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“Where’s your car?”Duke asked as we pulled into the federal building parking lot.
I pointed. “Far corner. I don’t want to risk door dings. I only just got it.” I directed him until we found a spot nearby and parked. “See? It’s just like I left it.” My baby was a pretty blue and only three years old, bought used with my hard-earned money.
“I still want to check it out.”
This didn’t surprise me. Check the car, check the house. What was next, checking my underwear drawer for explosives?Duke and my underwear drawer—the thought made my core clench. I had to lock down thoughts like that before they got me into trouble.
“Open it up,” he commanded.
I crossed my arms, determined to make a point.
“Please,” he added.
With a smile, I pressed the button twice and unlocked the car, then released the trunk for him. I waited patiently as heexamined the trunk and the interior of the car, including under the seats and under the hood, before finally getting on the ground to look underneath.
“Satisfied?” I asked as he brushed himself off.
He scowled. “You might have a tracker. I’m going to have Terry check it out.”
“Are you kidding?” Suddenly, I felt less confident that his efforts were overkill.
“In the movies, they have blinking red lights. In real life, it’s not that simple. Let’s go.” He waited a few steps before repeating himself. “Until we’ve vetted people, remember?—”
“I got it. You don’t recommend I tell anybody the details of what happened today.” I used air quotes while reciting what he’d drilled into me at least three times on the drive over, explaining that none of us knew our co-workers as well we thought, and someone slipping up with a piece of information they shouldn’t have known sometimes solves a case. “I ran off the road, avoiding Bambi. Oh, silly me,” I intoned in a falsetto. I wouldn’t like lying to my friends and coworkers, especially Katelyn, but at least the bit about the deer was true.
“See? That wasn’t so hard.”
“What?” I asked.
“Agreeing with me for once.”
I huffed and angled my walk slightly farther away from him.
He adjusted to stay close. “Except for going to work, do you have anything on your calendar for the next week?”
“A barbecue at my parents’ house, and before you ask, no, there’s no way I can get out of it. I promised. But you can’t introduce yourself as my guard dog.”
“Protection detail.” Duke adopted his sour-lemon face again.
“What? You think the guy will invade my dad’s compound to get to me?”
Lemon face still in place, Duke announced, “I’ll be sending Constance with you to that. She can go as your friend.”
“It’s not a bring-a-random-guest kind of party,” I countered. Then I remembered Zach’s advice about how to avoid hookup attempts. “You can come as my boyfriend. That would work.” A little tingle went up my spine.
The suggestion did nothing to improve Duke’s mood. “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Sure it would. My mom and dad are making noises about me getting back together with George, and with you there, it’ll totally stop that.” I liked the idea better with each step we took toward the building.
Duke shook his head. “You shouldn’t go.”
“I have to. I promised my dad.”
“We’ll talk about this later.” He pulled me to a stop before we entered the building. “I’ll be nearby. I’m getting set up in an office down on Wellworth.”
“I know. I’m an adult. I heard you the first two times.”
“And call me,” he said, completely ignoring my complaint, “before you’re ready to leave the building.”
