Page 62 of Shielding Aubree

And this time?

Maybe he might take a little more time to enjoy his work.

The anticipation was part of the fun.

And he was planning to have alotof fun.

15

One Week Later...

Aubree remembered the art gallery of posters that her high school principal had created in the hallway leading toward the cafeteria. Most of the framed posters were just a blur of pretty images, but it was the one just before the door that she remembered for the words printed along the bottom of a highly stylized old world map. "Chance favors the prepared mind." Louis Pasteur

It was at that time that conversations seemed to stop, and attentions were diverted to the menu board as if they didn't have a printed menu for the month in each classroom, so Aubree had more than her share of time mulling over the quote.

When she met Special Agent Aparicio for the last time at the NMPD Station that quote was at the tip of her tongue.

"Thanks for staying as long as you did, Alara."

The FBI agent sighed and shook her head. "I thought I had it all figured out..."

There wasn't much more either of them could say.

Aubree wanted to make her feel better, but she didn't know what she could say. "I know it's crazy, but I wish you could stay a little longer." Aubree stretched her neck, leaning her head to oneside and the other. "I feel like... like there's something breathing down my neck."

Alara reached out and gripped her arm, giving it a squeeze. "You watch your back, okay? You keep close to other people."

Aubree nodded. "Ruben barely lets me out of his sight when he's not working."

Alara's smile lightened the mood. "He's good for you," she nodded, "keeps your mind off of..."

"Not enough."

The alarm on Alara's phone went off and Aubree was tempted to toss the thing into the trash. "I'll keep you informed on anything I find out." Aubree looked around the office and ground her teeth together. "Even if you were here longer, I'm not sure that I'll be."

The shock on Alara's face made Aubree feel worse.

"It's not just about the... the attacks," she tried reassuring the other woman who had quickly become one of her friends, "I'm set for the upcoming trials to provide my testimony, thanks in no small part to the fire you lit under that prosecutor's butt."

Alara's smile brightened Aubree's mood as well.

"Still, the likelihood that I'll be able to drive my own cruiser anytime in the near future isn't good. I've gone to therapy to fix that part of my claustrophobia, but it doesn't seem to help. My dad's been great about playing my chauffeur when Ruben’s at work but even he knows it can't go on indefinitely. I'm beginning to think I'm just... broken."

Alara's alarm sounded again, and she turned it off before she dropped her phone on the edge of Aubree's desk. "Don't. Don't do that to yourself."

Aubree smiled at her friend. "It's not something I'm saying lightly, but how can I go out on the street if I need a driver to move me around. It's just not how things work in law enforcement. You know that."

As an FBI agent, Alara did know.

"See?" Aubree blinked back tears. "I'm going to be talking to a few recruiters for security companies that need analysts and a couple of law firms that need someone to evaluate evidence for cases. It's not what I saw myself doing this early in my career, but I don't want to give up completely on what I do. I just... I can't keep doing it for NMPD with my limitations."

Alara leaned in and gave her a smile and a nudge. "If you want to be an analyst, maybe you can come to work for us. I'm just one of the field drudges on the street. We have a need for analysts, too."

Aubree nodded. "I was kind of thinking of something like Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan."

Alara shook her head. "I haven't seen anyone in the CIA look that good."

Smiling, Aubree leaned in for a hug, whispering into her friend's ear. "They're spooks, right? I'm guessing we wouldn’t know who's in the CIA analyzing anything."

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