investigator. Their combined guest list meant security was as important as the dress or flowers for this wedding.
He knew tonight was just a casual reception. It was probably better he was stuck out here. Having logged his fair share of time in the field, he felt more comfortable navigating tricky terrain or elusive enemies than a ballroom full of friends and family. He certainly wouldn’t have wanted Jo hovering at the fringes of the happy event in her official capacity, raising eyebrows or dragging his name through the mud on Casey’s special day.
The lights flickered once, interrupting his thoughts, then the cabin went dark, except for the fire. Quiet fell almost as suddenly as the ambient noise from the refrigerator and furnace ceased to fill the air.
The second hand on the battery-operated wall clock shouted each passing second in the eerie stillness and he listened carefully for any creak or crunch of someone approaching outside. Instead there was only a shuffle followed by a thud from the bedroom. Sitting up, he softly called Jo’s name.
“I’m fine,” she replied.
The absolute silence that followed confirmed she, too, was listening for any sounds that didn’t fit the weather conditions outside. Long minutes ticked by and the lack of footfalls, breaking glass or red dots from a laser sight had him breathing normally again.
Jo emerged from the hallway, pausing at the edge of the glow from the fire. “This is crazy,” she muttered.
“Hard to believe the power lasted this long,” he said, finally convinced it wasn’t another attack.
“How could all weather radar miss something this big?”
He chuckled. “Did Mother Nature mess with your plans?”
“Yes,” she said, her frustration evident. “It was supposed to be an easy thing. At least a civilized meet. We sit, we talk—”
“After I woke up from the sedative, you mean.”
She snorted and shuffled closer. “I’ve explained that. Repeatedly. Build a bridge, Director, and get over it.”
He smiled at the sight of the ever-elegant Agent DeRossi swaddled in a thick blanket shuffling closer to the fire. There wasn’t a fireplace in the bedroom and she’d freeze back there without the furnace. “Is there a backup generator?”
She shrugged. “If there is, it would’ve been added by the management company and it wasn’t mentioned in the rental brochure. Feel free to go look for one.”
“I’ll pass. Guess we’re both better off out here tonight.” He moved to put another log on the fire.
Her reply was an unintelligible grumble.
When the log caught, he shifted the couch and chair closer to the fire so they could rest more comfortably. He smiled, having never seen her disheveled. They’d come through a rather harrowing exit out of Germany and she’d never once let the stress show. She’d dug a bullet out of him and patched him up without being this shaken.
“The idea that I sold a weaponized virus really upsets you.”
“No.” She curled up in the chair, tucking her feet under her. “You being targeted by false accusations upsets me.”
“Why?”
She was avoiding eye contact, another behavior he’d never witnessed before. He wanted to get to the root of her distress. For the case. Right. Quizzing her now was all about his own selfish curiosity.
“There is something bigger at play here, behind the scenes.” She slid a glance his way. “Don’t look at me like that. I haven’t heard so much as a rumor. It’s just a gut reaction. Maybe they were right about my inability to be objective where you’re concerned.”
As far as he knew this was the first time she’d been directly assigned to him or his Specialists. Her position gave her extensive access to most of the records and files anytime she wanted to exploit the advantage, but to his knowledge, the Initiative committee had never had cause to take an in-depth look at Mission Recovery.
Her announcement echoed in his brain a couple of times.
“What does that
He knew tonight was just a casual reception. It was probably better he was stuck out here. Having logged his fair share of time in the field, he felt more comfortable navigating tricky terrain or elusive enemies than a ballroom full of friends and family. He certainly wouldn’t have wanted Jo hovering at the fringes of the happy event in her official capacity, raising eyebrows or dragging his name through the mud on Casey’s special day.
The lights flickered once, interrupting his thoughts, then the cabin went dark, except for the fire. Quiet fell almost as suddenly as the ambient noise from the refrigerator and furnace ceased to fill the air.
The second hand on the battery-operated wall clock shouted each passing second in the eerie stillness and he listened carefully for any creak or crunch of someone approaching outside. Instead there was only a shuffle followed by a thud from the bedroom. Sitting up, he softly called Jo’s name.
“I’m fine,” she replied.
The absolute silence that followed confirmed she, too, was listening for any sounds that didn’t fit the weather conditions outside. Long minutes ticked by and the lack of footfalls, breaking glass or red dots from a laser sight had him breathing normally again.
Jo emerged from the hallway, pausing at the edge of the glow from the fire. “This is crazy,” she muttered.
“Hard to believe the power lasted this long,” he said, finally convinced it wasn’t another attack.
“How could all weather radar miss something this big?”
He chuckled. “Did Mother Nature mess with your plans?”
“Yes,” she said, her frustration evident. “It was supposed to be an easy thing. At least a civilized meet. We sit, we talk—”
“After I woke up from the sedative, you mean.”
She snorted and shuffled closer. “I’ve explained that. Repeatedly. Build a bridge, Director, and get over it.”
He smiled at the sight of the ever-elegant Agent DeRossi swaddled in a thick blanket shuffling closer to the fire. There wasn’t a fireplace in the bedroom and she’d freeze back there without the furnace. “Is there a backup generator?”
She shrugged. “If there is, it would’ve been added by the management company and it wasn’t mentioned in the rental brochure. Feel free to go look for one.”
“I’ll pass. Guess we’re both better off out here tonight.” He moved to put another log on the fire.
Her reply was an unintelligible grumble.
When the log caught, he shifted the couch and chair closer to the fire so they could rest more comfortably. He smiled, having never seen her disheveled. They’d come through a rather harrowing exit out of Germany and she’d never once let the stress show. She’d dug a bullet out of him and patched him up without being this shaken.
“The idea that I sold a weaponized virus really upsets you.”
“No.” She curled up in the chair, tucking her feet under her. “You being targeted by false accusations upsets me.”
“Why?”
She was avoiding eye contact, another behavior he’d never witnessed before. He wanted to get to the root of her distress. For the case. Right. Quizzing her now was all about his own selfish curiosity.
“There is something bigger at play here, behind the scenes.” She slid a glance his way. “Don’t look at me like that. I haven’t heard so much as a rumor. It’s just a gut reaction. Maybe they were right about my inability to be objective where you’re concerned.”
As far as he knew this was the first time she’d been directly assigned to him or his Specialists. Her position gave her extensive access to most of the records and files anytime she wanted to exploit the advantage, but to his knowledge, the Initiative committee had never had cause to take an in-depth look at Mission Recovery.
Her announcement echoed in his brain a couple of times.
“What does that
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