Chapter 41

I noticed you didn't ask me where I want your ass." the SAC said after the conference room had emptied.

"I am pretty sure Ii know where you want my ass, sir. There is no place for it on active force."

Dean's steered around the table to stand face to face."I remember you Brian,29 years old when you left the bureau, and the SACs were already calling you for the tough ones."

A muscle twitched in Brian's jaw.

"You know what they called you behind your back?"

Brian swallowed. He knew. It was the reason he had gone back to find Anthony Russel.

"Pit bull. Once you got your teeth into something you wouldn't let go."

Let it go Brian. Come home. Please I need you here. Kenzie needs you.

"Then you let a personal tragedy pull you under and ruin your career."

"Is there something you wanted?" Brian pressed.

"This. An FBI task force is no place for civilians  with personal issues. you are a civilian and Stard say's you are up in your eyeballs in personal on this." He waved his hand when Brian opened his mouth."Don't deny it She knows her shit, she knows you too."

Brian wanted to wring Stards neck."You are talking about ancient history sir."

"The loss of a child is never ancient history. Now I don't like it. Dean continued."Having someone who is not on the team playing the game with us.But you are a trained agent and you know the Michael's case better than anyone else.Besides that you have something going on with Mrs Sarra Jane.. I would be a fool not to use you."

"Use me?" Brian asked pulse beating fast.

"I am not the man who cares how many gold stars go beside my name. I want Brandon James, and I don't care who catches him. He narrowed his eyes at Brian."Or an ex agent who happens to be close to the woman Brandon is targeting, a man working alone and without sanction from this office."

"Sir?"

"Alone and unsanctioned. Do you understand?"

Brian was beginning to and he liked Dean Jensen more and more.

"Stay with Sarra keep her talking. Keep us up with any connections to Gloria Michael's I will give you whatever resources I can and let you sit in on task force meetings. In return anything you learn from Sarra or because of your history with Brandon , you share."

Oh yes he definitely liked Dean Jensen. Brian nodded and started to leave then turned back."One thing no one noticed in there is Brandon James birth date." he said. and dean frowned." Gloria Michaels was killed on his 21rst birthday."

Deans brows went up."What does that mean?"

Brian shrugged and opened the door."Hell if I know."

When Brian stepped into the corridor Stard was waiting for the elevator. He tried to ignore her couldn't"Christ Stard what did you tell Dean?"

"I told him two things everyone but you already know."

Brian crossed his arms Fucking shrinks.

"First I told him 16 years ago you were the best damn criminal agent in the bureau, and I was proud to have helped bring you aboard."

Brian actually felt his cheeks burn.

"And second, I told him 9 years ago you went crazy and never came back."

"Thanks alot."

The elevator opened and she stepped in."Oh and I told him one other thing."

Brian didn't want to hear it but his hand barreled the door anyway.

"I told him the best chance he has to finding Brandon James is to let you at him, and if he does he could have the best damn criminal agent in the bureau again."

Something thumped in Brian's chest, pride maybe, or even hope. something he couldn't quite identify."I killed the wrong man."

She nodded."and getting the right man now won't bring him back. No more than cuddling up with Sarra and Abby will bring your family back. But."She said pushing the elevator button "It just might bring you back."

The rest of the day was paper, every detail of Gloria Michael's Jessica Davis, Thelma Cox. the woman from Omaha Indianapolis and silver springs. Brian couldn't remember anyone using those names of the last three.

By evening he was caught up on what authorities in each city knew. Eddy in the kind of nasty mood that comes from sitting in a hotel room all day long met him at Sarra's suit. He reported that she had slept for six hours. stirred probably going to the bathroom and had been silent again for three more hours.Brian walked through hotel surveillance learning pass codes the faces of the agent on duty. then Eddy signed off for the night.

At seven thirty Sarra staggered into the kitchen she wore a thigh high t shirt and looked like a zombie. but a pretty zombie, if such things existed. Damn shapely t shirt.

She was looking for a phone.

"I have to call Abby." she said."she will be going to bed soon."I have to call her."

Brian stuck a plate of lasagna in the microwave and punched in two  mins. he handed her his phone.

"Her number is *8. she spent the morning at her aunts house, went to MC Donald's for lunch, and then to the park where she met a poodle and played with it for an hour. Emily ran some errands, the grocery store, dry cleaner, and a public library. and now Abby has been at her house ever since."

"Want to know what she ate for supper?"

"Cocky jerk." Sarra said but she smiled.

she slipped into the sitting room and spoke with Abby for ten mins. Brian listened to her talk about the poodle and abby's little cousin and snicker doodles, apparently they just came out of the oven. he smiled when Sarra reminded Abby to brush her teeth and make sure the back gate was always closed.It seemed Justice had a history of trotting off with the other dogs in the neighborhood whenever they visited Emily.

Sarr's voice cracked when she told Abby she loved her, and two or three mins passed before she came back into the kitchen.

"OK?" Brian asked softly

"Abby's fine."

"But you aren't." he said and looped his arm around her neck He pulled her in and dropped a kiss onn her head. She felt brittle and small tucked against him, and after a day spending reading about what Brandon James  did to women a wave of protectiveness surged through him. Keeper of her secrets and keeper of her safety. The desire to be both was so unexpected it hit him like a brick. The desire to be her lover came too, Not so unexpected.

"Come on" he said"Lasagna."