Tessa didn’t let on that she knew Zane had looked for Bruce before he left for DC, but Bruce had disappeared. Or that he’d asked Leslie, their office manager, to let him know if Bruce popped up. “Okay. Let’s go.”
It took them thirty minutes to find Bruce, who was lounging on a bench in a local park. “Special Agent Thacker. It is about time.” Bruce had a voice for radio. Deep and melodic, with crisp diction and no discernable accent. And when his mind was clear, he spoke like the English professor he’d once been. “And SpecialAgent Reed. Always a pleasure. Please, sit.” He gestured to his bench, and Tessa took a seat.
“Where did you run off to?” Zane stood above Tessa, blocking the sun so she could see.
Bruce pointed to a scar on his arm. “Ran into some miscreants and determined that it would be best to avoid their company for a time.”
Tessa patted Bruce’s arm. “Maybe you should avoid their company indefinitely.”
Bruce gave her a sly grin. “Perhaps.” When he turned back to Zane, his expression altered, and Tessa braced for the possibility that he was losing his hold on the present. “I should confess that my own threats were nothing more than the rantings of an old man. But you have some real problems to deal with, young man.”
“I do?”
“Indeed. I hear things.”
Zane kept his posture relaxed, but Tessa noticed the slight narrowing of his eyes. Bruce had his undivided attention. “What kind of things have you heard this week?”
Bruce shuddered beside her and put one hand on her knee. “You need to watch out for your girl, Special Agent Thacker.”
11
ZANE STUDIED BRUCE.His eyes were clear and focused. His hand on Tessa’s knee wasn’t shaking. His voice was always deep, but when he was lost in his delusions, his words were halting and his thoughts fractured. Today, Bruce spoke with crisp clarity.
“You must be careful, Special Agent Reed.”
“What have you heard, Bruce?” It took effort, but Zane kept his voice low and calm.
“Someone has declared open season on the ‘pretty Secret Service agent.’” Bruce shook his head in obvious disgust. “As if that’s an appropriate description. How are they supposed to know which pretty agent to go after? Criminals these days. No one appreciates the importance of a well-written hit.”
Bruce leaned into Tessa’s shoulder. “Don’t be alarmed. We know you are the prettiest of them all. But lucky for you, your brain is even more beautiful than your face. And the pretty boys you work with have decent minds.”
Zane chose not to be offended that his brain was only deemed “decent” by Bruce.
“More important, they have honor and bravery. As do you. Becautious, young warrior. The truest sign of courage isn’t to ignore the threat but to prepare for it.”
“Thank you, Bruce.” Tessa leaned into Bruce’s arm with no apparent concern for the dirt and germs that would transfer to her. “I will.”
Bruce turned his penetrating gaze on Zane. “You have survived much in your young life, but I fear for you if anything happens to her. Take care.”
How had this insight come from a man who spent much of his time locked inside a mental landscape where no one could wander with him? Zane didn’t want to do anything that would push him back into that place, but he had to ask. “Do you know where the threat originated?”
“It was on the wind,” Bruce said. “The wind knows.”
Tessa met his gaze, and he saw the truth in her eyes. Bruce was fading. “I owe you a great debt, Bruce.”
“Then perhaps you’ll tell the president to leave me alone and quit making it hard for me to get my check. Yeah?”
“Sure thing, Bruce. You need anything?”
“I’m free. I’m good.”
Zane fought the surge of anger that always accompanied his visits with Bruce. He kept it contained until he and Tess were back at her car.
She bumped his arm with hers. “There’s nothing you can do, Zane.”
“And why is that?” He growled the words and slammed his hand on the top of her car. Tessa didn’t flinch. She leaned against the car and watched him but made no effort to talk him out of his fury. “The man is intelligent. Brilliant. He was a professor of English at UNC in Carrington. I’ve heard him quote Shakespeare. I don’t even like Shakespeare, and it was so beautiful I almost cried.”
Tessa nodded.
