Intercepted Risk

by Sidney Bristol

  Staying in law enforcement wasn’t high on her list. Not with the way things were going lately. She’d changed as a person and didn’t think it would be a good fit. So what did she do?

  This wasn’t the time to start a relationship.

  Right?

  “Ma’am?”

  Kelsey turned and blinked at the uniformed officer standing on the other side of the kitchen.

  “Yes?” she said belatedly.

  The man thumbed over his shoulder. “There’s a cleaning team asking for you.”

  “Shit,” she muttered and glanced at her watch.

  It wasn’t even eight.

  “Did forensics clear everything?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, ma’am.”

  “Okay, I’ll look into it.” Kelsey pulled out her phone and jabbed Baruti’s number. “Oh, wait. Front or back?”

  “Back, ma’am,” the officer replied.

  “Thank you very much,” she called after the man.

  The coffee machine beeped as she listened to the line ring. She grabbed a mug and filled it, opting to skip sugar and cream. Today she needed the bitter bite.

  “Morning, Thumb.” Baruti’s voice was weary.

  “Jesus, have you slept at all?” she asked.

  “Not much. My oldest doesn’t sleep well when I’m not at home.”

  “Is he having nightmares again?”

  “Don’t remind him. No, thankfully.” Baruti chuckled. “I don’t suppose you called to talk about my kids?”

  “No. Hey, do you know if forensics cleared the senator’s house for a cleaning?” She sipped the coffee and grimaced at the aftertaste. It did the job.

  “Yes,” Baruti said slowly. “They finished last night.”

  “But? I hear a but in there.”

  “This cleaning crew, I imagine Senator Dixon’s fixer hired them?”

  “I sure as hell didn’t, so yeah, I imagine this is her doing.”

  “We have no right to ask them to hold off once forensics has done their part and we’re being pressured to not displace the senator.”

  “What I’m hearing is, we’d rather the cleaning team not show up today, but we have no legal leg to stand on. Am I right?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Okay.” She blew out a breath. “I’ll supervise them and if I see anything sketchy, I’ll put a stop to it and call you.”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  “Are you guys coming here today? What’s the plan?”

  “We are supposed to be there by ten to talk with Dixon and his team.”

  “Great.” She groaned. “Which means they’ll all be here any freaking moment.”

  “What are you doing up and working this early?” Baruti asked slowly.

  All the warning bells started clamoring in Kelsey’s head. “Weird bed. Even weirder room. I’ll see you later.”

  She hung up quickly and blew out a breath.

  Great.

  After the bathroom confessional, she knew Baruti and Samuel would be up her ass. As off balance and flustered as she was now, it would only get worse.

  Because that was what she needed.

  Great.

  Kelsey gulped the coffee as she strode through the house.

  The officers still at the house were under orders to be discrete. The cruisers were parked in the spacious garage. Officers remained inside and out of the way. Dixon’s team wanted things to be business as usual.

  She had to wonder if that meant having the same line-up of visitors as yesterday.

  Kelsey breathed deep as she approached the back door.

  Time to put on a pleasant face and make nice.

  The officer stationed by the door opened it for her. She muttered her thanks and stepped out on the back stoop.

  A blue van sat close to the house with the back door open. A team of four people in uniform white jumpsuits with logos stitched to the chest loitered around the open van.

  Beyond them, Kelsey glimpsed another van. This one gray with part of a yellow logo visible. And standing at the front of the van talking to another man was Logan.

  Her body reacted immediately. She was hot despite the chill in the air and the wind slicing through her clothes.

  The new security system.

  Right.

  It was being installed now, all over the house. Dixon had not been happy about that feature, but he’d been overruled by literally everyone.

  Logan turned his head slightly. He didn’t look at her, but she knew he’d seen her.

  Why couldn’t the ground open up and swallow her? Why?

  She forced herself to focus on the cleaning crew. Pasting on a smile, she approached the four men.

  “Hi, sorry about the wait.” She offered her hand to the one closest to her. “I’m Kelsey. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Let me show you where you can work, if you just want to follow me?”

  The man didn’t offer a name or say anything to her.

  Odd.

  Then again, what did she know about this so-called fixer’s people?

  Chances were Kelsey shouldn’t even be talking to them.

  She led her silent quartet into the house and up the stairs.

  Dixon hadn’t shown himself yet that morning, so Kelsey opened the office and walked the cleaning crew through what they could and could not touch.

  “Do you think you can get the blood out?” Kelsey eyed the carpet.

  “Should be able to,” was all the man said.

  She’d believe it when she saw it.

  Kelsey retreated to the sofa facing the TV and pulled out her phone.

  The last she’d heard, Robert was stable but still in critical condition. She texted Samuel for an update, then spent a few moments checking her emails. There wasn’t much of note in her inbox for the senator’s office, and everything in her FBI email was fairly standard fare. Their team was taking no chances. Nothing was emailed or discussed via unsecure methods. And even then, each person or team was saying as little as possible.

  She understood the need. They’d had too many leaks. Their mole was too-well hidden in plain sight. It made for a lonely and stressful work environment.

  Screw that.

  Kelsey tapped out a message and sent it to the girl group. Since Diha had made them their own little secure channel via her app, there was no cause for concern.

  I’m going to need a lot of margaritas when this is over.

  She smiled at the message.

  Almost immediately, Felecia’s name popped up with writing animations next to it.

  OMG yes! Nadine took me to this place yesterday with great drinks. We’ll have to take you.

  Kelsey grinned and wrote back.

  It’s a date!

  A message from Cat came in at almost the same time.

  Are you and L getting along?

  “Crap,” Kelsey muttered. What was she going to tell the girls? Should she say anything?

  Part of her wanted to hide what was going on with Logan. She was afraid of what it might turn into or what others might say. She was painfully aware that she didn’t deserve a guy like him.

  Diha was the last to message.

  Margaritas are required. And a spa day.

  Kelsey smiled as the chorus of omg yes came in from the other two.

  What was she thinking?

  These three would be nothing but happy for her. If things with Logan went well. Maybe by the time they went out for drinks, she’d tell them something.

  She heard voices from downstairs. A lot of them.

  That had to be the lawyers.

  Fantastic.

  Kelsey pocketed her phone and headed for the stairs. She was halfway down when she was finally able to make out what people were saying.

  “I have every right to be here.” The man wasn’t exactly shouting, but his voice was pitched over all the others.

  She picked up the pace, rounding the hall so she saw the entry.

  Once more
Dixon’s lawyer, fixer, and the kid in charge of his PR were assembled and in the entry way. Only now two cops were trying to bar their way.

  “It’s okay,” she called out, even though she didn’t want to.

  The officers turned to look at her.

  “That’s Senator Dixon’s lawyer and friends. Let them in.” She took another drink of her coffee. Today was going to need an endless mug, that was for damn certain.

  Upstairs wasn’t an appropriate place for any discussion right now.

  She made the executive decision to shift things for now. When the senator appeared, he could make a different call.

  “Step in here, please?” She gestured to the front office with its fake ass books. “The cleaning team is currently working upstairs.”

  Kelsey led the way into the room, crossing to the desk where she set her mug down.

  “Where’s John?” Mr. Bernstein asked.

  Right. Dixon’s first name was John.

  Kelsey gestured above them. “I think he’s still in his room. I haven’t seen him yet.”

  Mr. Bernstein scowled. That answer was clearly not satisfactory enough.

  Someone tapped on the door.

  Kelsey shivered, and she just knew...

  “Excuse me?” Logan’s deep voice said.

  She swallowed and turned her head to look at Logan in the doorway to the office.

  “Morning,” she said.

  “Is John with you?” Mr. Bernstein asked.

  “No, sir.” Logan glanced at Kelsey. “Have a moment?”

  She couldn’t think of a single reason to stay where she was.

  “Sure.” Kelsey strode across the room.

  Logan turned and led the way down the hall to a little alcove that had a padded bench and artwork.

  “Something wrong?” She cringed, then wiped the expression away as he turned.

  Logan’s expression was neutral, yet she knew he couldn’t be happy with her. Not after the way she’d left things. “The new security system is installed, except for the windows in the senator’s bedroom. We just finished the test.”

  So they weren’t talking about her disappearing act.

  Kelsey pasted on a bright smile. “Great.”

  Why did he have to pull her aside to say that?

  Logan edged closer and pitched his voice lower. “I haven’t seen Dixon yet.”

  “No one has. He’s still in his room, I guess?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “What time is it?”

  “Eight.”

  “Last night was rough...”

  Logan arched a brow at her.

  Shit.

  Kelsey closed her mouth and swallowed. Where was her coffee mug now?

  “Last night, right,” she muttered and closed her eyes. This was a conversation she couldn’t hide from. She took a deep breath and looked at Logan. “Look, I didn’t handle things well. Okay? I’m not happy with what I did. I also don’t think I have the bandwidth to really discuss this with you right now.”

  Logan’s gaze narrowed. “What aren’t you happy with?”

  God, was he going to make her spell it out?

  She glanced over her shoulder, then edged closer to him. “How we left things.”

  He nodded slowly. His shoulders relaxed a bit and his features softened. “Later sounds good.”

  A huge weight dropped from around her neck and Kelsey took the first easy breath since yesterday. With that breath came a spicy scent that was all Logan. She had the urge to lean forward and bury her face in his shirt.

  “Okay. Good. Thanks,” she said.

  “So long as later isn’t indefinite.”

  Kelsey straightened her spine. “Tonight. I’m not staying in this place a second night. Zora can get someone else to play babysitter.”

  Logan merely nodded his head.

  For some reason, even that irritated her.

  “I’m not usually like this, you know?” She scowled at him. Wasn’t that normally his thing? The frowning and stuff?

  Logan lifted his shoulders. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Great. Because she didn’t what she was really trying to say either. Or maybe she did? This sure as hell wasn’t the place to discuss it.

  “We’ll talk later,” she said.

  Once more Logan inclined his head. “Alright, I’m going to head up and wake Prince Charming.”

  “Great. His lawyers will want to talk to him as soon as possible, I’ll bet. I’ll go entertain them. Let me know what state he’s in?”

  “Will do.”

  Logan strode off toward the stairs.

  Kelsey watched him go.

  On one hand, she hadn’t wanted to discuss last night at all. Everything about this sexual relationship was starting off wrong. It felt as though there was a disaster on the horizon and she couldn’t stop it.

  On the other, it was nice to no longer harbor her attraction alone and in misery. Though with that came other troubles.

  What the hell was she going to tell him when they sat down to talk about this?

  The truth would be cruel, yet necessary. She couldn’t have Logan making plans for her future. Not when she hadn’t decided what she wanted to do herself.

  Right.

  Time to get back to work.

  She turned and ambled back toward the office.

  Her phone vibrated as she reached the doorway. Pulling it out, she stared at Logan’s message to the team.

  Dixon is gone.

  SATURDAY. UNKNOWN.

  Skilton paced the room, all the while his mind raced.

  This could not be happening.

  His assistant stepped into the open door. “Sir?”

  “Bring him in,” Skilton said.

  “Yes, sir.”

  He’d read every report from his American network. Every damned one. So why was he just now learning about how extensive this Task Force was? How was it he’d gotten someone in at the top level and yet it was the peon that was getting him the real intel?

  This was a disaster.

  He heard their approach.

  “This is unacceptable,” Skilton said. “At every turn I learn about yet another failure.”

  He turned to look at the short, scrawny man with beady eyes. In truth, this man wasn’t the kind Skilton typically liked to turn to his means. People motivated by simple greed were quick to jump ship. A lot like rats. But he’d thought it prudent to secure someone else in case his other two sources didn’t pan out.

  “I agree, sir,” the grave young man said.

  “Sit.” Skilton gestured to the tables scattered around the table.

  “Thank you.”

  “What’s the latest?”

  “Information is still being compartmentalized. No one outside a select few know where they are keeping the people you mentioned wanting to find. Just saying their names got me in hot water.” He shifted in his seat. “Currently, there’s a lot of feuding going on between the participating branches. My understanding is that there’s an operation underway that was kept from almost everyone. The self-important people at the top aren’t happy about it.”

  Skilton nodded.

  He’d assumed as much.

  If his top person had known, he would have known what was going on before the last second.

  Unfortunately, some things were already in play and could not be recalled. Assassinating a sitting senator wasn’t as easy as it sounded. It had to be done right or there would be too many questions. It was Skilton’s hope that Dixon’s indiscretions would be his downfall and Skilton’s cover story for the death.

  What a damn waste.

  Skilton had hand-picked that idiot from the turnip patch back when John Dixon didn’t know what aspiration was. If it weren’t for Skilton’s guidance, the man would still be a nobody despite his political pedigree. It was a damn shame Dixon had to go off and think he had enough brains to operate on his own.

  This was what happened with greedy people.

  Skilton glanced a
t the young man sitting at the table.

  Greedy people weren’t loyal.

  “Talk me through your duties and what a normal day is like for you.” He pulled out a chair and sat.

  Sometimes he didn’t always know the best way to use a tool. It was time to find out just how valuable this one might be.

  SATURDAY. SENATOR DIXON’S Home. Annapolis, Maryland.

  Logan ticked off the last room in the house.

  John Dixon was not in the residence.

  The cars were all in the garage where they were supposed to be.

  None of the cops reported having seen Dixon leave.

  Neither Logan nor Kelsey had seen the man.

  The panic room was empty.

  Dixon could not vanish. It wasn’t possible. And Logan knew there were no secret tunnels. Which meant that Dixon had slipped out of the house on purpose.

  Why?

  His gut said that Dixon was dirty. But could he believe that just because he didn’t like the guy?

  Logan’s phone vibrated. He glanced at the text from Kelsey.

  Lawyers are getting antsy.

  That was an even worse sign.

  If Dixon were going to run from them, Logan would have assumed the law team would be Dixon’s first call. He’d want his assets protected and to cover his ass when it came to anything legal. Consulting his lawyers made sense.

  However, if Dixon were running on his own, that was stupid.

  Someone like Dixon, white, privileged, wealthy, wouldn’t know how to go about escaping the country anyway except via a private jet. He was a politician. It wasn’t his area of expertise.

  The guy was going to get himself killed, and they were going to lose their best lead on this Skilton guy.

  Logan’s phone rang.

  Kelsey’s name popped up on the screen.

  If only this weren’t a work call.

  He tapped the green button.

  “Haven’t found him,” Logan said.

  “Okay, well, what do we tell his people?” Kelsey whispered.

  He could hear the lawyers in the background all talking over each other.

  The instant those people knew, Logan and Kelsey were going to lose control of the situation.

  “Let me check upstairs again. Just in case. Are we certain there isn’t a second panic room we don’t know about?” Logan could hope.