“Sorry, did you not hear me?” Conor growls. “I said absolutelyfuckingnot.”
Sykes sighs. “You aren’t seeing the big picture.”
“I’m seeing the big picture, Lucy. It looks a lot like our primary asset getting herself killed.”
I try to ignore them as I flip through the book of mugshots. I’m on page fifty and their argument is still going strong. On the one hand we’ve got Agent Sykes, who wants to send me home with an invisible net of protection, hoping my presence might draw Paul or Petrov out of the woodwork long enough for them to make an arrest.
On the other hand, Conor is vehemently opposed to any plan that involves me walking out the door of FBI Headquarters without an armored vest and a full battalion of guards, en route to a safe house in the middle of nowhere.
“You’re too close to this case,” Sykes tells him, shaking her head. “You aren’t being objective here.”
“Oh, piss off, Lucy. You know damn well I’m just protecting my asset. You’d do the same, if you’d put in six months on this case. I’m not about to fuck it up just because you want to take a shortcut. Not when I’m this close to the finish line.”
“She’d be fully protected the whole time.”
“She’d bebait,” Conor snarls. “It’s not happening.”
“Gallagher—”
“She’s going to the safe house. That’s final.”
“You weren’t even supposed to bring herhere! Not until we’d officially cleared her of involvement. Now you want to send her to a safe house when you know as well as I do that she’s our only chance at closing this case?” There’s a heavy pause. “I know this is your op, Gallagher, but if you refuse to see reason here… I’ll have no choice but to go around you.”
“To who, Shapiro?” He laughs, but it’s cold as ice. “Try it, Sykes. This is my division. I don’t answer to Shapiro. And though you seem to have forgotten,youanswer tome. Unless you’d rather find another department to work for.”
Conor is in charge of the whole division?!
“Look, I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t be of value to you if I didn’t speak my mind. Isn’t that why you brought me in on this case?” She pauses and her voice grows hesitant. “I’m concerned your personal involvement is becoming a roadblock, here.”
I don’t look up, but I can practically hear Conor’s jaw ticking.
Personal involvement?
I’m not sure I understand what she means by that; Iamsure it’s probably safer to be left in the dark on this subject. Or any subject concerning Conor Gallagher.
The sooner he’s out of my life, the better.
“What am I supposed to think?” Sykes asks him, her tone softening. “You show up here, no warning, no paperwork… It’s just not like you to break protocol.”
“Protocol went out the window the moment my asset was kidnapped.”
“Still. Bringing her in was a huge security risk. And in the three years I’ve known you, you’venevertaken any sort of risk like this for an asset—”
“You do realize I can hear you?” I interject, looking up from the book of mugshots.
Both agents glance at me from the corner of the room, twin looks of surprise on their faces. Clearly, they’d forgotten I was still within earshot.
“Not very stealthy for two badass special agents,” I point out.
“Yes. Well.” If I didn’t know better, I’d say Sykes is blushing. “Have you made any progress with the book?”
I spin the binder around so they can see it and point out the men toward the bottom half of the page. “These two.”
Sykes bends forward to read. “Viktor and Vladimir Evanoff.”
“The Evanoff brothers?” Conor growls. “Great. That’s fuckinggreat.”
“I’m guessing they aren’t known for their winning smiles and charming dispositions?” I ask, wincing.