Kassidys excited voice sounded through the doorway. Mila?
Troy instantly stepped back.
Mila snapped to reality. In here.
Ive got a gig tonight, Kassidy sang. Its a good one. The Ripple Branch on Georgia Avenue. They had a cancellation.
She appeared in the doorway. Oh, hi, Troy. She focused her attention on Mila. Can you come with me?
Love to, Mila immediately answered.
Kassidy barely took a breath. You okay to babysit? she asked Troy.
What? The question clearly took him aback. It was probably the only thing that stopped him from ordering Mila not to go anywhere with Kassidy.
Mila knew she shouldnt laugh at his obvious predicament, but it was tough to fight the urge.
Drake should go to sleep by eight, said Kassidy. And I dont have to leave until seven. I could have everything ready in advance. All youd have to do is give him a quick bath, a bottle, and wind up his rainbow jungle toy. He loves watching it while he falls asleep.
Sounds easy enough, said Mila.
Go away, Troy growled under his breath. You dont work here.
Your sister needs protection.
My sister needs a nanny.
Before you fight with me, take a look at what Ive found, said Mila. I wouldnt call your sisters situation high risk, but its not zero either.
Nothings zero, he said.
Theres something there, she said.
It was just out of reach, like the wisps of a dream. But Kassidys anxiety was real. The girls instincts were telling her to protect herself. Mila didnt like to ignore instincts.
Youre so transparent, he drawled.
Fine, said Mila. Believe whatever you want. Hire me, dont hire me, but Im going to the performance with Kassidy tonight.
Its a free country, said Troy, his blue eyes going icy gray. Call a nanny service before you go, Troy said to Kassidy. Im not your babysitter.
Itll be easy, said Kassidy.
Ive got work to do.
Mila fought an urge to tease him, but she bit back the unwise words. Shed accompany Kassidy to the performance tonight and file a report with Troy in the morning. Maybe hed read it. Maybe he wouldnt. Even if her work was exceptional tonight, it might not change his mind. There might be nothing she could do to change his mind about hiring her. But she wasnt going down without a fight.
* * *
In the ops control room, Vegas turned his head at Troys entrance. He did a double take of Drake sleeping on Troys shoulder.
New recruit? he asked.
Its the apprenticeship program, said Troy, his hand splayed across Drakes diaper-covered bottom, easily balancing the babys slight fifteen pounds.
Two dozen video screens decorated the walls, receiving feeds from fixed and mobile cameras, tracking devices and information from their international offices. This time of night, people were just arriving at work in Dubai.
I take it this is the new nephew, said Vegas.
Hes not my Troy stopped himself. He supposed, technically, Drake was going to be his nephew. Theres a nanny on the way. She had car trouble or kid trouble or something.
All Troy knew for sure was that he was alone with Drake, and he didnt like it.
Kassidys out on the town? asked Vegas, disapproval in his tone.
Shes working. Which he imagined was pretty much the same thing for Kassidy.
Troy had protected a lot of celebrities over the years. With a few notable exceptions, sports stars and film personalities were mostly professional. The lions share of what made it into the tabloids was a part of their carefully crafted public image. Musicians, however, were a breed unto themselves. They kept late hours, drank and partied, and a lot of them truly lived the rock-and-roll lifestyle.
Vegas eyed Drake up and down. I dont get it, he said. It would be one thing if she got knocked up.
You do remember youre talking about my sister. Troy wasnt sure why he felt compelled to defend her at this late date.
Vegass brow went up. Well, excuse me, but isnt this the baby sister who trashed three rooms at the Poco Hollywood Hotel?
She had help.
To keep the whole thing out of court, Troy had paid the bill.
Shes not exactly mother material, said Vegas.
Troy couldnt disagree with that. He briefly tightened his hold on Drake. Poor kid. This was likely to be a rocky ride.
Im thinking a full-time nanny, said Troy.
Vegas coughed out a chopped laugh. One for each of them?
Troy opened his mouth to defend her again, but he had nothing to say. There was no point in pretending Kassidy was in any position to raise a child. Why a terminally ill single mom had made his sister promise to take guardianship of an innocent baby was a mystery to him.
I saw Mila leave with Kassidy. Vegas let the sentence hang.
I didnt hire her, said Troy.
Does she know that?
Yes.
Vegas gave a crooked smirk.
She may not have accepted it yet, said Troy.
But shes not equipped. It wasnt a question. If Mila had a company camera or communications device, Vegas would see it on his monitors.
Its not an op, said Troy. Its a performance.
So youve analyzed the data.
Not all of it. Not yet. Its fan letters. If Kassidy wants to flail around onstage in lingerie while she belts out pop tunes, guys are going to make comments.
You think theres no danger?
Do you think there is?
Vegas shrugged. I doubt it.
There. Good. Troy sat down on one of the rolling desk chairs. Whats going on in the Middle East?
Vegas zoomed in on a camera. Prince Matin had a late night, but hes up and around, and the car is out front of the hotel.
Gotta love the partying spirit of the reformers, said Troy.
Vegas grinned. He had a supermodel on his arm when he finally left the reception.
Prince Matin was in his early thirties, had plenty of money and was a genuine supporter of capitalism and an improved regulatory regime. He had the respect of his countrymen and an understanding of the West. That was a rare enough combination that nobody seemed to care what he did in his private life.
Any new chatter about the protest? Troy asked.
Its been quiet enough. Johns got five guys going undercover in the crowd. Theyre liaising with the city police.
The minute the speech is over tonight, we put him behind the glass.
Thats the plan, said Vegas.
There were sensitivities around the podium being behind bulletproof glass, but theyd erected a barrier on each side of the stage, so only one dignitary would be exposed at any given time.
The snipers? Troy asked.
Two of ours and five will be from the police department. Matin agreed to the bulletproof vest.
Thats a first.
Drake wriggled on Troys shoulder, moving his head back and forth, and Troy readjusted his hold.
What are you going to do if he gets hungry? asked Vegas.
The nanny should be here any minute. Troy extracted his cell phone and pressed the speed dial for the front reception.
What are you going to do if he gets hungry? asked Vegas.
The nanny should be here any minute. Troy extracted his cell phone and pressed the speed dial for the front reception.
Yes, boss? came Edisons voice.
Any sign down there of Alice Miller from Total Tykes?
Nothing so far. Problem, boss?
Not yet.
But Vegas did have a point. Eventually Drake was going to get hungry.
Shall I track her down? asked Edison.
Sure. See what you can do. Troy assumed Edison would start with the agencys phone number rather than a city-wide traffic cam search.
Did Kassidy leave you a bottle? asked Vegas as he double-checked a set of GPS markers in France.
Troy wasnt sure hed understood the question. Say again?
I take it the nanny is MIA. Check your refrigerator. I bet you find bottles of formula.
Shes a nanny, not a fugitive. Shell be here any second.
Just giving you a contingency.
Drake wiggled again.
Since when do you care about babies? asked Troy.
He seems a little restless.
Hes supposed to sleep for hours.
Whatever you say. Then Vegas zoomed in on a screen. He went still and flicked a switch on his headset. Boomers on that job in Rio, remember? Hes on the run.
Troys focus was instant. What happened?
Vegas reached for the intercom to put the feed on the speakers, but Troy grabbed his arm. Youll wake him.
Vegas nodded, withdrawing his hand to leave the sound coming to his headset. Shots were fired.
At the band? Troy could barely believe it.
Vegas paused. Nobody hit. Theyre in the bus headed for the hotel.
Boomer was at a Rio de Janeiro jazz festival with a California band. The festival attracted thousands, but it didnt have a history of violence. It had been considered a routine operation.
They think it was probably celebratory gunfire, said Vegas. But Boomer wasnt taking any chances.
Good decision, said Troy.
Roger that, Vegas said into his microphone. He flicked a smile. No longer headed for the hotel. They happened onto a beach party. Boomer will pull in a couple of reinforcements.
Gotta be a hundred parties there tonight, said Troy.
I wouldnt mind an assignment in Rio, said Vegas.
Id take anything with palm trees right about now.
There were no windows in the DC control room, but the day had been cloudy and gray, October drizzle turning into November cold.
Troys phone buzzed.
He could only hope it was Edison with good news.
Yeah?
Troy? Its Mila.
Her voice took him by surprise. For some reason it seemed to resonate right down to his bones.
What are you doing with my direct line? he asked.
Kassidy gave it to me.
Drake wriggled against his shoulder, and Troy lowered his voice. Next time, call the switchboard.
Sure. She went silent.
Is something wrong?
I thought youd like an update.
What Id like is a nanny.
The nannys not there yet?
No, he said.
Where is she?
I have no idea. You want to come back and take over?
Kassidy is onstage. The crowds going nuts. You know, Troy, she really is good.
I know shes good.
I mean good, good. Theres something in the crowd. Its an energy, almost a fervor. This is about to go big-time, and you really do need to think about formalizing her security.
Let me guess, you want to head the task force?
Sure.
That was a joke, Mila.
Im not joking.
Youre angling for a job. He wasnt buying what she was selling.
Is that deductive reasoning 101?
Ha-ha.
Gotta go. Well talk later. The line went dead.
Troy heaved a sigh and pocketed his phone while Drake kicked his little legs and whimpered in his sleep. Anybody could see this babysitting thing was all about to go south.
Vegas turned from the monitor screens to gaze at the baby. You ready to talk about the formula contingency plan?