“I appreciate the offer, Agent Walker,” Nicky said, “but make no mistake: I’ve been put in charge of this team, which means you follow my lead.” She eyed him up, but his blue eyes didn’t leave hers. “I might have less field experience than you, but I was chosen for a reason. Don’t forget that.”
They locked eyes for a long, tense moment, before Ken shrugged and turned away, hands in the pockets of his pants. “Like Grace said, you’re the boss. So, what do we do next?”
Nicky couldn’t deny the idea of working closely with Ken after that was unappealing. But she couldn't let that ruin this. She had to get this right. This was her first chance to lead, and she was going to seize it with both hands.
She took a seat at the table. She needed to follow this case, to prevent more girls from disappearing.
She looked at the projector screen, where the mugshot of Bernard Brown stared at her.
"We're going to find this girl, and we're going to make sure she's safe. Until then, we have to go over the details of Bernard Brown," Nicky said. "We need to know all the information we can get. Because we need to be ready to go if we get a lead." She turned to Ken. "I want to know everything about this Brown guy."
"I'm still not sure about this," Ken said. "But whatever you think is best, let's do it."
"Good." Nicky's eyes hardened on his. "In that case, you and I need to catch a flight."
CHAPTER SIX
Nicky felt a rush of adrenaline as the plane swooped to a steady descent. She had the window seat, with a full view of Southern Florida beyond; through the clouds, grasslands emerged, followed by a span of forest. As the plane continued to fly on a steady downward trend, Nicky found herself staring down at the sun-bleached sand of the beach.
Ken was beside her, and he'd been quiet the whole flight as he read a book--one Nicky noted was on human psychology. Nicky didn't mind the silence; she had nothing to say to Ken, anyway, and it was obvious he didn't like her, or respect her as his boss. But he would just have to get used to it, because this case wasn’t about Ken. It wasn’t even about Nicky. It was about Meghan Salinger.
Still, Nicky wanted to clear the air with him before they were officially working together. She needed to know that she could rely on him.
"Ken," she said. He peered over the edge of his book, his eyes narrowing. So he really didn't like her, did he? Nicky felt her nerves return. "I just wanted to say I appreciate you helping out on this case. I can tell you’re not my biggest fan, and that's fine. But we need to work together, so let's make sure we're on the same page. Okay?"
Ken's eyes narrowed further. He wasn't impressed. But he answered her question, anyway. "I never said I didn't 'like' you, Agent Lyons," Ken said. "But I think you're in over your head. You’re young, and I just think you lack the experience to lead a team like this. I’ve led dozens in my career, so I apologize if I feel like they gave the wrong person the job.”
Nicky couldn't fight the offense that rose in her. "You might be older than me, Agent Walker, but you know I have a solid track record. I'm more than fit to lead this case. The senator and the chief thought so."
Ken grunted and looked away. "I hope they're right, for those girls' sakes."
Nicky's chest tightened. He'd struck a chord. Of course, her biggest fear on this case was letting those girls down, but she couldn't think like that. Not anymore.
"We'll save them," Nicky said. She looked at Ken's profile. He was clean-shaven with a broad jawline and rough, but handsome features. Black hair and light blue eyes, inky lashes. "But Ken," she said, "I need to know you're with me on this."
He met her eyes. Then, a sigh. "I'm with you. We're gonna get this done. But don't be surprised to hear me speak my mind if I think you're off-base."
"Fair enough," Nicky said. She turned back to look out of the window. The plane was almost on the ground now. It was time to leave the comfort of the plane and get to work.
Nicky was rooted to her seat. The beach they'd flown over was now just twenty feet below. Nicky gazed out of the window at the expanse of golden sand, and the ocean beyond. Sunlight glittered on the surface of the sea. After a few moments, the tires of the plane hit the tarmac with a soft thud.
Nicky and Ken made their way through the busy airport. People talked loudly on cell phones while they walked, luggage hit the floor as some shoved past her. Nicky saw a young girl with a broken arm being carried by her aunt. The girl was sobbing--whether from the pain or the fear, Nicky wasn't sure. Airports had always made her anxious. It was so busy, so crowded, and she was surrounded by so many different people. It all added to the buzzing inside her mind.
Still, she was determined not to let the anxiety show, so she walked on, following Ken to the exit.
A warm breeze blew through Nicky's hair as they left the airport, heading out onto the street. The sun beat down. The air smelled of salt water, and of flowers. The sun was hot on Nicky’s skin, but it felt pleasant, like this was the place to be. Growing up in West Virginia, which was much darker and cooler than Florida, made Nicky grateful for every day she got to step out and get a natural tan.
"Come on," Nicky said. "Let's get our rental car and get to the prison. We've got a long drive ahead of us."
"How far is it?" Ken asked.
"It's about two hours away," Nicky said. "It’s a lot of driving.” She hoped Ken wouldn’t fight her for the wheel.
Being stuck in a vehicle for extended periods of time always reminded her of what happened all those years ago, right before Nicky and Rosie were abducted. They were driven in a van that smelled of mildew and old coffee to the edge of their town. Then the man took them deep into the woods through a narrow trail. He drove them down to the lake, which had been forgotten by the rest of the world.
The lake...
Nicky couldn't think about that here. She shook the memories from her mind and focused on Ken.