Page 81 of Armed ’N’ Ready

He nodded. “I’m sure of it. How much, I don’t know.”

“Where is she now?” Andi watched him from tired eyes. “And will you get Joe and her together and have them both explain the whole operation?”

“She’s in another conference room down the hall.” He tipped his head to the door. “A deputy U.S. marshal is with her. And no, we don’t plan to have her meet Joe. They’re both witnesses. We don’t want them to influence each other’s story, so we’ll keep them separated.”

She took a sip of water. “Has she been arrested?”

“Not yet.” Andi looked ready to drop, so he indicated they should all sit at the table.

She pulled out a chair and sat. “Why not?”

“It’s standard procedure in cases like this.” Knowing she wouldn’t want him to sit next to her, he chose a chair across the table from her. “Like Joe, she’s complicit but also a key witness against Argyle. She won’t be charged until we know the extent of her cooperation. Both of them could help us get to Argyle.”

“The only things we know about him,” Eric added as he sat next to Andi, “come from Meera. He’s about sixty years old, six feet tall, with gray hair and brown eyes.”

“Was your contact in Scotland able to dig anything up?” Nick asked.

Eric shook his head. “So far, no one by the name of Meera Devine has a criminal history in Scotland. They’ll try to find something on Brian Argyle and Argyle Enterprises.”

“Good.” He looked back at Andi. “Bennett wants Meera to record her next phone call with Argyle and find out when—or if—he plans to come to the U.S. If he does, Bennett will want her to wear a wire and get incriminating statements on the guy. We’ll use those statements to put together a rock-solid case.”

She’d been about to take another sip of water but set the bottle on the table. “That sounds like it could take a while.”

While he didn’t say it, the practical realities of complex investigations sucked, and no one was more disappointed than he was. As much as he wanted to be the one to put the silver bracelets on Argyle, he’d take equal pleasure in locking Meera up for her role—knowing or otherwise—in the kidnapping conspiracy.

“I’d better get downstairs on patrol with Tiger.” Eric pushed from the table and headed for the door. He patted the radio clipped to his belt. “We’ll keep you posted on the ground. The Feebs on top of the building will be on the same frequency.”

“Thanks.” When the door closed, he took in the dented water bottle clutched in Andi’s hand.

“Promise me something.” She released her grip on the water bottle, and the sharp crinkling sound reminded him of a gunshot.

Anything, he wanted to say. Because he’d do anything within his power that she asked of him.

“What?” he said instead, ridiculously hoping she’d walk into his arms and forgive him.

Her gaze locked with his. “As angry as I am at him for what he’s done—overall, and to me specifically—I don’t want to see Joe hurt. Promise me you’ll protect him.”

As the now-familiar spurt of jealousy hit him, he told her the words he knew she needed to hear. “With my life.”

Chapter Nineteen

Through the bank of glass doors, Andi watched Nick’s hard profile as he stood outside, observing everyone who entered and exited the building. Nothing escaped his scrutiny, not even a woman pushing a stroller or an elderly man with a cane slowly making his way along the sidewalk.

Saxon stood dutifully at Nick’s side, his thick black coat ruffling in the strong winds that had picked up since they’d arrived. Sunlight glinted off the dog’s back, and she worried about him being outside in the heat for too long, particularly with the added weight of his canine body armor.

Andi had watched in horror as Nick strapped the specially fitted vest on Saxon. The first time she’d seen Saxon, he’d been wearing his body armor, but this was different. Now she understood the danger firsthand. Someone might try to shoot Joe before he got inside the building, and Nick wanted his dog protected as much as possible. As if Saxon wasn’t huge to begin with…now he looked positively enormous.

“What’s keeping him?” AUSA Bennett looked at his wristwatch, then at Cox and the two other FBI agents waiting with them.

“He’ll be here,” she reassured him. “If he said he’ll turn himself in, then he will.” And as soon as they were alone, she fully intended to light into him for everything he’d done.

“He’d better,” Special Agent Cox said. “He’s already ten minutes late.”

Nick held his cell phone to his ear, then put it back in one of the pockets on his uniform shirt. He turned and strode toward the glass door she was standing behind. He held the door open for Saxon, who was panting from the oppressive heat. A blast of hot air gushed into the building, washing over her legs.

Standing this close to him made her pulse jump, and it was all she could do not to walk into his arms and let him surround her with his strength. As if reading her thoughts, steel-gray eyes pinned her. His free hand flexed, and for a moment she thought he was about to reach for her, but he didn’t, leaving her both disappointed and relieved.

Stay strong. Even though she wasn’t.