Perilous Pursuit. Kathleen Tailer

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       TWO

      Mackenzie dared another glance behind her and opened the door to the local office of the US Marshals. As she entered the building, she wasn’t sure if she was being watched or not. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had their eyes on her and was paying attention to her every move, despite the presence of Jake Riley, who followed just a few steps behind. Last night she had stayed at the hotel suggested by Jake, but she had been truly surprised at the change in his attitude, which seemed to have gotten distinctly frostier once she’d mentioned the documentary. He’d turned into an iceberg in two minutes flat, and arriving to pick her up this morning, he hadn’t said more than a handful of words to her or even met her eye.

      She shouldn’t really have been surprised at his behavior. As a kid, she had done her best to garner Jake’s interest, but he had largely ignored her. Nothing had changed. Sure, they were both adults now, but it was painfully obvious that he still found her to be a nuisance. His distaste for her seemed even worse than when she had been following him around as a teenager. She didn’t know what she had done to offend him so, but at this point, she didn’t want to dwell on it. She had moved on years ago.

      Maybe she was just being too sensitive. She hadn’t slept very well last night. The feel of the man’s gun under her chin was still too real, and the entire experience from yesterday still had her nerves on edge. But life had to go on, and she had two meetings in this office today—one with Jake Riley to look at mug shots, if he still wanted her to do so, and one with the chief to go over her action plan and start the wheels turning on her video project. As she expected, Jake Riley disappeared soon after their arrival at the building, so she asked for the chief at the front desk and was soon ushered back into a small conference room.

      J.T. Austin, Chief Deputy US Marshal, came in with a warm smile and his hand out, ready to shake. He was a large man who exuded authority, with a tough-as-nails appearance. Yet his smile was genuine, and Mackenzie felt instantly at ease, incredibly glad that he was more receptive to her project than Jake Riley was. She stood to greet him and then sat back down and pulled out her portfolio.

      “I’m so glad we’re going to be working together, Chief Austin. I’ve heard great things about your unit and its amazing closure rate. You must have a truly excellent team.”

      “We do indeed,” Austin agreed.

      The door opened and Jake Riley reappeared. Mackenzie smiled at him but was met with a scowl. He still refused to meet her eye.

      “I believe you already know Deputy Marshal Riley,” Austin intoned.

      Mackenzie was a bit flustered by Jake’s icy expression, but she took it in stride. “Yes, he actually saved my life last night. A couple of men broke into my apartment and held me at gunpoint, but Deputy Marshal Riley scared them off before they could do any serious damage.”

      Austin raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

      He leaned back as Jake took a seat at the conference table. “Looks like you were in the right place at the right time, Jake.” He smiled. “Mackenzie Weaver is the videographer we are working with to create our documentary. We’d been keeping the project under wraps until we worked out all the details, but now that we have a contract in place, we’re ready to move forward. Ms. Weaver is making a one-hour special that will be broadcast on one of the biggest networks in the country. It should bring the agency some wonderful exposure from a media standpoint and may even help us with our budget requests. The more the legislature knows about what we do and how we do it, the better likelihood we have of getting properly funded. This movie is really important to us and will make a big impact. It’s good to have her.” He turned to Mackenzie. “Ms. Weaver, I’ve assigned you to Jake and his team so you can make your documentary. He’ll be showing you the ropes and answering your questions as you go through the filming process.”

      Mackenzie expelled a breath, hoping her disappointment didn’t show. She’d hoped Chief Austin had been planning to assist her personally, especially after Jake’s negative comments the night before. She dared another glance at Jake and was still surprised at his frigid expression. He obviously didn’t want to be working with her. The question was, why? Had she said or done something last night to turn him off or insult him? Did he still think of her as a lovesick tomboy from high school? She needed his cooperation for this film to become a success. She decided to put her best foot forward and let her professionalism shine. “I’m so pleased to be working with you, Deputy.”

      Austin stood. “I’ll leave you two to get to work. Ms. Weaver, if you need anything, my office СКАЧАТЬ