bridge when Ryan stopped walking. He noticed that Katie was shivering and pulled her close, rubbing her slender arms beneath the heavy coat.
“You’re freezing… I’m sorry to bring you out here like this, but I wanted to talk. Not in the car, and not in the hotel.” She looked up into his eyes, and Ryan went on: “I do understand how you feel. I’ve lost a lot of people I’ve been close to. I’ll tell you about it sometime, but not now. Not tonight.
“You asked about Naomi. I barely know her, Katie, but let me tell you what I do know. She’s blunt, sarcastic, and ungrateful. She means nothing to me. Let me repeat that. She means nothing to me, and that’s not going to change. I saved her life at the Kennedy-Warren and she didn’t even thank me. Now I’m stuck with her for at least the next couple weeks when I want nothing more than to be here with you. I want you to be able to trust me, because I trust no one more than you.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a hand to stop her.
“Let me finish. I know that you’re afraid. Tonight I told John that this is the last thing I’m doing for the Agency, and I meant it. A few more weeks at the most, and I’m done. I need you to be strong in the meantime. It’s just a job for me. It’s important that you see that. There’s a lot I want to do when it’s over, and I want — no, I need you by my side.
“Katie, I love you more than anything and I have to know: will you marry me?”
Ryan pulled a small burgundy box out of his pocket and opened it. He was scared to death, but Katie’s mouth dropped open in amazement, her bright blue eyes sparkling with surprise and happiness. She flung her arms around him, causing the box to tumble out of his hand. He laughed and they kissed deeply. He had been terrified to ask, almost certain that she would refuse him. Now, breathing in the fresh, clean scent of her, he knew that he would never regret his decision. He was only angry that he had to leave the next day.
“I take it that’s a yes?”
Katie kissed him again in place of an answer. They held each other for what seemed like an eternity until Ryan finally broke away.
“Now,” he said with another relieved laugh, “let’s find that ring.”
CHAPTER 12
LANGLEY.NORFOLK, VIRGINIA
It seemed like much earlier than seven when he woke the following morning, his eyelids tight against the light slanting through half-closed curtains. Despite the early hour, Katie was already up and moving about, a dizzy smile spread across her face. Both were pleasantly exhausted after having made furious love deep into the night and early-morning hours.
Ryan went about his normal routine in preparation for the day ahead. Every few minutes he would catch Katie staring at the diamond on her left hand and she would look up with a sheepish expression on her face. He knew how she was feeling, though, as it was his first time being engaged as well. It was an unusual confluence of emotions: pride, that he was good enough for a woman like this; anxiety, because he could still screw it all up; anticipation, thinking about the family that they would make together. Most of all, he just felt fortunate, recognizing how lucky he was to have her in his life.
By eight they were both ready to leave. He checked out of the hotel while Katie had the valet bring the car around. She drove south toward Langley because Ryan wanted her to take the BMW back to Maine, but she wasn’t experienced driving a stick shift and needed the practice. They both burst into laughter when the car stalled at numerous stoplights and the vehicles behind erupted into a cacophony of horns and loud curses. For some reason, none of that seemed to matter.
It was almost an hour later when they arrived at headquarters deep in the wooded hills of Virginia. Harper had clearly made arrangements, as the security guards manning the gate waved them through following only a cursory inspection. The heavy sedan slowed to a halt outside the entrance.
“I hate this.”
“I know.” He gently touched her cheek. “I’ll miss you.”
“Me, too,” she said. Her long fingers came up to wrap around his. Ryan leaned in for a quick kiss, but it went on for several minutes until he reluctantly pulled away.
“John’s probably pissed already, I’m really late. I’ll see you in a week or two — I’ll let you know. I’ll call you, okay?”
“You’d better,” was her quiet response. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He looked into her eyes for as long as he could until he bumped into someone and was forced to turn around as he went up the steps toward the main entrance. At the doors, he turned once again and laughed when the BMW pulled jerkily away from the curb. Clearly, she was having trouble adjusting to a third pedal.
Ryan had always been intimidated by the immense hall that marked the entrance to CIA headquarters in Langley. The space was dominated by the Memorial Wall dedicated to those field officers who had died in the line of duty. Due to the clandestine nature of the Agency, the names were not listed; instead, a star was attributed to each fallen agent.
Ryan occasionally wondered if a star was waiting for him. It was not for want of recognition, because he knew about the wall. He also knew about his profession, and was realistic when handing out odds, even for himself.
In the hunt for Jason March, he didn’t care to hand out odds of any kind.
Leaving the elevator, he walked toward Harper’s office and was admitted on arrival. He was surprised to see that Naomi was already there, waiting with the deputy director. She was immaculately turned out in a white suit jacket with a matching skirt that ended at midthigh. He was struck by her appearance until he thought of Katie and felt a small twinge of guilt.
“Good morning, Ryan,” Harper said. When he looked up, a strange little grin appeared on his face. “You’re right on time, believe it or not; I was just about to tell Naomi what’s happening. I’ve got you two booked on a 1:30 flight to Norfolk. The tickets are waiting at the airport, and I’ve made some arrangements for transportation when you get there.”
“Sounds good. Who are we meeting?”
“Adam North is your liaison on the ground. He’s DEA — the same guy who hooked onto this piece of information in the first place. They want to be kept up-to-date on this, probably so they can claim partial credit when you run March down.”
“If, John. If I run him down.”
The DDO gave a little smile. “I have a lot of faith in you, Ryan. In both of you,” he said, turning to look at Naomi. “Anyway, you’d better get moving, especially if you plan to check your weapon. That plane is leaving with or without you. Good luck, and keep me updated.”
Harper shook hands with them both. On their way out the door, Jonathan pulled Kealey back gently, whispering quiet words into his ear. “I want you to watch yourself with Elgin. I saw that thing in your face yesterday when I mentioned the rape part — The president is willing to break some rules, but there’s a limit to what he can overlook. You’re no good to me on suspension or in jail, Ryan. Just be careful, okay?”
Ryan nodded and they were out the door. He didn’t see the look that Naomi gave him. It was partially bemusement, but also understanding. She couldn’t help but revel in the knowledge that she wasn’t supposed to have. Lost in self-congratulation, she didn’t quite catch his question.
“Sorry, what was that?” she asked.
“Your arm. How is it?”
“Oh, it’s fine, thanks. By the way, that’s a nice shade you’re wearing,” she said with a smile.
It took him a second to catch on, but when he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, it came away smeared with Katie’s pink lip gloss. So that’s what Harper was grinning about, he thought with a rueful shake of his head.
They didn’t speak again until they got to the airport, but Ryan noticed that the little smirk never quite left Naomi’s face.
Less than three hours later they were on the ground at Norfolk International. Ryan had checked weapons on
