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“I know what to do.”
Gary had seen Colin’s proposal for handling the issue, so he knew the plan. “I’ll call Kent.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And, Colin? No mistakes.”
* * *
BEN HAD NO IDEA how he had let Jocelyn talk him into this. It was a desperately bad idea. Out in public, not far from the hospital where she worked. The Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Hospital Pavilion sat just a few blocks up. If he squinted he could see the lobby doors.
With a hand on her elbow and his gun close, Ben steered her toward the inside of the sidewalk as a group of businessmen passed them. He eyed the street, the cars passing by and the light up ahead of them. He never stopped scanning for trouble.
No wonder Connor had almost passed out when Jocelyn announced her intention this morning at breakfast to run one last errand. He’d said no. She’d said yes.
Ben had watched the heated exchange and finally stepped in to agree with Jocelyn. He still remembered her bright smile when he threw in the support behind her plan.
The one concession he got her to make was to move the timetable of her usual visit. She said no until he explained how having a habit made it easier for someone to track her moves. She wouldn’t pick another branch but the time bump happened.
He’d had to wait until she ran upstairs to shower, to explain about the compulsive behavior to Joel and Davis. Ben skipped over the facts about the policeman who had hurt her, telling just enough to give a flavor, because Ben still couldn’t think about that without his body going into a full-rage shakedown.
Good thing the guy was in jail, because Ben wanted to put him in the ground.
The warm breeze of summer had kicked up, taking the edge of her floral shirt and causing the soft material to dance against her waist as she walked. He stared longer than he should have. And he wasn’t alone. Two men passing by watched her walk and Ben almost growled.
This part of Annapolis consisted more of office complexes and buildings than waterfront. Everything was compact and tidy—hospital, bank, coffee shop and two restaurants, and that was just what he could see from this angle. Ben guessed the street grew up to serve the hospital and all the people shuffling in and out.
As far as urban planning went, it made sense. But not so great for protection. There were alleys and crisscrossing streets. Lots of places for someone to swoop in and get off a shot. Knowing Joel and Connor hovered nearby helped but none of them could stop a bullet. They’d all try if that was what it took to protect Jocelyn, but they had to see it coming.
“You haven’t said anything since we left the car.” There was a smile in her voice as she stepped off the curb and headed across the intersection.
He glanced back to where the vehicle was parked across the street, then looked up and down the road, searching the area for stray cars and trouble. “That’s only a block.”
“So, I’ll take that grumbly voice to mean you’re still moping.”
Part of him was. He wanted her back at the house. Really, he wanted her back in bed, wrapped around him and making those noises he was now addicted to. She was so sexy and beautiful that letting his mind wander for even a second to last night broke his concentration. He needed all of his wits and none of them thinking about her body, so he skipped the eye contact and tried to shut down his brain.
He also ignored her comment. “That’s nothing compared to how unhappy Joel is right now sitting in a car nearby and listening in while pretending not to.”
Joel’s amused voice boomed into the little silver discs in their ears. “I love my job.”
“I can’t believe it takes three of you and an elaborate microphone intercom system to escort me to the bank.” She pressed her finger to her ear.
Ben touched her hand and lowered it again. Thought about holding it but discarded the idea. He needed his hands free. “Don’t make it obvious it’s there.”
She screwed up her nose and made a face. “It’s a weird sensation.”
“You’ll get used to it.” There were other parts of this sort of surveillance that took longer to adjust to. Ben always forgot the audience. More than once he’d entered into a conversation forgetting there were ears everywhere. “And technically there are four of us, since Pax is handling logistics back at the office.”
None of the other men said anything. That was the silent pact. The ones not directly guarding a client, in this case Jocelyn, stayed quiet. Or they did until one of them had something sarcastic to say and broke in anyway. That sort of thing was less likely with Connor on the line. The guy stressed protocol.
“It’s all here in case something goes wrong.” Because you never were prepared for when things went right. No need. All contingencies and all the practices were aimed at controlling the uncontrollable or at least finding a way to steer through it.
