“I should take this,” she said reluctantly, reaching for the phone.
April nodded, attempting a brave smile.“It’s okay.I understand.”
Riley pressed the accept button, keeping the laptop screen in view.“Paige,” she answered,
“I need you and Esmer in my office ASAP,” Meredith’s gruff voice commanded, skipping any greeting.“New assignment.”
Riley watched April on the screen, saw Jilly’s concerned face hovering at the edge of the frame, felt Gabriela’s steadying presence behind her.“Sir, I’m in the middle of a family situation right now.My daughter at college—”
“This can’t wait, Paige,” Meredith cut her off, his tone brooking no argument.“Atlanta PD just called in a high-profile murder that matches the signature of a case we’ve been tracking.If you still want to head up a team that takes cases instead of just teaching, you have to be with us on this one.”
“I understand, sir, but this is—”
“A plane will be waiting,” Meredith interrupted again.“Wheels up in ninety minutes.Esmer’s already on her way in.”
The line went dead before Riley could respond further.She lowered the phone slowly, looking from it to the concerned faces on her screen, duty and family pulling her in opposite directions.This case had to be high-profile, or Meredith wouldn’t be so demanding.
“You have to go,” April said quietly, reading her mother’s expression.“It’s okay, Mom.Really.”
“I’ll cut my Nashville case short,” Bill said immediately.“I can be at Jefferson Bell by tomorrow afternoon.”His eyes met Riley’s through the screen—steady, reassuring.“I’ll personally check things out, make sure campus security is on alert.”
Riley exhaled slowly, grateful for Bill’s solution.After all, it had been her decision to be a field agent again as well as a parent.
Was she going to regret it?
CHAPTER TWO
As Riley turned into the parking lot for the Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico, the familiar landscape did nothing to settle her thoughts.The image of April’s face on the video call—shifting from casual excitement to dawning horror as she realized who Leo Dillard really was—kept replaying in her mind.She’d left home in such a rush that she’d only swallowed half a cup of coffee and one pancake that she’d grabbed on the way out.She hoped that Jilly and Gabriela would make good use of the rest that she’d left sitting under their cover on the dining room table.
She pulled into her usual parking spot, cut the engine, and sat for a moment in the silence.The bright September sun seemed at odds with the darkness of her thoughts.
“Damn it,” she whispered, rubbing her temples.
As she reached for her bag on the passenger seat, a flash of movement caught her eye.Ann Marie Esmer was just pulling into the slot beside her, her small blue sedan gleaming under the late morning sun.The young agent spotted Riley and waved with characteristic enthusiasm, a gesture that seemed almost comically out of place against Riley’s current mood.
Riley stepped out of her car, forcing her thoughts away from April and back to the present moment.She needed to compartmentalize—a skill that had served her well throughout her career but was proving unusually difficult today.
“Agent Paige!”Ann Marie called as she emerged from her car, somehow managing to simultaneously grab her laptop bag, straighten her immaculately pressed blazer, and lock her vehicle with a beep of her key fob.“Can you believe Meredith called us in on a Saturday?Must be something big.”
Her blue eyes sparkled with barely contained excitement.Despite having worked several cases now, Ann Marie still approached each new assignment with the eagerness of a rookie on her first day.Today, she wore her blonde hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail.
“Something big enough to interrupt family time,” Riley agreed, her tone flatter than she’d intended.
Ann Marie’s expression shifted immediately.“Everything okay?You seem...distracted.”
Riley hesitated, then decided there was no point in pretending.“It’s April.There’s a situation at Jefferson Bell.”
They fell into step together, walking toward the BAU building.The grounds were quieter than on weekdays, but even on weekends, Quantico never truly slept.A group of academy trainees jogged past in formation, their synchronized footfalls providing a steady rhythm that punctuated their conversation.
“What kind of situation?”Ann Marie asked, her voice dropping to match Riley’s serious tone.
“Remember Leo Dillard?”
Ann Marie’s step faltered.“The student who was stalking you recently?”
Riley nodded grimly.“Turns out he’s been hanging around April at Jefferson Bell.Approached her, befriended her.She had no idea who he was until our video call this morning.”
“Oh my God,” Ann Marie breathed, all excitement about the new case momentarily forgotten.“That’s...that’s terrifying.What are you going to do?”
