Normally she’d be multitasking, taking on a lot more responsibility than looking at one man’s files, but it seemed pretty clear to her that Selene didn’t want her doing too much. It was also clear that Selene was keeping an eye on her. Maybe they were worried she wasn’t handling things well. But she couldn’t be sure.
About fifteen minutes later Wesley showed up, looking a little tired, but put together in a dark business suit. His expression was unreadable as he approached her and Selene’s computer center. Karen started to stand and greet him when she saw him, but he nodded at the two of them, his expression neutral. Surprised, she tried to bury the hurt that he didn’t seem happier to see her.
“You two, my office.” His tone was brisk.
Selene gave her one of those unreadable looks too as she fell in behind Karen.
Dread filled her stomach. Had something happened to Tucker? Had they found evidence against him? Or maybe she was in trouble for what she’d done. She thought Wesley would understand, but he seemed almost cold right now.
Once they were inside the office, Selene shut the door with an ominous-sounding click, then pressed a button on the big window facing the open computer center, frosting the glass over.
Tension twisted through her even harder until she turned and Wesley pulled her into a brief but warm hug. “We were worried about you,” he murmured, stepping back, more warmth in his green eyes. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
She let out a shaky laugh, thankful he seemed more like himself now. “I’m glad too.”
He motioned to the seats in front of his desk. She and Selene sat, but instead of moving around to the other side, he perched on the front of it. It wasn’t a power play type of thing either. She knew him well enough to spot that he was on edge and was likely to start pacing.
Wesley crossed his arms over his chest, all the lines in his body tense. “Ortiz tells me that Pankov seemed pretty protective of you.”
The statement took her off guard, but she nodded and cursed her fair coloring as she felt her cheeks heat up. “He was. He . . . I think he felt bad about everything.” She didn’t want to come out and say he’d kidnapped her even though her boss clearly already knew. She felt a sort of loyalty to Tucker now.
Taking her completely by surprise, Wesley pushed off his desk and crouched in front of her. He looked almost nervous, but that couldn’t be right. The man never got flustered. She’d seen him get into a heated conversation with the president multiple times and not break a sweat. Clearing his throat, he glanced at Selene.
“Freeman cleaned your friend’s place thoroughly, including laundry. Everything,” Selene said meaningfully.
Karen nodded. “Yeah, I know.” It was standard for something like that. No one could know they’d been there. So why were Selene and Wesley—“Oh my God,” she muttered, understanding what their deal was. “He, uh, found the condom?” It was an educated guess.
Selene nodded and Wesley just cleared his throat again. Unable to stop her cheeks from turning stoplight red, she covered her face with her hands and groaned. Dropping them, she looked between both of them. “It was probably poor judgment.” Not that she regretted it. Of course she wasn’t going to admit that, however.
“Were you forced or coerced?” Wesley asked, his voice a deadly razor’s edge. He still hadn’t moved from his spot but was watching her intently.
Her eyebrows rose. “No, not at all.”
“Sometimes in hostage situations captives feel—”
“Wesley! Okay, did Tucker and his guys take me yesterday morning?” At Wesley’s dark expression, she decided not to answer her own question. “You know what, that’s not important. I was never forced or coerced. If anything . . . I sort of made the move on him.”
At Selene’s snort, she glanced at the other woman. “What?”
Selene’s lips twitched, as if she was fighting a smile. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. You’re very . . . picky.”
Selene and Karen had shared drinks more than once and talked about Karen’s dating hiatus. “I wouldn’t throw stones if I were you.” Not considering that Selene had not only hooked up with the man on her last field assignment, but married him.
Selene simply grinned and looked at Wesley, clearly waiting for him to continue.
Her boss still appeared unsure, but he stood and leaned on the desk again. Some of the tension had thankfully left his body. “I hope that this thing with him hasn’t impaired your judgment.” Though it came out as a statement, she knew he was asking.
Karen shook her head. “If I thought it did, I’d tell you. You know me; I can do the job. And I’d planned to tell you about what happened between us. I just wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. He tried to let me go more than once. If his plan was to use me for some reason, whether as a bargaining chip or to get information from you, he could have done it. The evidence we’re uncovering speaks for itself, something you know or you’d have handed him over to the feds by now. He’s a good man, Wesley. I’d stake my job and reputation on it.”
Surprise flared in her boss’s eyes for a moment before he pushed up from his desk. “Selene’s got a lot to fill you in on, but . . . Do you need to sleep or—”
“I’m fine, promise. You’ve known me to work for days without a break.”
He gave a curt nod, her answer good enough for him. “I just spoke with Paula Jacobs of the DEA. She had some interesting things to say. Let Selene catch you up. You can work till two or so this afternoon, and then you can talk to the agency shrink—”
She snorted.
He gave her a dry look. “Either talk to her and then head home, or just head home. Your choice. You’ll have an escort and someone will be staying with you until you return to work.” Before she could even think about protesting, he continued. “That’s not up for debate.” There was a buzz on his intercom and he picked up without pause, motioning for them to leave.
Once they were outside his office door, the buzz of activity increased, even this early in the morning. This definitely wasn’t a nine-to-five type of job. Karen crossed her arms over her chest as she looked up at Selene, who was taller. “What’s going to happen to Tucker? And who’s the man who tried to kill us?”
Sighing, Selene nodded toward their computer station. “So far we’ve figured that this guy was in the same Army unit as the four men who allegedly went after Pankov and his guys. And the one who came after you two in broad freaking daylight.”
“Allegedly?”
Selene lifted her shoulders. “I’m leaning toward believing Pankov. Can’t believe you freaking slept with him,” she whispered, looking around to make sure no one overheard.
Karen blushed, unable to stop her reaction. “Can we talk about that later?”
“Oh, we’re definitely going to.” Selene gave a mischievous grin before her expression went into pure work mode. “So far the wannabe hit man hasn’t said two words, not even to ask for a lawyer, but I want you to rip apart his life.”
Karen’s heart rate kicked up a notch. “Yeah?”
“Yep. Do your magic. We’ve got Red Bull and coffee in the kitchen if you need a jolt.”
Hell yeah, Karen thought. The guy who’d broken into her friend’s house might have been just a hired hitter and “doing his job,” but to her it was very personal. She was going to find out who’d hired him and from there, they were going to destroy who’d set up Tucker and his men.
She couldn’t deny that it was personal for her now too. She couldn’t bury her feelings for Tucker, would be stupid to even try. She wanted his name cleared. Right now she just hoped he was doing okay.
Chapter 15
OSINT: open-source intelligence. Refers to a comprehensive range of information available publicly (Internet, media, public data, etc.).