“That you’re predictable.”
“Great…” I huffed then said, “Okay, so what makes you think I didn’t bring it along just because of the meeting?”
She didn’t say a word. Instead, she mimicked my earlier action by holding up her hand and thumbing her wedding ring as she smiled.
“Touche,” I said. “Guess I should have known.”
“Yes, you should have…” she agreed. “So would you like to tell me why you’re still so fixated on that?”
“I already told you. I’m sure it has something to do with Miranda and her connection to you.”
“I know. But you still haven’t told me exactly why you think that.”
“Well, actually, I can’t. Not yet, anyway.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“A little of both I guess.”
“Well, if it’s because you’re worrying about me you can stop. I’m fine.”
“If it’s just the same to you I think I’ll worry anyway.”
“Why? I said I’m fine.”
“I know you are,” I said, pausing for a moment then adding, “Now…” I spoke the word with emphasis, not to belittle, but to remind her that I knew all too well what it had taken for her to be able to say that and actually believe it. I followed the punctuated acknowledgement by saying, “And, whatever it takes, I plan for you to stay that way.”
“You’re being overprotective again,” she grumbled.
“That’s a matter of opinion.”
“No. It’s a matter of fact.”
“So sue me.”
“If I do I’ll win,” she jibed, playfulness once again edging out her annoyance.
She apparently wasn’t going to give up trying to lighten the mood, so I caved and tried to play along. “If you win then I guess I’ll just be at your mercy.”
She shot me a disarming grin and said, “Aren’t you always?”
While I was a far cry from being at ease, I couldn’t help but chuckle lightly and return the smile. “Yeah, you have a point, I usually am.”
“Okay then… So, since you agree, what do you say when we get home we put that to the test?”
“Just so I’m sure I’m not misunderstanding, was that a proposition?” I asked.
“Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all.” I shook my head. “It’s been awhile, you know… What with everything that happened… And… Well, I guess I just wasn’t expecting it. Especially here…”
“I know,” she replied and shot me a sheepish grin. “But the mood just came on me a little while ago…”
“Don’t get mad at me for asking this, but since this seems a little sudden I just need to know… You aren’t experiencing any kind of identity crisis right now, are you?”
She chuckled and shook her head. “No. I’m still me. You don’t have to worry.”
“Okay, that’s good to know. So, what sort of test did you have in mind?”
There was a familiar fire in her eyes that told me she was already getting herself worked up the more she thought about it. “Well, I was just thinking that I already cleared my schedule, so if this meeting only takes a couple of hours we’ll have plenty of time to explore a few things.”
“Okay, so by things you mean…” I let my voice trail off.
“Yes, by things I mean we could…”
Before she could even start into what was certain to be a far more detailed description of her ideas for the afternoon activities, she was interrupted by the sound of the conference room door swinging open. I already had a good inkling of where she was headed since we had discussed it before. Under the circumstances, I didn’t know whether to be slightly relieved or greatly disappointed by the untimely intrusion. But, given that our carnal activities had been nonexistent since Miranda’s interference, I had to admit I was leaning toward the latter. Besides, making her happy was my prime concern, so in effect I was already well on my way to the role she wanted me to play.
Oddly enough, whatever had triggered her amorous mood must have been contagious. Because, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to forget about this meeting and make a beeline for home, immediately if not sooner.
CHAPTER 14:
Abandoning the libidinous thoughts that were forming in my head, I turned to see a man and a woman following the door in as it pivoted along its arc. They were roughly in their early fifties although the man might have been younger or even older, I couldn’t be sure. His features were just nondescript enough to leave you wondering. They were both dressed business casual, carrying briefcases and, not surprisingly, sporting FBI ID’s.
While there was nothing in particular about either one of them that I could readily identify as setting me off, I felt my body tense of its own accord. All I could say for sure is that the moment they entered, the exact same sharp chill I had felt earlier once again ran along my spine, and my ethereal defenses came up automatically.
“Sorry we’re running a bit behind,” the woman greeted me, extending her hand as she spoke. “You must be Mister Gant. I’m Doctor Ellie Jante.”
“Nice to meet you, Doctor Jante,” I said, taking her hand.
“And this is Agent Douglas Hanley,” she offered, nodding toward her partner.
While I was almost certain I didn’t need to worry about any sort of paranormal threat from the pair, taking notice of the briefcases, I wondered for a moment if I might need to put in a quick call to our attorney just in case the danger was something mundane. However, I had learned better than to second-guess my intuition. What I felt wasn’t a corporeal kind of chill. There was something far more ethereal and sinister connected to my sense of alarm, and it was a good bet her name was Miranda.
“Are you okay, Mister Gant,” Agent Hanley asked, apparently noticing my distant introspection as he shook my hand.
“Fine,” I said, nodding as I quickly formulated a lie. “I’m just preoccupied with something from work is all.”
“Oh yeah, I know how that goes,” he replied with a grin. Whether or not he actually believed me I wasn’t sure.
I shot a quick glance over to Felicity who had already stood up and was making her way around the end of the table. I could tell by the look on her face that she was sensing the same thing I was and that her own defenses were up in force. Simply knowing that allowed me to relax somewhat, but I still wasn’t about to drop my guard where she was concerned. And, while she was usually much better at masking her expressions than me, I had the distinct feeling she was suddenly very relieved that I was here with her rather than letting her go it alone as she had earlier suggested.
“And obviously you would be Miz O’Brien. It’s nice to meet you,” Doctor Jante said, making a half turn toward my wife and reaching to shake her hand. “I spoke with you on the phone this morning. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us on such short notice.”
“It’s no problem,” my wife answered. “Although I’ll admit I’m at a bit of a loss about why you would want to speak to me.”
“We’re just doing some information gathering,” Hanley explained. “Doctor Jante and I are with the BAU out of Quantico. That’s the Behavioral…”
“…Analysis Unit,” I finished for him.
“Exactly,” he replied with a slight grimace creasing his face. “So you’ve heard of us.”
“It’s hard not to.”
“Yes, these days I suppose you’re correct. But please, don’t buy into the fiction you see on that television show.”
