Page 25 of Nothing to Fear

“The program will be finished in less than three days.” Willow sidestepped him, clutching her purse and pressing forward.

The douchebag maneuvered into her path, walking backward, peering into her face as if trying to force eye contact. “Once the program is done, I should check it before Sanborn sees it. Ensure there are no bugs.”

Recoiling, Willow skirted around him. “I’ll check for flaws before I send it to the chief.”

“Another set of eyes would be better to catch hiccups. Just want to help.”

Daniel Cutter MO 101. He offered to help with legwork no one else wanted to do, provide an extra set of eyes, anything to weasel his way in and ride the coattails of others.

“Danny,” Amanda said, stepping into the hall, “let Willow settle in and catch her breath before you start harassing her. We have plenty of time to send the report.”

Amanda had softened after she became a mother, cutting everyone slack, including herself, and Gideon noted this wasn’t the first time she’d looked out for Willow.

“It took months to convince you to finally let me handle some extra duties, and I want to make sure the PowerPoint slides are perfect,” Cutter said. “I’m not going to blow it because she’s late.” He circled Willow like a damn vulture and had the gumption to block her again.

Something protective and predatory stirred inside Gideon. He was ready to knock Cutter out of her way, but Willow stopped and raised a hand, steering the guy out of her personal space.

“Daniel, is there anything else you need?” Her voice was firm, and her chin was high.

Amanda came up alongside her in either a show of solidarity or as backup.

Pinching his lips, Cutter shook his head no.

“Then I need to get to work.” Willow walked off as Amanda laid into Cutter about toning down his enthusiasm.

Gideon smiled with pride at how Willow had handled Cutter. She was tougher than he’d expected.

He strode down the main walkway and pulled off the lid of the container she’d given him. A heavenly aroma greeted him. He bit into a scone, and the crumbly biscuit melted in his mouth. Sweetness from ripe blueberries mixed with the tartness of lemon, creating a medley of flavors. There was good, and then there was culinary greatness. This was perfection.

He crammed a second one into his mouth like a starving caveman and licked his fingers.

“Good morning,” Janet said. “They’re gathered in the conference room.”

“What’s up?”

“Big meeting with the forensic accountants. They’ve already gotten started.”

Quickening his stride, Gideon ate another scone, imagining how it’d taste warm.

The conference room door opened, and Parker sashayed out. Sanborn followed, looking sharp and tireless in a fresh suit despite the fact that the guy lived at the office.

Gideon checked the clocks on the wall, a row of different time zones from Washington, DC, to Tokyo. 8:50. The original plan had been to convene at 9:30, but with the tension radiating from their rigid bodies and frosty gazes, he gathered he’d missed something important.

Sanborn shut the door and faced Parker. “Sybil, stay the fuck out of my conference room.”

Gideon had never heard the chief curse. If something had gotten under Sanborn’s skin enough to make him sully his tongue with profanity, Gideon damn sure wanted to know what the hell it was.

10

Gray Box Headquarters, Northern Virginia

Friday, July 5, 8:55 A.m. EDT

Sanborn glimpsed Gideon “Reaper” Stone duck out of sight fifteen feet away but sensed the man lingering within earshot. Wonderful.

His first choice wasn’t to hash things out with Sybil in front of his subordinates. There was no dignity in the leadership airing their dirty laundry. So he’d stepped into the hall to talk, but this couldn’t wait until they were behind the closed door of his office.

A smug-ass expression swept across Sybil’s face. She put a fist on her hip and pointed a French manicured talon at his face. “Let me remind you, the director of national intelligence, our boss, asked me to provide oversight due to your glaring incompetence.”