Deadly Testimony (Safeguard #2)(39)

If they had to run again, at least he’d be ready to grab the bag and leave quickly. Besides, it kept his hands busy.

He was alone with too many thoughts. It’d happened too, over the weeks he’d been in protective custody and the other night when he’d met Lizzy. His frustration had driven him to leave the room to move, to walk, to do anything but remain in one place while he waited for events to happen around him. How anyone could come under witness protection and not lose their sanity was a mystery to him.

But he’d promised Lizzy he would stay in this room, within the safety she’d established for him. A promise to her held weight where he hadn’t cared about the police officers.

Perhaps she was his only chance to get through all of this. Or it could be something about her as a person. She was certainly a woman of action and determination. Her ability to assess situations and make definitive choices quickly had impressed him. He respected her.

And so a promise to her meant something to him.

She was worth admiring, a reminder that he was striving to be a better person himself. And the more she inspired him to evolve and improve, the more he wondered what past had shaped who she was today.

*

“When I invited you to contact me directly, Miss Scott, I had hoped it would be more immediately following any issue requiring my attention.” Nguyen stood this time by the chocolate bar.

Lizzy sat perched on a stool with her back to the wall so she could see both the front and back of the store. “I reached out once my client was secure again and I had something to report.”

Nguyen stared at her for a long moment. There was no temper in his eyes, no telltale reddening of his face. The only sign of his anger was a tiny muscle jumping as he tightened his jaw. “I see. Will you be sharing the location of your client so I can have Decker join you in surveillance?”

Not yet.

“How are Austin and Weaver?” Lizzy wasn’t ready for Nguyen to lead this discussion.

His nostrils flared. “Alive. It was touch and go for a few hours but they will both make it through and be able to return to their jobs if they want to after a recovery period and some physical therapy.”

Good. She hadn’t particularly liked them but she hadn’t disliked them either. In general, she respected police officers and wouldn’t wish them harm.

“I’d like to get a copy of the ballistics report for any bullets found in them or their car. Both if possible.” Maybe she should have made it a request. Her temper was short and her patience was running low.

Kyle had not been happy when she’d left him and she wanted to get back before he got antsy. If the man got it into his head to go wandering again, she was going to have to resort to freaking tying him up.

On the other hand, the shooting and the subsequent retreat to a new safe location had seemed to put a healthy dose of fear into him. And that was a good thing. But their little outing earlier in the afternoon had left him cocky. Could be bad, sure, but he wasn’t the type to remain cowed by fear for any length of time.

As risks went, she’d rather the risk be with her nearby.

She grabbed her drink and took a sip to hide her ghost of a smile. It was a dark Valrhona hot chocolate this time. Rich, complex, with just a hint of bittersweet. Dealing with Kyle required fortification of the chocolate kind even if she did reluctantly respect his desire to take action.

He wasn’t the type to sit around and wait for things to fall into place. A preference she shared.

Nguyen placed his hand on the counter beside them and drummed his fingers on the surface. “I thought you said you had something to report to me.”

“I do. But I think the ballistics report will let me know if I have even more to share.” She lifted one shoulder briefly.

Nguyen snorted. “All right. We’ll trade. I’ll have the report sent to the email account you provided.”

Lizzy shook her head. “I’m in blackout. Whoever took out our colleagues might know I took this contract. I don’t plan to leave a virtual bread crumb trail. Leave a USB here for me.”

After a moment, Nguyen nodded.

Interesting.

“How much confidence do you have in Decker?” She tossed the question out there because she didn’t have the time to be circumspect. Besides, she preferred the direct approach.

Nguyen scowled. “Absolute. He is dedicated and trustworthy. No doubts.”

“But you made sure I knew how to contact you directly.” She considered her own statement. “He’s too dedicated. Does everything by the book.”

“He never misses a step in any procedure. Meticulous. Thorough.” Nguyen pressed his lips together. “Sometimes it takes him longer to get to the right conclusion because he does everything step-by-step.”

A person could do worse. Decker probably rarely made a mistake with his approach.

“There are situations when there’s no time to think through a situation.” Her ability to take action, the right action, in those instances had kept her team alive in the past. “He’d probably argue.”

“Oh, he’s jotted down notes to make sure he doesn’t forget any points he wants to make when he comes face-to-face with you again.” Nguyen actually smiled with that statement. “He’s incensed you broke protocol and just disappeared.”

“We passed through his line of sight.” Sort of. They’d been in a heavy crowd and there’d been a slim chance the deputy marshal would’ve been able to identify them in his line of sight. She hadn’t been sure he hadn’t been a part of the attack meant to take out a portion of their security and flush Kyle out into the open.