Page 64 of Knot Innocent

I explain what I found, and confident with my methodology, Agent Silver offers me a sincere thanks and announces the FBI can take over the search from here on out. Hopefully, they’ll get people in place to capture Willis before sundown. Hopefully, the kid’s alright.

Agent Silver signs off to coordinate the operation, and I’m just about to begin my report for Knot on the case when my phone rings. Hoping to see Bastien’s name on the screen, I deflate when it’s just my optometrist. “Hello. Birdie Crenshaw here.”

“Hi, Ms. Crenshaw. I’m calling to cancel your appointment for tomorrow afternoon. Dr. Tipton was just in a car accident and is in the hospital.”

“Oh, wow. Of course. I hope he’ll be ok. Honestly, I’d forgotten I even had an appointment this week.”

“I’m sorry about this,” The cheerful receptionist says. “I’m afraid I don’t know how his schedule is going to work out for the next couple of weeks. If you’re okay with it, you can come in today to see our new optometrist, Dr. Lee. He has an opening at four.”

With two other DOJ cases and this psycho stalker to deal with, I’d rather put this off, but I know from experience there’s always going to be too much to do to miss work. Since our operatives are quiet, this is probably the best possible time. “I’ll take this afternoon.”

“Ok. See you at four.”

I put my cell phone away and do what I promised. I pick up my desk phone, dial the security extension, and tell Frank I need a ride. After I explained what for, he offered to act as chauffeur.

With that detail handled, I resume work on my report for the Willis case and forward it to my boss, along with a comment about me going out this afternoon.

Around noon, Sadie emails me while I’m sitting in the unusually quiet cafeteria. Lunch for one is a premade grilled buffalo chicken wrap. No hot food today. Not even the chef is here with such a skeleton crew on site.

Spatch must be bored, and his retired military service dog, Piper, must be lonely. The empty room echoes as I laugh at myself for wondering if I should have invited Spatch and Piper to lunch.

Speaking of Spatch, I need to set up a recurring training schedule with him. I’d be way too tempted to misbehave if training with Bastien. I’ll stop by the gym after lunch. For now, I take another bite of the wrap and open Sadie’s message.

“We’ll be flying home tonight and arriving in the morning.”

Uh oh. My face reddens at the update I’ll have to give her. I’ll probably need ear protection for her reaction. I guess I’ll worry about that tomorrow.

After lunch, I stop by the training room to speak with Spatch and pet Piper. The demanding trainer doesn’t ask about the sudden change, and I don’t volunteer. I don’t expect the same discretion from Sadie.

I’m back at my desk a minute later, beginning work on the second DOJ case. This one’s for the ATF. Apparently, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms’ computer forensics team has a backlog, and they don’t want to wait. They’ve outsourced several cases to get caught up, but it’s a fool’s hope.

I work until three and shut down to have plenty of time to meet up with my security babysitter and get to my appointment on time. The lobby is a bit of a zoo when I step off the elevator, with Bastien’s team walking in unexpectedly early. Spotting Chelsea, I rush over. “What’s going on?”

“You won’t believe it. The Smithsonian planted listening devices in all the public and service areas. In addition to all the security firms they’d contracted, they also had a team of people listening live, round the clock, to all the feeds. A few hours ago, they caught one of the owner’s people joking about ways they might try to steal the stone, and the Smithsonian shut the whole damned thing down. We boarded the jet an hour ago.”

Bastien walks through the entrance, and the area gets quiet. Not quiet like I’m lost in the moment and ignore everyone else, but quiet as in everyone stops and stares. Noticing my purse, Bastien drops his bag and stalks toward me. “Going somewhere?”

I glance around at the other contractors, each appearing oddly curious or grinning like fools. Even more peculiar is that all of them avoid making eye contact. “Frank, um.” I stop to clear my throat. “Frank is taking me to an eye appointment.”

“Frank,” Bastien barks. “I think I’ve got this.”

“Yes, sir,” Frank says as he hands over a set of keys.

Peeking at the rest of the operatives’ faces again, I whisper, “Bastien, they’re all staring. Why?”

Bastien steps close enough that his body touches mine. He lifts a hand and cups my jaw. “Well, Petit Oiseau, I guess they’re waiting to see if I’ll do this.”

He lifts my face, and his lips touch mine. I lean into him, not caring about our audience. The kiss is brief but still surprising. I never thought Bastien would be ashamed of a relationship with me. I just didn’t expect him to make it known so early or in such a public way.

We separate to a chorus of catcalls and whistles, and Bastien guides me through the crowd to the door, ignoring the slaps to his back. The key fob chirps an armored SUV sitting at the curb, and Bastien places his bag in the back before opening my door. Once he’s behind the wheel, he looks me over and devours me with his eyes. “Where are we headed?”

I’d love to say to bed, but squeak out, “Eye doctor.”

Bastien chuckles, and I feel it down low. “You’ll have to be a little more specific.”

I stutter through telling him where it is, and we roll in that direction. “I heard about the exhibit.”

Bastien shakes his head. “Some people are born stupid. You can’t educate it out of them.”

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