“Tell them I had to make a choice.”
She said, “Tell them yourself.”
“I can’t. I have to go.” He sounded distractednow.
“Steve—”
“Hold down the fort, Megan. Find Zimmerman.”
“He’s holding something over you,” she said. “I knowit.”
“Tell Rachel…” His voicedrifted away.
And then the line went dead.
Megan cried out in frustration. She tossed her phonein the direction of the passenger seat, changed lanes and took thenext exit off the freeway. Steve was going to martyr himself forthe company? All so Double Down didn’t suffer when his career andreputation were completely destroyed?
She wanted to believe he’d safeguarded his past. Thatthe things he’d done were redacted. Top Secret. They had to behidden behind high layers of security clearance. He had beena spy, after all. So how had the blackmailer discovered some hiddentruth?
Or was it something else entirely? Nothing to do withany operation, but an event in Steve’s past. She didn’t know enoughabout him to conclusively answer that. She wanted to call Adrianand talk it through with him. See what he thought. Adrian didn’tknow Steve all that well, but he could provide insight. Maybe usehis FBI access and contacts to dig into her boss’s life.
Because if it saved Steve, she was absolutely goingto do it.
Megan pulled into a gas station and parked. She hungher head for a moment and prayed some more. What else was shesupposed to do? She didn’t know who the blackmailer had gotten toand who was safe. Even her boss—the man she had respected more thananyone except her father—was a victim of the blackmailer.
A vindictive enemy who had changed the course of herwhole life.
And for what? Revenge. Money. Power. Maybe he wasjust sadistic, and this whole thing was nothing but a powerplay.
They were just pawns in some game.
Megan couldn’t see her phone. It’d probably fallenbetween the seat and the floor. She grabbed the keys out and headedfor the bathroom. Then she needed fuel—like an energy drink and ahuge bag of chips. She needed to jump-start her brain so she couldfigure this out.
She hit the hallway to the bathroom and pushed thedoor open.
Someone crowded in behind her.
Arms banded around her waist. Pain tore through herarm.
She couldn’t breathe.
**
Adrian followed Hank all the way to the gas station,after he’d borrowed an SUV from one of the other agents. Where onearth was the man going?
When he pulled off the highway and headed for a gasstation, Adrian knew something was up.
Hank pulled in across the lot, in an out-of-the-wayspot.
Right beside a fire exit door.
The SUV Adrian had been driving earlier was parked bythe front doors of the gas station. Megan was here.
He headed inside, walked all the aisles, and thenwent to the restrooms area. A dank hallway with a wet floor sign atthe far end. The exit door clicked shut.
Adrian picked up his pace.
He pushed out the door to the bright light of theday, weapon drawn. Something really wasn’t right here.
Hank pulled a limp Megan to his SUV. He held her withone of her arms over his shoulder. Like she’d passed out, and hewas “helping” her.
“Cromwell!” Adrian liftedhis weapon as he strode over. Was he really going to do this? Wouldhe shoot Hank if the man pushed him to it? He didn’t know if hecould. Let alone whether he actually believed his boss would pushhim to that point.
He turned, narrowed his eyes, and then the older mandumped Megan on the back seat. Before Adrian could say something,he saw the curl of Hank’s lips.
Pain ricocheted through Adrian’s head, emanating fromone spot on the back.
The sidewalk lifted up and slammed into his face.
Everything went black.
How much later it was when he finally woke up, Adriandidn’t know. His head hurt like he couldn’t believe. His thoughtsswam like the time he’d gotten a concussion playing football inhigh school.
He shifted enough to get his hands under him andpushed against the gritty concrete.
“You okay, man? That was some blow.”
Adrian could only grunt.
“Might wanna take it easy, yeah?” The voice wasolder, and gravelly. “Should I call the cops?”
“FBI.”
“You want me to call the FBI? Seems overkill, sinceyou just fell or something.” The older man paused. “You drunk?”
Adrian wanted to shake his head, but that was not agood idea right now. “I’m FBI.” Those were all the words he couldpush out. Bile rose in his throat, and he managed to sit up. “Wheredid she go?”
“Lost your girl?” An older man crouched. Denim shirt.Gray stubble. “She do this to you?” He nodded for a few seconds. OrAdrian had blurry vision. Then he said, “I had a woman like thatonce. Kept me on my toes for sure.”
Adrian tried to locate his weapon. Not on the ground.Not in his holster. Even his backup, the small caliber revolver hewore on his ankle, was gone. And his badge. His phone.
“Help me up.”
The old man held out his hand, and Adrian clasped theman’s wrist. He used as much of his own strength, not wanting topull the man over onto the floor.
The world shifted when he was finally upright. Adrianwaited for it to still, then reached up to touch the back of hishead.
The older man grabbed his arm. “Your hands aredirty.” He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket. “This iscleaner than your fingers.”
Gravel was still pressed into the skin of his hands.Adrian wiped them on his pants and took the cloth. He touched it tothe back of his head and nearly dropped to the floor again. Heshifted his legs, tried to get blood flowing around his body so hedidn’t pass out.
“Probably need an ambulance.”
Adrian turned for the door of the gas station. Heneeded to make a call. Hank had taken Megan. Shoved her into hisSUV before he took her…where?
And someone else had hit Adrian over the back of the head.
He turned back to the older man. “Did you see whathappened?”
“Nah. Found you on the ground there.” He waved to theasphalt.
Adrian needed security footage. And a first aid kit.He needed to know who he could trust,
