Cold Wicked Lies

by Toni Anderson

  McKenzie nodded. “That’s right.”

  Charlotte grinned. “Use the might of the federal government to beg, borrow or steal, five or six room dividers to give us the privacy we need and don’t knock it down the list because it seems unimportant. It is important if you want us to be effective at doing our jobs.”

  “On it.” One of McKenzie’s team was already on the phone.

  McKenzie smiled then sobered. “Despite my inefficiency with office design, I did do a few things you might approve of. I sent SSA Makimi to interview the men who shot at you today. She’s one of the best interrogators we have in the Bureau. Also, SWAT teams are being dispatched from LA and Atlanta. Not sure how we can keep the increased numbers of agents in the region under wraps from the media.”

  “I have an idea.” Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest. She was on a mission, and Novak was too smart to get in her way. “I’m assuming we have identified all the phone numbers being used on Eagle Mountain at this point?”

  McKenzie nodded. “Yup. They turned them all off a few hours ago anyway. I think they realized the potential security issues. We have several hundred contacts outside the facility to follow up on. It’ll be interesting to see if the cell numbers from the two idiots who attacked you turn up on that list.”

  “Let’s cut all communications to the bunker now except the news channels.”

  “Go on.” McKenzie leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

  “They’ve been playing loops of the same thing over and over for hours on the news. Let’s take control. Keep playing the loops and maybe add some of our own material at regular intervals. Either we get the networks to help us or we do it ourselves. I know we have the expertise in the media department. BAU can advise us on what content to add to influence what scenario or outcome we hope to achieve.”

  “I like it.” McKenzie nodded then yawned. “Sorry. I need some sleep. I still don’t know how we get the people in the compound to talk to us, but we need to start a dialogue.”

  “I was wondering if we might be able to track down Harrison’s former commanding officer in the Army? Record a message from the guy that we can vet. Play it on our fake news show. Persuade Harrison to pick up the phone and start talking to us.”

  “That is a good idea.” Novak approved. “If I was holed up with my back against the wall my old 5th SFG CO would be the person I’d have most time for.”

  McKenzie yawned again. “Fine. Arrange it,” he said to his team. “Have agents talk to the Department of Defense. Find his CO, interview everyone we can track down from Harrison’s old unit. Let’s figure out why this guy ended up hiding away in the middle of Washington State for the last sixteen years. I’m going to find some earplugs as per SSA Blood’s suggestion and crash for a few hours. You two are in charge,” he pointed to Novak and Charlotte, “but I want to be woken immediately if something changes or when SWAT arrives. They’ll be staying at an old motel back on the highway. Tell them to keep a low profile. The less people who know about this the more likely we are to pick up subversives hoping to join the cause. And let’s put eyes on any groups of people who come out in support.”

  Timothy McVey had turned up in support of the Branch Davidians. He’d taught the Bureau lessons about watching the margins of a conflict. With David Hines’s supporters flaring up to attack the Feds earlier in the year, it was worth the additional leg work.

  “Any news on Kayla’s condition?” Charlotte asked quickly as McKenzie shrugged into his jacket. They followed him to the door.

  “Probable urinary tract infection.”

  Novak experienced a rush of relief. Influenza could wreak havoc with their personnel even with the flu shot.

  “Doctor set her up with intravenous antibiotics. We have a nurse coming in to check on her every few hours and a guard on the door. It’s the best I could do.”

  “I’d like to visit her.”

  “Don’t tell her about Brenna yet,” McKenzie warned.

  “I won’t,” Charlotte’s expression twisted. “Did the Medical Examiner send the autopsy report yet?”

  “Preliminary finding was she died from blunt force trauma to the head, but we don’t know whether or not it was accidental. Like I said. Preliminary.”

  “Time of Death?” asked Charlotte.

  “Between five and ten AM Wednesday morning. Medical Examiner says the low ambient temperature made it more difficult to pinpoint.”

  It was a wide window. “Don’t forget to write up your reports on the incidents that occurred today.” McKenzie looked at both of them for a second to make sure there were no more questions before he nodded and headed out the door.

  A wave of sadness settled on Charlotte’s features. “I wonder if Kayla has anyone else in her life.”

  “Pretty sure she knows this TJ kid.” Novak didn’t like the way Charlotte’s grief made him want to envelop her in a big hug. He was getting soft.

  Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest, looking miserable. “You don’t have to come with me. McKenzie won’t know if you go to the barn while I go up the back steps.”

  Novak grunted. “Something tells me he’d know. I’m not willing to risk getting sent home when things are getting interesting.” It had nothing to do with the fact he enjoyed spending time with Charlotte. “Hey, we survived the first twenty-four hours. Only forty-eight hours of prison time left. How hard can it be?”

  “I think I’m growing on you, SSA Novak.”

  Charlotte headed outside, and he followed her, closing the door after them, unwilling to admit she might be right.

  * * *

  Charlotte stepped softly on the back stairs, aware that even though it was only six PM, people might be sleeping or concentrating on work, and she didn’t want to disturb them. Novak followed her, moving silently. He’d grown quiet. His expression going from teasing in the Command Center to closed down as if something was bothering him.

  She went into their room and spied a thick winter jacket one of the negotiators had picked up for her laid out on the bed. Charlotte needed to remember to pay her back for the coat. “I finally get to feel warm again.”

  “You should have told me you were cold. I’d have found you something.” Novak’s quiet murmur sounded grouchy rather than considerate. He went over to his bag and started digging around, effectively closing himself off from her.

  Charlotte hid her disappointment. His emotional responses were all over the place. She didn’t know what she’d done to upset him, and then she kicked herself for assuming his moods were her fault.

  She’d spent years studying the psychology of relationships, which was probably why she refused to settle for anything less than perfection in her own love life. She’d seen her parents fall in love with several partners and each time, they’d grown apart and stopped communicating. While she might crave closeness with another human being, she wasn’t going to risk the pain of heartbreak. When she was convinced it might last forever, then she’d let herself fall in love.

  But that had nothing to do with Payne Novak. He was hardly love of her life material. And she was not taking responsibility for his shitty mood.

  Her stomach growled, and he looked up from where he knelt on the floorboards with a slow grin. “Hungry?”

  His words stroked over her senses and raised a shiver in its wake. Even though he was simply being considerate to the other people on the floor by keeping the volume down, his voice sounded sexy and intimate. And she was a fool for thinking that way.

  Apparently, she’d lost all sense of judgment when it was her job to understand the tone and nuance of conversation. And she realized Novak wasn’t being moody, he was being quiet and reflective after a long, fraught day. Taking a moment.

  Maybe she was the one who needed to lighten up and not overanalyze a man she didn’t know very well and was struggling to understand.

  “I’m starving. I skipped lunch. Not to worry, I’ll get something after I speak to Kayla.”

>   He frowned at his watch. After six and dark as pitch outside. She knew he was worried about his men.

  “Or I can scrounge up a power bar and head straight to the barn if you’d rather,” she offered.

  “No.” He scratched his head, looking a little confused. “You go see Kayla. I’ll grab some dinner for both of us and wait for you in the kitchen. If McKenzie turns up, I’ll say I’m grabbing some food for Kayla. Pretty sure the sight of me might scare the shit out of the kid anyway.”

  “You helped save her life today.”

  “I carried her to the car.” He made a dismissive noise.

  She smiled. He didn’t like praise. Even after his heroics yesterday, he’d deflected the attention.

  “You got her to safety.”

  Novak shrugged.

  She went to touch his arm but thought better of it. Instead she joked, “Look at us, communicating like adults.”

  A flash of heat burst in his eyes and then was gone.

  She blinked.

  Was he attracted to her? Or had she imagined it? She’d probably misread him, again. Novak was the opposite of an open book.

  “Don’t get excited. I’m sure we’re going to butt heads again before this is over.”

  But his words reminded her of the fact she’d already butted heads with someone today which might explain the headache that pinched her eyes. She rubbed her forehead and reached down into her toiletries bag to grab a Tylenol.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah. By-product of my badass hand-to-hand combat is making its way into my brain.”

  He peered closer at her, and she was suddenly hyperaware of his height, the breadth of his shoulders.

  “I’m sorry my actions put you in danger.”

  She laughed. It came out a little squeaky. “I’m sorry we have so many FD 302s to fill out.”

  “I’m serious, Charlotte. I made the wrong choice. We should have found cover and waited for backup.”

  “And let those guys find another angle and pick one of us off? Hell, no.” She tilted up her chin. “I don’t need you treat me like some weak female when I am an experienced FBI agent whose job it is to go after the bad guys.”

  “I don’t think you’re weak. Did he punch you?” Novak moved close enough to stare into her eyes as if he were searching for signs of a concussion.

  Her cheeks heated. “No. I gave him a Glasgow kiss.”

  Novak’s expression stayed blank for a full second. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “I tricked him into getting close enough to grab his rifle and, after that, I let him have it. I’m going to have to send my trainer in Quantico a crate of beer.”

  Unsettled by Novak’s intense stare, she grabbed a bottle of water out of her bag. She swallowed the tablets and drank deep to wash them down.

  “You spar with a trainer at the academy?”

  She drank more water and then capped the lid. Wiped her lips with the back of her hand. Novak tracked her movements and, for some reason, she suddenly felt self-conscious. “A couple times a week when I’m at CNU. One of the New Agent in Training instructors puts me through my paces. Hey, maybe I could work out with HRT while we’re here?”

  Novak swung around, and she couldn’t see his face anymore. His shoulders looked stiff. “Maybe.”

  “Don’t sound so enthusiastic.” She shook her head. Hot and cold. She never knew which Payne Novak she was going to get.

  “I’m hoping we’re finished here before we need to set up a training gym.”

  “Aw, you’re no fun.” She punched his arm in jest and found her hand gently captured in his. He was giving her a funny look again, like he was struggling to figure her out when really, she was an open book.

  “I’m not here to have fun.” His expression was grim, and his voice cracked. His hand trembled slightly before he released her.

  She frowned. “Here in Washington State, or here on this earth?”

  “Both.” He huffed out a small breath, maybe realizing how much about himself he was revealing. She wanted to smooth a finger over his brow and ease the tension in his jaw. He looked incredibly vulnerable in the moment.

  “Anything you don’t like food-wise?” He pulled away and changed the subject.

  “I eat pretty much anything and everything, except shellfish, which will send me into a death coma.”

  “Good to know. You carry an EpiPen?”

  “Yeah.” She kicked her bag. “I have two in there. So next time we argue, you know how to get rid of me.”

  “Christ. I’m not that big an asshole.” Pain lanced his expression. “I respect your opinion even when it’s wrong. And I want to find a resolution to this situation that doesn’t involve my men being put in danger or the bad guys getting away with shit.”

  She choked out a laugh, not sure if she should be insulted or flattered. “I was joking. I didn’t seriously think you’d want to get rid of me. Maybe tie me up and lock me in a closet until this is all over, but not full-on anaphylactic shock.”

  He stilled for a moment, wincing as he realized he’d over-reacted. Then he held up his hands in surrender. “I guess I’m used to working with HRT guys, and I’m overthinking everything.”

  She grinned. “Leave the thinking to the negotiators.”

  She found herself actively searching for signs she’d amused him—that he liked her. Because that’s what she did. Made everyone like her. It was a weakness she hated about herself.

  “You talk to Kayla. I’ll go warm up some clam chowder,” he deadpanned.

  She lobbed a pillow at him which he caught and placed back on the bed.

  “Don’t be long.” Novak grew serious. “I want to see what the sniper teams have to say before they get some sleep.”

  The seriousness of the situation once again washed through her mind. She didn’t have time to mess around or have fun. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. She needed to get back to work.

  She wasn’t looking forward to lying to this girl about her friend, but she had to remember Kayla was technically a suspect.

  “Don’t start any trouble without me.” Charlotte picked up the winter jacket and ripped off the tags, trying not to wince at the price which was high for a government salary.

  “Charlotte, you almost arrested the local sheriff and then fought an armed assailant who was twice your size into submission. I’m not the one who got into trouble today.”

  Charlotte rolled her eyes behind his back.

  “I saw that.” He gave her a sardonic smile over his shoulder before he turned away again.

  She watched him head down the stairs, but he didn’t look back. She was actually starting to like the guy, so maybe McKenzie’s draconian tactics were working. She didn’t need to like Novak to work with him, but it sure did help.

  She walked down the hallway and turned the corner. An agent sat in an uncomfortable-looking kitchen chair outside Kayla’s door.

  “I’m going to check on her.”

  The agent nodded, and she opened the door to a beautiful room with a queen-size bed. She left the door open and walked towards the tiny figure lying so still beneath the covers.

  Kayla was sleeping peacefully with her skin deadly pale except for the slight flush of fever across her cheeks.

  Charlotte wondered where she’d come from. The team must have a lot more information about her by now, and Brenna’s autopsy report might be in. She needed to catch up on all the details and then help implement her idea to interview Tom Harrison’s CO, but she couldn’t drag herself away from the bedside.

  A drip was attached to Kayla’s arm. Someone had changed her clothes, and she was now wearing a plain white t-shirt with the ranch logo on it. She had long, thick, blue-black hair and beautiful features, but she looked so damned alone and vulnerable. Charlotte’s heart ached for the girl.

  Did she have a family out there somewhere waiting for her? Or was her only family lying on a slab in the morgue and her only home on its wa
y to the lab for analysis? Or had this girl with her hauntingly beautiful face somehow been involved in her friend’s death?

  Even though Charlotte wanted to talk, she knew Kayla needed to recover her strength before she could be interviewed properly.

  Charlotte turned and walked away.

  Chapter Sixteen

  TJ stuffed a spare set of clothes into his rucksack, followed by his Bible and his mini survival kit, water bottle, purification tablets, straw, space blanket, sleeping bag, first aid kit, and foldable shovel. He drew on his winter hiking boots and laced them tight. Slipped into his camouflage, waterproof, winter jacket. TJ stuffed his gun in the holster on his waistband, picked up the big winter mitts that went over his gloves and stuffed them in his pack.

  He could walk to Canada in this gear and disappear forever into the wilderness. If he wanted.

  He didn’t.

  He needed to find Kayla and see why she hadn’t been there to meet him yesterday morning. Was she safe? Had she been hurt? Was she sick? Who was the other girl? Or had the news outlets made a mistake, and Kayla was actually dead? The need to know the truth ripped at his mind with sharp talons.

  He needed to find out.

  After that, he’d tell her the truth about what happened and do whatever she wanted him to do. Go on the run, give himself up, whatever she wanted. Whatever she needed.

  He headed out of his room, through the living room, small kitchen, and past the huge master bathroom where his mother had liked to soak in the massive tub that his dad had blasted a hole in the wall to bring inside. Past his parents’ bedroom and the laundry room. Maybe once he was gone, and his safety was no longer an issue, his father would pick up the phone and talk to the Feds. Stop this going any further. But there was no way his father would give him up. TJ knew that with every fiber of his being.

  He knocked on the door to his father’s study, hoping Tom didn’t answer. After a few seconds TJ tried the handle, relieved when the door opened.

  “Dad?” he called out.

  No answer.

  Good.

  TJ headed over to the corner of the beautifully furnished room. Most of the compound was dour concrete, or utilitarian furniture. But wherever his mom had had a hand, there were brightly painted walls, thick, vibrant rugs, comfy seating and solid wooden furniture, much of which his father had assembled in place as it was the only way it could fit inside the room without widening all the doors.