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Brook was mere steps from where Gus had pulled up against the curb.
It was difficult to discern from the glare of the streetlights if the slightly darker circles from this morning were still underneath her beautiful blue eyes. Her irises were similar to tinted crystal, and the spark of determination that usually resided in them had been missing this morning. She was shutting him out before they’d even managed to take another step forward.
He found it interesting that she paused mid-stride to get her bearings before coming to a stop in front of him. She wasn’t wearing her leather gloves, and she hadn’t bothered to change out of her black high heels. She’d trusted him when he explained that Gus would drive her right back to her office after dropping him off at the airport.
“Thank you for riding to the airport with me,” Graham greeted warmly as he stepped back. She remained silent as she gracefully tucked herself inside so that he could shut her door. It didn’t take him long to walk around the back end of the vehicle and join her on the other side. “How was the rest of your day?”
Graham monitored her facial expressions for any sign that the weekend had finally taken its toll. To say that he’d been privately enraged by her decision to hold her father’s funeral on her own was an understatement. He’d thought they were past her need for erecting barriers. They’d shared some beautiful dinners and outings together over the past few months, and he’d finally reached a point where he was confident that she was ready to move forward.
Losing his daughter and wife within months of each other had knocked him down to his knees. One didn’t simply recover from a blow like that. Instead, one learned to live with the pain. Evolve. Such an endeavor hadn’t been the easiest to achieve, but he’d managed to compartmentalize the anguish and sorrow. He and Brook had both been dealt a heavy hand, but that didn’t mean they had to go through the rest of their lives alone with no thought for a future with someone.
“Interestingly enough, it turns out that S&E Investigations will be working alongside the FBI as a subcontractor of sorts.” Brook loosened her scarf after the town car had merged with the nighttime traffic. Seeing as the windows were tinted, it was still rather difficult for him to discern her pallor. “Harden approved it, but I’m expecting some type of backlash from the 10thFloor if it goes public.”
“That is Harden’s problem,” Graham stated matter-of-factly. He kept his ear close to the ground in those circles, and no one had reached out to him with anything to the contrary. “You will have to work the case while coloring inside the lines. That’s all there is to it.”
The moment Brook reached for the worry ring that he’d gifted her, he knew his advice wouldn’t be easy to follow. It wouldn’t surprise him to know that Bit had already picked up some random palette somewhere and colored outside those proverbial lines.
“Jacob is back in town.”
The weight of her words almost had Graham reacting without thought, but he managed to harness his reply before it escaped his lips. Having served over thirty years in the Marine Corps had helped him in that regard, and he was appreciative of everything the service had taught him. Even experienced politicians found it difficult to take a beat before responding to excited utterances, especially if they were provocative, like the offhand mentioning of your partner’s serial killer brother showing up in the city.
Graham almost reached forward and turned the heat down, but he refrained from doing so. She needed the additional warmth, and he wouldn’t rob her of it.
Her overtly cautious manner when walking to the car suddenly made sense.
“Was his anticipated response to your father’s death the reason you held a private service at the last moment?”
Whereas the question was the first to come to mind, he’d managed to verbalize it in such a way that it didn’t come across as an accusation. He was doing his best to walk on broken glass for her, but he would only be able to take so many cuts before he bled out.
“No, although I’m sure it was in the back of my mind. Jacob poses an ever-present danger to the safety of my team.” Brook shrugged underneath the shoulder pads of her dress coat. “Jacob never lets a moment pass him by when given an opportunity to reach out to me. And yes, I’ve already touched base with Agent Houser.”
Graham thought about suggesting that she reach out to Alex DeSilva. He owned and operated a firm that dealt with private protection details. S&E Investigations even had the man’s firm on retainer, but Brook would never consider the use of such security services for herself. ShewantedJacob to have a clear field in reaching her, because that was one of her many plans to apprehend him.
“What did you need to discuss?” Brook asked, her tone taking a slightly more cautious note.
Graham wouldn’t have thought such a feat was possible, especially considering that they’d been conversing about her brother. He realized that she thought he would once again bring up her decision not to include him in her grief. He would have to weigh that discernment at a later date. The ride to the airport was only so long.
“My mother made a rather hefty donation to George Washington University on behalf of the family name,” Graham shared with her. “They have built a new art studio that will be named after Kelsey. There will be a grand opening in her honor, and I would like it if you would attend the ceremony with me as my plus one.”
Graham didn’t see the need to sugarcoat his request. While he’d been treading carefully with the progress of their relationship, he’d made the conscious decision to demonstrate his willingness to strengthen whatever it was between them over the numerous words that he could possibly express to her.
“You can use the excuse that you’re busy with the case or even say that now isn’t the best time to be seen in public since you believe that Jacob is in the immediate area, but I would counter those so-called rationalizations with the fact that I specifically asked for there to be Moscato wine available.”
Brook didn’t smile at his offer. Truthfully, he hadn’t expected her to laugh, either. Yet her light amusement echoed throughout the car. She rarely allowed herself to enjoy the moment, although he had been successful in getting her to relax in his company.
“I’m more concerned with meeting your mother.”
Graham immediately reached for the button on the side door to initiate the privacy barrier. Most town cars weren’t equipped with such an option, but it had been a prerequisite since the majority of his phone conversations required some measure of discretion.
Any classified conversation involving matters of national security were not allowed to be held over unsecure devices or even in his own vehicle person-to-person. Foreign governments and even U.S. based companies had been known to use electronic listening devices to bug vehicles and homes of officials with higher level clearances. Even though Gus swept the vehicle every morning for electronic bugs, Graham would never take such a chance.
The privacy barrier came in handy now that Brook had brought up the subject of his mother.
He shook his head at her ability to keep things interesting.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Brook said in confusion as she glanced toward the black partition. “I’m sure Gus has a thing about meeting mothers of the women he dates, as well.”
“And you’re not aware that Gus and my mother get along quite well, and the last thing I want is for him to incidentally talk out of turn. I thought it prudent,” Graham muttered, knowing full well that his mother had every single person in his life wrapped around her little finger. He’d also witnessed the side of Gus’ mouth lift at the mere mention of his mother. The woman might be seventy-nine years of age, but one wouldn’t know it by her physical appearance and the manner in which she carried herself. Her bearing was notorious. “You have no need to be worried, because she’ll be too busy chatting with members of the college administration to devote time to your proper debriefing.”
