“Because I lured you into Georgetown and threatened you with a gun?” She bit into her hot dog and enjoyed the explosion of flavors on her tongue—almost as much as she’d enjoyed getting the drop on Gage Sinclair.
Much less enjoyable was her realization that the man still had an effect on her senses. The years hadn’t changed that. Nor had the years seemed to change him. But she’d had plenty of time to outgrow a “crush.” What she felt now, she wasn’t sure.
“Well, there’s that. But I should have seen it coming. More than most people, I’m acquainted with your background and your abilities. What I was thinking was that you’re a cheap date.”
Bailey shot him a look. “This isn’t a date.”
He waved that aside with his free hand. “Whatever. The point is I offered to pay, and I was expecting you to insist on lunch at the Four Seasons complete with French champagne. And I’m also surprised that you like your hot dogs fully loaded.”
She took another bite and spoke around the mouthful. “It’s the only way.”
“No argument there.” Gage took a healthy bite of his own hot dog. “But why here? Why not take my credit card for a ride at someplace trendy and expensive?”
She shot him a serious look. “Someone might see us at a place like the Four Seasons, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be seen together right now.”
Gage bit into his hot dog and chewed thoughtfully. Then he took a swallow of his coffee. “Your boss, Hadley Richards, eats lunch at the Four Seasons at least three times a week. He also spends the occasional night there when he doesn’t want to drive back to his home in Virginia. You don’t want him to see us together.”
Bailey studied him. She hadn’t quite decided if she could trust Gage Sinclair or not. But she badly wanted to. “You keep tabs on Had?”
Gage licked mustard off his thumb. “I like to keep tabs on people I don’t trust.” He turned to face her then. “You don’t completely trust me right now. And the feeling is mutual. Why don’t you tell me why you have doubts about me, and I’ll return the favor?”
Bailey took another bite of her hot dog while she considered. Finally she decided that there was no reason not to follow his suggestion. “Why were you following me?”
“Uh-uh. Explanations first and then questions.” He sipped his coffee and waited.
Bailey studied him for a moment. She’d forgotten how dark and blue his eyes were. They’d always reminded her of sapphires. She had trusted the man who’d recruited her and trained her. But she hadn’t seen him face-to-face since he’d left the CIA seven years ago. He’d come close to death and sometimes that changed a man. But she was already walking on eggshells, and she had a feeling that time was running out on her.
“Go with your gut instinct, Montgomery.”
That was exactly what he’d said to her on the first case they’d worked on together. Besides, what choice did she have? Taking a deep breath, she said, “I know that you went to the Blue Pepper last night to meet Jed Calhoun.”
“You tapped my phone,” Gage said. “I located the bug this morning.”
“I’m not the only one who knew you were there to meet him.”
That had him studying her. “You were followed?”
“I doubt it. Perhaps there were two taps on your phone.”
Gage shook his head. “No. There was only one. I did a thorough search. Someone must have followed you.”
She shook her head. “I’ve been thinking about that, and I don’t think so. I was careful. I was thinking that someone might have followed you.”
“Not a chance,” Gage said.
Bailey wiped her fingers with a napkin. “Well, we were spotted there. My boss told me that much this morning. He either knows or strongly suspects that Jed Calhoun is alive and here in D.C. And he’s keeping an eye on me.”
“It didn’t take you long to shake them loose when you left your office this morning.” Gage licked mustard off his thumb and began to gather up the trash. “Let’s take a walk.”
When she rose, he took her arm, steering her across the grass and away from the steady stream of pedestrian traffic on the pathway.
“So why is Hadley Richards having you followed? Word has it that you’re his golden girl.”
Bailey snorted. “Hardly. It’s my suspicion that I’m right in line to be his scapegoat.” She stopped then and waited for him to face her. “I want you to tell me that you’re not working for him.”
He met her eyes steadily. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told you seven years ago when we finished your training. People can lie. In the end the only thing you can trust is your instincts.”