The Girl Next Door (Shadow Agents #6)(18)
Author: Cynthia Eden

No, it wasn’t. “We already knew one of ours was behind the kills. It only stands to reason that if he didn’t leave a trace at the other scenes then he’d be just as careful at Gabrielle Harper’s place.” The EOD agents were the deadliest and the most covert in the U.S.

Some in his unit were even called Shadow Agents—men and women who were so good at infiltrating enemy camps and carrying out their dangerous missions that they more closely resembled shadows than humans.

You didn’t hear a shadow, didn’t feel it. Didn’t even realize it was there—until it was too late.

“Cooper stopped the cops from seeing that Van had written EOD as an identifier for his killer,” Dylan said. “But he was too late to prevent Gabrielle from seeing the message. She told us that she was going to print that info in the Inquisitor.”

“No, she isn’t.” Even if he had to shut that place down, he’d make sure her report never saw the light of day. He wasn’t going to risk the lives of innocent agents. Not that it wouldn come to that point. He had faith in one man. “Cooper will stop her. He’ll find a way to convince her that isn’t the right tactic to use.”

“You sound awful certain…”

“I am.” Bruce’s attention turned to the fat stack of manila folders in front of him. “I’ve called in a profiler.” One that he’d handpicked from the FBI. He didn’t usually let the Bureau nose around his cases, but this was a different situation.

Right then, the EOD could actually use someone from the outside. A fresh pair of eyes, an unbiased observer, was exactly what he needed.

He had high hopes for Noelle Evers.

She’d better not disappoint him.

“Do you know,” Mercer asked the other man, curious, “how many agents we’ve had at the EOD in the past fifteen years?”

Dylan shook his head.

Of course, he didn’t know. That intel was classified.

“When agents leave, we do our best to keep tabs on them, but the truth of the matter is this…they leave because they want to vanish. They want to start new lives and not be hunted by their enemies.”

They tried to make their pasts disappear.

“But these men and women aren’t like everyone else. They’re the deadliest foes you could ever cross. I trained them. I brought them into this life.” His fisted hand slammed down on the files. “So that means I’m the one responsible for this killer—a man who started on this dark path because he wanted to hurt me.”

They’d first become aware of the rogue months back, when inside information on Mercer had been leaked to one of his oldest and most powerful enemies. Anton Devast had learned about Mercer’s daughter. He’d tried to kill her in order to get revenge on Mercer.

A life for a life.

In the end, Devast had been the one to die.

With Devast’s death, the rogue had spiraled even more out of control. The deaths had started then. More than just what the press knew about. More than just what the intrepid Gabrielle Harper had discovered.

With Van’s death, they’d now lost four agents.

Four.

All within the past six months.

“Profilers are supposed to tell which men and women are killers,” Dylan spoke slowly, bringing Mercer’s attention back to him. “But here, that’s what we all are.”

Mercer shook his head. “No, Foxx, you’ve got that wrong. You’re soldiers. You’re heroes. The profiler is looking for a monster, someone pretending to be just like you.” Someone adept at hiding his true self.

Mercer pushed back in his chair. His gaze cut to the right, to the window that overlooked D.C. “I never thought the biggest threat I’d face would come from within the organization that I made.” With blood, sweat, tears. He’d sacrificed so much for the EOD. Even his family.

I’m sorry, Marguerite. His wife had been one of the first that he lost—the first, and the one that still made him feel like he was missing half of his heart.

How much longer? It wasn’t the first time he’d wondered that question. How much longer could he truly sit at the helm of the EOD?

Maybe he was getting too old for this mess. Maybe he should be the one looking for a way out.

I need someone else to take over the reins.

Because the idea of escape could sure tempt any agent.

But Mercer couldn’t allow his legacy to be destroyed. “We’ll find him,” he vowed. He wasn’t going out—not yet.

Not like this.

When he left, it would be on his terms. It wouldn’t be due to some twisted killer who’d decided to put EOD agents on his hit list.

The EOD had survived attacks before. Hell, agents had been targeted before. When you were the best out there, plenty of enemies would come gunning for you.

We stopped them before. We’ll stop this SOB, too.

* * *

COOPER MARSHALL HAD taken in the reporter. He’d brought her into his apartment so that they could spend the night together.

How cozy.

The watcher stood outside of the brownstone. Dawn hadn’t come yet, and the darkness concealed him as he stared at the building.

Last night, he’d also learned that Marshall had called in his team—Rachel Mancini and Dylan Foxx.

They were on his list, too. Another pair that would be destroyed.

But first he had to deal with the reporter. She’d surprised him by getting too close, far closer than the EOD. He wouldn’t underestimate her again.

He would use her.

A light was shining in Cooper’s bedroom. He could see the shadows of two forms—Cooper and Gabrielle.

He smiled as he watched those shadows.

Oh, yes, Gabrielle would definitely be useful to him.

She would help him to destroy Cooper.

* * *

“YOU TAKE THE BED,” Cooper said as he rolled back his shoulders and tried to keep his gaze off the long, golden expanse of Gabrielle’s legs. “I’ll bunk on the couch.”

He turned away from her, away from those tempting legs.

“Sleep is going to be impossible, you know that, right?”

He glanced back over his shoulder at her. “You’re exhausted. You’ve been up most of the night.” And been terrified the majority of that time. “You need rest.”

“And every time I even think about closing my eyes, guess what I see?” Those dark chocolate eyes were wide and on him. “It’s not exactly an image that makes me want to hit the dream circuit.”

Her fingers were trembling. Her body held too tightly, too stiffly.