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Chapter Sixteen

“S o, you moved from Salt Lake City to Denver, huh?” Kenna glanced at Miller as they walked in the rear entrance of the FBI building from the parking lot.

“Wasn’t that much of a stretch. This is a bigger office, and they had an open spot.”

“You like it here?”

Miller shrugged. “My dad is in a rest home in Colorado Springs, so I can see him more.”

“That’s nice.”

Miller smiled, shaking his head. “Don’t act like it’s so surprising that I can be nice.”

“Sure? Wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation here. Who do they think you are? The tough guy? The funny one?”

“They think I’m a guy who worked with you, so I should know everything about whatever case you’re workin’.”

“Sorry.”

He led her to the desk where she’d have to check in. “For making me famous?” He snorted. “Don’t worry about it.”

She handed over the correct ID and signed all the papers, taking a second to text Jax so he’d know she had entered an FBI office—just in case someone contacted him about it.

“Are those cops you told me about coming?”

Kenna backed out of the text thread with Jax and took a look at her message to Langford. “They’re here.”

“Great. Let’s go meet them at the front.” He led her through a maze of hallways to the lobby, where she spotted Davis and Langford.

Kenna lifted her hand and waved so they’d see her.

“Kenna.” Davis nodded.

“This is Special Agent Miller, Detectives Langford and Davis.” She couldn’t rush the afternoon, or someone would realize why she was so eager to get to drinks with Roxanne.

Still, the time it would take them to go through all the details of the case and make some determinations meant there was plenty of time for Ramon and Bruce to scope out the bar. And for Maizie to find any other locations that might be places for them to check out.

Miller took them to a conference room a few floors up. “We can chat in here.”

An aide asked if they wanted coffee, which Kenna would never say no to, then disappeared.

There was something about being in an FBI office that smelled and sounded the same as the one she’d worked at in Salt Lake City. In an odd way, any FBI office anywhere in the country would always feel at least a little bit like home.

Or like an old friend who had stabbed you in the back, but you still had to see them.

Or both.

“Kenna, you good?”

She glanced over her shoulder at Miller. “Never better.”

Langford didn’t buy it. “Where are your friends?”

Miller glanced at her.

She motioned between herself and Miller with one finger. “Our former boss is back at the house, where they’re going to start digging up victims.”

Davis looked like he was going to be sick just hearing about it.

“And your teenage friend and the Hispanic guy?”

Kenna shrugged. “They probably went out to lunch.”

Langford definitely didn’t buy that.

Best to distract them all with evidence. “I have photos of a man who was in the building’s lower level when we searched it.” She explained about the explosion but not that Bruce unplugging all the equipment is what likely caused it. “I’ll send them to you.”

Miller said, “I’ll grab my laptop. We can pass the image to forensics, and they can run it. See who he is.”

While he had his head bent to the laptop, she looked at Langford and Davis and mouthed, Did you find anything on the QR code?

“Special Agent Miller, we’ll need to read you in on the specifics of a related case,” Langford said. “We believe they might be connected. It’s why we’re here.”

Davis said, “We had two parties in custody who were integral to our understanding of the case. Both were killed earlier today in completely unrelated incidents.”

Kenna’s stomach flipped over. “Sally and Will? They’re dead?”

Davis nodded. “She choked to death while eating. Evidently, it wasn’t noted that she is allergic to sunflower oil. He was stabbed almost as soon as he arrived at county lockup.”

“That’s unbelievable.” Kenna took a sip of her coffee, wondering who could have the juice to pull something like that off, then realizing she knew exactly who could’ve done it.

Yes, they definitely needed to talk to Roxanne.

The operation, if it had been happening in that house, had been completely cleared out. All except for that one victim—the fail-safe.

Proof of the horrors that were being committed.

A way to rub it in their faces.

Someone didn’t want the authorities to find out anything.

Langford said, “Not only that, but the QR code that we believe connects the source to their customer base was a dead end. We ran it through our system and got back nothing. A dead link.”

Kenna had to get all that information so she could have Maizie run it but couldn’t say that aloud in this meeting.

Miller asked, “A QR code? Was it tattooed on someone?”

Kenna turned to him. “You’ve heard of it?”

“We have an open case that’s been driving everyone crazy. No leads. No movement. Nothing. I’ll get the lead agent in here to brief you so we can figure out if this is connected.” He seemed energized by the prospect, but she would be as well if she was still an agent and someone had dropped a major case in her lap.

Kenna sat with her coffee while they exchanged case information. Jax had replied, telling her not to let Miller get to her. She asked him if his mom and sister were still in town.

Not that she wanted to be rid of them, but the fewer targets nearby who could be used to get to her, the better.

Her phone rang, and Jax’s name appeared.

She heard Davis say, “Taskforce,” right before she answered it. “Hey.” She kept her voice low and stepped out of the room. “What’s up?”

“Easier to tell you than type it all out.”

“They’re still here?”

“Yeah, and I called my dad to see if he’d convince them to get on a plane and go home, and he said not to worry about them. That he’d already made the necessary arrangements to keep them safe.”

“Like flight plans?”

“I don’t think so,” he said. “Dad told me not to worry about them. That he’s ensured they won’t be harmed.”

Across the room, Stairns stepped off the elevator. He lifted his chin to her and motioned to the boss’s office. She nodded, then focused back on her call with Jax. “Did he make the same arrangement with you? Because that could come in handy.”

“I have no idea. Maybe he thinks I should handle myself.”

“Or you have FBI protection and a way to reach the president.”

“I didn’t tell him that part.” Jax sighed. “I pressed him about who he made the arrangement with and how he knew about them, but he just shut down. Told me to stop asking questions.”

“At least it’s one less thing for us to worry about,” she said.

“Even if it’s not reassuring?”

“Just check in with them. Make sure they are good.”

“I’m coming up there on Friday.”

That was only a few days from now. Not so much time in reality, and yet it felt like an expansive stretch that would last forever.

“I’d like that.” Even if part of his visit was to ensure the safety of his mom and sister. “I’m sure the guys have a spot for you to crash in their rig.”

“I’ll find my own space, but thanks.”

She chuckled. “Right, back to work.”

“I’ll check with my dad later, see if he’ll tell me anything else. You stay safe.”

“I’m uninjured, and no life-changing things have happened all day. Just normal case stuff with explosions and bodies. So…the usual.”

“Well, it’s still early.”

She grinned. “Love you.”

“That’s never gonna get old. And I love you, too.”

“I know.” She hung up and headed back into the conference room. “Did you choose a name for the taskforce yet?”

Davis sat back in his chair. “Ultimate Thunder. I always thought that would be a good taskforce name.”

Langford rolled her eyes.

Miller said, “Banbury Fallout.”

Langford chuckled, bringing Davis along for the ride.

“Real funny.” Kenna folded her arms, refusing to admit it wasn’t bad. Not that she especially wanted a taskforce named after her. But it could be cool. “Banbury Thunder it is.”

Langford had her laptop open. “Oh, I just got a notification. We got an ID on the man in the hospital bed from your photo.”

Kenna would have to explain the man’s condition and the extent of what had been done to him because she hadn’t included it in the images. “Who was he?”

“Ian Whistleborough. Fifty-two, reportedly in great physical condition. A lifelong athlete. He went missing a month ago. The wife didn’t report it right away because it wasn’t unusual. He goes on ‘trips.’”

Kenna said, “The kind booked via QR code?”

“Or a few days in Thailand. Among other places.” Langford scrolled on her mousepad. “She detailed it all in the report, figuring it would be helpful information for the police to have.”

Davis said, “She mentioned credit card charges for escort services.”

“Classy guy,” Miller commented.

Kenna said, “No one deserves to end up like that. No matter what they’ve done.”

Miller glanced at her. “Pretty sure that’s why you’re the one that goes after victims and I’m the one who takes down the bad guys.”

“That means both our jobs are valid.”

He stared at her, not agreeing out loud but also not disputing what she’d said.

“Your girlfriend is part of this.” Kenna couldn’t regret it or question it. She’d already said it. “I wasn’t going to tell you. I’d have just quietly taken care of her tonight. But she is an agent for the bad guys here.”

“You’re serious.”

Kenna nodded.

“Part of this…organ harvesting? Mass murder?”

“Trying to keep their operation secret.”

Miller looked like he wanted to throw his computer across the room. “And I’m how she keeps tabs on law enforcement? I’d like to see some proof of that.”

“If she is guilty, do you want me to kill her for you?” Maybe she didn’t always agree with Ramon on everything, but it turned out that in some situations, she was Ramon.

The two detectives glanced at her.

“Kidding.” Mostly. “We should question her first. She knows a whole lot more about this situation than we do.”

“Because she’s—What did you say?—an agent?”

Kenna said, “Yes.”

“I’m supposed to just take your word for that?”

She almost responded.

“Don’t bother. It’s probably true.”

“Sorry.” Kenna dialed Maizie’s number, leaving Miller to process the news and the detectives to discuss the case.

“Banbury Investiga—oh, it’s you. We’re fine. We got back to the campsite, and we’re working.”

“Copy that,” Kenna said. “Can you send me everything you have on Roxanne?” She explained about Miller.

“Are you serious?”

A voice rumbled in the background of the call, then Maizie said, “I’ll tell you in a second.”

“Send it to my email.”

Maizie said, “You got it, boss. Anything else?”

“Find out if Carlton Hadley is still at the hospital. I might want Bruce to sit on him. Just in case.”

“Is he in danger?”

“If he is, let’s make sure he’s protected when something happens.”

“Got it.”

Kenna turned away, speaking low. “And run a cross reference between Jax’s dad, any companies he owns or has dealings with, and the ‘company’ financials.”

“Oh, uh. Okay.”

“See if anything pops.”

“Got it.”

“Thanks, Maze.” She hung up.

The worst thing she could find was proof Jax’s dad had been involved with these people, but the more information they had to work with, the better. Jax could help his dad get out from under their thumb—and so could she if she worked the case.

If she brought her brand of justice to it.