The Collective Read Online Free Page A

driveway, engaged in a conversation that might have been an argument or just speculation about the case. Yellow crime-scene tape had been run along the white picket fence in the front yard, across the driveway to a palm tree, then along into the backyard.
    “What’s with the tape?” Josh asked. “Kind of overkill, right? Why not just do the front and back doors?”
    “Maybe they found decent footprints and are going to make casts,” Voss said.
    They got out of the car and walked to the driveway, stepping over the yellow tape. A slender, attractive Asian woman in an FBI shirt noticed them first. She wore her hair pulled back in a severe ponytail and, despite her beauty, her expression—even in the moment she caught her first glimpse of them—was equally severe. She tapped another FBI agent, drawing his attention to them, and as the man turned around, Voss stiffened.
    “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Josh muttered.
    Voss felt her lips curve in a feral smile. “This should be interesting.”
    They had worked with Supervisory Special Agent Ed Turcotte once before, on the strangest and most terrifying case of their lives. She and Josh had been FBI agents themselves back then, doing ocean interdiction, dealing with gunsmugglers and drug runners, mostly. Turcotte headed one of the FBI’s counterterrorist squads and had tried stealing cases out from under them any number of times.
    The last time, they had all nearly died.
    But Voss and Josh didn’t work for the FBI anymore. Turcotte probably knew that, which would have explained the confusion on his face as they strode up the driveway toward him. The man had gone bald enough that he’d shaved what remained of his hair down to a half inch of gray-brown stubble, and he looked about a decade older.
    Turcotte and the female FBI agent stepped away from the group to greet them.
    “Agent Turcotte,” Voss said.
    “What the hell are you doing here?” Turcotte replied with a scowl.
    Voss produced her identification and Josh followed suit.
    “Homeland Security ICD,” she said as she flashed the ID. “Didn’t anybody tell you we were coming?”
    Turcotte gave a sardonic laugh. “I knew someone was coming, but nobody mentioned names. So you’re Homeland’s new Troubleshooters, huh?”
    “Troubleshooters?” Josh asked.
    The woman at Turcotte’s side cocked her head, studying them. “That’s what they’re calling you at the Bureau. To be honest, there might be some sarcasm involved. Some people are wondering if you’re going to ease troubles or cause them.”
    Josh glanced at Voss. “I like her.”
    “Me, too,” Voss said, before focusing on the woman again. “And probably a little bit of both, since you’re wondering.”
    The woman raised her hands. “Hey, I said ‘some people.’ ”
    “You did,” Josh admitted, his blue eyes glinting with mischief.
    “Special Agent Nala Chang,” Turcotte broke in, “meet Agents Rachael Voss and Josh Hart, formerly FBI. Now, apparently, interagency cooperation coordinators for Homeland Security. Officially, our babysitters.”
    “Though
Troubleshooters
is growing on me,” Josh said. “We’ll have to bring that up at the next meeting.”
    “Good to meet you,” Chang said.
    They shook hands all around.
    “So, what’ve you got?” Voss asked.
    Turcotte frowned. “Weren’t you briefed?”
    “Only on the players involved and the general stuff—home invasion, four DOA, possible terrorist connections. They stuck us on a plane too fast to give us the details. Anyway, our job isn’t to solve the case, it’s to offer whatever help we can and to make sure all of you don’t get in one another’s way while
you’re
trying to,” Voss explained.
    “And if we do? Get in one another’s way, I mean?” Chang asked, with what seemed like genuine curiosity.
    Josh and Voss exchanged a glance, but it was Turcotte who answered.
    “Then they have the power to assume command of the investigation.”
    Chang stared at him.