Say Goodbye (Romantic Suspense #25) by Karen Rose

            “Either. Both. Just don’t stop.”

            She leaned forward to kiss his cheek before returning to his back. “How did you know they were doing background checks on me if you couldn’t see the security network?”

            “I’m not going to be able to get anything past you, am I?”

            “No, and answer the question.”

            “I embedded Trojans in the résumés you and the two FBI agents uploaded with your applications. When the HR manager clicked on your résumés, I got access to her computer. That’s where I got the e-mail addresses for the accountant and network admin.”

            “I did not like the HR manager,” Liza muttered. “She was smug, but I guess that’s the least of their sins. You’ll be able to get them for all the others, right?”

            “I hope so. The problem is that the warrants only covered information on Pastor and/or DJ. Nothing else I see online or hear through your comm device is usable.”

            “What if I see stuff? You know, as a legitimately hired employee? Can I report any illegal activity that I see?”

            He looked over his shoulder, his grin sharp. “Take lots of notes.”

            “Good. Are we going to Walnut Creek this morning?”

            She was dressed, he noted. She’d even put on makeup, which she did not need. “Yes. I’ve been trying to reach Croft for the last hour, but—” His phone began to buzz with an incoming call from Croft. “Speak of the devil.”

            Liza stopped her massage, retreating to a chair in the corner. “I won’t eavesdrop.”

            Her years in the army had taught her about classified information, and, other than the night when she’d listened in on his conversation with Raeburn, she’d always been hyper-respectful.

            “Good morning,” he said to Croft when he answered, keeping her off speaker.

            “I saw your calls, but I was in the middle of a crime scene.”

            All of the stress that Liza had worked out returned in a blast. “What now?” he asked wearily.

            Liza frowned but said nothing.

            “I’m at Anthony Ward’s compound in Granite Bay. We’ve got a dead Fed and three more bodies. All male, ranging in age from nineteen to forty-five. Angelina Ward and her children are gone. Their suitcases are gone and there’s no sign of foul play inside the main house. The maid discovered the bodies this morning when she arrived for work.”

            “Who of ours?” Tom asked heavily.

            “Wainright.”

            “Goddammit. He was a nice guy.” The man had gone out of his way to be kind when Tom had first arrived in Sacramento in January. “When was he killed?”

            “Sometime between three a.m. and six a.m. He’d made his last check-in at three. The maid arrived at six. His replacement was due at seven.”

            “I can be there in thirty minutes.” He just needed to shower and change. Walnut Creek would need to wait for now.

            “No, that’s not necessary. Raeburn wants you to continue getting security ready for Liza’s first day tomorrow. Plus, you’re technically off the clock at the moment.”

            “We both know the second one means nothing.”

            “Raeburn said that, but Molina insisted you be given the time. She’s worried about burnout.”

            “Yeah, I got a lecture.”

            “You mean the ‘marathon, not a sprint’ lecture? Because she gave me that one, too.”

            “That’s the one. What else do you have from the scene?”

            “The wife left her cell phone behind, along with all of her electronics. All in a neat pile on the spotless kitchen counter.”

            “She was afraid her husband was tracking her,” Tom murmured. Liza’s frown deepened, but she remained silent.