He stood, rammed a hand through his hair. “Kara, we can get you a room...”
“No. I don’t want your hospitality. I’ve had quite enough.”
She consulted her cell, messaged for an Uber. “Goodbye, Jace.”
“I need to know where you’re going...”
Kara summoned the iciest look she could manage for all the hurt swirling inside her. “I’m going to find a motel and sleep, Jace, and return in the morning when my father gets here with an attorney. Dylan needs good representation since you cannot deliver on your promise.”
She couldn’t reach the door fast enough. He made no attempt to follow or stop her. In fact, by the time the young agent named Wayne opened the door for her, Jace had vanished into the back once more.
Her cell pinged a message. Kara glanced down.
Babe, I’m sorry. Let me send an agent with you, please.
Kara ignored the text and put away her phone.
When the driver appeared, she asked him to bring her to the nearest motel.
The seedy roadside motel suited her mood. Kara paid with her credit card and took the key. Inside the room, she sat on the bed, staring dully at the walls.
Jace had betrayed her. He’d made a promise and his duty to the FBI came first.
She wasn’t certain if she could ever forgive him again.
Chapter 16
The FBI field office in Georgia was functional but beginning to resemble a typical government working environment. Blue carpeting helped absorb the noise caused by agents talking on the phone and typing furiously into their computers.
A glass-walled conference room with a large screen and a whiteboard sat off to the side, with blinds for privacy. Banks of computers and keyboards lined a long table near a maze of cubicles.
Gray cubicles filled the main room, with laptops, calendars and desk lamps at each working space. Jace spent time in the small, private interrogation room interviewing Dylan.
He’d hit a brick wall.
The kid wasn’t talking. He made his one phone call—to Kara’s father. Then he shut down, saying he wasn’t speaking another word until his attorney arrived tomorrow. He wouldn’t even give them a hint about Marcus.
Rafe had let him handle the interrogation, until deputies arrived to escort Dylan to the local jail just before midnight. Two agents accompanied them.
He needed to find Kara, but first, he had business to deal with. Weary, the lack of sleep getting to him, Jace headed to Rafe’s assigned office.
Three walls of glass formed the office. An American flag sat in the corner near a small conference table and two black sofas. The wall behind the credenza was dark paneling, with built-in shelves holding law journals and manuals. Neatly stacked file folders lay upon the credenza, along with stacks of paper.
The wood desk was equally functional, with a desk lamp, blotter, pencil box and laptop. The only concession to decor was a silk plant in the corner.
In a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up his forearms, and a blue silk tie loosely knotted, Rafe sat at the desk, working on his laptop. He glanced up as the door opened. Jace didn’t bother knocking. He was too angry.
“I knew this would happen. Kid’s lips are sealed. He won’t talk until his attorney is here. I told you to let Kara in the room. She could have reassured him.”
“Against protocol and you know it. Where’s Kara?” Rafe turned his attention back to his computer.
“She took an Uber to a hotel. A hotel of her choosing. Soon as I’m done here, I’m going to track her down. She’s pissed at me, Rafe, and I don’t blame her. I told her the prosecutor would cut Dylan a deal. And now I find out Dylan may be charged with a felony?”
“Never make promises like that.” Rafe shook his head. “We’re not the US attorney’s office. We only find and arrest the bad guys.”
He paced the floor, feeling as if they had missed out on something.
“Any more word on this big incident Marcus plans?”
“Nothing recent. It’s gone quiet.” His boss leaned back. “Your part here is finished, Jace. You’re off the case.”
He whirled and stared at Rafe, feeling betrayed. “Are you serious? You’re not letting me in on the takedown?”
“Afraid not.”
“Rafe, I’ve been trying to prove myself to you for more than five years. I worked my ass off on this case. I’m totally committed to this assignment and this job. You need me.”
“I need you on my team.” Rafe leaned forward, elbows on the desk blotter. “Yeah, I do. But you took risks, Jace. Risks that could have cost lives. You took Kara with you, an unarmed civilian.”
Exasperated, yet knowing Rafe was right, he jammed a hand into his hair. “I know. My bad.”
“Without Kara, we never would have found Dylan. He’s our star witness. With Dylan we can take down Lance and the others.”
Jace felt the rug yanked from beneath him. “What? Then why am I off the case?”
“Because you’re too close. Because your cover is blown and your life is at risk. You need to lie low for a while.”
Releasing a string of Spanish swear words, he paced the office. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”
