contest with Zora.
She licked her lips and continued, “Agent Joon, I know this is hard to hear, but I’m putting you on leave. Please see your supervisor for the next steps and keep us updated on when you might be back?”
For a moment no one in the conference room moved or even dared to breathe.
Joon stared back at Zora for a long moment. Finally he nodded his head, turned and stalked toward the door. No one spoke as he left, and they all listened to his fading footsteps and the dig of the elevator.
Kelsey was the first to move. She dropped her head forward and ran her fingers through her hair.
Logan slanted a look at Zora. “What now?”
“I checked the serial number on the microphone that came off Kelsey’s jacket,” Diha said.
“Microphone? What?” Jamie asked.
Kelsey grimaced. “Nadine likely stuck a small microphone on my jacket.”
“Nadine didn’t check it out,” Diha said. “It’s from one of our dead guys, which further supports the theory they were working together. He requisitioned the microphone and receiver to do some standard surveillance work on a potential source.”
“Um, did we get the transmitter and receiver?” Kelsey shifted in her seat. She didn’t glance at Logan, but he understood what she was getting at.
She really only had the one jacket. She’d worn it to his place. It had likely been in her living room. There were intimately personal conversations they’d had, and someone was listening the whole time.
“No, not yet at least,” Diha said.
Logan exhaled.
It wasn’t the best news. Someone out there could still have the tools and recordings, if they’d been smart enough to record it. Which meant there was also the possibility that someone out there had a recording of Logan and Kelsey’s intimate moments. He was not fond of that.
Diha held her hands up. “The good news is that the microphone was dead. If we assume it was planted shortly after being checked out when the battery life was fully charged, it would have run out yesterday morning. It’s doubtful they found out about today from it.”
“There’s something,” he muttered, then cleared his throat. “What’s our next move? How safe are you wherever you are?”
“It’s been one hell of a long day,” Zora drawled. “At this point, everyone needs to get some rest and decompress. We should be safe where we are. I’ve asked Tucker to remain here and oversee security.”
“But what are we going to do?” Kelsey spread her hands. “I mean, we need a plan.”
“At this point, our best bet is to stick to the plan. Dixon is working with us. He is a valuable informant. He is also bait, and Skilton will no doubt know that the senator had plans to host a holiday party this weekend.”
“That’s our plan?” Kelsey squinted at Zora. “A party?”
“We’re all figuring this out together,” Zora said. “First thing in the morning, we’ll work on the next step. I have to cut this short. The director is expecting a briefing.”
The feed cut off, leaving them in silence.
“The director?” Kelsey snorted. “What a fucking joke.”
Most days Logan forgot that Zora was only the assistant director of the task force. Hell, Logan hadn’t met the real man in charge.
He turned his chair to look at the others.
They all wore similar, downtrodden expressions.
Nadine’s betrayal hit them all hard.
No matter who it was, they were all going to feel a sense of betrayal.
“Look around you,” Logan said.
Jamie and Harper glanced at him, then each other before turning their heads to look at the others.
Kelsey frowned at Logan, then shared a look with Diha and Felecia.
Baruti’s head didn’t move, but his eyes took them all in.
One by one, each person met the gaze of the others.
“We know that every person in these walls is someone we can trust. Baruti? Samuel? Joon? Those three especially.” Logan looked at the two FBI agents in turn. “Thank you for going along with the investigation. It couldn’t have been easy to live under a microscope like you did, knowing that we were all trying to decide who we could trust. Thank you.”
Baruti shook his head. “I didn’t want to believe it.”
“It’s hard...” Samuel paused to close his eyes and draw in a deep breath. “It’s hard thinking that someone who’s gone through the training we have would do something like this.”
“You’re right.” Logan nodded. “Nadine was in the CIA for what? Thirty years? She was fifty-eight, right? She didn’t turn traitor overnight. She knew what she was doing. No one should beat themselves up