apprehended tonight.”
Quinn turned to meet her fierce gaze. “Agreed.”
A few minutes later, Agent Caracas left the car with the valet at the Gaylord Hotel. The four of them wandered through the hotel’s expansive atrium featuring a silent disco, a decorative fountain, and a miniature colonial village, all of it overshadowed by a stunning nineteen-story wall of metal and glass overlooking the Potomac River. With so much going on, it was difficult to focus on the faces in the crowd. Quinn kept her eyes peeled for anyone looking familiar, but her pulse raced at the feeling of being trapped despite the enormous picture window in front of them.
She felt better once they emerged onto Water Street and made their way toward the river. All around them, families were battling dripping ices, while couples strolled hand-in-hand window shopping. She was glad the secretary issued her warning to her detail because Agent Caracas hovered beside Quinn, seeming to pay more attention to her than the woman he was charged to protect.
“What are we looking for?” he asked.
Quinn didn’t take her eyes off the crowd. “I’ll let you know when I see it.”
“So what gives between you and Inspector Gadget?”
She jerked her head around to glare at him. “Inspector Gadget?”
“Segar. The Boy Genius. The guy plays with computers all day. I mean, how sexy is that?”
As much as she wanted to shoot the Neanderthal in the bullocks, she needed him in case things went south later on.
“Very sexy,” she replied before returning to scouring the faces among the pedestrians.
He was blessedly silent for several moments before he spoke again. “You’re not the secretary’s niece, are you?”
She grinned slyly rather than confirm or deny his question. The two women might not be related, but Quinn felt a remarkable kinship with Secretary Lyle. Maybe it was the similar life experiences or the passion for their jobs they shared. Quinn suddenly realized she had tremendous respect for the other woman and what she must have gone through to get where she was today. What she had given up. Not only that, she was grateful for the insight into her mother’s past. The awareness made her even more determined to secure her mother’s future.
“We have an hour to kill before we meet our friends. Let’s go get tickets for the Capitol Wheel. I’d love to get a view from up top.” The secretary led the way toward the pier.
The sun was setting, turning the night sky into a kaleidoscope of purples and pinks. Children holding glow sticks ran along the shoreline in front of a giant sculpture of a man awakening from being buried in the sand. A row of beached Jet Skis formed a jagged line between the pier and the sandy shore. Quinn pulled the phone from her pocket and snapped a few photos. Then, while Caracas purchased four tickets for them to ride the Ferris wheel, she carefully used the viewfinder to take in every aspect of their surroundings.
“Segar has a berth at the end of the second row,” the secretary relayed to her. “He’s a few minutes out.”
“No sign of Alexi?”
“Not yet.”
She relaxed when the ticket handler exchanged a knowing nod with the secretary as they boarded their gondola. The idea of leaving Ben alone on the ground was unnerving, but she felt better knowing Adam’s team had managed to fan out within the harbor. The door closed behind Agent Caracas preventing any other passengers from joining them. They spread out among the two bench seats.
The secretary immediately got on the phone. “Talk to me, Agent Lockett.”
The Ferris wheel began to creep up toward the now dark sky. Quinn did her best to scope out the pier, but with night descending, it was nearly impossible to decipher the white hats from the black hats.
“Relax,” the secretary advised. “Ronoff hasn’t even left his yacht yet. We have a few minutes to assess the landscape and figure out the best place to wait. There’s a bar adjacent to the pier. It’s probably best if I watch from there. You and Agent Caracas can take a moonlight stroll along the docks when Ronoff gets close.”
Quinn nodded.
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable leaving you with just one agent,” Caracas argued. “It’s against protocol, ma’am.”
“I appreciate your devotion to duties, Agent Caracas. But the CAT team will make sure I’m covered. Your job is to keep Agent Darby from harm.”
The agent donned a dumbfounded look. “Agent Darby?”
“Presently with Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service.” Biting back a smug smile, Quinn extended