Page 37 of Winter’s Heart (Three of Hearts #1)

He already knew Nikki was en route—she’d phoned him using Russell’s cell—but he wished she were here to see this.

It might go some way to compensate for everything they’d been through.

He couldn’t wait to hear how the director justified his team’s actions.

How was he going to explain away what’d happened to Nikki and himself?

“I have only been informed of Supervisory Special Agent Linstead team’s…

behavior, in the past few hours.” The Director tapped a finger distractedly on the small table at the end of the hospital bed, perhaps the only sign that he might be unsettled by what he had to say.

“I was under the impression that Linstead and his team were on protection duty, keeping you safe from a direct and immediate threat.”

Which was only half right, Jacob thought. But he merely lifted his chin, indicating that Studeb?cker should continue.

“What I didn’t realize was that Linstead had an ulterior motive.

Linstead asked for this mission personally, which perhaps should’ve raised a red flag.

But at the time no one bothered to question him.

” Studeb?cker looked out the window for a second before collecting himself.

“He was supposed to keep Dr. Winter under house guard and make sure she remained safe so that he could then escort her to the Supreme Court in Oslo to testify. The first I heard that this hadn’t occurred was when the media reported a hundred or so people had converged on your home and shots were fired in the street.

” Studeb?cker focused his intense gaze on Jacob, and Jacob wondered how it must’ve felt, those initial few seconds when the director knew something had gone terribly wrong with one of his operations.

Had his stomach tied in knots and had he slammed his fist down on his deck in anger?

Nothing showed on the director’s expressionless face, however, and Jacob was left to admire the man’s steely reserve.

“I’m very sorry you were hurt. The doctors tell me you will recover given time, and for that I’m extremely glad.

But I want to reiterate, Linstead was working outside of our normal parameters, and his team were not privy to that fact.

They were just following his orders, and they thought this was another ordinary mission. ”

Hmm, that was as Jacob had suspected, but it still didn’t give him half the answers he needed.

He knew the squad would’ve just been obeying commands, but he also thought that Miller had a hunch something was off as well.

Perhaps not enough of a hunch to question Linstead’s authority, but given enough time she might have come to her senses.

“What’s going to happen to Linstead?” Jacob asked.

“I can’t tell you specifics.” The director continued to stare blandly at Jacob. “There will be disciplinary action.”

“Can you give me any sign as to why he was ‘working outside the normal parameters’ then?”

The director paused, pursing his lips. “This doesn’t leave the room,” he said finally. “You’re a cop, I’m sure you understand what it means when I tell you that something is off the record.”

Jacob nodded and leaned forward.

“Linstead has an uncle who is a state senator. I won’t reveal which state. This senator has a vested interest in seeing that the Chinese fish company does not lose its farming lease. Needless to say, we will investigate him for fraud, collusion and maybe even treason, among other things.”

Jacob leaned back against his pillow. Wow, okay, that was unexpected.

But perhaps not as shocking as the director might imagine.

Jacob and Nikki had discussed the many options for the driving force behind her testimony being blocked by the FBI, and extortion or bribery by an outside party had definitely been one scenario on the table.

Jacob opened his mouth to ask for more details on this shady senator, like was he also linked to the attempt on Nikki’s life and the murder of her two colleagues?

And was he the one who’d ordered the assassinations?

But knew it would be futile. The director had given him all the information he was prepared to pass on right now.

Instead, he said, “Can I ask a personal favor?”

Studeb?cker raised a single eyebrow in inquiry.

“That you are lenient with Agent Miller?” The director lowered his eyebrows, but said nothing.

“She was the only person with any integrity in this whole debacle,” Jacob continued.

“She was following orders from a senior officer who she had no cause to doubt. I believe she trusted she was carrying out a sanctioned mission, and I don’t think she should be punished for that.

” As were all the other agents, but then he hadn’t got to know them at all and so didn’t feel he needed to ask for clemency for them as well.

“I’ll take your comments under review,” the director replied after a moment’s contemplation.

“But I also need to consider that she let a hoard of unarmed private citizens overpower her, failed to keep a witness under her protection from escaping, and then discharged her weapon, wounding an innocent man. None of those things are up to the standards our agents have a sworn duty to uphold.”

Jacob blew out a breath. When Studeb?cker put it like that, it didn’t look good for Miller. “She’s a good agent,” Jacob said, hoping the director would take his assessment into account.

“Get well soon, Inspector Utsi.” The director turned on his heel, and the three men disappeared out of the room as quickly and silently as they’d entered.

Jacob dropped his shoulders as he eased back into the pillow, his mind spinning with all the permutations of what Studeb?cker had revealed.

He wondered about the ramifications of everything that’d gone down.

The mere fact that the director of the FBI had paid him a personal visit suggested just how much in the shit the agency might be.

At least it answered one question. The reason they hadn’t been taken to a safe house when they’d first arrived in Seattle was now clear.

Linstead would’ve been able to keep his mission directives within the confines of his small team that way.

If they’d used a safe house, there would’ve been a high possibility of Linstead’s antics getting back to his superiors, and someone might conceivably have stopped him.

A nurse came in ten minutes later to check his vitals, breaking him out of his spiraling thoughts.

This time Jacob accepted her offer of stronger drugs, but only after she effectively called him an idiot for trying to be a hero and tough it out when she realized his pain levels were increasing.

She was probably right, and he could hear a trace of Nikki’s tone in the nurse’s gruff voice, and knew she would’ve said the same thing.

Where was Nikki? Why was she taking so long?

He missed her; he needed her here beside him, just to know that she was unharmed, and whole.

And his. It didn’t shock him as much as it should have to realize how much he needed her.

It was as if she carried the missing piece of his heart that he’d never been aware was absent until now.

The nurse departed, leaving him alone, restless, and a little desperate.

The drugs took effect, and he could feel his eyelids getting heavy.

No, he needed to stay awake; she was coming.

He shook his head, hoping to clear it, and then suddenly, there she was, standing at the foot of his bed like an angel descended from heaven.

He hadn’t even heard her come in. Russell poked his head around the door, gave a quick thumbs up and then retreated, but Jacob barely registered his presence; he only had eyes for Nikki.

“Jacob, I’ve been so worried. Is your leg…?” Her eyes filled with tears as she studied the thick bandages covering his thigh.

“I’m okay. Come here.” He opened his arms, and she rushed to him, kissing him hard on the mouth before burying her face in his neck, but keeping away from his injured side.

They stayed like that for moments uncounted as Jacob drew her in; her warmth, her physical presence, her smell, the feel of her slim shoulders beneath his palms, her rapidly beating heart, which was slowing to a more normal rate as he held her.

She was here, and she was fine. And now he would be fine too.

At last she lifted her head, scrubbing at her wet cheeks, pulling back so she could look him in the eye. “Russell kept telling me you were okay, but I had to see for myself. I can’t believe you did that. You tackled an armed FBI agent to the ground.”

By way of an answer, he used his thumb to lightly brush away the last of her tears, savoring the feel of her soft skin along her high cheekbones, staring into the blue depths of her eyes.

“I was protecting you,” he replied.

She looked at him long and hard, and he could practically hear the cogs whirring inside her brain as she debated how to answer him.

Was she going to be angry because he’d risked everything for her?

Or was she feeling guilty that she’d got away unscathed because he’d put his life on the line for her?

Or was she sad, regretting that he’d been wounded and that their perfect escape plan hadn’t worked out so perfectly in the end?

He thought he saw all of those emotions and more flit over her face, but eventually, she said, “Thank you,” and he grinned, grateful that she’d chosen to honor his sacrifice, instead of condemn him, as she so easily could have.

He was sure she’d have plenty more to say on the topic; he could read it behind her eyes, but for now they were both alive and in one piece, and that was all that mattered.