Page 26 of Dead Drift

“To do my job.” He had his own leads to follow.

“But I thought . . .” Tanner glanced between Luke and Declan. “Aren’t you working with us?”

“Yes. As a consultant.”

Declan raised an eyebrow. “But . . . ?”

“But I still work for the Agency.” He had work to do. They were facing the very real possibility of an epidemic, and from all the intel that had been gathered thus far, they were running out of time to stop it. He couldn’t just sit around.

Kate stood. “Fine,” she said, slipping on her navy pea coat. “I’m going with.”

Luke started to chuckle, then realized she wasn’t joking. He hadn’t planned to leave her side whenever possible, but taking her with him for this? He’d figured she’d be safe at the federal building for such a short amount of time—or staying with Declan and Tanner, if this took longer than expected. “I realize as a PI you’re used to no rules, but . . .”

He frowned at her burst of laughter. Dare he ask? “What’s so funny?”

“I have no rules, but a CIA operative does?” Kate continued to chuckle. “That’s a good one.”

He was ready to argue, but she was right. Rules in his world were ever changing, ever fluctuating, and somewhere amid the sea of compromise, he’d slipped into the murky gray.

There was nothing like living in the furnace to keep you dependent on God for survival day by day, and he kept God’s Word close. Yet he’d never felt farther from his Savior.

Kate moved for the door. “You coming?”

He inhaled deeply. Should he bring her along?

She was a federal consultant on the task force and a private investigator. What he was about to do was off the books anyway, as he had zero jurisdiction on domestic soil. It couldn’t hurt to have Kate along. Considering what he’d heard of her unique skill set, along with what he’d witnessed, she’d probably be a great asset. Besides, judging by the Barefoot explosion last night, it seemed Ebeid had already discovered she was his weakness. It wouldn’t be long before another hit came. The closer he kept her to him, the better he’d feel.

And his family? How long would it take Ebeid to discover his parents and his brother’s family?

Late last night, he’d confirmed with his Agency contact, Mack, that his folks, who’d recently retired to Florida, and his brother and family in Chesapeake Harbor were being watched for their protection. But Kate, no matter how good the detail, would pick up on other agents’ presence and refuse their help. Refuse Luke’s help.

He swallowed and grabbed his coat. With a quick wave to those remaining behind, he followed Katie to the elevator.

He waited until they stepped inside the elevator and the doors slid shut, leaving them alone, before he moved for his secondary gun. He pulled it from its ankle sheath and offered it to Katie. “If you’re going with me, you aren’t going unarmed.”

“Not a problem.” She lifted the back of her shirt, giving him a quick glance at her Sig Sauer P938.

He choked out a laugh. Why wasn’t he surprised?

12

Kate climbed in Luke’s rental car, remembering his red soft-top Jeep and all the adventures in that beat-up thing.

Luke started the engine and pulled out of the lot, the black Ford Focus not suiting him at all—both the Luke she’d once known and the man behind the wheel beside her. It almost bordered on comical. She kicked her shoes off, her fuzzy, polka-dot socks pressed up against the lower heating vent. She hated shoes, even when the temperatures dropped. They were so restrictive. “Where are we off to?”

“To do a little recon,” he said, speeding down the on-ramp to 695 West.

“Let me guess . . .” She wiggled her toes as Luke merged in with the flow of traffic. “Ebeid?”

Luke glanced over at her. “Not directly.”

She toyed with the notion of pressing him for more details, but what was the point? She’d see for herself when they arrived at whatever destination he had in mind.

Rays of sunlight streaked through the patchy blankets of clouds swirling across the wind-tossed sky, warming her skin through the windshield.

Traffic was on the lighter side at the late-morning hour, but when it came to Baltimore traffic, nothing was a given. Unsure of the duration of their ride, she settled back in her seat. Would she ever be settled fully in Luke’s presence? She never had been, which, truth be told, had been a huge part of her initial attraction to him. He’d unsettled her in a way she couldn’t explain. He unsettled her still, and something about it was still very enticing. Like anything could happen at any given moment. Luke was the embodiment of unsettling adventure, and she felt as if she could never get enough of him.

It wasn’t fair. After what he’d done, he deserved to have zero hold over her, but much to her frustration, his grip on her heart held firm. Foolishly, she still loved the man—still loved the man who’d deserted her.