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open for some time,” Sam said.
    That had been a crucial factor for her. She could begin this posting immediately without needing to wait out another agent’s weeks of notice.
    “For the reasons I’ve already stated,” Sam continued, “we don’t have agents flocking to transfer here. If you decide Kirk and this office aren’t to your liking, it would be difficult for me to replace you.”
    She could understand his reasoning. With two transfers in such a short time, his concern that she would move on again at the drop of a hat was valid. He needed people he could count on. “I hope to make Kirk County my permanent home.”
    The words rang true because they were true, and she could see that Sam believed her.
    “I’ll introduce you to the agents you’ll be working with.” Sam rose to his feet.
    For a time, Paige had wondered if Sam was regretting his decision to bring her into his office. Had feared he was going to tell her that it wasn’t going to work out after all. But he hadn’t. Willing her locked legs to unlock, she rose to her feet as well. “Thank you.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    Sam introduced Paige to Harry Platt, the agent she’d spotted on the phone earlier. Harry was staring at his laptop and got to his feet when Sam and Paige stopped at his desk. He held out a hand to Paige, and when she reached out to shake it, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
    “My fair lady,” he said with a wide smile and a deep bow.
    Harry was an attractive man. Tall, tanned, and toned. He wore his hair longer than the Bureau’s regulation length, and Paige could see why he was reluctant to cut his thick blond waves.
    “Okay, Romeo. We don’t want to scare her off on her first day.” Sam spoke the words without any heat, then turned to Paige. “Harry missed his calling in Hollywood.”
    Harry wiggled his eyebrows. “But you can catch me in a theater production this summer at the Kirk Playhouse. We’re doing Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar .”
    Harry’s humor loosened some of the tension in Paige’s stomach. She returned his smile. “I’ll have to see about getting tickets for that.”
    “You do—” Harry’s computer beeped. His gaze shot to the screen. Just that fast, he became all business. “Sam,” Harry said.
    But Sam was already on the move, circling the desk to see the laptop screen as well. “That it?”
    Harry pressed a few keys. “Yeah. We got him. DeLuca!” Harry called out. “Let’s roll!”
    A large man built like a brick came out from a back room holding a mug of coffee. He plopped it on a desk that bore a framed photo of a smiling, very pregnant woman with a long, dark braid over one shoulder. The woman held the pudgy hands of a small boy, maybe five years old, and a girl who looked slightly younger. With their thick, curly hair and puppy-dog eyes, the children bore a strong resemblance to the man named DeLuca.
    DeLuca grabbed the suit jacket off the back of Harry’s chair. He tossed it to Harry with one hand and reached out to Paige with the other. The thick gold wedding band he wore caught the light overhead. “Sam told us you’d be joining us. I’m Dominic. Dom. Welcome.”
    “Thank you,” Paige said.
    Paige had barely grasped Dom’s hand before he released his grip and turned to Harry. “We’re burning daylight, man.”
    Dom set a brisk pace, and Harry fell into step beside him.
    Sam said to Paige, “The man they’re bringing in has been luring kids into an online chat room, and from there to meetings in person.” Sam’s eyes darkened with anger. “He’s about to find out the nine-year-old boy he thinks he’s meeting is really Harry and Dom.”
    Thinking of the young children who had fallen prey to this man sickened Paige. She was glad to know that this predator would soon be in custody.
    Sam showed Paige to a desk. “This one’s yours. Marian is pulling some files on our current cases that I’d like you to familiarize yourself with. I’ll be going over them with