The Girl Next Door (Shadow Agents 6)

His words chilled her. “We can’t know that, not yet.”

Cooper’s gaze was on her.

“Get there and find out,” Hugh ordered.

She shoved the phone back into her pocket. “Thanks for the offer of the ride, but my night’s not over yet.”

No wonder the cop had rushed away. She tilted her head and heard the wail of sirens in the distance.

Cooper stiffened. “What’s happened?”

“Another woman has been found with her throat cut.” She spun away from him. It was a good thing she jogged regularly. “I’ll see you later, Cooper. Thanks for the help!”

He grabbed her wrist. “You’re racing to a murder scene?”

“It’s what I do.” He was slowing her down.

Cooper shook his head. “Going on foot isn’t the way. I can get you there faster.” He pointed to his waiting motorcycle. “Just give me the address, and I’m there.”

She didn’t want to waste time arguing. She called out the address even as she climbed onto the bike. Seconds later they were racing away.

* * *

“IT LOOKS LIKE the same MO,” Cooper said into his phone. He’d backed away from the crowd, found the best cover of shadows, and now he watched the chaotic scene with a careful gaze. “One of the cops said that the victim was a woman named Melanie Farrell.”

“She’s not one of ours,” the clipped voice on the other end of the line responded. That voice belonged to Bruce Mercer. Cooper’s boss. A man who knew where every single secret was buried in D.C.

Mostly because his job was to bury those secrets.

“You sure about that?” Cooper pressed. “She was found in her apartment, with the doors locked. Her throat was slit, and there were no signs of a struggle.”

A low whistle. “You sure learned a lot on this one, fast.”

His gaze tracked over to Gabrielle. She was currently talking quickly to a uniformed cop. The cop looked nervous. Since Gabrielle was grilling him, the guy should be nervous. “I had a little help.” She’d been the one to get all of those details.

“The reporter.” A long sigh slipped from Mercer. “I thought you had her contained.”

Containing Gabrielle was a bit of a challenge. It was a good thing that he liked challenges. “I can use her. The cops tell her more in a few minutes than they would ever reveal to me.” He had the P.I. cover for a reason, but Gabrielle’s resources were proving to be far more useful.

Gabrielle eased away from the cop and gazed up at the building.

Trying to find a way inside, aren’t you?

She edged toward the left, moving near the alley that he knew snaked behind those apartments.

“Melanie Farrell is not one of our agents.” Mercer was adamant. “She shouldn’t be targeted by our rogue.”

The rogue—the EOD agent that Cooper was hunting.

“Kylie Archer wasn’t an agent, either,” Cooper said, going with his gut.

“Who?”

“She was killed a few months ago. Again, same damn MO.”

“Our guy has been busy.” Anger heated Mercer’s words.

Our guy. Because they did think it was one of their own. One who’d tried to attack Mercer by going after his daughter and now...