Beginning: A PAVAD Prequel Novella (PAVAD: FBI Romantic Suspense) by Calle J. Brookes Page A

throwing everything he had away. We need that file.”
    “Later,” Len said. “A man just walked by. Whiler.”
    Royal stood, joined by the three others. “J.T. and Ana, cross the street. Len and I will keep behind him on this side. Hopefully we’ll be able to surround him, and bring him in quietly.”
    They left the shop, moving quickly.
    Royal saw the man he’d known for two years looking in every window, agitated and almost erratic. Was Whiler suffering a psychotic break? Or was it something else?
    They were gaining on him. Royal catalogued the people between them and their target. Half a dozen, mostly headed toward the coffee shop they’d just left.  Almost twice that ahead of Whiler.
    A lot of people to get in the way if something went down.
    He looked at the woman keeping pace with him. “Lot of people.”
    “We need to take him down as quietly as possible.” She was cool, calm, and unflappable. But her pretty eyes were worried.
    “And as quickly. How else are we going to figure out if you want to marry me, after all?”
    She smiled. “You always this impatient? This crazy?”
    “Ah hell. You figured me out. But… you’re the first woman I’ve ever asked to marry me. Should have known I’d mess it up…”
    “You’re insane, Royal.”
    “Then it’s your sworn duty to ensure I’m not a risk to the public. So what do you say? We do dinner and dancing tonight? Once this is all over, of course.”
    “It’s a date. Provided you behave yourself.” She picked up her pace; he matched her. “And we finish with this guy in time for me to get home and take a shower. Find a dress to wear.”
    “That red one from the other night would be a sure win. Just saying.”
    It was all he said. They were six feet behind Whiler. They were younger, more physically fit, and the man was still checking every window and bumping his way carelessly through the small crowd. Royal waited until Whiler was clear of the majority of the walkers.
    “Whiler! Agent Whiler!”
    The man turned around. His eyes met Royal’s.
    Royal knew he would run. It was in the man’s eyes. “Don’t do it. You won’t be able to go anywhere. And we both know you don’t want to make a big scene out here.”
    Whiler pulled his coat back. Royal saw the weapon. He shifted slightly, moving closer to Len, but not blocking her. “Drop it, Whiler. I’ve not got the only weapon aimed at your head right now. We both know how this is going to end if you do something stupid.”
    “You don’t want your wife to hear about this over your body in the morgue,” Len said quietly. “Put the gun down, and hit the pavement. We’ll make this easy, and we’ll go somewhere and talk this out.”
    Royal knew by the wildness in the guy’s eyes that it wasn’t going to happen that way. Whiler was too damned desperate. J.T. and Ana were coming up behind their target. Royal knew he had to keep the man talking. “What happened, man? You had a good career, why would you risk it?”
    “Don’t move!”
    “You have to know this isn’t going to work well. You need to put the gun down, before something else happens. Royal and I, you know we have to take you in. But if you have a good reason for what’s happened, we need to know it. We can work this out. We have the man you hired. He’s going to talk eventually. You have to know we need your side of things, and fast.”
    Thirteen seconds. Ana would be behind Whiler. They needed to keep his attention for thirteen more seconds, at most. “Tell us, Whiler, why Len? Something in the personnel files? Something you did that you didn’t want the world to know about? What? Did you know we have no idea? That we guessed it was either you or Agent Gannan? You have maybe… ten seconds… to talk. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two, and… one. ”
    Ana had her weapon at Whiler’s head. J.T. was to the man’s right, close enough to subdue without being in the line of fire. “Lower your weapon to the ground!