The senator shook his head. “No. I just only have a phone and a computer. If I’m going to go ‘live’ on social media to announce the tragic murder of my aide, then I’ll need to use something with a faster processor.”

  Wow. This guy talked a good game. What was it Eden called it? The “gift of the gab.” Anytime this man smacked his lips together, the words that came out made Josh want to shake his head in disbelief. Though the senator likely would’ve preferred Josh to jump to support, or into action. Not sit by in an incredulous stupor.

  There were so many problems with what he’d said that Josh didn’t know where to begin. “First of all, that’s going to be collected as evidence. You want to use your phone, go get it. But don’t go making announcements of any kind until it’s been cleared by us. First thing we’re going to do is make sure the next of kin is contacted.”

  Josh motioned to the dead woman, though she was surrounded by cops and the paramedics. “Does she have family?”

  The senator made a face. Like a preschooler trying to solve multiplication. “Um…maybe?”

  So he had no idea.

  “We’ll find out.” Dakota folded her arms. “I don’t want you breathing without permission until this is sorted out. There’s a woman in this hotel who wants you dead and obviously has the means to get a deadly substance into your coffee. Who knows how she’s going to try again when she discovers it failed? So if I were you, I wouldn’t go making social media posts. All you’re doing is inviting another murder attempt.”

  Josh waved Dakota and Sal over to the corner of the room. “Unless that’s exactly what we want her to do. You know, draw her out? Set her up and then take her down…” He registered the looks on their faces. “And you guys already figured that out.”

  A look washed over Dakota’s face, but she didn’t share. He was intrigued enough he’d have to ask her about it later.

  Sal said, “All our scouring the footage in the hotel paid off.” That was good to hear, since Josh had been doing it at two in the morning. They’d taken shifts to get through all of it.

  The marshal continued, “We saw her enter. Tracked her movements in the hallways. And we found the waiter she drugged, dead in a closet. She delivered the food to this room herself.”

  “And then never left the hotel?”

  Sal nodded in answer.

  Dakota shifted her weight, a thoughtful look on her face. “So she’s hanging around to see if the job was completed? Or she left, and we just didn’t catch it?”

  Josh didn’t know how they were supposed to be able to answer that question. “Do you have a photo of Clare?”

  Sal pulled out his phone and swiped to a picture.

  “Can I borrow that?” Josh went to the senator and held it out. “Have you ever seen this woman before?”

  “Is that her?” He squinted at the screen, then moved across the room for some reading glasses which he slid onto his nose.

  “Please answer the question.”

  He studied the phone. “I’ve never seen her in my life.”

  “So you have no idea why this woman might want you dead?”

  He shrugged. And yet, Clare Norton had delivered his breakfast. She’d been inside this room.

  If the VX had been sold to her from a third party, and she was working on orders as her friend had suggested, that made her no more than a hired gun. Maybe it wasn’t personal. Could be Clare had nothing against the senator, and this was just a means to an end.

  Josh moved back to Sal and Dakota. Both of their faces indicated they felt the same as he did. “He’s got nothing.” He kept the words quiet, not wanting the senator to hear. Josh didn’t want to get suddenly audited by the IRS for no reason, or whatever put-out government officials did to get revenge.

  Dakota pulled out her ponytail, flipped her hair forward and ran her fingers through it. When she stood upright she retied it, not meeting either of their eyes. Biting her lip. When she did look at Josh, he could see her eyes were wide. Her breath coming fast.

  He stepped between her and Sal, shifting so she had to move with him toward the door. “We’ll check in with Talia and see if she has anything new.”

  Dakota strode to the door and out to the hallway. She waited until he shut the door behind them and then set her hands on her thighs to lean forward.

  “What is it?”

  She said nothing, sucking in breaths.

  “Walk with me.” He tugged on her arm and led her down the hall to the elevator.

  “I don’t—” She gasped. “—want them to see.”

  But she was okay with him being the one who was with her? Josh didn’t have time to truly appreciate what it meant that she would rely on him instead of her own team.

  He hit the button for their floor. She handed over the card to her room, and he let them in. Talia was at the table. She looked up from her computer and saw Dakota.

  “Give us a minute?”

  She glanced at him, then took her laptop and shut the bedroom door behind her.

  “Sit down.” He led Dakota to the couch.

  She wrung her hands between her knees. Josh knelt in front of her. “What is it?”

  She blew out a breath. “I don’t even know.”

  He guessed all of her emotions were crashing down on her after having been pushed aside for too long. She was wrung out physically and now emotionally as well. “Having feelings isn’t a bad thing.”

  “Well, it’s never been a good thing either.”

  “It is now.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “It’s cleansing to get it out.”

  “It’s exhausting. And now I have a headache again.”

  He moved to kiss her. She waved her hand and then grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table. Blew her nose first. “I’m all gross and puffy.”

  Josh thought it was cute. “I don’t know how this will all shake out, but I know I’d rather be with you than without. I want it all. The job—the career—I had dreamed of. The one where I’m making a real difference. I want that. But I also want a relationship with you. The best kind of relationship.”

  Dakota stared at him. A little bit of shock, a little bit of hope.

  “What do you want?”

  The door lock clicked. From behind him, Talia said, “Sorry. I couldn’t make them wait.”

  Victoria strode in. She caught sight of them and immediately a gleam birthed in her eyes. Josh hadn’t figured any of them were confused about what was happening between him and Dakota.

  And it wasn’t a job interview for the open spot on this team.

  But there wasn’t time to talk about any of that right now.

  The director said, “We found Clare.”

  Chapter 26

  Victoria used a key in the elevator control panel, then hit two buttons. Eight was the floor for the senator’s suite. And the basement.

  The motor whirred and they descended. Dakota tried to shove off the embarrassment at being caught in the middle of an intense conversation with Josh. One she wished they could have finished. Especially considering he seemed to think the conversation needed to involve kissing.

  She wanted to answer his question. Not that she knew exactly what she was going to say to him. What she “wanted” and what she actually got were usually two different things.

  Maybe this break was good. The chance to think it through. To get it right, when they finally did finish that important conversation.

  Was this going to be the one time that would be different?

  Hope swelled, like the rest of her emotions had. So hard and fast it threatened to choke her they were so overwhelming, like life had caught up with her. Though it was more like it had crashed down on her.

  She wanted to trust the hope she had in God and in what she knew of Josh. To believe that maybe, for once, there would be something good in her life.

  She understood salvation and the grace she’d been given. The wonderful gift of redemption. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t lonely. That she didn’t want to belong to someone. To find a family that had nothing to do with work.

  Though, if it did turn out to be Josh, then it would be partly about work.

  If he joined the team.

  Victoria tipped her head to the side. With Josh behind her, she caught Dakota’s attention and then motioned to him with her eyes. Without moving her head. What was this, junior high? The woman seemed to think it was noteworthy that she’d caught Dakota and Josh having an emotion-laden conversation.

  Dakota rolled her eyes. Victoria might be all business most of the time, but she was also a hopeless romantic. Dakota still remembered the disappointed look on her face when she’d explained to the director that there was nothing happening between her and Sal. And that nothing was ever going to happen. When she’d explained it, Victoria had understood.

  Evidently she had her heart set on Dakota and Josh now.

  Would she wind up being disappointed?

  It might not be the normal environment for a lot of federal agencies, with their rules about employee fraternization. They would have to fill out the change of relationship paperwork. Make it official—if it happened. But also Victoria had determined to establish a close team. One that was a family. In her mind, this meant couples. Teams who supported each other, who worked in pairs, watching each other’s backs.

  Never mind the fighting. The distraction. The divorces. How did Victoria know it would all work out perfectly? If she wanted relationships in the team so badly, then maybe she should find one herself.

  The elevator doors slid open on eight and Sal stepped in. “She’s downstairs?”

  Victoria nodded. “In the laundry facility.”

  A huge hotel like this probably had massive machines. Multiple rooms. “How are we supposed to find her?” Both of them looked at her. Josh shifted to stand closer, a welcome solidarity.

  “Split up.” Victoria pulled a paper from her pocket and handed it over. “I’ll go with Sal, you stick with Josh. Work your way, room to room.”

  The paper was a map. The layout of the hotel basement—laundry facilities and storage closets.

  “We’ll work our way back to the middle and hopefully flush her out along the way.”

  “Sounds good,” Josh said.

  The unspoken hung between Dakota and her boss. Given what the woman had pulled—or attempted to pull—with trying to send Josh to speak to her father, she wasn’t sure how she felt about Victoria. It had been messed up and ended with Dakota shooting her father. They were going to have to talk about that, just like she and Josh needed to talk.

  And then there was the whole team meeting they needed.

  Not to mention all the paperwork there would be after this weekend.

  The elevator sped down to the basement. “What is happening with Niall?”

  Victoria said, “The agents at his house, watching his family, said he showed up there. They’re going to detain him until I can take over.”

  “Will he get fired?”

  “There will be a full investigation into what happened.”

  He hadn’t pulled a gun on her and Josh. But he had attempted to stall them so Clare had a better chance to kill yet more people. They had been fully aware of what he’d been attempting to do. Yes, his family had been in danger, but that would never excuse his actions.

  If he continued with the team, there would be legitimate trust issues. A definite disrupt to their team dynamics.

  “Look, it’s been a long weekend,” Victoria said, “for all of us. Right now we need to bring in Clare Norton. When it’s done and the paperwork is submitted and we’ve all had a solid week of sleeping ten hours a night, then we can have a meeting. Hash everything out.” She paused. “Okay?”

  Dakota nodded.

  “Good,” Sal said. “Cause we’re here.”

  The elevator doors slid open. Victoria removed her overcoat, revealing a bullet proof vest that matched Josh’s—giving no specific designation of federal agency, just the word POLICE. She dropped the coat in the elevator while Dakota gaped. She hadn’t noticed.

  Victoria wasn’t wearing a skirt.

  She was wearing pants.

  “We take west.” The director stepped out after Sal and glanced back at the two of them. “Watch each other’s backs.”

  Dakota nodded, still stunned.

  Josh said, “We will.”

  He nudged her out of the elevator. They headed in the other direction, down a long hall of concrete floor. Pipes lined the ceiling, and Dakota heard rushing water.

  She pulled her gun and lifted the map with one hand. She shook out the paper and checked the layout. “Dryer facilities are in front of us, end of the hall. Washers are in the room to the left.”

  “And the direction they went?” Josh dipped his head close, looking at the map.

  “Supply rooms. And the kitchen.”

  He nodded, then stepped past her. Gun out. Leading the way. The sight of him made her heart swell. None of her teammates would ever presume to stand between her and the bullets. She was strong and capable. Many times she’d met the threat ahead while no one stood beside her. She’d been alone, no back up.

  Interestingly enough, she thought she liked it. But now she could admit there was a sense of camaraderie, having a partner.

  As long as he wasn’t hanging out with her just to buy time before he went to speak to her father. But she didn’t have to worry about that now.

  Harlem was dead.

  “I’m glad I killed him.”

  Josh kept moving, but she saw the hitch in his stride when she said quietly, “I’m glad he’s dead.”

  They continued down the hallway.

  “Maybe that makes me a horrible person. I’m not sure that I care.” She paused. “Should I care?”

  “I think it makes you a human being,” he replied, equally as quietly. “What counts is what you do now.”

  “Like ask for forgiveness?” Did she want to do that?

  “Maybe.”

  “Maybe,” she repeated, not sure there was much to say about that. She needed to think more.

  Victoria had been right about one thing.

  It was time to find Clare.

  . . .

  Josh kept going, headed for the door in front of him. The sign next to the door read “Washing Room.” In a hotel like this, it was probably running all day. The door was ajar.

  He had to keep his focus. Not get distracted by what was going on with Dakota. This definitely wasn’t the time for relationship stuff. She probably needed to talk to a professional. Someone who could give her the tools to process her pain.

  Her life had been affected by major trauma—some of it just yesterday, when she’d faced down her father. There was likely a lot more emotion to work through before she could find an even keel again.

  Josh would like to help her. But half the time he wasn’t perfectly sane, given everything he’d seen and done. He was definitely not perfect. Nor did he have all the answers for her.

  He would have to leave that stuff up to God.

  Funny that it had taken something like this to get him to face the fact there were things he couldn’t do himself. Is that what being with Dakota is going to be like, Lord? Maybe she was put in his life so that he would grow. To show him where he needed God even more. A relationship that actually spurred him on to grow spiritually wasn’t something he’d ever considered.

  Evidently when he’d said he wanted “it all,” even he hadn’t realized the extent of what that could look like.

  Help us find Clare, Lord. Help us keep everyone safe.

  Then they could work out all those other things.

  Josh paused at the door and listened. He could hear the whir of washing machines. The circular rotation that made the sound go around and around in a rush.

  He couldn’t see anyone inside, staff or Clare Norton. Was she in there hiding out, up to something?

  “Come on.”

  He nudged the door open and stepped inside. Dakota stuck close, and they quickly fell into the rhythm of partners working together. So much had changed in his life in just a couple of days. He could hardly believe how different he felt.

  How different his life was after such a short time.

  A short, round woman in a maid’s uniform scurried around a corner carrying a stack of towels. She froze and gaped at them.

  “Is anyone else in here?” Josh asked in a low voice.

  She nodded vigorously and shifted the towels so she could point a shaky finger at the corner. She mouthed, “Over there.”

  “Get to the hall and go upstairs.”

  She rushed past them.

  He looked at Dakota. She used hand signals to communicate. He nodded, and they split up.

  Came at the corner from two different directions.

  Clare Norton had her back to them, doing something.

  Dakota called out, “Turn around, put your hands up.”

  Josh held aim on her while she jerked at the sound of Dakota’s voice. Busted. Clare whipped her head around, and then turned. Sweat lined her forehead and upper lip. Her dirty clothes hung on her, and in her hand she held…

  “Drop—

  Dakota yelled at the same time he did.

  But Clare only lifted it higher. Neither of them fired.

  It was—

  “A dead man’s switch.” Josh said it even before he realized they were in a much tougher position here than he’d imagined.

  Clare shifted, and he saw what she’d been working on. Attached to the wall behind her she had been arming a bomb. A vial of amber colored liquid was wired into the circuit.

  In her hand was a switch. If she released it, the bomb would detonate.

  “You didn’t kill the senator, so now you’re going to destroy the building?” By releasing the last of the VX.

  “My finger even twitches,” she said, “and this whole building falls in on itself. If that doesn’t kill everyone, the VX will.”

  They were about center in the basement. The elevator was on the south side, and they’d walked to about the middle of the hotel.

 

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