the director of the NCS. I’ve delivered some flash drives to a dead drop at the hospital when I’m making my visiting rounds. It’s why she read me in about her undercover work with NCS.” But he never thought she was trying to train him for anything. She did offer him a lot of extra tutelage in her behavior analysis classes, but he thought she was simply passionate about the field of study.
Beverly shook her head. “That’s not why I read you in, Joe. I told you about Kendra and Audrey because you were useful as an asset, not because I was having a crisis of faith.”
The way Beverly said the last three words made him wonder if she’d ever believed or if she’d used his faith as a way to manipulate him into doing what she wanted.
“I was aware of your analyst background and that you already knew Kendra,” she continued. “It was a long shot that Kendra would secure Audrey’s research without a mandate, although I hoped. I was preparing you as an asset to go help her. My class curriculum was geared toward what you’d need to know to stand up against Masked.”
She’d only wanted to train him for a mission? Was that the real reason she’d wanted him in her classes? “And what if I say no?” He wasn’t a puppet.
She crossed her arms and leaned back, a sure sign Beverly knew she had the upper hand. “Do I have to remind you who shot that man today? You have the freedom to say no, but you’d be putting your own life, that of your congregants, Kendra and I, and anyone else who gets near you, in danger if the Pirate isn’t stopped.”
Joe’s stomach flipped. He hated the thought of taking a life, but he’d only done so to spare Kendra. Beverly knew as much. She was, after all, the expert in behavior analysis. She knew he wouldn’t stand for putting anyone in danger if he could help it.
Beverly nodded, as if she saw the agreement on his face before he’d felt it. “Don’t trust anyone else in the FBI or any of the other law-enforcement agencies. There are ears everywhere. I have to disappear now. Please, do what I ask. If you fail, we’ll never get to finish this conversation.”
“Because we’ll all be dead. Yes, we get the picture,” Joe stated.
A beeping sounded from across the room. Beverly spun and walked to the computer against the wall and clicked on the monitor. “I apparently didn’t remove the gunman’s phone battery fast enough. They’ve already tracked it to here.” She groaned. “I’m getting too old for this.”
“Are you sure they haven’t been tracking your phone?” Kendra asked.
Beverly’s smile could only be described as condescending. She reached underneath the desk and pulled out a stuffed backpack. A hat and glasses were tossed Kendra’s way. “Put those on and get out of here. I’m assuming you have some covers prepared. Use them. Do you your best to keep your identity hidden.” She handed Joe a hat, along with a pack of three driver’s licenses, all with his photograph and fake names on them and a stack of Visa gift cards.
He stared at his image. “You really have been preparing to send me.”
“Keep her safe, Joe.”
“I’ll do my best.” Despite the gnawing feeling that he’d been handled, he knew the right thing to do was help Kendra.
“With all due respect, I’m the special agent. I’m pretty sure I’ll be keeping him safe,” Kendra snapped. Her cheeks flushed as if she’d just realized she’d spoken aloud.
“I’ll let you two recount who saved who,” Beverly said. The monitor beeped again. Two cars on two different camera angles appeared on the screen. “Take the back exit now.”
“What about you?” Kendra asked, her voice rising.
“Worry about yourself. They’re coming. Go!”
Never before had Kendra felt so belittled and confused, and that was saying something since she’d been through the FBI Academy. No time for logical explanations or discussions. No, of course not. Instead, one interaction with her spy birth mother, and Kendra found herself running for her life.
She followed Joe, as he ascended the stairs by only taking every other step, since he knew the house layout best. He waited for her at the top before opening the door. “As long as it’s still clear, we head for the back door. There are bushes on each side—not a good safety feature for a normal person—”
“Joe, there’s no time to be analyzing the security for—”
“Right. Our visitors will probably be drawn to the front and side entrances. As long as they’re not at the back yet, we make a run for the neighbor’s house. It’s empty. I noticed the foreclosure sign when we approached. You can pick a lock, right?”
“Yes, but I don’t always carry a lock-picking set.”
He raised an eyebrow as if in disbelief.
“Fine. I brought one with me today, but I really don’t carry it at all times.” Truth was, if she hadn’t interacted with the professor at the classroom, she’d planned to investigate the town house before leaving. Not exactly legal, but she’d justified the possibility since she had potential evidence that her birth mother was tampering with her federal investigations by providing anonymous tips. Now, there was no need. Beverly had admitted as much.
“Unlock the back for us next door, and we can hide in there until the coast is clear enough to make it to my car.”
Kendra was used to calling the shots when working with a partner, but Joe seemed ready to take the reins. Showing her the way out of the house was one thing, but planning out the mission was another. “My rental car makes more sense. We can ditch it before there’s any need to track it, and I didn’t use my real name to rent it. If it stays at the college campus it’ll draw attention, especially given the shooting investigation, and lead to my identity being discovered faster.”
Beverly poked her head around the bottom of the staircase. “Go already. The back is clear!”
“I forgot she had cameras there, too.” Joe pressed the open button on the keypad and they burst through the door, down a long hallway lined with tall windows covered in green roller shades, through a kitchen that still held a woodstove and old-fashioned refrigerator. If they had the time Kendra would’ve wanted to soak in the feeling of being in the early 1900s. Joe led them through the dining room and hovered at the back doorknob.
They each took a window on either side. “It’s clear over here,” she whispered, in case the men had already entered the house. “Are you sure Beverly has another way out of this place?”
“I know her well enough to know she always has a backup plan.” Joe put a finger to his lips before he opened the door. She followed him into the sticky air. The so-called bushes he’d referred to were, in reality, five-foot-tall weeds. They ran through the rest of the wild grasses and around the second house.
“Keep watch.” Kendra slipped out her government-issued steel picks and made short work of the flimsy back-door lock. Joe poked his head around the corner of the house, watching for anyone coming their way. The door squeaked when she pulled on the doorknob, but they slipped inside the weathered blue house
