Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
Aiden shivered. It was one thing to know his life was in danger, and another to hear an FBI agent say a hired killer was after him. He folded his hands together on the table, his jaw clenched.
John leaned forward in his seat. “What now?” he asked.
“Well, your article provides us with a new lead in an investigation that has been moving at a frustratingly slow pace,” Jessop said. “This group is interconnected in such a way that if we can make one high-level crime stick, the whole network will come crashing down.”
Aiden nodded. That was good news. Bringing down a crime organization was something any journalist would aspire to be a part of. But right now, he had more concerns than the end result of the investigation. He had his family to worry about. Brooke. Himself.
“I want to offer you both protective custody,” Agent Jessop said, as if reading his mind. He glanced at John. “You might also be targeted since you are the editor who ran the article.”
“What does protective custody entail?” John asked, his foot tapping consistently against the floor.
“We would start with increased security, an officer watching you at home, driving you to and from work, and depending on how the investigation goes, we might need to relocate you for your own protection.”
“For how long?” John asked.
“Until we can bring charges against those who head the organization,” Jessop said.
Nodding, John said, “I’d appreciate the protection.”
Both men looked to Aiden, but he wasn’t sure a protective detail was the right solution for him. “If it was only my life at stake, I’d say yes, but I have a big, vulnerable family. I can’t risk any one of them. I need to leave as planned.”
“Are you sure you want to leave your life behind when you just got home?” John asked.
“I have no choice.” But this time he wouldn’t be alone. He’d have Brooke with him and he wanted her protected. “Unless you think this investigation will be over soon. If you’re closing in on them, my family can take extra security precautions for a limited time, but if not…”
Agent Jessop’s lips thinned. “I’m afraid it might be a long time before we’re ready to make any arrests. It could be years. Your instinct to go into hiding is a smart one and we can arrange that for you.”
With the FBI’s help, he and Brooke would be safer than if he tried to disappear on his own. “I can’t leave without my fiancée. She was in the car with me the last time I was targeted. I can’t risk her being here alone.”
Jessop began that incessant tapping of his pen.
Aiden gritted his teeth and waited for the man’s answer.
“I’ll make some calls and pull some strings. Just the two of you,” he said.
Aiden nodded, and let out a long sigh of relief. None of this was good news but at least he knew the facts and the truth. False promises of wrapping up the investigation soon wouldn’t do him any good.
“I have an agent waiting who will be your detail,” Agent Jessop said to John. “Mr. Sterling, I’ll escort you home where someone will join us later to watch the house, at least until we get your aliases and safe house set up.”
Aiden’s stomach churned, but he was aware this was the best possible scenario. Putting distance between himself and his family was necessary. They were way too important to be put at risk.
Agent Jessop followed him to the house in an unmarked sedan, and Aiden called Brooke along the way, telling her everything he’d learned and that he would be home soon.
He pulled up the driveway and put the car in park, the agent driving up behind him.
The front door opened, and Brooke stood in the doorway to greet him. At the sight of her, some of the heaviness weighing him down after his talk with Agent Jessop lessened. No matter what happened next, at least he had Brooke. She made all the hard stuff manageable.
He exited the vehicle and walked toward Brooke, heading around the front of the car. Movement on the side of the house caught his attention and he glanced over. A dark-haired man had stepped out from the side, as if he’d been waiting for Aiden’s return, a notion that was confirmed as the man locked eyes with Aiden and raised his gun.
“Aiden!” Brooke screamed his name as she stepped out of the doorway. He ran, then dove forward, colliding with her body and taking her to the ground at the same time shots rang out.
Chapter Thirty-One
Brooke took one look at the man pointing a gun at Aiden and screamed. The sound of gunfire came next. Aiden slammed into her and they hit the ground hard, his body covering hers.
She lay in shock, her lungs seized up and her mind blank. She felt nothing but heart-stopping terror. She couldn’t say how many shots she’d heard, but the loud bangs echoed in her ears even after things went quiet. It took a moment for clear thoughts to return, and when they did, she realized that Aiden was lying rigid on top of her.