Marc’s lips thinned, and he didn’t smile.
Casey took note of that. “Be safe,” she said into the phone. “And call me as soon as you can.” A pause. “I miss you, too.” She dropped her voice. “I love you.”
She disconnected the call.
“What’s wrong?” she asked Marc. “I know that Patrick flew over to Madeline’s to check out a suspicious-looking car. Did he text you?”
“He didn’t have to. I was there.”
Casey studied his face. “Why don’t you take a seat?”
Marc crossed over, pulled out the chair next to Casey’s and sat, leaning forward in his more aggressive stance.
“The car took off before Patrick and John could track it down.”
“Patrick and John,” Casey repeated. “Does that mean you stayed with Madeline?”
“Yeah, it does.” Marc never hedged. “She called and asked me to come. So I went.” He put his hands on his knees. “Look, Casey, let’s not play twenty questions. I’ll save you the trouble. Things have changed between Madeline and me.”
“What a surprise,” came Casey’s dry response.
Marc ignored the sarcasm. “The point is, things also have to change on this case. I want to keep an eye on Madeline. If the killer is aggressively moving in, one security guard’s not enough.” He held up his palm. “And before you ask, no, that second somebody won’t be Patrick. It’ll be me.”
Casey fiddled with her pen for a long time.
“I told you what would happen if you let your personal feelings take over this investigation,” she said at last. “I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, even after you practically broke a kid’s neck because he was about to mug someone who looked like Madeline. But I can’t ignore the obvious any longer—especially not after what you just said.”
“Meaning?”
“I’m going to have to ask you to take a backseat. Interview Casper with Claire, and then stick with behind-the-scenes work. We’ve got a couple of new cases on the horizon. Get involved with those. But there’s no way you’re going to be clearheaded enough to safeguard Madeline. You’re off this one, Marc.”
“The hell I am.” Marc’s eyes blazed and a muscle worked in his jaw. “I love Madeline. Her life’s in danger. I’m not working on some bullshit case because you’re overreacting to my abilities to deal with this. I’m damned good at what I do. There’d be a huge hole in the investigation if I wasn’t a part of it. Forget it, Casey, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Excuse me?” Casey rose, her own eyes fiery. “That’s not your call. It’s mine. And I’ve made it.”
“And I’ve ignored it.”
“This is a team, Marc, but it’s not a democracy. I make the final decisions here. And I’ve given you mine. I didn’t ask if you agreed with it. I gave you a direct order.”
“I don’t take direct orders. My military days are behind me. I respect the fact that you run this company, but this is one time I won’t let it stop me. Fire me if you want to. That’s your right. I’ll still do what I have to do to keep Madeline safe. You can’t prevent that.”
The words fire me crackled between them like a lit fuse.
“Is that an ultimatum?” Casey demanded. “Because if it is—”
“Aren’t you being a total hypocrite?” Marc interrupted what he knew was coming. His stare went straight through her. “Hutch was so emotionally involved in a couple of recent cases where your life was in jeopardy, he was practically part of the FI team.”
“That’s irrelevant,” Casey shot back. “Hutch doesn’t work for me. You do—at least for now. His conflict of interests affected the FBI, and that was his challenge to deal with. This is strictly a Forensic Instincts matter. I need my team sharp and with no emotional ties to our clients. You tried that path. It didn’t work. As you said, you’re in love with Madeline. You always have been. But you kept things in check. That’s no longer the case.”
“This sucks, Casey.” Marc stood up and began pacing around the room. “I wanted to do this aboveboard. I could have gone on with this relationship and said nothing to you. But I wouldn’t insult you like that.”
“But you’d insult me by refusing to respect my decision?”
“It wasn’t meant as an insult.” Marc stopped pacing and turned to face her. “Can we take this down a notch?”
Casey nodded, looking as trapped by the predicament as Marc did.
“I don’t want to leave Forensic Instincts. It’s where I belong, and this team means a lot to me. I’m sorry I was insubordinate. You know that’s not my style. So let’s put it differently. I’ve never asked you for special consideration, but I’m asking now. I believe I can be even more effective because of my feelings for Madeline. I know what I have to do. Will you please trust me to do it?”