Everything about Jubal Valentine was on full alert, his body rigid, at attention, glaring through the two-way mirror like the suspect could see him. "You couldn't stop her?" He growled, regretting his tone with one of his favorite agents.
Omar Zidan looked at his friend, not sure how to answer that. "It'd be like stopping Maggie." Impossible to do, as he could well testify. He was there; his partner was not. "Besides, I didn't think it was my place."
"No, it's mine," Jubal whispered where the other agent couldn't hear, watching Isobel through the glass. As with so many other times with her, he didn't know whether he wanted to kiss her or kill her. Even then, he knew stopping her would have been a losing battle.
The two men watched silently and OA left before his boss joined them. Isobel looked shaken, but defiant, stubborn, one of the things Jubal loved most about her, even when it was maddening, like now. He made sure they couldn't be overheard before asking, "Have you lost your mind?"
Her hazel eyes sparkled with fire as she retorted, "No. Have you?"
He immediately felt a headache coming on. "You can't put yourself in danger like that, Izzie. You let the creeps get under your skin…"
"They asked for a conference with Isobel Castile, Jubal. Last time I checked, that's not you, that's not OA or any of the others. That's me." She said, rising to her full height of 5'9, just inches below his own frame, especially in heels. "If I think there's something to be gained, I'll go."
"You cannot go every time some socially maladjusted misfit geek hacks deep enough to find your name. Or hell, these days, watches a press conference." He sighed. "It's not just dangerous, it's stupid." Her eyes blazed again and part of him wanted to find a place to take cover, having been on the wrong side of her temper before. "You're not stupid. But you're gonna end up getting yourself hurt. Or killed. I'd say this to any agent out there, and, you know what, so would you."
"I'm not afraid." One look at her confirmed that.
"Well, I am. For you." He brushed hair out of her eyes, reached out to hold her hand, knowing no one else could see in. "We've almost lost one agent this year. I don't want to lose another. Especially you. All right?"
"I understand why you're worried." Kristin's near miss was first and foremost on everyone's minds these days. "But I'm a big girl. I take care of myself."
He nodded. "I know you do. Doesn't mean I can't care too, does it?" He smiled when she shook her head. "Just promise me you'll be careful."
"What can he do, Jubal? He's in custody. Besides, if there's a chance sitting in a room somewhere for a few minutes with a pervert can save one person, or a hundred, are you really telling me you wouldn't take the same chance?" He couldn't answer that and she kissed his cheek, careful not to leave a stain. "I know you worry. There's no need." He nodded again silently. "I'll be late tonight. I have a meeting."
"Call me when you're headed out." He threw up his hands in mock surrender. "So I know when to order the food."
"Yeah. Right." She grinned, but touched his hand gently as she walked out the door.
****
It was later than Isobel expected when the long, arduous meeting was finally over. She hated politics; it wasn't why she'd become an agent. The favorite part of her job was being able to defend her agents when they needed, back them up, help them achieve the truth in whatever lawful means necessary. Over the years, some had even become family. She looked at her watch, barely able to see in the dimly lit parking garage. Others in her position had drivers or a car service, but she liked driving herself. It was easier on so many levels, including privacy in her relationships and ability to work her schedule as she saw fit, coming in for emergencies, staying late for meetings or paperwork. It was a little late, but she knew that Jubal would stay awake until she called him and told him she was leaving. It was nice, after all this time, to have someone worry about her, even though it wasn't always needed, someone to talk over most of her day with and know that the person really understood. More and more she was finding excuses to stay over, either him at her place or her at his; in fact, the only nights they didn't spend together anymore were nights they were working or weekends he had his kids.
"Hey," Jubal said, grabbing his cell phone on the third ring.
"Hey, yourself. Just got out. Too late?" She knew the answer, but she asked anyway.
"Of course not." As much as he loved his kids, he would miss her that weekend. Neither of them were quite ready for the secrecy to be over and he wasn't sure the kids were ready for Isobel, or visa versa, so he wanted to spend as much time with her during the week as he could. "Ten minutes?"
"Fifteen. Just now getting to my car." She reached for her keys to remotely start the engine.
Although Jubal was ten minutes away, it felt like he could feel the blast rocking him off his feet, sending him off kilter. "Is?" He waited, trying to regain his breathing. "Isobel?!"