Free Bad Break by CJ Lyons Page B

doesn’t want to be labeled a killer. That’s why he’s willing to bargain for Robert’s life—he never really wanted to hurt anyone and the ransom is his way out.”
    “I’m not sure. Still doesn’t feel right.”
    “It does if it’s a sixteen-year-old kid raised on Criminal Minds and CSI .”
    Megan joined them, pausing in the open doorway. Frowning at Lucy as if this was somehow all her fault. “Anna said there’s a ransom video. Can I see it?”
    Hayden shook her head as she reached for her phone. “I’m calling for a warrant. Thanks, Lucy. Couldn’t have done it without you.”
    “Mom, what did you do?” Megan’s voice was low but that didn’t mask her anger.
    Lucy moved out to the bullpen, Megan following. “Nothing. I was trying to explain to Hayden why the evidence didn’t fit.”
    “If the evidence doesn’t fit then why is she going after Mateo?”
    “Because he’s the only one the evidence points to.”
    “He’s innocent. A victim.” She stomped her foot. “You can’t arrest him. It’s wrong.”
    Lucy reached to comfort Megan, but she moved away. “Calm down, Megan.”
    “No. I won’t calm down. Mateo didn’t do anything. Someone has to fight for him, find out who did this.”
    “That’s the job of the police. Not you.”
    Megan’s eyes tightened. “Then you do it. What good is being a FBI Agent if you can’t protect the innocent?”
    Lucy wanted so badly to promise everything would be all right, that she had some magical ability to make bad evidence disappear and find the truth. But she didn’t—she didn’t even have any official standing in the case.
    Despite that, she knew she’d have to try. She looked up, met Megan’s gaze. “I can’t make any promises—”
    “Of course you can’t,” Megan snapped before Lucy could finish. “You never can. I hate you. I hate your job. They’re going to hunt Mateo like a vicious criminal. What happens when they find him? He could get killed and it’s all your fault!”
    She whirled and ran through the door to the lobby before Lucy could stop her.
     
     

Chapter 15
     
     
    LUCY RAN AFTER Megan. When she caught up with her in the lobby, Lucy pulled her past Mateo’s family and outside to the parking lot where they could have some privacy. Last thing she wanted was to add to the Romeros’ worries with her own family drama.
    “Megan Constance Callahan,” Lucy started. “You do not talk to me that way.” Her voice had an unwelcome quaver in it—she hated being angry with Megan, hated even more the betrayal Megan’s accusation carried.
    Megan stood, flushed yet pale at the same time, like when she was a baby and had a fever. Lucy stepped forward, mouth open, ready to continue, when she realized she was looking Megan straight in the eye. When had her little girl grown as tall as she was?
    She took another step, trembling. She was getting ready to do something she never did: make a promise she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep. Lucy wrapped her arms around her baby. “It’ll be all right,” she whispered. “I promise.”
    Megan’s entire body shook with all the emotions she could not contain. Lucy pulled her tighter to her. She wished with all her heart she could somehow squeeze hard enough to return Megan to a time of innocence, that she could protect her daughter from ever knowing the ugly truth of the real world. But that was just as impossible as never breaking a promise, no matter how hard you tried.
    “When you were little,” she said, soothing Megan’s hair as she cradled her head against her shoulder, “and you got angry or upset and felt out of control, you used to put yourself in time out.”
    Lucy could feel Megan’s smile against her shoulder. “I’d go into my room and tear it apart. Dad used to call me Hurricane Megan.”
    They separated, faced each other. Lucy was glad to see Megan’s color return to normal. “Remember that time when I told you to clean up the mess after one of your