The Agent's Surrender. Kimberly Van Meter
feelings are getting in the way.”
“Can you blame the guy? I mean...family, you know? What if it was one of your brothers?”
“My brothers wouldn’t shame their family by doing something like Miko did, so I can’t imagine how I would feel. In my family, there are no shades of gray.”
“Girl, you have a heart of stone.” Ursula tsked with an arched brow. “Someday that quality is going to bite you in the ass.”
“Not likely. However, I can definitely see Holden reaping terrible consequences if he keeps poking at the hornet’s nest.”
“So what are you going to do?”
The only thing she could do. “Put an end to this waste of time and prove once and for all that Miko Archangelo was a traitor to his country so we can all move on.”
Case closed. Again.
Holden was nursing a beer when he heard a knock at his front door. It was nearing eight o’clock in the evening. He grabbed his cell and checked his security camera feed, surprised and irritated when he saw Jane standing outside. “What the hell does she want? To gloat?” he muttered, pocketing his cell and going to the door, beer still in hand. He cracked the door and fixed her with a baleful stare that he hoped sent home the message she was the last person he wanted darkening his doorstep. “What do you want?” he asked, moving straight past the pleasantries to the point.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” she asked. When he shook his head, her mouth firmed, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she said, “Reed has agreed to reopen the case.”
He straightened, surprised and immediately suspicious. “Why?”
She shrugged. “What does it matter? The case has been briefly reopened, and in the meantime, all disciplinary actions are pending the conclusion. However, there’s a catch.”
“Isn’t there always?” he countered with a narrowed stare. “What is it?”
“Reed put me and you both on the case.”
“Screw that.”
“Exactly how I felt, but he’s not going to change his mind.”
“He will once he realizes that you and me working together is the worst idea since hydroponics.”
“Hydroponics? You mean the world’s first successful attempt at creating a sustainable way to grow food in a world with diminishing land resources? That hydroponics?”
“Yeah, exactly. Anything grown without dirt isn’t natural. It’s Frankenfood. So yeah, bad idea.”
“Weird analogy aside, Reed has made up his mind, so we’re working together on your fool’s errand. Don’t think for a second I believe you’re operating on anything other than emotions and ignoring the facts—as usual. Frankly, I find your behavior an embarrassment to the department.”
“Don’t hold back. Let it all out, Agent Fallon,” he said wryly, tipping his beer back and swallowing. “And since we’re sharing, I should go on record as saying I think you’re operating from a place of ego and fear because you’re afraid you truly did miss something and you can’t bear the thought of looking sloppy.”
She lifted her chin with a cold grin. “Holden always has all the answers, doesn’t he?”
“Most times. Particularly when the question isn’t all that hard to figure out. Face it, Fallon. I’ve had you figured out from the day we met, and if you weren’t so afraid of Daddy’s disapproval, we could’ve been a helluva team.”
“You’re the one suffering from an inflated ego,” she said, eyes flashing. “And I would appreciate it if you would stick to the case. Leave the personal crap out of this—that is, if you can manage.”
“Cold as ice, as usual.” His gaze darkened as he tipped his beer back again. “Tell me, Fallon, were you born this cold or did you work at it?”
She smiled. “I guess that’s none of your business as it doesn’t relate to the case. If you can’t handle being a professional, I’ll just let the chief know your interest in the case has died and we’ll all happily close the book on this wild-goose chase.”
He straightened, shaking his head. “You’re a piece of work.”
“As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I have a life and need to get back to it. I just came by to let you know you got your wish.”
“Well, thank you for your consideration,” he said with open sarcasm; he knew the real reason she’d dropped by was to get the slip of evidence he held to his chest. Good luck with that—he’d made it up. “Have a good evening, Agent Fallon.”
She glared, standing rigid, looking as if she’d just sucked a lemon, but she forced a smile. “See you tomorrow. Be prepared to work. I want to get this over with. Some of us have real work to do and don’t have time to chase fairy tales.”
He chuckled. “Nice try, but I don’t bait that easily. Good night, Fallon.” He shut the door before she could retort. Work with Fallon? Nope. That woman was the original ice queen. And to think at one time he’d thought he was falling in love with her. What a joke. Besides, he worked alone. Fallon could do whatever she pleased as long as she stayed out of his way.
* * *
That’d gone about as well as she’d expected. But a girl could hope, right? Of course, she hadn’t expected him to welcome her into his home with open arms and offer her a beer, but she hadn’t quite expected him to be so rude. Well, yes she had. They weren’t buddies, and she preferred it that way.
She walked with strong, purposeful strides to her car, suppressing a shiver at the bitter cold of a Washington, D.C., winter, and pushed the reality of working with Holden as far from her mind as possible. She was a strong investigator. Holden couldn’t have anything in his hot little hand that would change the outcome of her investigation. And that was exactly what she’d tell her father in about fifteen minutes, when she was expected for dinner with her brothers.
There was a chance her father, retired Major General Gregory Fallon, hadn’t heard of this recent development, but then her father still had scarily deep connections, and a reverberation of this sort was bound to ripple some water under the boats. However, if he didn’t mention it, she’d keep the information to herself.
She walked into her father’s house and followed the sound of voices to the living room, where her father and two brothers, Ian and Walker, sat enjoying a beer and talking shop. For a brief moment, a familiar envy arced across her heart for their easily defined relationships. Simply put, The Major was openly proud of his marine sons for their varied accomplishments, but when it came to his marine daughter, he always found cause to criticize. What would it be like to sit and enjoy a beer with her dad like her brothers did? The Major frowned upon women drinking—he said they lacked the constitution to handle their liquor. Yeah, her dad was unapologetically sexist and there was nothing she could do about it, least of all change him. Time to run the gauntlet. “Hey, Dad,” she said, announcing herself as she entered the room.
“There she is, only a little bit late this time,” The Major said with a wink at Ian, who laughed at her expense.
“Work kept me late,” she said, hating the defensiveness of her tone. “Reed threw me a big case,” she added, though she immediately wished she hadn’t.
“Oh?” her older brother, Walker, said, intrigued. “Anything as good as that Archangelo case?”
Her dad grunted. “Those Archangelo boys, waste of good military training... Twisted branches never grow into strong oaks,” he said, repeating the same bit of advice he’d shoved down her throat when he’d found out about her and Holden.
“Yes,