Chapter Eight
––––––––
“H i, Cassie,” Ryder said, drawing her attention as Kerrigan closed the door behind them and took a chair off to the side of the room. “Doing okay?”
Oh, fantastic. “Yes.” Why was Tristan in here, and why had they called him in before her?
“Have a seat and we’ll get started.”
The only remaining chair was beside Tristan. She took it, crossing her ankles and placing her palms flat on her thighs to keep from fidgeting. Being so close to him while in front of management with her future on the line ratcheted her anxiety even higher.
“First off, we’re sorry you went through all this yesterday,” Callum said in his deep, commanding voice.
She had the utmost respect for all her bosses, but with him it was on another level.
As an elite Delta operator, he’d conducted high-risk capture and hostage rescue missions in the most dangerous places on earth.
The most recent one had been as a civilian when he’d gone into Afghanistan after the US withdrawal to pull out the woman who was now his wife.
“And we’re all glad you’re okay,” he added.
“Thanks.” She fought the urge to bounce her knee, wishing they’d just get down to it.
Was she at fault for anything or not? “Is there any update on the investigation on the shooters?” She hadn’t heard anything from the police, not that she’d really expected them to update her during their investigation.
“The suspect vehicles were all rented using a fake ID. We don’t have any information on the suspects themselves yet, but we’re working closely with all law-enforcement parties involved,” Walker said, his calm, unflappable demeanor easing the sharpest edge off her nerves.
She nodded, glanced between Callum and Ryder. Might as well come right out and ask. “I assume you’ve reviewed the dashcam footage. May I see it?”
“Yes, of course,” Callum said. “Walker, pull it up.”
The flat screen mounted on the far wall came to life, showing the video footage from her company vehicle’s dashcam. Walker hit play.
Cassie’s hands curled into fists on her thighs. She’d already given her statement and answered questions at the station. It wasn’t any easier the second time.
While she’d expected CPS to show her the dashcam footage, having to watch it over again in front of an audience that would determine her future was jarring. She’d been so preoccupied with driving and decision making when everything had gone down. Seeing it unfold like this was entirely different.
She swallowed when the two suspect vehicles appeared up ahead in the distance, muscles tightening. But for the life of her, she still didn’t see anything suspicious. Nothing that should have tipped her off to the imminent danger about to occur.
“When did you first realize there could potentially be a problem?” Ryder asked her.
“A few seconds after this. When the vehicle speeding up behind me got closer.”
Tristan shifted beside her in his seat, the leather creaking slightly as he leaned his body toward her in silent support. She drew in a slow breath, inhaling his clean scent.
While she wished he wasn’t here to witness any of this, she had to admit his presence made her feel slightly less alone and vulnerable.
“Can you walk us through your thought process for the rest of it?” Callum asked.
“Sure.”
The video showed her hammering the brakes as soon as she realized what was happening. She explained it step by step as best she could.
Watching the shooters emerge from the vehicles in front of her moments later was surreal. She took evasive maneuvers immediately.
Walker paused the feed. “What happened right here?”
“There’s a turnoff maybe fifty, sixty yards ahead on the left, between me and the other vehicles. I thought if I could get to it, I might be able to get past them on the sand, then jump back on the highway and make a run for it.”
All three nodded.
“What happens right after this?” Ryder asked.
She resisted the urge to shift in her seat.
She needed to stay calm and focused, keep projecting that professional image and not let them see how shaken she was.
“In a few seconds, you’ll see the rate of fire increase.
My view was completely obscured through both front and rear windshields.
I wasn’t sure what the attackers were armed with and didn’t know how much longer the glass would hold up.
If I moved any closer, I felt I was putting both of us at increased risk.
Sitting still was also a risk, but I knew backup was coming.
So I chose to make a stand, hoping to hold off the attackers for the few minutes it would take for Tristan and Ryder to arrive. ”
Walker continued the video. She sat stock still while the footage showed bullets slamming into the vehicle. The camera didn’t capture her getting out of the vehicle to respond, but it rocked slightly as she did with the shift in weight.
The microphone picked up the sound of her returning fire with her pistol. Then her shouting at Penny to stay put.
Walker paused the video. “I assume the rear safety locks weren’t engaged?”
“No.” This was bad. So, so bad, and she had no excuse. The locks engaged automatically as soon as the vehicle started moving. But the driver had to manually engage the safety locks to prevent a passenger from being able to open the doors from the inside.
It hadn’t even occurred to her to do so, although she wasn’t going to admit that out loud.
“I was already out of the vehicle on the opposite side from her, engaging the suspects and returning fire. I didn’t even notice her opening the passenger door, and by the time I did, she was already getting out. I couldn’t stop her.”
Walker nodded and hit play, giving no indication what he thought about her explanation.
Penny appeared briefly on screen off to the right, only to disappear from view a moment later. Because she’d been shot and mortally wounded.
More vehicles finally appeared to the north at the crest of the distant hill. The shooters rushed back into their vehicles and sped away. A second later, Cassie ran past the hood of the company SUV, weapon in hand.
“What’s happening here?” Walker asked in his calm voice.
She understood that they needed to have her answer verbally, to get everything on record officially. “I’m running to help Penny.” It was so damned sad and heart wrenching to think that if Penny had stayed inside for just another few seconds, she would still be alive.
In this case, that was what had made the difference between life and death. Four seconds. Maybe five.
Cassie swallowed. The video stopped.
“This next bit is from the other company vehicle dashcam,” Walker said.
It showed Tristan and Ryder arriving a little more than two minutes later.
Her shot-up SUV sat parked at a slight angle across the righthand lane with the driver’s and rear right passenger doors open.
The rear window was a mass of white shattered bullet impact sites.
Beside it, Cassie was on her knees crouched over Penny, performing CPR.
A moment later, Tristan appeared in the frame, racing toward her. Ryder followed a few paces behind him.
The video stopped. “Is there anything else you’d like to add?” Walker asked her.
Her mind raced. But she couldn’t think of anything else. “Only that I deeply regret what happened to Ms. Janec. And that I took what I thought was the best course of action at the time.”
Walker nodded and glanced to her left. “Tristan?”
“Nothing except that I don’t see any way Cassie could have foreseen or avoided the attack,” he answered.
“She was up against three shooters without any immediate backup and no way out. Cassie handled it exactly the way I would have. She did everything she could to protect Ms. Janec in the middle of an ambush, and the reason Ms. Janec died was because she disobeyed Cassie’s direct order to stay in the vehicle. ”
A thick silence followed as Callum looked at both Ryder and Walker. “All right, I think we’ve reviewed and discussed everything sufficiently,” he said, and the others nodded.
She couldn’t read their expressions. Had no clue what they were thinking or what was about to happen.
“Just to be clear,” Ryder said to her, “after reviewing all the footage and taking everyone’s statements into account, while some of your decisions during the attack were questionable—”
Oh, shit, here it came. Dread coiled in her stomach as she awaited her fate. Suspension? Termination? Legal action by Penny’s family?
“—the company does not find you in any way at fault for Ms. Janec’s death, and you are hereby cleared of any responsibility in the incident.”
As his words registered, she heaved a deep sigh of relief. Thank God . “So I’m not being terminated?”
“No,” Ryder answered, shaking his head for emphasis. “However, we feel it best that you take a leave of absence. Paid, of course. Kerrigan?”
Cassie bit back an automatic protest and looked over at Kerrigan.
“We’re suggesting a week’s leave, but that can be extended if you feel you need more time before returning to work,” the other woman said.
“The company will provide and pay for legal counsel should Ms. Janec’s family or estate pursue legal action.
And it will also provide you with any counseling or other mental health services you might need. ”
Nope. “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t need a paid leave or counseling.” Would a male agent take either in this situation? She doubted it.
Kerrigan blinked at her. “Ah.” She frowned slightly. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She didn’t want special treatment because of her gender and definitely didn’t want to appear weak to her coworkers. Word got around, not just within a group, but also the industry.
By now they would all know about yesterday’s incident. If she took time off and went to counseling, she was worried it would make them all view her as delicate or not strong enough to handle the dangers of the job.