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I’m sure you are, you perv, Emma thought. But she could barely contain her triumph. A whole drawer of clothing, along with a permanently hung jacket. Talk about hitting pay dirt.
Mission accomplished. Time to bid adieu to Dr. Scumbag.
Smiling shyly, Emma rose from her chair. “When will we be having our first meeting?”
He stopped in front of her, twisting a strand of blonde hair around his finger. “Monday morning. I’m not teaching till your evening class. I have midday office hours. And I’ll be running at dawn. So be here at six thirty.”
“I will.” Emma extricated her tendril of hair, squeezing his hand as she did. “I look forward to acing your class.”
Office of Forensic Instincts
Tribeca, New York
Perched on the edge of the desk in Ryan’s lair, Casey pulled out her earbuds and turned to him. “We’ve got to move now or Emma will be on her back in Hanover’s office come Monday.”
“Agreed.” Ryan looked as worried as Casey. “We can make this happen tomorrow. Remember, Emma said that Sunday mornings are the best break-in times.”
“Yes. And Claire and I will be there right after dawn. Once that’s done, get Emma out of that class. I don’t care how you make it happen. Just do it. She’s been through enough trauma playing roles like this. I’m not putting her in danger again.”
“No arguments.” Ryan interlaced his fingers and locked his hands behind his head. “I’ll have Kate send Hanover an email. Since those can be monitored, she’ll keep it short, sweet, and nondescript. She’ll just say that she’s freaking out because she can’t handle what’s required of her. She’ll tell him she’s dropping the class, withdrawing from the program, and heading back home. As long as Kate doesn’t implicate Hanover in writing, he won’t even blink. His primary target is Brianna, anyway. Kate was just a sideshow.”
“And the administrative arrangements?”
“Piece of cake. Don’t worry. Kate will be extricated ASAP. I’ll take care of the red tape tomorrow morning, as soon as you give me the go-ahead.”
“On Sunday? No one will be at their desks.”
“They don’t need to be. I’ll do it all electronically. Relax, boss. Everything will be wrapped up before Emma’s predawn meeting on Monday. You and Claire just get your canine vacuum and its accoutrements, and do your thing. Leave the techno-stuff to me.”
“I always do.”
CHAPTER 10
It was a little after nine, with a late May nighttime just settling over the city, when Brianna let herself into Lina’s apartment.
Immediately, Lina jumped off the sofa, scrutinizing her friend’s weary expression.
“How did things go with your parents?” she asked. “Was your security guy there the whole time? Did you get any inkling that that asshole was following you?”
“Emotional, yes, and no,” Brianna replied, smiling in spite of her exhaustion. The past few hours had been draining. A dose of Lina’s bursting energy was just what the doctor ordered. “Mr. Nickels drove me to my parents’ apartment and walked me to the door. He met me in the hall when I called him afterwards and drove me back here. I’m sure he’s right outside your place now. Believe me, I was safe. And, no, I didn’t see any sign of Hanover. I guess that’s a blessing.”
Lina chewed her lip, watching her friend. “And your parents? Are they okay?”
“Of course not. They’re worried sick. They’re also upset with me for not coming to them sooner. And they’re right. I dumped the whole situation on your parents earlier this week, but I kept my own parents in the dark.”
“You were protecting them.”
“I know that, but it was stupid. I needed their support. Now I have it. They asked if they could speak with Casey. Obviously, I said yes. I left a message on Casey’s phone, giving FI permission to talk to them. And I’ll be reporting in to my folks daily like a teenager. But that’s fine with me. Truthfully, at this point I’m grateful for everyone’s support. I’m so on edge that I feel like I’m coming apart at the seams.”
“I know,” Lina said softly. “And I’m so sorry. But I know Forensic Instincts will get the bastard. Just hang on.” She gave Brianna a hug.
“Thanks.” Brianna dashed tears off her face. Crossing the room, she went to her neatly stacked pile of clothes, pulling out a tired T-shirt and jeans and quickly changing out of the blouse and slacks she’d worn to her parents’. She frowned as she hung them up on the makeshift clothing rod she and Lina had set up. “I need to pick up more things from my apartment. I’ve been washing and wearing the same outfits all week.”
“No problem.” Lina, the reigning queen of fashion, nodded vigorously in understanding. “Why don’t we grab a cup of coffee and head over there? We’ll buy a cup for Mr. Nickels, too. He’ll walk us to and from your apartment. You can get whatever you need.”
“Sounds good.”
* * *
