FF Lesley Davis - Pale Wings Protecting

Assigned to partner Detective Daryl Chandler in the investigation of a series of child abductions, Special Agent Blythe Kent is both intrigued by the cases and the woman bringing them to the attention of New York’s Deviant Data Unit. Detective Chandler knows she can find every child in her case files. Possessing an almost uncanny sixth sense, and using good old-fashioned detective work, Daryl has been drawn to a wealthy suburb where she believes the children are. With Daryl and Blythe posing as a loving couple desperate to adopt a child of their own, Daryl believes they can draw the kidnapper out and bring all the missing children home. Neither of them is aware that unearthly hands have a stake in the abductions, and that when it comes to facing demons, they are going to need a protector of their own to get everyone home safe and sound.



Book Two of the Wings series

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Chapter One

“Special Agent Kent? Do you have a moment, please? I have something I need to run by you.”

Blythe Kent looked up at her boss, Supervisory Special Agent Nathan Lake, who stood by the side of her desk. He looked so serious and somber that she felt a flash of unease. She sprang to her feet.

“Of course, sir.” She followed him to his office, fielding curious looks from her colleagues and shrugging off their concerned faces. Instructed to close the door behind her, Blythe did so then stood at attention before Nathan’s desk. She wracked her brain for what she could have possibly slipped up on without realizing it.

“Sit, please.” Nathan waved her to a chair. “And don’t look so worried; you’ve done nothing wrong. I just need to ask if you’re willing to take part in an undercover assignment.”

Blythe sat up straighter. “Undercover, sir?” She couldn’t disguise the excitement in her voice.

He smiled slightly and held up a hand to forestall her eager questions. “You might want to hear me out first before you get your hopes up. It’s not infiltrating a drug ring or anything that requires you to completely disappear off the radar. And I have specific reasons why I’m asking you to consider this assignment that you might take exception to.”

Blythe settled in her seat. She tried not to get too apprehensive at the thought of being specifically singled out for an assignment. “Now I’m really intrigued.”

“We have a detective flying in from Vermont tomorrow. She is looking to put together a team to investigate newborn baby kidnappings in Connecticut. Babies she believes are then being passed on to couples.”

“They’re stealing babies to order?”

“That’s what Detective Chandler believes. She has proposed that we set up an undercover operation where two people go in posing as a couple looking to acquire a child.”

“And you’ve picked me why?”

“You have the highest success rate of any agent in this building. Your profiling skills are excellent. You’re a highly valued member of our team and would be perfect, in my opinion, for this assignment.”

Blythe gave him a considering look. “Yet there’s something you’re not telling me.”

“Firstly, the detective requires it to be a lesbian couple who pose for the adoption.”

Blythe’s eyes widened with surprise. “Wow. This has to be the first time my sexuality has actually counted for something here.”

“You haven’t been considered solely because of your sexuality. Even if you had a husband and three kids I’d still put you forward for the role. You’re my most experienced agent. I want you to think this over, sleep on it tonight, and hear what she proposes tomorrow. If you think you can handle the assignment then we’ll go ahead. This is Detective Chandler’s investigation though. It’s her baby, so to speak.” Lake’s eyes drifted to look out his office window. “Between you and me, Blythe, you are the best woman for the job. Even if you weren’t gay. For a start, I could hardly send Agent Reynolds on the job.”

Blythe chuckled at the thought. “True, she’s quite vocal in her lack of maternal instincts. She’d probably be happier handing them over to the kidnapper.”

“Agent McBride has a family, and I really need someone who isn’t going to mind taking maybe months away from their normal routine.”

“Months?”

“You’ve got to establish a recognized presence in the area the detective believes these kidnappings are operating from. She’s asked for our help in setting up a home for the couple and supplying new identities. Her department isn’t equipped to do what we can do here, and that leads me to why she’s come to us. The feds dealing with the Connecticut FBI refused to let a detective from Vermont aide them. Even though the FBI there called her in especially.”

“Was any reason given for the refusal?”

“Seems the new deputy assistant director doesn’t play well with people who have different ideas from what he does.”

“And just how different are Detective Chandler’s ideas?”

“Her findings were dismissed because they didn’t fit in with the profile and leads the officers working on the cases had worked up.”

“So she’s brought her findings to us instead?” Blythe gave Lake a skeptical look. “We’re not part of these cases, sir. It doesn’t make sense for her to try another agency to be heard when she’s already been dismissed.”

“She sought out me. I know her. I know her way of working and I know how damn good she is at finding lost kids.”

“So she’s come specifically to you to ask for help in going against another FBI team as well as the feds who don’t want her assistance?” Blythe wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. “And you’re seriously considering hearing her out? Sir, the DDU is still a relatively young division. We need the cooperation of other teams to run. Pitting us against our own FBI isn’t going to do our reputation very good.”

“Or your reputation if you are seen going against them,” Lake said.

Blythe felt her skin prickle as the implication hit her. “I’m all for being flexible with the rules, sir. However, I try to follow the letter of the law because I want to do the best job I can within the law. I need to know I can count on the backup of my fellow lawmakers. Going against their decisions could leave me in a very precarious place in future cases.”

Agent Lake nodded. “I know Detective Chandler well. I also know you. If she can prove to you that the direction the feds are leading the investigation is totally the wrong way then I think you’d want to be involved in finding the missing children.”

“Well, of course I would, but…”

“Then just hear her out. If you don’t think she has enough evidence to corroborate her theories then say so and the operation won’t go ahead.”

“You’re hinging this on my decision?” Blythe balked at the idea.

“No, I’m justifying my choice in you as a part of this operation and in my total belief in her.”

“What makes this detective so worthy of your trust that you’d go against the feds?”

“I worked with her father for years. And she found my brother,” Lake stated softly. “When no one else could even say he was missing, she found him alive in a ditch miles away from home. I’ve seen her in action. If she says that the investigation into these missing children is being steered incorrectly, I’m more inclined to believe her than anyone else, no matter what their rank.”

“That’s serious praise, sir.”

“And justified. I need you to listen to what she has to say, weigh your options, and consider the consequences.”

“Find the children and possibly incur the wrath of the feds for doing so.”

“We’ll deal with that fallout if and when it happens. For now, the children are the main priority.”

Blythe’s head swam with the ramifications of what she was being asked to consider. “So should I agree with this proposal we move to Connecticut, play the happy couple, and then what?”

“Look to adopt a child. Detective Chandler has some leads as to where she believes the kidnappers are operating. She has hospitals and adoption agencies earmarked as possible targets. She’ll explain all her findings in detail when she presents her case. She hopes that by masquerading as a couple who are desperate to have a child, it will bring out the kidnappers to make their move and they can be caught.”

“Stealing babies is detestable. The birth of a child should be special. You don’t use it as fodder to sell on the market to the most desperate bidder.”

Agent Lake sat back in his chair and regarded her closely. “Do you think you could do this? Chandler is an exemplary detective. If she thinks she can stop these people then you can be sure she’ll do her damnedest.”

“So I get to play house in Connecticut if I agree. Well, at least it isn’t too far away from New York.” She looked at her hands conspicuously devoid of rings. “It’s not like I have anything in my personal life that I need to put on hold. I have my job and my apartment. All I’ll need to do is bring in my plants for Trace to look after and give her my keys so she can keep an eye on my place.”

“You’ll meet Chandler tomorrow then. I think you’ll get along just fine.”

“What’s she like, sir?” Blythe was curious about the woman that Lake would risk their careers for.

“She’s one of the good guys and more than a match for you.”

Blythe smiled at his cryptic words. “I sincerely hope so, sir, because if I’m planning a family with this woman she’d better be worth it.” She caught a hesitation in Lake’s demeanor. “Is there something else?”

“No. It’s just…” He shook his head. “I’ve known Detective Chandler for many years. She’s outstanding in her field, but some people find her style of investigating…a little unorthodox. But she gets the job done with fantastic results. And don’t think I haven’t tried my hardest to get her on board here at the bureau. I’ve been trying to recruit her ever since she was solving her father’s cases for him.”

“She’d be an asset for the team,” Blythe mused, now even more intrigued by the woman she was going to partner with, given Lake’s obvious admiration.

“That’s why I expect you to fully utilize her talents on this case. If anyone can find out who’s behind these kidnappings, Daryl Chandler can.”



Detective Daryl Chandler thanked Agent Elliott for picking her up from the airport and driving her straight to the Deviant Data Unit’s New York department. He merely nodded but still wouldn’t hand over her luggage. Elliott was obviously determined not to let her out of his sight until he delivered her personally to the doors of the DDU. Daryl tried not to let amusement show at how he was struggling to balance both suitcases, but he’d seemed affronted when she’d reached for them herself. She decided not to bruise his agent ego any further. The flight had been pleasant, and Daryl had enjoyed the scenery as she’d been driven through the recognizable sights of downtown New York City. She was more than aware this wasn’t a pleasure trip, for all the bright lights and tall buildings begging to be explored. She caught sight of a very impressive looking man heading her way. She recognized him and straightened her posture accordingly. Agent Elliott also snapped to attention.

“Thank you, Agent Elliott,” Nathan Lake said, reaching for the suitcases and relieving him of his duty.

Daryl thanked him again and he gave her a small smile. “It was my pleasure, Detective. Good luck with your assignment.”

Daryl shook Lake’s hand and gave him a relieved grin. “SSA Lake, thank you for inviting me here.”

“We’re looking forward to going over your files and having you present your findings to us. Sounds like you’ve acquired a particularly nasty case.”

“Child abduction is despicable,” Daryl said. “But stealing newborn babies from their parents has to rank even lower.”

“So how’s your dad enjoying his retirement?”

“He loves every second he can spend out in the yard seeding and planting. He’s taken to retirement better than I’d hoped, sir.”

“Can’t be easy after losing your mother,” Lake said softly. “She was a good woman.”

“Yes, she was, sir. She’s still greatly missed. Thank you for the flowers you sent.”

“I’m just sorry work kept me away from paying my respects to a remarkable lady.”

Daryl followed after him into the main hub of the office. “Dad would be amazed by the force you have here.”

“A bit different from what you’re used to, Detective?”

“A lot more people for a start,” Daryl said, swiftly scanning the room full of agents. “It’s an amazing setup for your unit. And I was very grateful for the ride here. Some of the departments I’ve had to visit usually expect me to make my own way to their door.”

“Common courtesy never hurts anyone.”

“You do know that I can carry my own suitcases, right?” Daryl shifted her laptop bag on her shoulder more comfortably and wondered why it was men had to prove themselves.

“I know, but it’s that common courtesy thing again rearing its ugly head.” Lake led the way to his office. “I’ll leave your bags here.”

Daryl stared around the room in undisguised awe. “Nathan Lake, you did yourself proud.”

Lake grinned at her. “Do you think your dad will ever forgive me for leaving his station and coming here for what he called a ‘cushy job’?”

“I don’t think Dad ever understands why someone would leave the street beat to join the FBI. He was supportive when I went for my detective badge, but I could see he just didn’t get the appeal.”

“He’s old school. Times are changing, and technology is helping us find the bad guys. The word on the street doesn’t always pay now.”

Daryl nodded. “I agree.” She ran her hand across the back of a highly padded chair. “So this is what you keep trying to tempt me away to?”

Lake guided her to the window. “Look at the view from up here. It’s a huge area to police, and we’re called out to anywhere in the country. The more hands we can gather on our side the better.”

“My dad would kill you for corrupting his daughter if I defected to the Dark Side.”

“He wouldn’t kill you for being corrupted?”

“I’m his only child. I think you’d be top of his shit list and he’d just be disappointed in me for a while.” She shrugged and gave Lake a slight smile. “He always comes around though.”

“I still want you working here.”

Daryl grinned at his earnest voice. She’d heard it so many times when Lake had called to see if she’d reconsider her detective status and try the FBI on for size. “I’m here now; let’s see how it pans out.”