Seconds to Live

by Susan Sleeman

“How would I do that?” Dustee snapped. “Taylor could ask for my financial records and see I bought a computer.”

  “Bitcoins,” Sean said.

  Dustee shot up in her seat. “I didn’t do anything wrong. How many times do I need to say that?”

  Taylor wished she could be more open-minded about Dustee and trust her, but the woman continually fought the rules and pushed boundaries. Made Taylor’s job harder than it needed to be. She tried to understand and extend the kind of grace she would want given to her in a trying situation. After all, computers were an addiction for Dustee, and she wasn’t even allowed to own a smartphone. She had to use an old-fashioned flip phone instead. Going cold turkey on electronic devices held the same mental challenges as withdrawal from any other addictive substance.

  But in Taylor’s opinion, the ruling prohibiting Dustee from accessing the internet was fair. How could the agency ever trust her not to hack for profit again? The only way to ensure her cooperation was to prevent her from accessing the tool that could facilitate her life of crime.

  “And we don’t have a computer at our place,” Dianne added.

  “She could store it somewhere else,” Sean said. “Like at work.”

  Dianne shook her head hard, her obstinate expression making her look more than ever like Dustee. “She hasn’t been out of my sight long enough to do something like that.”

  Sean’s eyebrow quirked. “How do you know how long it would take?”

  “I don’t, but I do know Dustee. First, she wouldn’t be having computer withdrawal, which she is seriously experiencing.”

  “She is,” Taylor confirmed.

  “And second, if she logged on to a computer, she couldn’t stop after a few minutes. She’d get lost in her work. Be gone for hours and hours. Other than the library and work, she hasn’t been away from the apartment long enough to do that.”

  Dustee glared at Sean. “Feel free to search my work locker. I have nothing to hide.”

  Sean gave a quick nod. Taylor didn’t know him as far as reading his body language, but he seemed to be buying in to Dustee’s story. So was Taylor, but she knew better than to fully believe Dustee. Not when she’d told very convincing lies in the past.

  Many of Taylor’s witnesses, like Dustee, were criminals, as Sean had pointed out, and they balked against following rules of any kind or telling the truth. So they often got in trouble, and Taylor became their surrogate mother. She was the one person who cared enough to come to their aid when they messed up and help them find their way out of a disaster, typically of their own making. Like tonight.

  She was mom all right. She even made sure the witnesses had shelter, food, and jobs that they actually showed up to, providing them income to pay their bills and keep them from turning to crime again. That should be enough, but she also helped them work through their emotions, and maybe, just maybe, helped them find happiness and joy again. Never mind that she didn’t have a lot of that in her own life. She was content with helping others, right?

  Sean sat forward and placed his hands on the table, his focus locked on Dustee. “I’ll request a warrant to search your home and workplace. And for the logs for the library computers. Am I going to find anything?”

  She continued to glare at him. “Sure. Tons of stuff. But nothing that will get me in trouble with Taylor. She already knows about the library.”

  “Okay, then say you’re telling me the truth. If so, I’d like your help in locating a hacker. Might even be Phantom.”

  Dustee snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Only way to get to him is with computer access. I’m not allowed to use them. So sorry. No can do.” Her snippy voice grated on Taylor, and she opened her mouth to say something.

  Sean went on before she could. “I can have those restrictions waived while you’re working with me.”

  “Seriously?” Dustee shot Taylor a look.

  Taylor nodded. “He’s right. We can lift the restrictions for the time you’re working with Agent Nichols, but only during that time. And someone will be sitting right next to you, monitoring your every move.”

  Dustee was quiet for a moment as she studied Sean, her expression turning suspicious. “I don’t know you. Means I don’t trust you. So no thanks.”

  Taylor stared at her. “You’re giving up a chance to do what you love best?”

  “Like I said, I don’t trust him. He could be setting up a trap to send me to prison. Wouldn’t put it past a Fed to do that after I failed to give them Phantom. I’m sure more than one agent thinks I didn’t follow through on my commitment and should be rotting behind bars instead of protected by WITSEC.”

  Taylor stared at her witness, trying to understand her reasoning, but Dustee had shut down, looking away from her. There had to be something else going on here. Dustee loved a challenge, and normally she wouldn’t say no to an opportunity like this.

  “Are you afraid because of last night?” Taylor asked. “Is that it?”

  “Oh, I’m afraid all right.” Dustee crossed her arms tighter. “But I wouldn’t let that scare me off, not with Mr. Muscles here to protect me.”

  Another comment to ignore. Taylor could protect Dustee equally as well as Sean could. Muscles had nothing to do with it. Intelligence, instinct, and training—these were what kept Dustee alive.

  “You trust Taylor, right?” Sean asked.

  Dustee gave a half smile. “Totally.”

  “What if Taylor works with us? Would you agree to help then?”

  “Now wait a minute.” Taylor whipped her attention to Sean.

  “Sure,” Dustee replied. “After scaring me the way Phantom just did, I’d love to help put him behind bars. Finally get our lives back.”

  “We won’t get our lives back,” Dianne muttered. “You’d have to testify at the trial, and then he could still send someone else after you. So unless the dude dies, we’re stuck in WITSEC.”

  “Oh, yeah, right.” Dustee frowned. “I’ll still do it because I want him in prison. If Taylor is with us.”

  “I . . .” Taylor caught herself and stopped before sharing her reason for not wanting to be involved in the hunt for Phantom. It was a personal issue with Sean, not a work issue, and she wouldn’t say more in front of Dustee.

  “Oh, I get it.” Dustee slid so low in her chair that Taylor was surprised she didn’t slip to the floor. “You’re mad at me for the internet thing and don’t want to have anything to do with me. I understand.”

  “No. That’s not it. I . . .”

  Dustee angled her body away from Taylor. Taylor might be exasperated with this woman most of the time, but she didn’t want one of her witnesses to think she was so petty that she couldn’t get beyond their mistakes.

  Taylor knew what it was like to have someone hold a mistake over her head. It was painful. Nearly unbearable at times. In Taylor’s case, especially painful because people she loved did the holding. She couldn’t do that to Dustee. And even more important, she couldn’t let Phantom get away with hacking the database and putting all the other witnesses’ lives at risk.

  “I’m in.” Taylor met Sean’s gaze, warning him with a single look that this was all business and nothing more.

  But when a satisfied smile crossed his face, and his focus lingered on her, she knew she hadn’t succeeded.

  Okay, so that’s the way it was going to be between them. She would need to be on guard every second of every day she spent with this man or she might find herself falling for him, and that was so not a viable option in her life. Not today. Not ever.

  CHAPTER 7

  “DON’T EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN.” Taylor issued the warning through clenched teeth as Sean closed the glass door to the break room. She’d brought him into this room on purpose. While she wanted the privacy, she also wanted people walking by to be able to see them or she just might strangle him.

  He arched an eyebrow above those amazing eyes that were doing nothing for her right now. “Do wha
t?”

  “Oh, come on. You put me on the spot in there with Dustee.” Taylor took a deep breath, inhaling the nutty scent of freshly brewed coffee lingering in the room. “There was no way I could say no to her without looking like the bad guy.”

  He clamped a hand on the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional. I’m just doing my job.”

  “But you didn’t have to rush in like that. You could’ve asked to step out of the room and discuss it first so we could make the right decision.”

  He scowled. “Now you’re sounding like Eisenhower.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?” She poured a cup of rich black coffee and filled one for Sean without asking, then handed it to him. “I thought you respected him as a leader.”

  “I do, but I get frustrated when he tries to stand in my way, like you seem to be doing.” He pulled in a deep breath, his broad chest rising and falling. “Why waste time talking when the resolution is right in front of us for the taking. Take charge. Get it done. You know that’s my motto.”

  She did know that, but she’d never had his motto applied to her. They were friends, after all. Shouldn’t that make him more sensitive to her needs? The online Sean would’ve been. Clearly, she didn’t know him as well as she thought she did. For all she knew, he spent time crafting his online answers, but here in front of her? He’d let his real emotions get to him and fired off his first response. His true response. His true self.

  Still, she didn’t want to snap at him again, so she stirred the cream, watching the white mix with black until a warm caramel color filled her cup. The two of them didn’t resemble the coffee at all. They had completely opposite personalities and hadn’t blended since he’d arrived. She liked him. Liked him a lot. As a friend. They had many things in common, but one of their main areas of disagreement was his not taking the time to reason things out before acting.

  She took a sip of the creamy, warm liquid and lifted her face. He was watching her, that dark gaze carrying an intensity that both thrilled and worried her. “I don’t pretend to know Eisenhower. But I do know that you threw caution to the wind and could have benefited from taking some time to think things through before rushing in.”

  “You, on the other hand, analyze everything to death.” His words were slow and measured, his attention remaining locked on hers.

  The intensity getting to her, she shifted. “But we’re not talking about me here.”

  “Aren’t we? If you could decide on the fly, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion and wasting time.” He took a step closer. “This investigation will move fast. It has to. Witnesses’ lives are at stake. I want to work with you, but you’ll have to keep up.”

  Ooh, he was so infuriating. Lecturing her like a rookie when she was perfectly capable of matching him.

  She set down her cup and widened her stance. “I want to be clear, Sean. I realize your investigation is important. Critical even. And I’ll support you. I always have. But Dustee is my top priority. If there are decisions to be made about her or her safety, I’ll be making those decisions. Not you. Me. Understand?”

  It was her turn to move closer, and she did, standing toe-to-toe with him. Her brain betrayed her, and she wanted to softly touch his face to let him know this feud was temporary and she cared.

  He suddenly grinned. An adorable I’m-the-best-thing-since-sliced-bread grin, and you should not resist me. A let-go-of-your-anger-at-me grin and smile back. He couldn’t have read her mind, so what was he up to?

  Her lips started to turn up, and she clamped down to stop them. “What’s so funny?”

  “I like it when you’re feisty. I’ve liked seeing it in our online chats, but in person? I have to admit I like it even more.” He gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  She stood mesmerized. Locked in heady emotions flowing between them. Losing track of time. Of everything but the warmth lingering on his face.

  A conversation from the hallway filtered into the room, and her brain kicked in again.

  What was she doing? They couldn’t be having feelings for each other. Neither of them was looking for a relationship, but even if they were, he could never fall for her. She liked to plan things. He didn’t. He would soon tire of her and look for someone more exciting. Someone who could keep up with his need for adventure.

  She stepped back. “You’re making this personal.”

  “I know it’s unprofessional, but . . .” He shrugged.

  She couldn’t let this continue. Not at all. She had a job to do. Witnesses to protect. Lives depending on her. She couldn’t get lost in his gaze, in him, so easily. “If we’re going to be working together, we should set some guidelines.”

  He took a long drink of his coffee but didn’t look away. “Like what?”

  “I don’t know off the top of my head.” Because the top of my head is in the clouds right now. “For now, we should keep our focus on the investigation, but not let the tension get to us and mess with our friendship.”

  “I would hate for this investigation to ruin our being friends.” A tight smile lifted his lips. “Seems like we might find ourselves on opposite sides here, but we both want the same thing. To make sure not a single witness is harmed.”

  She nodded. “I think if we keep the lines of communication open, we can make that happen and still come out friends at the end.”

  “I can do that, and I know you can too. But we have to make a point of remembering that when we disagree.” He smiled.

  She nodded her agreement and nearly sighed with relief.

  “Are those for everyone?” He pointed at a box of bagels by the coffeepot. “I’m starving. I didn’t stop to eat on the trip down here.”

  “Help yourself. I should have thought to offer.”

  “You were a little preoccupied.” He sliced a plain bagel and lathered it with strawberry cream cheese.

  Her stomach rumbled.

  “You need this more than I do.” He handed her the prepared bagel and didn’t look up to see if she wanted it but grabbed another one with his free hand.

  His actions felt so familiar. Easy. Right. Like they’d done this in the past when they hadn’t even met before. She took it, and when her mind wanted to analyze that, she forced it back to the investigation. “When you’re finished, we can get started on making a plan.”

  “I’ll call to get the safe house under way so Dustee and Dianne don’t have to sit in that room all day.”

  She took a bite of the moist bagel, enjoying the sweetness and smooth texture of the cream cheese. She wanted to comment about his taking over without consulting her, but she was all for making the twins more comfortable, and she appreciated the fact that he’d thought of their comfort. “Good idea to call. Then we can set up a plan for moving them and their ongoing protection detail. Plus we’ll need to discuss the budget. Someone has to pay for all of this. And I’ll have to read my chief in.”

  He watched her, his expression unreadable. Then he set down his bagel, dug out his phone, and tapped the screen. He asked for the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Portland field office. She munched on the bagel and washed it down with coffee while tuning out his call and trying to gather her thoughts, but they were jumbled. She needed a whiteboard to organize herself. She could easily solve that problem. Next stop would be the conference room they often used for projects and investigations.

  Sean finished his call and poured a second cup of coffee. “Safe house should be ready in an hour or two. An agent will pick up some groceries and clear the place, then wait for us to arrive.”

  She nodded. “I don’t want to waste time while we wait. We should be planning, and for me that means a whiteboard.”

  “Conference room?” He took a long sip of his coffee.

  “Yes. Follow me.” Once in the room, she went straight to the whiteboard to start jotting down key points she would like to discuss before they moved forward. She chose a blue marker and made big bold strokes. The felt tip sq
ueaked beneath her hand, and the familiar chemical scent filled the air.

  “That’s quite a list. Remind me never to leave you with nothing to do ever again.” He chuckled and set his cup on the table, along with the bagel that he placed on a napkin.

  She’d always liked his sense of humor, but she was focused now and had no time to joke around. “We should start by reviewing all information we have on Phantom. I have an extensive file in my office, and I’m assuming the agents who worked with Dustee have additional information.”

  “I already requested the file on my drive down here, but let me make a note to follow up.” He tapped his thumbs on his phone.

  “I’ll have copies of my file made for you, and then we can review the information together.” She marked her name next to the item, then pointed at the next one. “CCTV files.”

  “I can request video footage for the library, bus stop, and inside the bus,” he offered.

  “I have a source at TriMet. I’ll do it.” She jotted her name next to the action item and moved on to the third point before he could argue. “Budget. If my chief is going to free me up for the duration of the investigation and arrange safe transport, not to mention providing a twenty-four seven protective detail for the twins, then you’ll have to pay for it.”

  He swallowed, and she watched his Adam’s apple bob in a tanned and muscular neck. “Done.”

  “Just like that? No need to get approval from a supervisor?”

  “We’re the RED team. We’ve proven our worth and can approve most expenditures.”

  “Flexibility in spending is one thing,” she said, “but you just agreed to pay the salaries for local officers to handle the transport. Plus my salary and a two-person protection detail for who knows how long. That won’t come cheap.”

  “If it’s what I need to do to get Dustee’s expertise, then that’s what I need to do.” He attacked the bagel again and finished it with three bites.

  Taylor didn’t know what to say. If someone had made this same request of her, she would be completing a cost-benefit analysis. He obviously didn’t roll that way, and it was his career and department’s money, so who was she to argue?