Page 41 of Between Love and Honor

Beside him, Quinn huffed out an appreciative breath.

“That would have been handy a few minutes ago.”

“You did fine with what you have,” he bit out.

“Don’t tell me your male ego is feeling threatened?”

He ignored her while he dialed a number on the phone, wondering if the woman on the other end would be as ornery as the one beside him.

“I saved your life,” Quinn said. “That makes us even.”

They pulled up to a stoplight right before the highway and he risked a glance over at her. She wasn’t gloating.

Instead, the look she met him with was full of melancholy.

His chest contracted sharply.

“This is the second time you’re disturbing me on my day off, Agent Segar,” the Secretary of Homeland answered. “I was taking a nap.”

Ben was pretty sure the woman didn’t sleep but he didn’t bother contradicting her.

“My apologies,” he said as they pulled onto the highway. “But it seems I’m going to have to put my carte blanche authority into action.”

“Meaning?”

“Ronoff’s friends visited me at my home.”

He heard her sharp intake of breath.

“I’m going to need a quiet crime scene cleanup.”

“How many bodies?”

“Two. One is outside so this needs to happen fast.”

He could hear her typing. “Done. Anything else?”

“Yeah. I need a ride to the Think Tank.”

“Is the woman still with you?”

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Quinn. She didn’t bother disguising the fact she was listening to his conversation intently.

“Yep,” he replied.

He expected his boss to raise a red flag about taking a civilian—who by now, he very much doubted Quinn was—to a secure, top-secret location. But the secretary didn’t hesitate. Evidently, she knew as well as he did it was the best place to keep Quinn safe and secure.

“Done.”

“I’ll pick it up at the marina on Fort McNair in ten minutes.”

“There will be a coast guard cutter waiting for you.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll be in touch.”

With that, the secretary hung up.

---