Convicted (Consequences)

of falling fast and hard for a beautiful face or cheeky personality were over. The FBI was his life.
    It’s true—sometimes it felt as though life stacked the deck. Harry wasn’t always sure if it was in his favor or against him.
    The more Harry worked with SiJo Security and spent time with Simon and Amber, the more he questioned his vow of remaining unattached. Honestly, when he first met Amber’s assistant, they were just friends; however, the more their paths continually crossed, the more their relationship blossomed. Over time, they started seeing one another—meeting Simon and Amber for dinner—going to a movie—long weekends—cohabitating.
    This time, Harry entered the relationship with full disclosure. They both agreed—they were consenting adults with no intentions of a long-term commitment. Harry explained from the beginning that his work could call him at any moment, and he’d need to leave. He told Liz that their relationship could end suddenly if he needed to go undercover. Harry didn’t intend to leave another woman waiting for his return as he’d done to Ilona.
    When Simon finally proposed to Amber, Harry was equally as happy. Unfortunately, Harry was on an assignment when Simon’s plane crashed. As soon as he heard and received clearance, he traveled back to California. Following Simon’s death, Harry and Liz moved into Amber’s building. Perhaps it was the loss of Ilona and Jillian from his life, but Harry had finally recognized the importance of family, and he couldn’t leave Amber alone in her time of need.
    When Claire Nichols first contacted Amber, Harry remembered that his sister was upset—both by the content of the email and by the sender. Probably more out of curiosity, Amber chose to continue the correspondence. After they exchanged more emails, both Amber and Harry saw the logic behind Claire’s allegations.
    The investigation surrounding Simon’s plane crash had never fully been closed. Harry knew that uncertainty added to his sister’s angst and hoped Claire’s insight into Anthony Rawlings would help his sister have final closure.
    The preliminary results of the National Transportation Safety Board’s, NTSB, investigation regarding Simon’s crash centered on operator error. The agency painstakingly reconstructed the plane and looked into the flight plans. Simon Johnson was an accomplished pilot—weather conditions were ideal for flight—and there were no signs of malfunctioning equipment or tampering. The numbers didn’t add up.
    As Claire’s suspicions mounted, Harry decided to take this new evidence to his superiors at the San Francisco field office. He not only took the allegations regarding Simon, but the entire recalled contents of Claire’s prison delivery. Harry had no idea that he was presenting the FBI with information on one of their cold cases. In light of the new allegations, the San Francisco field office assigned a new team to revisit the bureau’s old evidence regarding Agent Nichols’ death.
    When Claire’s attorney unexpectedly contacted Amber and requested her help with relocating Claire to Palo Alto, Amber called Harry—Harry called the bureau. Since Harry wasn’t undercover at the time, SAC Williams decided—Claire would be Agent Harrison Baldwin’s new assignment. It was the FBI who recommended changing Claire’s reservations and having her travel via private plane. The bureau had multiple reasons for this change in plans—the intricacy of the case, assurance of Claire’s location, and time needed by the bureau to have their cover stories ready.
    The morning Harry walked into Amber’s condominium, he wasn’t sure who he’d meet. There was the woman Simon remembered fondly—and there was the gold-digging, ex-bartender, who tried to kill her rich husband, got lucky with a pardon, and was stupid enough to burn the real evidence woman. Without question, this was an unusual assignment.
    Harry understood the FBI’s interest in Claire Nichols and their hope that she could bring new information to the cold case involving her grandfather. He also knew that his assignment was one of—right time—right place. By all accounts, Harry should not have been assigned to any case that potentially involved Simon Johnson’s death—truly, the case was personal from the beginning. There was no question—even before meeting Claire—Harry wanted to prove Anthony Rawlings’ guilt.
    When Liz and Harry started dating, she promised she understood