Chapter 8
Chapter 8
A s expected, the next morning Esther acted as if nothing was amiss. In her mind it probably wasn’t. She wasn’t one to dwell on things, wasn’t a grudge holder, tended instead to focus only on what was currently right in front of her. Leo had started to depend on her unwavering steadiness, but he also knew how easy it would be to take advantage of it.
She slipped into the car and handed him his breakfast and coffee. “Thank you. I’m sorry about yesterday.”
“What about yesterday?” she asked.
“We argued.”
“We did?”
“Yes.” He took a bite of breakfast, resisting the urge to close his eyes and make “yummy” noises. He wasn’t certain if it was that good or if he was that starved for homemade food. Maybe both.
“Was I rude?” she asked.
“Horribly.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, sounding contrite.
He squeezed her knee. “Esther, I’m lying. You weren’t rude. I became angry, snapped at you, and stormed away.”
“Huh.”
“You really didn’t notice?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I must have done something to make you angry. No one gets angry for no reason.”
“I do, actually. Last night, for example.” He tapped his temple. “Lots going on in here, kid.”
She rested her hand on his forearm. “That’s not healthy, Leo. I worry about you. What’s going to become of you when this is finished?”
“I’ll go back to being hungry and miserable.” He tried to be flippant and failed horribly. He had no idea until he said it that the misery had been absent the last few weeks. Whether it was due to Esther’s steady presence or having a task that required his full focus, he didn’t know. For the first time in years, he was fully engaged in his job, in his life. He had missed that feeling of engagement. For so long he’d been ghosting through life, detached, not depressed enough to end it but secretly wishing for it to be over. Was that why he drank so much? Why he rarely ate? Was that his passive way of trying to hasten his end?
Esther surprised him by hugging him and resting her head on his shoulder. “Leo.” He hugged her in return and she shifted, nestling again. He liked that. It was a sort of gift, he thought, an abandonment of herself into his care. He kissed the top of her head and rested his head on it.
“Let’s take the Metro today. We need to get you acclimated.”
“Okay,” she agreed.
“Stop being so agreeable,” he warned.
“Okay.”
“Give me a word before I decide to punish you for your insolence,” he commanded.
“Consanguinity. It means close relationship or connection,” she said.
“I already knew that.”
She pulled away to peer up at him, smiling. “Did you?”
“No, Esther.”
“Big fat sarcasm, my old nemesis,” she said.
He brushed his thumb on her cheek. “You ready to Metro?”
“Yes,” she said, but she didn’t look ready. She looked reluctant and maybe a little afraid. Leo told himself they were doing this for her good, so she would be ready to do it without him when the time came. But as they teemed into the station along with the other swarming mass of humanity, he had to resist the urge to lead her back out again. So many people, so busy, so intent. And there was Esther, small, helpless, lost. She looked like a tourist. Worse than a tourist, she looked like someone new to the country, someone for whom English was a second language, someone too easy to take advantage of, misdirect, kidnap, wound.
He made her buy the ticket, standing watch behind her like Papa Grizzly. He made her insert it, waited until she went through the turnstile, and made his way inside. And that was when his skin started to prickle.
So many years in the military and intelligence had given him a sixth sense, a keen awareness of danger. Casually, he let his gaze drift around them as his hand reached out and clasped Esther’s. If they had to run, he wanted to be prepared. Esther sensed nothing amiss, not in their surroundings, nor in the intimate joining of their hands. She remained staring down the track, watching for the train. Meanwhile Leo saw nothing out of place. No one watched them or hovered nearby. No one had anything that could be a weapon. But he refused to take the reassurance. Something was off, even if he couldn’t see it.
Before he could decide to turn and walk out of the station, the train arrived. Esther tugged his hand, leading him forward. At this point it would be worse to go off on their own, opposite from everyone else. Herd mentality worked in their favor. Few people were willing to commit a crime in front of a crowd of witnesses.
They shuffled onto the train. Leo grabbed a strap and put his arm around Esther, pulling her snugly against him. It was a necessary gesture in the cramped space, but he did it so he could whisper in her ear.
“Do you see anyone on this train you recognize? Be subtle as you scan. Do it slowly and try not to draw attention to the gesture.”
She turned and leaned on him, her back to his front. To anyone observing it would resemble a romantic posture, especially when he slipped his arm around her waist. But she was merely trying to get a better vantage point.
After a slow perusal of their fellow passengers, she turned, stood on her toes, and whispered in his ear. “Five people.”
His hand tightened on her waist. Five? Were they being herded by an entire group? “Which five?” he croaked.
“The old lady three paces away works at the grocery store on my block. The man with blond curly hair works at the library I frequent. The man with red hair lives in the building next to mine, and the woman with natural hair works in the building next to ours.”
“Who is the fifth person you recognize?” he asked.
“You.”
It was such an Esther thing to say that he sputtered a laugh. “I wasn’t supposed to be included on the list.”
“You didn’t specify,” she said. Somehow through all the hard jostling of the train, they had shifted slightly. His hands were on her hips, her arms resting on his shoulders, her lips brushing his ear when she spoke.
“Have any of them ever followed you before, ever shown up somewhere unusual?” he asked.
She shook her head and rested it on his chest, nestling. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. If they were supposed to look like a couple in this moment, he might as well sell it.
When Leo was young and full of himself, he was never uncertain. He barreled toward every decision with the certainty only youth can bring. But now, after the school of hard knocks, he found himself in doubt. Why were they taking the Metro when it was riddled with danger? Eventually Esther would have to navigate the route herself; he wanted her well-trained for that moment. But was it crazy to train her when she was possibly being followed? Or was she being followed? Was he seeing phantoms because he was stressed about having her in his care? Suddenly he missed the cockiness of his youth. Uncertainty wasn’t an emotion he would ever warm to. Then again, just because he’d been certain of an action back then didn’t mean it was correct. He had gotten himself and his teammates in trouble more than once because he failed to listen, to take heed. Perhaps what he needed to work on in the future was finding a balance, learning to pause and check his gut before he acted.
What did his gut tell him right now? If someone was following them, the threat was low. At this point, teaching Esther to take over the reins of her own care outweighed a menace, real or imaginary. If someone revealed himself to be a danger, then Leo would neutralize. Until then, Esther needed to learn how to function in everyday life.
“Tell me when it’s our stop,” Leo whispered, his mouth conveniently close to her ear.
She straightened and stared hard at the map on the wall of the train. “We’re next, I think, right?”
“I don’t know. Are we?”
She gave him an annoyed little shove and stepped closer to the map, squinting. Leo watched other people watch her. An old woman smiled benevolently. Esther had the sort of wholesomeness that appealed to the older set, like she should be on a poster for Swiss tourism, her hair in braids, her hands busy milking a cow. One of the young men, the one who worked at the library she frequented, watched her with a different kind of interest, a kindling attraction. He took a step forward, as if he was going to approach. Leo shifted, unconsciously flexing, and the boy stepped back and looked away, blushing.
Was that all this was? Was Esther being pursued by a whelp who wanted to ask her out? Now Leo eyed Esther critically. Would she be interested in the boy? Had she ever been on a date? Was she as na?ve about men as she was about everything else in life? Sometimes he felt like the day she arrived in DC was the day she first hatched into being. She had knowledge, too much knowledge. She could spout facts about everything. But she had zero street or common sense and a vague sort of detachment toward her emotions. And yet she had them. She was funny, kind, caring, sweet.
The robotic voice of the Metro announced the upcoming stop. Esther turned to Leo and held out her hand. “This is us, for certain.”
Leo put his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “This is us, I agree.”