CHAPTER 22

Over the next few days everything was quiet but on high alert. Ana had been talking with Danny when he discovered they had a suspect on the FBI agent, Tina Gates. She had been on the case with various others but she had been doing visitations in the lockup with Morton.

A week later, the prison guards during transport of the prisoner cracked like an egg after some hard squeezing. Morton had arranged the swap out and paid them five figures to look the other way and keep their mouths shut. The guy in prison was a small-time pickpocket that was paid six figures to keep his mouth shut.

Needless to say, they all were arrested and under investigation for the details of the exchange. That's when the FBI agent, Tina Gates was implicated and arrested under investigation with the other four guards and the guy he swapped. They had initially been contacted by the FBI agent to make arrangements. Tina Gates was confused when they told her that Morton himself led them to her as a suspect. He had her do all the dirty work and he now left her out to dry after promising her a large sum of the money he recovered. She said they were in love. She was just another fool duped by him in the chain of events.

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It was two weeks since the letter and three weeks before the wedding and no incidents had occurred so far but the weeding out was being done to get all of those accessory people involved. Christian had been acting peculiar and wouldn't let her go anywhere without her four bodyguards in tow and himself.

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On one particular day, Christian was tied up in a meeting conference hashing out the last details with the company's representative. Ana was in her office going over the files, facts and figures. Her phone rang and she picked it up.

Ana said, "Anastasia Steele, Executive Assistant to Christian Grey. How may I help you?"

The man on the phone said, "Miss Steele, I am Lawrence Graves from Messenger Services. I was told that there was a message received and being held at the back office of the Internal Office Messaging desk. The message was electronically received and marked personal." Ana thought that was peculiar.

Ana asked him, "Why wasn't it forwarded through IT Security first?"

The man stuttered replying, "The message said Personal and Confidential. The sender says 'FBI', mam." Ana was confused.

Ana said to placate the man looking at the phone number in the screen of her phone, "I'll be down in a few minutes."

The man said, sounding relieved, "Ok, thank you." She hung up and called Taylor.

Taylor answered, "Security, Taylor."

Ana said puzzled, "Taylor, I received an unusual call internally from a Lawrence Graves at extension 7-6389. He said he was in Message Services. He said there was a message received and being held at the back office of the Internal Office Messaging desk. The message was electronically received. I asked him why it wasn't sent to IT Security first. He said it was marked Personal and Confidential and the sender was labeled FBI. Taylor I told him I would go down to retrieve it. This smells strange to me."

Taylor was quiet looking at a diagram of the building on the screen and then said, "It smells strange to me too. The office he is directing you to is at the far back of the building near a backdoor exit through a hallway. It shouldn't matter where the hell the message came from, the message would go through the IT Security Department regardless and they know this is standard procedure. Ana why would the FBI be contacting you at work under digital inscription internally in our network? It sounds like a hack and a setup to bait you to a close back exit alone."

Ana said thinking on complete high alert, "That actually makes sense. It must be driving Morton nuts, devising how to get to me. Being Christian and I come and go from here with eight bodyguards to and from home to the office only. I think this is his first attempt to feel it out." She thought to herself, 'Let the games begin, Morton, you son of a bitch. I'm packing and have everything on me everywhere just in case. I'm going to make him get so frustrated that he might make a mistake.'

Taylor asked, "Are you armed?"

Ana said flatly, "And have the trackers on me. I don't leave home without any of my items."

Taylor chuckled, "Let's lock and load before entering the department. I'll come get you with Sawyer. I'm sending in Ryan to scout and report back first. I have Sawyer contacting the local police and the FBI right now while we have been talking and they are on the way."

Ana said, "Ok I'll be ready. Christian is going to have a cow with me going in there and may want your head after it's over. I just don't see how we could get them out and alive. If anyone ambushes them they would all be dead in minutes with no chance of finding out anything from them through interruption or otherwise. If I go in I can disable them at best before everyone else gets in. See you soon." She hung up and pulled out her Kel-Tec P32 and put the magazine in. She made sure her garter belt holster with her Sig Sauer P226 was loaded and the safety on. She had her bracelets, shoes and rings all with GPS tracker dots on them. She was counting on them underestimating her. Morton was not aware how she was trained by her stepfather, Ray, over the years. Her daddy told her he would never leave her vulnerable to any mother fuckers out there. She thought, 'Well, daddy, you didn't know it would be the real mother fucker this time.'

Taylor knocked and they both left. As they went down the elevator. Taylor got two text messages.

Taylor said, "There are three perps in the back office lurking according to Baker. Welch said there was no internal message sent through the network labeled FBI, personal and confidential or otherwise in your name. It's definitely a setup and Welch and Barney have secured all footage in the internal CCTV records, the police and FBI are on site. Time to lock, load and take off the safety on your guns. Mr Grey is going to be pissed about this by us letting you go in alone. The back is covered at the exit and a pick vehicle has been spotted. We will be evacuating the department as soon as it begins with other backup personnel."

Ana walked into the department and inquired about talking to Lawrence Graves. She was directed to a young man no older than eighteen. He took her to the back office. At the same time Taylor, the cops and FBI moved into position with the back exit covered and the back hallway. Ryan was coming around through other offices with Baker. Taylor's security would apprehended Lawrence Graves silently and would silently evacuate the department after Ana entered with the door closed.

Lawrence knocked and opened the door. When Ana entered the room, she was shoved through the door and the door slammed shut by Lawrence. She stumbled but not bad and got her footing.

A man locked the door behind her. He walked around her leering with a smug look on his face and said, "Well hello, pretty, pretty, pretty girl. Morton was right, you are a sexy little kitten. Maybe I can get a taste once he's done all you little holes." He made a sucking noise between his teeth. It was pretty gross a disgusting to her. She glanced around the room, her mind had calculated distance and trajectory.

Ana said flatly, "Morton is a fucking bitch for sending you girls in as the first attempt to caprure me. Besides, your just too fucking ugly to exist anywhere near my pussy." He had a big nose, greasy black hair and a grizzled black beard that was patchy and untaken care of.

The man said smoothly, "My aren't you the little brave spicy kitten in the litter. Morton's going to love punishing that dirty little mouth of yours with his cock."

Ana said looking at him with a masked smile, "Come on, you big bunch of pussy boys. Lets get the fucking party started. It's fucking time for the pain because you make me weary of your bullshit and just looking at your faces."

The leader got angry and shouted, "Let's go, now!"

The two other men stood up quickly. The leader grabbed Ana by the arms. She spun around so lightening fast and he wasn't ready for that. She broke the hold he had on her in a defensive move, then elbowed him in the face full force with a crunching sound. He cried out, holding his face. Ana's elbow hurt like hell, but she didn't care or feel much because her adrenaline was running on high. No pain, no gain.

She dove behind the desk, pulled both guns and came up shooting the one guy in the arm reaching for his weapon. The other guy she shot in the right shoulder. She was in the zone and completely numb to the violence. The leader was standing up with blood in his hands holding his face. There was banging on the door from the department she came in at, but it was locked.

Ana shouted out loud and nastily, "Which one if you cunts, wants the first bullet between the eyes?! She was moving her one arm with her Sig Sauer going between kill shots.

The leader snarled, "You made one big fucking mistake messing with me, bitch! I have no qualms about killing women!" He launched himself at her causing the other to clamour to the exit. Ana fired. "Bang!"

She got him right between the eyes. His body dropped to the floor. All the doors flew crashing open with cops, agents and security flooding the room with guns drawn.

They grabbed the two guys before Ana would put her guns down. She clicked on the safety's and sat them both on top of the desk then backed away with her hands up. The cops secured her weapons and the perps' weapons once patted down.

The one cop asked Ana to give her statement. She was about to start when the FBI agent said, "Mam, are you Anastasia Steele, DAS64270-R?" Ana nodded.

The FBI agent said to everyone in the room. "This is a FBI open case and under our jurisdiction! We are taking over now!"

After everything was settled and her statement was taken, the FBI, Taylor and Sawyer took Ana up to Christian's office to explain what just happened. He was fucking pissed off about been left out of the entire operation and Ana being endangered just to get the bastards infiltrating his company to do it. He was angry because it all happened and he had no idea because he was in a conference. The FBI said they would contact them when they got more information.

Christian went to hold Ana and she groaned in pain cupping her elbow. He pulled up her knit sleeve on her dress and saw a big bruise forming in her elbow. He said, concerned, "What the hell happened to your elbow, Anastasia?"

Ana said, shrugging like it's no big deal, "It must have been when the dead guy tried to grab me and I elbowed him in the face, breaking his nose. His head must have been harder than I thought."

Christian said worried, "You might have cracked something yourself. It's turning dark fast." Ana went into his bathroom and held it up looking in the mirror in the light. Sure enough it was turning black. Funny how she didn't feel it that much when her adrenaline was running so high. Christian told Taylor to go get the SUV and everyone ready to go to the hospital. Taylor and Sawyer left his office.

Ana came out of the bathroom and said, "It's ok, if I cracked it it isn't going anywhere for now. I can still work"

He said in his Dom voice, "You're going to the hospital to get an X-ray, now Anastasia, with me! Do you hear me?! I'll take no arguments from you either about it!" She smiled at him and let him have his moment of control over her. He needed it.

She sighed and said, "Yes sir, Mr Grey." She smirked at him thinking he was sexy, raising her brows a few times at him. He huffed and suppressed the smile that he was fighting.

He said confidently, "Good. After that you will be punished thoroughly for putting yourself in danger like that to get hurt." Ana grinned trying to stomp down the big spanking and sexy things in store for her later.

He helped her on with her coat in her office, had Andrea clear his schedule and carried their briefcase, laptop carrier and her purse, down to where Reynolds and Ryan were standing waiting in the lobby to take them to the SUV.