had always had that effect on me. “Aiden, his case, and the fact that too many of us know he’s with the ATF,” I said. “He’s going undercover understanding that his cover is possibly blown, but he’s still doing it because it’ll get him closer to the, um, bad guy. It’s a weird game they’re playing.” A game of chess. The one Barensky, the bomber, apparently loved to play.
Quint pulled me in for a hug. “Aiden knows what he’s doing. He’s good at his job, and you have to trust him.”
I leaned back. Quint was exactly the right person to talk to about this. His girlfriend had dumped him because of his smoke-jumping job. “I know. I do trust him. Doesn’t mean I can’t worry.”
Quint gingerly touched one of the bruises on my chin. “Worrying doesn’t help anything, and you have to find a balance for yourself. If you can’t live with his job, let him go. If you can live with it, work on some coping skills. Breathe deep or something.” He grinned. “It’s not like you don’t have enough going on in your own life right now.”
He was not wrong.
“All right. Get going on your vacation,” I said. “Try not to fall in love with that woman.”
“I’ll do my best.” Quint hustled out the door before I could change my mind, shutting it quickly. “Lock this behind me,” he yelled as he headed down the walkway.
I looked at the beautiful brown eyes of the calm black Lab. “He’s lucky to have you.”
Her tail wagged.
“How about some doggie treats?” I locked my door and then followed the dog into my kitchen, where she stopped to wait patiently by my pantry. She knew what was up. So I dug out some goodies and gave them to the sweet puppy.
My doorbell rang, and she jumped up and ran to it, her body on alert.
I followed and looked through the peephole at a man and quickly recognized him as Kurt. His hair was mussed, but his beard full. I opened the door.
“I’m Kurt,” he said, lounging deceptively.
“I’m Anna,” I said. “I’ve never had a bodyguard before.”
Zena barked once in warning.
Kurt dropped to his haunches. “Oh, you’re a pretty one.”
Zena was also well trained. She snarled.
I patted her head. “It’s okay, girl. Kurt’s a friend.”
She immediately relaxed and her tail wagged. Then she stretched her neck toward him, granting easy permission.
He complied by petting her head. “Oh, you are pretty, aren’t you?” His accent held a hint of Boston. Then he stood.
I gestured him inside. “Come on in.”
He shook his head. “Thanks, but I want to get a lay of the land first. You go about your business while I scout the property for weaknesses.” He dug out his phone and scrolled through. “I have a full schematic as well as Aiden’s notes on security, but I want to see for myself.”
I angled my neck to see his phone. “Aiden drew schematics and a security map for my place?”
Kurt looked up and his forehead crinkled. “Of course. Why wouldn’t he?”
Indeed.
My phone rang just as I sat down to sketch out some preliminary notes for Kelsey Walker’s case. “Hello.”
“Hey. It’s Clark. Detective Pierce called and asked if we could meet for an interview late today. Apparently justice doesn’t relax on Saturdays.”
I paused. “Talk to me about what?”
“There’s an FBI agent who wants to talk to you about Agent Sasha Duponte’s death and he’s going through the local police right now to help preserve Aiden’s cover as a federal agent. As you know, we don’t have to talk to him, but I think we might as well get it over with. What do you think?” Clark asked.
The last person I wanted to deal with today was an FBI agent investigating me. “This whole situation is so sticky,” I muttered.
“At least the federal agencies are playing well together right now. I think that in the spirit of cooperation, we go in today. Let me do the talking as your counsel,” Clark said.
If cooperating meant keeping Aiden safe, I’d do it. “All right. I’ll meet you in front of the police station in thirty minutes.” I clicked off, finished my iced tea, and tried to figure out what to wear that would make me look both cooperative and innocent. A light summer dress in a blue poppy color and simple sandals were the best I could do.
I let Zena out and then in, making sure she was comfy in the living room before heading to my Jeep