“Morning, Q.” Joey gave her an easy smile. “Still not quite used to seeing you in the office so much.”
Quinn gave him a little punch in the shoulder. “You better not get used to it. As of last week, I am medically cleared to return to the field.” She puffed up a little bit at that.
Joey lifted an eyebrow. “We arm-wrestling for the next assignment? Or are you pulling rank, and I need to warn any lawbreakers that Quinn is on the case?”
Emotion tickled Quinn’s throat and she pushed it back. She had a job to do. “Not exactly. You got a second?”
“For you, two seconds.” Joey took a swig of his water.
Quinn led Joey to a conference room and closed the door. “First, before I give you the details, how are you doing? I mean, well, you know what I mean. With Rory. And everything.”
“I’m doing okay.” Joey rubbed his chin. “You?”
Quinn tilted her hand back and forth. “It’s still tough when I think about it. When I don’t, each day it’s a little better. Grief is funny that way. I’m okay, then all of a sudden I’m not.”
Joey eyed her critically. “I know you’re thoughtful and I appreciate you bringing it up, but that’s not why you asked me to join you in an empty conference room.” His eyes softened. “And standing offer, if I’m wrong and that’s why you brought me in here, I’m a listening ear.”
Quinn studied Joey. If she was wrong about his capabilities, this would blow up. But she wasn’t usually wrong about people. Their initial meeting had taken place when she’d been investigating him. She soon found out they were both trying to take Dmitri down independently because her best friend, Rory, had, unbeknownst to her, been quietly dating Joey. While the relationship hadn’t become serious, it was still personal to Joey. “I want your help. But our boss is going to want to know, so I need to ask you a question. Can you take Dmitri down without your personal feelings getting in the way?”
“Hell, yes. Is that your only question?”
“You seeing anyone?” Quinn crossed her arms.
Joey narrowed his eyes. “That’s not the CIA’s business.”
“It’s been six months, J.”
Joey let out a breath. Quinn would dig until she found the truth, and Joey knew it. “I’ll level with you if that’s what it takes to get this assignment. Rory and I dated for about two months before she got assigned to IRT. We kept it under the radar because I didn’t know if we were going to be forever yet, but I thought it was worth finding out what we had. I liked her. I cared about her. Then, she was killed. I never had the chance to find out what we were supposed to be. That’s it. I haven’t gone out with anyone else. It just hasn’t felt right.” He fidgeted a little. “And it’s a pain in the butt to fill out the paperwork, anyway. I’m going to be okay. It’s just hard for people like us to find the right person.”
Quinn could hardly judge him for wanting to change the subject. She too was more comfortable focusing on the job instead of talking about her feelings. And there was nothing wrong with not being in a relationship. “So, you’re good. And you’re not going to do anything that makes me look like I have bad judgment?”
Joey nodded, firmly, once.
“And outside the operation, J, if you need someone to talk to about it, I’m here. I’m not great at holding your hand, but I’ll at least take you somewhere where you can safely punch the crap out of something. Cam helped me get through the worst of my grief. And survivor’s guilt.”
“Quinn, you are one of a kind.” Joey shook his head. “Honestly, I feel the same as you. I’m okay. I just think I need to make things right. If I’d only realized…”
Quinn held up a hand. “Stop right there. I know how that ends. It’s not your fault. If Dan gets a single whiff of your ‘if only I’d stopped it,’ he’ll kick you off the op. So, for the record, I didn’t hear that.” Quinn leaned forward. “Rory was my best friend. She would be proud of you. And she would want you to be happy.”
“Thanks, Q. Really.” Joey stiffened. “Now, please tell me we can stop talking about this so I can go kick Dmitri’s ass.”
Quinn chuckled. “I’ll do my best to get out of your way.”
“We working with the civilian?”
Quinn nodded. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders. Her sister, Ree, is an FBI consultant – it’s how we got the tip. Her sister assures us she’s stubborn, smart, and doesn’t have a high tolerance for incompetence. You two should get along famously.”
Joey snorted. “I’m not that bad.”
“I’ve seen you secretly double-check every security setup our team has ever done without anyone asking you to. And you volunteer to put out literal fires on your days off.”
“Okay, maybe there is a little truth to that.” He pulled out his phone. “Did you send me her info?”
“As soon as our boss gives me the green light, I’ll send you a packet full of information. Ree and the FBI team put it together. This is personal for them too. If you need anything, even someone to get groceries because you’re worried they’re staking out the grocery store, call me. You’ll get whatever you need.”
Joey eyed her incredulously. “I’m not having you fly out to deliver groceries.”
Quinn shrugged. “If that’s what it takes to keep Ree’s sister safe, I’ll do it.”
A few hours later, it was as good as settled. Joey would check out the situation on the ground, figure out if they needed to modify their plan, then let Stefanie know
