Shelby laid her hand on Kris' thigh. "I don't blame you."
Kris' eyes were haunted. "I still feel I should've sensed something, been more observant, just something..."
"You love me, right?"
Blue eyes gazed deeply into green ones. "More than anything."
Shelby reached for Kris' hand and gripped it firmly. "Please stop beating yourself up over this. Promise me you'll let it go. Would you do that for me?"
Kris glanced around the room, vaguely aware of the TV droning in the background and Stormy sleeping on the back of the couch. What Shelby was asking seemed so simple on the surface, but it required her to forgive herself. "I'd do anything for you. But..."
"No buts. Okay?" Shelby released Kris' hand and shifted so she was directly facing her. She brushed the operative's longish bangs to the side, gazing into the vivid blue eyes. "It would really make me happy."
Kris slowly nodded embraced by the love emanating from her partner, understanding that her self-condemnation was hurting Shelby. "Okay. I'll try."
The analyst grinned. "Great. Could we seal it with a kiss?"
Smiling, the tall woman shifted sideways and bent down, meeting Shelby's soft lips with her own. It was a sweet, lingering kiss, full of promises yet to be fulfilled.
Earl had summoned Kris and Shelby shortly after their arrival the following morning, and they were sitting in his office, along with Jeb and Dennis.
The Director of Covert Operations had listened intently as Kris provided a detailed run down of the events up to and after the attack. He directed his eyes toward Shelby. "I want you to move to a safe house until we figure out who is behind the attacks. You've been lucky so far. You might not be so fortunate the next time."
Shelby shook her head. "I don't think the attacks are related to my job. I wouldn't feel right about using tax payers' money for a personal matter."
"How about letting me be the judge of that?"
The analyst looked at Kris for help, only to find her looking down at the floor. She narrowed her eyes, and her demeanor subtly changed. Kris was going to hear about this later. "I don't want to move into a safe house. I think my stepfather could be responsible, and that is not Company business. If you feel I need more protection, then assign some agents for outside surveillance."
Earl clearly read the body language and remembered her threat last time they had tried to force her to comply with their wishes. "At least think about it." When Shelby nodded, he continued, "I've called the local police, and they're sending two officers out to question Whiteman. I'll call you when I get a report."
The two women stood up and departed.
Shelby walked along side of Kris, trying to contain her anger. "I can't believe you. You didn't even support me in there. What's with that?" Shelby had spoken quietly, but her words were fraught with tension.
Kris sighed. The last thing she wanted was for Shelby to be angry with her, but she was concerned about her safety. "I wish you would reconsider. If it is Jonathan, you'd be a lot more secure in a safe house."
Shelby glanced at Kris. "And what if it isn't? You said yourself there was a leak. So, now, all of a sudden, you're on their side. What about you, Kris? You don't need my help anymore?"
Kris' stomach dropped at the hurt in her partner's voice. "Yes, I do, but your safety is more important to me. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. I shouldn't have dragged you into this."
Shelby shook her head. "Well, I am in it, and I plan to see it through. And next time you have a brainstorm like this, how about talking to me first? Or don't my feelings matter?"
"Of course they do!" Kris said vehemently. "I've just been thinking and whoever fired that shot had to be damn good. Spending a few years in the military and going hunting are very different from targeting a moving vehicle."
Shelby turned the corner with Kris as they entered the corridor her office was in. "Deer don't stand still and wait for you to shoot them."
"Well, yes, they do, sort of. It's only when you don't get a clean shot that you end up chasing through the woods after them. Something just doesn't feel right about this whole thing."
"Why didn't you say something before now?" Shelby slowed her step, watching Kris intently.
Matching her partner's stride, Kris admitted, "I'm just speculating and if you'd agreed to move into a safe house..."
Shelby stopped in the hallway and faced her partner. "If I agreed to move into a safe house, Earl would've insisted you did, too, and your mother would be good as dead."
Kris glanced at the barren institutional walls, their tone matching her mood as she realized what a huge error it had been not to include Shelby in her planning. "I thought about that, but I figured I could convince him to let me come and go."
Crossing her arms, Shelby shook her head. "Didn't you try to convince him you didn't want to work this case once, too?"
Kris sighed at the relentless logic. I screwed this up royally. "Touché. I'm sorry. Forgive me?"
The analyst looked away. She understood that Kris was just being overprotective, which she really didn't mind as long as the operative included her. Shelby returned her gaze to Kris, nodding. "Yes. If you remember that we're in this together, no matter what happens."
"I won't forget." Kris had to refrain from hugging Shelby right there in the hallway. They began walking again, and turned into Shelby's office.
Curious, Kris asked, "Do you think Jonathan shot you?"
Shelby's brow furrowed. "I don't know. Part of me insists there is no way he would cross the line from abuse to murder. Rationally, I know men like him do it all the time. But it usually takes something to trigger the escalation. I haven't done anything to him."
Kris mulled that over. "Does he know about the agreement you made with your mother? About him not moving in until she talks to Kim?"
The analyst's face paled. "I never thought of that. If she changes her mind about letting him move back in, I could be in trouble."
"I think you already might be." The words hung like a black cloud in the small room.
CHAPTER 16
SHELBY LOOKED OUT the window as Kris drove through the small trailer park. Most of the dwellings were singlewide structures in various states of disrepair. Shutters hung haphazardly, and the few awnings still existing were rusty and dented. Dilapidated cars sat up on blocks, their tires long since removed, adding to the sense of apathy the residents seemed to exhibit toward their homes. Litter fluttered across the ground, its movement determined by the gentle breeze, and a couple of resident cats picked at the sparse offerings in the uncovered garbage cans.
Kris commented dryly. "Not exactly a trailer park I would want to live in."
"Tell me about it. This place should be condemned. No wonder he wants to move back in with Mom so badly." Trying to ignore her growing uneasiness, Shelby pointed off to the left. "There's his car."
Glancing in the direction that Shelby had indicated, Kris pulled to the side of the road in front of a small, dingy white trailer, and turned off the ignition. The operative half turned in her seat. "I'm going in with you."
Surprised at the change of plans, Shelby said, "I thought we agreed that you'd wait outside."
The operative wanted to assess Jonathan and assure herself that she wasn't letting Shelby walk into a lion's den. "We did. But I want to get a feel for him."
Shelby thought it over for a moment, actually happy that her partner was going to accompany her at the onset. "Okay, but then I need to talk to him alone. He won't give anything away in front of you."