Tough Justice - Countdown (Part 6 Of 8)

By Emmy Curtis

Going Rogue

When the Crisis Management Unit finally catch a break that may lead straight to their key suspect, Special Agent Lara Grant takes the bait he's offered only to her. She's ready to match wits with a madman if it means solving the case and stopping the bomber. But when her risky strategy of playing the lone wolf goes critically wrong, she wonders whether her willingness to do whatever it takes–alone–will prove to be the fatal choice...

Part 6 of 8: an explosive new installment in the thrilling FBI serial from New York Times bestselling author Carla Cassidy and Tyler Anne Snell, Emmy Curtis and Janie Crouch.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Feb 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781489239839

Emmy Curtis

Emmy Curtis is a British author who has lived in Germany, France, the USA, and for the time being, back in the UK with her military husband. She loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, the serial comma, and Galaxy chocolate. And absolutely anything Aaron Sorkin has written. And naps.

Book preview

Chapter One

What did you do? Dammit, Lara! Nick glared at her with barely reined-in fury.

The others were transfixed by the text floating across their screens like it was a news station’s ticker tape. Breaking News—you’re not the only one with secrets, Lara Grant.

Are you kidding me? Xander exploded.

LARA’S TOO BUSY TO PLAY? FINE.

XANDER: MADDY HARRINGTON. NICK: JASON DELANO. JENNIFER: LOUISA HAMILTON. JAMES: WILLIAM WALSH. TY: MICHAEL DAVIDSON.

SHE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT HER SECRETS. DO YOU CARE ABOUT YOURS?

Dammit, Christina, do something, Ty yelled.

Christina swore, then ran from the room.

Okay, everyone. Take a breath. There’s no sense in panicking, Lara said, waving her arms to quiet everyone down.

The lid blew off the pressure cooker.

"You can talk. You did this. You forgot you are an agent—again—and replied to him. Provoked him. Provoked this. It’s always you, Lara," Xander said with gritted teeth.

Lara took a step back. Xander’s gaze was accusatory, and no one was coming to her defense. What— she started.

When has any other member of the team got us into trouble, chased a lead without telling anyone, deliberately put themselves in the line of fire, made a bad judgment call...

You’re out of line, Xander, James bellowed. Way. Out. Of. Line. He jumped up and slammed the palm of his hand on the table.

The room went silent.

Lara could only gape at the scene unfolding before her. James shouting, Xander losing his sense of humor. Nick angry at her. What had she done? It wasn’t her fault.

Why are you taking her side? Xander stood to meet James at eye level. You know she did this. He gestured to the screens just as a clock appeared. It held at 24:00 for a long moment, and then started to count down. And then all the screens went black. What just happened?

Christina reentered the room, oblivious to the high tensions within. I pulled the plug, she said with a level of triumph only seen on an Olympic bronze medalist’s face; a look that said I did it! but also I should have done more.

No, wait. There was a countdown clock, but now we don’t know what it’s counting down to, Jennifer said. But whatever it is, it will be around 2:30 p.m. tomorrow.

It was the first time she’d spoken since her name and that of Louisa Hamilton had appeared on the screen. Lara forced her mind away from Xander’s recent attack, and back on to Mitchell Halpert. Jennifer didn’t seem relieved, so Lara could only assume that Louisa Hamilton was the subject of the desperate secret that would ruin her life. I think given the kidnappings, car bombing, murders and city explosions, we can safely assume that it’s not counting down to anything good.

Xander inhaled as if he was going to rail again.

James shut him down with a raised hand. This is a distraction. While we’re worrying about our own secrets, he’s slipping through our fingers. This isn’t about us—it never was—it’s only about him and whomever he is planning to kill next.

Well that’s easy for you to say, we all know your brother’s secret, Xander said, sitting down again and scowling at the black screen in front of him.

James opened his mouth to speak again, but Lara laid a hand on his arm. There was no way Xander would have said anything like that to his partner if emotions weren’t running high. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to turn on each other.

No. This is me. I’m sorry if I brought this on you. I really am, she said. I honestly thought that maybe showing that he’d made a mistake in thinking I’d care if the world knew about Moretti, that he’d panic. I thought my call for him to go ahead and release the information would make him hesitate—throw him off his game. I would never have provoked him if I’d thought it would put you guys in his crosshairs. Never.

Only Nick, Christina and James met her eyes. The others looked away. She wondered if everyone had a secret as private and painful as Jennifer’s obviously was. She wondered if everyone else was blaming her.

Xander pushed his seat back, swallowed, and looked at them almost defiantly. Maddy is not mine. He paused as he clocked the confused expressions around the table. Eyes that had been averted focused back on Xander.

My girlfriend had an affair the year before Maddy was born. I found out much later at the hospital that there was no way she was biologically mine. I’ve kept that knowledge to myself. I didn’t want Heather to know I knew, and I certainly don’t want it on the internet where Maddy can find it ten years from now.

Jennifer’s jaw tightened. How do you think Halpert knows? she said.

Xander shrugged. I did a paternity test to be sure. I’m sure all that information is available online if you’re good enough to know how to get at it. He gazed without focus at the wall. I also emailed my sister about it when I first found out. He could have found that, too. He shook his head. I always knew that nothing was private anymore. I mean, we all know that—the Patriot Act, the NSA—and you have to trust that it’s for a good reason. And I don’t mind the government having access to my emails if it means they can clear me and move on to a real threat to our security. But if someone like Halpert can hack our stuff—and let’s face it, we don’t know if we’ve individually been hacked, or the NSA’s been hacked, we—

If it had been the NSA that had been hacked, we wouldn’t have gotten a look-in on this case. They’d be all over this like a rash, Lara interrupted. I think we have to assume that he’s targeted us, as James said, as a distraction.

You’re probably right, Nick said. I’m guessing that all our secrets are embarrassing to us and our families and friends, but not illegal. We shouldn’t—

Speak for yourself, Jennifer said, fists bunched on the table.

The room fell silent as all eyes fell on her pale face.

Suddenly the room felt oppressively hot to Lara. She shrugged off her jacket and leaned forward. Who’s Louisa Hamilton? she asked quietly.

My sister. Jennifer cleared her throat. She’s dead. I... I killed—

Stop, Ty said.

There was a second of silence, as if everyone was processing this ridiculous information.

Ty stood up. Don’t say any more, Jenn. My law degree is rusty, but I’m still a member of the bar. Don’t say anything that will get you, or anyone here, subpoenaed.

She offered him a weak smile. I think it’s time I told someone. I think it’s time I was punished. She pressed a hand to her chest. I don’t want this secret to kill me. She glanced at Nick, probably remembering what had happened to Dunbar just a few days earlier.

* * *

Nick felt a finger of ice flash down his spine, despite the heat in the room. What had he said to her at the hospital? That guilt would kill someone? That only people without consciences could murder and not confess? What had he done? He held up his hand. Don’t, Jennifer.

Shock seemed to permeate the room. She’d killed her sister? Nick tried to imagine what could have happened. Had she been a kid? An adult?

No I want to tell you. You’re my family now. I haven’t been able to...be a part of my own family since it happened. It felt wrong. I couldn’t sit with my parents around a holiday table pretending it never happened. Nor with my brother-in-law, or my niece and nephew. Her voice cracked as she mentioned her sister’s children.

Christina sat next to Jennifer and put her hand on hers. "It’s okay. We are your family. You can tell us anything."

Nick wanted to tell her no. That she couldn’t tell them anything without repercussions. That they couldn’t not report a murder. Lara’s wince told him that she thought the same. But none of them said anything. No one spoke. And they should have done. Nick opened