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“You’re married.”
She nodded once.
“Since when?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “That trip I took to Las Vegas.” She slid a glance at her watch, knew she had at least two more hours before offices opened in Nevada and her lie could be exposed. “A few weeks back.”
“You gotmarriedand didn’t tell anyone?” He leaned back in his chair and squinted, studying her like a bit of DNA evidence under a microscope.
She’d done her share of undercover work; she knew how to fabricate a lie with a bit of thin air and a few fragments of the truth. She thought of the one night stand induced by the Vegas resort’s lush atmosphere and strong drinks, and built the rest of the story from there.
“We’ve been seeing each other for a while. When we were out there for the weekend, we decided to go for it.”
“Why haven’t you mentioned it before now? Is the guy some kind of bum? You aren’t even wearing a ring.”
She laced her bare fingers in her lap. “I didn’t want to deal with questions by wearing a ring.”
“So you’re ashamed of him? Well the cartel’s vendetta is a perfect excuse for an annulment.”
“I don’t need an annulment. We’re still working out the details. Both of us have demanding careers.”
“Demanding careers.” He rolled his eyes. “Where is he? Dear god, Hannah, who is he? This kind of thing can affect your security clearance.”
Well, bonus points for her that DeVries didn’t seem to know everything about her personal life. “He’s in Virginia, which is why I requested to be transferred there.”
“Virginia.” He tapped one long index finger on the arm of his chair. She knew he wasn’t buying her story, not yet anyway.
“Give me a name.”
She swallowed, forced her lips to curve upward as she replied, “Karl Bartholomew.”
“You’re married to Bartholomew.” His face turned a dull shade of red. “Go home and wait for the detail to escort you to the airport.”
“As long as that flight is headed to Virginia.”
“If you so much as cross the state line in a southerly direction, you’ll be suspended.”
“This is harassment.” It was her turn to gape like a fish out of water. “You can’t legally prevent me from seeing my husband.”
“Husband?” His nostrils flared and his lips thinned with anger. “He’s— He’s a—” He sliced a hand through the air and slammed it hard against the desk. “Good Lord. Your husband?” He pulled the file back to his side of the desk. “Do you have any idea how bad this looks? This is untenable.”
Untenable seemed like a stretch to her. As did this complete over-reaction from a man who always kept his cool. What were they hiding? She knew exactly what she’d done. Six weeks ago and right now. And she was starting to see exactly what she had to do from here.
“What can I say? We were caught up in the romance of the moment.”
Actions and consequences. If nothing else, the surprises life tossed at her kept the world interesting. Someday maybe boring would come back in fashion. She might even welcome it.
“Romance? You? You’re a harder sell than most of the men I’ve met on this job.”
For some inexplicable reason she found that more offensive than anything else he’d said so far. “Can I go?” She purposely left out her intended destination.
He gave her a lengthy, inscrutable look. “You have to.”
She heard what he left unsaid as well. “Yes, sir.” She stood up and turned for the door.
“Keep your phone on.”
Nodding once, she walked out of his office and headed for the nearest restroom. Once her stomach finished proving it was empty, she splashed water on her face and took a minute to prioritize.
