Burn Every Bridge (FBI Series: Strike Team East #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Something felt wrong.

Kara couldn't pinpoint what it was—just a prickle at the base of her skull, the kind of instinct that had kept her alive through eight years on the NYPD and a year working for the FBI.

Everything looked normal. The morning crowd was a mix of suited executives grabbing coffee on their way into the office, a couple of NYU students hunched over computers, and a trio of forty-something women who looked like they'd just finished a yoga class.

The espresso machine hissed and gurgled behind the counter, while the barista called out orders in a steady rhythm.

Outside the window, the January sky was gray, with foreboding clouds pressing down on the city.

"Honestly, Kara, I don't know how anyone survives on three hours of sleep," Jess said, drawing Kara's attention back to the phone. "Lily was up every two hours last night, and Brad somehow slept through all of it."

Kara smiled despite the unease crawling up her spine. "Despite sounding tired, Jess, you also sound happy."

"I am. I just can't stop staring at my beautiful baby.

My old life as a cop seems very far away.

Now I'm a realtor and a mom. How things have changed!

But let's talk about your life changes. I can't believe you're already moving on to a special elite FBI team.

It's very impressive, even for an overachiever like you. "

"I'm excited to work for a smaller team that can move fast and without so much oversight," she admitted.

"Well, you were the smartest cop I ever worked with."

"Not everyone shared your opinion."

"Because they put loyalty above integrity, but that's all behind you now."

"Thank God! Hang on. I need to order." She lowered her phone as she ordered her usual coffee and then stepped aside to wait for her coffee.

It was crowded in the café, especially at this end of the counter, and a woman in a very expensive, tight-fitting black suit gave her a dark look as she encroached on her space, immediately moving away.

She put her phone back to her ear. "I'm back."

"So, what's your first case going to be?" Jess asked.

"Not sure yet. I'm eager to find out. The agents I've met so far seem impressive, and my new boss, Jason Colter, even more so. He came from a very successful elite team run out of LA, and he's modeling this team on that one. That unit has had tremendous success, so fingers crossed."

"It sounds great, and I think the team is lucky to have you."

Jess had always been a great cheerleader.

They'd partnered together for two years until Jess got married and pregnant.

Their lives were very different now, but if there was one person she could always count on to be in her corner, it was Jess.

At the sound of a baby's cry, she said, "I think Lily is awake. "

"And hungry. I'd better go."

"Give that sweet baby a kiss for me."

"I will."

As Kara slipped her phone into the outer pocket of her crossbody bag, the woman in the suit moved to the counter to get her drink, only to collide with a middle-aged man, who splashed his coffee, heavily laden with whipped cream, onto her sleeve.

She gasped in dismay, anger flaring in her eyes. "Watch where you're going."

"Sorry," the man muttered. "I didn't see you. Uh, do you need a napkin or something?"

"Just get out of my way." The woman grabbed her coffee from the counter, along with a pile of napkins, and headed toward the restroom.

The man shrugged and left. As he moved through the door, another man entered.

Wearing black jeans and a black wool coat over a gray sweater, he appeared to be in his mid-thirties and had wavy, dark-brown hair and a very attractive face.

His confident gaze swept the room for a long minute.

Then he frowned and left. He must have been looking for someone.

She couldn't imagine anyone standing that guy up.

Hearing her name called, she turned her attention away from the door and picked up her coffee. She took one sip and sighed in pleasure. Her morning coffee always tasted great, and the caffeine kick got her ready for the day.

As she stepped outside and onto the sidewalk, the world suddenly exploded behind her, a blast of heat throwing her to the ground. She landed hard, the concrete slamming into her palms and knees as glass and debris rained down on her head.

For a moment, there was nothing but white noise, the taste of copper in her mouth, and mind-spinning confusion.

Then the screaming started.

She forced her eyes open. Smoke poured from the shattered windows of Brew & Mortar, thick and black, and through the haze she could see flames licking at the counter, spreading fast. People stumbled out to the sidewalk, coughing and bleeding.

She needed to get up, to move, to help.

She pushed herself to her feet, her legs shaking, but determination gave her strength. As she moved through the open space where the door had been, the smoke was worse than she'd expected, choking and hot, burning her throat with every breath.

A table had overturned near the entrance, trapping a young woman. Her face was streaked with blood.

"Can you move?" She dropped to her knees, already assessing the situation. The girl was conscious but disoriented.

"I—I think so—" the girl stuttered.

She shoved the table aside, then pulled the girl to her feet and helped her outside, running into the good-looking man who had come into the café, then left.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

"There are more people in there," she returned as he moved past her.

There were a dozen or so people in the street, some bleeding, some burned, everyone dazed and terrified. Thankfully, fire engines and ambulances were arriving. She handed the girl off to a paramedic and then turned to go back into the building, but a firefighter blocked her way.

"We've got this," he told her.

As they went into the burning structure, the man she'd seen before came out of the smoke, his arm around a barista, who was crying but didn't appear to be too badly hurt.

Feeling helpless, she looked around the scene, wondering how she could best help, but before she could move, a firefighter ran down the sidewalk toward her. When she saw her Uncle Danny, wearing his turnout gear and chief's hat, his warm brown eyes filled with concern, she almost lost it.

"Kara? Were you inside?" he asked in shock.

"I'd just left," she said, pulling herself together.

"You're hurt. You're bleeding."

"It's nothing."

He ignored her comment, flagging down a paramedic. "She needs to get checked out," he ordered.

"I said I'm fine." But even as she protested, she could feel the sting of cuts on her hands, the ache in her shoulder, the pain in her knees from where she'd hit the ground.

The paramedic had her sit down on the curb while her uncle went back to work on the fire.

"Any trouble breathing? Dizziness? Ringing in your ears?" the paramedic asked as she checked her blood pressure and oxygen levels.

"No. Yes. A little." Kara let the paramedic work, too tired to argue, and her gaze drifting back to the café.

Brew & Mortar was a disaster. The windows were blown out, smoke was still pouring from the interior, and while the fire was easing now, it had destroyed the interior in only a few minutes.

As her gaze moved away from the building, she noted that the street had been cordoned off, with police cruisers blocking traffic, and a growing crowd of onlookers pressed against the barriers.

She scanned the crowd for the man in the wool coat, but she didn't see him anywhere.

She didn't really know why she was looking for him.

Although it was strange that he'd entered the café, left quickly, then returned after the explosion.

It probably meant nothing. It was just her years of investigative training making her suspicious of any action that seemed out of sync.

"Your oxygen levels are good," the paramedic said. "But you should go to the hospital, get checked out properly—"

"I'm fine. Please help the others. I'm okay."

As the paramedic left, she got to her feet, feeling more aches and pains now that the adrenaline surge was wearing off. Her throat felt dry and raw, but she was lucky not to be more seriously injured. She'd seen a few people loaded into ambulances who hadn't looked very good.

Pulling her phone from her bag, which was thankfully still hanging around her neck, she called her boss.

"Colter," he said crisply.

"Jason, it's Kara," she said, her voice shakier than she'd expected.

"You don't sound good. What's going on?"

"There was an explosion in a café by the courthouse. I was just leaving when it happened."

"Are you injured?"

"No, but there are casualties, at least a dozen. I'm going to stay here and see what I can find out, if that's okay with you. I don't know if it was a gas line or a bomb, but it's bad."

"Call me back when you know more."

"I will." As she put her phone away, she saw the firefighters beginning to shut down as the fire was basically out. Since the urgency of the scene had diminished, she moved down the street to speak to her uncle.

Danny Reid gave her a sharp look. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I told you I was. Do you know what happened?"

"There appeared to be an explosive device in a trash can outside the door to the restroom."

His words confirmed her suspicions. "I had a feeling, but I was hoping it was an accident. Are there any fatalities?"

"One woman was in critical condition. She was pulled from the restroom. A few others with burns, but it could have been worse. Fortunately, the explosive was limited in range." He paused. "Is this incident tied to a case you're working on?"

"No. I just stopped in for coffee."

"You were lucky, Kara. I almost had a heart attack when I saw you." He shook his head, his lips tight.

She put a hand on his arm, seeing the concern in his brown eyes and knowing that it came from a promise he'd made her father a very long time ago. "I'm fine, Uncle Danny."