Free EDGE OF SHADOWS: The Shadow Ops Finale (Shadow Ops, Book # 3) by C.J. Lyons, Cynthia Cooke Page B

to get a handle on the oversight committee’s upcoming ruling.
    “Letting a known terrorist escape, almost giving him the time he needed to detonate a bomb right under this street, has a lot of people on edge.”
    He opened his mouth to protest, but she raised a gloved hand to stop him.
    “The truth is, Billy. Rose didn’t warn anyone. That’s not sitting well with a lot of people.”
    “We had Lucky Cavanaugh with us. He’s ATF. The bomb was his design. He was the perfect person to disarm it.”
    “You said yourself there could be more threats against us. If Rose hadn’t let the Preacher escape in the first place, if she hadn’t killed the men with him, our people could have interrogated them. We could have discovered what else he had planned. Surely you can understand why the committee is concerned. That man came after us directly and came damn close to succeeding.”
    Billy tensed, feeling blindsided. The way Susan laid it all out it almost looked like Rose was involved, that she’d killed those men in the tunnel to make sure there was no one left to talk.
    “Any progress in finding the third man, the one who escaped?” Billy asked.
    She stopped and stared at him long and hard. They were on the opposite side of the Mall from the Hirshhorn Law enforcement officers and reporters crawled all over the area, now surrounded by crime-scene tape and work lights.
    “I want to help, Billy. I really do. But I can’t tell you anything about that.”
    “Susan, you just said my clearance is as high as yours. We can help—”
    “Like Rose helped this morning?” She nodded past him to the yellow crime-scene tape fluttering in the wind.
    “We needed to know if there was a traitor in our midst. No one could have predicted—”
    “I did,” she snapped. “I told you. Rose is out of control. She never should have set a trap in such a public place.”
    If it hadn’t been for the Preacher’s people hijacking a bus and bringing their hostages with them to the scene, the meeting would have been private—and safe from any civilians. But he wasn’t here to argue tactics with her.
    “What happened this morning was regrettable,” he conceded.
    Finally, she nodded and took his arm again. They continued down the Mall. “Sometimes where Rose is concerned, you can’t see the truth right in front of you.”
    “Which is?”
    “Homeland Security, the NSD, and FBI all want to question her about this morning, but she’s nowhere to be found—”
    “That’s why I’m here. I already spoke to the FBI and cops.” To hell with the others, they were a bunch of lawyers who had no clue about boots-on-the-ground business. “I’ll answer any questions you have.”
    She waved away his offer. “You mean you’ll lie for her. Again. Face it, Billy, Rose shouldn’t be running STR. She’s a liability, a loose cannon who's going to bring us all down.”
    “Rose is a powerful asset to the Team. She gets results. Every time. She has a way of seeing the big picture that cannot be replicated by anyone else I’ve ever worked with.”
    “Are you sure that’s not your libido talking? It’s obvious to everyone how you feel about her. Those feelings are getting in the way of your good judgment. And right now, they could cost you your team.”
    “My…respect for Rose has not interfered in my judgment in any capacity. For both of us, the Team comes first. Always.”
    “I don’t know if you’re lying to me or to yourself. All I know is that until you get past this infatuation with the woman, your career is over. And, to put it harshly, you’re not getting any younger.”
    Anger threatened to twist the genial smile from his face. He wasn’t ready to be put out to pasture, not yet, not by her, not by anyone. “Thanks, but I can do without your help.”
    She stopped short, her hand dropping away from his arm. He backtracked and faced her, regretted how harsh his words must have sounded. Susan had always supported the Team, had never