Intersection Read Online Free Page A

stairs on his butt. Alex laughed out loud wondering what Cassidy would have thought of that. She thought about her nephew who was close to the same age. “Typical,” she mused to herself. The smell of taco night seemed to permeate the entire house and it was a welcome sensation for the agent. Her life tended to consist of frozen dinners, macaroni and cheese and take-out. She entered the kitchen to a sight she only saw on her trips home to New England. That was one thing she was happy about with this assignment; if all went well she might have a chance to see her brother and his family.
    “Hey,” Cassidy greeted the agent’s return. “Have a seat.” Alex smiled. “Help yourself… Crazy I know, but we don’t stand on any ceremony here.”
    “Works for me,” the agent said.
    The dinner conversation was surprisingly easy for Alex. Dylan had a bunch of stories about field day and the agent found him amusing. She watched him and listened intently, laughing as he acted out the day physically with his tacos. “Did you ever run a race?” He asked the agent.
    Alex took a sip of her iced tea and answered. “I have, actually. I was on the track team at West Point. I ran hurdles.”
    “What are those?” He asked.
    “Those are things you have to jump over while you run,” Cassidy explained and looked at the agent. Alex had the most stunning blue eyes she had ever seen. She found herself drawn to them somehow. The agent held the woman’s gaze for a minute and felt her heart begin to quicken as they exchanged a smile.
    “West Point?” Rose said. “Wow, not a lot of women still.”
    “No,” Alex conceded breaking the exchanged glance with Cassidy and turning toward the woman’s mother.
    “Did you ever win a ribbon?” Dylan asked now.
    “A few,” Alex said modestly. “But none as nice as that one,” she gestured to the ribbon now attached to the large refrigerator. The boy beamed with pride and his eyes flew open wide at her compliment. Cassidy was surprised when she felt her heart skip at the agent’s interaction with her son.
    “Well,” Rose said, beginning to collect the empty plates, “I am going to get going after I clean this up so you can all get settled.”
    “Let me give you a hand,” Alex offered.
    “No, no…You go get your things. Sun is setting…next time.” Alex nodded her appreciation.
    “Do you need some help?” Cassidy asked the agent.
    “No, I’ve got it.”
    “Well, Dylan…Why don’t you and I get you washed up?”
    The boy moaned and Alex smiled. “I’m going to do the same thing,” the agent winked.
    He pondered her statement. “Will you teach me to jump over hoidles?”
    “Hurdles,” Cassidy corrected with a slight snicker at his mispronunciation.
    “We’ll see,” the agent said pretending to think carefully about the request.
    “Okay,” he said running for the stairs.
    The two women reached the foyer as Dylan half ran, half crawled up the stairs. “If you need anything,” Cassidy offered.
    “Thanks,” Alex said turning to head out the door to retrieve her luggage. “I promise I will do my best not to interrupt your life too much.”
    Cassidy stopped on the bottom stair and looked at Alex. “Well, if any of those many talents you mentioned include fixing clogged sinks from action figures or clogged vacuums from Play-doh…it will be a welcome interruption,” she jested.
    “Mmmm. Agent Fix-it at your service,” Alex joked.
    Cassidy sighed with a smile as Dylan screamed for her, “MOM!”
    “Duty calls,” Cassidy said. “Hold your horses…I am coming.”
    “Yes it does,” Alex said to herself. “Yes it does.”

    The door to the apartment opened slowly and the man threw the newspaper on a small card table at the center of his living space. He silently walked to a large roll top desk and picked up a pair of scissors. Then he made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a small glass of whiskey, straight up. Walking back to the table he spun the