The Serpent's Kiss

20

Matt Gray was on a roll. The mobile command center was parked outside Scott Hall. Derek and Jill sat in chairs in the back while Matt paced in front of them. Gray’s face was turning a dangerous shade of purple. Derek said, “You’re going to blow a blood vessel at this rate. Why don’t you calm down.”

Gray spun on him. “Why don’t you shut the fuck up, Stillwater. As far as I can see, you’ve done nothing but cause trouble. You’re here to observe and liaise with the office. So why don’t you shut up and observe.”

Derek gave Gray a flat, unemotional look. “Anything else?”

“Yes! Follow procedures. Even DHS has procedures you follow. When you think there’s a bomb in an office, you call in the bomb squad. You don’t try to defuse it yourself. Especially if there was no risk of it going off.”

The bomb squad and the crime scene team, those not at Scott Hall, were going over Harrington’s office. At Scott Hall, 43 were dead, 21 were injured and in the hospital. The university had been officially closed. Gray had called for reinforcements and had people coordinating with the Detroit PD. The Mayor and the Governor were on the phone constantly asking for updates so they could talk to the press. Gray was having a meltdown and he needed to focus his aggravation on somebody. Derek was handy.

“Did you hear me?” Gray demanded.

“Sure. I heard you.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“My job,” Derek said. He stood up. “Which, if you’ll get out of the way, I’ll continue to do.”

Gray shook his head. “You are not going into Scott Hall. This is my operation, Stillwater. I’m not giving you access.”

Derek provided a tight smile. “Excuse me. I have work to do.”

“I’m not finished, Stillwater. Sit your ass down.”

Derek took a step inside Gray’s personal space. “I’m not part of the Justice Department. I don’t answer to you. Now, I’ve got a job to do. Maybe if you’d do yours, those kids would be alive now.”

Gray blocked Derek’s path. “Okay, hotshot. You’re done. Sit down.”

“Out of my way.” Derek moved around the FBI agent.

Gray reached inside his coat and yanked out a pair of handcuffs. “I’m done with you and your bullshit, Stillwater. Hands behind your back. I’m arresting you for obstruction of justice, for hindering a federal investi—”

Derek hit the FBI agent in a flurry of fast, short punches. Jill lunged to her feet, but before she could do anything Derek was over the prone figure of Matt Gray and out the door. She crouched beside Gray. Gray’s face was a mask of blood, mostly from a bloody nose that was spurting scarlet all over his face. Gray appeared dazed.

“Are you all right?” Jill helped him sit up.

Gray struggled to his feet, trying to shake off the assault. He staggered momentarily, then focused on Jill.

“He hit me,” he said, his voice more puzzled than astonished. “The bastard hit me. He assaulted me. You saw it.”

Jill bit her lip.

“You saw it, right? He hit me. You saw it.”

She nodded. It occurred to her that over the years she had wanted to do exactly what Stillwater had done more than a few times herself.

“What are you waiting for?” Gray snarled, his voice nasal and choked. “Go get him.”

“What about—”

”Don’t worry about this Serpent crap. Go get Stillwater. It was your job to babysit him. Now you’ve got a real job to do.”

She frowned, hesitating. “You want me to arrest him.”

“Yes. For assaulting me. Arrest him. You get him in cuffs and I want him locked up until this is over.”

“Matt—”

He turned on her, spitting blood. “Do you want to be arrested with him? Do I need to sideline you for insubordination? This is a direct order, Jill. Go arrest Derek Stillwater.”

“Yes sir,” she said, and left the command center.

When she got to the spot where she left her car, it was gone. “Derek! Goddamn you! You stole my car.”

She rubbed her forehead for a moment, took in the ambulances, fire trucks and press vehicles, debating what to do. She had no desire to go back to Matt Gray and tell him Stillwater had hot-wired her car. She would just have to improvise.

Otherwise, she had a pretty good idea where Derek was headed.