Rescue Me by Allie Adams

most
even-keeled agents I have working under me. I trust your gut when I
don't even trust mine. You were born with dead-on instincts. Most
people can't learn that shit. You either have it or you don't. You,
Allen, have it.”
    “Uh, thank you?”
    Weber's grip on Spencer's neck tightened. “So
when I see you fucking all that up, it bothers me. Having one of my
own agents challenge me in front of the rest of the team really bothers me.”
    Spencer wasn't about to apologize for it. But
he got the message. “Yes, sir.”
    “Kathryn Davis is one hell of a SAR
coordinator. The best TREX has ever partnered with. But she's not
the only private SAR firm out there. If having her working so
closely with us messes with one of my best agents, I have to do
something about that. Do you understand what I'm saying?”
    Loud and clear. “You want me to calm the fuck
down.”
    “See?” Weber patted him on the back.
“Instincts, Allen.”
    “Yes, sir.” He felt five years old being
reprimanded like this, but Weber was right. Spencer knew better
than to challenge the chain of command. Weber deserved more respect
than that. He was a hell of a great leader. Spencer had no right to
question that.
    And yet, as his gut churned, he couldn't help
it. “Weber, something isn't adding up. I know you feel it. Why
aren't you pursuing it? There has to be a fourth kidnapper in on
this. If there's another player out there with the kid, hiding him
from us, Kathryn needs to know. Her teams could be in danger. We
need to read her in.”
    “We were hired to find Tommy Miller. He's the
job, not playing nice with your ex. Like it or not, she's a
competing agency with TREX. We both find things. Her finds are
focused on people. Ours are on threats.”
    “Then why did we bring her in on this?”
    “To use her resources,” he stated
matter-of-factly. “This is her specialty. It would have taken us
hours just to identify the right agents for the job and another
several hours to get them into the field. K-SAR has the manpower at
their disposal we need to find Tommy Miller before it's too late.
But with every competing agency, we have to be careful on how much
intel we share with them.”
    Spencer had never understood that. “We're all
on the same side. What do you think will happen if I tell her the
truth? She has a right to know.”
    “Does she?” Weber countered. “She's a
civilian who started a private SAR firm. She's never been through
agency training. She's never been taught how to recognize valuable
intel from bullshit. She could end up leaking the information
without even realizing it. Some of the intel we pick up is
dangerous. We're trained on how to identify and eliminate threats.
A civilian is not. The less you tell your ex, the less danger you
put her in.”
    God damn it. He was right. It made
perfect sense and Spencer hated that it did, especially since it
came from his SAC. He should have been able to put that together on
his own.
    The Com Van door opened and Kathryn stepped
out. The light caught her red hair and made it glow. She searched
the base camp until her gaze landed on him. Her cheeks flushed as
she motioned for him to join her.
    “It sucks,” Weber pointed out the obvious as
he nodded at her. “I get it. That's why none of us have steady
women. We have enough shit to deal with without the added stress of
even more lies.”
    Spencer hated the double standard, and hated
even more that Weber seemed okay with it. “I understand.”
    “Keep your radio on VOX. I want to monitor
all radio traffic.”
    No, he wanted to make sure Spencer didn't say
anything to Kathryn. It pissed him off that his SAC didn't trust
him. “Yes, sir.”
    Spencer started in the direction of the Com
Van, his chest tight. He hated lying to her even more than he
already had but had no choice in order to protect her. When he
reached her, he followed her gaze as Weber disappeared back into
the woods.
    “Was that Dan Weber?”
    “Yes.”
    She lifted her pretty