Actual Stop (Agent O’Connor #1)(76)

I tamped down a smile and fought the urge to point right back at him. “Whatever you need, Charlie.”

“Great.” He clapped me on the shoulder and strode off.

I turned to Michael and rested my arm on the open windowsill of the driver-side door. “You heard the man. Back this beast out onto five-oh, and then square the block and stage on Lex. I’ll have the guys behind you back up so you can get out.”

“You want me to block a lane of traffic on Lex?”

I nodded. “That’s the only way to do this. Put your hazards on and tell the cops at the checkpoint at the end of the block what you’re up to so they know not to give you a hard time.”

“The general public won’t like that.”

“Trust me, I know. And they won’t be even a little bit shy about making their displeasure heard.”

Michael grinned widely. “It’s gonna be one helluva visit, isn’t it?”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, yeah.”





Chapter Twenty-five


Most people I’ve talked to seem to think my job is glamorous. And I guess it sort of is. Sometimes. I’ve met some really cool people in my line of work, and I’ve seen a lot of things I never would’ve had the chance to witness if I worked for someone else.

But those times are the exception rather than the rule. More often than not, especially when I’m on protection, I spend my day in a holding pattern, waiting for someone to move or something to happen. I’ve often said I get paid not for what I do, but for what I might have to do.

That was true on this visit. We had long days of meeting after meeting and even longer nights of basically waiting for the delegation to finish their endless dinners. Sarah had been right; the guy did like to stay out late, and he started moving way too early. I wasn’t getting any closer to catching up on sleep than I’d been several days ago, and I was really beginning to become petulant. As far as I was concerned, the visit couldn’t end fast enough. Too bad we were only in the middle of it.

That I still hadn’t heard from Allison wasn’t helping my disposition. All the sitting around gave me ample time to check and recheck my phone and become more and more agitated because she hadn’t reached out to me since I’d left her hotel room. And the more days that passed without word from her, the more unlikely the prospect looked.

Of course, I kept reminding myself that I hadn’t reached out to her either, and then I wondered whether I should just put on my big-girl pants and call her. I was obviously still undecided. And the longer I delayed, the harder it became to rationalize that calling would be appropriate. Then I became even more despondent.

I sighed and looked at my watch. Only three minutes had passed since the last time I’d checked it. The day wasn’t even half over, and already I wanted to put the protectee in his hotel suite and barricade the door so he couldn’t come out. Maybe then I’d be able to get some rest. Or at least I could worry myself into a tizzy over Allison in private. This was going to be a long freaking day.

A tap on my car window startled me out of my fog, and I blinked. God, I was really losing it. I scowled as I rolled down the window. Where the hell was Michael with my coffee? I could use a serious jolt of caffeine. Or maybe an adrenaline shot.

“Agent O’Connor,” the auburn-haired woman standing there said, almost shyly.

“Oh. Hey, Anna. It’s Ryan, please. I’ve told you that before.”

Anna Strom had been out of the academy and on the job for only a couple of months, and no matter how many times I saw her, she insisted on calling me Agent O’Connor. It was as cute as it was unnecessary. For one thing, I was only a regular hump agent. I may’ve had a few grades on her, but the gap would close quickly, and it didn’t matter enough for her to show me that sort of deference. It wasn’t like I was a boss or anything. For another, I’d counted Anna’s push-ups for her during the PT test I’d just administered and was convinced that feeling another woman’s breasts, regardless of the circumstances, at least put you on a first-name basis.

Anna flushed and nodded. “Right. Sorry. Anyway, I was asked to tell you that the president is going to have a quick meeting at the Intercon before our next move to the UN.”

I nodded wearily. I’d really been looking forward to the change of scenery the trip to the UN would provide, which said a whole lot about my mental state, as sitting at the UN kind of sucks. A lot. Now it looked like my reprieve from Lexington Avenue would be delayed.

“What time?” I wanted to claw my own eyes out. If staying in one place for only a couple of hours bored me this much, the rest of this visit would really be rough. I still had at least six days of this fiasco left.

“He’s getting ready to move now.”

“He’ll be walking over, I presume?”

“That’s the plan. The cars are going to relocate out here on Lex once he’s inside. They’ll probably pull right in front of you, actually, so they’re stacked for the next movement.”

“Okay.” I eyed the empty street in front of my car as I attempted to size up the space and mentally calculate whether the necessary part of the motorcade would fit there or whether I should back up my car to make room. I was a little close to the door they’d be using. The pertinent cars probably wouldn’t fit if I didn’t move. But first, I had a question. “Do they want me to come in and shadow them for the walk? Or do they want me to wait out here?”