“I’m here if you want to talk,” he said. “Death is theultimateloss. It messes with people in a way that nothing else does.”
“It sure as hell does.” At her SUV, she opened the door and climbed in.
“And no worries, when you’re up to getting together again, I won’t talk about Luciano Santini and I won’t ask you to spy on him either. Just twooldfriends getting together. Well…I’mold.”
“You’re not old, Jerod.”
“I just turned forty-nine. Fifty is looming.” He fake-gasped.
She smiled. “You look terrific. What’s your secret?”
“Tanning spray and I’ve started coloring my hair. I refuse to let gravity win, so I’m chasing away the wrinkles too.”
She started her vehicle. “Thanks for the save tonight.”
“I’ll text you.” He shut her car door, shot her a smile before heading back inside.
As she drove to Slash and Carrera’s, disappointment tinged her thoughts. Tonight, she’d seen a different side of Peter. Until now, she’d held him in such high esteem.
Cut him some slack.
But she couldn’t. He was obsessed with taking down Luciano.
She’d never known any man who could create this kind of buzz. Surely, there were plenty ofotherpeople in the nation’s capital worthy of surveillance. On a personal level, she got it. One-hundred percent. Luciano was a top-tier DC power player.He was sick wealthy, total eye candy, and an international superstar.
By the time she returned to Slash’s, muscles running along her shoulders had turned to granite. She was used to working with the good guys to catch the bad ones. At the moment, she wasn’t sure who the good ones were.
“Oh, Fred,” she sighed. “I wish you were here. We’d sort through everything and figure it out together. I’m sure of it.”
I’ve been thrown into the deep end… with the sharks. This time, I’ll have to figure it out for myself.
12
THE SECRET
SIMONE
Simone hadn’t slept well. She’d stayed up until after one in the morning scouring the dark web, only to come up shortagain. No one in the Haqazzii terror cell chat rooms was talking about The Bomb Maker, and Inferno531 had gone silent. If therewasonline chatting, she wasn’t skilled enough to find it. Around two in the morning, she’d started obsessing over Peter’s request to spy on Luciano. Though she’d refused him, she couldn’t ignore his ask.
When she woke, at half past six, she knew what she needed to do to alleviate her anxiety.
But first, target practice.
After a quick breakfast, she and Slash headed to Henninger Security. It had been years since she’d been there but, as she walked into the facility, the familiar sounds and smells filled her with hope. She’d once been an excellent markswoman.
I can do this.
While Slash signed in, Simone showed her FBI badge to the desk clerk, then signed in too.
“Lookee who came back to the mother ship,” said a familiar voice.
Tucker Henninger’s blond hair had grown past his shoulders. His grin was contagious, and his outstretched arms were welcoming. After a warm hug, he said, “It’s been a while, girlie. Where you been?”
“I left the Bureau.”
“That’s a crying shame, darlin’,” Tucker said. She’d always loved his southern accent and good-natured ribbing. “Well, welcome back to Henninger’s. Check out my training town. Cost me a fortune, but it’s used daily by LEOs.”
“I will,” she replied, “but I need to start with the basics… target practice.”
