“I wouldn’t do that,” Franks said quietly.
She eased to the door, her hand inching to the handle. “You can’t stop me. I’m going to do what I should have done months ago.”
“Turn that thumb drive in and you’ll be the one going to federal prison. Not me.”
“Being my boss won’t save you this time. I’m going to tell the director everything about J and about every single time you harassed me.” Kate grabbed the handle, twisting it down.
“You mean how you constantly used your body to try and manipulate me into promoting you? Or how you illegally scrubbed a federally owned laptop? A laptop registered underyour name.”
Kate spun. “Liar!”
Agent Franks’ vindictive expression disappeared, his brow smoothed out and he rocked back on his heels, casually tapping a finger on his lower lip. His condescending nature chipped at her confidence. “Did you really think I didn’t expect you to eventually try and use that thumb drive against me?”
“What did you do?” Kate asked in a trembling voice.
Instead of answering her, he asked another question, “How many of your co-workers do you think will side with you against me?”
The floor seemed to drop from beneath her feet. None of them would. Not one man on her team liked working with her or thought she belonged in the analyst world. And the fact she’d help solve more cases than any of them made them resent her even more.
“I see you’re understanding your position.” Franks eased into the metal chair next to the table and steepled his fingers. “Imagine the Director’s surprise when your entire team corroborates your blatantly sexual behavior towards me to further your career. I suspect he’ll be just as shocked when I am forced to show him how you illegally scrubbed that computer to cover your tracks.”
Kate felt the blood leach from her face. “You can’t.”
Franks patted his knee in open invitation. “I don’t have to do anything. You can keep your job if you want it bad enough.”
Her body went cold. She’d suffered under Franks day after day, telling herself he didn’t matter. The CIA was her life and she’d thought she could put up with anything for her career.
But she could never do what he wanted. Ever. “I quit.”
Chapter 2
Kate turned on quaking legs,burning fury spreading across her chest as she ripped the door open and stormed down the hall, snatching an empty paper-shred box from a stack and slammed into her office, knocking the perfectly arranged set of awards on the wall askew.
Everything in her life was being knocked off kilter. Kate took a shaky step to the wall and straightened the tilted frame, catching a glimpse of her shell-shocked reflection in the glass.
The sudden rush of tears caught her off guard and she quickly dashed them with her palm.
She’d just quit her job. Her entire life plan was destroyed. Everything gone.
And she had no idea what to do now…
In a burst of rage, she flung out her arm and swept the awards from the wall. They crashed to the ground, the glass shattering in a jumbled mess on the floor.
Panting, Kate spun to her desk, her neatly arranged row of two black pens and two blue pens undisturbed. The alphabetized stack of case files sat opposite her computer- exactly as she’d left them. Ready to go back to work as soon as she sat down.
Only she wouldn’t be working on those anymore.
She shoved them to the floor, papers flying out of control.The insane mess in her room would drive her crazy any other day, but not today.
Franks could clean up the mess he’d caused. She wasn’t devoting a single more second of her time to this place.
Kate grabbed the single picture of her family off her desk, shoved it into her bag and left.
She held onto her anger like a shield of armor, trapping the growing horror of her new situation inside. Her entire life was the CIA. Franks would black ball her for sure, making sure she’d never get any kind of job in security.
She took the stairs down to the lobby, the last thing she wanted to do was get trapped on an elevator with someone and be forced to make conversation. Kate emerged into the large bland entryway and gave a last glance of goodbye at the wall of stars commemorating those who’d given the ultimate sacrifice.
And then, as if she hadn't been kicked when she was down enough, Agent Coons came striding across the lobby directly toward her, his expression contrite. “Kate –”
