The Backup Asset Read Online Free Page A

for several seconds, interrupted only by chirps and trills coming from the birds in her eucalyptus tree. The world outside was alive, was filled with sunshine, life, and happiness, while she was buried here, with her ghosts. Maybe he was right.
    “It didn’t,” she finally spoke.
    “Huh?”
    “It didn’t go anywhere. I still love doing all that; I wouldn’t change it for the world. But my case isn’t over, that’s why I can’t let go.”
    “Do you trust me professionally?” Steve asked.
    “Sure I do, with my life.”
    “Then trust me when I say you delivered your case successfully. The client was happy. You saved the day. You made us all proud: me, Tom, Brian, Richard, Claire, and Louie. Louie would follow you into a burning building; did you know that? And you made Sam proud too, and he’s hard to impress.”
    “But somehow I can’t let go. I’m still twisting my mind looking for clues, and there are none. Did we overlook something? Who knows what he ’s up to next, our Mr. X? Will we even see it coming? He is scary brilliant!”
    “Yes, he is. But if you can’t take any of our advice for it, take Sam’s. We’re all corporate investigators, I agree, but Sam’s ex-CIA. He knows the spy-and-terrorist business better than we’ll ever know it, and he said the same thing. Keep your eyes open, but move on with your life. We might never get to him; he might never resurface again. He might be busy doing time in Siberia for failing his mission, for all we know. Who the hell knows?”
    “We’re definitely never gonna find him if we stop looking, that’s how I feel. Someone’s gotta keep on looking. No one knows we’ve worked this case. Sam’s retired CIA. He’s not active anymore, so he’s not looking either. So, who is? Or who should be?”
    She knew she had a point, and he didn’t argue.
    “All right,” he said, “what if you continue to search for him, but with a time limit?
Say . . . two hours per week, not more?”
    “I tend to not trust you when it’s about me. You’ve always been overprotective. Will two hours per week keep me sane?”
    “Yes, it will teach you to control this urge you have to obsess about the puzzle piece you’re missing.”
    “Can I do four?”
    “Huh?”
    “Hours. Since you tend to be overprotective and all that,” she said, tilting her head to the side in a flirting gesture.
    “No. Not more than two hours per week. Please promise me. Go back to doing what you loved to do, put your heart in each client you’re working. If your mind is elsewhere, your work will suffer.”
    “This client’s fine, it’s Brian’s client anyway, not mine. I can afford to do it. I’m just support, not that important or essential anyway.”
    “Would you be comfortable repeating that statement to Brian?”
    She blushed and pursed her lips. Damn.
    “Umm . . . No.”
    “Why do you let yourself think that? We’re all risking our lives when we go undercover. Our support is critical, and you know that. You should know that better than anyone. We’re all counting on one another, and we’re all counting on you. When you’re primary on a case, we don’t cut corners on your support, or allow ourselves to become preoccupied by something else.”
    “All right,” she admitted. “I’ll give you that. But if I limit this to only two hours, the only question is what would I do for fun?”
    He let out a long, pained sigh.
    “That’s your choice too. I could be here with you every day, if you’d only let me. We could spend our lives together.”
    “No. We’ve discussed this. As long as we work together, we can’t have that type of relationship. Weekends and vacations, and only if we go out of town. That’s it, and I’m not budging.”
    His blue eyes didn’t hide his sadness very well.
    “You know we talked about it,” she continued in a softer voice, “you know why I can’t. It would be risky for us both, for the entire team. We can’t, and you know that. Even if Tom