Page 6 of Storm and Tempest (Brand of Justice #13)

His phone chimed in his pocket as he walked past Maizie’s lab, but it was the verse of the day from his Bible app. Something about giving the Lord the first fruits.

He didn’t see Maizie at her desk, so he sent her a text.

Are you at work?

The bubbles that indicated she was typing popped up, then disappeared.

He got irritated waiting for her to reply and went to find his boss. The Assistant Director in Charge was directly above Jax and reported to the Director of the FBI. If he was here, then there was a serious problem.

Jax knocked. “Sir?”

“Come in.”

Jax could tell the guy seldom used this office.

There were no personal items on the desk, except for a steaming cup of coffee and a half-eaten donut on a paper towel.

The top of the sideboard was empty, with one drawer slightly open.

And a painting that was fit for a low-budget hotel room hung on the wall.

He’d had seen better artwork at the big box store.

At least Jax’s office looked the part.

Assistant Director in Charge Hadley slid his suit jacket on the back of his chair so the lapels were on either side of his head. “Take a seat, Oliver.”

“Everything okay, sir?”

“The director and I met with the president recently, and he filled me in on some things. Experiences you had in the United Kingdom that might have had a more lasting effect on you than anyone realized.” Before Jax could ask what that was supposed to mean, his boss said, “Have you met with the department psychologist since your wife left you?”

“She went missing. Sir, she was kidnapped by a dangerous group.” He explained how Ramon had been stunned and the men who took Kenna from the area outside the silo, right after her debrief by Special Agent Herron, had been agents of a dark organization.

“I’ve only started to scratch the surface of what happened.

I need a lot more resources if I’m going to get to the bottom of what’s going on. ”

Kenna’s team were hot on the trail, working the case.

Jax was here, relegated to being reprimanded by his boss while they did the job he wanted to be doing right now.

But no, being a fed had saved his life so many times. Doing his job was what would get her back, not running off chasing random leads with no backup.

“Right.” ADIC Hadley linked his fingers together on the top of the desk.

“Everything the president told me was quite sensational, but really only speaks to the delusion he’s under about shaking things up.

Clearing the swamp, or whatever he ran on.

I mean, does he really think there’s some kind of grand conspiracy going on in the whole world?

The man should just worry about this country.

The one he’s supposed to be the president of.

Everyone on the planet isn’t under his jurisdiction, no matter what people might think.

Other countries will take care of their own business. ”

“Sir—”

“I’m not finished. What I’m saying is, just worry about what’s in your jurisdiction.

You were put in charge of this office. Now’s the time to act in accordance with your position.

That means not using more Bureau resources than necessary to look for your wife.

An investigation is one thing, and I’d be right where you are if it was me.

But you can’t have most of the agents in this office and half the technicians and analysts in the place working on finding your wife.

There are other cases to solve. Got me?”

“Yes, sir.” This guy disagreed with the president, and he was making this visit about politics instead of it being about the case Jax was working.

But Hadley was right that Jax’s people had other cases to work.

He couldn’t pull everyone off what they were supposed to be working on just to find Kenna.

As much as he might want to do exactly that.

Jax continued, “I should give the team updated assignments. That way they know what they’re supposed to be working on.”

“Right. That brings me to that consultant of yours. The one you gave access to our entire system.”

“Maizie is excellent at her job.”

“That’s part of the problem, I’m afraid. A couple of the agents are questioning her now, trying to find out who has been worming their way through our computer system. She’s the most recent hire, so she’s first.”

“She’s being interviewed?” He was technically her guardian, but she was also an adult. And no one here knew she was his adopted daughter. “Does she have representation?”

“Why would she need that?”

Jax had to act like the dutiful agent. Not just because it kept him from descending back into the darkness of addiction, but also because that was what everyone around him expected. “Sir, if you’ll excuse me?—”

“You’re going to jeopardize your career on a wife who may not be who you think she is, and a consultant?”

Jax nearly said yes. But the last thing he could do was burn it all down and walk away. No matter how much he might want to.

“Take a few days,” the ADIC said. “I’ll cover for you here at the office and keep things running while you get your head straight. That work for you?”

As if Jax could say no.