Brutal Obsession (The Safeguard Series, Book One) Read Online Free PDF Page A

now knew what had been transpiring for months. The FBI field office was just next door and the Director of Personnel for the DOJ had made a personal request on her behalf. The media was currently having a field day, and while that wasn’t the approach she’d wanted to take, it was the way it played out because of the desires of the Public Affairs Office and the justice system—the same justice system she served as a federal prosecutor.
    Ashlyn glanced once more at her blurred reflection in the metal side of the conveyer belt. There wasn’t a strand out of place from the way she’d secured her light brown hair into a matching clip. Her crimson colored lipstick wasn’t smeared as far as she could tell, despite the several sips of coffee she’d already taken. It was nice to see her efforts to look calm and collected this morning hadn’t been wasted.
    “Have a good day,” Ashlyn called out before Simpson could ask her any more questions. She instantly felt the chill of the air-conditioned building sneak past the lining of her jacket. She’d made the right call to wear the matching black slacks instead of the skirt, seeing as it made her feel less vulnerable even with pantyhose on. Fortitude was what she needed at the moment…and a slice of bearing.
    “Ashlyn, I heard what happened,” Dennis Paavo said as he held open the elevator door for her as she approached. She smiled her appreciation and then hit both of their designated floors. A few more people from her department joined them, instantly crowding the small space. She managed to stay by the control panel since she was on the second floor. “Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?”
    “Yes, and not right now. But thank you for offering, Dennis,” Ashlyn reassured him, readjusting the straps on her shoulder while trying not to look uncomfortable. Dennis had asked her out for dinner a couple of times and she’d turned him down for various reasons. Bottom line was she just didn’t have the time to have a personal life at this stage in her career. “The proper authorities are handling the case and I’m sure it won’t be too long before it’s resolved and the threat is taken care of soon.”
    “It’ll be like trying to find a specific needle in a pile of needles,” Adam said from his position in the back. He was one of the paralegals to Bishop Vance and had a penchant for office gossip and Goth clothing after hours. Ashlyn breathed a sigh of relief when the doors slid closed, hopefully shutting off anyone else’s interest in further conversation. She’d known it would be like this, which was why she’d stayed home yesterday and met with the company representative for the security system installed in her apartment that had apparently been hacked. “Think about it. There are a number of people who could have it out for you. You’ve been successfully prosecuting cases for three years at a breakneck pace.”
    “As I said,” Ashlyn managed to say without offending anyone the way she truly wanted to, “the proper authorities will look into it and deal with the perpetrator. We all know it’s business as usual for any prosecutor. Oh, and Adam?”
    Ashlyn breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator doors slid open and she was able to step right out, only turning to get one thought across before they closed.
    “Please tell Bishop to stop. He’s not poaching Mia from my team.”
    Ashlyn didn’t miss the look of surprise that ran across Adam’s face, or the smirk Dennis was currently sporting. Bishop Vance wasn’t very well liked and neither was his team of vultures pecking at the edges of the more vulnerable team members. Their methods left a lot to be desired and most of the assistants kept their distance. Maybe having one of his pack of paralegal minions notify him that his backdoor dealings weren’t quite so concealed as he’d imagined would give him pause. If not, she could always subtly mention his recent office ethics violation in their next