“I’m proud of you, too,” Josslyn told him. “You’re so brave.”
“Can I take this?” Adam held up the wallet.
Ngoni nodded.
Adam got to his feet, lifting Ngoni with him. He smiled as he reached down a hand to help Josslyn to her feet. Sensing a change in the mood of the room, Fergus scrambled to his feet with a happy bark.
“I think Fergus wants to show you the basketball court,” Josslyn said. “Go grab your jacket and we’ll all go.”
With a subdued whoop, Ngoni scampered from the dining room, Fergus at his heels.
“Will this be enough?” Josslyn gestured to the wallet in Adam’s hand.
“It’s circumstantial, but from what Ben and I have uncovered, Shaw already had most of the building blocks in place to build a strong case. But I need to get it to the task force right away. I also want to make sure Shaw’s son is protected.”
Josslyn nodded. “What about Tseng?”
“Hopefully there’s something in here to implicate him as well, but you don’t need to do his bidding to out the suppliers any longer. And from the looks of it, the Twin Towers were the ones behind the violence. Now that they know we have access to the wallet implicating one of the twins, they are likely trying to regroup. It wouldn’t surprise me if they run.” He pulled her in for a hug. “All the same, you two stay put here today until this is all sorted out.” He brushed a kiss over her forehead.
“Good, because I didn’t like involving the president in any of this. I’ve alerted everyone at the GWC. They’ll try to stop the sale of the tigers before it gets that far. Trevor is going to fill in for me at the zoo tonight. Christian will likely have a temper tantrum, but that’s too bad.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I hear anything from the task force.” With a lingering kiss to her lips, Adam headed out.
Chapter Seventeen
Hours later, Josslyn dropped into one of the wrought-iron chairs in the White House Children’s Garden. Fergus danced at her feet, nearly toppling into the goldfish pond that was built into the flagstone patio. Ngoni whooped it up with two of the Secret Service agents at the White House basketball court just beyond the trees.
“Who knew eleven-year-old boys had so much energy?” she declared.
Her father’s nurse chuckled. “I envy the kid,” Marc said. “If I ran around like that, I wouldn’t be able to walk for days.”
“Boys are supposed to have boundless energy,” her father added.
Josslyn and Marc waited for him to finish his thought but he was seemingly distracted by Fergus. Marc shot her a sympathetic look. Josslyn smiled back and shrugged. She was used to her father’s foibles by now.
“These are my granddaughter’s handprints.” Her father pointed to one of the stones where Josslyn’s niece Arabelle’s tiny handprints were embedded. The pathway was lined with pavers containing hand and footprints of all the presidential children and grandchildren since President Johnson.
“She’s a bit of a hooligan,” her father added. “Takes after my daughter, that little girl.” His tone was affectionate. “Not the one who is First Lady.” His brow creased in confusion. He glanced over at Marc. “Which daughter is that again? The hooligan?”
Marc shot Josslyn a sheepish look.
She might have laughed if the situation didn’t make her so raw.
“Josslyn,” she chimed in. “Her name is Josslyn Emmeline.”
Her father’s face relaxed until he was smiling peacefully. “Emmeline.”
He whispered her mother’s name so reverently, Josslyn’s throat grew painfully tight. She blamed her taut nerves for making her so emotional. Until Adam returned with word on what was going on with the poachers, she wouldn’t be able to get rid of this feeling of restlessness. As much as she wanted to spend time with her ailing father, she couldn’t deal with his dementia today. It was too painful.
Ngoni squealed again at the sound of the basketball going in the hoop. She jumped from her seat.
“Maybe if I bribe him with lunch, he’ll come inside,” she suggested.
Turning toward the basketball court, she was caught off guard by the sight of Adam leaning a shoulder against the Stayman Winesap apple tree a White House groundskeeper had planted decades ago so the kids and grandkids of the president would have a tree to climb. Adam’s body still bore the signs of exhaustion, but a ghost of a smile clung to his lips.
“Adam!” Josslyn didn’t care who was around to see them, she looped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his freshly shaved skin. He smelled like soap and tasted like home.
Fergus circled their feet barking as Adam rubbed his hand up and down her back. The gesture did wonders to soothe her frayed emotions. Josslyn settled into his warm embrace. The sounds of the Washington traffic beyond the trees and Ngoni dribbling the ball faded into the distance until all she heard was Adam’s pulse beating beneath her cheek. She could have stayed in his arms all day.
“Agent Lockett.”
Josslyn started at the sound of Director Worcester’s voice. Adam quickly pushed her away from him. Were it not for his career, she would have said the hell with it and stepped back beside him. But she knew how much being in the Secret Service meant to Adam. Out of respect she kept her distance. That didn’t mean she had to like it.
“Doctor Benoit.” The director acknowledged her with a strained nod.
“Sir.” Adam practically drew himself to military attention.
“I wanted to let you know that we just heard from Interpol,” the director announced. “The animal trafficking task force has already moved on the information you gave them. The Huang brothers were picked up at Taipei’s Taoyuan Airport a half hour ago. It seems both were in a hurry to return home.”
Josslyn’s sigh turned into a laugh she was so relieved. Adam grinned as well.
“Interpol and the task force are quickly rounding out the other suspects in Africa and Asia,” the director continued. He, too, was wearing an easy smile. “Well done, Doctor Benoit. It seems you’ve accomplished what an entire task force couldn’t do in three years.”
“Agent Shaw’s son?” she asked. “Is he okay?”
The director nodded. “The task force sent someone to secure him last night immediately after Agent Shaw was killed.”
“Ben was able to grab video of Shaw’s killer,” Adam added, his expression now apprehensive. “It was one of the motorcycle guys who tried to grab Ngoni last night. We think they used the Nimba symbols on the dart to misplace the blame.”
Josslyn met his eyes and knew right away what he didn’t say. “The one I shot?”
He nodded.
“Well, then, I guess that worked out.” She rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans. “Were you able to pass on the information about the tiger sale to the task force?”
Adam nodded. “They already have some leads thanks to your friends from the GWC. And they’re confident that once they decipher the information from Huang’s wallet that will lead them to the tiger traffickers before the sale.”
Josslyn allowed herself a relieved breath. “So that’s it, then?”
“For the time being,” Adam said. “There was nothing we could find on Tseng.”
“Aside from adultery,” Josslyn quipped. “I’m just glad I don’t have to see him anymore. The man gave me the creeps.”
“We’re still trying to puzzle together exactly why Shaw was killed,” Adam went on. “I suspect it was because he wouldn’t divulge where Ngoni was hidden. It turns out, Shaw was the taxi driver”—Adam made air quotes with his fingers—“who picked them up at Dulles.”
“He didn’t double-cross them after all,” Josslyn said.
“No, the tall man Mandla and Ngoni saw at the airport was actually the other Twin Tower. They didn’t know there were two of them.”
Josslyn shook her head. “Which was probably lucky for Ngoni and Mandla.”
Adam smiled at her. “Ngoni has had a lot of luck on his side.”
> “Well, if I have any additional updates, I’ll let you know.” The director fixed his stare on Adam. “I’m assuming you’re still on leave, Agent Lockett.”
“No,” Adam answered.
“Yes,” Josslyn said at the same time.
The director’s mouth twitched, but otherwise, he remained inscrutable. Adam, however, looked like he was going to blow a gasket.
“He needs sleep,” Josslyn insisted.
Adam tried to stare her down, but he should have known by now that she was made of sterner stuff than most women. She held her ground.
“Doolittle still needs protection until all the players are accounted for,” Adam bit out through his clenched jaw.
“Agreed,” the director said. “There are a number of agents within the White House who will ensure her safety today.”
Josslyn reached up and ran her palm along his cheek. “Go get some rest, Adam,” she commanded softly. “I’m not going anywhere. You should know by now I’m not leaving you.”
She thought he might have growled with impatience before he covered her hand with his and brought it to his mouth. The director cleared his throat when Adam’s lips lingered. Adam reluctantly dropped her hand and followed the director out of the garden.
“I sort of figured that was the way of it.”
Josslyn spun on her heel to where Trevor loitered in the shadows on the path between the basketball court and the Children’s Garden. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
“I guess I shouldn’t get my hopes up about us getting back together one day.” He was teasing, she knew him well enough to know.
“We would have never worked,” she replied.
Trevor wandered over to her, a wicked smile on his face. “No, but we sure had fun trying.”
She glanced over to where her father dozed. Marc was doing his best not to eavesdrop but the man could probably write a book after leaving her father’s service.
“How’s the arm?” Josslyn figured a subject change was in order.
He jostled his sling. “Still attached.”
Josslyn rolled her eyes. “It looks like Interpol nabbed the people who shot you.”
“The poachers? And the suppliers?” Trevor’s voice shook with excitement. “Tell me they nabbed them, too?”
She nodded and Trevor let out a war whoop rivaling Ngoni’s. At the sound, Fergus began barking, startling her father from sleep. Ngoni sprinted in from the basketball court.
“Mr. Trevor!” he cried as he wrapped his arms around Trevor’s waist. “You are alive!”
“Of course I am,” Trevor said. “It takes more than a gunshot to bring me down. I’m a surfer superhero, remember?”
“Really?” Josslyn mouthed behind Ngoni’s back.
He gave her a one-shouldered shrug.
“I hear you’ve had quite an adventure,” he said to Ngoni. “I’m very sorry about your brother.”
Ngoni cast his gaze down to the flagstones. “Adam’s going to get the tall man and the other bad guys. He’s a special agent.”
Trevor winked at her. “Well, special agent trumps surfing superhero any day.”
Josslyn held back another eye roll, wrapping an arm around Ngoni’s shoulders instead. “The police already arrested the tall man,” she told him. “You have nothing to worry about anymore.”
He looked up at her in wonder. “Really?”
“Really.” She smiled back at him.
Ngoni whooped again. “Come on, Trevor. You have to see my hook shot.”
He shrugged out of her embrace and raced down the pathway toward the basketball court.
“He seems well,” Trevor remarked as they followed behind.
“I’m sure he’s processing things the best way he can. My sister will be home tomorrow. She’s better equipped to deal with these things. Together, we’ll make sure he gets the help he needs.”
“As long as he has access to basketball, he’ll be fine.”
“Speaking of that,” Josslyn chastised him. “You bribed him with the promise you’d bring him to the United States to play basketball if he gave us the names of the poachers. That was never in the cards. Since when is it okay to lie to an eleven-year-old boy?”
He stopped on the path beside her, the free-spirited, bohemian surfer nowhere to be found in his expression.
“I do whatever it takes to ensure the animals are protected,” he snapped. “So did you once upon a time.”
Shame bubbled up in her chest. Trevor was correct in saying she had been guilty of doing whatever it took. Even if it meant breaking the law. And embarrassing her family. But duping a young boy to save an elephant didn’t feel right to her and she doubted it ever would.
“Look, we did what we thought was right,” he added. “None of that is going to matter to you any longer, though. I doubt you’ll have the time or temperament to operate the way we’ve always done once you’re linked to law enforcement.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Trevor sighed. “Do I have to spell it out?”
“Yes. I believe you do.”
“Before, when it was just your sister and her political husband you were hurting, it was exciting because you loved to antagonize them. Now, well, Agent Lockett doesn’t look like the type who’ll appreciate his woman running around thumbing her nose at the law.”
Josslyn’s cheeks burned again. “First of all, I’m my own woman,” she fumed. “And neither Adam nor anyone else is going to tell me what I can and can’t do.”
He raised an eyebrow at her smugly. “Whatever you say.” He continued down the path.
She was ashamed to admit his theory about her sister and Conrad hit close to the mark. Not intentionally, however. Despite the difference in their ages, she loved her sister. And she adored her brother-in-law. She could do without them living in a political fishbowl; that was true enough. Josslyn’s ideals and causes differed from the rest of her family, that was all. And just because she was pursuing a relationship with Adam didn’t mean she was giving those passions up. She stomped after Trevor.
“I can’t dribble very well with my left hand,” Trevor complained.
A moment later, the natural athlete launched the basketball right through the net with a swoosh.
“Wow,” Ngoni cheered. “Let’s play a game of H-O-R-S-E.”
“Perhaps tomorrow, sport,” Trevor said. “I’m headed over to the zoo to rub shoulders with the rich and famous. And the elephants.”
“A zoo?” Ngoni’s eyes went wide. “Mr. Shaw took us to the zoo in Harare once. They had lions and cheetahs behind fences. I prefer the game preserves where the animals can run free.”
Trevor clapped the boy on the back. “Me, too, Ngoni. But we all don’t live in places where the animals can roam free. The only way for most people to see an elephant or a tiger or giraffe is at the zoo. They are a necessary evil.”
“There’s nothing evil about a zoo,” Josslyn interjected. “If they’re run correctly, they are a unique way for scientists and school children alike to study animals. One of the elephants I’ve been studying since you were in diapers is at the National Zoo. Tonight, lots of kids will be able to see him relatively up close.”
“I think most of the kids will be more excited about the candy.” Trevor grinned foolishly.
“Candy?” Ngoni’s eyes grew rounder if that was even possible.
“To celebrate Halloween,” Josslyn explained. “It’s an American holiday where the children dress up in costumes and go door to door for candy.”
“Mr. Shaw told us about this! It sounds wonderful.” Ngoni looked from Trevor to Josslyn. “Can we go?”
Josslyn’s stomach sank. After all the boy had been through this past week, she hated to deny him.
“Pleeeease,” he begged. “I want to see this elephant of yours.”
Trevor chuckled. “Don’t forget the candy.”
“I don’t know.” Josslyn gnawed on her lip. “I promised we’d stay put until everythin
g was resolved.”
“Everything is resolved,” Trevor said.
Ngoni nodded. “The police have the tall man. You said so.”
He was right. Ngoni was no longer in any imminent danger. And if they put him in a costume, no one would even know who he was. Plus, she could help Christian schmooze the big donors he’d invited for infrastructure money that would, in the end, preserve the wildlife. He’d mentioned that his wife wouldn’t be attending, so their paths wouldn’t cross. It was a viable plan.
So why did she feel guilty? Trevor had it all wrong. She could still do as she pleased. It wasn’t as if she was betraying anyone. She’d promised Adam she’d stay put, but that was before the Twin Towers were in custody a half a world away. Adam cared about her. He hadn’t told her to her face, but he wasn’t the type to curtail her passions. He’d likely agree to her taking Ngoni to the zoo if she asked. But he’d insist on accompanying them and he was exhausted. His concussion would never heal if he didn’t get some rest. And the sooner he was healed, the sooner he could return to his regular duties.
There, she’d made the decision. She was doing what was best for everyone. Besides, if they went without a crowd of agents, they would attract less attention. It was a good thing Marin had showed her how to sneak out.
“You have to promise to stay close to me and do whatever Trevor and I say,” she demanded.
Trevor and Ngoni high-fived one another, both of them shouting and shuffling around the court.
She sighed. “Great. It seems I’m taking two children to the zoo tonight.”
They wrapped their arms around her, pulling her into their dance until she was laughing with them.
Chapter Eighteen
“You wanna tell me again why you’re sleeping on the sofa in my lab instead of the agent’s lounge at the Crown?” Ben swiped at Adam’s feet that were hanging off the edge of the much-too-small leather sofa. “Or better yet, why you’re not in your own damn bed?”
Adam didn’t bother opening his eyes. His head hurt too much. “Lauzon was staked out at the lounge. And you know how that guy snores.”
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