She was one of those girls that would look adorable if she wasn't so fierce looking. Her features were delicate, but the sharpness of her eyes hinted at a toughness that lay just beneath the surface. She was short enough that she'd be beneath most of the other girls in the office, but her body was lithe and graceful. She looked like she could fight and win, and that was a good thing.

"Agent Lyons," Chief Franco said, "This is Agent Grace Taylor. She's an up-and-comer in our office, a real savvy tech. She's been doing very well, and she'll be working closely with you."

Nicky didnt know what to think. She'd seen her type before. A petite girl, an attractive girl, a girl that wasn't being taken seriously, not by other agents. But sometimes, those girls were the ones with the fiercest souls. Nicky wasnt about to pass judgement on Graceshe just wanted to see what the girl could do. She looked determined to prove herself.

"Agent Lyons," Grace said, walking forward. She shook Nicky's hand. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot."

"Nice to meet you too," Nicky said.

"And you already know Agent Walker," the chief said, nodding at Ken. Ken stood up and stiffly nodded.

"Lyons. You changed your mind," he droned out. Nicky wondered if he was slightly bitter shed been chosen instead of him.

"I'm looking forward to working with you, Walker," Nicky said.

"Likewise," Ken muttered as he sat back down.

"Agent Lyons, what are your initial thoughts on how we should proceed?" the chief asked.

Nicky felt all eyes on her, and the pressure that she was the leader of this suddenly became real. But she needed to prove she could handle this, so she kept her back straight, her posture strong.

"Well, Chief, first, I need to know exactly who we're dealing with here. Senator Gregory mentioned the first victim we're to focus on is Meghan Salinger. We need to know everything we can about her--who she was, when she went missing. Everything."

The chief flicked off the lights and pulled out an overhead projector. Nicky sat down next to Grace at the table, ignoring the sour look she received from Ken.

The chief turned on the projector, filling the dark room with a pale white light. He turned on the computer connected to it. Then, he loaded up a picture of Meghan.

"This is Meghan Salinger, twenty-four," the chief said. "She vanished a year ago on her way to a studio in Southern Florida to record her first single. A rising music star, she was growing quite the impressive social media following before she was taken. We theorized she'd been kidnapped for a ransom, but we never heard from the kidnappers."

"So how the hell do we know she's still alive?" Ken asked. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his broad chest.