Shadows and Light: The Complete Series, page 73
“Special Agent McNeil,” he said, and shook Steve’s hand. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“My office.”
Mac walked around to the back of Lexie’s desk and placed his hand on her chair. “Up.”
“I think I’ll wait here, if you don’t mind.”
“Now, Lexie, and for God’s sake, cooperate.” He pinned her with another hard, almost hateful glare. “I’m on my last nerve.”
She couldn’t help but notice the curious, judging stares from everyone in the office. Shock and embarrassment spiked through her. Not knowing what else to do, she followed Steve toward his office.
The instant she cleared her desk, the agents with Mac moved on it like piranhas to a stab of meat. “Wait, that’s my computer. What the hell are you doing?”
Mac grabbed her elbow and practically shoved her into Steve’s small office. Steve closed the glass door, but Lexie had no problem seeing what was happening to her work space. She swung around and slammed her hand into Mac’s chest. “This isn’t funny, Mac. What the hell are you doing here?”
He grabbed hold of her wrists. “I’m going to release you and then you are going to sit. Got it?”
Every impulse in her screamed to tell the arrogant buffoon to go to hell, but whatever was going on, he wasn’t playing. This was Special Agent McNeil in full bad-ass mode.
Yanking her hands free, she sat down and placed them in her lap. She used every ounce of energy to control her emotions. Something horrible was about to happen that scared her to her toes, but the damn man in front of her wasn’t going to know what this was doing to her.
Steve cleared his throat. “Okay, McNeil, start explaining.”
“This morning, one of your drones was stolen from the test facility.”
“We’re all aware of that. What does that have to do with Lexie?”
“Hours later, that same drone fired a missile into Senator Ramirez’s home.”
Steve gasped. “I heard there was an explosion and wondered if it was connected to the missing drone. We haven’t been briefed yet. The top floor has been shutdown tight since I got in this morning. Again, what does any of this have to do with Lexie?”
Lexie could feel the heat of Mac’s glare and kept her eyes on her lap. The air around her filled with dread. It was if she were smack in the middle of a train wreck and she couldn’t move to get out of the way.
“The drone was launched from this office.”
Lexie shot up from the chair, her eyes darting toward her desk. No, not possible! Mac’s next words blasted her life to shreds.
“And it’s being controlled from Lexie’s workstation.”
Chapter Six
Lexie’s eyes blurred with unshed tears as she dug her nails into her palm. Taking a shaky breath, she held it for a count of ten, then let it out slowly. The panic didn’t subside but rose into her throat, choking her. This wasn’t the first time she was scared to death. All she had to do was stay focused until she had a chance to run.
As she scanned the area beyond the glass walls of the conference room, her heart sank. Never in her life had she been this lost, alone, and had so much to lose.
After the security team had escorted her out of her building, Mac had opened a back door to an SUV and nodded for her to get in. He’d slammed the door and walked away. That had been six hours ago.
Gabriel! What would happen to him if she couldn’t find her way out of this mess?
“Mrs. Trevena, are you all right? Do you need a break?”
Lexie rose from the chair and wiped her hands down the side of her skirt as she paced in front of the large window. The female agent who removed Gabriel from the bank during the robbery several days ago leaned against the wall by the entrance to the conference room. The man questioning her sat at the head of the conference table. Agent Díaz. Lexie hated the man on sight.
After a quick glance at her watch, she placed an arm around her middle. She was going to be sick. God, don’t let me be sick.
For hours, Agent Díaz had drilled one question after another, and with each question, she shoved the panic down, answering the best she could until her voice grew raw. Her answers were not what they wanted to hear, and no matter how many times she told the agents she had nothing to do with the drone attack, they kept asking her the same questions over and over again.
Lexie yanked out the clip holding the chignon at her neck and ran a shaky hand through the long strands of hair. Where was Mac?
“I don’t need a break. I need to go home, Agent Díaz. I have a two-year-old, Gabriel, and he’s never spent a night away from me.”
“I understand that, Mrs. Trevena. I told you that your son,” he glanced down at the tablet in front of him, “is with your neighbor, a Cole Guzman. He’s fine. You, on the other hand, are in a whole lot of trouble. Again, you need to start cooperating with us.”
“And again, I didn’t launch that damn drone from my computer at work. I wouldn’t even know how to do that, for God’s sake. It is beyond me how your tech person can think I would do something that horrific. I can’t tell you what I don’t know, Agent Díaz. For the hundredth time, I had nothing to do with the drone attack. I like Senator Ramirez and even voted for the man. Why would I want to—”
“Money. Greed. People do all kinds of things for a buck.”
“Well, not this people. I. Didn’t. Do. It.”
“You still haven’t explained how the large deposit just appeared in your account last night.”
“Because I don’t know how it got there.”
Díaz flipped through the photos on the table and chose an ATM surveillance photo of Lexie. “We have proof to the contrary. This is you, right?”
She glanced at the photo. “Yes.”
“If you didn’t access your ATM account last night, then how do you explain this? Check the time stamp. What were you doing? Checking to make sure the deposit was made?”
The time of midnight was stamped in the right-hand corner of the photo. “I couldn’t be there because I was asleep by ten on the floor next to Gabriel’s bed. That’s what you do when your child has the flu.”
“The photo tells another story.”
“I can’t explain any of this. I don’t know who deposited $50,000 into my account.” She crumpled the photo in her fist. “Ask me as many times as you want, but I will not change my answer to fit what you want to hear.”
She tossed the wad back on the table and dropped into the chair. “Where are Mac and Jason McNeil? They’ll tell you I’m not the kind of person … that I couldn’t have done this …”
Lexie didn’t have a clue which straw just broke her, but the dam holding back her emotions split wide open. Covering her face with both hands, she tried to hide the tears. She couldn’t stop them or keep her shoulders from shaking as sobs consumed her.
The damn bastards. God, how she hated everything to do with the FBI.
Hate. Concentrate on the hate.
Agent Díaz slid a box of Kleenex across the table and handed her a bottle of water. Without glancing at him, she tugged several tissues from the box and covered her eyes. Again she tried to calm her breathing. Choking back a sob, she took a sip of water, then whispered, “If I’m not under arrest, then let me go. I want to go home to my son―Special Agent Rico Trevena’s son. This,” she said, spreading her hands out in front of her, “would never be happening if he were alive. Rico wouldn’t let you treat me like this.” Her voice came out in a pathetic whine, but she didn’t give a damn anymore.
“Mrs. Trevena, I had enough evidence to book you hours ago. It’s because you are Rico’s widow that I haven’t.”
He paused and studied her for what seemed like a lifetime. She studied him right back. He was tense, leaning forward, his features harsh, but she got the impression that he believed her, even felt a measure of compassion for what he was putting her through. Agent Díaz may be able to pull off that jackass FBI exterior, but his eyes told another story. They occasionally softened, revealing the real man.
He turned a page in the file he held in his hand. “Tell me again about the loan application.”
So, the one person she was hoping against hope could get her out of the mess was the person who nailed the last spike into her coffin. Mac must have overheard the bank officer deny her loan request.
Better to look like a completely paranoid mom than sit across the table from Agent Díaz one more hour.
“It was a loan request. I needed the money, but I didn’t have the salary to support that amount, end of story. I went home and took care of my sick son, the same child who spit up all over your bank robber. Oh, and that’s right, the bank robber I took down for you. I didn’t go home and morph into a drone-killing assassin because I was turned down for a damn loan.”
“No one takes out a loan for that kind of money without having a damn good reason. If it was just a loan, no big deal, then why ask for it?”
Lexie clamped her hands together, again digging her nails into her palm. If she didn’t explain why she needed the money, they would keep her here until they broke her completely. Rico had told her how this game was played. Focusing on the vent above the door, she imagined an invisible wall surrounding her soul. Maybe Mac didn’t pound the last nail after all.
“You know all about me by now.” She nodded to the file. “You also know that I didn’t give birth to my son.” A tear slid down Lexie’s cheek and she brushed it away as she lowered her eyes back to the table. Another stupid moment revealed for the world to witness.
“A week ago, I received an email from the lawyer who handled the adoption paperwork. Gabriel’s mother is back in the country, and she requested a meeting.” Lexie held her hands so tightly, her fingers were losing feeling. “I can’t lose my son. I’m the only parent he knows, and even though I didn’t give birth to him, he’s mine.” She peered through her eyelashes at the agent. “You can understand that, right?”
The only response was a slight nod of his head.
“I went to see a lawyer, just in case Gabriel’s mother wants custody. You’ll find his card in my wallet if you don’t believe me. He told me a custody battle would cost a small fortune.”
Agent Díaz flipped through another page in the file. “You have a large sum of money.”
“That’s Gabriel’s money from his birth mother. She couldn’t raise Rico’s son, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t help support him. I took the money and set up a trust fund in Gabriel’s name. I won’t use it to raise him. He’s my son, my responsibility. And before you ask, I didn’t whore myself out and betray my country to pay for a custody lawsuit that hasn’t even been filed yet.”
“Is there a lawsuit in the works?”
She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. “No. The fear is all in my head, Agent Díaz. The email didn’t even imply that Gabriel’s mother wanted custody. I couldn’t sleep worrying about what could happen, so I wanted to see what I had available if one day it came to that.” She pinned the agent with a stare. “There are ways that a good lawyer―an expensive lawyer—can twist my life, my childhood, and prove that I’m not the best person to raise Gabriel.”
Lexie tried everything she had learned over the years to shut down her emotions, but nothing worked. “Being Rico’s widow gives me no rights over Gabriel’s birth mother. All I have is my love. I fell in love with my son with everything I am the instant I held him in my arms. I promised him the day I buried his father that history wasn’t going to repeat itself. I would go to hell and back for that kid if anyone threatened to harm him. But I didn’t launch the drone, and last night at midnight, I was asleep on the floor next to Gabriel’s crib. I have no answers for any of this.”
After several uncomfortable moments, Díaz shut the folder, rose, and walked out of the room.
• • •
“This is hell,” Mac murmured in the quiet office.
The moment Lexie broke and tears began to stream down her cheeks, Mac picked up the crystal paperweight off his desk and almost hurled the thing at the wall. One of the agents grabbed it out of his fist. He replaced it on the desk and left Mac alone with his temper.
Lexie Trevena didn’t cry. She fought back. While Mac respected the fact that Díaz had a job to do—and despite how it looked, he was being gentle with her—the damn interrogation ate at him. He hated how Lexie’s shoulders shook with uncontrollable sobs the instant Díaz left her alone. She was right. Rico would be on the war path. Mac was doing a bang-up job of honoring his friend’s dying words. Rico gave his life for Jason. He deserved better than this.
Mac knew they had it wrong. Lexie didn’t do this, but someone went to a lot of trouble to make it look like she did. The bastard was still out there while Lexie curled in on herself, feeling beaten down and alone.
Mac stood and stormed to the door. It was blocked by Díaz.
“I thought you would still be here.” The man nodded to the screen. “You watched?”
“Yes.”
“And your take on it?”
“Everything points to her, sir, but she didn’t do it. No one is that good an actress.”
“Are you sure your emotions for her aren’t in the way?”
“Maybe, but this is bugging you just as much as it’s bugging me. I can’t explain it any more than Lexie can. We have the wrong person, and I’ll stake my career on it.”
Díaz entered Mac’s office and dropped into one of the two chairs, stretching his legs in front of him. “No need. I agree with you. The drone may have been launched from Mrs. Trevena’s workstation, but Sarah is looking for any evidence that someone found a back door into her system. It’s a long shot, but my gut tells me that all Lexie Trevena is guilty of is being a worried mom.”
Mac moved behind his desk and brought up the surveillance video from the testing facility. “These guys are well trained, and they picked Lexie for a reason. She’s too smart to leave her personal information unprotected for anyone to see. They must have a damn good hacker on their team who tore through Lexie’s life with a fine-toothed comb.”
“Maybe a revenge angle? A jilted boyfriend gave her up?”
Mac shook his head. “Her next-door neighbors told Jason there has been no one in her life since Rico. They have tried to set her up, but she isn’t interested.”
“Can’t blame her there,” Díaz murmured. “What Rico did was, in my book, unforgivable. She’s raising his kid, and from all appearances, is doing a damn good job at it. I sent Andrew and Michaels to pick up the boy.”
“Sir, you can’t call in Child Protective Services. That would kill Lexie.”
“McNeil, I’ve read her file, too. Someone is out to destroy Lexie’s life. Gabriel is going into protective custody. Jason offered to stay with him.”
“He has his hands a little full right now.”
Díaz shrugged. “Jason knows Gabriel. He stops by a few times a month to check up on them.”
“And Lexie allows this? She hates—”
“Just you, Mac. She likes your brother. Rico died saving Jason’s life. I guess that means something to her.” He rose and rolled his shoulders. “So let’s switch gears. Get your team to take apart Lexie’s life from another angle. Let’s see who wants to hurt her or who will gain with her out of the way.”
“Which means we need Sarah back in here. Jason is going to have your head.”
Díaz let out a laugh. “Not mine, yours. I’m releasing Lexie into your custody. You can brief Jason when you drop her off.”
A tired, frustrated groan escaped Mac’s throat. Great. A pissed-off Lexie in the tight confines of his truck. Yup, that was exactly how he wanted his day to end. Maybe she would allow him to keep his skin long enough to get her back to her son.
The woman found her way under his skin on day one. He understood her animosity, but it had been more than two years and she still couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him, while Jason dropped by whenever he wanted, getting close to Gabriel. And why the hell hadn’t Jason mentioned he was in touch with her? Did his brother think he didn’t care? Well, he did care, and it hurt that she could forgive Jason and not him.
Mac flipped the screen back to the conference room. A man stood talking to Lexie. “Who is that?” he said, turning the screen so Díaz could see it.
“I don’t know. I don’t recognize him.”
“The damn building is swarming with an alphabet soup of agencies, but I thought you were the only one to interview her.”
Lexie stood and a slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She nodded at something the guy said and followed him out of the door.
Díaz picked up the phone. “I don’t like this. He’s taking her toward the stairwell. I’ll call backup …”
“I’m on Lexie.”
Chapter Seven
The deserted hallway loomed in front of Lexie. It took considerable effort to place one foot in front of the other even though she had spent the last several hours doing nothing physical. This was a new level of exhaustion that redefined her previous definitions of bone tired and emotionally drained.
Ryan strolled behind her, the heavy, spicy scent of his cologne clogging her nostrils. She’d actually bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep the cuss words in her head from coming out of her mouth when he’d entered the conference room.
The jerk was another federal agent. Shit. What the hell was fate thinking? Maybe that was the negative vibe she felt on their coffee date.
God, was that only last night?
The closer they moved toward the stairwell, the more tense Lexie became. She slowed her pace, allowing Ryan to walk beside her instead of behind. His ball cap was shoved down over his eyes so she couldn’t read his expression.
Just before they reached the stairwell, he reached out and placed a small device on the wall where another hallway to her right intersected. Lexie would have missed the move if she weren’t watching him.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. I bet you’re exhausted.”
“Last night, why didn’t you mention you were a federal agent?”
