The house was watched twenty-four/seven.
There was really no way to leave with out being caught.
That left only one option.
She dug her cell phone from her purse and called the one person she knew with out doubt she could trust.
“Hennessey won’t be happy about this.” Her driver wagged his head side to side resignedly.
“Just get me into my house, Agent Dawson,” she urged. “If any one learns we sneaked out I’ll take full responsibility.”
Dawson exhaled loudly. “I don’t think that’ll keep me out of trouble, Dr. Cameron, and it definitely isn’t necessary. When it comes to your safety I’m the one who is responsible.”
“I’m sorry, Agent Dawson,” she relented. He was right. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t want to get you into any trouble.”
He didn’t slow to turn around. He just kept driving through the darkness to ward Georgetown proper and her brown stone.
“It’s all right, Dr. Cameron.” He glanced at her, let her see his determination in the dim glow from the dash lights. “If it means this much to you, then I’m more than willing to take the risk.”
Why were all the good ones taken?
Elizabeth sank back into her seat.
Just her luck.
The image of Joe Hennessey zoomed through her thoughts and she immediately exorcised him. Whether or not he was one of the good guys was yet to be seen. Just because he made her pulse leap and her heart stumble didn’t mean he was right for her. All it meant was that she needed to recoup some semblance of a healthy sex life. As Hennessey would no doubt say, she needed to get laid. Come to think of it, he would probably be happy to oblige her if she were to suddenly turn stupid again.
And she had zero intention of doing that.
As they neared Elizabeth’s home, Agent Dawson said, “We’ll park on the street behind your house and enter from the rear if that’ll work for you.”
She nodded, then remembered he probably wasn’t looking at her. “That’ll definitely work.”
“Once we get out,” he went on, “we need to move quickly.”
“I understand.” Her heart started to beat a little faster at the idea that she might very well be in danger. She’d told her self that being exiled to the safe house was about protecting Hennessey’s transformation, but maybe that wasn’t all there was to it.
She shivered. Maybe that’s what Dawson was worried about more than getting into trouble.
Surely he would tell her if that was the case.
Some thing else she didn’t need to worry about.
The street was still and dark save for a few streetlamps posted too far apart. Agent Dawson parked his sedan behind another lining the side walk and they got out.
“Stay behind me,” he instructed.
Elizabeth did as he asked, following right behind him as they moved through the side yard of the house directly behind hers. On this street the homes were small, single bungalows with postage-stamp-sized yards. A tall wooden fence lined the rear boundaries, separating these private yards from the shared space behind the brown stones. She and Agent Dawson stayed out side the fenced area, wading through the damp grass.
Her home, like the ones on either side of it, was dark, but the area around the back door was lit well enough by moonlight that she could unlock the door with out the aid of a flash light.
“Let me check it out first.”
She stood just in side her kitchen while he checked out the rest of the house. When he’d returned and given her the go-ahead she took his flash light, his assertion not to turn on any lights in the house unless absolutely necessary ringing in her ears, and went straight to her room while he guarded the rear en trance.
Though she and Agent Dawson had taken a number of journeys together in the past year, this was her first ever covert adventure with the man. She was quite impressed with his stealth and finesse.
He hadn’t dragged her into an alley and held her clamped against his body as Agent Hennessey had, but admittedly, the circumstances were different so there could be no actual comparison.
“Focus, Elizabeth,” she ordered, putting aside thoughts of Hennessey and his muscular body.
If David had wanted to learn about her work for the CIA he would have had to “bug” her. She felt confident that the CIA regularly monitored the vehicles they used and, certainly, Agent Dawson would keep him self bug free. But she, on the other hand, had no idea about such things. Hadn’t even anticipated the need.
First she checked through every single undergarment she wore to work. Nothing. She ran the beam of light over her room and located the jewelry box. Jewelry really wasn’t something she cared to accessorize with but occasionally she did wear a necklace or bracelet.
Nothing unexpected there.
That left only her clothes and her purses.