“Aww, don’t tell me you’re worried?” George was half-teasing and half-serious.
“Since Detective Hayes is currently the only thing standing between me and death by arthropod, I think I have a right to be worried.”
“Fair point. He should be better tomorrow. Going in fast and deep enough to keep the wasps from attacking us has taken its toll.” He sighed. “For what it’s worth, whoever sent them should be in a similar condition.”
“Should?”
“As I said, Andi is the only one of his kind I know. We’re flying blind here.”
“How very reassuring.” DeCapristo’s voice was as dry as a desert. “Do you think it’s safe for me to leave the hotel?”
“I honestly don’t know.” George turned his head in Andi’s direction. “Maybe you should stay a little longer. It’s early afternoon. We can compare notes on the case.”
“Now you’re willing to share?” She sounded skeptical.
“I am. You now know what we had to protect before. Not much reason to keep things close to our chests any longer, is there? I mean, aside from your charming personality.” The words came out with just enough reproach to make George realize he still held a grudge against DeCapristo despite the fact that his animosity against her was slowly dwindling. She rolled her eyes and then turned serious.
“I apologize for that. I mean it. It was wrong of me to come at you with swinging fists. In my defense, when we met, Chief Savalle had already burned through what little patience and politeness I had left. I’ve been constantly fighting for the last fifteen months and going on the attack is now my default setting. Plus, PMS is a bitch.” She lifted her hands. “I’m not using my hormonal status as an excuse. I’m just trying to explain why my behavior was less than—desirable.”
George looked at her long and hard. “Less than desirable, huh?”
“I’ve always had a way with words, sue me.”
“Nah, too much effort.” George looked back at Andi again. “Let me check if we can stay here or if it’s better to go outside. Though I’m not sure where we could discuss the case privately.” He neared the bed where Andi was now on his side with his eyes closed. The washcloth sat askew on his forehead and right ear. Putting a hand on his lover’s shoulder, George waited for a reaction. Andi didn’t even stir. “If we keep our voices down, it should be okay to stay here.”
DeCapristo came back from the hall. She sat down on the chair at the narrow desk in front of the window. George went to the other side of the bed. Before he sat down, he first went into the bathroom to retrieve an additional towel, which he placed over Andi’s head, careful to leave his face in the open. He hoped it would further muffle their conversation. Then he got their notes from the second bed only to realize the flip charts were too big for the desk. He motioned for the agent to come to the second bed, which she did. While he put the flip chart sheets back down on the duvet, DeCapristo was watching him intently.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s just—the way you care for him.”
“What about it?”
DeCapristo sighed and pushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Let’s just say I’ve never had that kind of partnership with anybody ever, and it throws me off-balance.”
“Well, I can assure you I’ve never had that kind of partnership with anybody before I met Andi, and it still throws me off-balance sometimes.”
She snorted. “Thank you. I feel weirdly reassured.”
“Then my work here is done.” George found it oddly easy to fall into banter with the agent. Perhaps it was because, despite her having been a thorn in his side, he admired her tenacity and stubbornness. Those were, after all, traits he’d seen in his mother all his life and believed to possess them himself. It also confused him a bit, though that was human relationships in a nutshell. No wonder Andi tried to avoid them whenever possible.
“You’re not as bad as I made you in my head.”
DeCapristo’s words were proof that she was thinking along similar lines.
“You neither. Which is a bit irritating, I have to admit. I liked you better when I could resent you from the bottom of my heart.”
“Ditto. Now I have this weird urge to be polite. And to actually work with you, not just exploit you for my own gain.”
“I feel honored. I think. Anyway, let’s look at what we have.”
He spread his and Andi’s notes out on the bed, DeCapristo got her cell out to look at her own findings, and they went to work.
Several hours later, without a significant breakthrough, Andi stirred with a soft groan. George immediately went to his side and helped him into a sitting position.
“How are you?”
“Bad. Though getting better.” Andi peered past the towel still draped on his head at Agent DeCapristo. “Huh. You’re still here.”
