Commitment Read Free Page B

Cassidy observed quietly.
    “Well, he did mention it,” Alex replied playfully as she caught sight of the topic of their conversation.
    Cassidy took a deep breath. She was all too aware that meetings between her wife and Jonathan Krause were seldom of a social nature. The potential realities of those meetings always unsettled her, but she had accepted Alex’s life as part of her own and she was determined to be calm and supportive. “Alex, Pip hates to shop almost as much as you do,” she offered as a weak attempt at humor.
    Alex laughed. “I won’t be late. I’ll call you when I get to Mom’s. Cass?”
    “Yes?”
    “I called,” Alex stopped in her tracks, just shy of her destination. “Well, I just hope our kids love coming here with me as much as I…”
    Cassidy closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “They will.”
    “I hope so,” Alex said quietly.
    “I’m sure Dylan will convince you tomorrow.”
    Alex laughed. “Talk to you in a bit.”
    “I’ll be waiting.” Cassidy hung up the phone and contemplated the envelope in her hand again. “I think this will wait until we are home,” she said.

    “So?” Alex asked.
    “Nice to see you too, Alex,” Jonathan Krause answered as the two began to stroll through Quincy Market.
    “Yeah, well. Not that I don’t love spending time with you,” Alex shot back, “but no offense, I can think of places I’d rather be right now.”
    “How is Cassidy?” he asked.
    “Tired,” Alex sighed. “Truthfully, I’m a little worried about her.”
    “The custody hearing?” he asked with genuine concern. Alex shook her head. “What?” he asked.
    “Just, well…we’ve had a few rounds of trying and nothing. She just seems; I don’t know…like she feels guilty about it or something. The second time I couldn’t even be with her.” Krause stopped their progression. Alex pinched the bridge of her nose and continued. “Jesus. What the hell? I didn’t want to tell her I was relieved. I mean, I know I am not technically responsible, but I’d like to be there when my kid is conceived. Crazy, huh?”
    Krause smiled. “You didn’t tell her that?” Alex shook her head. “You should. I know Cassidy enough to know she would appreciate that. I’ll bet you she felt the same way.”
    “You think so? She seemed so disappointed,” Alex said.
    Krause laughed. “She probably doesn’t want to disappoint you.”
    “She could never…”
    “I know that. Maybe you should tell
her
that,” Krause suggested.
    Alex nodded as they resumed their pace. Jonathan Krause was not someone Alex would ever have imagined regarding as a friend. It was strange; she thought. There was an effortless nature to their relationship. They seemed to understand each other intrinsically. At first, Alex chalked up her inclination totrust the man to the devotion she knew he held to her wife. Over the last few months, she had begun to realize it was more than that. Jonathan Krause was a literal genius. He was as articulate as he was cunning. He was also fiercely loyal to those he cared for, just like Alex. Everything in Alex told her to trust Krause, and she did. She loved Brian Fallon, and she felt a deep sense of loyalty to her NSA roots and Michael Taylor and Steven Brady, but Krause was different. She could read his expressions, and he could anticipate her actions. It was uncanny. Sometimes, when Alex allowed herself a few moments to dissect their relationship, she would begin to question her sanity. After all, Jonathan Krause was a ghost she had hunted for years at the NSA. Now, in what she often considered the strangest turn of events in her life, he had somehow become not only her partner, but her closest friend.
    “You didn’t call me here to discuss my family issues,” Alex said. “What’s going on?”
    “Got a lead on the Cesium Brackett took,” he explained.
    Alex stopped abruptly. “When?”
    “Matthews contacted the admiral last night. Bucharest. Final destination? Unknown.