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Caden was already thinking about his schedule. There were several open cases he needed to wrap up by the weekend, but before he could think better of it, he said, “I could come back.” It was the perfect excuse to see her again, not to mention she might actually be able to help him with his predicament.
“That would be great. I’m thinking maybe two or three days at most. They’re usually pretty quick in sending me orders.”
“Sounds good.” Caden left the store with every intention of returning in two or three days, but work got busy, and he wasn’t able to come back until the following week after a crazy weekend of working non-stop to close a case the District Attorney was putting pressure on his boss to wrap up with a nice bow.
Caden pulled up to the curb in front of The Mystic Cow and sat in his car for a moment, letting himself unwind before heading inside. He’d been looking forward to seeing Hallie again, but he was nervous now because he’d made the decision to bite the bullet and ask her out today.
Her smile had stayed with him, and the sound of her melodic voice still played over in his mind, sometimes even invading his dreams. The woman had an uncanny hold on him, and he wanted to explore this newfound attraction. He kept trying to convince himself it was silly to pursue it, but after watching his best friend fall in love, Caden found himself wanting a woman of his own.
Outside of his career, and the few times a month when he hung out with his close friends, Caden’s life was mundane, and even empty. Having someone to come home to wasn’t something he let himself yearn for given the inherent dangers of his chosen profession. But he wasn’t getting any younger, and besides, it wasn’t like he was asking Hallie to marry him. It was only a date.
When he finally psyched himself up enough to get out of his car, a black FBI-issue SUV pulled up in front of him. Agent Paul Danfield, whom Caden had just finished working a case with, and another agent got out and went into The Mystic Cow, their badges at the ready.
Caden wasn’t sure what was going on, but the robin’s egg blue door was wide open today, so he had a direct view inside the store. It was a hot day and the shop likely didn’t have air conditioning since the building was older.
He stayed in his vehicle, watching as the two agents made their way to the counter. They approached an unsuspecting Hallie who had her back to them.
Caden couldn’t imagine what the FBI wanted with her. The only thing that came to mind was that she was somehow connected to the drug cartel case he worked on last week involving the laundromat across the street. But Hallie’s name had never come up.
Through his tinted windows, Caden watched Hallie turn to face the agents and take a step back, obviously put off by their dominating presence. The fear and hesitancy in her posture made every protective instinct in Caden’s body come to life. He wanted to step in on her behalf, but before he could get out of his car, she was being escorted out of the store to their SUV. They’d hardly given her time to grab her purse and lock the door.
When he’d met Hallie, Caden didn’t peg her for a criminal, but the job had long since taught him that a pretty face and a sweet demeanor didn’t equate to innocence. Not by a long shot. Had his attraction for her clouded his judgment?
He was still sitting in his parked vehicle when his cell phone buzzed to life on the seat next to him with an incoming text message from his boss, Special Agent Sean Avery. Caden looked down to read it just as the black SUV with the agents and Hallie Owens pulled into traffic.
Avery: Agent Blake O’Connell down. Return to HQ ASAP.
Sweat broke out on Caden’s brow as he reread the text message in horror. He wanted to demand more information, but instead tossed the phone onto the seat next to him, threw the gear in drive, and peeled away from the curb. He’d learn everything in the briefing Agent Avery was likely preparing.
Weaving through traffic like a mad man, Caden white knuckled the steering wheel. Blake O’Connell wasn’t just a colleague or an agent Caden helped train. He was a close friend. A confidant. If Blake didn’t survive, this wouldn’t just affect Caden. Their friends Garrett, Tanner, and Martin would be devastated. And Caden didn’t even want to imagine greeting Luke and Orly after their honeymoon with that kind of news. They’d already been through so much. This was the last thing any of them needed.
Chapter 1
Hallie Owens sat in an empty interrogation room with nothing but the low hum of a generator to keep her company. She wanted to regret sending the tip that ended up with her being brought in for questioning by the FBI, but she just couldn’t bring herself to be that selfish. Obviously, her message had done something, made some sort of difference, or else she wouldn’t have been left sitting here under a blinding bright light.
This place kind of reminded her of the time she’d woken up in the emergency room after taking too many of her mom’s sleeping pills. She was fourteen at the time, and had no idea what she was doing with them. The doctors kept asking if she’d wanted to kill herself. The idea was abhorrent, but the prospect of not seeing the things her mind was constantly showing her on replay was appealing. She couldn’t tell them that though. Not the nurses. Not her doctors. Not even the nice lady who started each of their sessions reminding Hallie that anything she said was confidential, and that Hallie could tell her whatever was on her mind. That always made Hallie smile because, of course, the one thing Hallie could never tell her was the truth. Just like she couldn’t tell the FBI the truth either.
The longer she sat in this cold interrogation room, the more Hallie thought about asking for a lawyer. But if she wasn’t in trouble, she worried it would make her look guilty and draw more unwanted attention to her. That was the last thing she wanted. If only they’d just get on with it already. They’d kept her sitting here for hours without so much as asking her one question.
Hallie knew it was a tactic, but she wasn’t a criminal. In fact, she’d done nothing wrong. She’d simply sent what she thought was an anonymous tip to the FBI two days ago hoping it would save the life of one of their agents. Had it? Was she in time?
It was already past midnight, and Hallie was exhausted. She just wanted to go home, take a shower, and get some sleep before heading to The Mystic Cow, her independent new age books and gifts shop in the heart of Dallas. Her employee, Katelyn Moore, a college student, worked in the mornings. So, Hallie just had to get there before Katelyn left at two.
Hallie’s thoughts drifted back to the agent. Blake O’Connell. She’d done her research. Double and triple checked his name. Not knowing if he was safe, or even alive for that matter, was gnawing at her. What if all this had been for nothing and he’d been killed after all? Hallie wasn’t sure how she’d recover from that. After all those years of useless glimpses into the future, she’d finally seen something she could act on. If only she’d sent the tip sooner. She’d waited though, letting fear get the better of her for almost a week. Hallie sighed. If sending that tip actually helped, then it would all be worth it.
The door burst open then, and Hallie nearly jumped out of her seat. The agent carried a thin folder in one hand, and a pen in the other. He wore a dark suit that matched his dark rimmed glasses, but he didn’t look at her. He just sat in the chair across the table from her and proceeded to open the folder, skimming the page inside as though she wasn’t even there. He was one of the agents who’d come to her store, but she didn’t remember his name.
“Am I free to go?” Hallie asked. It was probably a dumb question, but she really didn’t want to be here anymore.
“No.” That was all he said. Just the one word, and it was enough to censor any further questions she had for the moment.
They sat in silence for several minutes. He kept his eyes on the paper, but she was riveted to him. Not because she found him attractive in any way, but more like a prey who couldn’t take their eyes off a predator, trying to anticipate what they were going to do next.
“So.” He finally spoke, pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose, but still not meeting her gaze. “How did you know?”
It was a vague question, but Hallie knew exactly what the agent was asking. She also knew that if she had any chance of walking out of here sooner rather than later, her answer had to be just as vague.
“Know what?” She needed to ascertain how much he knew before she could decide the best way to answer. A part of her wanted to deny everything, but they had her tip on file so that wouldn’t work.
