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wasn't a secret that Harold had never liked Andreas, but Andreas had never fantasized about killing Phoebe's dad. It was a nightmare. Andreas was all for working without letting emotions get involved, but this was absolutely ridiculous. He had no intention of killing his father in law. It was entirely too far. He hoped that the job wasn't what it looked like.

13

Starting the Job
Andreas
    T he next day , Andreas knew that the job was in fact exactly what it looked like. He was running recon on Phoebe's father's habits. It was easier to think about and to speculate about than actually do. Harold Kaine was very cautious with his movements. He was investigating the Agency off the books, which only made him more careful. If Andreas wasn't on the other side, he would be impressed by Harold Kaine's mindfulness. He wasn't an old FBI agent by luck alone.
    Harold stopped at a food truck parked near one of the secret FBI buildings in DC for lunch. When he heard a motorcycle approach his parked van, Andreas took his eyes of him of Harold for just a half second.
    But that was long enough for Harold to disappear into the sea of people on the street at lunchtime.
    Andreas was done for the day. It was better to hang back than try to get out of the van and find Harold in the sea of people. He had enough problems with Phoebe's father as it was. Looking at his watch, Andreas said, "Damn." He told Phoebe that he'd be home for lunch, skipping the lunch shift and bringing her food.
    Andreas started up the van so that he could head back to Chung's as fast as he could go. He pulled together some beef noodle soup, a recipe that he'd learned from a Taiwanese street vendor on a mission a long time ago, before he went home to her, the soup carefully put into a bag.
    He put it in the car and then drove home to his wife.
    "Phoebe," he called as he entered the house, the bag in hand. "I brought you some lunch."
    "It's past two."
    "Sorry, babe. I had to pinch-hit for one of our line cooks who didn't show up."
    "You could've called."
    "It was a last minute thing. I'm really sorry." Andreas would have to figure out a way to show up on time for his wife. Could Siri remind him to consistently come home on time? He'd have to look into it.
    "What did you bring?"
    "Beef noodle soup."
    "The kind with ketchup?" Her eyes lit up.
    "Yup." He started unpacking the bag and putting the contents on their dining room table. "Do you want to get some soup spoons out?" They had big soup spoons that were perfect for this dish. Andreas worked at a Chinese restaurant — or pretended to work at a Chinese restaurant, anyway — so they kept chopsticks on hand.
    When the table was set, Phoebe sat down across from him and took a spoonful of the soup.
    "Wow, this is so good!"
    "Thanks, babe." Andreas took a small sip. It was a little cooler than he'd like, but he had literally thrown it together as fast as he possibly could. He had to keep better track of things; he had a primal need to take care of his wife. There were thin slices of beef brisket on the top, which he had cooked in the hot soup. The slices were a little raw, but Phoebe didn't say anything about it.
    "I made a beautiful doll today."
    "Yeah?" Andreas ate another bite.
    "It's the best one I've ever made yet. I'm so happy about it."
    "That's wonderful, babe."
    She dropped her chopsticks.
    "I know that you get really busy at the restaurant, Andreas. It's okay that you were late."
    "Thanks, babe."
    "I know we've talked about you taking time to test dishes, deliver on your commitments, and attend all those culinary conventions that pull you away overnight, but the most important part to me is that you come home."
    "I appreciate it, honey." He squeezed her hand. "Eat your soup before it goes cold."
    They ate in silence. Finally, Andreas stared at the empty bowl in front of him.
    "That was really good," Phoebe said. He looked over. Her bowl was totally clean.
    "Let's throw all this into the trash." Andreas quickly stacked