Marcus studied him.
“Then what exactly are you investigating?”
Keller stepped closer.
“You've been standing here watching the store.”
Marcus glanced toward the convenience-store windows.
“So have you.”
The officer's jaw tightened.
“Put your hands on the car.”
Marcus didn't move.
“Why?”
“Because I told you.”
“That isn't a legal reason.”
Keller's hand moved toward his handcuff pouch.
“Keep talking, and you're going down.”
Inside Marcus's earpiece, Lena's voice immediately changed.
“Marcus, say the word.”
He lifted his phone slightly.
“Try it.”
Keller frowned.
“The FBI is listening.”
For the first time, uncertainty appeared in Keller's eyes.
Then he laughed.
“The FBI?”
“Yes.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I expect you to think before touching me.”
Keller stepped into Marcus's personal space.
“I think you're standing outside a store that's been hit by theft three times this month. I think you're watching customers. And I think you're refusing to identify yourself.”
“Was a crime reported this morning?”
“That's police business.”
“Did anyone inside accuse me of theft?”
“I don't need a civilian explaining probable cause.”
Marcus remained calm.
But his attention shifted toward the store.
Elliot Crane was gone.
He was no longer standing beside the coffee machine.
Marcus saw him moving rapidly toward the rear corridor.
His voice remained low.
“Target moving toward the back exit.”
Keller immediately reached for Marcus's phone.
“Give me that.”
Marcus moved it away.
“No.”
The officer grabbed his wrist.
Marcus could have broken the hold in seconds.
Years of tactical training had taught him exactly how.
He did nothing.
“Release me.”
“You're interfering with an investigation.”
“No.”
Marcus looked directly into Keller's eyes.
“You are interfering with one.”
Keller twisted his wrist.
Then he pushed him toward the sedan.
Marcus caught himself against the roof.
Rain hammered the metal beneath his palms.
“Agent Reed,” Lena said urgently. “We're moving.”
“Negative.”
Keller heard him.
“Who are you talking to?”
Marcus looked at him.
“The people recording you.”
The officer pulled one handcuff free.
“You think pretending to be federal makes this better?”
Marcus slowly turned his head.
“I never said I was pretending.”
The Arrest
The first cuff snapped shut.
Marcus allowed it.
The second followed.
He could feel the cold metal tightening around his wrists.
Across the parking lot, a white delivery van remained motionless near the dumpsters.
Inside were Lena and two other agents.
Their cameras were recording everything.
“Give the signal,” Lena whispered.
Marcus didn't.
Not yet.
Something about Keller bothered him.
The officer wasn't behaving like someone responding to a suspicious person.
He was behaving like someone who needed Marcus gone.
Keller kept glancing toward the storage facility.
Then Marcus understood.
This wasn't about him.
It was about Crane.
Keller needed time.
Marcus allowed himself to be pulled toward the patrol car.
“You're under arrest,” Keller said.
“For what?”
“Obstruction. Refusal to identify. Impersonating a federal officer.”
Marcus looked past him.
The rear emergency exit of the convenience store opened.
Elliot Crane stepped into the rain.
He was carrying a black duffel bag.
He saw Keller.
Then he saw Marcus in handcuffs.
The two men exchanged a glance.
Less than a second.
But Marcus saw it.
Recognition.
Keller wasn't a stranger to Crane.
Crane turned and hurried toward a white pickup behind the store.
Marcus raised his voice.