Page 59 of The Devoted Game

Dear Foolish FBI,

If McBride gets on that plane, there will be no clues for the next victim. Are you prepared to take responsibility for that, Agent Worth?

The mistake is yours to make. As it is, you have made far too many.

Devoted Fan

“I don’t know how,” Worth said, the fury kindling once more, “but this guy is watching us. Watching you. We can’t afford to trivialize his threat.”

Ryan tossed the email on the table. “We need to focus on finding a connection between the two victims. Devoted Fan talked about Katherine Jones and atonement,obliviouswas written on her forehead. He mentioned Byrne’s mistake and a stiff price to pay. His daughter was marked with the wordinnocent. There has to be a link here that we’re missing.”

“Agent Schaffer was working on that,” he said, reminding Ryan that Schaffer was headed to Florida. “I’ll put Talley on it in her stead.”

Ryan shook his head. “We need Aldridge.” He held up a hand when Worth would have tried to argue. “He made a mistake, you can deal with that later. Right now, I need experience on this, and from what I’ve seen, he’s the most experienced agent you’ve got. This isn’t about leadership skills; this is about instinct. We need him.”

With some reluctance, Worth said, “All right.” He reached back into his file folder for another document, then slid the page down the table to McBride. “Also, the director has authorized me to temporarily reinstate you for the purpose of sorting out this case. If all goes well, you may be looking atpermanentreinstatement. Second chances don’t come along every day, McBride. Don’t blow it off.”

Ryan stared at the directive that transformed him from a civilian to a federal employee again—with one stroke of the director’s pen. For a year after the termination he had waited for exactly this. For the Bureau to recognize the mistake they had made. For the opportunity to have his old life back.

Now he had it.

The expected euphoria didn’t materialize.

Because it was too late.

He wasn’t that man anymore. There was no going back.

That he had succeeded in finding the first two victims in this case was only because the time allotted had been inordinately generous and the clues provided practically a dead giveaway. And because he’d had Grace backing him up. If this got more complicated, he would be useless. Setting himself up for that kind of fall would truly be amajor step backward. Something he had promised himself before walking in here that he wouldn’t allow to happen. Bottom line: He was a coward. The idea of putting himself on the line like this scared the hell out of him.

Yet refusing would make him far worse than a coward.

If he tried and failed, that was bad. If he refused to try at all and someone died, that was unforgivable no matter how low he had fallen or how stupid it appeared to make him.

As much as he wanted to walk out of here and pretend this had nothing to do with him ... he couldn’t. Some honorable gene he hadn’t succeeded in completely corrupting with alcohol evidently still functioned.

And all this time he had been certain he had succeeded in eliminating all traits belonging to the man he used to be.

“Can we count on you, Agent McBride, to see this through?”

Agent McBride.

“I need a smoke.”

Ryan left the directive he would have given most anything to have been offered two years ago lying on the conference table and walked out. He passed the others waiting in the corridor. Grace started to speak to him, but he just kept moving. She didn’t attempt to follow him as he headed for the stairwell. He needed a few minutes alone outside the confining walls of this place.

By the time he hit the lobby, he had the Marlboro between his lips and was ready to push out the front entrance and fire it up.

“I don’t think you want to go out there, sir,” the guard called after him.

And he was right.

The media clowns were still out there. He had forgotten about the dozens of reporters, the news vans with their satellites and drones ... the cameras. All poised to get a shot or a sound bite for their networks.

Nope, he definitely couldn’t go out there.

He turned back to the guard. “Is there a men’s room on this floor?”

The guard nodded, pointed to a side corridor near the stairwell door. “But you can’t light up in there either.” He made a face as if he didn’t like the rule himself. “Smoke detectors are too sensitive.”