but still,” Chris went on when A.J. had remained quiet, then placed the now-empty container into a bag by his feet and threw the chopsticks inside as well. And great, now the vehicle would smell like a Chinese restaurant for a week.
It was day two of watching Ana. She’d stayed at her office nearly all day Sunday. Then he and Chris had followed her to work today. Shadowing an FBI agent wasn’t high on the list of things he enjoyed doing, especially when it was a woman he was interested in dating. Who, as it turned out, might be a traitor.
“I’m not stalking her,” A.J. countered.
“Mmmhmm.” Chris lowered his shades to shoot A.J. a you’re full of bullshit look, one he pulled off well, then set his glasses back in place. “So . . . you really think POTUS believes in the existence of that Daybreak Ledger?”
“It’s Daylight, dumbass,” he corrected in his typical, sarcastically polite manner. “It amazes me you didn’t get tossed from BUD/S by calling officers the wrong names.”
“Funny.” But hell, Chris and remembering names paired as well as ice cream and pickles (well, aside from what his mom said about pregnancy). “But annnnyway,” Chris began dramatically, “I don’t think we’d be sitting here right now, spying on a team of people who spy on spies,” he said with a grin, “if the President didn’t think we might get our hands on that ledger.”
“Well, if there are a bunch of names in a record book from years ago, and some of those people are still living amongst us, they deserve to be outed as the traitors they are,” A.J. quickly responded, the very idea infuriating him.
“That might be one reason POTUS wants that ledger. And well, also get ahold of the key that’s supposed to decipher it.” Chris smirked. “And can you imagine if there really is a list of murdering spies and their victims, not to mention Russian double agents in other countries? That’d be a powerful political tool.”
Chris was probably right. And maybe the ledger would offer the U.S. some leverage over Russia for once.
Chris snatched Ana’s case file from the back seat and opened it on his lap. “Man, your girl is smart.” He thumbed through her records, reading them aloud to give A.J. a hard time. He’d done the same on Sunday. Chris didn’t ever miss a chance to drive A.J. batshit crazy.
“She’s not my anything.”
“Born in New York City,” Chris began, ignoring A.J. and faking a Southern accent for reasons unknown, but that was par for the course when it came to Echo Three. The guy should’ve been an actor. Of course, A.J. would sure miss him if he were to ever quit Echo Team. “Moved around a lot.”
That had to be tough.
“Her parents were traveling salespeople. They died in a car accident when she was sixteen, and she lived in foster care until eighteen.” A.J.’s gaze slid sideways to catch Chris shaking his head in sympathy. “Then she got accepted to Walden in Minneapolis. Psych degree.” He tossed a quick look A.J.’s way as if the psychology degree would have been a deal-breaker had Chris been interested in her. The last thing Chris wanted was anyone trying to get a read on him. “John Jay College of Criminal Justice for her double master’s degrees in criminal and forensic psychology.”
“I remember all this from when you read it out loud this morning. And yesterday.” And when I studied the file until my eyes went blurry.
“Did some consulting for the NYPD before joining the FBI at twenty-five.” Yeah, Chris was relentless. “Wonder why she turned down the FBI recruiters two times before saying yes on a third. They must’ve wanted her pretty bad like someone else I know.”
“Would you shut up?” A.J. teased. “I swear, sometimes you’re more seal than Navy.”
Chris made a barking seal noise, and the fact the man knew to do that, well, exactly.
A.J. smiled. “Polar bears. Seals.” The time Chris had confronted a polar bear, Chris had worried more about saving the bear from getting shot than getting eaten by the thing or killed by the Russian agents nearby that would have happily put a round in his ass.
“Do not bring up that incident with the bear.” Chris pointed at him. “Just because I like animals—”
“And so do I, but, brother, if it’s me or a polar bear, well, all bets are off.” A.J.’s hands went to the gear shift when he spotted Ana rounding the side of the