She closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair.“Um… I told Smythe.”
“I know.I talked to him.He thinks you’re freaking out because you’re traumatized over the Messenger, and we’re going to let him think that.”
“Yes, but he talked to the Corps.”
“I know.And that’s not good, but we can still intervene before avoiding a conflict with the CIA becomes impossible.We just need to convince David to back off.Do you think you can do that?”
Faith’s shoulders slumped.“No.Probably not.He’s really passionate about this.I’ve never seen him so obsessed with something.It’s like… It’s like I was with West.”
“Okay.Then we have two options.We make David stop, which won’t be too difficult but will frustrate him a lot and could have an impact on your marriage depending on how immature he decides to be.Or we help him.”
“Help him?”
“Yes.”
Michael’s words rang in Faith’s ears as she considered the implications of each choice.It would break her heart if this drove a rift between her and David, but if that was the price she had to pay for his safety, she would pay it.
But…
What if it was Turk?
She glanced at her dog, wagging his tail as he watched the superpowered cartoon dogs on the screen keep an evil rat from dumping trash into the ocean.
“We help him,” she told Michael.
“That’s the Faith Bold I love,” Michael said.“Platonically.Just to be clear.”
Faith rolled her eyes.She and Michael had dated briefly earlier in their partnership, but they’d split amicably and remained friends.Both were married to other people now, but from time to time, they still teased each other about their romantic past.
“So… what do we do?”she asked.
“Let me do some more background and gather some resources.We’re going to have to be very careful, which is the understatement of the century.In the meantime, as impossible as it is, I need you to try not to worry.This is bad, but it’s not insurmountably bad yet.I understand you have widebodies watching David to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
She actually had widebodies to make sure no one attacked David, but considering who they were up against, she was no longer sure that was enough.“I hope so,” she replied to Michael.
“Good.Finish your case, and by the time you get home, I’ll be there, and I’ll have a plan.We’re going to be okay.He’sgoing to be okay.”
Faith might not be in love with Michael anymore, but the wave of affection she felt for him was so powerful that she wished he was here so she could wrap him in a bear hug.“Thank you, Michael.I really appreciate this.”
“Don’t mention it.You’d do the same for me.Take care, all right?”
“I will.Thank you again.”
He hung up, and Faith took a deep breath and released it in a heavy sigh.She felt a lot better after talking to him, but as the reality of their situation set in, a shadow fell over her mind again.
The CIA was an almost mythical agency and for good reason.They were an opponent unlike any she had ever faced.For the first time since she woke up in Trammell’s barn, Faith felt completely helpless.
Only now it was her husband’s life on the line.
CHAPTER TEN
Carlos Martinez whistled as he walked to the front door of the Tarrant County Animal Shelter.The shelter served not only as a functioning shelter and adoption center but also as headquarters of both the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Unit and the Fort Worth Police Department’s Animal Control Division.The warehouse-sized building had a staff of well over one hundred, at least forty of whom were on site at any given time during business hours.
Carlos was always the first one to arrive.He was lauded for his dedication by his superiors, and although he consistently declined offers of promotion, he made a great deal more than other shelter workers of his position.
He accepted these accolades, but the real reason he started work at five every morning was because if he skipped his lunch break and worked through his rest breaks, he could be done by eleven-thirty, and then he’d have the rest of the day to himself.It was a nice little life.
He unlocked the door and rolled his eyes when the alarm once again didn’t go off.They’d just had a tech out yesterday to fix it, and he assured them that the system was functioning properly.
