Chapter 74 Lurking Nearby

So, George and Ellie finally bounced at 4 pm. They were off to Ellie's folks' place to chow down with Mr. and Mrs. Baker and chat about the whole moving and job switch thing.

As expected, Mr. Baker shot down the early retirement and relocation idea right away. George knew better than to push it, so he just rolled with Ellie's lead.

But man, Mr. Baker was one tough cookie.

Even though he got that the job switch and move were to dodge some serious heat, he still wasn't having it.

"Come on, it's not that deep. Think about it. They might come after you guys, but why would they bother with us old-timers?" George laughed.

"Dad, you can't just brush it off like that. It's not about being scared, it's about being smart. Plus, there's plenty of room for you guys over there. If we all live together, we can look out for each other, right?"

"I think Ellie's got a point. Better safe than sorry. And George said he could pull some strings to get you early retirement on medical grounds. It's just a couple of years shaved off, no biggie." Ellie's mom chimed in, looking all worried.
Mr. Baker just frowned and shook his head a bit, picking up his wine glass like he was done talking. The three of them exchanged looks, and George gave a little head shake, signaling to drop it for now.

No one brought it up again, but everyone still had stuff on their minds, making the vibe kinda heavy.

After dinner, Ellie and George didn't hang around. They figured Ellie's dad would want to chat with her mom about stuff they couldn't say in front of them, so they bounced.

On the drive back, George noticed Ellie was still all frowny, looking even more stressed than him. He smiled and tried to calm her down, "Hey, old folks are just hesitant to leave a place they've called home for decades. It's not just about retirement. Give him some time."

"My mom said the same thing, but... we're outta here in a week. The paperwork for my dad will take time, and he might not even agree."

If this was before, she might not have been so freaked out. Like her dad said, those people would be scared of getting caught too. It wouldn't be worth it to go after their clueless old folks.
But now she knew what her husband really did for a living. The folks gunning for him weren't your run-of-the-mill crooks; they were the kind who'd risk it all!

"Don't sweat the procedures. That's just small stuff. As for my dad... if he really digs in his heels, we can get the bureau to tell the criminal investigation team to keep the protection detail on for a bit longer."

"But that's not a long-term fix. They can't just ditch their regular work to babysit my parents," she stammered.

"Look, whether it's us, the cops, or the detectives, our main gig is protection. Why do we nab bad guys? It's all about keeping folks safe, right? Someone needs protection now, so how's that not part of our regular work?"

She was taken aback. How did she not know he could be so smooth with his words? Lately, she realized her husband had some serious charm.

"And um..." George glanced over at her. "Once we have a kid, we can use that to get them on board. They can adjust to the new place, but if they want to see the grandkid, they'll have to come to us, right?"

Ellie's eyes lit up. "You're right! Why didn't I think of that?"
"So, no need to stress. It's all temporary, and we can roll with the punches." The only thing to worry about is if the conditions don't play ball...

Luckily, it was clear Mr. King was only interested in what was in the Pharaoh's tomb, not him.

As for Isaac, who'd got a grudge and knows the Bureau inside out, it was obvious he was not teaming up with Mr. King. Now that Isaac'd messed things up again, it meant not only were they after him, but Mr. King's crew wouldn't let him off the hook either.

For someone stuck in such a tight spot, surrounded on all sides, options were pretty limited. Although he didn't know why Isaac's got beef with him or what his game plan was, there was only so much Isaac could do solo.

Either Isaac kept hiding out, or he wnet after what Mr. King wanted, which meant risking another showdown.

Someone as slick and sneaky as Isaac had probably set up another hideout, just waiting for the right moment.

Especially with that creepy feeling of being watched when he got home yesterday, he was pretty sure Isaac was already lurking around, biding his time...