“We met with him last night and discussed this plan,” Nic said.“It’s an act.He’s not gone rogue.”
“You sure about that?”Bowers threw down a file, a photo sliding out.
A younger Cam with dark hair and dark eyes grinned up at Nic from the picture, the overall look remarkably like Brady Campbell, right down to the same camo jacket.
Aidan grabbed the rest of the file, flipping through it.From the markings on the outside of the folder, Nic could tell it was an FBI personnel file.Agent Cameron Byrne’s.
“How the hell did you get this?”Aidan growled.
“I’m DOJ too.”
Except when it came to personnel files—even Nic knew they were supposed to be kept separate to, among other reasons, avoid any conflicts of interest.The only time he’d ever delved into FBI personnel files was when he had an agent testifying in a high-stakes case and he needed to assess his expert’s credibility.Before doing so, Nic had always gotten the sitting SAC’s or AD’s permission.There was no way he’d release any of his people’s files without the same courtesy.What other files had Bowers gotten access to?
“Breaking and entering.Grand theft auto.Larceny,” Bowers rattled off, a more extensive list than even Nic knew about.
“He was never charged.”Aidan stood, hands braced on his desk.“And those are exactly the reasons we sent him under on this case.He can do the job.”
Despite his head still spinning, Nic added his two cents.“Cam’s using all that to infiltrate Becca’s crew and find out who’s in charge, which is what you wanted.”
“If we don’t have that person in custody by Monday,” Bowers said, “I’m bringing charges against Byrne.DOJ’s orders.”
Bowers stormed out, not giving them time to object or to tell him they had a lead.Nic, however, wasn’t sure he wanted to tell Bowers about Kristic yet.His boss’s current bone had Cam’s name on it.No telling what he’d do given another.Hell, he’d probably try to argue Cam and Kristic had been working together all along.
“Is it just us he hates?”Aidan asked.“Or is he this way to everyone?”
“He’s generally not pleasant,” Nic replied.“But it’s worse with this case.And us.”
“Politics?”
“Maybe,” Nic said, contemplating again why this case in particular had dinged Bowers’s radar so hard.Justice was in turmoil from the top down and dead diplomats would bring State down on them too, but Bowers’s vehemence was enough to scratch a mental note to have Mel check his bank accounts too.
“I’ll be ready for you to inherit,” Aidan said, jarring Nic out of his thoughts.
Nic shook his head.“Don’t get your hopes up.And the far-off, unlikely future is not my concern right now.”
“Later,” Aidan grumbled.“In any event, Bowers doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
“Technically, he does,” Nic said.Legally speaking, crimes had been committed, including by Cam.“But if we get this closed and Kristic in custody, it’ll be gone.”
“We need answers,” Aidan said.“And I know where to get them.”He shoved the will and remaining customs forms into a folder and headed for the stairs at the back of the office.Nic followed him up two flights to the FBI’s floor, then around the corner into “the cave,” the interior boardroom that had been converted to the cyber agent bullpen.
Through the stacks they found Lauren hunched behind three open laptops, at least one unofficial.“Agent Hall,” Aidan said, announcing their presence.
Her head bobbed up, blue eyes wide.“How’d you find me?”
Aidan dropped into a visitor chair.“What would Whiskey do?”
Lauren clapped, absurdly loud in the otherwise deserted room.“Oh!We should get W-W-W-D bracelets!”
“No,” he and Aidan said together.
She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.“I’m going to grow a sense of humor tree in the corner.”
“In the cave?”Aidan said, gesturing at the windowless room they occupied.
“Touché,” she conceded.“A girl can dream.”
Nic claimed the other visitor chair.“Can a lady tell us what she’s found so far?”
