Dead Inside (A Kelsey Hawk FBI Suspense Thriller—Book One) E-Book

Kate Bold

• Herausgeber: Lukeman Literary Management
• Kategorie: Krimi
• Serie: A Kelsey Hawk FBI Suspense Thriller
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 274

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

In the desolate, unforgiving landscape of small town North Dakota, bodies are found encased in ice. Tough and brilliant FBI special agent 30-year-old Kelsey Hawk, angering her superiors, is relocated to the North Dakota field office, near her hometown which she'd vowed to never return to. In a deadly game of cat and mouse, the stakes couldn't be higher, as an FBI agent and a killer collide… "This is an excellent book… When you start reading, be sure you don't have to wake up early!" —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is book #1 in a new series by #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Kate Bold, whose bestsellers have received over 1,500 five star ratings and reviews. When she was just a child, Kelsey's entire family was murdered, leaving her, the sole survivor, to grow up in the foster system. A rising star in the FBI, Kelsey set her ambitions on being assigned to a field office in the big city, away from the ghosts of her past. But when she's reassigned to a small town in North Dakota, she can't help but remember all the tragedy she fought so hard to leave behind. Can she stop this killer in time? A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the series is a riveting mystery, packed with non-stop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night. Fans of Rachel Caine, Teresa Driscoll, and Robert Dugoni are sure to fall in love. Future books in the series are now available. "This book moved very fast and every page was exciting. Plenty of dialogue, you absolutely love the characters, and you were rooting for the good guy throughout the whole story… I look forward to reading the next in the series." —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Kate did an amazing job on this book and I was hooked from the first chapter!" —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I really enjoyed this book. The characters were authentic, and I see the bad guys as something we hear about daily on the news... Looking forward to book 2." —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This was a really good book. The main characters were real, flawed and human. The story went along quickly and wasn't mired in too many unnecessary details. I really enjoyed it." —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Alexa Chase is headstrong, impatient, but most of all brave with a capital B. She never, repeat never, backs down until the bad guys are put where they belong. Clearly five stars!" —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Captivating and riveting serial murder with a twist of the macabre… Very well done." —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "WOW what a great read! Talk about a diabolical killer! Really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading others by this author as well." —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Page turner for sure. Great characters and relationships. I got into the middle of this story and couldn't put it down. Looking forward to more from Kate Bold." —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Hard to put down. It has an excellent plot and has the right amount of suspense. I really enjoyed this book." —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Extremely well written, and well worth buying and reading. I can't wait to read book two!" —Reader review for The Killing Game ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Leseprobe

D E A D

I N S I D E

(A Kelsey Hawk Mystery—Book 1)

K a t e   B o l d

Kate Bold

Bestselling author Kate Bold is author of the ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eight books (and counting); the HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eleven books (and counting); the KAYLIE BROOKS PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); the EVE HOPE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising seven books (and counting); the DYLAN FIRST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting);  the LAUREN LAMB FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); and the KELSEY HAWK MYSTERY series, comprising five books (and counting).

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Kate loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.kateboldauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

BOOKS BY KATE BOLD

KELSEY HAWK MYSTERY

DEAD INSIDE (Book #1)

DEAD RECKONING (Book #2)

DEAD TO ME (Book #3)

DEAD SILENCE (Book #4)

DEAD TO DAWN (Book #5)

ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER

THE KILLING GAME (Book #1)

THE KILLING TIDE (Book #2)

THE KILLING HOUR (Book #3)

THE KILLING POINT (Book #4)

THE KILLING FOG (Book #5)

THE KILLING PLACE (Book #6)

ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER

LET ME GO (Book #1)

LET ME OUT (Book #2)

LET ME LIVE (Book #3)

LET ME BREATHE (Book #4)

LET ME FORGET (Book #5)

LET ME ESCAPE (Book #6)

CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOT ME (Book #1)

NOT NOW (Book #2)

NOT WELL (Book #3)

NOT HER (Book #4)

NOT NORMAL (Book #5)

NOT AGAIN (Book #6)

NOT SAFE (Book #7)

NOT TODAY (Book #8)

HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOWHERE SAFE (Book #1)

NOWHERE LEFT (Book #2)

NOWHERE TO RUN (Book #3)

NOWHERE LIKE THIS (Book #4)

NOWHERE GIRL (Book #5)

NOWHERE TO HIDE (Book #6)

NOWHERE CERTAIN (Book #7)

NOWHERE PURE (Book #8)

NOWHERE SOUND (Book #9)

NOWHERE SANE (Book #10)

NOWHERE TRUE (Book #11)

KAYLIE BROOKS PYSCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER

LAST BREATH (Book #1)

LAST CHANCE (Book #2)

LAST WISH (Book #3)

LAST SHOT (Book #4)

LAST MISTAKE (Book #5)

EVE HOPE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

IN HIS BLOOD (Book #1)

IN HIS SIGHTS (Book #2)

IN HIS REACH (Book #3)

IN HIS MIND (Book #4)

IN HIS WAY (Book #5)

IN HIS THOUGHTS (Book #6)

IN HIS DREAMS (Book #7)

DYLAN FIRST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

OUT OF REACH (Book #1)

OUT OF TOUCH (Book #2)

OUT OF TIME (Book #3)

OUT OF BOUNDS (Book #4)

OUT OF LUCK (Book #5)

LAUREN LAMB FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

SOMETHING KNOCKING (Book #1)

SOMETHING CALLING (Book #2)

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

PROLOGUE

The shrill scream brought John Gallant out of his trance—a blood-curdling scream that could only mean death.

He had been staring out into space, half-watching his daughter, Kimberly, as she waved at him from the small tea cup that was going round and round in front of him. The afternoon had become chilly, and even though he had told her to keep her jacket on, she was waving it around like a rodeo cowboy. The whole ride had a mesmerizing effect on him, and it had taken only a few minutes for him to lose all focus and stare at the colored tea cups swishing around in front of him.

The scream quickly shattered all that, and he instinctively ducked and turned to where it was coming from. In the distance, a crowd of people had begun to run in various directions, and soon enough, the first scream was joined by a second and a third.

John shuddered. He had heard that scream before, back during his tour in Iraq, when his recon mission had been ambushed and the casualties included soldiers and civilians alike. It was the kind of scream that pierced through the air and somehow found its way inside him, grabbing every nerve fiber and tugging until he could feel his head explode.

“Daddy!”

Kimberly’s voice barely registered amid the chaos that had begun to overcome the North Dakota Winter Fair, and it took him a minute to calm his senses and let his body switch to autopilot. He glanced toward the stage to see the cause of the terror—in the midst of the light-hearted ice sculptures was a woman frozen in time. She was more than frozen in time; she was frozen in ice.

Quickly, he jumped the small fence that separated the spectators from the riders and snatched Kimberly from the moving cup as it slowed to a stop. Grabbing her hand, he quickly led her out and towards where his wife was waiting.

Samantha Gallant was already running to them. “What the hell is going on?” she yelled, frantic fear in her eyes as they darted around, taking in the stampede of festival visitors running towards the exits.

“Take Kim to the car and wait for me there,” John shouted over the commotion. “If I’m not out in twenty minutes, drive home.”

“John!” Samantha shouted after him as he raced away. “John!”

John ignored her and picked up the pace, weaving between the crowds running against him. He pulled out his Glock and badge, making sure they were visible, and scanned the crowd, trying to make sense of what everyone was fleeing from. In the distance, a dozen or so yards away, the festival security was surrounding the ice sculpture display stage, and a tarp was being pulled over one of them.

Moving to the flank of the crowd, he rushed towards the stage, his eyes darting back and forth as he studied the crowd for anything out of place. By the time he reached the displays, two security guards had made their way to intercept him.

“Move!” John yelled, holding his badge, and rushing past them before they could register what was happening. “Keep everyone back!”

Jumping on the stage, he slowed down and took in the stage master’s expression. Dread, fear, terror…any of those could describe the man’s look. His hands held the tarp tight, bright white at the knuckles, and he shook like a leaf.

John put a hand on the man’s shoulder, startling him. “What’s going on?” John asked.

"I put the tarp back on as quickly as I could, but…." The stage master let go of the tarp and shook his head, taking a few steps back before dropping to his knees. John grabbed the tarp and pulled it aside. He dropped it immediately, taking a few involuntary steps back when he saw the display beneath.

Enclosed in the single, large block of bloody ice, a woman stared at him with dead eyes and a frozen scream.

CHAPTER ONE

“Screw this!”

She knew she should wait for backup. She knew this was the type of behavior her boss would use to get rid of her once and for all. You can’t have a small-town girl besting everyone else in the big-city precinct, after all. And she knew she was putting her own life in danger.

She knew many things, but knowledge didn’t matter when a child was in danger.

Kelsey Hawk loved her job, but she cared more about what the job actually entailed—serving and protecting. Protocols didn’t protect, and bureaucracy didn’t serve. She pulled her 40 caliber pistol from its holster, crouched, and made her way toward the run-down ranch house across the field.

“If I get fired for this, then so be it,” she muttered.

Keeping to the tree line, hoping the shadows cast by the setting sun would hide her, she moved with expert precision toward the east side of the house, her eyes never leaving the front door.

It had taken her three months to find the bastard, and she would not let protocol stop her from finally bringing him in.

A small shed gave her a few seconds of shelter, and she took the time to scan the house from a closer vantage point. The paint was peeling off in numerous areas, and the roof needed a lot of work. The patio showed signs of a termite infestation, but the one thing that stood out was the newly installed windows. From where she sat, they looked double-layered, meant to keep noise out.

Or keep noise in.

Three months.

She had been assigned to missing persons less than a year ago, and it had taken a lot of legwork and long nights to finally figure out the logistics of how the Carlone family was smuggling its victims into and out of New Jersey. Kelsey had been able to narrow it down to one man, Oscar Solasky, a small-town black market smuggler who had moved up into what he considered “merchandise,” and she was certain she could have found him faster if not for the red tape slowing her down.

She cursed the FBI when it came to acting fast.

A shadow moved swiftly across the window, and Kelsey hid behind the shed. Taking a few deep breaths, she looked back the way she had come. There were no flashing lights, no certainty that her warrant was on its way, accompanied by the SWAT team she needed to get Oscar into custody.

It’s all down to you, Kels.

Kelsey closed her eyes tight, trying to forget the pictures she had been shown. It was horrific to look at pictures of dead bodies, victims, but nothing prepared you for those who were taken and kept alive for… fun. The images would haunt her until the end of her days.

Files, interviews, statements, CCTV footage, DNA evidence, gossip, circumstantial evidence—it all ran rapidly through her head like she was flicking through microfilm slides. It built the case in her mind; they only needed to get him—Oscar. Yet, that wasn’t her focus. All she could think about was his method of working. The FBI’s red tape made them slow, too slow on one previous occasion to stop him from…

No, not this time! No matter what happens to me.

Kelsey counted back from ten, waiting for the adrenaline to kick in. Once she was sure she was ready, she gave the horizon another look—she was on her own. If she waited any longer, she would miss her window of opportunity.

Kelsey gave the house one final sweep before breaking from her hiding spot and rushing toward the back at a low crouch. Once she reached the east wall, she pressed her back against it and slid towards the window. She didn’t expect it to be open, but it gave her a pretty good view of what was inside.

A woman was tied up, gagged, and lay in a fetal position in a corner of the room. An open door revealed a second spacious room with a table, and a man sat with his back to her. The thinning hair and tattoo across his nape were all Kelsey needed to confirm her suspect. Oscar had no idea what was coming.

Sliding towards the back, she kept her ears open for the sounds of anyone else. She had scouted the house for a good hour, waiting for backup after she had called in her location. It was obvious no one was coming, or if they were, they were taking their sweet time. She often wondered if the Carlones had someone on the inside stalling things.

If they did, then Oscar would be gone already.

That didn’t change the fact that it was still a possibility, and the chance someone might still warn her suspect made Kelsey even edgier. She had to move fast.

Carefully climbing up the back patio, bracing herself for the creaks that might give her away, she edged toward the back door, almost shaking with fear. She had not felt this way before, but she had also not come this close to a psychopath. A thin barrier of wood separated her from the face of evil—to read about him was one thing; to face him was quite another. Kelsey took one final breath—time was not on her side.

Her hand was barely on the knob when the door flew open, and a body slammed into her, taking her by surprise and knocking the wind out of her. She fell to the ground hard, the heavy weight of her attacker still on top of her, fists slamming into the side of her head. She was back in Mikkisula, Missouri, again, only nine years old, and Rachel Barlow stood over her laughing. Rachel had punched her repeatedly until Kelsey had the good sense to lie down and not get back up. The humiliation and fear caught in her throat, but she didn’t cry; she stifled the tears, holding them back. She would not lie down and take what others gave anymore.

The world around her swam, and on instinct, she lifted her knee to throw the man off her. There was no humiliation here, only pure terror.

A loud holler of pain followed the attack, and she could feel her knee connect with the soft tissue of the man’s groin. His weight fell off her, and she quickly jumped to her feet and lunged at him. She reached for the gun on her hip, but she hadn’t seen him grab a branch. It connected with her wrist—there was no crack or snap, but there was a bright flash of pain. She fumbled the gun and dropped it to the ground. Another swing of the branch, and she brought her injured arm up to block it. This time there was a crack as the dry branch splintered in two.

Raw determination replaced the pain in her arm as she lunged forward again, surprising Oscar. He swung at her with a meaty fist, but she was too close, and the inside of his arm caught her dully on the temple. Kelsey brought her knee up again, a tactic that had worked so well the first time that it deserved a second shot, and as soon as he bent forward a little, she slammed the palm of her hand into his nose. Another crack—an intensely satisfying one.

Oscar glared at her, blood streaming from his nose, red fire in his eyes. He had meant to murder the young girl in the house, and the look in his eyes told Kelsey he would happily add another to the menu. He took a confident step forward, unaware of the half-branch in Kelsey’s hand.

She stood tall to face him, and as soon as he moved to strike her again, she brought it up to his chin, snapping his head backward and snapping away her fear of the man. Oscar tumbled backward. Kelsey was too well-trained to stop now. She fell on him. He didn’t have it in him to fight back, and in a quick motion, she had Oscar Solasky pinned to the ground with his arm around his back.

“Oscar Solasky,” Kelsey breathed, the ringing in her ears intensifying, “you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent.”

As she continued through the man’s rights, Oscar tried to wiggle out from under her, and she pressed a knee against his shoulder, forcing another holler of pain out of him. She cuffed him, pulled him to his feet, and pushed him towards the house.

“You have no idea what you’re doing!” he screamed at her. “You’re going to die for this! Your whole family is going to burn!”

Kelsey sighed, her relief flowing freely. “My whole family’s already dead,” she breathed, slamming him into the door frame on their way in, the sound of bones breaking making her smile slightly. He could do nothing to hurt her.

“My nose!” Oscar screamed.

“Sorry,” Kelsey replied, “just wanted to make sure.”

She forced him into the room where the woman lay and threw him into a corner. One look at his whimpering face assured her he wouldn’t be trying anything stupid. Kelsey held the gun in one hand and used the other to untie the terrified woman bound on the floor.

More trauma. Kelsey had been through trauma, and now this woman had too. Her only hope was that the woman would not become as messed up as she was.

“What’s your name?” Kelsey asked.

“M-Maria.” She looked up at Kelsey, holding her gaze, not daring to look elsewhere. She was around thirty years old, but the ordeal had turned her into a meek, little girl. Kelsey wanted to embrace her and tell her everything was going to be all right, but experience held her back.

“My name is Kelsey, and I’m going to take care of you. Everything is going to be fine.” Kelsey could see her own fear reflected in the woman’s eyes. She had almost died coming in here, and she had no doubt she would be reamed out for it, but that was not the root of the fear. She had saved a life, but it didn’t change anything about her past. It didn’t remove the shame or guilt.

Kelsey helped the woman to sit up against the wall and slumped beside her, pointing the gun at Oscar, his shirt stained red. He didn’t take his eyes off Kelsey or the woman.

Two minutes later, the FBI finally arrived with a cacophony of sirens, followed by a chorus of shouts and drum-beat footsteps.

Kelsey held in the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. The FBI agents looked at her with frustration as they entered and cleaned things up as if she had made their jobs harder by saving someone.

Always one step behind and five minutes too late! If I had waited any longer, he would have thrown her into the back of his truck, and we would never have seen her again.

Alexander strode through the house, his footsteps slow and deliberate. He shook his head and handed her a radio. One of the female agents helped the woman to her feet—Maria fixed her eyes on Kelsey—her savior—but she was eventually pried away.

Alexander nodded silently, approving of what she had done. Before he turned, he mouthed, “Granger.”

Kelsey steeled herself and pressed the button on the side. “Sir, we found her. I just want to—” She was cut off before explaining why she had disregarded a direct order and gone in alone.

“My office! NOW!” Granger demanded.

CHAPTER TWO

“Hey, Hawk? How many strikes do you get before you are out?” Special Agent Bobby Carter asked.

Kelsey had stopped at her desk, hoping to find some solace there—an answer to all her problems--but they were piled up in her mind like the paperwork on her desk. She would get to it someday. She looked from Bobby to the stacks of files, though someday might never come now that she had gone ahead and saved a young girl in the wrong way.

“Three strikes is usually how the game is played, but when your boss is umpire, pitcher, and… do you know what, Carter? I don’t have time for this. I might as well get this over with now and move on with my life.”

She wanted to say her boss was the rule maker of the game too. Sure, she had been pig-headed and gone in ahead of everyone else, but she had saved that young woman, and that was a win in anyone’s book.

Not in Paul Granger’s book, her Special Agent in Charge. He had been looking for a way to get rid of her since she was moved to his field office. She was too young, eager, and good at her job. She made the other recruits nervous, and that made Paul Granger nervous.

He was good at his job—there was no doubt about it—but he was used to special agents following his orders exactly and not in creative ways.

Kelsey headed to the bathroom first. She placed her hands down on the surface around the sink and stared into the mirror, shaking her head. She could blame her SAC all she wanted, but she only had herself to blame.

The toilet flushed, and Special Agent Amanda Briggins emerged from the cubicle. She jumped and placed a hand on her chest.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” she said, chuckling.

“You need to work on your perception and awareness to get ahead, Mandy,” Kelsey smiled.

“It’s not going to be the same around here if you….”

Kelsey frowned. “I’m not gone yet.” She pushed a lock of black hair behind her ear. “You have me around for at least another ten minutes if I draw this out.”

Amanda washed her hands, glancing up occasionally to look at Kelsey.

Kelsey wanted to lay it all out on the table and tell her acquaintance (did she consider Amanda her friend?) that she had fought her entire life to keep up and get ahead, which had gotten her into trouble. Kelsey needed to be the best, but only because being as good was not good enough for a woman in the FBI. She had to stick her neck out and stay ahead, but when the executioner held the axe above her, sticking her neck out was not always the best option.

Amanda patted Kelsey’s back before leaving the washroom.

Kelsey pushed up the skin on her forehead—it was still tight and supple, as it should be for someone only just touching her mid-twenties, but Kelsey was sure small creases were appearing. The stress of the job, and she was only nine months out of Quantico.

She took a deep breath and turned to face the music. When she exited the bathroom, it felt like all eyes were on her. She made the long walk to Paul Granger’s office and lifted her hand to knock on the glass door.

“Get your ass in here, Hawk!” SAC Granger called.

Kelsey took a deep breath and pushed the door open—she ventured into the fray.

“Sit down!” Granger shouted before the door closed.

She did as she was told, remaining silent. She wanted to plead her case, but that had only made things worse the first two times she had been called into her SAC’s office to be reamed out. It was best to stay quiet—and when he told her she was being fired, she would plead her case without fear of repercussions.

“What were you thinking?” Granger stood with his back to her, facing the window overlooking the city. He didn’t even do her the courtesy of turning around to face her.

I mean nothing to you!

“How’s the victim?” Kelsey asked plainly.

The question irritated Granger, going by the tension in his shoulders, and it finally got him to turn around.

“Zero agents,” Granger stated. “That is the number of agents I have lost on active duty. Do you know when I will allow myself to lose an agent in the field?”

Kelsey knew better than to answer that question.

“Never,” he finished. “I have not lost an agent, and I will not lose an agent, Hawk. Not even you.”

Not even me! It would dent your fragile ego, wouldn’t it? You wouldn’t mourn me, only your perfect record.

“Is Oscar Solasky in custody, sir?” Kelsey asked.

She had to remain professional—it was the only thing that gave her the upper hand. And she knew it pained him that she had been the one to save the woman, that she had been the one to subdue Solasky.

Again, he ignored her. “A ship can’t sail straight and true without the crew following the orders of its captain, Hawk. What makes you so different from everyone else?”

The ship metaphor again—Kelsey had heard it half a dozen times. She didn’t know what made her different from everyone else. She needed to prove herself and get ahead of the competition. Yet, she had followed the careers of multiple female FBI agents, most of whom had followed the rules and gotten ahead. What made her so special?

SAC Granger let out an end-of-the-road sigh. “It makes my job much easier, Hawk. It’s all been signed off by the director. Today’s your last day here.”

Kelsey expected it, but it still hit like a bullet to the chest. “You don’t need to wish me—”

“Monday will be your first day in the Winchburgh field office,” Granger interrupted.

“Winchburgh?” Kelsey racked her brain; she had heard that name before.

Granger smiled. “Nice little outpost in North Dakota.”

That’s where she knew it from—she had read a case file from that field office when she was training at Quantico. It was the biggest case to have ever happened in the area. Three people and one cow had been killed. She knew why her SAC was smiling so wide.

“You start there Monday,” Granger reminded.

People often use the phrase, a fate worse than death. Well, a posting in North Dakota was a fate worse than being fired for Kelsey. She might have quit on the spot if she did not love the job so much. And she was damn good at it, no matter what her superiors thought.

“Thank you, sir,” Kelsey mustered. She did all she could to hide her anger and frustration.

The smile on Granger’s face remained as he flicked his hand to dismiss Kelsey.

Special Agent Kelsey Hawk removed herself from her SAC’s office. Joining the FBI was her ticket out of the Midwest. She had gone from small-town girl to big-city special agent. Now, Kelsey was right back where she started—no, it was two steps back down the ladder. A small town. Long, cold winters. A place where nothing ever happened.

A place where she had nowhere to go—no rise to greatness, nowhere to fall, only consistent mediocrity.

The only thing left was to convince her fiancé he should move to Winchburgh with her—and they could be miserable in small-town North Dakota together.

***

“Hey, you would not believe the day I have had.” Kelsey tossed her bag onto the hook just inside the door and started kicking off her shoes. “I don’t know how to say this, but—”

Kelsey stopped and placed a hand on her hip; her gun was stored securely at her field office. Kelsey did not have to put her FBI-issued observation skills to good use to know someone was in her home—someone who should not be there.

She relaxed as much as her body let her when she heard the music coming from the living room. Still, she wished she had a weapon of some sort; she was in no mood for anything or anyone. Kelsey crept closer to the living room door and pressed her ear to it. All she could hear was the music, but slightly louder.

Kelsey thought about turning around and getting the hell out of there, but she had already burst into one crime scene by herself, so why not another? A lump rose in her throat as she lay her hand on the handle. She turned it and swung the door open inward.

Darren jumped up from the couch imminently at the interruption, so hastily that he almost spilled the glass of wine in his hand. He was flustered but quickly regained his composure. It took all Kelsey had not to launch herself at Darren or the woman he was sharing a bottle of wine with.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

Kelsey frowned. “What am I doing here? You mean in my own home? What are you doing here, Darren?”

“You weren’t supposed to be home until late. I thought you had that big case.”

“Should I call ahead?” Kelsey asked. “If I’m considering coming home early, should I call ahead, Darren? Huh? Should I call ahead just in case you are doing something?”

“Come on! Don’t be like that, Kels! You remember Belinda from work, don’t you?”

Kelsey folded her arms. “I certainly won’t forget her in a hurry.”

Belinda remained pinned to the couch like a mouse trying to remain invisible while two cats prowled the room.

“Can you please… not!” Darren said. He looked over at Belinda. “Belinda came around to review some reports, and she’s having a hard time at work, so I comforted her. I’m a shoulder to cry on, Kels. Is that a crime nowadays?”

Where is my shoulder to cry on? I’m supposed to get on with it because I chose the job and knew the nature of it beforehand.

“Do you really think I am an idiot, Darren?” Kelsey demanded. “Do you really think I would believe this shit? At least do it somewhere a little more private and not our house!”

Belinda squirmed on the couch and finally rose. “I should, um, go.” She put the glass down on the coffee table.

“Don’t forget your reports, Belinda,” Kelsey goaded.

“What?” Belinda looked lost again.

“I’ll bring them to work on Monday,” Darren said. “Don’t worry about any of this, all right?”

Kelsey waved her hands in the air. “Yeah, don’t worry about any of this, Belinda.”

She hated how riled up she was. Kelsey had a good reason to be riled up, but she had managed to subdue a child trafficker, save a woman from being killed, and then be reamed out by her boss without losing her cool. Yet, she couldn’t keep her composure now. And because of what? Her marriage was over before it had even begun.

Kelsey turned away and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She would not give either of them the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She should have been hysterical and broken down just like her life was breaking down, but she was an FBI special agent, and her professionalism kicked in.

The front door closed behind Belinda.

“Well, thank you for that,” Darren sighed. He collected Belinda’s glass from the coffee table and took it with his own to the kitchen.

Kelsey shook her head and followed him. “I want to look over the numbers too.”

“What?” Darren dumped the wine down the sink and rinsed the glasses.

“I got an early finish today, and I want to help you, Darren. Let me take a look at the reports and see if I can help in any way.”

“Jesus Christ, Kels!” Darren turned around to face her. “You’re making a fool of yourself.”

Kelsey looked back toward the living room. “I didn’t see them back there. Did you file them away before being a shoulder to cry on?”

“Is it because I was comforting her? Is that it? I would do that for you, Kels, if you let me. But, no! You have to be strong and independent! It’s not a weakness to ask for help,” Darren shouted.

Kelsey hated that he was right. She didn’t like to show weakness in any way, and his behavior with Belinda made her feel weak. She was young and attractive with a good job, but it was not enough to satisfy her fiancé. That only meant she was lacking elsewhere. Maybe she was a bad person, boring, controlling.

She shook her head again, but this time to remove the thoughts. He was the one in the wrong, not her. They could have avoided this if he had only spoken to her about his feelings.

“She was practically sitting in your lap,” Kelsey said sadly. “Am I not good enough for you?”

“Hey, don’t say that, babe.” Darren closed in on her and placed a hand on her cheek.