Page 55 of Broken
“Who’s Z?” her boss asked.
Only one of the most powerful men in the free world.“No one important,” she lied.
On her way back to her cubicle, she called him on his private line.
“That’s better,” Z answered. “I wanted you to know that Addison was shot.”
“Ohgod, is she okay?”
“I don’t call for foolish reasons.”
“Of course not. What happened?”
“She and Prescott’s sister were shot in a mall parking garage, last night. They both needed surgery to remove the bullets. Addison was released. Sally will be today. Nicholas was with them, but he wasn’t hit. We think he and Addison were the targets. That makes four in my elite team down in a week—”
“You’re what? Whateliteteam?”
“I need you to work up a psychological profile of our killer.”
“Of course, but you’ll have to clear my schedule. I’ve got a several deliverables—”
“Done.”
Silence.
“I need you to come back to the DC area.”
Her heart kicked up speed. “Winchester?”
“No, you’ll work in the DMV.”
“Understood.”
“I don’t want you flying commercial,” Z explained. “Your supervisor is being briefed. Go home and pack your bags. Two Secret Service agents will be by in two hours. Once they arrive, call me to confirm they’re the agents I assigned you. They’ll be escorting you back to DC.”
Secret Service?
Anxiety flitted through her. “Got it. Anything else?”
“Safe travels.” The line went dead.
* * *
Prescott
It had been almosttwo in the morning when Prescott got home. He updated his mom and dad while Ethan slept on the family room floor beneath a blanket. After sending his parents upstairs to a guest room, he slept on the nearby sofa so Ethan wouldn’t be alone.
That morning, he woke to giant eyes on a small face staring at him. It was a little after six.
“I have to go potty.”
Prescott brought the tyke into the guest bathroom. Ethan lifted the lid and urinated like a pro.
“Good job, buddy.” Prescott turned on the faucet, made sure the water wasn’t too hot, and held him up so he could wash his hands.
“I don’t have to wash my hands.”
“You gotta wash your hands after you use the toilet.”
