Relief eased some of the strain from Leah's smile, and more so when Charlie removed her helmet. The rifle was indeed unsettling, but having a cop for a brother had desensitized her somewhat. That wasn't to say she was a huge fan of guns. Leah had strict rules about no weapons in her apartment, especially when Marigold was around. Being a single mom kind of made her all the more paranoid about things like that.
Swearing must be a cop thing, Leah thought with amusement. Brandon and his pals had dirty mouths. In fact, she used to have one herself, until her daughter came along. Then it didn't seem like such a good idea, spouting off profanities when her little girl could easily pick them up and go shouting them around pre-school. "Oh, sure, of course. And if he does give you any crap for it, feel free to lay all the blame on me," she offered with a more genuine smile.
"Mommy, I want Bran-Bran," Marigold mumbled about her uncle, arms wrapped tightly around her mother's neck.
Leah turned her gaze away from Charlie, giving the other woman a bit of privacy while she contacted her boss. "You'll see him soon, sweetie." She pursed her lips, pressing her hand to Marigold's ear when Charlie starting swearing. There was admiration there, as well, despite the potty mouth. A female FBI agent — hell, a female cop — was far too rare for her liking. Seeing a strong female in this line of work made Leah feel proud.
A grin came when Charlie gave her a thumbs-up. "You too, Charlie. It's nice to meet a tough chick who isn't afraid to show the boys she's better than they are." And with any luck, her daughter would grow to be one of those, as well.
Turning, Leah started walking in the direction of Times Square. "I never realized they had FBI agents out working on New Year's Even. I mean, I knew there were a ton of cops wandering around..."