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“Wait,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “Have you seen the headlines?”

“Not something I care about right now, Carrie. Something is happening at work.”

Her small hand gripped his bicep harder. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Someone shot Upwood.”

Before he realized what he was doing, he wrenched her phone from her hand and stared at the CNN headline she had been trying to show him.

“Fuck.” Then he saw her big eyes filled with hurt. “I’m sorry. I have to return this call.” He handed the phone back to her and held his own to his ear.

By the time he was a safe distance from her, Director Higgins was answering his call.

“Where the hell are you?” his boss hissed.

“Sorry, Sir. I left town for the day, and I’ve been someplace where cellphones weren’t allowed. I stopped to check it while I was at lunch and saw what happened.”

“I know it’s your thirty off, but we need you here. His injuries aren’t life threatening, but the press is having a field day over the fact that we have no suspects. This is about to become a God damned circus. There’s more I can’t tell you on the phone. Get back here ASAP.”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll need a few hours to get home and change. Should I plan to take the night shift?”

“Come check in with your team and protectee tonight but just plan to take your normal day shift starting in the morning. Come to my office when you’ve checked in. I’ll make sure you get an extended leave when this is all done.”

“It’s part of the job, Sir. I’ll be back in D.C. in a few hours.”

Carrie was sitting on a nearby bench, staring at him intently when he ended the call. Shit. For a moment, he had forgotten all about her like an asshole.

“I handled that poorly, and I’m sorry.” He sat down next to her.

Her breath caught, and she sucked in a breath. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Her response caught him off guard. “For?”

“Apologizing.”

He smiled and wrapped an arm around her, tucking her close to his side.

“I’ve had a good day with you,” she said into his chest.

“Me too, Fried food and all. Unfortunately, I have to get back to D.C. I’ve been called back into work.”

“I probably need to check in at work, too. This is my chance to get back on the Upwood story.”

He offered her a small smile and bent his head to brush a kiss across her forehead. “Thanks for understanding. I’m sorry for being an asshole.”

They sat on the bench for a minute in silence, watching people pass by, completely oblivious to the fact that someone had just tried to assassinate the director of the CIA for the third time. Carrie jumped up and pressed a smacking kiss to his cheek. “Come on. We’re going to do one more thing on our way out.”

He looked at her quizzically but accepted her outstretched hand. She led them to a gift shop near the front of the park.

“We have to pick a souvenir to commemorate the occasion. We can buy the picture they took of us on our way in.”

Now, he was glad he had given in and stopped for the photographer as he saw the look of delight on his girl’s face. At the counter, the employee offered them a variety of ways to buy the picture. Carrie chose a printed photo in a kitschy frame, and Peter chose a key chain.

“Will you pay for this?” Carrie asked. “I’ll be right back.” He pulled out his wallet and watched Carrie scurry to another part of the large shop before turning to hand the clerk his credit card.

A few minutes later, he met her at the entrance, where she was clutching a small plastic bag. He held up the bag of photo goodies and together they made their way to the parking lot.

The drive back to D.C. was quiet. Carrie pulled out a tablet and wireless keyboard and typed at an impressive speed, while Peter reviewed posible scenarios in his head. At one point in the trip, he called agent Lathen to coordinate a transfer. The agent agreed to stay on call over the next few weeks just in case Peter needed time off, since this was supposed to be his thirty off.

Peter thanked him and glanced over at Carrie who was still engrossed in her typing. He wanted to give her something to let her know he was grateful to have her with him, so he touched her shoulder.

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