Love Inspired Suspense July 2015 #2 Read Online Free

gestured for Sami to follow him to where he’d stashed his vehicle. “This way.”
    He opened the passenger door to his twenty-year-old Land Cruiser.
    â€œSweet ride,” she said as she slid inside.
    He wasn’t into fancy and new. “I like vintage.”
    When he climbed into the driver’s seat, she said, “I have a 1964 Chevrolet Corvair convertible that was my father’s. It runs but needs an overhaul. One of these days I’ll have the car restored.”
    â€œNice. What color?”
    â€œBaby blue.”
    Like her eyes. “Pretty.”
    â€œIt was Dad’s pride and joy back in the day.”
    He didn’t miss the note of pride and affection in her tone. “Where’s he now?”
    â€œHe and Mom live in Seaside, Oregon.”
    â€œYour hometown?”
    â€œYep. Born and raised Oregonian.” She described the beachside town in great detail while drumming her fingers on her knee. He sensed her monologue stemmed from nervous energy. Her words made him curious enough to want to visit the ocean town. If only to see it the way she did. She obviously loved her parents and the community she grew up in.
    When she fell silent, he asked, “How did you decide to become a federal agent?”
    She didn’t immediately answer. As the silence stretched, he figured she wasn’t going to respond. Then she said, “I have this deep-seated need to see justice done.”
    Her answer resonated within him. He, too, felt the same drive. He slanted her a glance. Her face was turned away, and she stared out at the passing city. A clear signal that she was done with the conversation. He decided to honor the unspoken request.
    When they arrived at the consulate building, Drew parked in his usual spot. They entered the skyscraper and took the elevator to the fifth floor. Drew ushered Sami to the IBETs offices. Few lights glowed in the quiet building. The cubicles and offices were empty. In the corner office where he had his desk, he gestured for her to take a seat in one of the two red upholstered chairs facing the desk. “You can use the desk phone to call your boss.”
    She didn’t sit. Instead she produced a cell phone from one of her pants pockets. “I’ll step out into the hall.”
    Nodding, he rounded the large oak desk to sit in the leather captain’s chair. “I’ll take you to your hotel after I write my report.” And put her on the next plane back to the United States. He couldn’t have her running around messing up any more operations.
    He watched her silently leave the office, her back straight, her chin level. He wondered what shade of blond her hair was underneath the dark stocking cap. Giving himself a mental shake, he opened an email window and copied the people in charge of the IBETs program—the consulate general, the deputy director for US Homeland Security and the RCMP deputy commissioner of federal policing.
    He quickly detailed the events of the evening, as well as his assessment that there might be a potential serial killer on the loose but that he had to do further research before moving on this information. He wasn’t ready to buy into Sami’s claim yet, despite the sincerity of the pretty agent.
    * * *
    â€œYou are supposed to be on vacation, Agent Bennett.” Special Agent in Charge Rob Granger’s voice boomed into Sami’s ear. “Why are you in Vancouver, interloping on an IBETs investigation?”
    Sami rubbed the bridge of her nose with her free hand while she stood in the hallway a few feet from Drew’s office. The carpet beneath her feet had a dizzying geometric pattern that added to the headache brewing behind her eyes.
    She turned her back to Drew’s open door while she quickly explained to her boss her theory that Birdman had set her up. “There was no drug deal going down. It was a trap.”
    â€œIf that is true, Agent Bennett, all the more reason