Penni opened her mouth to remind him that she and Vanessa had spoken on the phone during The Assignment and to correct him on that whole “agent” business, but she closed it again when he quickly introduced Becky, the blond, and Michelle, of the chestnut hair. Penni also made the acquaintance of the cooing baby, one Jacob Michael Sommers, Jr. Or JJ for short.
These people are more than coworkers, she realized with a start after Becky set the casserole dish on the picnic table and walked back to the group, popping the sucker from her mouth so she could drag Boss down to steal a loud, smacking smooch. They’re family. A big, noisy, loving family. Dan’s family. And I’m intruding on them. On him.
Okay, sure. She’d known before she ever hopped on the plane headed west out of Reagan National Airport that just because Malaysia had been the catalyst for her making some huge decisions about the path of her life, it didn’t mean Dan had done the same. And she’d been fully aware that just because what passed between them during those hellacious twenty-four hours had turned out to be momentous for her, it didn’t mean it’d held the same importance for him. But now, after seeing the impressiveness of Black Knights Inc. in person, after meeting the host of people who filled Dan’s life, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d given her as much as a passing thought.
She considered tucking tail and running. It would be so easy to turn around, walk out that gate, and forget she ever—
No. No! She wasn’t a coward. She’d come here to say her piece. And you can bet your ass that’s exactly what she was going to do. Squaring her shoulders, she glanced around at the faces staring at her expectantly and blurted out, “I sort of feel like a broken record here, but I really need to—”
“Talk to Dan,” Boss finished for her. “Just as soon as you tell us what this is all about. Because if the Secret Service has a problem with the way he handled things in Kuala Lumpur, then it’s me you need to be having a conversation with, not him. When it comes to BKI, the buck stops right here.” He hooked a thumb toward his football-field-sized chest.
See? Family. Sticking up for each other and closing ranks when it looked like she was trying to insert herself into the middle of them. Once again, a sliver of doubt lodged in the back of her brain. All right already, who was she kidding? It was more than a sliver. It was a full-fledged log of doubt.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with that, I swear to you,” she assured him. “What I want to talk to Dan about is sort of…well…” Geez, this is getting awkward. “It’s personal.”
“Hmm,” Boss hummed.
Hmm? That’s all he had to say? Just…hmm?
Apparently so, because for a couple of eternal ticks of the clock, they all just stood there. Her looking at them. Them looking at her. The baby burbling and the meat sizzling on the grill. Somewhere on the river behind the outer wall a tour boat passed by, the guide regaling the passengers with stories of Baby Face Nelson and Al Capone.
Finally, Becky waved a hand through the air and laughed. “Whew! Is it just me? Or did this barbecue turn into a tension convention? Penni”—she crunched down on the sucker, chewing noisily—“you don’t have to tell this big lug anything.” She nudged Boss with her elbow, making him grunt. “Because the truth is, Dan’s not here.”
“He’s not? Where is he?” Penni should have known better than to ask that question. All she received in answer were shuttered stares. “Uh-huh.” She nodded. “Sure, I get it.” When she caught herself rubbing a finger over the little bump on the bridge of her nose, she quickly dropped her hand and tightened her fingers into a fist. “Can you at least tell me when he’ll be back?”
Becky looked up at Boss. She obviously saw acquiescence in his face—although Penni couldn’t make out anything behind his intense scowl—because she admitted, “We don’t know. Could be days. Could be months.”
“Months!” Penni squawked, her heart plummeting so fast she was surprised she didn’t see it lying on the pavers at her feet. And those shoulders she’d just squared? Despite her best efforts, they drooped dejectedly. She’d screwed up her courage and come all this way…
“I think we should tell her where he is,” Michelle murmured, the first thing she’d said since the introductions.
Penni looked up to find the woman bouncing the baby and eyeing her intently. She blinked and considered digging a finger into her ear because she wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly.
Obviously Boss was having the same problem. He shook his head. “Excuse me, Shell? What the hell did you just say?”
“Yes.” Michelle nodded, still looking at Penni. “I definitely think we should tell her where to find him.”
Chapter One
Cusco, Peru
Friday, 4:55 p.m.