Cold Silence, page 34
Shane pushed the chair.
“You’re going too fast.” Yael laughed as they almost ran down the hallway.
“And here I was thinking we weren’t going fast enough.”
She caught his gaze and all the emotions she’d been feeling for the last week hit her.
“You going to put on the brakes again?” he asked, obviously not talking about the journey out of a side entrance of the hospital.
She shook her head. “No.”
“Good.”
And she laughed again, even though it hurt and even though these guys were completely ridiculous. Shane was hers now. She wasn’t giving him back.
Epilogue
One day earlier
Alex eased silently through his front door, then locked it behind him and rearmed the security system. The soft beep was the only noise to break the silence in the minute after midnight.
Rex came toward him with a wagging tail and a quiet woof. Next month would mark a year since Mallory rescued the Golden Retriever after the poor guy’s owner had been murdered up in Boston and the dog had been shot.
“Hey, buddy.” He crouched down to stroke the dog’s soft fur as Rex whined optimistically, ever-hopeful it was snack time. His undiminished trust in humans never ceased to amaze Alex. This dog was a better person than he’d ever be.
A voice came out of the darkness. “You’re hurt.”
He looked up and saw his wife standing on the stairs in plaid pj bottoms and one of his old t-shirts. “It’s a flesh wound. I would have told you if it was anything serious.”
He and Mallory had made a promise to one another not that long ago—no more lies. And Alex stuck to that because his wife and Georgie were precious to him. He would never jeopardize their love for anything, so he did everything he was allowed to do to keep them safe and happy. And for Mallory “happy” meant informed.
She came toward him as he rose to his feet. Put her hands lightly on his shoulders and rose on tiptoe to kiss his lips. Alex dragged her to him with his good arm and made it a proper hello.
He rested his forehead against hers as she sank against him. “Ashley called you.”
“No,” she said softly. “Lucas.”
He led her through to the kitchen because he was thirsty. The moonlight lit up the space with a cold blue light. He grabbed a glass of water and drank it down. Tossed Rex a dog biscuit.
“Take off your shirt.”
Alex paused, then did as she asked knowing that this, unfortunately, wasn’t a take off your shirt because you are about to get lucky here right now moment.
Slowly, deliberately, because he didn’t want to tear the stitches, he eased out of his t-shirt and tossed it on the island.
Mallory winced as she took in the wound that had sliced through the outer edge of his upper arm leaving behind an ugly four-inch gash. The intern had done their best to repair the muscle beneath before pumping him full of antibiotics.
She bit her lip with a worried frown and raised her gaze. “Lucas said you were protecting Ashley.”
Alex grimaced. “She’s not very happy with me.”
“I don’t blame her,” Mallory said evenly.
Alex grimaced again because both women were highly trained professionals and perhaps Ashley had been lining up the perfect shot that would have taken EG out of the game and he’d pushed her aside to “safety.”
“Lucas said to say ‘thank you.’” Mallory reached up and stroked his face. “I’m grateful you are both okay.”
Alex nodded, relieved.
“How are Yael and Laura?”
Alex sagged. Two of his employees had almost died, both of whom he’d failed to adequately protect. He swallowed tightly. “Alive.”
Mallory stepped into his embrace and he held her to him. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Maybe not directly, but the fact Alex had been chasing that particular serial killer for so long meant it felt like it was. Ethan Grice had targeted Laura because of Alex’s hunt, and then latched onto Yael for the same reason. But Grice was dead now and couldn’t hurt anyone else ever again.
Alex would have stayed with Yael and Laura in Colorado, but he’d had to get home. They were in good hands. Shane Livingstone seemed like an excellent agent and an even better man.
“Yael’s secret is out,” he said.
“She okay about that?”
Alex snorted. “I think she’d rather no one ever knew, but at least this way she can finally move on. Not all secrets are quite so…forgivable.”
She kissed him and his hold on her tightened. The thought of his secrets being revealed, of losing his wife and his child… He had protections in place but he never took a single moment for granted.
“How’s Georgie?” he asked.
Mallory grinned. “Fussy. Noisy. Hungry.” She yawned tiredly. “I’d just fed her when I heard you come in. I think she has another tooth coming through.”
He took her hand. “Come on, you need some sleep before work.”
She let him drag her to the stairs and they climbed them together, side-by-side.
She slipped under the covers as he stripped off the rest of his clothes. Her phone started to buzz and she pulled a face before picking it up.
Alex recognized the ringtone. Frazer.
“Hello.” Mallory’s eyes shot to his as he stood in front of her.
Alex didn’t want her having to go out into the darkness in the middle of the night but he’d long ago stopped trying to control his wife’s actions, especially in relation to her job.
“You want me to come in?” she asked.
Alex braced himself for disappointment because, after nearly dying today, he’d wanted to hold Mal while they both slept.
“Okay. I’ll be there at eight.” She hung up.
Relieved, Alex climbed in beside her, snuggling close when she lay down. He put his injured arm outside the covers and around her waist.
“What happened?” he murmured.
“Looks like a Mexican drug cartel tried to abduct the US Vice President’s daughter last night.”
Alex’s grip on his wife tightened. The last thing he wanted her involved with was the cartels. “Frazer wants you on the case?”
She drew his fingers to her lips and kissed them. “No, he put me in charge of the office while he’s in DC helping to coordinate a response.”
Alex released a sigh of relief then they both tensed at the telltale whimper from the nursery across the hall. He kissed his wife. “I’ve got her. Get some sleep.”
“What about your arm?” Mallory asked with concern.
“Not a problem.” He eased out of bed as the volume of Georgie’s protests started to intensify.
“Hey, Alex,” Mallory murmured softly. “Did I tell you how much I love you today?”
He glanced at the clock. Ten after midnight. “Not yet.”
She yawned widely. “Well, I do.”
He leaned down and kissed her brow. “I love you too, Mrs. Parker.” More than she could ever know. Rex hadn’t been Mallory’s first rescue. That privilege belonged to Alex, and it was something he felt profound gratitude for, every minute of every day.
“Sweet dreams,” he whispered, and turned away to address the increasingly demanding cries of the other miracle in his life.
Thank you for reading Cold Silence. I hope you enjoyed Shane and Yael’s story. For my next novel featuring the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team order Cold Deceit today!
When forensic anthropologist Zoe Miller stumbles across a murder victim in the blisteringly hostile Sonoran Desert, she sets off a chain of events that puts her in the crosshairs of a ruthless killer. And it’s FBI HRT operator Seth Hopper’s job to keep her safe.
Don’t miss my next Cold Justice - Most Wanted novel, featuring agents from the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team.
Read “Cold Deceit” today!
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Cold Justice World Overview
All books can be read as standalones.
COLD JUSTICE SERIES
A Cold Dark Place (Book #1)
Cold Pursuit (Book #2)
Cold Light of Day (Book #3)
Cold Fear (Book #4)
Cold in The Shadows (Book #5)
Cold Hearted (Book #6)
Cold Secrets (Book #7)
Cold Malice (Book #8)
A Cold Dark Promise (Book #9~A Wedding Novella)
Cold Blooded (Book #10)
* * *
COLD JUSTICE – THE NEGOTIATORS
Cold & Deadly (Book #1)
Colder Than Sin (Book #2)
Cold Wicked Lies (Book #3)
Cold Cruel Kiss (Book #4)
Cold as Ice (Book #5)
* * *
COLD JUSTICE – MOST WANTED
Cold Silence (Book #1)
Cold Deceit (Book #2)
* * *
The Cold Justice series books are also available as audiobooks narrated by Eric Dove, and in various box set compilations.
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Check out all Toni’s books on her website (www.toniandersonauthor.com/books-2)
Also by Toni Anderson
‘HER’ ROMANTIC SUSPENSE SERIES
Her Sanctuary (Book #1)
Her Last Chance (Book #2)
Her Risk to Take (Novella ~ Book #3)
* * *
THE BARKLEY SOUND SERIES
Dangerous Waters (Book #1)
Dark Waters (Book #2)
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SINGLE TITLES
The Killing Game
Edge of Survival
Storm Warning
Sea of Suspicion
About the Author
Toni Anderson writes gritty, sexy, FBI Romantic Thrillers, and is a New York Times and a USA Today bestselling author. Her books have won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense, Readers’ Choice, Aspen Gold, Book Buyers’ Best, Golden Quill, National Excellence in Story Telling (NEST) Contest, and National Excellence in Romance Fiction awards. She’s been a finalist in both the Vivian Contest and the RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America. Three million copies of her books have been downloaded.
Best known for her “COLD” books perhaps it’s not surprising to discover Toni lives in one of the most extreme climates on earth—Manitoba, Canada. Formerly a Marine Biologist, Toni still misses the ocean, but is lucky enough to travel for research purposes. In January 2016, she visited FBI Headquarters in Washington DC, including a tour of the Strategic Information and Operations Center. She hopes not to get arrested for her Google searches.
Sign up for Toni Anderson’s newsletter:
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See Toni Anderson’s current book list:
www.toniandersonauthor.com/books-2
Useful Acronym Definitions For Toni’s Books
ADA: Assistant District Attorney
AG: Attorney General
ASAC: Assistant Special-Agent-in-Charge
ATF: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
BAU: Behavioral Analysis Unit
BOLO: Be on the Lookout
BUCAR: Bureau Car.
CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CIRG: Critical Incident Response Group
CMU: Crisis Management Unit
CN: Crisis Negotiator
CNU: Crisis Negotiation Unit
CO: Commanding Officer
CODIS: Combined DNA Index System
CP: Command Post
CQB: Close-Quarters Battle
DA: District Attorney
DEA: Drug Enforcement Administration
DOB: Date of Birth
DOD: Department of Defense
DOJ: Department of Justice
DS: Diplomatic Security
DSS: US Diplomatic Security Service
EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing
EMT: Emergency Medical Technician
ERT: Evidence Response Team
FOA: First-Office Assignment
FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation
FNG: Fucking New Guy
FO: Field Office
FWO: Federal Wildlife Officer
IC: Incident Commander
IC: Intelligence Community
HRT: Hostage Rescue Team
HT: Hostage-Taker
JEH: J. Edgar Hoover Building (FBI Headquarters)
K&R: Kidnap and Ransom
LAPD: Los Angeles Police Department
LEO: Law Enforcement Officer
ME: Medical Examiner
MO: Modus Operandi
NAT: New Agent Trainee
NCAVC: National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime
NCIC: National Crime Information Center
NFT: Non-Fungible Token
NOTS: New Operator Training School
NYFO: New York Field Office
OC: Organized Crime
OCU: Organized Crime Unit
OPR: Office of Professional Responsibility
POTUS: President of the United States
PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
RA: Resident Agency
RCMP: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
RSO: Senior Regional Security Officer from the US Diplomatic Service
SA: Special Agent
SAC: Special Agent-in-Charge
SANE: Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners
SAS: Special Air Squadron (British Special Forces unit)
SD: Secure Digital
SIOC: Strategic Information & Operations
SF: Special Forces
SSA: Supervisory Special Agent
SWAT: Special Weapons and Tactics
TC: Tactical Commander
TDY: Temporary Duty Yonder
TEDAC: Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center
TOD: Time of Death
UAF: University of Alaska, Fairbanks
UNSUB: Unknown Subject
ViCAP: Violent Criminal Apprehension Program
VIN: Vehicle Identification Number
WFO: Washington Field Office
Acknowledgments
I’ve been wanting to write about the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team since I started the Cold Justice series wayback when. Then certain factors conspired against me and I spent a few years exploring other units within the FBI that I was also burning to write about. As a consequence, I feel as if I’ve been building this particular world in my head forever. Now it’s here and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
My thanks, as always, go to my critique partner, Kathy Altman, who has the dubious honor of seeing the messy first draft. Many thanks to Rachel Grant for the great beta read and excellent advice. And also to Jodie Griffin for the feedback and general cheerleading of my books in real life and on Twitter.
Credit to my editors, Deb Nemeth, Joan Turner at JRT Editing, and proofreader, Alicia Dean. Your input is much appreciated. Thanks to my assistant, Jill Glass, who is such a great help when my brain explodes. Thanks also to my amazing cover designer, Regina Wamba, for her gorgeous artwork. Eric G. Dove is (still) on his sailboat recording the audiobook version, living the dream! Thanks for being the voice of the Cold Justice books and for being such an easy person to work with.
Huge amounts of love and gratitude to my husband and kids for their constant support. This one is, again, for Gary. Book #25 published during our twenty-fifth year of marriage. Seems appropriate.
Cold Silence
Copyright © 2022 Toni Anderson Inc.
Cover design by Regina Wamba of ReginaWamba.com
Digital ISBN-13: 9781988812878
The characters and events portrayed in this book are purely fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any real organizations mentioned in this book are used in a completely fictitious manner and this story in no way reflects upon the reputation or actions of those entities.
All rights reserved.
No part of any of these books may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in encouraging piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
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Contact email: info@toniandersonauthor.com
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Toni Anderson, Cold Silence
