Wyatt said nothing for a moment, putting the pieces together. Anspaugh had blown into his office five minutes ago, without a knock, much less an appointment. He’d launched into a conversation that he obviously expected Wyatt to follow.
Unfortunately, Wyatt hadn’t had any idea what the hell the other man was talking about. Not that he was going to reveal that, not yet, anyway. He knew Anspaugh. More important, he knew other men like Anspaugh. Admitting a disadvantage to someone so ambitious and cutthroat was a mistake only a fool would make, and Wyatt was no fool.
Even though he was beginning to feel fairly certain one of his own people, Lily Fletcher, had taken him for one.
Because, judging by what Anspaugh had revealed, Lily had been clandestinely working with another team on a pedophile investigation. Which bothered him for two reasons. First, he could not have untrustworthy people on his staff. Lily’s secrecy about the whole thing had obviously been to one purpose: to keep Wyatt from finding out what she was doing.
That was probably because of his second reservation-Lily’s history.
He understood the need to stop other children from being abused and taken the way her nephew had been. But he hadn’t fooled himself; Fletcher was still fragile. Still a little broken inside. It was obvious in the haunted emptiness in her eyes and the hollow sound of her infrequent laughter. Which was why, when she had begun to get so wrapped up in the activities of the sick pedophile from Satan’s Playground, he had cautioned her against letting her emotions mix with her job.
But you didn’t forbid it.
No. He hadn’t. He had counseled against it, but he hadn’t told her she could not help a CAT working child protection during the Satan’s Playground investigation. Her decision to hide her involvement, however, meant she knew he would be against it going on this long.
She’d walked a fine line, not disobeying a direct order because there had never been one. But for only one reason-because she had never asked him to change the boundaries of their original agreement.
His first impulse was to ask for her transfer, and he still might. Absolutely the only thing preventing that was his own culpability in the whole thing. He had known Lily’s weaknesses when he’d brought her on board. He’d seen her reaction to the child abuse at the cyber playground. And he had not refused her request outright.
“Why does Lily have to actually be there for the takedown?” he asked, wanting to know just how deep his agent had gotten.
Anspaugh shrugged. “Well, for one thing, with the way I suspect she feels about this Lovesprettyboys dude, I think she’ll want to be.”
“So you truly believe this suspect will visit the house tonight. Why? If he’s passing himself off as another child, why would he expect this young girl to allow him to enter?”
“We already know that psycho’s not just into assaulting little kids; he wants to see them hurt, killed.”
That was exactly what the man had wanted when he’d tried to pay a small fortune to have the Reaper do it for him.
“So we’re not thinking he’s a regular perv, trying to seduce a young girl into meeting with somebody she knows is a man. This creep could just be looking to act quickly on opportunity-a house with two young kids alone. One of them is his favorite victim type, an eight-year-old male, the other a weak little girl who could be easily subdued while he does what he wants to with the boy.”
Wyatt nodded in acknowledgment. It was possible. He didn’t know that the unsub was desperate enough to go after the first unsupervised boy he could find. Then again, he had seemed pretty desperate when he’d offered to transfer a fortune to a stranger just so he could get to watch a video of an attack.
A knock sounded on his partially closed office door, and Lily Fletcher herself stuck her head in. “Sir, can I have a minute?” She obviously couldn’t see who was sitting across from him.
Wyatt waved an expansive hand, beckoning her in. “By all means; what perfect timing.”
She stepped inside, then stumbled over her own feet when she saw Anspaugh. Her face drained of color and her mouth fell open on an audible, shocked inhalation.
“Special Agent Anspaugh and I were just discussing tonight’s operation,” Wyatt murmured, not revealing by expression or tone what he thought of the whole situation. “Not to mention your assistance in the investigation.”
Lily stared at him in silence, obviously knowing he didn’t want to get into the discussion they needed to have in front of an outsider.
“Hey, Lil, figured I’d try to work things out boss-to-boss, so you don’t have any more conflicts like last night,” the other agent said.
Seeing the way her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly and her cheeks flushed, he knew what Lily thought of several things, including the nickname, the interference, the idea of Anspaugh as her boss, and the other agent himself. Lily Fletcher was nothing if not easy to read, her emotions always visible just beneath the pretty surface.
“Last night I didn’t abandon my post, sir. Mrs. Dalton was alone…” As usual, when flustered, as she often seemed to be around him for some reason, Lily stammered and stumbled over her words. “I mean, she wasn’t alone, not for a minute. Alec Lambert was there the entire time; I’m sure he’ll verify that.”
Wyatt said nothing, merely tenting his fingers on his desk.
“Look, Blackstone, she wasn’t irresponsible. She did tell me she couldn’t do it if she didn’t get coverage,” Anspaugh said, though his tone said he begrudged having to explain-to Wyatt, of all people.
Wyatt ignored the man. “Is Agent Stokes available to be on duty all night?” he asked, wanting to make sure the logistics were covered before he made any decisions.
Lily nodded. “I just talked to her and her daughter’s fine, so she’s good to go.” Her hands fisting and unfisting by her sides, she quickly continued. “Alec and Mrs. Dalton are on their way back from the prison. He’s staying with her at the hotel until this evening; then Jackie will come at around ten to relieve him and spend the rest of the night.”
“So we’re good?” Anspaugh asked. Fortunately, the man was tunnel-visioned and didn’t ask any questions about the case they were discussing. A normal agent would at least express a passing interest, given the need for witness protection and prison visits. Anspaugh, however, saw only his own investigations, his own ambitions.
Which made Wyatt even more uncomfortable about tonight’s operation.
“There are conditions to Agent Fletcher’s involvement.”
“What conditions?” The other man’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Lily is not a field agent. She has no experience, and I will not have her put in jeopardy during this mission.”
“Sir, I’m fine, really-”
He cut her off with an abrupt wave of his hand. “She remains off-site, an observer only, nowhere near the takedown location.”
Anspaugh rolled his eyes. “Oh, for Chrissakes, we’re talking about a pervert here, not Jack the Ripper.”
Wyatt merely lifted a brow. “Is that a no?”
The other man hesitated.
“Very well, then. I’m afraid I will not grant Agent Fletcher permission to assist.”
“Wait a minute, Blackstone,” the other man said, his neck growing distinctly red above his tight collar. “It’s not a problem. She can hang back in the surveillance van; she won’t be alone for one minute.”
Lily opened her mouth again, but Wyatt met her eye, silently telling her it was this way or no way. He already half regretted letting it go this far.
She snapped it closed again.
“Very well. Agent Fletcher, you are free to assist Agent Anspaugh tonight.”
Anspaugh beamed, apparently not even noticing Lily’s tension, the way her hands twisted in front of her and she kept her head down. He was so pleased with himself, he got up and said, “See? All good. Toldja I’d take care of ya. I’ve got a few guys wiring up the empty house down in Williamsburg right now, but we need to get there soon. Be ready to go in about thirty minutes,” before swaggering out of the room.