Sarah stole another glance at Matt. He was intent on his driving, and she was not sure how to read his mood. "You and Rene did a great job of fitting right in this evening, Matt. I know you were there to keep an eye on me, but it was really nice to have your help."
Matt glanced over at Sarah and turned back at the road. He took her hand. "You've been working so hard and not sleeping well. It was a good solution. Maybe you won't have to go in over the weekend now."
"My mom said she'd leave dinner for us. Do you want to come up, or do you need to get home?"
"Sarah, it's me. Of course I'll come up and have dinner with you. It was sweet of your mom to think of both of us."
Sarah looked down. She forced her voice to remain steady, but her lower lip was betraying her. "I guess I just wasn't sure. You've been so quiet and tense the last couple of times we've been together."
Matt pulled the Charger onto the Stetson's driveway. With the news about Jorge that afternoon, he was even more nervous than ever over Sarah's safety in public. "I'm sorry, Sarah. Let's talk in your apartment. I don't want to stay out in front here for very long." He helped her from the car and walked with his arm around her to the apartment stairs.
Once inside, Sarah went to the kitchen and found the dinner Amanda had left for them in the oven. She called out to Matt, who was taking off his suit jacket in the living room. "I hope you like meatloaf." She laughed to herself.
Matt walked over and washed his hands at the kitchen sink so he could set the table. "What's funny? I love meatloaf. My sister used to make it for us all the time. It was her favorite. I expect she'll be serving us some while we're visiting in November."
Sarah stared at Matt, wondering at his slightly curt tone. "Oh, that sounds nice. I know I'm going to like your sisters." She watched as Matt turned around to look at her. "I laughed because my mom knows when to deliver comfort food. It must have been why she offered to bring the dinner over. She always served it when I was having a bad day, during exams, that sort of thing."
"Or when your boyfriend's giving you the cold shoulder and making you cry? I saw you."
At Matt's contrite expression, Sarah's brave front began to fade again. "You aren't giving me the cold shoulder. Last night… Well, what girl wouldn't want to be held on your lap like that?" Sarah laughed a little and looked down.
Matt reached out to Sarah, and she walked into his arms. "Sarah, I haven't been fair to you. I've been keeping things to myself that I should be sharing with you. Things a couple should be able to talk about."
Sarah tensed. "Like what?"
"Last night you asked if this whole thing with the cartel was getting to me, but I wouldn't open up to you. You've shared with me the things that are really getting to you, but I'm not sharing those kinds of things with you. I was trying to spare you, but I realize that was wrong. I'm so sorry."
Sarah did not move her head from Matt's chest. "I forgive you—I hope you know that. How bad is it?"
"One of the cartel went after a female agent who was keeping tabs on them. We are pretty sure her cover wasn't blown, but what upset me was what the guy was trying to do to her. It scared me, Sarah."
"Is she okay?"
"Her partner got her out of there before it could go very far. Sarah, he had a knife, and he was forcing himself on her. She couldn't fight back—or at least not very easily."
"But she was on a mission, so she had to be in close quarters. I don't have to go into dangerous situations like that."
"That's just it. We found out that the mole has been watching the museum every afternoon. That explains how they know your—our—comings and goings. They know I pick you up in the Charger."
"Oh."
"Sarah, people are arguing about using us as bait to draw the cartel out. I just know they plan to make a move, soon. This mole is just watching us, feeding them information."
Pulling away from Matt, Sarah went about the motions of getting their dinner on the table. Matt watched her for a moment before setting the table. "Sarah, I'm considering it—being the bait. I don't think I can take the pressure anymore of having this hanging over our heads."
Once the dinner was on the table and they had started eating, Sarah finally replied. "The risk is too great, Matt. They went after this girl—whether or not they knew she was Agency. They thought they killed Rene. They beat you terribly. They will kill you if they have the chance. I can't let you do that for me." Sarah fought to keep her voice steady as she continued. "I can't imagine living without you, let alone living with the idea you'd died because of me." She watched for his reaction.
Matt put his fork down and leaned back in his chair, a look of anguish on his face. "I don't know what else to do."
"They could use me as bait."
"Oh, Sarah…"
"Now hear me out. I'm willing to do this if you're willing. I know you're the agent, not me. If we let them hide us away, it could be months or longer before we would be out from under this. At least I have something of a fighting chance because of your help with my hand-to-hand skills." At Matt's frown, Sarah paused. "Sorry for the pun. But it would have to be well-planned, with plenty of back up. And I mean a lot of back up. It might be bad enough they want to take me, but they've talked about killing you."
Matt played with his fork for a minute before replying. "There are four of them. Even if we took out two right away, the mole might be helping in some way. It could go down badly. The chances of them taking you are too high, Sarah. I couldn't live with myself if they got their hands on you and I could have prevented it. Oh, God. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you, no matter what." Sarah watched as Matt ran a trembling hand through his hair. She got up and knelt beside his chair.
"Then we'll pray for another way, Matt. He's watching over us."
Overcome then, Matt pulled Sarah to him as the tears slid down his cheeks. "I love you so much."
Sarah ran her hand over Matt's hair and down to his back before letting it rest there. She kissed his cheek. "I love you, too. So much. Thank you for opening up to me, Matt. For trusting me."
Matt could not find his voice again. He kissed Sarah back and held her close.
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Matt set the box down beside the display where Sarah was working. "This is the last one."
She smiled up at him. "Thanks. I think we'll be able to get out of here early tonight. Deb wants me here bright and early tomorrow so we can go over our notes for the tour. I can go home after the luncheon. I have to be here to answer questions."
"You know, everything looks so impressive. I'm so proud of you, Sarah."
Sarah smiled shyly and blushed a little. "I pulled the things together. The designer made it look nice."
Matt smiled at her. I love it when she blushes. I haven't seen her do that in so long. "I know the designer made it look nice. But you found the cool stuff."
"Thank you, Matt. I guess it helps to have connections, if you know what I mean." Having overcome her momentary bashfulness, Sarah winked at him.
At her gesture, Matt found himself sucking in his breath. Recovering, he looked at Sarah closely before she turned away to finish placing the items in the exhibit. The circles under her eyes had gone away and she did not seem as tense as she had last week.
Matt thought back to the weekend. They had stayed close to home except for a run in the park, church on Sunday, and the usual family get-together. He almost felt guilty that some of his tension had disappeared. Maybe it was the talk with Sarah. It felt so good to get all of that off my chest. Then to go to church on Sunday. He knew that it had helped Sarah, too.
They had stayed longer than usual to have coffee with Cheryl, who gave Matt a plate of muffins and asked motherly questions about Sarah. Then the family get-together had been a nice distraction. They almost had not gone. After Phillip's facial recognition search had been inconclusive, Lee had been ready to send them to the safe house. Amanda and Francine had prevailed, saying there was no imminent danger.
"Better to lure the cartel back to D.C.," said Francine. "I've given up on Efraim finding the mole, or Jorge, or anyone at Georgetown."
"I meant what I said, Francine. Sarah will not be used as bait. Matt's a grown man, an agent. I can't make his decision for him. But Sarah's my daughter."
"She's a grown woman, Lee. Let her decide." Francine looked to Amanda for support.
Amanda only placed a hand on Lee's arm as he continued, "She doesn't know all the risks. She's not a trained agent. Hell, she doesn't carry any kind of weapon except pepper spray. Granger has a gun and a knife. Sometimes two guns. He even brings the knife with him when he runs. But even then, I say he shouldn't put his life on the line, either. It's too dangerous for both of them."
"Lee, no one is forcing the issue about using them as bait. Just don't lock them up in the safe house. They can spend the weekend around Sarah's apartment, or at our house."
Matt finally broke in. "We can't go to Jamie's this weekend. We don't want to endanger the kids."
Jamie's head shot up. "Hold on there. The cartel is still in Monterrey. You guys don't have the plague."
Matt was startled out of his reverie when Sarah put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm done. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'll get Rene. He's waiting for us in the break room."
After taking Rene to his car, Matt and Sarah headed to her apartment. As they drove in the commuter traffic into Arlington, he reached for her hand. "You seem to have more energy this week. Are you sleeping better?"
Sarah squeezed his hand and glanced at his face. "You know, I am. It really seemed to lift a weight off my shoulders when you opened up to me last week. I was worried about you—about us. You seem to be feeling better, too."
"Sarah, I'm so sorry I gave you any reason to be worried about us. I can't tell you everything that happens at work, but I should have been telling you more about what was on my mind. You at least deserve to know if something is upsetting me. You're not just my girlfriend. You're my best friend."
"You've become my best friend, too, you know." Sarah paused for a moment. "But what about Rene?"
Matt pulled Sarah's hand to his face to kiss it, glanced over at her, then laughed. "I don't love Rene. I won't tell him everything I want to or need to tell you." Matt grew serious. "It's just not the same telling a guy sometimes." He hesitated, and then spoke softly. "It felt so right to just sit and hold you the other night. Then last night, when we talked, it helped a lot. I was so stressed out..." Matt glanced out his side window before turning back at the road ahead of him.
Sarah squeezed his hand again and did not say anything.
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Sarah sat on a chair in her old bathroom while her mother put the finishing touches on her hair, which she had twisted into a French knot. "Mom, it was really sweet of you to help me with my hair, but you're not going to have time to get yourself ready."
"Nonsense. You have to be there early. Your father and I have an extra hour."
"Where is Daddy, anyway?"
"He's on the computer downstairs. Sort of working, sort of letting us have our girl time up here." Amanda played with another tendril of hair, then stepped back to scrutinize her efforts. "Has Matt seen your dress?"
"No. He's been teasing me about it, but I wanted to surprise him."
"I don't have to ask you if you told him about the wedding dress you tried on."
"Oh Mom! Don't even talk about it. Daddy might hear you and go tell Matt. They're such buddies now. Oh, I'd die if Matt found out."
Amanda chuckled. "It was your idea to try it on, not mine."
"But you showed it to me. You are just as guilty of being presumptuous." Sarah raised her eyebrows at her mother.
"Touche, my dear. But feeling guilty didn't stop me from researching the dress. Do you know that we could order one online? They're in production until spring of next year. Of course we'd need six to eight weeks lead time—but that's pretty quick for a wedding dress made to order."
Sarah sighed in exasperation. "Mom, I'm feeling really uncomfortable about this. You're starting to sound like Grandma. Who orders a dress before they have an engagement ring? Can we just concentrate on the opening right now?"
"Well, I'll just say you looked stunning in it. And I'm not acting like Grandma."
"Yes, you are. And that's what you said—stunning—about the dress I did buy. The one hanging in the room across the hall. That I'm wearing tonight." Sarah looked pointedly at her mother.
Amanda wisely decided to change the subject. She knew she was acting like Dotty, but the dress had been perfect for Sarah. And Sarah could dish it right back like her grandmother had done. "I can't wait to see you two dancing. Sometimes your father and I can see glimpses of you and Matt through the window, but I've never really seen you dance." She shook the can of hairspray and gave Sarah's hair a generous dose, then waved her hand to clear the air.
"Are you spying, too, now?"
Amanda pursed her lips. "Of course not. I'm just pulling my favorite spy away from the window so you two can have your privacy." She carefully adjusted a few hairs, then stepped back.
Sarah laughed. "I guess it's nice to know that I'm loved and protected."
"Exactly. I'm done here. What do you think?"
Sarah held up the hand mirror and turned in her chair. "It's perfect, Mom. I love it. Thank you." She got up and gingerly gave her mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry. I don't want to ruin your hard work."
"Let's go get you into that dress. Jennifer should be here in a minute to take photos, and Matt will be here before you know it."
"Thank you for asking her to come over. Jennifer's portraits are beautiful."
Lee had just climbed the stairs when Sarah came out of her old room, Amanda in tow. He let out a low whistle. "My, you do look lovely, Pumpkin. You'll be the most beautiful woman there, next to your mother."
"Oh, Lee. You and I had better get dressed, or we won't be going. I thought it would be nice to have a photo of the four of us together. Jennifer should be here any minute to take it for us."
Lee let Amanda shoo him into their bedroom. He looked back over his shoulder and winked at Sarah before she went downstairs to answer Jennifer's knock.
Sarah watched at the window while she chatted with Jennifer about the boys. Having taken Seth and David miniature golfing, Jamie was picking Jennifer up soon so she could join them for pizza. Jennifer shared Jamie's love of photography; they met in an amateur photographer's club while completing their master's degrees at the University of Virginia. Now they were the family photographers.
Matt soon pulled up to the curb. Sarah checked herself in the mirror in the entryway one last time and opened the front door. Jennifer ducked into the den so she could give them a little privacy.
As if by mutual agreement, they smiled at one another, but waited until Matt was inside the house before they said anything. Taking care not to mess her dress while he was holding a bouquet of flowers in each hand, Matt leaned in for a kiss. "Sarah, you look so lovely." He stepped back and admired her once again as she twirled around for his benefit. He did not fail to notice the bare shoulder and the way the dress fit Sarah's slender figure so perfectly. Sucking in his breath, he stepped closer to her again and whispered in her ear. "You know, I love that color on you. And you make that dress look amazing."
Sarah smiled. "Your mother is a saint. She trained you well."
Matt chuckled softly. "Please give the honor to my father. He complimented my mother in front of us kids many a time while we were growing up. But seriously, you look just beautiful."
"Thank you. You look very handsome, tonight—as you always do." Sarah fingered the lapel of his jacket. "And this is a very nice tuxedo."
"Thanks. You know, I think there's something in my right jacket pocket—do you see it?" Matt's eyes twinkled as he watched Sarah retrieve a small, velvet-covered jewelry box.
She looked quizzically at Matt. Certainly he's not meaning to propose like this. What is it?
"Well, aren't you going to open it?" His eyes still twinkled at her.
Sarah looked down at the box and carefully opened it. Nestled in the satin lining of the box was a pair of earrings—sapphires surrounded by diamonds in a floral pattern. "Oh, they're just lovely," she breathed. Looking up at Matt, she spoke quietly. "But it's too generous."
"Now Sarah, I wanted to get you a special gift for a special occasion. This is an important evening for you. And it's also the four-month anniversary of the day we met."
Sarah looked into Matt's eyes and could see that it meant as much to Matt to give her the gift as it did for her to receive it. She reached over and kissed him on the cheek. "I was wondering if you remembered what day it was." She smiled at him before going to the mirror to change her earrings. "Thank you so much," she murmured, careful to keep the moment to themselves. "They're beautiful. I've always wished I could have some kind of sapphire jewelry."
"I have to confess that I sneaked behind your back and asked your mom if the color would go with your dress. I just love it when you wear blue, so I'm glad it worked out."
"Aha. There was a reason you pestered me to get a look at this dress. And do you know that just now my mom played dumb and asked me if you had seen the dress yet? She's a sneak, too." After admiring the earrings in the mirror, Sarah turned back to Matt. "What do you think?"
"Come closer so I can see better." Sarah took a step towards Matt. "You make them look lovely." He looked in her eyes before offering her a gentle kiss on the lips.
He stepped back again and held out one of the bouquets to Sarah. "These are for you," he gestured to the bouquet still in his hand, "and these are for your mother."
"Oh, they're beautiful." Sarah hesitated when she heard her parents on the stairs.
"Granger! You clean up nicely. I guess you'll make a suitable escort for my daughter."
"Thanks, Lee. I could say you clean up nicely yourself."
Jennifer walked in to greet Matt just as he handed Amanda her bouquet.
Amanda hugged Matt. "Thank you for the beautiful flowers." She took a moment to admire them. "I need to find out the name of this florist, Matt. They have such lovely choices." She ignored Sarah rolling her eyes at the not-so-subtle allusion to wedding planning and continued, "Come into the kitchen, Sarah, and we'll put them in water."
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Piedro tossed the crust of his pizza slice into the empty box on the coffee table and put his feet up. On the couch opposite him, Luis was polishing his knife, while Diego fiddled with his open laptop. His brother, Marcelo, slouched in a chair near Piedro's.
"Jorge has probably been made. Just like we were probably made in Monterrey. If it hadn't been for that b-, we would not have had to find another place to hide out."
"Marcelo, if you had not gone after that girl, you would not have been knocked out. I think you are low to chase after women the way you do, but if you hadn't been caught with her, Jorge might not have told us to check for bugs. We might have been arrested."
"I'm so glad I could nearly have my head caved in for the cause, Diego."
"Like I said, you got what you had coming to you."
Marcelo started to pull out his knife, but Piedro stopped him. "Don't be hot-headed, Marcelo. Diego is right. Besides, you would not kill your own brother."
"I don't have to kill Diego to send him a message. My brother needs to be put in his place."
"Marcelo, I am tired of your stupid talk. Shut up or you will get another concussion." Piedro offered Marcelo a look of disgust before he turned to Diego.
"Is it true that Jorge has probably been made?"
"He doesn't know for certain."
"Will he have the GPS for us? Can he get us a van and do the driving? We need someone who knows the area so we can get her to the airport once we have her."
"He's got it all under control. I think he's anxious to disappear with us. Piedro, I think Gutierrez has offered him a job."
"Let's hope we are successful and will get on Gutierrez's good side, too. Where do we grab her?"
"They go for a run every Saturday."
"Are they stupid enough to do that, knowing we plan to come after her? They must know we want to kill Granger."
"They don't know we are here. Americans value their freedom, Piedro. They don't like to stay locked up."
"So, we just need to know where and when."
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Matt pulled Sarah in close, but found his mind wandering as they danced. It had been nice to forget things for the evening. Even though he squirmed under all the praise, he had to admit he enjoyed the little pre-event gathering at the Stetsons. He found himself speaking out loud to Sarah.
"It's sweet how your family made a big deal out of this evening for you. I was flattered your parents wanted a photo of the four of us."
"You mean a lot to them, Matt. I think they're really happy about us. Thanks for being such a good sport about all the compliments and thank yous and all that. I know you start to feel uncomfortable."
"Yeah, but I have to admit it's kind of nice. Your dad sure has warmed up to me. Although he still keeps his eye on us."
"Once a spy…"
"Always a spy." They both laughed, but grew quiet as the dance continued.
As they waltzed about the floor, Matt found himself marking all of the agents in the museum's restaurant-turned-ballroom, as he had been doing all evening. Rene had been assigned to valet duty. Matt almost laughed out loud to himself when he remembered the delighted expression on his partner's face as he and Sarah had driven up.
"Nice, Granger. I can take your new car out for a spin. Ever seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off? I hope you don't mind a few extra miles on the odometer. How fast does it go again on the straightaways?"
"Not as fast as your head is going to roll if there is so much as one little ding on it when I get it back."
Rene grinned at Sarah as Matt placed his hand on her back and guided her inside the museum.
Matt's mind went back to the ballroom and the agents stationed around it. It had made those investigating the mole nervous that the Monterrey office had been able to send no word on the cartel. They all agreed that the mole suspected he or she had been made—and may have alerted the cartel. The mole no longer used the same cell phone that they had tracked the week before.
Looking around at the agents again, Matt was surprised to catch Brad Smith watching them. Or rather, watching Sarah. He recognized the look and guided Sarah out of Smith's line of sight. Surprised, he wondered at the other agent's boldness. He was checking her out. Surely he must know Lee or I could see him looking at her like that.
Matt felt Sarah's hand caress his shoulder. "Are you okay? The dance is ending, and you seem to be miles away."
"I'm fine. Just keeping an eye on things for a minute. Would you like to get something to drink and sit down for the next one?"
"That would be nice. These shoes are starting to pinch."
Sarah found herself talking with one of the museum trustees and his wife while Matt went to get them some refreshments.
Lee stopped Matt before he could reach table that held the water glasses. "Hey, Matt. I've seen you checking out the room. You're supposed to be enjoying yourself."
"Once a spy…"
"Always a spy. Listen, I know how it goes. But try not to worry for tonight, okay?"
"I'll work on it." Lee began to move away, but Matt stopped him. "Have you noticed Brad Smith doing anything unusual this evening?"
After thinking for a moment, Lee frowned and shook his head. "No. Did you notice something suspicious?"
"Not exactly. Just unusual."
"I'll keep my eye out." Lee moved off to rejoin Amanda.
It's probably nothing. She's looking gorgeous tonight—you've done the same thing yourself on many an occasion when she wasn't looking. Stop being so uptight, Granger—for Sarah's sake. She's been looking forward to this evening for months. Matt still could not shake the nagging feeling. Collecting himself, he took the water glasses over to where Sarah was seated. Seeing Sarah, he had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Not again. The polite older couple had been replaced by a middle-aged man who was leaning in too close to Sarah for Matt's comfort. Matt noticed the ring on the man's left hand as he walked up. Sarah stood up as Matt came near, a look of immense relief on her face.
He handed Sarah her glass. "Let's drink these, honey, and we'll catch the next dance." Matt did not bother to introduce himself, and he purposefully did not use Sarah's name.
The man, who Matt thought to be in his forties, was not so drunk that he could not appreciate Matt's size and the threatening look the younger man gave him.
As they moved away, Sarah hazarded a glance back at the man, who was wandering towards the bar. "Thank you for rescuing me. He wanted to dance and wouldn't take no for an answer. I was ready to go looking for you."
"Perhaps you could have asked him why he wasn't dancing with his wife. The jerk was old enough to be your father."
Sarah put her hand on Matt's arm as she drank her water. "Oh, that was perfect. Thank you."
Matt did not fail to notice Sarah's calming gesture. "You're welcome. And a man has a right to guard his territory." He continued to watch the man with narrowed eyes, but Sarah could see them twinkling.
"Next you'll be calling me 'your woman.'"
Matt looked at Sarah and laughed before he scanned the room once again. He stopped when he saw Lee and Amanda on the dance floor. "Watch your parents dance, Sarah. They look great together."
Amanda was wearing a fitted midnight blue sequined dress with three-quarter length sleeves that showed off her still-trim figure. "She always looks so nice in that color. And Daddy—he's still crazy in love with her. He's always been pretty handsome. You know, he was supposed to be quite the ladies' man before he met my mom. I guess he made heads turn. He likes to say that she was the only one who really won his heart." Sarah laughed softly.
Sarah had not seen Matt's expression change. He was no longer looking at the Stetsons. She turned to see him gazing at her face.
Like their daughter has won mine. I hope someday…
Although he did not say it, Sarah guessed that Matt was thinking the same thing she was. I hope someday we'll have kids who say things like, 'Daddy is still crazy in love with Mom.' She blushed and looked down.
Matt took the glass from Sarah's hand and placed it with his own on a table nearby. He briefly caressed her face before he took her hand and led her to a place on the dance floor near Lee and Amanda.
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Outside the coat check, Lee and Matt helped Amanda and Sarah with their wraps. Lee spoke cheerfully. "Well, I thought the evening came off nicely, Sarah. Your director and her event planners did a nice job."
"I'm just glad I didn't have to plan the party, too. I'm supposed to start on a special exhibit for Christmas next week—or rather continue the research I started. They're trying to figure out how to connect steam punk to spying."
"Sarah, aren't you getting a break? You've been working so hard." Amanda was concerned, and Lee seemed like he was ready to say something.
"I guess it's part of the job."
Amanda and Lee shared looks before Amanda spoke again. "I've been meaning to say that I was very impressed with your dancing tonight, you two. You're very good. People were watching you."
Matt blushed. "I guess the lessons paid off. Thank you. You and Lee looked great out there, you know."
Sarah watched Matt's face. He looked tired. She decided to rescue him from another barrage of pleasantries. "Thank you, Mom. I was thinking the same thing as Matt—you two looked wonderful. Well, we're going to try to go for a run in the morning—although it might be a couple of hours later than usual." Sarah slipped her hand over Matt's arm. "We can work out the kinks from all the dancing and standing. I guess it's time to head home."
Once outside, they found Rene waiting for them. While another valet helped the Stetsons, Rene could not resist another remark before heading off to retrieve the Charger. "You should have seen her on the expressway, Granger. We were almost to Reston before I turned around and headed towards Maryland. The Bay was beautiful tonight."
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Rene."
Sarah found herself to be suddenly weary. She held on tighter to Matt's arm and stifled a yawn.
At Matt's look, Rene hurried off to the parking garage.
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Lee had not slept well. He had a feeling of foreboding that unnerved him. Once home, he had checked the intelligence chatter, but there had been nothing new. Still, they could be laying low. He had almost called to activate the safe house and bring in Matt and Sarah, but a sudden remembrance of the young couple enjoying an early morning in the backyard several Saturdays ago had stopped him.
Just give them one last day of freedom, Stetson, before you lock them up in a virtual jail. He decided to wait until after their morning run. Maybe by then we'll know more.
Now he watched from the workout room as they stretched together on the back lawn. Matt playfully sparred with Sarah a few times before he reached for her and held her against him. He knew he should look away, but Lee could not stop himself from watching them share a kiss. He found the muscles in his jaw clenching. He whispered out loud, "God, they're so young and so happy—and so in love. Why them? Why us?"
He turned around to find Amanda, who was also dressed, watching him. "I was just wondering the same thing."
"I'm going to tail them. Call me if you need me."
"I'm coming with you."
He nodded at her and took her hand as he left the room, leading her quickly downstairs. He did not want to be far behind Matt and Sarah once they left for the park.
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Matt pulled into the parking area at Bluemont Park. The trail meandered along a shaded creek. They normally ran the trail a few times, but today they would have to cut it short. Sarah had said her feet were still sore from the night before.
"Let's just run it once there and back today, Sarah. We can give your feet a break."
"Are you sure? It's so beautiful out, and it's not too crowded today. That's only a couple of miles."
Matt looked at Sarah. He knew he was not being completely truthful. "I guess I want to be cautious, too. I have feeling in my gut..."
Sarah put her hand on Matt's arm. "I could tell something was bothering you."
Matt put his hand over hers. "We could just go back to your parents' house and use their workout room. It would be a lot safer."
Sarah tried to hide the look of disappointment on her face. "We could…"
"But it's perfect running weather. Nice and cool…" This may be our last taste of freedom for a while.
"Matt, if you think we should go back, then follow your instincts." Sarah moved to buckle herself in again, but Matt put a hand in the way.
"We should go before we have to warm up all over again." After checking his mirrors one more time, he touched Sarah's shoulder to delay her. "I think we've been tailed."
Sarah looked at Matt questioningly. After following his gaze, she frowned. "I'm used to Daddy spying on me, but now Mom is spying on us, too. She's usually the one to stop him."
"Maybe she came along to keep him from joining us on our run." Matt chuckled briefly, but sobered. "But more likely they're worried. Consider it backup." Matt thought a moment, then pulled his Bluetooth out of the console and activated it. "I can contact the Agency quickly this way—if we need to." After pulling up the application he needed, he locked his phone and secured it in his knife holder, then got out of the car and went to help Sarah with her door. "Stay close to me today, okay?"
Sarah nodded. She glanced at her parents out of the corner of her eye before jogging with Matt to the trail.
As they looped around back toward their starting point, Sarah could feel the cool breeze from the north on her face. Fall was definitely in the air. Soon she and Matt might be trading their shorts and t-shirts for long pants and jackets. For now she enjoyed the freshness of the morning.
Matt seemed to sense her mood and was keeping up with her pace easily. He did his best to talk to her between breaths. "Sarah, let's take the shortcut around that baseball field just north of the parking lot and head back to the car."
Sarah gave Matt a thumbs up. When they had passed the field earlier, they had only seen one lone jogger crossing it because of the lateness of the season and the coolness of the morning.