Actual Stop (Agent O’Connor #1)(46)

Allison beamed at me with something close to pride. “You did a fantastic job, Ryan.”

“Even when your boy mentioned that he wanted to make an unscheduled stop at Hurricane’s apartment, and I almost had a heart attack?”

Allison laughed, and the sound washed over me with an almost warming physicality, making a great many parts of my body tingle. “Yeah, you didn’t look happy about that. Although I don’t know why. We did discuss the possibility of him wanting to see his daughter while he was here.”

“I know we did, but I still would’ve had to get the streets shut down for our trip over. That would’ve been a nightmare.”

“Oh, come on. You could’ve handled it.”

“Could’ve? Yes. Wanted to? No. I was thrilled to hear Hurricane was out of district.”

She laughed again. “I could tell. But you got yourself together. Eventually. In the end. That’s all that matters.”

I backhanded her lightly on the arm. “Thanks, smart-ass.” I grinned at her. “You did okay yourself. I mean, not up to my standards, but who is, really?”

Allison chuckled again and ran her fingers through her thick, black hair, tousling it. “Absolutely no one.”

“So, where to now?” Standard operating procedure would’ve been for her to catch the afternoon shuttle back to D.C.—that’s what Jamie was doing, I’d already found out—but Allison hadn’t brought her bags with her when I’d picked her up at the hotel that morning. I knew what I wanted that to mean, but, frankly, I was afraid to hope.

“Back to the hotel, if you don’t mind.” Allison tilted her head to one side and watched me almost speculatively, as if gauging my reaction.

“Will you need a ride back to the airport later?”

One side of Allison’s mouth twitched like she wanted to smile. “My flight out isn’t until tomorrow.”

Damned if my heart didn’t soar. “That’s unusual, isn’t it?” I attempted to tamp down my considerable glee. Part of me was yammering that I really needed to examine the why behind my sudden bout of happiness, but most of me was telling that part to shut the hell up. “Shouldn’t you be going back today?”

“Trying to get rid of me?” Allison’s tone was teasing, but I caught the barest hint of strain underlying her words.

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. But when I glanced at her again and noticed her gorgeous features slipping into that cold mask she wore when she was angry or hurt, something inside me seized. Impulsively, I reached over and took her hand.

“You know I’m not,” I said quietly, giving her fingers a squeeze. The jolt that shot through me at the barest brush of her skin against mine was more than I could handle. I let go abruptly, not needing to prolong that sensation. No good could come of it.

“I’m on day off tomorrow,” Allison told me. “I figured there was no reason to rush back.”

“Oh, that’s nice. You’ll have time to catch up with some people before you go back.”

A sly grin stole over Allison’s features then, and her face was alight with barely restrained mischief. “Actually, I’d planned to go to the wheels-up party.”

“What wheels-up party?”

Allison laughed and treated me to a playful swat on the arm. “Yeah, peddle that malarkey somewhere else, Irish girl. I used to be a New Yorker, remember? I know exactly what goes on the night after a PPD visit. The entire detail does. We’re always pissed because we have to miss it.”

“Maybe we’re celebrating your departure.”

“Maybe you are. Tonight, I plan to confirm it.”

“You mean you’re going to spy on us and report back to the rest of your PPD buddies.”

“Uh, yeah. I thought that was pretty clear.”

“Hmm. Guess I’d better warn the guys not to talk shit about the detail then, huh?”

“Damn straight. I don’t want to have to throw down, but I’m not afraid to kick a little ass if it comes to that.”

“Good to know where your loyalties lie.”

“Hey, you know I’ll always be a New Yorker first.”

“Uh-huh,” I murmured sarcastically. “Well, I’ll tell you what, oh loyal New Yorker, I have to go back to the office and get some things done because some of us get paid for more than looking stunning in a business suit. So, if you think you can behave yourself and stay out of trouble for the rest of the afternoon, I’ll drop you off at your hotel and then pick you up around five. Sound good?”

“Is the staying-out-of-trouble part negotiable?”

“Nope.”

She heaved an overly theatrical sigh. “Fine. I’ll do my best. But I make no promises for later tonight. Once you pick me up, all bets are off.”

Something might have been lurking behind her eyes or beneath the tone of her voice as she said those words, but I was too distracted by the racing of my traitorous heart to be the least bit objective on the subject.

“Deal,” I told her, more than a bit giddy at the prospect of what the evening might hold.

Oh, yeah. I was toast.





Chapter Fifteen


I’d just barely pulled away from the curb in front of The W when my work phone rang. I huffed. Couldn’t I have just five freaking minutes to relax and decompress?