“I know.” This morning was coming at her full force, all after a night of almost no sleep.
“What is it?” His voice went high alert. “Do you need backup?”
She’d love some backup.
“I don’t think the EOD is available for this mission. My kid forgot his lunch.”
“What? Can’t the school feed him?”
“If only. Lucas has an anaphylactic reaction to a bunch of different foods. Eggs, milk,any tree nuts.” She said “tree nuts” like it was a nuclear weapon. That’s how it felt. Her whole world could be destroyed by a hazelnut. And Nutella was literally everywhere. Those little single-serve packages. Lucas always wanted one so bad because she wouldn’t let him have them. At the thought of all the dangers at school, she started to panic for real. Her voice startedquivering, and her hands shook. How was she supposed to take care of her Lucas and do this job?
“So what you’re telling me is that this is a life-or-death situation.”
Finally, someone got how she felt. “Yes.” She’d never said yes with such conviction. The nurse and the principal and the classroom teacher all knew that Lucas had allergies, but did they feel it deep in their souls? She wanted anyone who handed Lucas a snack to feel like they had his beating heart in their hands. Was that too much to ask?
“Can he go without lunch?” Markus asked.
“Technically, that would be fine, but I know he’ll just eat something. Someone will feed him.” She said it like it was a threat.
“Let’s figure it out then.”
“It’d take me an hour of driving to get home, get his lunch, and get to school,” Gabby said.
“How about some Uber Eats?”
“The school has a strict policy about not ordering in lunch. I’ve tried that one before.” It probably had something to do with tightening campus security in light of all the school shootings. Stopping people from ordering burritos didn’t seem to be the answer.
“What about your ex?”
“He’s in Sacramento.” Phil embodied Sacramento.
“There’s only one answer then. I’m going to have to go undercover to deliver your kid lunch.” He sang the James Bond theme song. “Dum di-di dum.”
With a laugh, she asked, “Really?”
“It’s life or death, and we have to keep you on the job, so I have no choice. I’ll be in your ear the whole time, so you won’t be able to notice a difference.”
Markus could not be the mole. There was no way someone who was double-crossing her would spend an hour of his day delivering an eight-year-old an allergen-free lunch.
“He eats at eleven fifteen.”
“Damn, that’s early. I better hustle.” Sounds of Markus grabbing his keys and jacket filtered through the earpiece.
Gabby busied herself finishing the budget spreadsheet she’d started yesterday. By the time she’d finished entering the data, Markus came online. “What’s your front door code?”
For a moment she froze. Just last night, Smirnov had told her that he had someone on the inside watching her, working for him. It could be Markus. Was she trading peace of mind over Lucas’s lunch for everyone’s safety? For years, her fear for Lucas had crowded out everything else. Here she went again. She could still call it off, say she changed her mind… but Markus had already driven all that way. And Lucas needed a safe meal.
“It’s four-eight-five-three.”
“’Kay. I’m in.” The sound of Bubbles going crazy came through the earpiece.
The plan that had felt so perfect a minute ago had her questioning everything. What had she just done? Had she invited the enemy in? She had notoriously bad taste in men: Phil, Mr. Bubbles.
“Hey there, buddy.” Markus spoke low and sweet to Bubbles. “It’s okay. Wanna scratch?”
Bubbles went from loud barking to a rumble in his throat, a quick de-escalation for Bubbles. That said something. Dogs knew how to see past words and actions to intent.
“Hey, cutie, you know you want a scratch.”
