Cold Malice

by Toni Anderson

  “Someone got hold of my bullet casings from the gun range.” Mac ran his fingers through his hair. “Could only have been Quantico or HQ.”

  “They’ve been planning this for a long time, but information about your undercover work at Kodiak Compound only surfaced this week and the task force was only formed on Tuesday.” Frazer frowned. “I’m thinking the casings had to come from HQ.”

  Mac felt a lump in his throat. “What makes you guys so sure I didn’t kill my ex?”

  “Only a moron would use his own gun to shoot his ex-wife, leave the bullet casings with his prints on them, and then call the cops,” Parker muttered. “Twice.”

  Mac’s lips twitched. “So not for my sterling character traits and moral fortitude? Good to know.” He put his hands on his hips. “Pisses me off cops think I’m an idiot.”

  Frazer smiled sadly. “The fact someone targeted you should piss you off. A lot of innocent people have died this week, including your ex-wife.”

  Frazer wrote “Bullet Casings” on another post-it and slapped it on the counter. “You’ve more than likely seen this UNSUB’s face,” he said quietly.

  Mac nodded. “But I’ve seen a lot of faces this week. Jessop was involved and knew who it was.” He added the name to Frazer’s list. “Once he found out I was a Fed, he burned his house to the ground rather than reveal any clues that might give them away.”

  Parker nodded. “I’ve run into a bit of a brick wall when it comes to Jessop.”

  “I thought you could find anything online,” Frazer mocked.

  Parker raised his hands in a what-can-you-do motion. “Not when it’s been completely scrubbed from the records. The FBI might need to go check out original paper files in Idaho.”

  “That’s another indication it’s someone on the inside. They’ve backtracked and removed the links to Jessop. They didn’t even have to lie about him when they joined the FBI. Just erase the connection after the fact.”

  “So we can assume they have computer skills.” Frazer wrote more notes.

  Mac added the fact the murder weapon was likely from Kodiak Compound and the date of the first murder coincided with David Hines’s birthday.

  “I think it’s a woman,” Mac said quietly, staring at the brightly colored squares of paper. “I was thinking it over while I was sitting in that interview room. I think this ghost skin is Jessop’s daughter. She joined the Bureau and has been silently planning this for years. Targeted me after Tess and I helped get her daddy killed.”

  “You think she’s at HQ now?”

  Mac nodded.

  Frazer nodded thoughtfully. “That knocks out a lot of suspects. It’s still a lot of people but we’ll have a ball park age of what, thirty?”

  “Jessop was seventy. His daughter could be anything from mid-fifties to mid-twenties.” Mac shrugged.

  “Why would she have sacrificed her whole life for David Hines’s cause? A man she’d never met? Especially now her father is dead?”

  “Who said she’d never met David Hines?” Mac vocalized more of his thoughts. Suddenly Tess’s idea that her father had had a girlfriend coalesced into that lightbulb moment he usually got on the gun range. “Hines was a good-looking guy—charismatic, charming. Tess mentioned she thought he had a girlfriend. Hines died twenty years ago this August so we’ll assume any girlfriend was at least sixteen back then. Makes her mid to late thirties at the youngest.”

  Frazer’s phone rang.

  “It’s Harm.” Frazer told them as he answered. “The Washington Police Department sent him the casings and your service weapon last night to try and tie you to the DC murders.”

  Mac rolled his eyes. “My alibi for most of the murders is being inside FBI HQ when they occurred.”

  Frazer answered and listened to his cell for a moment and then grinned. “That’s official then? I owe you.”

  Frazer hung up. “You’re off the hook. Harm worked through the night. Conclusively matched the casings found at your ex-wife’s murder scene to your service weapon.”

  “That’s not good news.” Parker was still typing and didn’t bother to look up.

  Mac crossed his arms over his chest.

  Frazer continued. “Harm ran the residue from inside the casing through a gas chromatograph. The casings from the crime scene originally contained frangible bullets.”

  Which might sting if they hit someone but probably wouldn’t kill anyone. They disintegrated upon impact.

  Mac grinned. “I owe him a beer.”

  “You owe him a case of beer,” Parker corrected.

  “So now we can confirm the casings came from HQ as the instructors there were using up frangible ammo before everyone gets switched over to the new nine-millimeters. Am I back on the task force?” Mac asked, putting his cell back together and looking for messages.

  Nothing.

  Officially Mac was still on desk duty. Shit.

  Frazer shrugged. “Harm didn’t know. Just said that he’d told MPD you were being set up as those bullets might have blinded someone but they wouldn’t have caused the wounds seen on your ex-wife.”

  Mac closed his eyes as he allowed himself to think about poor Heather. All she’d really wanted was to be someone’s center of attention. He thought about Tess in the other room. She’d never wanted to be the center of attention. The two women couldn’t be more different.

  Parker swore. “This is gonna take more computing power than I have here,” he admitted, closing his laptop. “Can I email it to one of my guys? My team can devote more resources to it, hopefully figure out who compiled it.”

  “I’m more concerned about preventing a terrorist attack than prosecuting a court case at this point,” Mac said. Although DOJ wouldn’t see it that way.

  Frazer must have decided the same thing. “As long as it’s secure.”

  Parker gave him a look.

  The evidence had been removed from Cole’s house by Tess and was tainted when it came to being used in court to convict Cole Fallon. The only person it could really be used against was Tess herself. Maybe she knew that. Maybe that was why she’d taken it. Protecting someone who didn’t deserve it.

  After a few moments Parker ejected the drive and tossed it to Frazer who stuck it in his pocket.

  “Your wunderkind have any luck on the users of the One-Drop-2-Many site?”

  “Nope, but he’s working on it. He’s got a real knack for this stuff. We’ll track the IDs down, but it won’t happen overnight.”

  The site had been shut down. Someone had realized Jessop was compromised.

  “From the screen captures we obtained before they took it down I think it’s the main networking tool of this group. It’ll be a goldmine of information when we untangle the details.”

  “We already have a shit-load of evidence being processed. It’s only a matter of time before we narrow it down to the right person.” Mac rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn’t stop that feeling of impending doom hovering over his shoulder.

  “They got rid of the team leader in an effort to slow law enforcement down and throw the investigation into chaos.” Frazer frowned.

  Mac checked the time and stared out the window at the concrete edifice of one of Washington’s biggest scandals. “It’s nearly the weekend. If you want to make a statement against the government you do it before four o’clock on a Friday.”

  “Otherwise nobody’s there,” agreed Parker.

  It was nearly eleven a.m. Mac slid Tess’s file across the marble surface. “You need to call ASC Gerald and ask him to warn anyone listed here that they might be a target. Don’t tell him where you got the information. Not yet.”

  Frazer leafed through the names.

  “Do you want to bring Cole Fallon in for questioning?” Parker asked, checking his gun in a way that made Mac have no doubt he knew how to use it.

  Mac shook his head. “If the inside man or woman finds out I’ve been released and we’re onto them, he-or-she might bolt. I want to figure out their iden
tity first. Let’s stake out Fallon. Where’s Cole now?”

  Parker opened a piece of software, then eyed him warily. “Does the FBI have a warrant for this information or is this our little secret?”

  Mac held his hands up and turned away. “I didn’t see anything.”

  He had to go speak to Tess before he left. Because last night they’d made a massive mistake and as much as he’d enjoyed it there was no future for them. Not after the lies she’d told him. The rusted, corroded feeling around his heart was regret for crossing that line and making that mistake.

  Sure.

  But it was still possible she was in cahoots with these people and had seduced him on purpose. He needed to talk to her but he needed to think of her not as a woman he had feelings for, but as a suspect. He couldn’t afford any more stupid mistakes when it came to Tess Fallon.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Cole walked out of his lecture and searched for Joseph but the guy hadn’t turned up today. Probably gotten lucky again. Cole knew the feeling. He grinned.

  “Hey, dude.”

  Cole spotted Dave heading toward him, weaving through the throngs of students leaving class.

  “What’s up?”

  “You need to start talking to your sister, man.” Dave rubbed his eyes and yawned. “She came over in the middle of the night, upset but pretending not to be.” Dave’s eyes were dragged away from Cole’s face by a passing blonde wearing short-shorts.

  Cole scrubbed his hand through his hair. Tess needed to butt out of his life. Right now, he needed a little space. They started walking, Dave following the blonde, Cole heading to the metro. “I’ll talk to her.”

  Dave nodded. “You pick up the booze for Joe’s party tomorrow?”

  Fuck. Cole had completely forgotten about the party they were hosting. He nodded. His fake ID was better than some real ones. “I’ll pick it up tomorrow morning.”

  Dave grinned. “Gonna bring your new girlfriend?”

  Cole rolled his eyes. Bring a beautiful, mature woman to a student party? Hell, no. He shrugged. It was easier to lie. “Maybe. You got a date?”

  Dave eyed the blonde. “Not yet. About to change that though. Just wanted to tell you your sister was freaking out and to remind you about the beer.”

  “No worries.” Cole added a reminder to his calendar. Worst case scenario was he ordered a bulk delivery from the liquor store using Tess’s credit card. He’d pay her back. “Later.”

  He wondered exactly when he’d outgrown his friends. He’d break the news he was moving out next week. He didn’t want to ruin Joseph’s birthday.

  It wasn’t like he’d never see them again, but things would be different. He’d outgrown the party scene. He wasn’t even sure why he was trying to get a degree when he could earn plenty of money writing software.

  His cell rang and he grinned. “What can I do for you, gorgeous?”

  “I wish.” She laughed. “You got through your ethics class?”

  “I would rather have been in bed with you.”

  “Yeah, welcome to reality.” Her voice changed, got deeper. “Although I might be able to squeeze you in over lunch.”

  His cock jerked to attention.

  “My friend Trent phoned me five minutes ago,” she added.

  Cole hated this mysterious “Trent” with a passion.

  “The truck’s in my parking garage with the keys in it. I’ll be done for lunch in about an hour and planned on taking the first load over to the new place—”

  “I’ll help you.”

  “I don’t want to put you out.”

  “You will never put me out. Shall I meet you at the apartment?”

  “Hmm…” That low noise stroked over his senses like a confident hand. “Why don’t you go grab the truck and pick me up from work? Then I don’t have to walk back to the apartment in these stupid heels.”

  “I love those heels.” He could still feel their imprint on his ass.

  She’d asked him to pick her up from work. She was finally starting to believe in him. In them.

  “Park by the visitor’s entrance and send me a text when you get there. I’ll make it worth your while, promise. I have to go. Love you,” she said so faintly he barely heard her.

  “Love you, too,” he whispered.

  He hopped on the escalator to take him to the metro line.

  * * *

  Tess sat on the edge of the double bed and stared at the door. She’d grabbed a super-fast shower. Washed away the evidence of her torrid encounter with Mac even if she couldn’t erase the memory of her colossal mistake. Her braided hair fell in a thick rope down her back, making the red wool of her sweater itch. She ignored the cold, uncomfortable feeling that seeped along her spine.

  She needed to know what was going on. Despite the fact Alex Parker had treated her with consideration she felt like a prisoner here. Why couldn’t she have fallen for a nice guy like Parker, rather than the smooth-voiced, irritating ass from Montana?

  Her one hand was strangling the other and she made herself relax her grip and smooth her fingers along her thighs. She knew she’d made a mistake in not telling Mac about the files earlier. Her reasons had felt justified at the time, but she’d been wrong.

  But she still didn’t believe Cole was a killer.

  The door opened and Mac walked in. She eyed him warily. His usually iridescent blue-green gaze was guarded. She started to open her mouth to say how sorry she was, but he cut her off.

  “Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” He didn’t look at her when he spoke. As if he couldn’t bring himself to. As if he was also ashamed of what they’d done.

  She gritted her teeth and lifted her chin. “No.”

  “Anything about Cole I should know?”

  He was casually dressed in jeans and a navy sweater but the Federal Agent was back in full force. No more friend or lover.

  “Does he carry a weapon?”

  She blinked rapidly, then stood and walked to the window, looking out at the cars driving below, the people going about their normal daily lives. Her life was in ruins. Her concerns about her business were nothing compared to her worry that her brother might die or the fact her heart was splitting like dry wood under a heavy axe.

  Her finger traced a line in the sill. “Cole doesn’t like firearms. I don’t think he’s ever fired a gun, let alone owned one.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. The Feds were going to go after her baby brother with guns drawn. They believed he was involved in these murders.

  Mac came farther into the room, not closing the door behind him.

  Ironic that she was the one with trust issues.

  She sneered in contempt as she looked at him over her shoulder. “You actually think I might be involved with these people. Don’t you?” Her voice cracked, giving away how close she was to breaking.

  A flicker of uncertainty crossed his features. He avoided her gaze, not denying it.

  “What possible motive could I have?” she demanded. “You know how I felt about my family.”

  “I can’t discuss an ongoing investigation.”

  “A little late to play by the rules now, isn’t it?”

  His eyes narrowed and she watched the play of light across his features. The broad forehead and stubborn chin. Stubble sprinkled his jaw and neck. Part of her wanted to touch the rough skin, to run her palm across the scratchy flesh. To feel it between her thighs.

  But those thoughts would have to be consigned to memory and filed under “once in a lifetime experiences.”

  She returned her attention to the view out of the window. Heavy clouds gathered against the blue of the sky. Teardrops of rain hit the glass.

  Her emotions wanted to crush her but she refused to let them. She was not showing weakness. Not to Steve McKenzie. Not to the world in general. She wasn’t going to reveal just how much he’d hurt her.

  “I didn’t tell the police we had sex, by the way. Just so you know. Not that your less than polite pal Agen
t Walsh believed me.”

  He frowned as they watched each other in the reflection of the glass.

  “I told them you were asking me for more details about Eddie and where he might be hiding.” She forced down the tightness in her throat that wanted to choke her. “So your job is safe, unless you confessed your sins, which I very much doubt.”

  His mouth tightened.

  She smiled grimly. She could tell from his expression he hadn’t breathed a word. He probably thought she was going to blackmail him with the information at some point in the future.

  “So what happened between us is our dirty little secret and I won’t ever be admitting I made such an enormous error in judgment.”

  Hurt flickered across his features and then it was gone. Was he upset she no longer viewed him as her hero? He’d be more upset if she told him the really ugly truth—the fact she’d fallen in love with him.

  Below her a cab cut off a limo and blared its horn. Life going on as normal as her world split open and exposed every secret and pain she held within her fragile heart. Well, the world wasn’t having that one.

  A muscle in his jaw flexed. “I never asked you to lie for me.”

  She laughed, a nasty, bitter sound. “I’m aware.”

  “My job is important to me.” Now he sounded defensive.

  “Trust me, if there’s one person in the world who knows that you are defined by the letters on your badge, it’s me.”

  “Last night was a mistake.”

  The words hit her like a shotgun blast and she put her hand on the windowsill to steady herself as she struggled to keep her mask in place. It hurt.

  She hadn’t realized how much she’d let her shields down for him. And what she was feeling now felt a thousand times worse than Jason and Julie’s betrayal. This time she’d been stupid enough to start to trust Mac, not just with her body and her secrets, but with her heart.

  She didn’t believe in love. Not anymore. That cheap illusion was for suckers and fools and unicorn chasers. It was a myth. A fraud. A Disney marketing ploy.

  She made herself face him. Raised a bored brow. “Yes, it was. I realized the moment you left me naked on the kitchen floor as soon as your ex-wife snapped her fingers. Anything else?”