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go from there. According to the FBI Media Office, they were vetted for accuracy.
    â€œNow,” he continued, “you came down here because you wanted to talk to me about something.”
    She’d almost forgotten about Laughlin. “It’s not important.”
    Tony didn’t say anything, but his expression told her he expected her to talk.
    â€œIt really isn’t important,” she repeated. “Rather junior high.”
    â€œTry me.”
    â€œI just have this sense that Agent Laughlin doesn’t like me.” She smiled sheepishly. “See? Junior high.”
    â€œIf it was someone else, I might think that, but your instincts are usually good. Was it something specific, or a vague feeling?”
    Lucy considered how to answer. “I suppose there was an undercurrent of veiled hostility from the beginning—which I dismissed because I was nervous.”
    â€œNervous about what?”
    â€œWhere do I start?” She shrugged. “You’ve read my file, I know all the instructors have, and the hoops I jumped through to get here.”
    â€œSome people might wonder why you were willing to jump through the hoops, considering you have many career options. Is that what you’re thinking?”
    â€œWhat if someone thought I wanted this too much, and questioned why. I’ve thought the same thing. But if the last few months have taught me anything, I let my goals define me for too long. Had my application been denied, I’d have been disappointed, but I would have been okay. But people see what’s on the surface.”
    â€œYou suspect he doesn’t trust you.”
    Lucy hadn’t said that, but immediately she realized Tony was right. “He’s been professional, but there’s a different subtext when he’s with others. Some of my friends have noticed it, too. I don’t have the same feeling about the other field counselors.”
    â€œTrust your instincts, Lucy. Continue to perform well and there’s nothing he can do. Training is just as much a mind game as it is learning the rules and regs and working as a team. You’ll be dealing with agents like Laughlin across all agencies. Consider this a test.”
    It was the answer she’d expected, though she didn’t like it. She was tired of being tested when she couldn’t prepare, when she didn’t even know what she was being tested on.
    â€œAnd,” Tony continued, “if he goes too far, let me know.” She opened her mouth to object but he raised his hand. “Only if it becomes serious. I think you’ll be fine.”

 
    CHAPTER FIVE
    Lucy made herself a quick salad from the salad bar and grabbed a couple rolls before sitting down with her friends at what had become their table. Everyone was there except Lance Orozco and Alexis Sanchez.
    Lucy looked at their empty plates. “Sorry—I got sidetracked.”
    â€œThe Golden Girl,” Carter Nix teased.
    â€œStudying again?” Reva said. “Trying to graduate top of the class, no doubt.”
    Was her drive that obvious? “Not studying,” she said. “Talking.”
    â€œAny good gossip?” Reva leaned forward. “Why were you pulled out of PT?”
    Lucy didn’t want to talk about Rosemary Weber or the call from Suzanne. “I can’t talk about it. But it has nothing to do with training,” she added quickly. They were all a bit paranoid about being under the microscope while on campus; she didn’t want her friends to think she was doing anything behind their backs.
    â€œStop being so nosy, Penrose,” Eddie Acosta said. He and Carter were the only two in the class who had known each other before they joined the Academy. They’d been in Marine basic training together, served ten years in the military in separate divisions, and ended up at the same college through the GI Bill.
    â€œWhere’d Oz and Alexis go?” Lucy