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Prologue
11 months ago. FBI Offices, New York City, NY.
Was this a joke? Some bad crime movie? Was someone pranking him?
Samuel Jenkins closed the door to the office he shared with his partner, Baruti Wimbush. The big Black man was already seated at his desk, elbows perched on the armrests, and shaking his head.
“What are we supposed to make of that?” Samuel asked.
“I do not know,” Baruti said slowly, still shaking his head.
Samuel felt like he’d been at the epicenter of a stun grenade blast. His senses were dulled or numb to the point it felt like he was in a dream. But this was very much reality.
“Do you believe them?” he asked.
Baruti gestured to the phone. “They check out.”
“But do you believe them?”
He spread his hands and leaned back in the creaky chair. “It sounds too crazy to be real, so it has to be true.”
Samuel dragged his hand over his face and stared at the beige wall.
He and Baruti had been focused on a dead-end case. Missing women. Missing kids. And somehow that investigation had collided with five men in tactical gear who were after the same man they were.
Samuel picked up his phone and frowned when there was still no message from their undercover field agent, Kelsey. She’d been silent for far too long. Something wasn’t right.
These people were just a distraction.
And yet, their investigation was at a stand-still.
The phone in Samuel’s hand began to ring.
No sane person should be calling this late.
He tapped the green button.
“Agent Jenkins speaking.”
“Agent Jenkins, my name is Zora Clark. I work for the NSA and I understand you’ve been communicating with one of my men, Logan Muller?”
“One moment.” He tapped the screen again. “You’re on speaker with myself and my partner.”
“That would be Baruti Wimbush, correct?”
Baruti’s dark brows rose.
Anyone could find out that information. This meant nothing.
“You are correct, ma’am,” Samuel replied.
She continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “It seems that our investigations are running parallel right now. Would you be interested in partnering with our task force?”
Samuel dug his imaginary heels in.
At first glance, the combined resources would offer more opportunities. But it could also mean losing control of the investigation. Their goals might not be the same as the NSA.
“I’m going to need some more information about what it is you’re investigating. Your men had very little to tell us.”