Chapter 1 #2
"You've got a shadow." Paul's words stiffened her spine.
"Tina. Wait." McNite. She needed to get rid of him.
It sounded cliché, but it was quite literally a matter of national security.
If she and her team failed tonight, enemies of the United States would have gained access to sensitive military information.
Information that would spell trouble for all of America.
She spun to face him. "Look, I can't…"
"You're in trouble." He cut her off.
Taylor blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I don't know what is going to happen tonight, but my sources tell me that you are going to be the one to blame for it all." McNite squeezed the back of his neck. "And I couldn't let you continue without warning you."
McNite's voice changed, and it punched her in the gut. It couldn't be. Could it? "Kam," she whispered.
McNite gave her a slight nod. The noise around her faded away. For three years, she wouldn't give up the notion that Kam was alive, and now he stood here in front of her.
"Ertz." Paul's voice had reality smacking her in the face. "I've got a security personnel down. You need to get to the room now."
"I have to go. Please don't disappear." Taylor turned, but a hand grabbed her arm.
She swung back on instinct. Kam caught her shot and tucked her close to him.
"I like the new skills." He smirked.
She wiggled in his grip, which was firm but still gentle enough that he wasn't hurting her. "I'm coming with you."
In a move that she had been practicing with Paul, Taylor broke Kam's grip on her.
"No, you're not. I don't know who you are. Or how do you know about anything happening tonight. I have to go." The hurt on McNite's face made her want to believe him that he was Kam and that she could trust him. How her heart wanted it to be true, but she had a job to do tonight.
She ran as fast as her high heels would allow her.
She could feel him following her. She slipped into the women's bathroom.
She needed to change out of these shoes and dress.
Just as she had taken her shoes off, the bathroom plunged into darkness.
The other women in the restroom screamed.
Taylor abandoned her stashed bag and fled with the others into the dark hallway.
There were emergency lights on above the doors of the banquet hall, but the side hall she found herself in, it was hard to make out many figures.
She didn't have eyes on Kam or McNite or whoever he was, but she had a mission to do.
Her feet smacked against the carpet as she made her way to the back stairs.
She burst through the door, and the bang echoed through the dimly lit stairwell.
She hiked her dress up, removing her gun from its holster.
She held her gun in one hand and the extra fabric of her skirt in the other.
The cold metal of the stairs seeped into her feet with every step she took.
Senator Schulz was staying on the tenth floor.
She wouldn't have to go for a run after this.
The burn in her quads only pushed her harder.
She would not be the reason this person succeeded.
When she got to the door labeled ten, she peeked through the small window.
Davin insisted that they have a room on the end next to the stairs in case of an emergency.
There was no one in the hall, so Taylor eased open the door and stepped into the hall.
The door to the senator's room was open slightly.
She gently opened the door with her bare foot.
Inside the room was a mess. There was broken glass from a lamp and cushions from the small couch thrown across the room.
Taylor inched her way around the room, being careful not to get glass in her foot.
She cleared the bedroom and closet. The bed had been stripped, and the computer on the desk was smashed.
Whoever had done this wanted to leave plenty of chaos in their wake.
Taylor needed to check in with her team and some shoes. "VanKirk, you there?"
"What's your status?"
"I'm in the senator's room. It's been tossed. I'm not sure what or if anything was taken." Taylor took in the destruction around her and zeroed in on the computer. "I'm going to need my computer and some shoes."
"What happened to your—never mind. Secure the scene until I get there."
Taylor holstered her gun and made her way out the door.
"Police! Freeze!"
Taylor put her hands in the air. She had to decide quickly if she was going to break role or keep playing this game. "I'm FBI agent Taylor Ertz. This is an active crime scene. Identify yourself."
The man relaxed a bit. "Show me your ID."
"I don't have it on me." The gun went straight back to her center mass. "Listen. My team is coming up right now. You need to secure this floor. Whoever broke in here is only getting away faster the longer we argue."
"You are the only one I found on my way up here. So, unless you can produce an ID, I'm going to have to arrest you."
Taylor huffed.
"I'm only two floors down. Be there in two." Paul's voice flooded her body with relief.
"There is an agent on his way. He's going to come through the door behind me." Taylor hoped that Paul understood her silent message.
"FBI! Put the gun down." Paul stood behind her with his gun trained on the police officer. "Put. It. Down."
The man lowered his gun slowly and raised his hands. "I'm Officer Jones, SPD. We were instructed to clear all floors." Jones reached into his jacket pocket and produced a badge and ID. Senator Schulz had insisted on officers in plain clothes to be added to the extra security for the event.
Paul relaxed beside her. "Paul VanKirk, FBI." Paul showed his ID and badge. "We need to secure this floor."
Jones nodded his head. "Sorry about that."
"You were only doing your job." Taylor turned toward Paul. "I need to retrieve my bag."
Paul looked down at her bare feet. "And put some shoes on."
Taylor rolled her eyes. "You have no idea how difficult those things made walking, let alone running the stairs."
Paul chuckled, then sobered. "You go. I'll help Officer Jones secure the scene and start looking for evidence."
"We need to know what was taken. The computer was smashed, but I'm hoping that I can get enough off the hard drive."
"If anyone can do it, I know you can." Paul shoved her shoulder playfully. "Now go get yourself put back together. We've got a crime scene to process."
Halfway down the stairs, the lights came back on.
Taylor had failed tonight, but she needed to push that aside and figure out who broke into the senator's room.
Heading towards the bathroom, she scanned the hall for McNite.
He wasn't there. Another mystery she would need to solve, but first, shoes and some pants.