It’d be a start, at least. The police would want to have a look at the footage as soon as he told them about the letter, but he wanted to get a look at it first. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to dial the security office. “I’m going to make a quick call and stand right outside your door, all right?” He watched as Ginny nervously rubbed her fingers over a tablet, her shoulders high and tense. “Should you be touching those things like that? I thought ancient stuff needed gloves and a secure environment.”
Some of the tension in her shoulders dropped. Good. The woman needed a few moments to relax, to rebuild her strength. Just in case.
Just in case. He hated the necessity of thinking that way, but better to be prepared than caught unawares. Those kinds of mistakes could be fatal—and one had been for the woman he was assigned to protect two years ago. Lynn Gustav, daughter of a diplomat, had stolen his heart and his focus. He’d been distracted in a critical moment and an assassin’s bullet found its mark. He hadn’t been able to save her.
He would not let his guard down like that again.
“Some ancient things, yes,” she was saying. “But not everything, otherwise only a few people would be able to study them. Clay tablets are durable, as long as you don’t throw them on the ground or run them over with a tractor. They’ve lasted this long, after all.”
Colin reached across to touch one, wondering at the texture of a thousands-of-years-old piece of clay, but Ginny yanked the one she held out of reach.
“Sorry.” Her face flushed. “I’m the only one allowed to touch them, remember? Aside from Mr. Wehbe and the Amaran representative overseeing my project. The tablets are durable and not financially worth much, but they’re still valuable pieces of history in other ways. And they don’t belong to the United States. Our agreement is that their handling is to be strictly controlled.”
“Ah, yes. Protocol. Who knew pieces of clay had protocol?” Much to Colin’s surprise, he couldn’t take his eyes off her reddened cheeks. She combed more strands of blond hair over her scarred cheek, fingers moving absently—as if it had become a habit she wasn’t even aware of.
His phone began to buzz, reminding him that he’d been about to make a phone call to campus security. He frowned at the caller ID. Private number?
“Tapping,” he answered.
“Good afternoon, Professor. Is that what they’re calling you these days? Must be quite the change.”
Colin swallowed a burst of disbelief. “Sir?”
A chuckle on the other end confirmed the identity of the caller. “And hello to you as well, Tapping. Surprised to hear from me?”
Of course he was. He hadn’t directly spoken to anyone from the Secret Service since the day they’d completed his discharge papers, the director having bowed to political pressure to dismiss him the day after the incident. The diplomat whose daughter had been killed had called for blood, and what easier resolution than to fire the agent who’d failed to protect her? It had only been his career ended as a result, taking the heat off the Secret Service. Not that he didn’t blame himself for what had happened. He’d known from the beginning that it was unwise to become romantically involved with a protectee and had fallen for her anyway.
“Deputy Director Bennett. I’m not sure if I should say it’s good to hear from you or not.”
“Fair enough. How’re things? Got a good gig up there?”
Colin grimaced and stole another glance at Ginny. She looked up at him quizzically, but he’d have to answer her questions later. As nice as it should be to receive a personal phone call from the Secret Service’s deputy director, he had a feeling it wasn’t a social call. After all, Deputy Director Bennett had been the one to sign his discharge papers. “Pays the bills.”
“Not thrilled to hear my voice, are you? I get it, Tapping. I really do.”
“Deputy Director, I’m in the middle of something at the moment. Is there something pressing?”
“Down to business. You haven’t changed a bit.” Bennett’s voice softened. “You were a good agent, Colin. I’m still sorry things ended the way they did.”
“Part of the job, Deputy Director. Consequences for every action.”
“Yes, but...ah, well. Speaking of people needing protection.”
“Very subtle.”
“I do my best. Listen, Tapping, we’ve been hearing rumblings about some shakeups happening overseas that may tie into a little drama unfolding in your corner. I realize this is unconventional, but we’ve been requested to keep our eyes open for an Amaran representative en route to Pennsylvania. Heading to your corner of the state. Know anything about this?”
Colin thought back to Ginny’s meeting at the museum this morning. Hadn’t she mentioned that she’d met a gentleman who’d arrived from the Kingdom of Amar to assist with her work? “I think he may already be here, sir. Name of Hilden? He’s working with a colleague.”
“Already there?” The sound of shuffling papers reached Colin’s ears before Bennett’s voice came through the receiver again. “That’s what we get for receiving information secondhand. Look, we weren’t asked to specifically provide a detail for him, but the incident with the military-issue grenade on your campus and this Dr. Hilden’s proximity has the White House a little nervous. We’re on good terms with the kingdom, but you know how quickly things change in the world these days.”
Colin ground his teeth as Deputy Director Bennett talked. Two years ago, he’d have jumped all over this kind of information, but right now it did nothing but frustrate him, reminding him of what he no longer had. “I’m not sure what I have to do with this.”
Bennett sighed. “I know you owe us nothing, Colin. And I know helping us out is the last thing you probably want to do, after what happened. But our hands are full over here dealing with a number of sensitive political situations, and we can’t spare a man for a detail that’s not a sure thing or specifically requested by the president. The local police chief I talked to mentioned that you were up at the college there.”
“Let me guess, you want me to keep an eye on this Dr. Hilden character. Make sure no one lobs a live one in his direction, is that it?”
“More or less. Off the record. Informal. Just keep an eye out. As a favor.”
“What makes you think I’d have any interest in doing you a favor?” Colin tried to swallow down his anger, but it rose fast and furious. “Not that it makes any difference to you, but I’ve got someone else I’m watching out for at the moment. Another professor here is working on some ancient tablets on loan from the Kingdom of Amar and she’s been the target of...look, you know what? Never mind. Have a good day, Deputy Director.”
Colin hung up and thumped his head against the door frame. Two years had changed him, whether Bennett saw it or not. He’d never have talked out of turn and hung up like that two years ago. Bennett didn’t deserve it, as it wasn’t entirely the man’s fault that Colin had been dismissed from the Secret Service.
Bennett hadn’t been the one who failed to protect his assignment. Lynn Gustav had died on Colin’s watch, no one else’s. If only he hadn’t let his heart get so involved. If only he hadn’t taken her safety for granted, allowing himself to be distracted by his feelings.
“Who was that?” Wide-eyed, Ginny flicked her chin at the phone. “Didn’t sound good.” She bent to replace the tablet she’d been holding inside the leather satchel.
A sense of determination rose up from within, combining with his finely honed instinct from years of training. Active agent or not, it was his duty to protect critical individuals from potential danger by any means necessary. With a growl