“How’s things with Ty and Todd?” She paused to sip her coffee.
So, she didn’t want to talk about Phillip. Maybe the relationship wasn’t as solid as she liked. “They’re fine. Ty still doesn’t speak much to me, but I’ve managed to get him and Todd off the couch occasionally to go help out at the Smiths’. He’s starting to make friends at school, I think.”
“Give him time. How about you and Bo? Things going good on the home front? Need me to take the guys and give the two of you some more time alone?” She waggled her brows.
Before Lucky could answer, Lisa appeared by the cube. “There you are! I’m sorry, Loretta, but Mr. O’Donoghue would like to see you in hi… in Walter’s office.”
Johnson rolled her eyes. “Duty calls.” She saluted Lucky with her cup and followed Lisa down the hall.
***
Lucky hadn’t set foot in Walter’s office nearly as much before O’Donoghue’s arrival. He pushed his way through the door and plunked down in… No, not his usual chair. And that wasn’t Walter’s usual desk. O’Donoghue ordered all new furniture?
Why had the keepers of the SNB’s notoriously tight purse strings allowed the expense? When had anyone had the time to bring in new furniture? He’d only left this office a sort time ago.
He wiped the surprise off his face. “You wanted to see me?”
O’Donoghue fixed Lucky with a beady-eyed gaze. “I’ll get right to the point. It’s come to my attention that you and Agent Schollenberger are in a relationship outside of work.”
Lucky swallowed hard. What the ever-loving hell? “What I do on my own time is none of your business.”
“It is if you’re in violation of the bureau’s anti-fraternization policy.”
Lucky braced for a fight. How had this jerk found out? Oh. The photos. The van. What business did he have meddling in Bo and Lucky’s personal lives? “Walter Smith knew all about it. Said we’d done nothing wrong. Technically, Bo and I were seeing each other before Simon Harrison even existed.”
“I’m afraid he may have overstepped. An ethics committee is reviewing your case.”
What? “Now see here…” Lucky leapt to his feet. “Who gave you the right to sneak around taking pictures—”
O’Donoghue cut Lucky off with a raised hand. “If and when they decide you’re noncompliant, one of you will have to leave.”
Lucky’s blood froze in his veins. At one time he’d happily have gone skipping out the door, but only on his own terms. “Leave the department?” Sure, he’d been in Diversion Prevention and Control since his arrival at the SNB, but there were other areas he could transfer to.
“No, leave the bureau.”
Walter had mentioned a married couple working here, and Phillip and Johnson were involved, though technically they worked for separate organizations, Phillip for DEA and Johnson for SNB. They still could create the kind of conflict of interest the policy supposedly prevented. “What about…”
“That will be all, Mr. Harrison.”
Lucky staggered out into the hallway. Johnson strode by. He grabbed her by both arms. “You met with O’Donoghue earlier, didn’t you?” He narrowed his eyes.
“You know I did.”
“Did you tell him about me and Bo?”
“No! But it’s not like a great big secret.”
Especially not if someone took pictures of him and Bo after their last counseling appointments.
Still, he’d been summoned to Walter’s office right after Johnson. Coincidence? To Lucky’s knowledge, coincidences usually had some thought behind them.
Had Johnson really spilled Lucky’s business to the wannabe boss? Had he misplaced his trust in her? One way to find out. He tossed out the first lie he could think of. “Did Bo tell you he’s been thinking of putting in for a transfer to the Virginia office?” He spun on his heels and fled, lest he trust her too much again.
***
The next conversation with O’Donoghue included, “If Schollenberger wants a transfer…”
Fuck. Johnson hadn’t even waited five minutes before she’d run to O’Donoghue with Lucky’s lie, had she?
