Evidence of Passion (Shadow Agents #7)(41)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Seeing as how Rachel had pushed the man out a third-story window, probably not so well. “The attachment is still there. If you want to make him talk—” she knew that Mercer did “—then Rachel is your best bet.”

Noelle didn’t doubt that Jack had secrets to tell. Secrets that Mercer wanted to hear.

The door opened. She glanced over and saw Thomas stalk inside. “He’s a smug SOB,” he said, disgust in his tone.

He came to stand next to her. Noelle automatically tensed. She did that every time Thomas got too close.

Her job was to profile for Mercer—to watch both the agents at the EOD and the “suspects” that were brought in for questioning. Mercer wanted to make sure that he had no more rogues in-house at the EOD. He also wanted her help at getting into the minds of his enemies.

Since she owed Mercer more than she could repay Noelle had traded in her job at the FBI for some time with the EOD.

And with Thomas Anthony.

She looked up and got caught by Thomas’s golden eyes. There was just something about him that was so familiar to her, but Noelle could not remember when they’d met.

“Is he bluffing?” Thomas demanded. “Or will the guy actually talk if Rachel comes in?”

She hesitated. “It’s a game to him. He wants to be the one who wins.”

Thomas shook his head. “That’s not an answer. Is the guy going to tell us what we need to know or not?”

Mercer’s phone rang then. He answered immediately, moving to the side. “What?” She heard him say. “Hell, no, that just makes things harder.” He ended the call abruptly and glanced back at her.

“We were right,” Mercer said as he inclined his head toward the interrogation room. “The guy is ex-military. His real name is Kenneth Cross. According to the match we just found in the system, that guy was part of the U.S. Army 75th Ranger Regiment.”

Noelle knew the situation had just gone from bad to much worse. Kenneth wasn’t just a killer, but they’d always known that. His ranger status put him in a whole new category.

“His file said he died in battle.” Mercer’s jaw hardened. “Guess which senior officer signed off on that death? I’ll give you a damn hint. Old Jack in there killed him recently.”

“William Harris,” Thomas muttered.

Noelle focused on the cuffed man once more. He still had a faint grin on his face. “A ranger won’t break during interrogation.” And this guy…he was exhibiting behavior that made her strongly suspect psychopathic tendencies were working in his mind.

But the attachment to Rachel doesn’t fit.

During all of her years of study and her work in the field, Noelle had found that psychopaths rarely formed any sort of real attachment to other people. Others simply didn’t have meaning to them. Sure, some psychopaths would mimic the behavior of attachment. They’d go through the motions, but it wasn’t real.

“Maybe he’ll break,” Thomas allowed. “Maybe he won’t.” He straightened his shoulders. “With your permission, sir?”

Mercer hesitated. His eyes narrowed as he studied Kenneth Cross.

“He’s not going to break,” Noelle stated again. But…this was why Mercer wanted her there. To tell him what she thought. “He’ll withstand pain. He might even enjoy the pain. He’ll like having the power, because he knows he has information that you need.”

“He killed so many men and women.” Mercer exhaled heavily. “Those victims had some powerful ties in D.C. A lot of folks are wanting answers.”

And vengeance.

“Bring in Rachel,” Noelle said, her voice soft.

Thomas swore. “You really want to just give that guy what he wants?”

No. She wanted to push that guy to the edge. “Bring in Rachel and Dylan.” Because it was the dynamic between them all that she needed to observe. The more she watched, the better able Noelle would be to see the chinks in Kenneth’s armor. “We already know that Rachel is his weakness. If we want him to break, then we have to use her.”

Mercer hesitated then he reached for his phone once more.

* * *

DYLAN’S PHONE RANG, vibrating softly on the nightstand. Rachel stirred a bit beside him, but her eyes didn’t open. Carefully, he eased his arm from beneath her head. He slipped from the bed, grabbed the phone and crept into the hallway.

A glance at the clock showed him that it was 4:00 a.m. And he knew exactly who was calling him. “Mercer.” His voice was a snarling whisper. “Why couldn’t this wait?”

“Is Rachel with you?”

He glanced toward the open bedroom door. He could just make out the edge of the bed. “Yes.”

Silence, then… “I’m going to need you to bring her in.”

“Your questions can wait until morning. The woman has been through hell. She nearly died—”

“This isn’t about getting questions for some report, Agent Foxx. Jack has said that he will only talk with Rachel, and I want you to bring her in. That’s an order.”

For an instant, Dylan was sure that he’d shatter the phone. His fingers actually ached.

“Agent Foxx?”

He had to unclench his teeth. “I don’t give a damn what he wants. That guy isn’t getting near Rachel.” Was Mercer crazy?

“He’ll be restrained at all times. And of course I’d expect you to be in the interrogation room with them.”

“Not happening.”

“Agent Foxx, I understand how you—”

“I don’t think you do understand, Director.” His breath huffed out. “You don’t understand what it’s like to think that the woman you…you care about—” he stumbled over those words because there were things he wouldn’t say to Mercer “—is lost to you. When the whole world goes dark because she’s gone, and you know that you can’t go on without her.”

Silence. Heavy. Thick. Then Mercer said, “I know exactly how that feels, and I’m sorry, very sorry, that you had to experience it.”

His quiet words caught Dylan off guard. He’d heard a few whispers about Mercer’s past. Now he knew those whispers weren’t wrong.

“But this case is bigger than you and Rachel Mancini. Other lives are involved.”

“Rachel isn’t even EOD anymore.”

“Ah, well, I haven’t officially accepted her resignation yet, have I?” Mercer cleared his throat. “I need her here. I need you both here.”