Page 11 of Missing

This isn’t how he acts when he hands out assignments. I sat on the edge of the chair, adjusting myself so I wasn’t so far forward I looked nervous, and not so relaxed that I looked disrespectful. For the first time since starting at SSI, I felt nervous.

I forced myself to sit still while I waited for him to break the uncomfortable silence.

“It’s come to my attention you’re taking Beth on a date.” John grinned.

A good sign.

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ve learned my lesson, so I won’t ask you not to.” He laughed and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his desk. “With my luck, I’d ask you to keep your distance and the two of you would run off and elope.”

He didn’t have to remind me that Jack and Jamie had both dated clients—women who were once off-limits but were now family.

Well, Meg was, and Emily would be as soon as Jamie got up the nerve to propose. He and Emily had only been dating a few months, but were so obviously in love it was almost painful to watch.

Taking a risk, I answered with a touch of humor. “I don’t know, sir, Beth’s not a client.”

“Technically, neither was Meg.” He grinned before turning serious again. “Beth’s a good woman, and Mary and I consider her family. She deserves nothing but the best.” He leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest. “All I’m asking is you treat her with the respect she deserves, and if things don’t work out, be honest with her.” I wiped my palms on my pants as John’sstare bore into me. “And be careful with Chase, that little boy wants a dad so desperately I can almost taste it.”

“Yes, sir.” I’d heard how hard it could be to navigate a new relationship when a young child was involved, both from friends who were single parents and the people who’d dated them. The child was a part of the relationship, but you couldn’t risk leaving them feeling deserted if things didn’t work out.

The general rule of thumb, according to my friends, was to not involve the child right away. Some wouldn’t even introduce their kids until things got serious. One friend, back home in Chicago, wouldn’t introduce a man to her daughter until they’d been on at least twelve dates.

I’ll have to be careful with Chase. We already knew each other, so not introducing us wasn’t an option. I made a mental note to talk to Beth about how to handle if, should he start asking questions. I wanted to honor her wishes, and not overstep my bounds.

“Good.” He picked up a manila folder. “I have a new assignment for you. It’s a one-day security job, escorting a witness to and from the courthouse. It’s a closed testimony, so only the judge, witness, and attorneys will be in the room. You’ll have to wait outside for however long it takes.”

“Yes, sir.” I grabbed the file. “Anything special I should be aware of?”

“It’s a high-profile case, so expect crowds and the press. Take the sedan with the tinted windows. And Sharpe, wear your vest.” I nodded as I stood up, eager to get back to my office so I could read the file.

“Expecting trouble, sir?” The sedan didn’t just have tinted windows, it was also bullet proof.

“Always. Stay sharp, Sharpe.” Then he snickered at his running joke.

Out of respect I held back the impulse to roll my eyes and faked a laugh as I said, “Good one.” It was funny the first time but had gotten old.

How do you tell a man his dad joke is getting old? There was only one answer if that man was your boss: you didn’t.

The file had the basics about the client, a woman in her mid-twenties who was the key witness in an abduction case. From her office window, she’d witnessed two men grab a young girl on the street. She’d snapped a bunch of pictures and called 9-1-1. Most of the photos were blurry but they were good enough for the cops to read the plate and put out a BOLO (be on the lookout).

Because of her quick thinking, they’d found the van and arrested two guys. Unfortunately, the girl was gone, and they claimed they never had her. The forensic evidence from the van proved otherwise. It was enough to keep them in jail until their trial, despite their pleas of innocence.

No one believed they were the masterminds behind the crime, but they refused to speak or turn on the person who’d hired them.

Shortly after their arrest, someone called 9-1-1 to report seeing the girl from the Amber Alert outside a gas station. The local police located her and brought her home. She was physically unharmed, but terrified.

Because she didn’t know who took her, and didn’t recognize the two guys who took her when shown their pictures, the case rested heavily on our client’s testimony.

She’d done the right thing by going to the police, but she’d received a letter threatening her life if she testified. Whoever had paid to have the girl abducted was willing to do whatever it took to make sure he was never identified.

I hope they catch the bastard, I thought as I emailed the client. I introduced myself and asked if I could call, so we could discuss logistics.

Whoever was behind the crime was the type of person who wouldn’t think twice about hiring a hitman to carry out his threat. It wouldn’t be hard for a professional to take her out from a distance before she had a chance to testify.

I called the head of security at the courthouse and asked for permission to use the back entrance. The press, and hopefully anyone looking to stop her from testifying, would be at the front of the building, while we used a service door in the back.

Around six, a knock on my door frame brought me back to the present. “Hey Jack, what’s up?”

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