Page 11 of Kissing Kayley
Including me.
“Where’d you just go, handsome?”
My gaze rose to hers. “Huh?”
Her soft, gentle smile once again wrapped me around her, heart and soul. “You looked like you were a thousand miles away for a moment.”
I never lied to her or bullshitted her. “I was once again thinking how thankful I am you have an overprotective big brother,” I admitted as my finger lightly flicked the tracking pendant that she sometimes wore on a necklace instead of a bracelet. “Because while I hate it when we’re apart, at least when we are I can effectively do my job because I don’t have to worry about you.”
Her fingers curled around mine and she set her coffee cup down to cover my hand with her other one. “I’m not ready to give up my career,” she softly said. “You know that. I won’t lie and say that I’ll think about it, or that I’ll give it a trial sabbatical. I still have things I want to do before I put myself out to pasture, and I need at least a couple more years.”
“I know.” Believe me, it was something I couldn’t stop thinking about. “I have several options I can pursue after I retire.”
“I’d rather you retire sooner than later. But you also know I won’t give you an ultimatum.” Mahogany and dark brown swirled in her eyes, which always looked darker when she was serious.
Like now.
“I know you’re literally one of the top agents in the PPD,” she continued, “but I also worry about you every bit as much as I worried about Leo. I’m terrified your luck might be close to running out. And I know damned well from Leo that you can make a lot more money working private sector and doing much safer things.”
“We’ve got three weeks,” I said, trying to deflect that conversation. “We don’t need to dig into this right now. Let’s take a day or two to decompress first.”
She cocked her head a little. “Do you think three weeks will be enough time?”
“If it’s not, we’re doing something wr—” I instinctively tensed, my head snapping up and around at a sharp gasp from the other side of the room.
Two waitresses, three of the cook staff, and one of the other customers stared at a small TV mounted on the wall at the end of the lunch counter. Before I even processed I was on my feet, I had crossed the dining room in a couple of strides to stand behind them and watch.
On it, a cable news channel had posted a breaking news alert and showed shaky traffic cam video of a large bridge.
Underneath the bridge sat a huge cruise ship, so tall it looked like it would barely clear under it. From it, flames and smoke rose from where a large section of debris had collapsed onto it.
Where the apex of the bridge should be was a ragged and smoking, gaping maw.
At the bottom of the screen a red banner blared the headline:Explosions, bridge collapse in Tampa Bay. Reports of other incidents elsewhere.
Both numb and with all my senses and training firing at once, I turned and raced back to our table, my wallet in my hand. I tossed three twenties on the table and grabbed Kayley’s hand.
“Change of plans,” I said. “We have to leave.Now.”
“What’s happening?” she asked as she grabbed her purse and let me help her out of the booth.
“I don’t know. Some sort of attacks.” I barely waited for her to stand before I draped an arm around her and raced out of the restaurant.
I waited until we were speeding away in the SUV in the opposite direction of the resort to call Ivan Maxwell, the head of Kayley’s detail, from my private cell phone.
“This is Belefonte,” I said. “I just saw a news alert. What’s going on?”
“Unknown,” he replied. “Multiple active situations in coastal areas. I was just going to call you. What’s your status?”
My mind raced and I hit on a brilliantly simple solution. “Change of plans,” I said. “I’m taking Bookworm somewhere else.”
I ignored the scowl Kayley sent me from the passenger seat.
“Where?” Maxwell asked.
“I’ll tell her brother and you can deal with him. It’s secure, and she’ll be safe. I’m taking her off-grid. Donotsend a team after us.”
“I’ll have to clear that with the director first.”
