Calm, controlled. This is special agent Vanessa Reed. Linda looked over her shoulder. I think the police are looking for me. They are.
Linda froze. You You already know? We've been watching everything. Tears rolled down Linda's face. She's still there.
We know. They're hurting her. Vanessa glanced toward Daniel Carter inside the operations center. Daniel nodded once. Vanessa spoke firmly.
Linda, listen carefully. I'm listening. Do not go home. Okay. Do not go back to the store.
Okay. We're sending federal agents to your location. Linda leaned against the church wall, overwhelmed. So, she's really Vanessa smiled faintly. Yes, but that's all I can tell you.
Back in Red Creek, Travis's patience finally snapped. He turned toward Ryan. I'm done waiting. What do you want? Put her in the cruiser.
Ryan grabbed Nia's arm roughly. She didn't resist. As he led her toward the patrol car, he leaned close enough that no one else could hear. You know what happens after we leave here? Nia looked straight ahead.
No. You disappear into the system. He smiled. People stop asking questions. Nia answered quietly.
Not this time. Ryan opened the rear door. The metal cage inside reflected the late afternoon sun. He shoved her forward. Just before she climbed inside, Nia glanced toward the highway.
Still nothing. No black SUVs. No helicopters. No flashing federal lights. Only ordinary traffic moving beneath a cloudless Georgia sky.
For the first time since arriving in Red Creek, even she began calculating the possibility that the backup team might not arrive before Travis found a way to erase every trace of what had happened. At FBI headquarters, Daniel Carter watched the same scene unfold on the live feed. Malcolm Pierce's convoy was still 9 minutes away. 9 minutes. Daniel looked toward the operations room.
Every analyst had stopped talking. Every monitor displayed the same image. Nia Brooks standing beside a patrol cruiser, handcuffed, surrounded, alone. Daniel slowly picked up the secure radio. His voice remained calm, but everyone in the room heard the urgency beneath it.
Malcolm, go. I don't care what traffic looks like anymore. A brief pause. Then Daniel gave the order he had hoped never to give. Run code black.
Inside the lead SUV, Malcolm Pierce's expression hardened. He reached for the emergency switch. Red lights exploded to life across the convoy. Sirens shattered the afternoon silence. The accelerator hit the floor.
Every federal vehicle surged forward. Because from this moment on, saving the case was no longer the priority. Saving special agent Nia Brooks was. Ryan Mercer shoved Nia Brooks toward the backseat of the patrol cruiser, head down. She didn't move.
I said, "Get in." Nia calmly looked at the steel cage waiting inside the vehicle. Then she slowly turned back toward Sergeant Travis Cole. "You still have time." Travis laughed.
"Time for what?" "To stop making the biggest mistake of your career." The officers burst into laughter. Ryan shook his head. "She's still pretending she's somebody important."