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Instead, he began pacing the familiar halls of the recovery center.
This boutique medical facility had serviced the smaller, surrounding communities before protective services had booked it solid for their stay. Staff had assured both Samuel and Jessica that this time of year there usually wasn’t much use for it. It was too late for those injured from winter sports. And too early to serve those spring and summer adventurers.
If he looked at it another way, their stay was providing low-effort, secured employment for the staff and security.
Samuel still didn’t like it.
For himself, he could easily return to DC on desk duty, whether or not his identity was burned. It didn’t matter.
Jessica was another matter. He suspected Zora had chosen not to recall him so he could keep an eye on Jessica. They all knew that Robin openly discussed the information she received from Daar Suleiman with Jessica, and there was no stopping her.
That infuriating woman.
He hoped she was resting and not pushing herself too hard.
Samuel passed through the central receiving room of the center. The night staff would have retired to the small apartment, so he wasn’t bothering them with his nighttime wandering.
He peered down the L-shaped hall that mirrored his own wing of the center.
Back when he and Jessica had been admitted, the staff had kept them together. At least until the arguments started.
He and Jessica did not see eye to eye on much, and as a result, they’d been separated. Her in one wing. Him in the other.
Truth be told, he liked the distance. Jessica was as distracting as she was infuriating. If she hadn’t stuck her nose into Robin’s business, to begin with, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt. And yet, Samuel understood and respected Jessica’s reasons. Even if he couldn’t support them.
They had rules and regulations for a reason.
Gentle light glowed from the other wing of the center.
Was Jessica awake?
Her skin had been so soft this morning. He stroked his fingertips together as the phantom sensation surfaced.
If she was awake at this hour, she was probably sticking her nose into something she shouldn’t.
Samuel padded quietly down the hall.
Sure enough, the light from Jessica’s room was on and he heard the soft murmurs of the television. He sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie before venturing into her doorway.
While he was still shrouded in shadow, he paused to take in the sight.
Her hair was up in one of those folded over ponytails, creating a mound of messy, pale hair. She clutched what looked like a stick of beef jerky in one hand and a tablet with the other as she scowled at the screen. The blankets pooled at her waist, leaving her swimming in a sweatshirt so big he doubted it had been hers to begin with.
She was objectively beautiful. Most men would find her attractive. But it was her dedication that inspired him.
Anyone could be born with a pretty face, but not everyone chose to give up on a life where anything she wanted could be handed to her in order to do what she thought was right. He might not agree with her. He might want to shake some sense into her. But he would always respect her.
Jessica glanced up and their gazes locked. She blinked several times as if she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. He stepped forward into the light and her expression smoothed into the pleasant face she showed the world.
“Can’t sleep?” she asked.
He lifted his shoulders.
She gestured at the TV. “I was thinking about watching a movie.”
He arched a brow. “Is that what you were doing?”
One side of her mouth screwed up, and she rolled her eyes. “Of course not.”