Page 29 of Nothing to Fear

If he miscalculated in the slightest in the next five minutes, he could end up with a bullet in his head, and Willow would be left to whatever fate the mole had in store for her.

He hustled to his desk. The gut-reaction idea forming in his head was insane. It was madness to go against the evidence and behind Sanborn’s back no less, but there wasn’t any other way to keep her safe. He had to get Willow out of the Gray Box now.

Yesterday, someone possibly tampered with her brake line. Today, there was an offshore account in her name. What would happen tomorrow? The traitor had managed to kill Aleksander Novak, an experienced assassin with combat training. Taking out someone like Willow would be easy if given the opportunity.

This investigation would drag on, the team’s attention divided between protecting Willow in custody while trying to prove her innocence. Opportunities would be plentiful, and the mole was clever.

Opening a drawer, he spotted the lightweight bulletproof vest he’d acquired while working with the special operations unit of the Mossad—the Israeli intelligence service. True badasses. The Israeli-designed vest hugged the body like a glove, the best he’d ever seen. He stuffed it inside the empty rucksack he kept for weighted jogs—a training routine he’d picked up from Reece—then scribbled a note telling Maddox to have Willow’s car inspected by someone in forensics she trusted, along with the address of the garage. He put it on her desk, where only she’d see it. Telling the chief what’d happened to Willow’s car wouldn’t clear her. The mechanic’s assessment proved nothing, but maybe Maddox could dig up something concrete the chief could use.

Walking as quickly as possible without drawing attention, he took the long way to Intelligence to pass by the break room. As he darted in, a woman from Parker’s department, Nicole Tully, threw him a high-beam smile.

He flashed a superficial grin in return.

Once Nicole left with a cup of coffee, he unhooked the ABC fire extinguisher from the wall and threw it into the rucksack. Duct tape on the counter caught his eye, and he swiped the roll. Fastening the bag loosely, he pressed on to find Willow.

There wasn’t a minute to spare. The second the shit hit the fan, Willow and Gideon would both be in the crosshairs of his own team.

11

Gray Box Headquarters, Northern Virginia

Friday, July 5, 9:25 a.m. EDT

Willow glimpsed Gideon’s imposing frame stalking up behind her in the reflection of her computer monitor. Her breath hitched in her throat, and her insides squeezed. Hadn’t he humiliated her enough?

He wanted nothing to do with her, message received. No need to repeat it.

Sweeping up beside her, he snatched her purse.

“What are you doing?” She yanked out her earbuds, gawking up at him.

“Don’t ask questions. You’re in danger. Get up and walk with me.”

“Wh-what?”

“Now, Willow.” His low tone had a deadly edge, driving her to spring to her feet.

She reached for her identification card stuck in the log-in unit connected to her computer.

“Leave it.” The harshness of the order made her flinch. His body, tone, eyes—all of it was hard and cold as an iceberg about to capsize her world. “Walk with me.”

Her heart started racing, but her legs were frozen in place.

“Please, Willow. There’s no time. Walk with me.”

She nodded. The slight movement fired the rest of her body into action. She slipped on her shoes, spun the binary globe on her desk and hurried alongside him.

“I’m sure you’re flagged.” His voice sounded so calm, it was eerie. “Someone in ITM is probably monitoring your computer activity. If you log off, they’ll ask security to stop you.”

“Why would I be flagged?” She scanned the Intel section to see if anyone noticed them.

“Don’t glance around like you’re scared. Look straight ahead. Trust me, please.”

Straightening, she trained her gaze on their path. The hallway was clear. Trotting to keep pace with him, she couldn’t process everything, like her brain was short-circuiting.

They rounded the corner. The elevator was within sight.

Panic started creeping in. Why did she have to leave the building? Why would the ITM department have security stop her? “What’s going on?”