She’d been about to get in the shower when she’d seen shadows moving under the door. Thankfully she’d still been wearing her backup because her primary weapon was downstairs in the drawer where she kept it. She didn’t want to think about what would have happened if the
men hadn’t panicked and fled when confronted. She put it out of her mind. Training and situational awareness had kept her safe and it was no good worrying about might-have-beens.
A
packing company was coming in and storing all her personal belongings. She’d just brought along the essentials for now—clothes, toiletries, computer, and her sister’s files. She’d moved into her father’s DC apartment until she figured out if this appointment was permanent. It was a forty-five minute commute, which was OK. Her dad spent most of his time as a federal judge in West Virginia and had bought the apartment when he and her mother had first separated, but were still pretending to be a couple. Now he kept it for retirement.
Mallory stood uncertainly in front of the reception desk
in Quantico, noting the number of curious glances she was getting. She bit down on her lip and figured everyone here had pegged her body language as flat out terrified and she should just own it. She took a hesitant step toward a secretary’s desk.
“
Special Agent Rooney.” The bark came from behind her and she whirled, clutching her messenger bag to her chest. Silver-haired SSA Hanrahan strode toward her, face stern and manner, frankly, not that welcoming. Her heart did a nosedive.
“
Follow me.”
She set off after him
, trotting obediently like a dog brought to heel. Her mother had sworn inside out that she hadn’t pulled any political strings to get her this job, but nothing else made sense. So she hadn’t felt one iota of guilt when she’d refused to take part in this year’s planned media stunt and even refused her mother’s dinner invitation for this evening. If she felt bad for not being with her mother on this particular anniversary it was balanced by a dull rage that simmered just below her skin. She hated being manipulated.
She followed SSA Hanrahan down the impersonal corridor into his office. Hopefully she could convince him to change his mind and give this assignment to someone more deserving.
The office was crammed full of bookshelves, a big desk, two chairs and two computers with large monitors. The window overlooked the parking lot with the assault course that had brought her to her knees on more than one occasion, hidden in the nearby woods.
“
Shut the door and take a seat.”
She did, crossing her legs and uncrossing them, then crossing them again.
“Christ. Relax. You’re making me dizzy.” Hanrahan took his gaze off her legs, but it wasn’t lust shining from his blue eyes, it was something akin to pity. “Your shiner’s gone, I see. You certainly had a busy week.”
She nodded. He
’d obviously been checking up on her and that made her a little uneasy. “I don’t know what I’m doing here,” she admitted. “I never even applied for this position.”
A smile made all the lines on his face deepen.
“I know you didn’t.”
“
I don’t want to be here just because my mother pulled some strings.”
“
Is that what you believe?” The intensity of his stare was unnerving.
“
Yes.”
He looked relieved.
“And if I told you your mother had nothing to do with your appointment?”
She leaned forward.
“Then I’d say you’re either a very good liar or I don’t understand.”
“
What if I told you I was so impressed by your performance at the briefing last Monday I decided I wanted you working here with me?”
“
I’d say your reputation must be a fallacy or you’ve recently suffered a head injury.” She shook her head. Maybe she could get herself fired by being honest. “I looked like a moron at that briefing.”
“
No, you didn’t.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I’m not good at all this maneuvering and political bullshit.”
Mallory closed her eyes and prayed the floor would just swallow her up.
“I see.”
“
I don’t think you do.”
“
Then tell me what is going on.”
He pressed his lips together and stared at her like he was looking to find something wrong with her
—the same way he’d stared at her during the briefing.
“
Just
tell
me.” She sounded exactly how she felt. Nervous and pissed.
“
I didn’t want to do this today...”
Mallory flinched.
“Because today is my first day in a new office or because it’s the anniversary of my sister’s disappearance?”
Again he remained silent
even as his eyes probed her. What the hell was going on?
Finally he spoke.
“You were looking into vigilante killings on ViCAP.”
Of all the things she
’d expected him to say, that wasn’t it. She nodded. “I think I’ve found several cases that have enough common features to warrant further investigation.”
“
What exactly did you find?”
She told him about
several suspected killers, sex offenders and pedophiles being found dead under suspicious circumstances. “They were called in afterward as suspects by anonymous tipsters that couldn’t be traced.”
“
Maybe nobody really tried?”
“
Well
I
tried. And
Mike Tanner
tried.” She stared at him. Everyone knew Mike Tanner was one of the best. Her arms crossed tight across her chest and then it struck her. “How do you know I was looking into vigilantes?”
“
I have some flags setup for when people start searches using particular terms.
Vigilante
and
anonymous
tip
are two of those phrases.”
She didn
’t know what to say.
“
Did you talk to anyone about your suspicions?”
God, she wished he wouldn
’t watch her like that, like he wanted to dissect her mind. This guy dealt with serial killers—did he really think she could hide anything from him? Or that she wanted to?
“
I tried to contact Special Agent Lucas Randall who is leading the investigation into Meacher’s death, but I couldn’t reach him.” She’d assumed he was pissed with her the same way everyone else was pissed with her. Landing a plum assignment by virtue of who she knew rather than how good she was at her job. But now she wasn’t so sure her mother had been involved at all...
“
No best friend, significant other?”
She shook her head. There was something in Hanrahan
’s gaze. Satisfaction? Relief? “Tell me what’s going on.”
“
What do you think is going on?”
Her heart pounded with sudden anger.
“You sound like my childhood shrink.”
Sadness tugged at his mouth
. “I am sorry about your sister, you know.”
She nodded. What
sane person wouldn’t be sorry about something like that?
He was waiting for her to catch up, she realized. She was supposed to have figured something out already.
“So you think there’s a vigilante too?”
His mouth fo
rmed a thin straight line. “I do.”
“
Then why didn’t you let me start an investigation in Charlotte?”
He drew in a deep breath through his nose. Even his breathing seemed controlled and patient.
The clues clicked into place.
“
Because you think they’d find out.” Mallory sat up straighter. “You think whoever the vigilante is, they have access to ViCAP? You think they have the same sort of flags in place that you do, in case someone starts searching?”
“
I’m almost certain they have some sort of early warning system in place, but whoever it is hides their tracks better than my IT guy can uncover them, and he’s the best the Bureau has.”
“
But in that case they already know I had suspicions about vigilantism...”
He nodded.
“When you fail to continue the search after your transfer here they’ll relax their guard and assume you’ve moved on to other cases.”
“
And will I?”
“
To all intents and purposes.”
“
So you brought me here to...what? To protect me?”
His laugh was deeply amused.
“You’re a federal agent. You get to protect yourself.” He leaned forward over his desk. “They appear to have access to all the same information we do, including criminal profiles.”
That was a scary thought. Mallory swallowed the knot in her throat because she suddenly knew what he was worried about.
“You think they have a source inside the FBI?”
“
Worse.” He held her gaze. “I think they have a mole in the BAU. Someone here has been compromised. If I open an investigation I risk sending that person to ground and we’ll never catch them, not to mention if this gets out it’ll damage the reputation of a great group of highly motivated individuals who dedicate their lives to catching bad guys.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Every law enforcement agency in the US would hesitate to bring us in to consult. We can’t afford that. The people of this country can’t afford that.”
Mallory licked
dry, cracked lips. “So you brought me here, to what? Spy on the others?” She didn’t like the idea of betraying the people she trusted with her life.
“
I used the fact you have a powerful mother to get you on my team without anyone suspecting that we’re onto them. No one can know about it. Not your friends, not your family. It’s imperative this remains a secret.” His gaze drilled into hers. “I want you to go in there,” he pointed to his door, “make friends, make mistakes, look like a non-threat and basically worm your way into their work and lives. It’s going to take time—months, maybe years. You’ll have to join the next training session when it starts, which will take more time, but it will gain you experience and contacts.” His words hit her like hail, each one stinging just a little bit harder. “I’m putting you in a highly vulnerable position. Whether we catch this person or not, you’re going to catch flak from all sides.”
“
Do I get a raise?”
From the narrowing of his eyes now wasn
’t the best time to joke. “I don’t know if you realize how serious this is.”
“
Oh, I think I’ve figured it out.” She felt sick inside. “When this is over, if we are wrong about our theory that there’s a vigilante I’ll be perceived as a blue flamer who got her position because her mother is a senator and will have zero credibility. If we do apprehend a mole, I’ll be seen as someone not to trust because she rats on her colleagues.” She was screwed either way, but she was also trapped.
A wry smile caught her off guard.
“If it’s any consolation, I
was
impressed by your work in Charlotte.”
She raised a
dubious eyebrow at him.
Sure
. “Do you think this mole and vigilante are one and the same person?”
“
No, I’ve been attempting to keep tabs on where agents from this office are when these deaths occur. They all have alibis, although alibis are rarely foolproof.”
“
Do you think they’re dangerous?” she asked quietly.
“
The person putting bullets in people is most assuredly a trained assassin—so I’d categorize them as dangerous. The people who work in this office—generally—” a bushy brow bobbed up and down at her, “have worked long and hard to get here.” His lips pursed. “They aren’t going to want to go to jail without a fight.”
Fantastic
.
“
So, are you up for it?”
“
Do I have a choice?”
“
You can say no and I’ll reassign you, but I don’t think you will.”
He was right. But probably not for the reasons he thought. Yes,
she wanted to root out bad guys. But here, in the heart of the BAU, she had the opportunity to pick the brains of people who lived and breathed serial killers and child abduction.
Even though she hated the idea of spying on her colleagues
, she’d never have a better chance to pursue her sister’s investigation than this. She held out her hand and shook his. “I’m in.”
Hanrahan
smiled but she was overwhelmed by sudden loneliness. The search for answers was never ending. For the first time since she’d been accepted into the FBI academy, she found herself wondering if she’d made the right choice. Rather than chasing shadows, maybe a better tribute to her sister would have been to live a full and happy life. As Hanrahan led her out of his office and down the hall to her new office, she realized something else. She owed her mom a big fat apology.