+18 - eps 22-27 - A case takes Russell and Brock to the brink of death. It'll be up to Gillian and the team to rescue them before they're killed by a white supremacist militia. And in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, the threat of a bio attack fo...
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Gillian broke a record to reach the landing, halfway to the fifth floor. She took the first step up the next flight of stairs and stopped. Then she closed her sweaty fingers around the handrail, her other hand in a tight fist against her lips. She knew she should feel grateful she didn't become a living proof of spontaneous combustion when she stumbled onto Brock.
She ruled out the suffocated groan squeezing her throat, waited for a few seconds, drew in a shaky breath. Her eyelids came down on their own accord.
Gosh! She really needed to learn how to handle this kind of thing. Because there was no way to help it: they would come across each other now and then. But, oh, that humiliating concern in his eyes. She could take him annoyed, angry, indifferent. But his pity meant a blow lower than anything she could take.
She knew that wouldn't change until he felt sure there was no reason to be concerned about her anymore. How was she supposed to show him so? If she acted cold, or indifferent, he'd correctly assume she did so to hide her feelings. Yet, if she kept distant, he wouldn't have room to show his damned pity.
So that was her only choice.
With that resolution in mind, she resumed her way up the stairs.
The team's office looked so empty and quiet, only Tanya... Well, and Aldana. Just arrived and already sitting at Gillian's desk with a coffee. Plain to see she was there only because she'd stayed at Russell's, and came with him to fetch her car. Good. There were still some pending reports from the Libra copycats.
Her smile made Aldana sigh. "I knew I shouldn't have come up to say hi."
Gillian patted the folders on her desk. "And you were right: you shouldn't have." She turned to Tanya. "Hey, T! You're officially working on Russell's case."
"Great!"
Gillian frowned, watching how the girl rolled her chair from one computer to the next, all over the end of the office. She looked so excited.
"I'll be right back," she said to Aldana.
At Cooper's office, the Iron Lady scowled in surprise when Gillian told her the actual reason for all those stalled cases. But didn't even blink at learning what she'd just done at the fourth floor—not the bit about behaving like the worst idiot with the stupid bitter man, but the bit about threatening the techs.
"You mean they could've run those searches and they didn't?"
Gillian thought of Tanya, happily working on five computers at the same time, just out of good will. She shrugged. "I don't know, ma'am. They weren't doing any of it five minutes ago." Too busy with their stupid gaming, you see. Just like Kurt, every time I turn my back on him. "Hope I wasn't too outta place."
"Are they doing their job now?"
"Yes, ma'am. All the searches will be finished by noon."
"Then you did fine." Cooper's chin pointed to the modular near her desk. "Those are for you."
Gillian's heart sank at the dozen folders in a neat pile. She recalled Aldana's face when she'd given her the paperwork. Yeah, what goes around. "Ma'am...?" she muttered.
"Read it by tomorrow noon tops, so we'll have time in case you have any doubt. There are things you need to know before Thursday morning." Cooper's dry tone didn't change at all to add, "You know, proper protocols."
Damn Cooper! A single word and she had Gillian swallowing a silly giggle. So she had no choice but taking the folders.
Aldana let out something louder than a silly giggle when Gillian came back and dropped the folders on Fred's desk, the closest to the coffee machine.
Tanya jumped to her feet and rushed out with her laptop.
"She better don't find Russ any homework," Aldana said.
"And if she does, I can lend you some, so you won't get bored," Gillian replied.
"Bring it on! I trust Cooper will keep avenging me."
