Chapter Two
“The hospital called about Sopher. He’ll make it,” Bruner said. “And the lowlife bastard will spend the rest of his sorry life in a cell where he belongs, thanks to you, Sophia. You did a good job. One inch to the right and he’d have been a dead man.”
“Trust me, I was tempted. Especially looking into his eyes and seeing a cold-blooded killer staring back, no humanity, no empathy for the terrified kid he used as a human shield. Or for the hysterical mom begging him to let her son go.”
If the truth were known, it had broken Sophia’s heart hearing the poor woman’s screams for mercy for her little boy. That, and knowing the crimes that led up to the perp being hunted down and cornered, gave her pause as to whether she should just put him out of his misery. Make him pay for all the laws he’d broken most of his adult life and for the people he’d hurt and killed. Those facts played with her conscience for seconds before she pulled the trigger and did exactly what she knew she could do… wound. Not kill.
Her skills were such that she had no doubt she could place the bullet strategically. A very tiny window of opportunity. A split second of choice. The difference between her looking in a mirror knowing she didn’t cave, didn’t give in to her baser instincts for payback for his victims… the fact that she did the right thing by not playing God.
Bruner added, “I’m telling you true, Sophia. You’re the only one I’d trust in that situation. Most would have gone for the kill-shot and slept like a baby that night.”
“Trust me, bunny. I was tempted.” She grinned in her special way that curled her mouth up on the one side enchantingly, not a look she often shared, but one that tended to delight the receiver. “All the red-tape afterward stopped me.”
“Bullshit. You can’t play the hardass with me, toots. I know you too well. I saw you take your first step, though no one in the company knows our background. And it’s no one’s business that your old man and I were partners back in the day.”
“Ha, if the people here found out how I called you Bunny for years before I knew how to pronounce your real name, they’d never let it go.”
“Your dad always called me by my last name, still does. A habit he has with everyone, well except for you and your mom. Bastard has some quirky ways, but he was the best agent I ever knew. Had instincts that were bizarre and the staying power of a freakin’ pit-bull when it came to getting the bad guy. You’re just like him.”
“Sure, and he gave me his white hair too, didn’t he now. Every time I go to visit, he has to comment on how much I look like his mother.”
Bruner laughed, knowing how much Pat liked to tease. “I wish he didn’t have to retire so young. That shot he took ruined more than his leg; it took his career. Him being a widow doesn’t help. I worry about him out there in the backlands of Canada, living alone and spending his days fishing for crissakes. A man with a brain like his wasting away on fish.”
“St. John’s is not the backlands, and you know it. Newfoundland was his home as a boy, and he loves it there. Leave him be. The rest of the kids are all settled nearby with lives of their own, and he’s missed Mom for years. Now he seems to be happy with his choice of a pastime. And you know he isn’t just fishing; he’s working on his fifth book and has made his place in the mystery market. His work sells better than many others working as an author, and it makes life extremely comfortable.”
“Yeah, I know. I see them all over the stores, even saw one in Costco last week. I’m proud of him. He’s done well, and he’s gifted. Still… I have to admit the best job he ever did was bringing his oldest girl up to be like him. That’s why I’m passing over a special assignment to you. One that most of the agents would give their first-borns to be detailed on.”
Sophia slouched back in her chair, her long legs out in front and her sleek black boots crossed at the ankle. “Sure. It’s most likely some shit job you haven’t the guts to spring on anyone else.”
“Aww, come on Dunne, would I do that to you?”
“That and more. Quit with the butter, or I’ll let slip your nickname in the lunchroom. What’s this fantastic job?”
Turning serious, Assistant Special Agent in Command Bill Bruner leaned back in his chair and crossed his muscular arms over a belly he’d been trying to get rid of for years. His busy grey eyebrows lifted, and his grin faded into his mustache and beard. Not being a big man made no difference to the respect his people had for him. They feared him, loved him, and most took his orders knowing he always had their backs.
The serious look that came over the beloved face made her wish she could go over and hug his neck like she would have done as a child.
“I’m sending you to Greece, leaving in the next few days. And you’ll never guess where?”
She sat forward, excitement clawing at her stomach. “The island of Rhodes, right?”
“How the hell did you figure it out?”
“By the glint of excitement in your devious eyes. You know it’s the island where Mom came from.”
“That I do. It’s also where our California Governor’s husband, a powerful Greek tycoon, absconded with her two children – five-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. She wants them back. Unharmed.”
“Can’t she go fetch them herself? Surely it’s something they could work out together without bringing in the FBI?”
“She tried and was stopped at the airport and refused entry. They rudely sent her packing.”
“He must have some clout. Poor woman.”
“Yep. After she returned and hired a professional to look into the matter, he recently uncovered the fact that her children’s father is involved in a human trafficking ring based in Amsterdam. If she tries again, she’d be in a lot of danger away from the protection her position offers in the states. You’re her hope of retrieving her kids. The woman’s devastated. And right now, if the truth were known, with the economy tanking the way it is, we need her here. And we need you there.”
“Jesus, boss. You can stop making me feel like I’m indispensable. You chose me because I speak fluent Greek and spent most of my childhood summers in Rhodes with Mom and Grandma.”
“True.” Bill leaned forward, and the power of his position and personality made her pay attention. “Besides your smart decisions on the job, you have a good brain, a strong will and you’re stubborn like your dad. I can rely on your discretion and you never fail when you set your mind on something.”