“Can you please not—” Thane tries to turn off the display, but Parker blocks him and asks the twins, “Where are you taking them?”
“Wimberley.”
“I’m not at liberty to—”
Odd scowls at Anders as the sound of a woman and man chuckling off camera can be heard. Parker, my fearless friend, narrows her eyes at the display. “And this is where you take care of the larger organizational issues, is that correct?”
Somewhere in the truck a seat belt is unbuckled, and a beautifully freckled, wavy-haired goddess fills the screen.
“Hey, I’m Hedy, and you’ve got it exactly right. You’re Parker, right? Associate professor of Tagalog at UT?”
She looks at me accusingly. “So, doeseveryoneknow who I am?”
I hold up my hands.Apparently.
Turning to Hedy, Parker answers her question. “Yeah, that’s me. I also teach intro to Russian.”
“That’ssointeresting,” Hedy says with a genuine smile. “I might could use your help one of these days.”
Parker’s eyes go wide, as she’s thrown by this whole line of questioning.
Hedy, however, has already moved on. “Hey, do y’all have a wall display, or are we meant to look up y’all’s noses this entire time?”
Everett hits a button on the table and the larger display on the wall blinks to life.
“Oh, that’s so much better,” she says, checking out the space. “Whoa, did y’all clean up in there?”
I decide now is as good a time as any to interject. “We were locked in here for a little bit, I suppose for our safety. My friend here can’t stand disorganization.”
“Oh, and you must be Rafi,” she says, leaning in. “Wow, your Air Force ID doesn’t do you any justice. You’re super cute. Have you kept up your shooting skills?”
A deep voice off camera rumbles, “Hedy, stop trying to recruit them.”
At the same time, the screen blinks again and splits between Anders’ camera phone and a new person, a handsome black man sitting at a desk. He’s incredibly fit and has what appears to be a very fancy walking stick by his side, absentmindedly gripping it. He’s familiar, and I wonder if I’ve seen him at the gym.
“Hedy, is that you trying to steal my people?”
Her cheeks get a little pink, and she shrugs. “Sorry, DB. Force of habit. Where are they going to stay until this all settles down?”
Fuck, I hadn’t considered that.
God, this issogoing to suck.
I check out Everett, and it’s clear he hasn’t looked anywhere but me this whole time. It sends electricity skating over my skin.
DB answers, “That’s actually why I was calling. We need to make a plan.”
Parker stands and puts a hand on her hip. “I’d appreciate it.”
DB smiles, and he goes from handsome to devastating, his teeth beautiful against his dark complexion. “Okay, just so we’re on the same page, my name is DeShawn Blaylock, but most of my friends call me DB. I think we need to talk through options. We’ve got a connection at WITSEC…”
What the—witness protection?
Thane interrupts, running his hand through his hair. “Actually, I’d rather avoid that. I don’t think this will be a long-term need, and I don’t think anybody here minds taking care of Rafi and Parker.”
I’m grateful, but now I wonder what—or who—Thane is avoiding at WITSEC.
DB still seems doubtful but asks, “Well then, what were you thinking?”
