Because he sounds genuinely interested, I figure there’s no harm in sharing. “There’s only two of us to cover 8 AM to 8 PM, seven days a week. If me or Jeremy become ill or someone needs time off, the central office sends over a temp.”
“Don’t you ever go out in the field?” My heart pumps as memories of The Incident try to break out of my locked mental box.
Avoiding his gaze, I stuff a cookie in my mouth, then shake my head no.
Phew, that was close.
Chapter 3
Hunt
A simple question about fieldwork set her off? She sure is prickly.
Whatever. I’m here to add up undocumented entries. After my penance, I can go home. I’m lucky I wasn’t fired for saving Axel’s wife in Belarus. Now, with a new FBI director, it could still happen. I need to keep a low profile.
When she glances up, I smile encouragingly. “I’m simply here to study the environment, nothing more. I promise to stay out of your way.”
“Okay. Let me see your map.” Grabbing a marker off her desk, she hovers it over the paper. “Do you mind?”
“No, go for it.”
While I watch, she highlights places without roads. “These are the deer trails. I would start there. The farmers can give you feedback about moose, rodents, and the occasional wolf. We do have a family of bobcats, but they’re shy. You probably won’t see them. The mother can be vicious if you get too close to her brood.”
I’m supposed to be an expert, so I grunt as if insulted. I wish I could share more of my real purpose, but Batt Hornsby was clear. I could only tell Dante. With him out of the picture, I’m on my own. “Thank you. I think I can take it from here.”
“Meeeeorrrrmph.” Monstro jumps off the file cabinet and butts his head against my leg as I slip into my heavy wool coat.
Squatting, I pat his head. “Behave, buddy. Never bite the hand of anyone who feeds you.”
He blinks at me, swishes his tail, and noses his water bowl to the wall until it overturns.
“You are such a monster! What did I tell you?” While the lovely customs guard grabs a roll of paper towels, I grab the door handle. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Good luck. You might want to change your clothes. The winds are picking up. Storms are moving in later this week.”
“While I appreciate your concern, I think I can manage a patch of winter weather.” As I open the door, she snorts out her disagreement.
Holy Mother of God, I’ve had enough of her attitude.“What’s your problem, O’Malley?”
“Nothing. Traipse around the forest. Do your thing. By the way, phone signals are spotty up here. Make sure you have an emergency kit because if you get lost, you could die of hyperthermia before we’d ever find you.”
Typically, insults roll off my back. However, I want to impress this woman, not appear incompetent. Worried I might blow my cover, I bite my tongue, shake my head, and slam the door on the way out.
At my hotel, the curtains remain shut so I can grab a quick nap. Upon waking, I warm up an MRE, clean my firearm, and inspect my gear. By midnight, I’m ready.
My plan is simple. I’ll set up my cams, take a few vacation days on the slopes, then return to DC. Compared to my last few assignments, this one’s a breeze. Whistling to myself, I call the FBI Special Agent in Charge of Counting Illegal Immigrants, Bartholomew Hornsby. “Hey, Batt. You told me to ping you when I started my workday, so here I am.”
When the man’s girlfriend moans in the background, I chuckle.Paybacks, pal, are a real bitch.
Adjusting my night optical device, I climb the muddy path between the thick pines. “Yes, sir. I figured you’d be waiting to hear about my progress. Dante is MIA, off somewhere icefishing. I’m going to install the first of our surveillance this evening.”
“How long will it take? The president is anxious to have all this data before addressing Congress.” Batt sounds rattled, but I don’t blame him. Nowadays, no one’s job is secure.
I do my best to remove any doubt from my tone. “A week, perhaps two. It depends on how many paths I find. Once it snows, I can track people much faster.”
“Remember what I said. No arrests. We only need a tally.” His constant reminders make my teeth grind in the back.
What am I, five?How I miss working with Axel. Hopefully, after this assignment, my old team can be reassembled. Fucking politics have no place in the trenches.
