The Girl Next Door (Shadow Agents 6)

* * *

THE INTERROGATION WAS a joke. Like this was supposed to intimidate him? Being shut in a twelve-by-nine-foot room with a cup of water and air blowing on him, all nice and cool and comfortable?

This was like a vacation for him.

The door opened. The detective stalked inside. Lane Carmichael.

Carmichael’s face was tight and angry, his eyes snapping. Ah, bad cop at his finest.

If Cooper hadn’t been mourning McAdams, he could have appreciated the detective’s performance. As it was, he felt annoyed. And he was ready to leave.

I need to meet up with my team.

“What was in the blood?” Detective Carmichael fired at him.

Cooper shook his head.

“Gabrielle said the victim wrote a final message in his own blood.” Carmichael slapped his hands on the table and leaned toward Cooper. “What was the message?”

“I didn’t see a message.” He had a job to do. He’d sworn to protect the EOD. I’m sorry, Gabrielle.

“So Gabrielle is imagining things?” Carmichael asked. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“I’m saying I didn’t see anything.” He’d hoped that she hadn’t seen those letters. But maybe she hadn’t been able to make them out clearly, and even if she had, Gabrielle wouldn’t understand the message that McAdams had left behind.

“I don’t trust you,” Carmichael growled out the words. Red stained his cheeks. “I’ve been looking into your background, and you know what—”

The door flew open behind the detective. It banged against the wall with a thud. “Orders just came down,” a sharp voice barked. “Marshall is free to go.”

Carmichael’s mouth dropped open in shock. Then he whirled and sputtered, “But, Captain, I was just—”

“Orders came down,” the captain said, her voice brooking no argument. “He’s free to go.”

Cooper pushed back his chair. The captain glanced over his way, and her gray eyes narrowed. “You must know plenty of secrets about this city, Mr. Marshall,” she murmured, “seeing as how the DA personally called me and said that you needed to be released.”

Because his boss had no doubt made a fast call to the DA. Cooper inclined his head toward the captain. “When I leave, I’ll be taking Ms. Harper with me.”

But Carmichael was already shaking his head. “I’ve got more questions for Gabrielle.”

“Then you can ask them tomorrow,” Cooper responded, his own voice roughening. He could remember the glimmer of tears in Gabrielle’s eyes. She’d been hurting and—she needs me. “She’s been through hell, and I’m taking her home.” He wasn’t looking for permission from the cops. He was telling them what would happen.

If they wanted to discover just how much pull he had in D.C., then they’d try to stop him from taking Gabrielle out of that station.

After a brief hesitation, the captain inclined her head. The lights glinted off the dark red color. “Of course, Ms. Harper is free to go. Detective Carmichael will follow up with her tomorrow.”

The detective’s eyes were angry slits.

“Thank you,” Cooper said as he marched through the open doorway. Then he turned to the left. He’d seen the other interrogation room when he’d been so...firmly...escorted into the station.

He shoved open that door.

Gabrielle was wiping at her cheeks. Wiping away tears. His chest ached. “It’s time to go.”

She glanced up at him.

When she cried, her face should have gone all splotchy. She shouldn’t have looked even more beautiful with her gleaming eyes and trembling lips.