Free Web of Secrets (Agents Under Fire) by Susan Sleeman

anthropologist—a Dr. Williams—arrives, I want you glued to her side. Get a photo of everything—every piece of bone, clothing, etc. Clear, crisp pictures. Never has your work been as important to a case. You understand?”
    “Yes, sir,” Dane said, his words almost a salute.
    Sam took a step closer. “I hate to bring this up when we’ve already got our plate full with two girls, but this is a large clearing. There could be additional bodies.”
    Connor had considered that, but he hadn’t been willing to dwell on it.
    “The thought crossed my mind.” Vance let his gaze run over the area. “But I won’t waste resources until Dr. Williams confirms we’re dealing with another murdered teen.”
    “Odds are good we are,” Dane said.
    “Likely.” Vance rubbed a hand over his face. “If so, I’ll get cadaver dogs up here.” Vance looked at Connor. “Until then, we need to get lights set up for Dr. Williams. This is going to be a long night.”
    A very long night , Connor thought as he headed down the trail with Dane to retrieve the items they’d need to light up the hillside of death.
    BECCA STORMED DOWN the trail, her breathing quick and labored in the humid air. Her legs ached as she slammed her feet onto the clay soil packed into a hard slab. She took perverse pleasure in the pain. It helped numb her from what she’d seen, numb her from being tossed off the crime scene. Numb her from Sam and Connor’s lack of support. Especially Connor’s. That irked her more than anything. It didn’t bother her that Sam had held back. He’d had to. He walked a fine line with Kait being an agent. Becca got that. But Connor? What did he have to lose, other than any hope of ever dating her?
    “Right, like that will ever happen,” she muttered.
    “Hold up, Becca.” Kait grabbed her arm. “I can’t breathe in this humidity. What’s the big rush, anyway?”
    “I want to get back to the office before Sulyard leaves for the day. I plan to convince him to call Vance and find a place for me on the team.”
    “That’s not a good idea.” Kait came to a stop, halting Becca’s movements. “If you were thinking instead of reacting, you’d realize that.”
    Becca shirked off Kait’s hand. “I can help. They need to let me do what I can.”
    “Granted. And I know Sam and Connor will be working on that. But if you go rushing into the office all wild and crazy like this, Sulyard will see how off your game you are and bench you.”
    “He might not notice.”
    “Ha! He might not notice if I flew off the handle or Nina got all emotional, but you? The woman who is so organized and methodical that you keep an inventory of your paper clips? Trust me, he would notice.”
    Kait exaggerated, but Becca got the point. Still, what was she supposed to do? She’d left Molly in Van Gogh’s hands and she had to atone for that.
    “Let’s just take a moment to breathe.” Kait dropped onto a stump and took off her shoe to rub her foot. “What’s going on with you? I’ve never seen you like this. Running off half-cocked.”
    As much as Becca wanted to blurt out her story, she couldn’t. It wasn’t as if she minded others knowing about her harrowing experience. If that was all there was to this, then she’d tell her story in a heartbeat. But telling people that she’d left Molly in the hands of a madman? No. After other agents heard that story, there was no way they would ever trust her to have their backs. Nor could she bear to see the disgust in her best friends’ eyes. It was far easier to live a double life.
    She shrugged.
    “I get that you have this connection with foster kids, but you’ve worked other cases that were just as difficult and kept it together.” Kait’s face suddenly lit. “Wait, it’s Connor isn’t it? You have thing for him, and you’re mad that he didn’t stand up for you.”
    “He didn’t stand up for either of us,” Becca corrected.
    Kait’s mouth dropped open. “You didn’t deny it.”