Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents #2)(34)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Jasper was staring at her with blazing eyes. The female agent—the woman had finally introduced herself as Sydney Sloan—had sympathy on her pretty face as she edged closer. It was all Veronica could do not to start screaming at them.

But she was trying to follow another one of Cale’s rules. Never break in front of the enemy. Never show your pain. Others will just use that pain against you.

Jasper had sure caused her plenty of pain.

“They’re not FBI, you know that, right?” Veronica said to Wyatt. He’d been with her, pretty much from the moment since the agents had taken her brother into custody. At the crash scene, he’d appeared with Logan Quinn. Wyatt’s face had looked grim, the faint lines around his face much deeper.

“Not FBI,” Wyatt agreed quietly, “but they’ve got high clearance.”

“How high?” Veronica asked. She wasn’t staring Jasper in the eye. She couldn’t. And he was just staring at her.

“High enough that the governor called and told me to do whatever Logan Quinn said.”

When the governor said jump…

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She’d been a fool, and now she had to pay a price for her blind trust.

Talk to Jasper. Because he was still just staring at her, waiting. “You’re not a mercenary,” she said, and risked the briefest of stares into his eyes.

“No, ma’am.”

She flinched at that drawl. Her gaze dropped to his chin.

His jaw clenched.

“What are you?” she asked him.

“I’m a federal agent.”

“You’re not with the FBI.”

“No, ma’am.”

Her eyes slit as they lifted back to meet his gaze. “What’s the EOD?”

He glanced at the sheriff. Yes, she knew that Wyatt could tell her, especially since it seemed that he, Logan and the governor were all suddenly tight, but she wanted to hear this information straight from Jasper. It would be interesting to see what the truth sounded like from him.

“It’s the Elite Operations Division. We’re a hybrid group, mostly ex-military.”

Like her brother. “Why were you hunting Cale?”

He reached for her. She flinched back. He was bleeding. There was blood on his forehead, and she’d noticed that his shoulder looked padded—probably because of a bandage under his shirt.

His hand dropped.

“Why?” she repeated.

“Because Cale is wanted in connection with the murders of three EOD agents.”

She shook her head instantly. “He wouldn’t do that,” she whispered, but she cleared her throat and spoke again, her voice stronger. “Cale rescues people. He doesn’t kill them. He doesn’t—”

“We also think he’s tied to the fire and explosion at the police station, and the murder of the two men who were shot outside the station—the men who attempted to abduct you.” A clipped voice.

She wanted to rage at him, but her voice stayed controlled. Mostly. “I was outside that station. Do you seriously think my brother was trying to kill me, too?”

“No, ma’am.”

Veronica hated that drawling “ma’am” bit.

“I think your brother is one fine shot,” Jasper continued quietly. “Actually, I know he is. That’s why you weren’t hurt that day. He took out his targets, just like this morning, when he aimed only at me, not you.”

Her cheeks felt icy. “I was inside the station when the fire started, the explosion—”

“Your brother had demolitions training when he was in the military.”

She didn’t want to hear this.

“He would have known how to stage that scene. Sydney talked to an arson investigator. The initial flames were set to alert folks in the station. To give us time to get out. But the explosion that followed, that was designed for a specific type of destruction. A bomb was placed, then triggered so that the back of the station would be hit hardest. The bomber knew exactly what he was doing. Hell, we even think the guy used a cell phone to start the explosion in the back.”

The back of the station. She’d been in the front, so…

“Your brother made sure you were clear in that explosion. He protected you, but still went after the men he wanted.”

This couldn’t be true. “I want to see him.” Because Jasper was wrong.

“Good, because he wants to see you, too.”

Her heartbeat wouldn’t slow down. It was racing too hard in her chest, and her hands were trembling.

Jasper motioned toward the far end of the hallway. “Come this way.”

Fine. She stepped forward. Instantly, Wyatt moved with her. He’d been silent during the exchange with Jasper. Watching, weighing every word. Did everyone but her think that Cale was a monster? A cold-blooded killer?

Soldier…or sociopath.

Jasper slammed his hand into the sheriff’s chest. “Sorry, Wyatt, for now, it’s just her.”

Wyatt frowned at him. “That’s my friend in there. If he’s gone rogue, I can get him to talk.”

He hasn’t gone rogue.

But Jasper shook his head. “For now, I’m only taking Veronica back to interrogation.”

Wyatt’s gaze cut to Veronica. Frustration etched hard lines on his face. “You going to be okay in there?”

She nodded. She wasn’t about to break apart. Yes, Jasper’s betrayal made it feel as if he had tried to carve out her heart, but she wouldn’t break. Jasper wrapped his hand around her elbow and guided her down the hall. She didn’t need his guidance. She didn’t need anything from him anymore.

“In here.” He pushed open a door to the left. She entered, rushing in her eagerness to see Cale, only…Cale wasn’t there. The room was empty.

She spun around just as Jasper shut the door behind him, sealing them inside.

“We need to talk,” he said.

Her hands were fisted so hard that her knuckles hurt. “I want to see my brother. You told me—”

“You will see him.” The words were rough. “But first, you’re going to talk to me.”

He started to close in on her. Instinctively, Veronica backed up a step, but then she froze. He wasn’t going to intimidate her, not anymore. “You should wipe that blood away,” she muttered, her gaze rising to his forehead. “It really messes up that whole intense, scary vibe that you’re trying to give me.”

He stopped and frowned at her.

And she was lying. The blood just made him look more dangerous and scary. But so what if she was lying? He’d lied; she could do it, too. Maybe it was childish, but she didn’t care.