"You got anything that needs locking up?"

"Yeah." Kris handed Shelby a similar stack of printouts, more than ready to leave the confines of the suffocating office behind.

Shelby locked the safe, then gave the dial a couple of spins. "I thought we could stop at Giant Food on Main Street. That okay with you?"

Kris had forgotten she'd agreed to go grocery shopping and shrugged. "Sure."

Shelby had learned that morning to let Kris go out first, and wait until she finished her perusal of the parking lot before joining her.

She slid into the driver's seat and waited for Kris to get settled and buckled up before exiting her parking place and merging with the other employees' cars as they got in line waiting to merge with the traffic on the parkway. Shelby glanced at Kris and immediately picked up on an increase in tension and alertness that seemed almost second nature to the operative. She knew Kris was just doing her job of protecting her, but she wondered if the woman ever relaxed in public places.

Kris was studying the cars traveling along side of them, but was paying particular attention to those to their rear. She had considered insisting that she drive, but had sensed Shelby would've balked at that and she couldn't very well commandeer a private vehicle. The operative still didn't know what to make of the shooting incident. Until she knew more, she would treat it as a failed attempt on the analyst's life. Something about it bothered her, though, but she couldn't bring the niggling thought to the forefront of her mind.

A short time later Shelby broke the silence, determined to shop for groceries Kris liked too. "What's your favorite food?" When no answer was forthcoming, she glanced over at Kris and reflexively tightened her hands nervously on the wheel. The operative had that hard, cold expression on her face again, and she seemed coiled to strike out at a second's notice. "What's wrong?"

Kris debated whether or not to give an answer. They were being followed again, but it was not the black Honda Accord this time. It was a dark blue Ford Taurus, an excellent choice because of the popularity of the car. This tail was also much more skilled than the previous one had been, and using Shelby's car this morning had obviously proved no stumbling block. Kris was fairly certain the driver didn't know she'd picked him up and decided to proceed to the grocery store as planned and lose him afterwards. If he were well trained, he would remain in the car and wait for them. Her hope was that he would follow them inside so she could visually ID him. All she could determine from her discreet observation in the side mirror was that the driver appeared to be a male because of the short haircut.

Should I worry her now, or wait until we leave the store? Kris made a quick decision, and said, "Keep looking straight ahead, just like you're doing. Do not look in the rearview mirror. We have some company."

Shelby kept her eyes glued to the road and ignored the strong urge to look in her rearview mirror. "What should I do?"

"Nothing. We're going to go to the grocery store, just like we planned. On the way out, you're going to stumble and twist your ankle. After helping you into the car, I'm gonna drive."

The analyst's stomach tightened nervously and the fact that her life really could be in danger settled like a heavy yoke across her shoulders. Up until now, she had managed to force that reality to the back of her mind, preferring to think the shooting had just been a random event.

Kris saw Shelby's face pale and fleetingly questioned her decision to tell her about their tail, but knew her companion needed to understand the seriousness of the situation. "Hey, just take it easy and try to relax."

Yeah, right. "What are you going to do?"

"Lose him and see if he shows up at your apartment."

"You think he might know where I live?" Shelby tensed again, her knuckles turning white from her tightened grip on the steering wheel.

"It's possible. Whoever is following us is a professional." Kris reached over and gently squeezed Shelby's arm. "It'll be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're safe with me."

Shelby found the conviction in Kris' voice reassuring, and her tension began to diminish as she spared a quick look at the operative before turning her gaze back to the road. Kris' face had reflected sincere determination and confidence. Shelby acknowledged again that if anyone could keep her safe, this woman could.


CHAPTER 6

KRIS OPENED HER jacket wider allowing clear access to her gun as they pulled into the grocery store parking lot. She saw their pursuer drive slowly past without turning in and got a sense that he was just on an information gathering mission. Glancing at Shelby when the car came to a stop in a parking place, Kris said, "Don't get out until I'm on your side of the car," before quickly exiting the vehicle.

She had a hunch their being tailed was related to the note she'd left in Georgetown the previous afternoon and cursed Earl for putting Shelby at risk by consigning the analyst to her care. Kris grudgingly acknowledged that her boss couldn't have known that and vowed to keep her charge safe from the darker elements closing in on her.

Blue scanned the parking lot as she casually walked around the car, but the Ford Taurus hadn't returned. It was possible that they didn't know where Shelby lived, but she thought that unlikely.

She briefly thought over the most likely possibilities. If the tail was intended for her, there had to be a leak within the Agency for them to know she was riding with Shelby. Finding that leak might provide her with a valuable bargaining chip should one become necessary.

Second case scenario was that if this tail was related to the shooting incident at the mall, then someone was targeting Shelby and she intended to find out whom. It was also feasible was that they were both being targeted either because of the case or separately for unrelated reasons. This last scenario was potentially the most dangerous, because it would be the hardest to defend against. Regardless, her work was cut out for her.

Blue stood far enough away from the door to allow Shelby to exit the car, then remained between her and the street until they entered the store. Once they were inside, she glanced down at her companion to see how she was handling the situation.

Shelby hadn't been nearly as bothered at being followed by an unknown assailant as she was by the idea that he might know where she lived. In the last couple of days, her previously routine life had become a cloak and dagger affair. First she was shot at, and now someone was following them. She had come to the conclusion that it had to be work related, because the entire sequence of events hadn't started until she had actually been assigned to the case. Shelby fleetingly wondered how Kris could live in a world of danger and deception, where events like these were commonplace.

No longer in the mood to shop, Shelby got a shopping cart anyway, deciding her activities were not going to be curtailed by some stranger in a car, but she acknowledged that her bravery stemmed in part from the comforting presence of the tall woman at her side. She glanced up to see concerned blue eyes regarding her. "Is he gone?"

"For now. He may be parked on the street to avoid being seen."

Oh great! "I wish I knew why he was following us."

Kris snorted. "You and me both."

Shelby decided she'd feel safer at home, even if he did know where she lived, and looked around the store trying to decide where to start. "So what do you like?" When Kris didn't answer her, she glanced up to find the operative's eyes trained on the door.

After several minutes Blue finally turned her attention back to Shelby. While it would have been a stupid move for the driver of the Taurus to follow them inside, she wasn't going to take any chances.

She wanted Shelby to relax a little, not missing the tight set to her shoulders as she began pushing the cart down the aisle. "I want to pick up a few TV dinners."

Her answer had the desired effect when Shelby turned to her indignantly. "You're not serious?"

Kris chuckled at Shelby's disbelieving expression and winked. "Just kidding. I like almost anything. Why don't we get a couple of steaks to broil tonight? With baked potatoes and salad? How's that sound?"

Shelby grinned. "Now you're talking." She decided to use her own judgment for the bulk of the groceries since it was becoming apparent Kris wasn't going to be of much help.



*  *  *

Markov continued down the street to the next light, before turning around and pulling into a service station across from the grocery store. He pulled out his cellular phone and punched in the number of his immediate superior, puzzling over why some of the higher echelon seemed to be working independently in tracking this woman.

Gregor had been expecting the call and answered the phone immediately. He listened with satisfaction to Markov's report. He'd had little time to garner information from his contacts, but what they had provided him with was apparently accurate, because the woman who got out of the car matched the description he had passed on to Markov. "Break off contact. I ran the plates and have an address. I don't want to chance you being spotted."

Markov indignantly protested, "I will not be seen."

Ignoring his subordinate's response, Gregor ordered, "Return at once," and turned the phone off, frowning.