Until It's You by C.B. Salem

immense tension there just seconds earlier. "It's probably nothing, right?"
    "Probably, but you never know, right?"
    "You aren't going to tell her I said anything?"
    Kristina shook her head. "Of course not. If I revealed my sources nobody would ever talk to me."
    Louise suddenly looked very put out. Kristina searched for a way she could reassure her some more, but she was drawing a blank.
    "I should get back to my desk," Louise said.
    She stood up and shouldered past Kristina without another word. Kristina watched her go in silence, torn. Part of her wanted to follow and reassure her again, but in her heart she knew it wouldn't do any good. Resigned, she stood in the empty conference room and thought through next steps.
    Either take what she had or push it a little further. Maybe Brantley would have something. She'd accounted for Dunn and Bruman already. Might as well see Brantley before she had to switch her disguise anyway.
    It only took her another couple minutes to get to his office. His secretary stationed just outside looked harried as she approached.
    "Is Mr. Brantley in?" Kristina asked.
    To her surprise, the secretary touched a nearly transparent spot on the glass desk and talked into a hidden microphone. The spot she touched glowed a light green. “Mr. Brantley, Kristina Andersen here to see you.”
    Kristina stood up straighter. That was an unwelcome surprise.
    The secretary smiled sweetly. "I like your disguise," she whispered. "It reminds me of those spy movies. My boyfriend loves them."
    Kristina's cheeks warmed. Reluctantly, she returned the smile. She had been feeling pretty good about her morning's work.
    The secretary went back to whatever she had been doing. Her blonde hair was tied back so tightly Kristina’s head hurt just looking at it. Combined with her perfectly starched white shirt, she appeared to be the perfect assistant for Brantley. Not a hair allowed to even think of being out of place. “Sorry,” she said, looking up. “I think he’s on his way out.”
    Brantley’s voice came through the speaker on the desk, his voice as clear as if he were right there. “Send her in.”
    The secretary froze, then forced a tight, bleached-white smile. Young as she was, she'd already had some work done for wrinkles too. “Looks like it’s your lucky day,” she chirped. "You can go in."
    Kristina returned the expression and walked down the hall and into Brantley’s office. The charcoal gray curtains on his floor-to-ceiling windows were drawn closed, his suit jacket was on and buttoned up. Everything, from the perfect stack of a few papers at the corner of his huge oak desk to the cleaned up coffee maker and mug, was in its place. He was clearly leaving for the day.
    “I’m surprised to see you,” Brantley said gruffly, standing beside his desk. "Especially like this. Disguise?"
    He wore a navy blue suit with a white shirt and lilac tie. Kristina had to admit, whoever had dressed him had done a decent job. She nodded at his question.
    He returned the gesture, seemed to move past his opinion on her look. “Do you have anything to report?”
    Kristina nodded. “I found Tatum.”
    Brantley froze, then a smile crept over his face. He unbuttoned his jacket and walked back around his desk to sit, motioning to the chair Kristina had sat in just the day before for her to do so again. She did.
    “Good work," he said, once they were both seated. "Where is he?”
    “The Hyatt in River North, but he was checking out from there shortly after I left. I’m afraid he’s...not well.”
    A dark brow shot up. “Paranoid?"
    "Excuse me?"
    He waved his hand. "Just a theory I have. Damned peculiar of him to disappear like that, especially with that protocol we drafted." He shook his head. "Anyway, what's wrong with him?"
    She took that all in. Reminded herself to keep her eyes moving, if and when she decided to Recall this conversation. “It seems your theory is right. He thinks someone is after him. Won’t trust