Valentina relented. “I’ll be in touch.”
“When?” Gabby asked.
“I don’t know. I’m meeting with Markus as soon as I finish this run. We’ll talk it over.”
Someone at the EOD was watching her. The two people with the most access were Valentina and, she hated to even think it, Markus. If Smirnov was trying to keep tabs on her, those were his two best bets. And really, why was Valentina up at the crack of dawn hand delivering a piece of paper she could have given her anytime in any number of ways?
Who knew if she was really meeting Markus at all? She was probably meeting Smirnov.
Gabby might just be making coffee and doing a few minor tasks, but those tasks meant millions of dollars to Smirnov and a big bust for the EOD.
“How do I get out of here?” Valentina asked. “The shortest way, please.”
Gabby smiled and said, “Take a left at the next fork. That’ll loop you back to the beginning of the trail, where I assume you started.” That was actually the long way. If Valentina took it, she was in for another five miles.
Gabby stumbled through a 5K for cancer six months ago. She finished after the organizers pulled up the cones. Phil had made a big deal of comparing her time to the winner, who apparently had run something like six-minute miles. If Valentina took at least thirty minutes, Gabby would have time to get the kids on the bus and follow Valentina and see who she was really meeting.
And to think she had never been good at story problems! Take that, Mr. Heard.
Gabby watched Valentina run away, her ponytail swinging like a hangman’s noose. God, she was getting dark. After she scooped up a bag of poo, she hustled back to the house, managing to hang a couple “Lost Cat” posters on the way.
She was in mortal danger but still helping Shelly look for a cat that Gabby knew was dead.
Tuesday morning, getting ready for work and school (almost like she hadn’t just been abducted), Greene household
Gabby kicked her Crocs into a growing pile of shoes by the front door and unclipped Bubbles’ leash. Twenty-six minutes left to get ready and follow Valentina to her meeting. A little voice in the back of her head needled her.Why do you want Valentina to be the mole so bad, Gabby?
It wasn’t about Valentina so much—she didn’t think—it was that she didn’t want it to be Markus. And not only because he was cute. Markus was her partner.
The way Valentina had said she was meeting Markus—that sneaky little smile that disappeared as quickly as invisible ink—Gabby could just tell something was up. If she knew Valentina was the mole, she could go to the EOD for help with the Smirnov situation.
“Justin, can you get the kids on the bus? I just got a text from my boss,” Gabby lied.
Justin was sitting in the exact same spot he had been when she left. His voice laden with sarcasm, he said, “What, does he need his coffee early?” The subtext was “What about me?” which wasa valid point. Her BFF was showing up for her, and she was running off.
“I’ll make it up to you,” she said, briefly pausing and sucking down half her latte in a couple of gulps. “I just really don’t want to disappoint him on my second day. I need this job.”
“It’s fine,” he said, semi-convincingly. “I’ll get the kids on the bus. My client this week canceled, so I have some time.”
“Oh no! The ABBA-themed baby shower?” she called from the downstairs bathroom as she tried to quickly put herself together.
“I guess they wanted something more traditional in the end. I’m pretty sure the mother-in-law got involved.” More brightly, he added, “So anyways, I’m free for a few days.”
She pushed open the door. “I hope you charged them. Does this shirt look okay?”
He nodded. “Looks great. And yeah, they lost their deposit, plus a rotating mirror ball and a karaoke machine I bought for the occasion.”
“Was the baby having a coming-out party?” Gabby asked dryly.
“Oh, stop.” He waved his hand at her.
“So you’re free this week?” Gabby’s wheels were turning. Not that she wanted to take advantage of Justin.
“No comment.” He took a sip of his latte. “But your granny’s coming, right? I thought you were covered.”
“We’ll see.” Granny wasn’t coming anywhere near the house if she didn’t find the mole and get EOD protection first. It was a “developing situation,” to use news terms.
Justin took the request in stride. “Betty Danger needs more practice with her housewifery. Just let me know what you need this week.”
