Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 128307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
He sucks in a full breath when I pluck him from the floor, cuff him, and then walk him to the detectives waiting in the hallway.
Detective Montrose reads Samuel his rights in full while guiding him toward a commandeered elevator, like his dick isn’t hanging out of his boxers and nicked up.
I wait for the commotion to settle about the department’s “big fish” before I spin to face Macy. She looks incredibly guilty, but nothing will control my anger. “What the hell were you thinking? You could have been seriously hurt.”
My eyes fill with disbelief when she replies, “I know.” Her voice is barely above a whisper. “But I had to do it. This date has been in the works for weeks. It took four months of sexting for him to agree to a phone conversation, and another seven weeks for him to agree to meet with me. He only set a date an hour before you arrived on my doorstep.”
“Then you should have run it through me.”
“And have you pull me off the scent?” Although she is asking a question, she doesn’t wait for me to answer her. “I had to do this, Grayson. It was the first time we had a chance to see this outfit in person since I arrived here. I couldn’t risk getting you involved and then having the bureau trample all over it.”
“So you put your unborn child in harm’s way instead?”
Though my words hurt her, she stays resilient. “Don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same if you were within sniffing distance of whoever you’ve been seeking for the past thirteen-plus years.”
“This isn’t about me!” I shout, hating how easily she can read me. No one has ever had that ability—not even Cameron.
“Bullshit!” Macy retorts. “You’re not good at understanding the pain of the victims’ families because you studied psychology. It is because you’re one of them.”
She dominates the bullseye, but I act ignorant. “I could take your badge for this.”
She plays me at my own game when she replies, “You could. But you won’t, because just like Alex knew you were the top agent to solve this case, you know I am too.”
Since everything she said is true, silence reigns supreme for the next several minutes.
It is highly uncomfortable, and I fucking hate it.
I’m not solely angry that she kept this from me. I am also furious that she endangered her life and that of her unborn child.
After a beat, I talk through the lump forming in my throat. “This is your collar, Agent Machini, so you can do the write-up for it.” She hates that I’m keeping this professional as much as I do. We’ve never kept things formal. But today is different. Today, she put her life on the line, and I’m not willing to let that slide. “I expect a copy to be in my inbox before you rest tonight.”
Sighing, Macy briskly nods before she gathers her belongings and heads for the door.
Before she exits, I call her name, still not willing to let this go.
Although she doesn’t glance back at me, I’m certain I have her attention, because her shoulders sink when I say, “Do anything like this again, and the only report you will be writing is your resignation. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Special Supervisory Agent Rogers. I understand,” is the last thing I hear before she exits the hotel room that reeks of deprivation and disappointment.
10
MACY
As I sit at the kitchen counter, preparing the report Grayson requested, the muted television bounces rainbows on my laptop screen. Excluding Grayson occasionally moving around in the living room, it is quiet. The tension is thick enough to cut, and the weight of Grayson’s disappointment hangs heavily on my shoulders.
I broke protocol, and now he’s giving me the silent treatment. It’s awkward, but I deserve it, so I won’t make him feel bad about his contradictory reply.
After taking a deep breath, I focus on the task at hand. I need to write a detailed report on the operation that occurred tonight, covering all necessary details. I can’t afford to miss anything. Samuel needs to go down for his part in the disrespect these victims faced both before and after their deaths, and I won’t let my bending of the rules jeopardize that.
My fingers fly over the keyboard, struggling to keep up as I recall every detail of the evening. I describe the restaurant, transcribe my conversations with Samuel from the audio files, and remember the minutes leading to his arrest. No matter how small or insignificant it seems, I include everything in my reports, even the part where I threatened to castrate him, and the snivels he released when he believed every word I spoke.
I can’t afford to leave anything out.
Exhaustion sets in while I work. Though it’s been a long day and my body is begging for rest, I remain committed to completing my report.