Page 30 of Nails

“Fine.You’ve got yourself a deal.”He stood up and looked at Russell.“I’ll have all the files sent over to you this evening.”

“I’ll be expecting them,” Russell replied with a slight smirk, which made Riley want to laugh.

Then, without another word, Agent Pullman made his exit, slamming the door on his way out.

Once they knew he was out of the building, Russell looked at Riley.She could tell he was worried about her.

“Be honest with me.Are you okay with all of this?”

Surprisingly, she was.That was because she knew she was doing the right thing.

“Yeah.I’m good.Thanks for having my back.”

“I’ll always have your back,” he said, giving her a warm smile.

“I appreciate that.So, what’s next in this little operation?”

Russell leaned back.“As soon as I get the files from Pullman, I’ll forward them to you so you can start looking over everything and get familiar with the investigation as it stands.Then, tomorrow evening, you and I will head up to Virginia Beach because Monday morning, you’ll be meeting with the team that you’ll be working with.”

Riley sat up, confusion written all over her face.“Wait a second.There is already a meeting scheduled?”

Russell nodded, a grin slowly appearing on his lips.

Riley crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, looking at her boss.“How did you know that I would agree to this?”

Russell laughed and gave his shoulder a slight shrug.“Because I know you, Riley.You’ve got a fire in you that doesn’t burn out, especially when people are in danger.”

She relaxed back in the chair.He wasn’t wrong.After all, she took an oath to protect the people of this country.

“If we are really doing this, then we are going all in.I’m not just looking for Anna.If there’s a ring operating out of that club, I want the whole damn thing taken down.”

A flicker of pride crossed Russell’s face.“That’s why we asked you.”

“So, who is this team that we’re meeting with?”she asked.

“I honestly don’t know.All I know is that President Evans himself requested them.”

Riley’s eyes widened.“Wow!”Now she was really curious.

If the President of the United States had pulled strings to assign this specific team, then they weren’t just experienced; they had to be among the best of the best.

Whoever they were, she was trusting them with her life.And come Monday morning, she’d find out exactly who was stepping into the fire with her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Riley sat in the passenger seat of Russell’s government-issued SUV as they made their way into Virginia Beach.

For the last hour, she’d been flipping through documents related to the case, trying to absorb everything she could before morning.

She was also trying not to criticize Russell’s driving.Not only did the man have a lead foot, but Riley swore he thought tailgating was a sport.He followed the car in front so closely, she was half-tempted to roll down the window and introduce herself to the driver in front, since Russell clearly wanted to be in their back seat.

“You do realize you just sighed for the third time in five minutes, right?”Russell glanced at her, smirking.“Is that imaginary brake pedal holding up okay over there?”

“It’s holding up better than my ability to pretend I’m not terrified right now,” she muttered with her foot pressing firmly into the floorboard.Her muscles were starting to cramp because she was so tense.

Russell laughed.“It’s called defensive driving.Plus, I’ve been driving since you were in pigtails.You worry too much.”

“Pigtails?”she scoffed.“You’re like twelve years older than me, not fifty.And no offense, but defensive driving doesn’t mean braking three inches from someone’s bumper and hoping for the best.”