Page 162 of Innocent

And a familiar-sounding male reply that makes my eyes dropped closed and my knees tremble to be on them again, but not for puking.

Holding my breath for a moment, I listen.

Nothing.

I quickly brush my teeth, wash my face and hands, and emerge to find an empty office.

I retrieve our other phones from our bags and lock all of our phones in Elliot’s desk. By the time I open the outer office door, my mask is firmly in place and Leo is nowhere in sight.

I pause by Suzanne’s desk. She’s alone in the outer office. “Thank you.”

Her practiced smile tells me she doesn’t know what just went down and that she also doesn’t give a fuck, because it’s not her business. “You’re welcome, sir.”

I head downstairs and almost expect to see Leo waiting for me outside the SitRoom, but he’s not.

I scan my hand and punch in my code and the door unlocks.

Forcing a smile, I hold up my hand at the desk officer. “Left the phones upstairs.”

He nods. “Yes, sir.”

The uniformed soldier manning the inner door to the briefing room opens it for me. I suck in a deep breath as I walk in and return to my previous position. The video is off now—thank god—and Leo’s positioned along the far wall, behind Kev, where he can watch me and Elliot. He stands with his arms crossed over his chest and a dark, inscrutable expression fixed in place as he leans against the wall.

I still can’t look him in the eyes.

Near the door, there’s a small table holding pitchers of water, coffee, and mugs and glasses. I pour a glass of water and set it next to Elliot.

Before I can withdraw, he murmurs, “Thank you,” and reaches over to squeeze my left hand.

“You’re welcome, sir.”

Leo watches all this play out. I’m certain he’s noting every damn hair on our heads.

The meeting lasts another hour. Several times, Elliot has me get or do things for him—not just busywork, either—that takes me out of the SitRoom.

Those times, Leo doesn’t follow.

I struggle not to let my mind flash to sounds and images from the video that I desperately wish I could unsee. The poor man’s been dead less than twelve hours, and already, in some parts of the world, his death is being celebrated and used as a recruiting tool for radical terrorism.

The meeting finally concludes and Elliot is dismissed, although not rudely, or anything like that. I can tell, however, there’s more business to be conducted, and Kev and the president remain seated, along with several high-ranking officials.

Meaning Leo remains in his spot, watching us as we depart.

I follow Elliot and we head upstairs to his office. When we reach Suzanne’s desk, he takes a moment to say hello and chat, and asks for a few minutes of privacy, before we continue on inside.

Where he locks the outer door behind us.

Elliot takes off his blazer and points to the bathroom without a word.

I go.

He locks us in, turns on the fan…

And sadly opens his arms to me with a weary look on his face that tells me he’s seen worse.

Not too proud to admit I practically fall into his arms and cling to him as I softly sob.

“It’s all right, Jor,” he whispers into my hair as he tightly wraps me in his arms. “I know it’s horrible.”

“It’snotall right!” I gasp for breath. “Nothingabout that was all right! That…that poor guy. And what about the two women?”

He holds me tighter. “We don’t know yet. Probably going to see what we do before they make their next move.”

We stand there for too damn long as he holds me. I feel like my world has horribly shifted on its axis. I also feel like a failure, because I’m supposed to be comforting him, not the other way around.

Maybe he won’t be the one getting drunk tonight after all.

Maybe it’ll be me.