Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Neil grins at her before he does as he’s told.
“Who are you?” The girls return to their adorable interrogation, but I’m realizing I didn’t think this through. Damn it.
“This is Neil. We're dating. Met on the Internet,” I say before Neil can tell anyone he's an FBI agent.
It would be great if we didn’t freak anyone else out. Rhodes and Quinn should enjoy being newly married and not fret over a man who stalked Quinn and made her life hell. She's been through enough.
“The Internet?” One of the girls' eyes go wide, and another scrunches her nose, while the third appears intrigued.
“Yeah, but don't meet any boys on there,” I tell them and then motion to Neil. “He told me he's short, and look at him.”
“She's not wrong,” Neil agrees. “I did some trickery, but I got the girl.” He throws his arm over me, pulling me close.
“He’s too tall for you,” one of the girls says, and the other two nod.
“I think we fit.” Neil somehow manages to tug me in even closer while really playing this up.
“You girls have fun,” I tell them before guiding Neil farther down the sidewalk.
We get stopped four more times before we make it to Sofa King Cozy. I should have probably tried to stop people, but I was letting everyone charm him.
“You're really selling it that we're dating,” I laugh, but he gives me a cocky grin.
“Selling? More like I’m enjoying the perks.” He puts his arm over my shoulder, and I roll my eyes.
“I didn't know FBI agents had jokes.”
“We don't.”
He’s serious, and I'm starting to think maybe he hasn’t been joking this whole time.
Chapter Eight
NEIL
My phone buzzes again, and I can’t ignore it this time. “Excuse me a second.”
Georgia looks at me funny but doesn’t stop me as I get up from the counter at the diner and go outside.
“Anders,” I say in greeting before I hear my boss sigh heavily on the other end.
“We’ve got a problem,” he says. I knew that the moment I saw his name pop up, because if he’s calling me, it’s not good news.
“Which is?” I’m bracing for the blow that I’m being pulled from the case or there’s an emergency that I need to come back to Washington to deal with.
“The Gregorys are sending their own private investigator to make sure you’re doing your job.”
“What?” I snap, then remember that I’m on the sidewalk and I need to keep my cool. “Why the fuck are they sending in someone else? I’ve got this under control.”
What I don’t say is that I’ve got this handled the way I want it to be handled. Sending in someone else to look this over might expose some things that Georgia doesn’t want me to know.
She took me to Sofa King Cozy, and I talked to the twins. Their stories matched well enough, but there’s something off. There’s no police report in the file, and I have a feeling Georgia is keeping something from me. The next guy that comes along may not be so nice. The thought of anyone not being nice to Georgia pisses me off.
“Robert Greogry said he wants to make sure that you’re not missing anything. I tried to assure him you’re the best agent I’ve got, but it was no use.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” My tone is sarcastic, but I doubt my boss cares.
“I only found out about this an hour ago, and from what it sounds like, the guy might already be there. He’s someone with power that called in a favor with the feds. We can’t exactly stop a grieving father from hiring a private detective to look into his son's death.”
“So what the fuck is my job now? Does he want me to look into it or does he want this other guy to do it?” I pinch the bridge of my nose and try not to grind my teeth.
“Look, Anders. Between you and me, I think he’s asked us to look into it so it can be on paper. If you know what I’m saying.”
“Hmm” is all I respond because that could be the case. If he’s made a somewhat public inquiry into the investigation, then he’s free to hire someone in a backdoor deal which can be covered up with my legitimate investigation.
“I don’t trust him or whatever he’s got planned. But your services are no longer needed in Cottonwood.”
I press the phone to my ear while I turn around and glance back into the diner. Georgia is at the bar and laughing at something the ladies behind the counter said. This is her home, and as chaotic as she acts, I know that she just wants to keep the people here safe. I trust my instincts, and I know if she’s covering something up, it’s to protect someone. She wouldn’t do anything to the people here without a damn good reason.