AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She pushed her glasses up her nose, then folded her hands in her lap. “Is it true that you knocked the hostage negotiator out while he was in the middle of negotiating?”
“He wasn’t in the middle of a negotiation, no. And trust me when I say he had it coming.”
Grace pursed her lips. “You better get in there. Today is not a day to keep him waiting.”
“Wish me luck.”
“Luck won’t help.”
Aaron smirked, then reset his face to enter the lion’s den.
When he opened the door, he found Special Agent in Charge Victor Knightly on a call.
Aaron liked Knightly. He was a fair man who liked to do things right, and he could be trusted to see through the political muck that always surfaced in an office. Aaron hoped that helped in this situation, but they hadn’t known each other long enough that he could count on a deeper friendship getting him through this.
Knightly looked at Aaron and waved him to a seat while he finished the conversation.
“Golf on Saturday. See you then.” The broad smile that showed off his straight white teeth disappeared as soon as the receiver was back in its cradle.
He brushed a hand over his thinning hair. “Special Agent Pritchard.” He shook his head. “We are meeting under disappointing circumstances.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I looked through your record. I can’t find a similar incident, but I find it interesting to note that this has come after you spent the last six months undercover.”
“Sir?”
“You were instrumental in uncovering one of the biggest corruption scandals of the twenty-first century. Why did they send you away?”
“I believe it refers to that in my file.”
“I want to hear it from you. In your own words.”
Aaron shifted in his chair. “Due to the size of the corruption, it was believed that it would be better for everyone involved if I disappeared for a while. There were too many risks and my continued participation created a problem for the bureau.”
“What kind of problem?”
“It says in the file.”
“In your own words.”
“There was concern for my safety.”
“Were you concerned?”
“I know how to handle myself.”
“You went undercover so they wouldn’t need to keep a protective detail on you.”
“That’s probably oversimplified, but yes.”
“You did good work on that assignment.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“But undercover work can change a man.”
“I followed all the debriefing protocols. I was deemed fit to return to regular service.”
