Free Cold Light of Day by Toni Anderson

shin.
    Dammit . “Assault of a federal officer on top of the spying charges? Looks like your Christmas isn’t going to be very merry, sweetheart.”
    She kicked him again, harder. “In for a penny, in for a pound.”
    Ouch. Goddammit .
    “Shooter’s gone,” came a voice out of the darkness—Alex Parker, “but don’t let me interrupt.”
    Matt looked over his shoulder and saw the man standing less than ten foot away. “You sure?”
    “Drove off in a Ford sedan. I got the plate.”
    “Nice.” Matt stepped away from Scarlett, not liking the way his body protested the distance. She was warm. It was a cold night.
    She put her hand in her pocket and he grabbed her wrist.
    “Hey!” she cried out.
    He retrieved her cell, then checked the other pocket. No weapons.
    “I need to try and contact the kidnapper again.” Her voice rose with agitation. “I need to get Angel to safety.”
    Matt tossed the cell to Parker, who caught it in one hand. “You should have thought of that before you got her mixed up in all this.” He braced himself to do his job, took out a pair of handcuffs, and pulled one hand behind her back. Her wrists were tiny, fine-boned, and delicate. This was generally the part of the job he liked best and got to do the least.
    This time it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
    “Scarlett Stone, you have the right to remain silent…”

Chapter Five

    F BI Special Agent Lazlo held her elbow as if she was about to make a run for it. To think she’d found him attractive earlier and mourned the idea of never seeing him again. Now she hoped she never saw him again. Being escorted handcuffed into FBI Headquarters in downtown Washington DC reminded her of every humiliation she and her family had ever endured. Was this how her father had felt? Only worse to be hauled in by his colleagues and accused of selling them out for money—of being responsible for the deaths of fellow agents abroad.
    Did one get used to the bite of hard metal on soft skin? Of the condemnation and derision on people’s faces? Or was each cut and sting a fresh blow? The idea was too much to bear. The thought of her father wasting away in those conditions, without proper treatment, imprisoned for something he hadn’t done…
    She’d begged him to tell her why he’d confessed, but he’d closed his eyes and refused to speak. He’d avoided the death penalty, but at what cost? Someone must have threatened her mother if he didn’t take the fall. Or her.
    She wasn’t a kid anymore. She’d figured she had nothing to lose except her own freedom by trying to find the truth, but now Angel had been kidnapped and it was all her fault. She tipped her chin higher and choked down the emotions. She needed to fix this. She had to be able to find a way to make this right.
    They used the back entrance of the J. Edgar Hoover building. Passing through corridors and metal detectors and security checks, each encounter more humiliating than the last. She caught Alex Parker’s eye. He gave her a slight smile. Not reassuring. More apologetic. Sympathetic. It didn’t bode well.
    They reached an office area and a guy with well-groomed blond hair and the palest blue eyes she’d ever seen, looked up from where he was talking to a pretty agent with short dark hair. The guy wore full black tie and didn’t seem to care that he was overdressed for work. She must have ruined his plans for the evening—apparently, it was her night for it. His eyes rested on her cuffed arms and his brows quirked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Parker grimace, but her jailer, Matt Lazlo, didn’t bat an eyelid. Her foot itched to kick him again.
    Good-looking alpha types brimming with too much testosterone surrounded her, making her feel small and insignificant. She didn’t remember her dad’s colleagues looking like this, but then she’d been a kid. Even the female agent looked like she could kick Scarlett’s ass and look cool doing it. If Angel had been here, she’d