Free Handcuffs and Lace 24 - Balls and Chain by Mia Watts

Winston?” Jude asked incredulously. The FBI had always suspected
Winston had someone working on the inside, but he’d never have guessed it to be an agent so close the investigation. No wonder they always seemed to be one step ahead.
    Derek dropped the pizza box on the nearest bed. “Get comfortable. We have guests coming any minute.”
“Who are you expecting?” Sam asked.
Jude motioned for him to stay quiet when Derek’s gun swung in Sam’s direction. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sam quickly sit on the foot of the second bed.
“I like convenience. I like tidying up loose ends even more. What’s more tidy and convenient than taking care of two birds with one stone? Hm?” Derek made a dramatic show of thinking about it. “Can’t think of one. Can you?”
The sound of a car door shutting, the snuffle of a child trying to hold back tears, and another man’s voice brought the reality of their situation glaringly to light. The little girl tripped into the room clutching her teddy bear. Her big blue eyes widened as she saw the gun. The second man, someone Jude didn’t know but thought he should, shoved the girl toward Jude. He caught her easily, squatting down to look her in the eyes.
“You’re Matilda Piltnik, aren’t you?” he asked her.
The girl nodded.
“I’m Agent Cheney. See that man sitting on the bed? That’s my friend, Sam. Can you go sit with him, sweetheart?”
She didn’t look like she trusted him. No wonder considering that an agent, the agent assigned to protect her, had just delivered her to a killer.
“C’mere, honey,” Sam called her.
Derek picked up the pizza box and tossed it to the other bed where Sam and Matilda were. “Eat something. Maybe it’ll shut her up.”
“Derek, what are you doing? She needs to be kept safe.” Jude tried to reason with him.
“You know better than that, Cheney. If an agent’s gonna turn, he’s gonna turn big.”
The unknown man who’d delivered the girl leaned around the motel door. “He’s secured, sir.”
A shadow filled the opening, backlit from the outside light. Jude caught a glimpse of a businessman dressed in a suit coat and tie.
“I want it to look like he did it,” the man told Derek.
“It will. The evidence they find will point directly to Agent Cheney. They’ll think he went rogue, shot the two witnesses and then hung himself,” Cheney assured.
“Good. You, go outside and keep watch.” The second guy disappeared, bumping passed the newcomer as he went.
As the businessman stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him, there was no mistaking his identity. Paul Winston was taking care of business personally. And that realization provided the identity of the other man, his assistant. No wonder he’d looked vaguely familiar. If Jude hadn’t been assigned to specifically watch Sam, he’d have recognized the man instantly.
He still should have known. Not that it changed anything.
“Mr. Winston. Doing your dirty work personally?” Jude asked, hoping to buy time.
“Just not allowing there to be any confusion this time around. You’ve been quite a thorn in my side, Agent Cheney. I don’t like thorns. I pluck them out.”
“Really? We’re going for bad cop-drama dialogue here? Is there a rule book that requires bad use of metaphors for you people?” Sam snapped.
“Geez, Sam,” Jude said, glaring at him. “Not now.”
“Sorry.”
“Mouthy sonofabitch, isn’t he?” Winston said.
“You’d have to ask Cheney. He’s been sucking that one’s cock all week,” Derek snarked. Winston smacked him on the back of the head. “Watch your mouth. There’s a kid here.” “Ow! She’s gonna be dead in ten minutes anyway.”
Matilda started crying. Sam hugged her, running a hand over her hair and making soothing noises. He glared at Derek. “Have some sensitivity, moron. She’s just a kid.”
“Hey,” Jude said, standing. He needed their attention back on him. Anything to keep the gun from being pointed at Sam or