed once more and buried my face in her neck, allowing myself a few more seconds of vulnerability before I reluctantly pulled back. I cleared my throat and dabbed at the tears that’d welled in my eyes. My smile felt shaky and slightly embarrassed.
Allison’s answering smile was both radiant and comforting. She tangled our fingers together as she searched my face. “How’re you holding up?”
“Honestly? Not as good as I could be.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling right now.”
I ran my thumbs across the soft skin of her hands. “I can’t turn my mind off. I can’t stop wondering…What if he does something to her?”
“You can’t think like that. You’ll drive yourself crazy.”
“Too late.”
“Do you want to walk me through what happened?”
I recognized the distraction technique for what it was, and gratitude burst within the already crowded confines of my chest. I shook my head. I grasped at her fingers and held on to her. “I don’t think I can go through it again. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to.”
“Why don’t you tell me about your day? What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I told you I was coming to New York.”
“Yes, but not that you were coming here.”
“Oh. No. I guess I didn’t. That was supposed to be part of the surprise. I came up here to meet my potential new boss.”
I gaped at her. “Huh?”
“I told you I planned to come back to New York permanently.”
“Yeah, but I assumed that’d be when you were finished with your detail time. I didn’t think it’d be now.”
Transferring to Hurricane’s detail was just one step shy of taking a demotion. This assignment was considered a satellite—part of PPD, but not quite—and you did that to prepare for your time on the president’s detail, not the other way around. The move could have catastrophic consequences for her career. Why would she volunteer for that?
“Are you complaining?” Her tone was teasing, but her words held hints of insecurity.
Oops. Way to be an ass, Ryan. “Of course not. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to take a step backward in your career for me. Your detail time is almost up. And I’m not going anywhere.”
“Who said I was doing this for you? Maybe I’m doing it for me.”
“Going to DC, stepping onto the fast track to promotion, those were for you. You said that yourself. This move doesn’t make any sense.”
Allison glanced around as though she’d just realized we were still standing in a room full of people and then took a step closer. She looked directly into my eyes. “I lost years I could’ve had with you because I was scared of how much I felt for you and because I put the job first. I’m not making that mistake again. And I’m not spending one more day apart from you that I don’t absolutely have to.”
I was touched. “That’s one of the sweetest things you’ve ever said to me.”
“Well, I meant it.”
“Allison, are you sure this is what you want?” I was afraid that later, after she’d settled back in up here and some time had passed, after it finally sank in exactly what this move could mean for her, that she’d resent the decision. Resent me.
“I’m positive. And don’t worry. I’ve already made all the necessary connections. My career will be fine. I promise.”
I chuckled, unable to help myself. “Cocky.”
“Confident,” she retorted with a grin.
I grinned back but abruptly stopped when something occurred to me. “This doesn’t have anything to do with you and Byers, does it? Is he making you do this?”
The notion that he was forcing this on her made me see scarlet. I still had no idea why he held such a grudge because she left an assignment early to come home to see me after I’d been shot, and I didn’t really care. But if I found out this was his doing, I’d find some way to repay him.
Allison glanced over her shoulder, and I followed her gaze, stunned to see the man in question deep in discussion with someone I didn’t know on the other side of the living room. I hadn’t realized he was here, and I frowned as I attempted to figure out why.
“No. He isn’t making me do this. I asked for the transfer.”
“Because of him?”
“No. Although getting out from under his thumb is definitely an added perk.” Allison rested the palm of one hand gently against my cheek and turned my head back so I was looking at her. “I told you, I’m coming back for me. And for you. Not for him.”
“Promise?”
“Cross my heart.”
“What’s he doing here?”
“He insisted. Something about smoothing the transition. I wasn’t really paying attention. Unless we’re discussing how he wants us to handle the president’s movements, I tend to tune him out.”
“Who’s he talking to?”
She glanced again. “Oh. That’s my new boss. Donovan Ware. He’s going to be the SAIC of Hurricane’s detail when SAIC Quinn leaves.”
“He’s relatively new, isn’t he?” I asked, referring to his recent promotion to the SAIC level. I’d heard the name when the transfer orders h
ad come out a couple weeks ago, but I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to meet him. I studied him with interest.
“He is.”
“Do you know him?”
“We’ve crossed paths a handful of times. Back before I was on the detail, we worked a few foreign digs together here in New York.”
“Good guy?”
Allison shrugged. “He’s competent enough. And he seems to get the big picture. Only time will tell.”
“Well, I’m happy for you.”
Allison pinned me with an enigmatic look. “I was hoping for a little more enthusiasm.”
My lips twitched in the semblance of a wry smile. “Talk to me after this is all over and we’re alone. I’ll see what I can do.”
“You’re on.”
“If I could have everyone’s attention.” Claudia’s voice cut through the low hum of activity permeating the room. “I’d like to get started.”
People halted their conversations and shifted so they could see Claudia where she stood at one end of the room. I blinked in surprise at the number of people present. How the hell had I not noticed when all these suits had wandered in? And who in God’s name were some of them? I’d never seen half of these people before.
It took me a second to collect myself, but when I finally fixed my own attention on Claudia, I saw she’d been joined by my dad, Allison’s new boss, and her current one. All of them looked deathly serious, which served as a completely unnecessary reminder of how high the stakes were. I gripped Allison’s hand tight, and she stroked the skin on my knuckles with the fingertips of her free hand.
“For those of you who might not know me, I’m Claudia Quinn, SAIC of Zoey Carmichael’s detail. To my right, we have DSAIC Donovan Ware, who’ll be taking over for me as SAIC when I transfer down to DC. Next to him is Beau Byers, an assistant to the special agent in charge on the Presidential Protective Division. And to my left is Ben Flannigan, special agent in charge of the New York Field Office.
“We don’t have a lot of time, so I’ll cut to the chase. Earlier today, agents of the New York Field Office received word that one of their Protective Intelligence subjects had abducted a woman with the intention of using her as leverage to force a meeting with Miss Carmichael.”
The room was suddenly abuzz with the low drone of several voices. I wasn’t interested in what anyone might have to say on the matter. An agent I’d seen around once or twice who I figured was likely on Hurricane’s detail had just approached me. He leaned in to whisper in my ear as he pressed a small folded piece of paper into my hand. I nodded my thanks and set about reading it as Claudia went on.
“The subject believes he has abducted one of our agents, his one-time handler, Special Agent Ryan O’Connor, when in fact he has her twin sister, Rory. I don’t think I need to tell you that under any circumstances we would proceed with caution. With this current new twist, the situation needs to be handled with the utmost care.” A long pause. “I will now open the floor to any questions.”
A uniformed NYPD lieutenant raised his hand to get Claudia’s attention. She nodded at him. “Can you give us a little more background on this guy?”
“Absolutely. I’ll turn the briefing over to Agent O’Connor.” Claudia motioned for me to join her.
Allison gave my hand one last reassuring squeeze before letting go and allowing me to thread my way through the crowd. I glanced at my watch again and saw we had just over an hour of Walker’s imposed time limit left. A tiny frisson racked my body, and I felt a little light-headed.
“Are you okay?” Claudia asked in a low voice.
I blinked, surprised. I hadn’t realized I’d made it all the way over to her already. What the hell’s happening to me? I nodded dumbly and tried to appear calm.
“I’m fine,” I murmured back.
I searched the crowd until I saw Rico and raised my eyebrows at him questioningly. He nodded once and held up a stack of papers so I could see it. I nodded back once in thanks.
“Special Agent Rico Corazon will be passing around BOLO sheets containing our target’s picture, identifiers, and other pertinent information. Please remember that this material is sensitive and is not to be disseminated outside of this room. Agent Corazon will be collecting the sheets again before we leave.
“The subject in question is Adam Royce Walker. He first came to our attention several years ago when he called 9-1-1 to report that he had information regarding a plot to assassinate President Anderson Carmichael. Subsequent investigation revealed that he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and is generally noncompliant with his prescribed medication schedule.
“Over the years, Mr. Walker has attempted, on numerous occasions, to infiltrate several of our protected sites with the intention of obtaining a meeting with the president’s daughter, Zoey Carmichael, who he now believes to be his wife. He’s also made frequent phone calls to several of our offices and sent countless letters to both Miss Carmichael’s residence as well as to the White House, expounding on his perceived nature of their relationship as well as detailing the level of his devotion to her.
“Mr. Walker contacted us earlier today to report that he’d kidnapped me, and during his conversation with Agent Corazon, he threatened to kill me if we didn’t facilitate a meeting with Miss Carmichael. He gave us three hours from the time of that call to set it up. We have a little more than an hour of that timetable remaining.”
I paused to take a deep breath and allow the murmuring to die down.
“It’s important to note that while Walker has not been known to carry weapons, he can become extremely violent, and the change can come on quickly. In the past, he’s become unnecessarily combative with various members of law enforcement. This appears to be his normal response, particularly when he feels as though they’re either belittling him or deliberately interfering with whatever goal he’s set his mind to.
“With his mental history, it doesn’t take much for him to arrive at that conclusion. When we do finally encounter him, I encourage you to exercise extreme caution. I recognize that the convention is to assume that because he’s mentally ill he’s less of a threat than someone with all their faculties. It’s easy to underestimate him, but I can tell you from personal experience that’s a good way to get yourself knocked upside the head.”
I held up the piece of paper Claudia’s colleague had handed me earlier. “Thanks to SAIC Quinn, our tracking orders on both Walker’s and Rory’s cell phones are about to come through. We’re just waiting for information from the telephone companies. In theory, they should be able to provide us with a rough location where they were during Walker’s last call phone call, which may or may not have been the one he made to our office a little over two hours ago. We’re expecting another call from him to discuss the terms of his meeting with Miss Carmichael soon. By that time, the phone companies should be on board with what we need. As soon as he does call, we’ll be able to get a fix on where he is now and plan from there.
“Are there any questions?”
“I have one,” a voice behind me said.
I turned. “Yes?”
“What are you doing here?” Byers asked, his face an interesting mix of condescension and arrogance.
I frowned, confused. “Excuse me?”
“Why are you here? You’re too close to this situation to be involved. You should go back to your office and let us handle it.”
My cheeks blazed, and the heat must’ve burned out all my neurons because I swear my mind was one big blank. I had no idea how to respond and was aghast that he’d chosen such a public forum to voice his concerns. I glanced helplessly into the crowd but didn’t register any of the faces. Not that it mattered. I hadn’t known what I’d been looking for anyway.
Claudia smoothly stepped in. “Agent O’Connor is here because no one in the agency knows Walker better than she does. We need information, and she has it. It’s that simple.”
“It’s against protocol,” Byers insisted. “She shouldn’t be her
e.”
The rest of the group continued to watch in uncomfortable silence, their glances bouncing from me to Byers to Claudia and back again as though we were engaged in some sort of high-stakes Ping-Pong match. The heat from my cheeks was rapidly spreading to engulf the rest of my body.
Byers shifted his attention to my father and renewed his attempts to plead his case. “Sir. With all due respect, Agent O’Connor cannot be expected to be impartial about this matter. And, frankly, the errors in judgment that could lead to have given me cause for concern.”
Oh, boy. He’d picked the wrong ally for this battle. I wasn’t one for letting people fight my skirmishes for me, but I had to admit I was curious to see how this one would play out.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rico move to engage our spectators, most of whom appeared to be high-ranking members of the NYPD. The majority of the ones who weren’t in uniform were wearing lapel pins I recognized as ones their detectives wear, and the remaining men were exhibiting enough familiarity with the rest of the group that I figured they must work together.
“Gentlemen, if you’d come with me, please, I’d like to start discussing what additional assets we might need and what you might be able to make available to us on such short notice.”
A lot of murmuring and whispering underscored the pointed looks we received, but everyone followed Rico to the dining area of the apartment and started taking seats. It didn’t completely remove them from the set, but it went a long way toward making the encounter less awkward. I shot Rico a grateful look, which he answered with a sympathetic one.
“I appreciate your opinion, AT Byers,” my dad said. “Your concerns have been duly noted.”
“But you’re not going to remove her.” Byers appeared irritated.
“No, I’m not. Agent O’Connor is a professional. She’s handled the situation as well as anyone not intimately associated with the victim would have, and I have faith that she’ll continue to conduct herself accordingly.” Dad glanced at me then. “Right, Agent O’Connor?”
I nodded. “Of course, sir.”
Known Threat Page 13
