“No bet,” Cody said. And there was something in his eyes that told her she’d earned his respect...again.
Chapter 16
“I’m putting you under twenty-four hour guard,” D’Arcy told Walker. “You don’t step outside the agency without security. Understand?”
“Yes, sir. What about—”
D’Arcy cut him off. “I’ll do the same for McKinnon once he gets back. Callahan and his family, too—that goes without saying.”
Cody’s gaze traveled to Keira, then back to D’Arcy. “What about Keira?” he asked.
Keira said quickly, “My name isn’t on the list.”
“Neither is Callahan’s family,” Cody answered. His jaw tightened, but he held D’Arcy’s gaze. “If they followed me to her condo, if they knew they had time to rig the explosives...” He didn’t say anything more, but he knew from D’Arcy’s eyes he was getting the message.
“Separate? Or together?”
Keira gasped, and Cody knew she was aware what D’Arcy was asking. Did he need to post separate sets of bodyguards on Cody and Keira, or would one set suffice for both?
Cody didn’t look at Keira before answering. “Together.”
Keira made a faint sound of protest, but Cody didn’t care. She’d told him last night and again this morning she wasn’t ashamed of loving him, and he wasn’t going to lie to D’Arcy—he needed to be with her. Not just because he wanted her, but because he wanted to be there to protect her if anything happened.
The rational part of his brain told him that agency bodyguards could protect her, probably better than he could. They were as highly trained as the Secret Service that guarded the president. But one president in recent memory had been killed and another seriously wounded despite the Secret Service’s best efforts. So, placing agency bodyguards around Keira was no guarantee, and that wasn’t good enough. He needed to be there, too.
D’Arcy looked from Cody’s set expression to Keira’s distressed one, and nodded. “Okay, that’s how the orders will read.” He changed the subject. “When Callahan and McKinnon get here, I want a sit-down with them and the two of you. We need to map out a plan.”
“Yes, sir,” Cody and Keira responded, almost at the same time.
As they were walking out of the office, D’Arcy stood up and said, “One more thing, Walker.”
Cody told Keira, “Wait for me,” and turned back.
Keira looked from Cody to D’Arcy, her brow wrinkling in a question, but D’Arcy smiled reassuringly at her and said, “This will just take a minute. Please, close the door on your way out.” He waited until the door had closed behind Keira, then asked Cody softly, “I hope I don’t have to worry about a sexual harassment claim.”
Cody had known the question—or something similar—was coming, but even though he was prepared for it, it still wasn’t easy to answer. He looked D’Arcy straight in the eye and said, “No, sir. You don’t have to worry about that. You can ask her yourself if you want. She’ll tell you the same thing.” Then he waited.
D’Arcy glanced down at his desk for a moment, then back at Cody, and Cody could see he was torn. “I don’t want to take either of you off this case,” he said finally. “But if I have to, I will.”
Cody knew the decision was hanging in the balance. The only thing in his mind was that it would destroy Keira if D’Arcy removed her. She’d put her heart and soul into this case, and had uncovered things no one else had uncovered. She had earned her spot on the team, and then some. “I hope it won’t come to that, sir. But if you remove anyone,” he said, “remove me, not Keira. I’m replaceable. She isn’t.”
D’Arcy made a face of frustration. “I should probably replace you, anyway, since you’re a target.” He held up one hand as Cody started to protest. “But I’m a target, too—Special Agent Jones convinced me of that,” he added, using her last name deliberately. “And I’m not about to recuse myself. Especially if they find something in my car.”