I took a sip of coffee. “Sometimes there are electronic gadgets by the front register. You’d be surprised what you can find up there. Anyway, the phone was in Richmond.”
“Do you know anyone who lives there or used to live there?” he asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “Not that I know of.”
“Of course, I-95 runs right through the city. Anyone could have stopped on their way in or out of the city.”
I twisted my lips together. “You don’t think it’s much of a lead.”
“I didn’t say that, babe. It’s something. We know one more location the stalker has traveled through. That is something we didn’t have before now. I’m glad you did it.”
I smiled slightly. “You are?”
“I am.”
We drank our coffee, listening to cars pass below us. I thought I heard the bell on one of the trolleys.
“What happened to you last night? What took so long? Those agents are complete dicks. They wouldn’t tell me anything. I had no idea if you were even still in the hotel. They said it was classified.”
I saw the way he gritted his teeth when I asked the question.
“Let’s just say I got my ass handed to me.”
“What? Why?” My cup rattled on the saucer.
“I haven’t exactly followed protocol.”
“So what happened? Are you in trouble? Are they going to take you off the case?” I was attacked by a new kind of nervousness. “They can’t do that. You were just trying to keep me safe. You saved my life. They know that, right?”
“Hey, hey. It didn’t get that far. I can stay on. I have to stay on because of Project Compass.”
The knots in my stomach slackened. “Thank God. I can’t do this without you. I wouldn’t help them for one second if they tried to take you off the case. They need to know that. It’s a package deal and nothing else.” I felt justified in my defiance.
I noticed he wasn’t saying much.
“There’s more, isn’t there?” I realized nothing he said came near to details of a classified meeting. Also, there was no reason to keep him until 4am just to lecture him on FBI procedures.
“You’re leaving something out.”
“Syd…”
“Oh God, what is it?” Nothing good was going to come out of his mouth.
“You might change your mind about wanting me to stay on the case.”
I blinked. “I would never do that. I need you. We’re in this together.”
“Babe, I have new intelligence. The classified meeting that went into the night…” His gaze drifted away and then back. “It’s going to change things.”
“I don’t care. We are a team. You and me. No matter what happens. No matter what creepy stalker guy is after me. No matter what Jack tries to do next. The Project Compass problem. None of it matters. This is the team.”
I realized when we had dated five years ago I thought AJ and I were a team. A team like other couples. Rooting for each other at work. Listening to each other’s family problems. Trading off movie choices and which restaurants we ordered take out from. I cheered when his team played soccer, even in the
snow. He went to my work events as the perfect polished date. That was how I defined team. Now we were a team in a way that few partnerships ever knew existed. We relied on each other. We protected each other. We shared information. Together we were going to identify my stalker and take him down. We were on a higher level of closeness—one I never would have imagined five years ago. One we never could have achieved any other way than to be tossed into the darkness together.
“Will you hear me out? Hear everything I have to say?” AJ pressed. “This is important.”
“Of course I will. I already promised I won’t leave again. Ever.” My pulse raced. I didn’t like his tone. I didn’t like the tenseness gripping his face. Something was wrong.