Stolen. Part 20

"I do. But-someone told Paxton. I think Colton told someone else. Maybe everyone in the group, maybe just his new girlfriend, but he told someone who talked to Jonathan. That's the only thing that makes sense to me. I don't see why Colton would betray me, especially now."

"And Patrick and Duke were in on it? So you really didn't quit RCK?"

"I had to make it real. No one knew. No one except Noah and Rick."

"You mean the fight with Duke-"

"It was all real. At least on Duke's end. I helped Colton with a side project and made sure Duke found out about it. I knew he'd blow, and he did. He doesn't know why I did it."

"You need to tell him."

"I can't, not until this is over. And-" Sean looked away.

Lucy touched his cheek, turning him to face her.

"He didn't mean what he said. He didn't know the truth."

"He meant every word. Duke and I have had a rocky relationship ever since our parents died. Up and down. But it's fine." It wasn't fine. Sean would have to work through things with Duke when this was over. He just didn't know how.

"I really have to go, Luce. I'll fill you in on all the details later, but I have to get back to New York. Something happened tonight-a friend of mine was killed because I asked him to research a few things. I have to figure out what he learned that got him a bullet in the head. And that FBI agent, Deanna Brighton, is trying to convince the authorities that I'm the killer and shot at her while escaping."

Lucy's hands tightened around his. "Oh, G.o.d."

"I didn't-"

"I know."

Relief flooded through him. Lucy believed him, without hesitation. He kissed her. "It's gotten out of control, but I'm going to fix it. It ends in forty-eight hours."

"I'm coming to New York with you."

"No."

"Yes," Lucy said.

"No," Sean repeated. "Brighton is crazy. She threatened to destroy you. She put an APB out on me."

Lucy said, "She gave me a photograph of you and Skye Jansen."

It felt like a knife twisted in his heart. "Photos? What kind of photos? Lucy, I haven't-"

"I know. They were of you and Skye in a park. You were talking, your heads close together-"

Sean's heart nearly stopped. "Lucy-you can't believe I would ever betray you. I love you. Skye and I were over nine years ago."

"I know. I trust you, Sean."

"That b.i.t.c.h."

"I'm okay. Just full disclosure-I didn't know who she was and I went to your house and used your photo recognition software to identify her."

"Monday night when you were using my computer."

She nodded. "But it means that Brighton has been following you for some time."

"Do you have the pictures?" He needed to figure out when Brighton took them.

Lucy got up, retrieved the envelope from her desk, and handed it to Sean. He didn't look, not yet. He was so angry that Deanna Brighton had tried to put a wedge between him and Lucy.

Lucy said, "If there's a rogue agent out to get you because of something that happened in your past-"

"Lucy, I destroyed her career. She's trying to destroy mine."

"You didn't destroy anything-she's still an agent."

"Nutsh.e.l.l? I didn't do it on purpose. She's the one who created the cybersecurity network I exploited to expose my professor who was a pedophile."

"Duke told me. Her system was flawed. Whatever you did, you don't deserve to be hunted like this. It's not normal for her to hold a grudge for so long."

"She thinks I should be in prison for that stunt."

Lucy nodded. "To her, it's personal. When I found out who she was, I realized why she'd come here and threatened me, why she is so driven to go after you. You need to be careful with her; I don't think she can be reasoned with."

"Noah is taking care of it. In fact, he's the only one who can clear me. I need to get back to New York, though, and find out who killed Hunter. I owe him that."

He pulled Lucy close to him and held her. Just held her. He didn't want to leave.

"It'll all be over Thursday night. And maybe we can go away this weekend."

"Maybe we should lock ourselves in your house for forty-eight hours. Trips aren't very relaxing for us."

"You, me, alone for two whole days?" He smiled. "I'm there."

He could tell by Lucy's expression that she was not only worried but also planning something.

He said, "Luce, I'm deadly serious about this. You can't leave Quantico. Not until I know who killed Hunter and if you're in danger. You're the only way they can get to me, do you understand? I never kept you a secret, I never wanted to bring you in at all, but it was easier to keep the lies to a minimum, so I told them about our relationship. Colton already knew. But if Evan or Skye or Carol-I don't trust any of them-if they need leverage over me, they'll come for you. You're safe here. I mean, I know you can take care of yourself, but-"

"Shh. I understand. I don't want your attention divided. But call me. As soon as it's over."

"Noah's trying to save my a.s.s right now, but I'll have him call you later. Keep you in the loop." Sean grinned. "I think he might actually have started to like me."

Lucy smiled. "You might be stretching it."

Sean forced himself to relax. "I understand him better now. Wait until I tell you how closely we've had to work for the last month."

"I look forward to it."

Sean reluctantly walked to the door. He didn't want to go. He had to.

"I love you, Lucy."

"I love you. Please-watch yourself."

"Always."

She pulled him back into a kiss. "Stay safe," she whispered.

Sean left and Lucy closed the door behind him.

No funny comment, no rea.s.surance that he knew what he was doing. Just a wistful look that told Lucy more than any words.

Sean was worried. And scared.

It took all of Lucy's willpower not to go after him. But she knew him well enough to know if she left Quantico she would be added to his list of worries-as if she'd resent him for jeopardizing her future.

But she could help.

She walked over to her cell phone and dialed Noah's number. It went straight to voice mail.

"Noah, it's Lucy. Call me as soon as you get this message, or I'm on the first available flight to New York City."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

Noah had left Suzanne and the NYPD in charge of the crime scene and gone to headquarters to meet with the a.s.sistant special agent in charge, Gregory Torres. Torres was a fifty-year-old FBI veteran with an impeccable reputation but deemed to be extremely cautious as an agent. He'd been promoted quickly and hadn't been a field agent in more than fifteen years.

Steve Gannon was in his office but not Deanna Brighton. "Sir," Noah said, "I need to speak with Agent Brighton."

"I sent her home after she gave her statement," Torres said. "She was highly agitated and not doing herself or this division any favors."

"Sir, with all due respect, I still need to talk to her."

"Deanna is one of my agents, and we have established protocols in place to deal with conflicting statements. I took her statement, and Agent Gannon's. They don't contradict each other." The way Torres looked at Noah meant that Noah's statement was the odd version of events.

Noah glanced at Gannon. He looked worried, and Noah didn't blame him for trying to protect his partner.

Gannon said, "Just because I only heard four shots doesn't mean Rogan didn't shoot at Deanna."

"The apartment-"

"She went in first. I can't say what she saw or didn't see," Gannon said. "Look, I understand where you're coming from, but you need to know that there's a long history with Rogan getting away with crimes, and Deanna simply wants justice."

Noah wished he could see Deanna's files on Sean. What did she know? Was Sean in deeper with Colton than what he'd told Rick and Noah back in August when they originally came up with this undercover plan? Rick had given him blanket immunity-had Sean used that to his advantage? What else was he hiding?

Noah rubbed his face. He had to look at the physical evidence. He'd been in Hunter Nash's apartment. From where Deanna was standing, there was no way she could have seen Sean in the room like she said. Noah had never seen Sean with a silencer, but he had no proof Sean didn't have one. Sean had no motive to kill Nash. But Sean had taken Nash's cell phone. What if Sean had also taken the laptop?

Noah had to trust Sean's version, even knowing he was letting his personal involvement in the case cloud his judgment. His primary concern was that he didn't know if he was trusting Sean too much-or not enough.

"Sir," he said to Torres, "may I see Agent Brighton's statement?"

Torres opened a file and handed it to Noah. He scanned it. It was consistent with what both Gannon and Brighton had previously said, but there was something missing. "Why were you at Nash's apartment in the first place?"

"Deanna and I have been working on a possible mortgage fraud scheme involving Nash's employer, Colton Thayer. It was on the back burner for a while because we didn't have anything tangible, but when Rogan came into town and Deanna found out he was working with Thayer she-we-began to look back into the case."

Torres frowned but didn't say anything. He was trying to protect his squad from scrutiny from national headquarters, but Noah suspected that either this was the first he'd heard about the Thayer case or Torres hadn't thought it was an active investigation.

Gannon continued, "Deanna had learned that Nash and Rogan had met earlier in the day, and she planned to question Nash about it." He glanced at Torres, then continued, "She's my partner, she's the senior agent, I knew she was a bit obsessed with Rogan, but she has great instincts and I believed her when she said Rogan was here to run a scam with Thayer and his group. If we could catch them in the act, they wouldn't be able to get out of it. She felt Nash was the weakest link."

"How long were you outside Nash's apartment?"

"I met Deanna there right before we went inside."

"You didn't arrive together?"

He hesitated. "No, but she got there at about the same time."

"Armstrong," Torres said, "you're treading on dangerous ground."

"Did you see Rogan enter the apartment?"

"No," Gannon said. "We met on the street and went upstairs. We saw the door was ajar. We proceeded cautiously. It's all in the report."

"Everything except why you were at Nash's apartment."

"He told you," Torres said. "Armstrong, I understand your position and that you work for the a.s.sistant director. I can give you lat.i.tude, but remember that this is my division. I'm not going to allow veiled accusations. I will investigate this matter fully, and I a.s.sure you that if there was any impropriety on the part of Agent Brighton it will be taken up through proper channels, including the Office of Professional Responsibility."

"I appreciate your diligence," Noah said. But the bureaucracy worked slowly, especially if an agent was going to be up for reprimand or termination.

"Sean Rogan needs to come in and give his statement," Torres said. "As a courtesy to AD Stockton, I canceled the APB, but I still need a statement and explanation."

"Understood," Noah said. "May I look at the files you have on Thayer and Rogan?"

"Gannon, please give Agent Armstrong what he needs."

Going home was a risk even with Patrick out of town, but Sean knew how to avoid surveillance. He drove slowly by his place, and there was no one on the street at three on Wednesday morning. Still, he parked the borrowed car around the corner and walked around through the back, climbing through a loose board in his neighbor's fence. He slipped in through the sunroom, typed in the alarm code, then reset it for exterior surveillance. He wanted advance warning if anyone crossed his property line.

He was giving himself two hours to break Hunter's codes. Sean needed to be back in the air before daybreak, and he planned to land at a small private airstrip owned by an old friend of his who was far off the grid. If Noah couldn't stop Deanna Brighton from tracking Sean, he didn't want to use an airport.

He sat behind his desk and booted up his computer. While he waited, he stared at the picture of him and Lucy, taken when they were in Ma.s.sachusetts the week before she reported to Quantico. He'd used his phone and loved the photo so much he had it printed.

Her smile was genuine, her long black hair pulled into a curly ponytail, the wind whipping a few strands around her face. He had one arm around her, holding her close to him, the other holding the phone faced toward them. The spontaneous pose captured Lucy's true personality-her beauty, the sparkle in her dark eyes, her genuine smile, devoid of her natural worries and fears. She'd felt safe and loved, and it showed in the photo.