“Agent Little?” he asked, already calming from the initial shock of hearing her voice on the line.
“I’m here, sir. I’m in a hospital in Townsend, but I’m okay. Minor injuries. Broken wrist, mild concussion, and dehydration are the worst of it.” She blew out a breath. “It all went to shit, sir. I was abducted and held by Shark for two days.”
“Fuck me sideways. And Agent Rey?”
Daniel Rey. King. Benedict Arnold himself. Murdering, traitorous, raping bastard. “I don’t have confirmation yet, sir, but I believe he was killed during the rescue of another individual who was held with me.”
“Mother of all living fucks.” Something crashed in the background, and Stephanie winced. Baccarella’s office was already taking a beating, and she wasn’t even finished dishing up the shit pie.
“Um, sir…” She couldn’t get the words past her tongue.
“What, Little? Just spit it the fuck out. Give me everything.”
He asked for it. “Rey flipped. He was dirty. Working for Shark. I have no idea for how long. I also don’t know what he told the gang or if any of the information he passed along to us was tainted. He’d been leading me to believe the Dragons were moving away from the sex trade, but now I have to question all that.”
Silence greeted her for long seconds, and she imagined Baccarella muting his end of the phone so he could scream every profanity known to man while tearing his office to pieces. Wouldn’t be the first time. The man’s secretary was a wizard when it came to replacing destroyed items before he even missed them.
“You sure about this? Be very, very sure, Little. You're confident he didn’t just play his role well? I know you think it’s bullshit, but undercover agents have to commit unsavory acts to maintain cover every day. It’s the only way they survive sometimes.”
“Positive, sir. He whispered it in my ear. There isn’t a doubt in my mind he was as dirty as mud. He begged Shark to be allowed to kill me. Fought him when Shark wanted to keep me alive. Would have raped me if it weren’t for…” She coughed to cover a near sob. “He almost raped me.”
“Were you compromised?”
“I don’t believe so, sir. There’s been nothing to indicate anyone knows my identity.”
“Okay,” he said, and she could almost hear the gears cranking in his mind. The blaze was dwindling enough to allow him to process and formulate a plan. “I’m sending someone down to bring you back. You’ll be debriefed once you arrive here in DC.”
Even though he couldn’t see her, she nodded. “No rush. I’m going to be in the hospital for a few days. And whoever you send, give them a cover.”
“Why?”
“I was rescued by members of the Hell’s Handlers MC. They all just think my kidnapping was a case of wrong place, wrong time. Told them I had a fight with my friend, went hiking, and got lost. Had the unfortunate luck of wandering into Shark’s path.”
His grunt almost sounded like one of approval. Like he was impressed by her quick thinking and maintenance of cover. “Maybe you should think about going undercover. You think fast. All right. Agent Smith will be down there in four days. Tell them she’s your cousin from Nebraska. Your douchebag of a friend was with you in Tennessee and returned home when you didn’t come back from your hike, thinking you ditched her. Got it?”
Shouts from the hallway distracted her from the call.
“Little?” he barked.
“What? Oh, yes, sorry, sir. Agent Smith. Cousin. Worthless friend. Got it.”
“And, Little, as you know, we’ve looked into the Hell’s Handlers, and while we chose to focus our investigation on the Gray Dragons, these guys are no choir boys. Watch your six. You’ll be debriefed as soon as you return.”
What the hell was going on in the hallway? Sounded like it was right outside her door. “Sir, I have to go. I’m about to have company.”
When the line disconnected with a click, Stephanie held the phone in front of her face. “Thank you, sir, for the concern and wishes for a speedy recovery.” Then she rolled her eyes and dropped the phone next to her on the bed. No way was she contorting herself to get the thing back on the table.
“Sir, you’re a patient from a completely different ward. You cannot be down here at all, let alone in Miss Little’s room.” Nurse Beverly sounded ready to scratch someone’s eyes out.
“Listen, lady, do I look like someone who gives much of a fuck about following the rules? Now I’m getting in that room to check on my woman, so I suggest you move before I move your cantankerous ass myself.”
Maverick.
Her heart raced in her chest and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. What was that about? Had to just be anticipation over seeing him alive and well. They’d shared an intense, adrenaline-fueled experience. It made sense her body would react with nerves and anxiousness when about to be in his presence.