Free Point of Control by L.J. Sellers Page B

shoulder.
    He’d been mad at her since she’d stopped visiting Cassidy two months ago. But watching her die had been painful and stressful, and Bailey just couldn’t subject herself to it. Without guilt to motivate her, walking away had been the only choice. It didn’t make her a bad person. No one would spend time with a dying cancer patient if they didn’t have guilt pushing them. “I’ll try to be there for the service, but I’m working an important case, and I can’t promise.”
    “Whatever.” Brad hung up.
    His rudeness bothered her. She couldn’t help who she was. She’d been born this way, but at least she’d finally learned the rules and did her best to obey them and fit in. Other sociopaths churned through their lives without regard for anyone but themselves. She’d also found a job that gave her structure and benefitted society. What else did he expect from her? He expected her to be normal. Everyone did. Because they didn’t know her mind was different from theirs, and she would never tell them. Hiding the truth was imperative. People assumed that all sociopaths were monsters who needed to be locked up. She let out a distressed laugh. If society locked up everyone who didn’t feel remorse, some of the most successful people in the world would disappear. Few people made it to the top without guiltlessly crushing the competition.
    The chatter in her brain ran itself out, and Cassidy’s death hit her again. Tears welled in her eyes, then spilled over. Bailey let out a sob, then started walking again, the sun no longer a thing of joy. She rounded the corner, hurrying now, eager to get to work and push the pain of Cassidy’s death out of her mind. Cass was the only person who’d come close to knowing the truth about her, though they’d never discussed the sociopath label. It was too harsh, and Cass was too kind. She’d also been Bailey’s conscience in college, chiding her when her behavior was out of line or hurtful.
    In her sophomore year, Bailey had been questioned by an FBI agent about a man she’d dated who’d been involved in a minor fraud scheme. The agent’s work had fascinated her, and she’d ended up interviewing him about the various types of assignments available. During their conversation, she’d decided to focus on criminal justice, then apply at the FBI. It seemed like an ideal way to be herself and stay out of trouble. A career that would give her structure and power at the same time. Once she’d made it into the bureau, she’d been ruthless on occasion in pursuing better assignments, but she’d never hurt another agent to further her own career. Except that one time. And the misogynistic jackass had deserved it.
    Another early morning walker passed her going the other way, a woman in yoga pants and a baggy sweatshirt. Bailey nodded but didn’t smile. Grief seemed to have frozen her face. Back in her hotel room, she showered and packed her suitcase. Her flight was in three hours. She had just enough time to grab some breakfast, then catch a cab to the airport. It felt wrong to leave San Jose without concluding her investigation, but if the kidnappers were in Seattle, that’s where she needed to be.
    On her way, she’d call the local FAA office to see what noncommercial flights had left the area yesterday. She suspected the kidnappers hadn’t filed their trip, though, and she admired their audacity. It took balls to make unregistered interstate flights, at least on the East Coast, where the military might shoot you down. That wasn’t a risk out here, but still, whoever was masterminding the criminal enterprise was taking huge risks. That meant he or she believed there would be a huge payoff.

C HAPTER 13
    Thursday, March 19, 12:02 p.m., Washington, DC
    Jocelyn heard footsteps approaching her table and looked up from the menu. Ross was coming her way. Overweight and balding, her estranged husband wasn’t aging well, yet she’d recently discovered she still loved him