Wes’s Bluetooth beeped as he pulled away from the counseling center. “I’ll be there in one minute,” he snapped at Kip.
“Meet me in the range changing room.”
“What’s wrong?” Wes asked.
“Just do it,” Kip barked.
In the background, he heard an unfamiliar voice ask, “Is that him?” The man’s tone sent a chill down his back.
Kip answered, “No, sir. It’s my colleague Bean. There is an issue with the electric in one of the Chase Care’s facilities in Mississippi.”
“You lie like a rug. I’ll meet you there.” Wes pulled onto the outer circle of the road.
“That’s good. How long will the repair take?” Kip kept up the charade. “Oh, shit, it’s in my suitcase. I’ll call you back.”
Wes laughed. “I’m there. I’ll park in the back of the building.”
He ended the call, placed his hand on the sensor, and walked into the building. A few steps later he was in the locker room. Troy was already there.
The door pressed open, and Kip ran in. “Two FBI agents. They’re here to question you.”
“Did they ask about Ellie?” Wes worried.
“No.” Kip crunched his brows. “I listened to the recording. She went through hell.”
He paced a small circle, and his shoulders seemed to touch his ears in a tight spasm. “I lost her trust. She saw the header for Mike’s text message. Last night, when she began to open up, I hit record. I did my job.”
“But it wasn’t just a job, was it?” Troy asked.
“No. Not even close. I care for her; hell, I’m falling for her.” He sat on the bench and dropped his head into his hands. “No. Damn it, I fell for her. She thinks I took advantage of her. I think I took advantage of her. It reinforced every insecurity she has. When I dropped her off at the counseling center, I pleaded with her to meet me and talk tonight over dinner. Kip, she’s gonna set up the program and let her handler secret her away. She’ll have to change her name, and you know Witsec, for safety, you can never work in a previous profession. She’ll never be able to be a therapist again. You know the people looking for her will never stop until they find her.” Wes paused. “Wait, the recording. What she said about Witsec…”
“Troy and I will recheck, but right now, you need to worry about you.”
“I planned to assign Witch to watch over her.” Gwen “Witch” North was a skilled operator and a former Marine gunner.
“I’ll handle it. Tate is sending an attorney. Hold tight. These FBI guys want a piece of you for some reason. I asked if it was about the body. They looked at me as if I had horns. That’s when I hightailed it out of there. We need to figure out if it’s personal, or it’s a way to harm the training center or more. We can easily proveyoudidn’t kidnap or harm anyone,” Troy said.
“Do they know Chase Security has a contract with the FBI?” Wes asked. “This doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t know and won’t theorize about it until I hear from Mike. We’re waiting for the call back. Mike and Kieran are at the Pentagon. No personal phones,” Kip said.
Wes blew out a harsh breath. “I need a favor. Both of you, make sure she’s taken care of. I don’t want her to ever have to run again.”
“We will,” Kip promised.
“Ready?” Troy stood.
“Yeah.” Wes handed Troy his gun and cell phone before he headed out to his office and the two agents awaiting him.
