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We reached the bottom landing.
“We have an unmarked car at the back of the building. Let’s move.” One agent motioned to another.
AJ kept me close to his side as we emerged from the hotel. It felt like we were dumped into the backseat of the SUV and the car sped away from the exit.
I exhaled. “What in the hell is going on?”
AJ pulled the aviators from his face. He ran his hands through his hair. “He knows you’re here. And he just pushed you out into the open. Damn it.” He slammed his fist into the seat.
The chill spread through my body like creeks extending off a lake. I was consumed by it. It flooded my veins and seeped into my bones.
“Shit, Syd. You’re shaking.”
“I’m fine,” I lied.
He called to the driver, “Where is the safe house? How far out are we?”
“It’s inside the city, Agent Hart. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
I glanced at AJ. “That’s good, right?”
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this. If we’re in a safe house, you’re still going to have round-the-clock surveillance. The FBI is doing what we need them to do. They are protecting you. I promised you that.”
“But you think he did this? The stalker called in the bomb threat? But why? There’s a complete chaos back there. The hotel was going nuts.”
“That’s my leading theory right now. He didn’t like that he didn’t have access to you. He couldn’t get on the penthouse level.”
We turned down a side alley. Giant ferns draped over the iron balconies above our heads. The car stopped.
“But does that mean I’m not as safe here?” I asked before the car door opened. “Should we check into another hotel?”
“I think we’ve at least bought some time. A few days minimum. You’ll be undercover here. We’ll get ahead of him. I swear.”
I gripped AJ’s arm. “Can’t we just leave? Let’s get on a flight. Or rent a car and drive. Maybe we’re better off in D.C. Nothing every happened to me there.” Part of me wanted to run home and crawl into my own bed. It was instinct to need to get home.
He shook his head. “Canson is headed here. You still have to debrief. You’re needed here. You can’t leave New Orleans. And until I know it’s safe, I’m not taking you from here.”
“Because of fucking Project Compass.”
“It’s all a fucking spider web. I know that.”
The agent opened the door.
“Ms. Miller.”
I stepped out of the car. AJ walked around the back of the SUV and met me on the sidewalk.
I faced the faded pale blue door in front of me. The house was attached to a row of other houses. I knew once I walked through there, the FBI was going to get exactly what they wanted from me. And I didn’t have a choice.
I exhaled. I made a decision.
As of today, I was going to sign on for Project Compass. I wasn’t going to be anyone’s victim any longer. No more threats. I was going to be the one on the inside. I was going to take back the power I knew I deserved.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It was impossible for us to have a private conversation once we were inside the safe house. Between the phone calls and the agents assigned to monitor the situation, AJ and I weren’t left alone in the same room. He was pulled into the logistical discussions, while I tried to make sense of what happened at the Ritz.
It was impossible to let myself relax. It seemed as soon as I felt safe, the thin net was yanked out from underneath me. Maybe that was the plan. Keep me running. Keep me terrified.
