Samuels, his right hand at the agency. But the message the man had left had been labeled only “important.” Which meant it could wait until he got home, where he could use the video chat each of them preferred. Samuels was no fonder of cell phones than Adam was.
Weaving in and out of traffic as he headed toward Manassas kept his mind occupied for the first leg of the trip. But as the traffic decreased, thoughts of the case intruded. Which would have been fine, had all those thoughts not borne the face of Jaid Marlowe.
It was a memorable one. Her features swam across his mind now, unbidden. Doe-shaped eyes, as dark as her hair, the color of mink. Delicate jaw, angled to a slightly pointed, stubborn chin. He knew from experience just how determined she was. How difficult it could be to shake her from an idea once she got it in her head.
Like when she’d been convinced the two of them had a future.
He scowled, checked the mirrors, and passed the next car. He’d disabused her of that notion finally, while still in CCU after killing John LeCroix eight years ago. It’d been weakness on his part that had led to their intimate relationship to begin with. She’d been young. Green. And achingly unguarded. But their eight-year age difference hadn’t been enough to keep him away from her.
His fingers clenched and fisted on the wheel. She was all wrapped up in the biggest mistake of his life. Late at night it was still difficult to decide if the mistake had been starting a relationship with her. Or ending it.
That line of thought was unproductive. Adam checked the rearview mirror again. Much more productive to wonder who was in the light-colored sedan that had been tailing him since he’d left the rectory.
Purposefully, he cut his speed. But the car stayed back. Sometimes four car lengths, other times allowing half-a-dozen vehicles to drift between them. But it was telling that even with the decreased traffic, it didn’t speed up enough to close the distance.
Feds most likely. Adam gave a grim smile. Maybe Shepherd had been given the duty after Jaid and he had parted. New vehicle, one he wouldn’t recognize . . . Did Hedgelin distrust him that much?
Yes. The answer to the question was automatic. Although to be fair, the idea could have originated much higher in the organization. As if this case didn’t come with enough problems without adding in this senseless paranoia about him.
Deliberately, he slowed to take the next exit. And paused long enough at the bottom of the ramp to determine whether he had company. Adrenaline spiked when his tail followed. Damn, but he was going to enjoy this. His recovery from taking three bullets in the chest a few months ago had been slower than he would have liked. He no longer healed like a kid. But the day he couldn’t take on some half-witted government drone on a surveillance assignment was the day he’d hang up his weapon for good.
He led the sedan through a series of small towns before coming to the county road he was looking for and turned on it without signaling. Unsurprisingly, his tail did the same. Picked up speed.
The headlights speared through the darkness behind him with the inexorable intent of an oncoming train. There was little traffic on this road, which was the reason Adam had chosen it. No use involving an unwary citizen in what was about to happen.
Because it was appearing less and less likely that whoever was behind him was a fed. An agent would follow orders, and those orders wouldn’t have included confronting him. He took a hand off the wheel to unsnap his shoulder holster, leaving his suit coat pushed open to allow better access. The other driver had given up all pretense of hiding his intention. The headlights bounced and swerved as they sped over the poorly lit, ill-maintained road.
Daylight would have distinguished the scenery whipping by the windows as heavily wooded, with trees crowding the roadside, their nude branches entwined in the canopy
Weaving in and out of traffic as he headed toward Manassas kept his mind occupied for the first leg of the trip. But as the traffic decreased, thoughts of the case intruded. Which would have been fine, had all those thoughts not borne the face of Jaid Marlowe.
It was a memorable one. Her features swam across his mind now, unbidden. Doe-shaped eyes, as dark as her hair, the color of mink. Delicate jaw, angled to a slightly pointed, stubborn chin. He knew from experience just how determined she was. How difficult it could be to shake her from an idea once she got it in her head.
Like when she’d been convinced the two of them had a future.
He scowled, checked the mirrors, and passed the next car. He’d disabused her of that notion finally, while still in CCU after killing John LeCroix eight years ago. It’d been weakness on his part that had led to their intimate relationship to begin with. She’d been young. Green. And achingly unguarded. But their eight-year age difference hadn’t been enough to keep him away from her.
His fingers clenched and fisted on the wheel. She was all wrapped up in the biggest mistake of his life. Late at night it was still difficult to decide if the mistake had been starting a relationship with her. Or ending it.
That line of thought was unproductive. Adam checked the rearview mirror again. Much more productive to wonder who was in the light-colored sedan that had been tailing him since he’d left the rectory.
Purposefully, he cut his speed. But the car stayed back. Sometimes four car lengths, other times allowing half-a-dozen vehicles to drift between them. But it was telling that even with the decreased traffic, it didn’t speed up enough to close the distance.
Feds most likely. Adam gave a grim smile. Maybe Shepherd had been given the duty after Jaid and he had parted. New vehicle, one he wouldn’t recognize . . . Did Hedgelin distrust him that much?
Yes. The answer to the question was automatic. Although to be fair, the idea could have originated much higher in the organization. As if this case didn’t come with enough problems without adding in this senseless paranoia about him.
Deliberately, he slowed to take the next exit. And paused long enough at the bottom of the ramp to determine whether he had company. Adrenaline spiked when his tail followed. Damn, but he was going to enjoy this. His recovery from taking three bullets in the chest a few months ago had been slower than he would have liked. He no longer healed like a kid. But the day he couldn’t take on some half-witted government drone on a surveillance assignment was the day he’d hang up his weapon for good.
He led the sedan through a series of small towns before coming to the county road he was looking for and turned on it without signaling. Unsurprisingly, his tail did the same. Picked up speed.
The headlights speared through the darkness behind him with the inexorable intent of an oncoming train. There was little traffic on this road, which was the reason Adam had chosen it. No use involving an unwary citizen in what was about to happen.
Because it was appearing less and less likely that whoever was behind him was a fed. An agent would follow orders, and those orders wouldn’t have included confronting him. He took a hand off the wheel to unsnap his shoulder holster, leaving his suit coat pushed open to allow better access. The other driver had given up all pretense of hiding his intention. The headlights bounced and swerved as they sped over the poorly lit, ill-maintained road.
Daylight would have distinguished the scenery whipping by the windows as heavily wooded, with trees crowding the roadside, their nude branches entwined in the canopy
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