Evidence of Passion (Shadow Agents #7)(14)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Noelle gave a firm nod. The light reflected off the lenses of her glasses. “He isn’t going to kill you, Rachel. You don’t have to worry about that.”

A laugh escaped her. A broken, twisted laugh. “Really? He’s not? Because when he drugged me, tied me up and shot me before, I certainly got the impression that Jack wanted me dead.”

Noelle held her stare. There was sympathy in the profiler’s gaze. “I’m very sorry for what happened to you, but—and this isn’t to make light of the situation in any way—”

Was the woman serious? Rachel’s hands balled into fists in her lap.

“But if Jack had truly wanted to kill you, then why didn’t he just slit your throat while he had you tied up?”

Dylan stiffened.

“Or he could have aimed for your heart when he shot you,” Noelle continued. “But he didn’t. He hit your shoulder. A flesh wound. He’s suspected in dozens of kills, so we know he’s a professional. I just don’t…I don’t believe a professional would ever make a mistake like that.” A brief pause. “Unless he wanted to make that mistake.”

A dull ringing filled Rachel’s ears. “You’re saying he let me live.”

“Yes.”

“He kidnapped me.”

Noelle’s lips pressed together for a moment, then she softly said, “Perhaps he thought that he could go through with the hit on you. But then something changed. Maybe it was seeing you, helpless, realizing that he held the power over you. For men like him, everything is about power.”

Rachel’s nails bit deeper into her palms.

“He didn’t kill you when he had the chance.” Noelle’s shoulders straightened. “And I don’t believe that he is back to kill you now.”

This was crazy. So much for Noelle being some kind of expert who could peer into a killer’s mind. “Jack said he’d come back—”

“But I don’t think he meant to kill you. I think…I believe—” now Noelle’s voice strengthened as she continued “—he told you that he’d come back…because he wants to be with you.”

Rachel could only shake her head.

“But there’s a problem,” Noelle said. Her gaze swept over to Dylan. “You’re the problem, Agent Foxx. You’re the man standing between Jack and the woman that he wants.” Noelle bent over the table and her finger—tipped with light pink polish—hovered over the frame. “You’re the man he sees as his competition for Rachel. And you’re the man that he will try and eliminate.”

Rachel shot to her feet. “No. No.”

All eyes were on her now.

Good. They needed to listen very carefully to her. “I get that you’ve got a fistful of degrees that tell you how to play mind games, Dr. Evers.”

Noelle tensed. “I don’t consider them games at all.”

Rachel wasn’t so sure. “But you don’t know Jack. I don’t even know him, and I dated the man for three months.” Months that seemed like a dream to her now. No, not a dream, a nightmare. “He isn’t in town to make some kind of love connection with me. He killed Hank Patterson. Jack is in town to take care of his usual business—death.” That had to be obvious to everyone.

“He might have come to D.C. because he had a hit,” Mercer agreed, “but that doesn’t explain why he went to your place or to Dylan’s.” His fingers tapped on the table’s edge. “I’m actually surprised that Dylan came up on his radar, but then, if Jack has been keeping track of you—”

“And I think he has,” Noelle said.

“Then he’d know that you and Dylan are…close.”

“We aren’t dating!” Okay, yes, she was definitely flushing as she said that line.

“But Jack believes you are.” Now Noelle cocked her head as her gaze slid between them. “The picture he discovered of you two will be the evidence he needs to cement that belief in his head.”

And, if Jack had been watching her last night, then he would’ve seen Dylan kiss her, too. They’d been right there in the street. Her nervous gaze flew over to Dylan. He wasn’t looking at her. Just staring straight at Mercer.

A soldier, awaiting his orders.

But the orders could get him killed.

“The fact that he broke into Dylan’s home works for us,” Mercer said. “It shows that he still has a connection to you, Rachel, and that he doesn’t like it that another man is close to you.”

Her breath was coming too fast. Rachel tried to ease the panting as she held tightly to her control. “He could be planning other hits,” Rachel said. “We need to work on that angle for tracking him down. We need to find out why he went after Patterson—”

“And we will,” Mercer said. “You, Foxx and Thomas Anthony will run down those leads.”

Now that was something that she could work with. She could—

“You and Foxx are to stay close to one another at all times,” Mercer added with a stern stare. “The closer that you two are, then the more likely Jack will make an attack on Foxx.”

She was still on her feet, and Mercer, apparently, was still insane. “You’re wrong about Jack.” Mercer was wrong. The profiler was wrong. Jack wasn’t keeping her alive because of some emotional connection he felt to her.

He could kill her at any time. But I’m harder to kill now. Dylan taught me how to be even stronger.

Mercer just shrugged. “If I’m wrong, then he’ll come to kill you. And in that case—well, Dylan will be there. I’m covering my bases, Agent Mancini. I’m doing my best to keep all of my agents alive, and I will bring down this SOB before he has the chance to escape the country again.”

Tension had Rachel’s muscles trembling.

“That’s it for now,” Mercer said, his voice lowering. “Now let’s get to work and find Jack.”

Rachel headed for the door. Thomas was at her side.

“Ah, Agent Foxx?” Mercer said. “A moment, please.”

Rachel looked back. She did not like the expression in Mercer’s eyes.

And the determination on Dylan’s face chilled her.

* * *

THE DOOR CLOSED behind Rachel and Thomas. Dylan remained in his seat, with his gaze on Mercer. Noelle was still with the director, and the glance she threw his way held more than a hint of nervousness.

Ah, so Noelle wasn’t exactly game-on for whatever plan Mercer was about to spill.