He nodded. “Then proving it should be easy.”
“You don’t understand. These people are my family. My team. They’ve had my back for five years. They’ve kept me alive.”
Garrett couldn’t keep the frustration out of his voice. “Until someone in the group began stalking you. Or at the very least, gave your stalker a way to follow you no matter where you go.”
Claire flinched. “SAC Reeves is the one who sent me here. If he’s the Countdown Killer, why would he do that? You’re not being logical.”
Vivi stood. “Wolf is right, Agent Dawson.” At Claire’s fiery look, she cleared her throat. “Claire. And you’re right, too—it doesn’t make sense that Marcus would send you here if he were the killer. But we have to consider all possibilities.”
Claire looked at Vivi. Then at Garrett. Then down at her hands. Garrett watched the wheels in her head spinning. She was damn good at her job, but she was also too close to this. It was messing with her head.
“What do you need?” Her voice came out resigned.
He and Vivi exchanged a loaded look. They’d won this scrimmage, but not the war. Not yet.
Vivi sat again. “I’ll do the background checks, but we need you to tell us everything you can about your team. Your support staff. Anyone with access to your case files or your location. Especially their personalities and any odd quirks or insight into their psychological strengths and weaknesses.”
Claire nodded, sat back down, and after a moment, started talking.
Lynx took notes. Vivi ran searches in real-time. Garrett listened to the tone of Claire’s voice, mentally noting when she talked about anyone who made the timbre change or made her tense. She probably didn’t even realize she was doing it.
It took an hour. By the end, Claire looked exhausted, defeated.
But they had what they needed—a list of suspects. People to investigate. Leads to follow.
“One more thing,” Garrett said. “I’m instituting a new protocol. I’m moving into your room. Twenty-four-seven protection.”
Claire looked up. “Movingin?”
He nodded. “Until we neutralize the threat.”
“Can’t you guard me from the hallway like you’ve been doing? I can leave the door unlocked.”
“No.” He pulled up compound schematics. “Your room has a window and is part of the ventilation system that connects to the outside. If he breaches the perimeter, I need to be directly between him and you.”
Her voice rose again. “You think he could breach the perimeter? How? You’ve got layers and layers of security.”
“We do, and I trust it, but systems fail. We will not underestimate him.”
“We can put you in a closed environment with no windows,” Vivi said, “but it’s still connected to the ventilation system, and it’s rather…sparse.”
Claire studied the schematics. “Fine,” she said on a heavy sigh. She was an agent. She understood tactical reasoning. “But I need boundaries. At least a little personal space.”
Garrett had expected no less. “Understood. I’ll stay near the door. I won’t follow you into the bathroom, but you’ll have time limits on showers, and you can’t lock the bathroom door. You won’t even know I’m there.”
She looked at him—six feet two inches of armed SEAL—and something that might have been amusement flickered in her eyes. “Right. I definitely won’t notice you.”
Was that almost a smile?
He movedhis gear into her room an hour later. Go-bag, weapons, tactical equipment, all ready. Then, he set up a position near the door—chair, sleeping bag on the floor.
“I’ll be here,” he said as much to himself as to her. “Between you and any threat.”
Claire slumped onto her bed, arms wrapped around herself. “This is surreal.”
“It’s also necessary.”
“I know.” She looked at him. “I’m sorry I fought you about Reeves. About the team. I know you’re doing your job.”
