Taking

Jake wondered …

Isn’t there anything I can do for the guy?

He had to admit, he could feel his spirit lift a little at the idea of getting out of this place.

And why not?

Erik Lehl didn’t seem eager to put him on any cases right now.

The alternative was to sit in his office and do boring paperwork, unless …

An idea took shape in Jake’s head.

He had lots of vacation time piled up. He could ask Lehl for two or three days off, go out to Arizona, and see if there was anything he could do for Harry.

Of course, Riley Sweeney was on her way here right now to report for duty.

But there wouldn’t be much point in her starting to work here at the BAU if her senior partner was going to be on vacation, so …

Why can’t she come with me?

This could provide some simple, safe training opportunities for the rookie agent.

He smiled at the idea.

As Jake left the commissary and headed for Erik Lehl’s office, he thought …

Who knows? This might actually be fun.

CHAPTER THREE

By the time she neared the BAU Headquarters in Quantico, Riley was in a terrible mood. The drive from her apartment in DC had been worse than she’d expected. The morning traffic had been so thick and heavy that she almost missed her exit.

It would be worse if I were commuting the other way, she told herself.

Still, it wasn’t going to be any fun to face this traffic every morning. And then returning after a day of work—would that be any easier?

Now, as she finally reached the BAU parking lot, she saw two entrances—one for visitors and one for staff.

Which entrance should she use?

Nobody had told her. In fact, she hadn’t heard from anybody since she’d received that note after her graduation the day before yesterday—the message telling her she should report for duty at Quantico, not in DC.

When she’d gotten the note, she’d been certain the transfer must have been Agent Crivaro’s idea. But now she wasn’t so sure. After all, they’d already worked together on some demanding investigations. Wouldn’t Agent Crivaro have made an effort to get in touch with her to talk about the change?

Meanwhile, she really had no idea what the day might have in store for her—or, for that matter, what her foreseeable future might have in store.

Then Riley realized that whatever that future might be, everything she had done over the past year had brought her to this place. When she had inserted herself into an investigation of murders in her college dorm, when she had worked with Jake on cases while she was still in training, this was what it had all led to.

She wasn’t a visitor.

She was an FBI agent.

She drove up to the staff gate, where a security guard was posted in a booth.

Riley took out her badge and showed it to the guard.

The guard nodded and said, “You’re expected.”

He then handed her a parking permit tag and waved her on in.

Riley felt a rush of excitement. It was the first time she’d shown her FBI badge to identify herself, and it had made a difference.

I’ve actually got a place to park!

The thrill quickly passed, though, as Riley drove around looking for an empty slot. Memories of yesterday came creeping into her mind.

After all those weeks of dormitory living, she’d finally gotten to spend two nights and all of Sunday with Ryan. Their first night had been plenty exciting because they’d been apart for so long, but the next day things hadn’t been especially pleasant. Ryan wasn’t at all happy about Riley’s new assignment and the inconvenience it was going to cause.

Inconvenience!

Riley scoffed aloud.

The main inconvenience to Ryan was that Riley was going to need the car for her daily commute, leaving him to use the subway to get to and from work. That had been a blow to his pride. His Ford Mustang was one of the few luxuries of his life, and he loved driving it to work every day. She knew it made him feel more like the big-time lawyer he someday hoped to be.

Ryan hadn’t complained openly about the transportation thing, but he hadn’t hidden his feelings either. He’d made way too much of a show of magnanimity and self-sacrifice, trying to make it seem like he was going to great lengths and taking great pains to support her in her new career.

And all on account of this stupid car, she thought, pulling into an empty parking spot and turning off the engine.

She got out of the vehicle and stood looking at it for a moment. She remembered the first time she’d seen the Mustang. She and Ryan had both been college students going out on their first date. She’d been quite impressed when he’d arrived at her dormitory in this car, and also by his gallantry in getting out and opening the passenger door for her.

Gazing at the vehicle now, she sighed.

Those giddy days when she and Ryan were just starting to get to know each other seemed awfully long ago now. The Mustang didn’t impress her anymore, and she wished it didn’t still seem like such a big deal to Ryan.

And what’s wrong with having to take the subway, anyway?

She’d taken the subway every day during the summer, when she’d been in the FBI’s Honors Internship Program. It was very efficient, and she’d actually gotten to enjoy riding with the mix of other passengers.

But then, she wasn’t afflicted with Ryan’s masculine pride.

She walked on inside the building and presented her credentials at the security gate. The guard looked up her name and told her she was supposed to report straight to Agent Crivaro’s office.

As Riley took the elevator, she was sure this proved her original hunch—that it had been Agent Crivaro’s idea for her to transfer to Quantico. She couldn’t help but feel proud that he wanted her there. Crivaro wasn’t just a good senior agent, he was nearly legendary in the FBI.

But what would he want a beginner like her to do on her first day on the job?

Paperwork, probably, she guessed.