janet maple 05 - it doesnt pay to be bad (21 page)

Tina shook her head. “The real me is not relevant to the assignment,” she said firmly. “And I really do think we should stay focused on the case.”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong,” he countered, raising his champagne flute. “Should anything go wrong, my life could be in your hands—”

“That would be unlikely,” she countered. “The FBI will be on standby, listening in to everything with a team ready to go in at a moment’s notice. Of course we’ll be prepared, but you needn’t worry—your safety and security is the bureau’s top concern.”

He nodded in agreement. “Still, I need to know that I can trust you. And what better way to convince me than to tell me more about you.”

“I have a toast then.” She smiled, regaining her bearing. “To no more secrets—and that means keeping your promises.”

He nodded. “Granted. I thought I already agreed to that.” He raised his glass to his lips. “Mmm, very nice.”

Tina took a sip of her champagne and savored the decadently delicious liquid tickling her tongue and flowing down her throat. It was too good not to enjoy and she decided to give in and live a little.

“Ah, I see our first course is arriving,” Daniel said excitedly.

The waiter placed the lobster and caviar appetizer plates before them.

Tina put a small forkful into her mouth and savored the delicious taste. From now on, she was going to make sure that all her meetings with Daniel were going to be in a business-like environment. This culinary exploration was making it very difficult to concentrate, as if her head weren’t already spinning from Daniel’s charm. At least he seemed to have switched his attention to the food, for which she was grateful.

“Are you enjoying your dish?” Daniel asked.

“Very much so,” Tina admitted. “And you?”

“Yes. The chef never disappoints.” He took another swallow of his champagne. “So, what made you decide to be a bodyguard?” he asked.

“You’re not going to give up, are you?”

“If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I don’t give up easily.”

“Very well. It’s really not a big secret. It started with my interest in martial arts. Both my father and brother were into it, and I got into it to show my dad that I was just as good as my brother.”

“Did your father ever doubt that?”

“I don’t think so. But he was busy working most of the time. Martial arts was a way for him and my brother to bond, and I wanted in on the action.”

“Did you get the attention you wanted?”

“I certainly got a lot of attention from my dad, but not in the way I hoped.”

“How so?”

“He wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of his daughter being a tomboy.” She took another drink of her champagne, draining her glass.

Daniel signaled for the waiter to refill their glasses. “You were saying?” he pressed, focusing his attention back on her.

“At first he thought it was just a phase, but when I started competing seriously, he didn’t like it one bit. Neither was he thrilled at the idea of me being a bodyguard. I think he had a more traditional career in mind—a nice, quiet desk job or better yet being a homemaker,” she quipped. “But since he didn’t let me work for the bureau either—God forbid his daughter would join his old employer—”

“Your father worked for the FBI?” Daniel asked sharply.

She nodded, realizing the last part had rolled off her tongue without her realizing—normally, she never talked about her father’s employment. The champagne they were drinking was so delicious, one could get tipsy without noticing. “Yes,” she said briskly, “A long time ago. He’s been retired for a while. He runs his own bodyguard agency now. He and Ham Kirk go way back—that’s how I got my job at Kirk & Associates.”

“I see,” Daniel said quietly. “Of all the coincidences—” he muttered under his breath.

“I’m sorry?” she asked.

“I meant to say that it’s quite a story and quite a legacy to fill.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she said casually. “But I am enjoying my work a lot, even though you’re making it very challenging.”

“How so?” he asked.

“By refusing to follow my instructions.”

“I promise to be very obedient from now on—Scout’s honor.”

“Were you a Boy Scout?” she teased him.

“Yes I was and a very diligent one.”

“I’ll make sure to remember that—it wasn’t mentioned in your bio.”

“We can’t have that, can we? You see now why it’s important for us to talk?”

“I see,” she agreed. “Ask away, anything you want to know about me, but on one condition.”

“What is it?”

“I get to do the same thing.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” His eyes lingered on hers. “Ask away.”

Again she couldn’t help looking away, uncomfortable with the sense of intimacy Daniel was so intent on creating. After all, there was no need for him to take her to a romantic dinner and feed her expensive champagne to tell her that he’d been a Boy Scout. She knew that and she was fairly certain that he knew that much as well. Still, she’d be a liar if she said that she didn’t enjoy spending time with him. It’s how much she enjoyed being with him that scared her.

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Janet’s voice brought Tina back to reality, as she’d been drawn back to the events of last night while recounting them to her coworker. “Garrett didn’t try anything funny, did he?” she prodded again.

“No.” Tina shook her head. “He was the perfect gentleman.” She decided to omit the fact that she’d been expecting him to kiss her, as he’d done the night before when she visited his estate. But this time he ended the night with a chaste peck on her cheek.

Janet took a long hard look at Tina, as though trying to assess whether she was telling the truth. “Tina, if you’re not comfortable with this assignment, you have to tell us now. The gala is next weekend and we can’t risk being unprepared.”

Tina shook her head. “I’m fine—I promise.” And she meant it. No amount of compliments or charming smiles from Daniel Garrett was going to derail her resolve to be good at her job. “Thanks for the talk. I feel much better now.”

“I’d like to think that we’re friends,” Janet said quietly. “Any time you have a problem, feel free to come to me, and I hope to do the same.”

Tina nodded. “That sounds nice. I could definitely use a friend right now.”

Just then there was an incoming call on Janet’s Blackberry and she grabbed it. “Sorry—it might be urgent. Yes, Agent Norris. We’ll be there. See you soon.”

“What’s going on?” Tina asked after Janet hung up.

“Norris is calling for a briefing meeting at one p.m. He wants us all to attend. Let’s plan to head out of here at twelve thirty—we can share a cab,” Janet suggested.

“Sounds good. I’ll see you guys then.” Tina rose from her seat and headed for her desk.

Chapter 16

At one o’clock sharp Tina, Janet and Dennis were seated in the FBI conference room waiting for Agent Norris to join them.

When the door opened a few minutes later they all expected to see Agent Norris walking through the door, but instead it was Leonard, accompanied by Norris’s assistant.

“Agent Norris will join you shortly,” the assistant informed them and left the room.

“Hello, everyone.” Leonard hurried to take his seat. “Anyone know what’s going on?”

“I’m afraid we don’t have much more information than you do, Lenny,” Janet replied.

“We certainly didn’t know you’d be joining us,” Dennis piped in.

“We’re all working on this case together,” Janet cut in before Dennis could get into his habit of picking on Leonard, “so my guess is Agent Norris wanted everyone in the same room—to make sure we’re all on the same page—”

Just then the conference room door opened and Agent Norris walked inside, followed by Daniel Garrett.

“Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you all for joining me on such a short notice.” Agent Norris smiled briskly and took a seat at the head of the table. “Daniel, won’t you take a seat please?” he asked, as Garrett lingered by the door.

“I thought we already discussed everything that needed discussing. I have a very important meeting starting shortly—” Garrett began.

“What I’m about to say won’t take long,” Norris shot back. “And we’d all be very grateful for a few more moments of your time.”

“Of course.” Garrett was about to move down the table to where Tina was sitting, but changed his course after Norris gestured at a seat next to him.

“Right.” Norris paused, as Garrett shifted in the seat next to him. “I called this meeting to go through the bureau’s expectations from everyone involved. As you know, this is a very important case for us and the stakes are high.” Agent Norris eyed Garrett pointedly for several moments. “As such, there must be constant communication with either myself or my supervisor. It has come to my attention that I haven’t been included in some of the meetings—”

Realizing that she might be the one to blame for Norris’s rebukes by inadvertently tipping him off about Tina and Garrett’s so-called strategy meeting, Janet eyed the tense expression on Garrett’s face. Her eyes then shifted to Tina who was busy staring at the conference room table, her cheeks glowing pink. Janet bit her lip, wishing she hadn’t botched things up.

“Going forward, all meetings related to this investigation must be scheduled and approved with either me personally or my assistant,” Norris droned on.

Garrett rapped his fingers impatiently. “Yes, Agent Norris. I thought we’ve been through this already. I apologize for my secretary’s omission when scheduling the most recent meeting. I promise you that you will be included in all the meetings with Tina and myself going forward.”

“Good. I’m glad we’re finally on the same page,” Agent Norris said dryly. He looked at Leonard. “The same goes for expenses—all expenses must be pre-cleared and documented. In the future, all unauthorized expenses will be rejected.”

Leonard crossed his hands on his chest defensively. “You can’t expect me to help you get an in with Bassand without proper presentation. I had to get the proper attire to dress these two,” he added, gesturing at Janet and Dennis.

Dennis opened his mouth, but didn’t get a chance to speak as Norris went on. “Understandable, but you should’ve come to me for approval first.”

Leonard nodded his head glumly. “Will be sure to do so in the future.”

“Do you anticipate additional expenses?” Norris looked genuinely puzzled. “This isn’t a fashion show.”

“No, it clearly isn’t,” Leonard retorted. “But since my freedom is on the line, I have firsthand interest in this operation’s success. There must be adequate evening attire for the gala and that will require a certain budget.”

Agent Norris held up his palm. “Noted. Submit the anticipated expenses to me A.S.A.P.”

“Will this be all?” Daniel Garrett moved to get up from his seat. “I really do have pressing matters to attend to.”

Agent Norris fixed him with a stare. “Just a few more minutes of your time, Daniel. How are the preparations for the gala going?”

“Fine, everything is going according to plan. My secretary informed me yesterday that we have over a ninety percent RSVP rate. It should be quite a crowd,” Garrett replied.

Agent Norris nodded approvingly. “Excellent news. In that case, provided that everyone understands the protocol going forward, that’s all for now.”

“Have a good day, everyone.” Daniel Garrett was out the door before anyone could say another word.

Out of the corner of her eye Janet watched Tina. She looked like she was about to get up and follow after Garrett, but sensing Janet’s gaze, she checked her expression and settled back in her seat.

“Excellent work, everyone. I’ll schedule another team meeting in a few days,” said Agent Norris as he headed for the exit. “We want to make sure we dot our i’s and cross our t’s.”

As Agent Norris rose to leave, everyone in the room followed him and filed out into the hallway.

“I’m sure I’ll see you all soon—sooner than I’d like to in fact. So I’m going to cut out and tend to my own affairs,” said Leonard, making an exaggerated bow.

“Make sure to stay on the right side of the law, Lenny,” Dennis jabbed him.

“As if I have a choice. See you soon, Dennis. The pleasure of your company never fails to delight me.” Leonard hurried to the elevator bank.

“That Lenny is a riot. Ready to go back to the office?” Dennis asked, looking at Janet and Tina.

“I’ll meet you both downstairs. I’m just going to use the ladies’ room,” Tina said. “Thanks for nothing,” she muttered, as she brushed past Janet.

“What was that about?” Dennis asked.

“I’ll explain later. Wait for us in the lobby,” Janet added as she rushed after Tina.

When Janet walked through the bathroom door she found Tina standing by the sink, looking upset.

“Are you okay?” Janet asked.

“I’m fine,” Tina snapped. “I just need a moment to myself. If you’re expecting to get any more confidences from me, you’ll be disappointed.”

“Tina, please. Let me explain.”

“I can’t believe you told on me,” Tina said bitterly.

Janet raised her hand in a warning gesture and proceeded to check the stalls to make sure they were alone.

“There’s no one there. I already checked,” Tina said. “I open up to you like an idiot and you snitch on me to Norris. So much for being friends.”

“Give me a chance to explain. It’s not what it looks like—”

“Save it,” Tina snapped. “Serves me right. Now I’ll know to keep my mouth shut.”

“Tina, would you get a hold of yourself? This isn’t some game of hanky-panky. This is a serious investigation. One wrong step and the whole thing goes bust. Now, I did speak with Norris—”

“Rat,” Tina muttered.

“I did speak with Norris,” Janet continued, ignoring the insult, “but that was before you told me about what happened between you and Daniel. All I did was merely ask Norris about your strategy meeting with Daniel, which by the way you said Norris would be attending. So, you see, I didn’t rat you out. Norris must’ve put the two and two together by himself. He does work for the FBI after all, so he must have some deductive ability.”