Killshadow Road. Пола Грейвс

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СКАЧАТЬ exact, a woman who now claimed that someone in her own agency had targeted her for murder and nearly succeeded.

      “Bloody hell,” he murmured, dropping onto the sofa in his study and sinking into the comfortable cushions, his mind racing a mile a minute.

      His first instinct, he realized with some surprise, was to call Alexander Quinn. Only a few years back, his instinct would have been quite the opposite.

      The trill of his cell phone sent a jangle of nerves jarring their way up his spine. He grabbed the phone from the nearby desk and shook his head as he saw the name on the display. “What is it, Quinn?”

      “I’ve received notice of an APB out for an FBI agent suspected of aiding and abetting a domestic terrorist group.”

      Darcy went still. “And you’re telling me this because?”

      “We know her. From Kaziristan.”

      There had been only one female FBI agent in the legat in Tablis. “McKenna Rigsby?”

      “That’s the one.”

      “Aiding and abetting a domestic terrorist group how?”

      “The information I received didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.” Quinn’s voice deepened. “She attended that law enforcement conference the Blue Ridge Infantry infiltrated a few months ago. Maybe they had more people on the inside than we realized at the time.”

      “And you’re telling me all of this now because?”

      “Because the last time anyone saw her, she was crossing Killshadow Road, about a mile from your place.”

      Darcy tightened his grip on the phone, his skin prickling with alarm. She was spotted so near? It must have been a recent sighting. Searchers were probably close by.

      Would they want to search his place?

      “I haven’t seen her since Kaziristan,” he lied. “And I doubt she’d care to see me again, considering how strained our acquaintance had become by the time we parted ways.”

      “You never told me what happened.”

      “No, I didn’t.”

      “You will contact me if you spot her?” Quinn asked.

      “You’re first on my speed dial.”

      If Quinn noticed his reply was hardly an affirmative answer, he didn’t respond. In fact, he said nothing else before he disconnected the call.

      Darcy released a pent-up breath and set the phone on the desk as he rose and crossed to the window. Killshadow Road was the only regular road leading into this part of the woods. Gravel and dirt roads branched off the paved road for a stretch of five or six miles, some leading to occupied cabins, while others ended in grown-over plots of land where cabins had once stood.

      Back during the boom period for the area, when the Smoky Mountains became a tourist destination for people in the southeastern United States, entrepreneurs had tried to capitalize on the desire for short-term mountain living, and tourist cabins and resorts had begun to dot the landscape for miles just outside the national park’s perimeter. Some of those resorts had thrived, especially those easily accessed from the interstate and major highways.

      Others, like Purgatory, Tennessee, had never caught the imagination of the tourists.

      It was a shame, Darcy thought, because there was a lot to recommend the little town in the middle of nowhere.

      “Was that Quinn on the phone?”

      The sound of McKenna’s faint voice sent a little thrill of awareness rushing up his spine to spread like tingles through his brain. He turned and saw, with dismay, that she was as pale as a winter sky and barely upright, leaning against the door frame.

      He crossed quickly to her side and wrapped his arm around her waist, taking care to avoid the site of her wounds. “What are you doing out of bed?”

      “He told you, didn’t he?” Her breath warmed his neck and stirred the hair behind his ear, sending a different sort of tingle coursing through him. He ignored the bad timing of his libido and helped her back to the bedroom.

      “If you mean he told me you’re wanted by the FBI, then yes. He did.”

      She slumped back against the pillows, looking defeated. “You told him I’m here. Didn’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

      He tucked the covers up around her. “I didn’t. I should have, God knows. But I don’t think he wanted to know.”

      Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

      “If Quinn wanted to know if you were here, he’d have stopped by to see for himself. Instead, he wanted to get me some information I needed, in case you were here.”

      “That’s ridiculously convoluted,” she muttered.

      “That’s Quinn.” He smoothed the blanket beside her. “He believes you’re being railroaded. And he wants me to do anything possible to protect you.”

      She levered herself upward to a half-sitting position, grimacing. “What do you believe?”

      “I believe you’re in trouble.”

      Her eyes narrowed, and he saw his halfhearted answer had struck a blow. She looked away and finished sitting up. “I can go.” She plucked at the hem of the borrowed shirt. “Can I keep the tee? My sweater is a loss.”

      He closed his hands over her arms, holding her in place when she started to edge toward the other side of the bed. “Don’t be stupid.”

      “Don’t be insulting.” She shook off his hands.

      “I don’t think you’ve hooked up with a domestic terror group.”

      “Wow, thanks for that vote of confidence.”

      “But I know how little you care for the rules if you think they’ll stop you from getting the outcome you want.” He kept his tone gentle, though there was an edge of bitterness he couldn’t quite keep out of his voice.

      “And I know how piously you worship them,” she shot back.

      “We had to follow the evacuation protocols.”

      “And Cameron died!” Her voice rose to a point before dropping to a hoarse half whisper. “He died because we left him behind.”

      He pushed down a surge of guilt and kept his voice as even as he dared. “I know that. I never, ever forget that.”

      “We could’ve—” Her voice broke, and he knew she was thinking the same thing he was. If they’d stayed to save Cameron from the fire, they’d have died, too. That part of the embassy had collapsed seconds after they cleared the area. Lingering one minute more would have been certain death for all three of them.

      “No, we couldn’t. And I know you’ll never forgive me for pulling you out of there. I can live with that.” He СКАЧАТЬ