Page 31 of Girl Betrayed

“I’m glad she made a friend there.”

But Dr. Dvita was quick to dash Dana’s relief. “I don’t know that Max is the kind of friend Claire should have. It’s my understanding they bonded over the similarities of their troubled pasts.”

“Troubled? Is he someone we should be worried about?”

“Isn’t there always something to worry about, Dr. Gray?”

Dana watched Dr. Dvita walk out her front door, leaving her with the chill from the brisk morning and his parting words.

22

Green case foldersfanned across the lackluster steel counter, each one encapsulating the end of a life. Jake didn’t bother glancing at them. He’d already found what he’d come for. Dana was right. His trip to the morgue didn’t make him feel better.

Seeing the cold slab of flesh didn’t make Jake feel anything at all.

He didn’t know what he’d expected.

Absolution from his guilt?

Satisfaction that Norton Hayes was no longer breathing?

Whatever Jake had been hoping to find eluded him.

But still, he stood before the open drawer unable to pull himself away. The temperature-controlled unit hissed its protest, spilling chilled air into the cavernous space. Jake couldn’t tear his gaze away from the mangled corpse of the man who’d taken so much from him.

The brutal lacerations across Hayes’ throat should’ve evoked some kind of emotion from Jake, but they didn’t.

Maybe it’d finally happened. The job had fully desensitized him.

Jake was contemplating his profession when the peaceful inner sanctuary of the D.C. Medical Examiner’s office was rudely interrupted.

“Shepard! Do you have any idea the shitstorm you just caused me?”

“Hi Jenks, I see you got my message.”

“Don’t give me that attitude! I just got pulled out of a meeting with the DOJ so I could talk down the Chief ME who was convinced ‘my guy’was making threats.”

Jake waved off her accusation. “I wouldn’t call them threats. More like stern suggestions.”

“Shep, this isn’t a joke. I told you to back off this case loud and clear. I need you to hear me.”

Jake dropped his nonchalant act. “No, I needyouto hearme. I know you think I can’t handle this case because Hayes is the reason my team came home in pine boxes, but I would’ve hoped I’ve proven myself to you over the years.”

“Yes, Jake. Threatening your way into the morgue to feed your sadistic vendetta against Hayes has given me the utmost faith that you canhandlethis.”

“I needed to see for myself.”

“Jake. I get it. I have my demons, too. I’m sorry you weren’t the one who got to slay this dragon, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing is going to bring back the men you lost. I know you know that, and the only thing you’re proving right now is that I was right to keep you out of this in the first place.”

Jake laughed. “If you think I’m going to back off now that this bastard has tangled Claire and Dana in his web of self-serving bullshit you haven’t been paying attention.”

“No, Jake. You’re the one not paying attention. I’ve told you from the beginning that this one is out of our league. Today that was made official.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why do you think I was meeting with the DOJ?”

“They’re taking over?”