Chapter 92
“What are you doing?” Madison stared at Pete and the men next to them. She stepped in front of Miriam, as best she could. “What are you doing, Pete?”
Pete had a guilty look on his face. He had always been a grumpy old troll—from the moment she had met him, but she had never imagined he would be involved with whatever this was. “You’ve been stealing evidence? How long?”
“We don’t have time for the big long, villain-confessions, Madison,” the man beside Pete said. “I am here to retrieve a few things, to preserve some…family unity. Then we will be on our way.”
Well, Madison wasn’t that stupid. She and Miriam had come out of the back vault after searching for four cases on Major Crimes’s list. Only to see Pete and Newcomb overriding the security system in a way Madison knew was not legit.
For one thing, Pete didn’t have access. And that was not the badge that was used to get in here.
There were only three access badges, and they were red. That one was gray.
Newcomb didn’t have clearance. Not since he had been transferred. Only Madison had access to a list of those allowed in—and that list had been Haldyn’s before. Only Elliot Marshall had the ability to override that. “What are you doing in here?”
The man behind him definitely didn’t have the right.
Madison recognized him. He had been one of the men with Newcomb and Hamler and Stillman when they had invaded her lab after what had happened to Powell and Heather. “You need to tell me what you are doing in here, right now, and what that badge is.”
She didn’t like the way the younger man was just staring at Miriam. Or the way Miriam was on the verge of panicking.
“We are just…doing a bit of housekeeping.”
“Under whose authority?” Madison looked at the woman behind her. She shifted. Miriam was almost at the door. A few large steps sideways, and Miriam would be out in the hallway. “You really need to explain to me what is going on here.”
She looked at the younger man. At the blood…
Why was it always blood?
Whose blood?
“Pete? Tell me what’s going on.”
Another step toward Miriam. Miriam shifted instinctively toward the door. Her eyes met Madison’s. The fear in her face was something Madison would never forget. Another step.
Newcomb just stood there and smirked. Like he knew something. This man had always come across as almost invisible. Lazy. He never seemed to do anything.
So why was he in there with Pete?
Another step.
Madison reached behind Miriam. Her fingers wrapped around the lockbar.
She shoved it open, then knocked Miriam into the hall. “Go. Find…Dom. And send him to me.”
“No. She’s not going anywhere.” Newcomb grabbed Madison and yanked her close.
“Go! Run! Miriam, go!”
Miriam ran.
Madison knew this wasn’t right.
These men had no business in the vault. Madison stepped between them and the door. It didn’t do any good. The younger man ran out—after Miriam.
Madison screamed.
But Newcomb had her by the arm, and she couldn’t get away. “Let me go!”
“I’m afraid we can’t do that. Pete, shut the door.”
Pete did exactly as he was told. “I am sorry, Madison. I never wanted it to come to this.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I…I don’t know. I’m in too deep.” He looked at Newcomb. “I think we all are.”