Page 108 of Innocent

When I return to the office, I set up my now cleared desk before I head into Elliot’s office. I knock and open the door immediately without waiting, because I know he’s alone, and I want to reinforce our dynamic with him in subtle ways. Obviously, if he was in a meeting, depending on who it was with, I’d wait for him to acknowledge me first.

I find him sitting at his desk and going through what I assume is his Morning Book. I’d left his cell phones with him, so I hold up my new one. “Need your phones.”

He hands over his personal and official cell phones. Not the burner, that can stay with him for right now. He wears a playful smirk I want to spank off him as he watches while I punch my new contact info into both phones. I set my work phone and personal phone as the first two contacts in his Favorites on both phones.

I’m still debating whether or not I should turn my personal cell back on. Anyone who needs to contact me right now will do it through my work phone.

Part of me thinks maybe Leo deserves to worry about me, if he does have a secret tracker on my phone.

Elliot and that smirk of his. “Welcome back, Sir. Must be official if you have a phone.”

I snort. “Any word from Leo?”

His smile fades. “I texted him good morning when I got up, but he hasn’t responded yet. He hasn’t responded to my text from last night, either.”

The disappointment in his tone simultaneously guts and enrages me, that Leo would ignore him.

Yeah, they’re busy. Igetit. Leo’s not on a golfing jaunt.

But he can’t find fifteensecondsto text a reply to his pet? I know damn well he can run the burner from Wi-Fi, and tap into the secure system onAir Force One, or any hotel they’re at, so he has zero excuse about cell towers or networks. They’re in Ottawa, not Outer fricking Mongolia.

I know Leo’s alive, because I would’ve heard something about it already from the detail if he wasn’t. They all know he’s Elliot’s best friend, and that I am—was—close to Leo. One of them would’ve said something.

I must have given something away to Elliot with the tense set of my jaw. “Please don’t be angry at him, Sir. I’m sure he’s busy with the president.”

“Sure. That’s it.” I pocket his phones. While Elliot’s in the office, I will deal with them, so he’s not disturbed. I know what calls can be put through to him, and which ones Suzanne or I should deal with. I’ll only let him hold on to the burner phone when he’s in his office or at home.

“Did they get everything handled for you?” he asks.

“Yeah. They’ll set up my direct desk extension this afternoon.”

Although, usually, I’ll be with Elliot, so he won’t be calling me unless he’s sitting at his desk. It’ll be rare that I’m not with him, or waiting for him outside a SCIF, or the SitRoom, or wherever he goes that I cannot be.

“Oh, a duty officer’s going to come talk to you from the SitRoom,” he says.

That freezes me in my tracks. “Say again?”

He’s wearing “that” smile. “Which part threw you?”

“The part about a duty officer from the SitRoom coming to talk tome.Why?”

“To go over procedures with you and get you a login. They have to do a biometric scan and stuff.”

Nope, brain’s scrambled.“Uh, hold up.Whyam I getting SitRoom access? I was under the impression Doug doesn’t even go into the SitRoom with you.”

“He doesn’t. He doesn’t have clearance.”

“Ooookaaay, then why—”

“Because Doug’s retiring at the end of this term.”

I blink. “El, I can’t be your chief of staff. For starters, I’m not qualified. Secondly, it would defeat the whole purpose of me being your body man—I can’t do that.”

“I know. But I need you to have access for me.” He laughs. “Sir, you met all the clearance criteria.”

“I…did?”

“Yeah. Clean credit, clean background check, not so much as a blemish.” He smirks. “Leo taught you well, and you haven’t screwed it up while you were gone.”