Page 23 of The Devoted Game
Oh yeah, theright thing. “You mean the way the Bureau did three years ago when I got the boot?”
Worth nodded, his expression smug. “You see, that’s the thing that gives us pause, McBride.” He tapped the folder on his desk. “No one has anything to gain by proving what a hero you are or that the Bureau made a mistake three years ago. No one, exceptyou. Don’t you find that ironic?”
Yeah, that term just kept popping up lately. Apparently, Fate had a hell of a sense of humor.
Time to cut the crap.
“Here’s the deal, Worth.” Ryan nailed him with a look that warned there would be no negotiations. “This unsub hasn’t left me a choice, so I’ll do whatever I have to. Your boys can be on standby to provide whatever backup I need, but the only agent I’ll work with is Grace. That’s my deal, take it or leave it.”
The stare-off lasted all of five seconds.
Worth leaned forward. “Let me just get this one thing out of the way,” he said, his tone seething. “I don’t like you, McBride. You’re all about flash and dazzle and breaking the rules. Well, I’m real happy that worked for you for a while, but the fact of the matter is, that’s exactly why you’re where you are now and I’m where I’m at.”
He reclined into his chair once more and released a big breath. “That aside, we’ll play this your way for a little while. Agent Grace will provide support for you until further notice. But don’t think you’re going to go all Dirty Harry on me. I’m still in charge. You will report to me. The decisions made on this case will be a team effort, no exceptions.”
Ryan leaned forward this time, stared straight into his eyes with cold, unflinching conviction. “But the final vote will be mine. Since,” he added with an extra shot of sarcasm, “we’re playing this my way for a while.”
Worth didn’t cave immediately, at least he didn’t say the words. But Ryan knew he’d won. He knew exactly how the Bureau felt about him before Worth had given his little speech. There wasn’t an agent on active duty, including Grace, that Ryan could trust. But she was a rookie, and a woman; he would take his chances with her. He might be rusty, but he wasn’t a fool. He understood where his strengths lay.
“The final vote is yours,” Worth agreed.
Vivian had had enough. “Don’t I have a say in this?”
The attention of both men swiveled her way. Until that moment she had felt as if she weren’t even in the room.
“Do you have a question about your orders, Agent Grace?” Worth leveled a look on her that said she should not try playing hardball with him.
She hesitated but didn’t back down. “Yes, I do. What voice do I have in this? I’m supposed to do whatever McBride says?” She glanced at him, didn’t dare linger. Putting up with him for the day was one thing, but if she was going to be working with him for an unknown period of time, she wanted clear boundaries. The man had absolutely no respect for the concept, and bottom line, he kept her on edge—constantly. There was absolutely no way to gauge what his reactions were going to be in a given situation. Kidding herself would be stupid.
Before Worth could respond to that part of her question, she went on, “It’s been three years since McBride was on active duty. A lot has changed. I need clearance to ensure that current procedures and protocols are followed.” That he was staring at her made her want to fidget, but she defied the impulse. She wasn’t backing down. Not on this.
“That goes without saying, Grace,” Worth said, his tone subtly reprimanding. “Both of you”—he looked from her to McBride and back—“will be expected to follow the rules. These circumstances aren’t an excuse to do otherwise. Until we get this guy, we have a somewhat unique situation, but that situation does not”—he sent a pointed look at McBride—“I repeat, does not, give either of you carte blanche for ignoring authority.”
McBride got up, sent another glance in Vivian’s direction that she couldn’t ignore. “I’ll be outside.”
Startled that he would just walk out, she prepared to follow him. Dammit. Every time she pushed back, he made her afraid she had gone too far. With this unsub threatening more challenges—victims, in other words—McBride’s cooperation could become even more essential.
How did she keep him in line while staying on his good side? She was reasonably sure of the option he would prefer, but he could forgetabout it. She wasn’t putting her career on the line for him. Going up against Worth initially had been for Alyssa Byrne, not for Ryan McBride.
A thin, jagged line—one she would just have to find a way to walk.
“We need a minute, Grace,” Worth said, waylaying her. “Close the door.”
A new kind of tension shuffled through her. She closed the door and returned to stand in front of the SAC’s desk. Sitting was out of the question. It was all she could do to prevent her foot from tapping impatiently. She needed to get out there and smooth things over with McBride. But first, she was apparently going to have to hear about questioning Worth’s orders in McBride’s presence. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time she had stepped on his toes in the six months she had been assigned to the Birmingham office. Not exactly the best way to further her career. She knew this, but her determination and ambition always got in the way of her humility and, oftentimes, her good sense.
A less-than-stellar performance evaluation wouldn’t look good when she came up for reassignment or promotion.
“Yes, sir?” That he had let her stand there and stew had her nerves jangling.
“First, just so you know, Alyssa Byrne is fine. The doctors found no indication of harm or abuse. She was sedated, but the drug utilized was safe for pediatric use. So far, she doesn’t remember anything after getting out of the car at school.”
“Could that be from the drug?” Memory loss was a common occurrence after prolonged sedation, like during surgery. They might never have a description of her abductor—even if the child had gotten a look at the unsub.
“That’s a possibility.” He released a long, beleaguered sigh, signaling that he was ready to move on to the real reason he had asked her to stay. “I’m going to let your disrespect in questioning my orders slide this time considering what you’re dealing with.”
She experienced some amount of relief, yet at the same time she felt just a tad guilty for condoning with her silence what sounded likea cut-down of McBride. He had come to Birmingham with her and helped rescue that little girl. But neither guilt nor appreciation could get in the way of doing this right. If he got out of control and things went wrong, it would be her career on the line. She wasn’t going to let that happen. The Bureau was her life. She wasn’t risking all she had worked for. Requesting clear boundaries had been necessary.
“Thank you, sir. I honestly meant no disrespect, it’s just that—”