Page 16

Panting from exertion, she paused in comforting Owen to rip the watch from her wrist. He smashed all the devices before dumping them in the trash can. Then he peered cautiously out into the hallway. Voices carried. Angry ones. As Daniel had hoped, the security guards intercepted the men chasing them.
But this wasn’t over.
Not by a long shot.
EIGHT
Things had gone from bad to worse.
Ellie cupped her hands under the bathroom faucet and splashed cold water on her face. Droplets raced down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. She grabbed a few paper towels and patted her face dry, then pressed them to the back of her neck, which was slick with sweat from their frantic escape through the hospital.
If only washing away her mistakes were that simple.
A shiver raced down her spine. If those men at the hospital had caught them, Daniel would’ve been killed. Owen, taken. And she would be left floundering, still completely in the dark about what they were searching for.
How had they traced her to the hospital? Through her personal phone? Or the burner she’d used to contact the FBI?
The taste of betrayal was bitter on her tongue.
The Iron Fist had moles in law enforcement. It was one of the reasons the FBI had changed her identity outside the normal channels. Still, she’d never believed someone from her own department would turn on her. And now… now she couldn’tshake the fear that someone inside the Bureau had sold her out. If that was true, she was alone. With Owen to protect.
A terrifying thought.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The stress had aged her overnight. Her complexion was pale, her cheekbones sharp with fatigue. She wasn’t foolish enough to think she could take on a powerful criminal network by herself. Nor could she leave Owen. He was hers in every way that mattered, except by blood or legal decree. She’d filed for adoption six months ago. The paperwork wasn’t completed yet, but if these threats continued, it never would be.
There was one Hail Mary left.
Ellie stepped from the bathroom into the hallway. The low murmur of voices in the Silver Creek Police Department bullpen offered a small measure of reassurance. They were safe for the moment. Daniel had brought them straight here after the hospital attack to debrief Chief O’Neal. The men were in the chief's office with Owen.
She had a few minutes at most.
Hurrying past the chief’s office, she entered the break room. A wall phone rested on the counter beside the coffee machine. Ellie moved quickly, dialing a number she knew by heart.
“Federal Bureau of Investigation, Austin Field Office. How may I direct your call?”
Ellie gripped the receiver. “Special Agent in Charge, James Callahan.”
Clicking followed. Then the operator came back on, still cheerful. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but Special Agent Callahan is retired. Is there someone else I can connect you to?”
Her stomach dropped. Retired. Just like that, her last hope vanished. There was no one she trusted more than Callahan. She swallowed hard. “No. I need to speak with Callahan. Do youhave a number where he can be reached? Or a way to get him a message?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t. Would you like?—”
She hung up, the click of the receiver like a death knell. Her entire body felt both numb and cold.
“Ellie.”
Daniel's voice sent her pulse skyrocketing. She jumped, releasing her grip on the phone receiver as guilt flooded through her. She wasn’t supposed to be in here. And the last phone call she’d made had likely put them in danger. Two facts Daniel was well aware of.
His dark eyes moved from her to the phone and back again. Disappointment flickered across his face, and his expression hardened. “We have a problem. Owen’s caseworker is here. She needs to speak to you.”
A wave of unease crashed over Ellie as she followed him into Chief O’Neal’s office. Owen's caseworker, Maggie Lyons, stood in the center of the room with her hands on her hips. The older woman had graying brown hair, reading glasses on a chain around her neck, and a permanent furrow between her brows. Ellie and Maggie had always gotten along well, but judging from her scowl, Maggie was furious.
Roy bounced Owen on his knee, but his expression was grave. “This is a mistake, Maggie, and you know it.”
“What’s going on?” Ellie’s heart began to pound.
“It’s come to my attention there have been threatening incidents. I had to drive here for a full report.” Maggie’s tone was clipped. “Information that should have come from you.”