Page 84 of Missing Justice

She turned and Taylor squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for Rosalind to see Matt behind the door and scream.

“No, I told you,” she said, “this one is special. I handpicked her out of several children who fit your exact parameters. Her parents come from very elite stock. Like I promise every client, she is your perfect child.”

Stock?Were people cattle now?

Rosalind’s footsteps faded, her voice growing distant as she went back down the hall toward the front door. A moment later, the door squeaked once more and Taylor heard the click of it closing.

No way.

No. Frickin’. Way!

She hadn’t seen Matt.

She hadn’t realized Taylor was under her desk.

Taylor shook from head to toe. She couldn’t even push the chair out of the way to crawl out from under the desk.

This was why she shunned undercover work and stayed safe in her Bureau cubicle.

“It’s safe,” Matt said. “You can come out now. She’s gone.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Taylor murmured, kicking the chair away. She climbed out on shaky legs and found Matt holding out a hand to help her up.

Ignoring it, she stood on her own, locking her knees. “What the hell did we just do?”

“Avoid an uncomfortable confrontation?”

He smirked and Taylor wanted to slap him.

What was this man doing to her?

“We shouldn’t be here.” She pushed past him, every cell in her body screaming for her to run. “I need air.”

“Taylor.” Matt reached for her, but she blew him off, beelining for the front door.

After making sure no one was around, she hustled outside, her pulse erratic and her head a mess. Matt’s footsteps pounded behind her.

He didn’t say anything else, just followed silently behind her. At his car, she planted her hands on the hood and tried to catch her breath.

“So that was fun,” he said, leaning next to her. “What were you taking pictures of in that folder?”

“Fun?” She shook her head and ground her teeth. “We almost got caught. We’re lucky we’re not on our way to jail right now.”

“Eh.” Matt shrugged, staring at the apartment. “Grey would’ve bailed us out.”

Jesus! How could he be so flippant about all of this? “Working undercover is one thing. This is a horse of an entirely different color, Matt. This is criminal.”

“Sometimes to get to the truth, we have to color outside the horse’s lines.”

Every step of the way, you’ve broken protocol on this case…Meredith’s words rang in her head. Taylor pushed off the hood and balled her fists. “I can’t be this person, Matt. I’m sorry. I want to solve this case, but I can’t do it this way.”

A humorous frown passed over his features. “Did you not feel that? The rush. The nudge in your gut that you’re onto something that’ll crack this case wide open?”

It had been a rush all right. That didn’t make it okay. “Are you nuts?”

Matt boosted himself off the car and took one of her hands. “Look, we’re after a killer here, and maybe a child abductor. With the press shining a light on this case, and the FBI rushing to find someone to prosecute, we may have to bend a few rules to make sure justice is served. I thought you understood that and were on board with it.”

Taylor blew out a breath, kicked at a rock. “I thought I was, too, but this is completely new territory for me. I’m one of the good guys, remember? You, Grey, and the others—you’re used to doing things more…creatively. I may push a few boundaries here and there, but I don’t break laws, Matt.”