by C R Riley
She keeps pressing the button like it will make the elevator move faster. "Do you know what it's like to… why didn't anyone notify me, the moment they found my phone with those texts?"
"Seriously?" Calloway laughs mockingly. "We had reason to believe…"
The doors open, and she tramples off it, heading straight for the room.
"Open the door." Johannah orders through grit teeth as she stares at the security box. She'd open it herself, but is pretty confident he has it so only he or his team can access it.
"I can't." Calloway crosses his arms.
Johannah nearly loses her cool, except the voice behind her hinders that from happening. "You heard her, Agent Calloway, open the door."
"Mr. President, I can't…" Calloway dares to argue with the man.
"Do I need to remind you…"
Calloway grunts his disapproval as he enters the code in the security box and the door unlocks. "I am only trying to get the answers you yourself demanded we get, sir."
Johannah doesn't wait to hear how this plays out, nor does she let anyone else follow her inside. She steps into the room and closes the door behind her quickly.
She regulates the temperature of the room to a more comfortable one both of them can tolerate. Next, she enters a code that locks the door and overrides Calloway's. The only person who can override it is her director or the President. Right now, she has a feeling neither will enter until instructed to do so. Afterward, she turns and cautiously approaches the man kneeling on the floor mumbling. She retrieves the set of keys she always has with her from her pocket and approaches him from behind.
"Jaxon." Her voice is soft.
Jaxon stops rocking, as he rotates his head, so he can look at the person speaking.
"I'm going to remove these cuffs," Johannah informs him. She is disturbed by the sight of him slouched, appearing defeated.
His head falls forward again, where he stares at the picture in front of him. When his hands are free, he shifts them forward. He picks it up, bringing it to his lips, so he can kiss it. Then he runs his fingers across it as if he is touching her.
"Jaxon." Johanna moves, she is now kneeling in front of him. "Jaxon, look at me."
"You're not real. You're just a figment of my imagination." Jaxon leans forward and kisses the picture again. "Why can't I feel you anymore? Where have you gone?"
Johannah reaches out and tugs on the picture until he lets it go. Then she takes her hands and shows them to him before she wraps them around his. "I am real. Feel me, Jaxon."
Jaxon's head lifts slowly until his eyes find hers. His hollow eyes suddenly get a little life back in them.
"Hannah?" Her name is no more than a whisper.
"It's me Jaxon. I'm here. I'm real. I'm okay. Sorry, it took me so long to get to you." Johannah leans forward and places her lips against his, just to let him know it's really her.
His eyes never leave hers.
"I feel you," Jaxon speaks against her lips. "Kiss me again."
Johannah lets go of his hands and places them on his face and then kisses him like only she has ever done. Never breaking eye contact, so he knows it's really her. "Good."
"You're okay?"
"I'm okay."
"Colton?"
"He's okay too." Johannah runs her hand across his cheek. "You okay?"
"I am now." Jaxon rises on his knees and wraps her in his arms. "I am now, Hannah."
He stares up at the camera and speaks for the first time since they gave him those pictures. "I'll tell you anything you want to know."
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jaxon doesn't plan on letting Hannah out of his line of sight for a very long time. The door finally opened after hours of being left in a room that constantly changed from hot to cold. With nothing but her picture to stare at, convinced that was the only way he was ever going to get to see her. So, he studied those photos diligently, letting his mind drift back to all the times he had been with her. Remembering each moment as if it was happening right then.
When the door opened and the aroma of rosemary and mint entered. He assumed his mind had dreamt the whole thing up. And when the voice behind him sounded like hers. Soft and sweet, even though he'd turned his head, he still didn't believe it was hers.
He'd refused to look up at the mirage when it spoke, now in front of him. Didn't want to be disappointed when it turned out to be someone else. A person who smelled and sound similar to his Hannah.
It wasn't until he watched her hands take his. Felt the warmth of them envelop his still burning skin, did he dare to glance up. Her name so easily spilled from his dry lips, that he wasn't sure he'd even spoken it or just thought it. But when her lips touched his, while his eyes were locked with hers, that's when he realized she really was his Hannah.
She felt so good in his arms; he had almost refused to let her go when she urged him back moments later. Her hands began slowly traveling over his heated skin. Starting at the top of his head, she took the time to run them all over him. Cooling off the unwanted heat that still burned his skin. All that unwarranted contact he suffered earlier. It was as if she understood that her touch was the cure, capable of easing it.
The door opens once again after she asks for someone to bring her a couple of bottled waters. The agent that enters, isn't one he recognizes from his earlier encounters. This time it is another woman, one who seems to admire the woman in front of him. The two exchange words, although he isn't coherent enough to understand what they are.
It isn't until Jaxon felt the cool liquid against his lips, did he realize Hannah was talking to him again. "Drink." She orders as she tips the bottle against his lips. "Slowly first. That's it. Better?"
Jaxon nods his head as he lets the cool water slide down his parched throat. He takes several more sips from the offered bottle before he answers. "Much."
"Agent Barker, could you have someone bring me a dry t-shirt and some pants? I need to get Mr. Cristiano out of these wet clothes." Hannah's fingers brush the soaked strands of his hair and push them behind his ear.
"One step ahead of you." The other woman reaches behind her and passes her a duffle bag. "I had them pull some items from one of his bags they were riffling through."
Jaxon is certain he hears a little irritation in the other woman's voice.
Hannah dismisses the agent before she speaks to him again. "Jaxon. Lift your arms for me."
Jaxon does as she orders and shivers when he feels the cold wet polo shirt lift and away from his skin. His eyes find hers instantly once the shirt has cleared his vision. There is a slight pink tint to her cheeks now.
"Okay, up you go." Hannah stands and reaches for the snap of his jeans. "Not quite how I envisioned this occurring the first time between us."
Jaxon blinks several times as if he is unsure what she is talking about. Her fingers slip under the waistband of his jeans and then slide the first button free from its slot. When he felt that his eyes jerk downward. "What are you doing?" His voice is deep and strained.
Johannah's fingers continue to move south, searching for a zipper, only to discover there isn't one. Along with something else she wishes she hadn't. She closes her eyes and swallows, working the next button loose.
"Hannah?" Jaxon's hands land on hers. "What are you doing?"
Yep, she was spot-on about her first assumption. She however is determined to get him out of these drenched and uncomfortable jeans. Which is why she continues and tries not to think too hard about it. Good thing she had them turn off the cameras or the room upstairs was going to get a peek of him.
"I'm helping you get out of these wet clothes." Johannah clears her throat and dares to glance down at her hands. They are now slightly trembling as they release the last of the buttons on his fly. "You'll be more comfortable in dry clothes."
Jaxon removes her hands cautiously from his fly and places them in one of his hands. The other rises to her chin and brings it up, so she is now looking at his eyes instead of his
crotch. When their eyes lock, he shivers again. Not only because the air is cooling his skin but also because of the heat he witnesses in hers. "I can do it. Turn around."
Her gaze drifts south. "You realize you are not wearing…"
Jaxon drops his forehead to hers, forcing her to gaze up at him again. "I typically never wear them. Find them a bit restrictive and uncomfortable. Turn around."
She does and then looks directly at the camera in the corner. The red light is not on right now, which means it's not recording, but it doesn't mean someone isn't watching.
Johannah bends over and scoops up his wet shirt, tossing it up to cover the camera. "Just in case."
Jaxon snickers as he slides out of his damp jeans. "Thank you."
It feels so much better to get them off now that he is more alert to his surroundings. He steps into the clean pair of briefs the other woman brought before he slips on the dry jeans.
"Okay, I'm good now. You can look."
Johannah spins in time to catch him fastening the last few buttons of his fly. "You could model jeans for a living if you ever get bored sitting in a boardroom." She reaches down and picks up his dry t-shirt. "Here, put this on, so we can get out of here."
Jaxon slips it on and then takes one step towards her. "I thought…"
Johannah covers his mouth with three fingers. "I know and I'm sorry. I had no idea about the texts because my phone must have slipped out of my pocket during the ordeal with Colton. Otherwise, I would have at least sent you a response, or met you at the airport myself."
She reaches behind her and yanks down the shirt covering the camera. Discovering the red light is back on again. Just like she suspected, someone was watching and listening. She isn't at all sorry she at least obstructed his or her view.
"Are you up to answering a few more questions?" She waits for him to nod once. "I'll be with you this time. When we have been cleared, I'll escort you back to your hotel."
"Okay." Jaxon follows her out of the room and into a hallway lined with agents.
He still is feeling overwhelmed by the whole situation. Now that Hannah is here with him, he is beginning to calm down. He has a feeling his nerves will remain on edge until he is allowed to leave and get back to familiar surroundings.
"Excuse us." Johannah reaches behind her and takes his hand. "Everyone, please back up and give us some room. I am taking custody of Mr. Cristiano and will be responsible for him from this point forward. Unless you are a member of my team, you need to return to whatever hole you crawled out of."
All but four agents leave.
One of the agents who refuses to move is Special Agent Calloway. "This is my case."
"No, it's mine. I am the Special Agent in Charge. Unless that has changed, my team will be taking over this investigation. I appreciate you stepping in while I did what needed to be done with Agent Garris. Even giving me time to regroup and get some much-needed rest. However, I don't appreciate being left out in the dark like I was. I should have been notified immediately about what was going on. Not been placed inside a room to fill out a report, while you interrogated an innocent man." Johannah signals one of the other agents, the one who was in the room earlier.
Calloway however stands his ground. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you…"
Two other agents step out of the room next to his, followed by the President himself. "I believe Special Agent Kohl outranks you and it's her call."
"He's her boyfriend." Calloway points at Jaxon. "I believe that is a conflict of interest."
"It's not your call." President Andrews turns to face Jaxon. "Plus, I believe Mr. Cristiano isn't involved. And unless we can prove otherwise, Agent Kohl will remain the Special Agent in Charge. It will be her decision on how we move forward. Am I clear?"
Calloway gestures he understands. He also makes it transparent he doesn't agree with his body language alone. He turns and leaves in the same direction as the rest of the agents, mumbling the entire time.
Agent Barker opens a different door and waits for the rest of the group to join her. This room is set up with a conference table and six comfortable chairs.
Johannah takes a seat and motions for Jaxon to sit next to her. Agent Barker sits on the other side of her, while the President and his two agents sit across from them.
The silence at first is very awkward.
Finally, President Andrews speaks. "First off, I believe we owe you an apology, Mr. Cristiano. As soon as I realized what was transpiring, I ordered my security to bring me here, so I could straighten this whole mess out."
Jaxon glances around the table. "What exactly did happen?"
Johannah reaches under the table and places her hand on Jaxon's thigh, causing him to flinch. It pains her to get a reaction like that from him. Because typically her touch, no matter if he is expecting it or not, is always welcome. She is however pleased when she feels his hand rest over hers, holding it there so it doesn't move.
"The text you sent me, the first one, was taken out of context. Because of all that had transpired, I believe Agent Calloway misinterpreted it as a threat and not a warning. And because he was unaware of the status of our relationship, he reacted prematurely." Johannah explains.
"Typical Calloway." The agent next to Johannah mutters.
Johannah shakes her head as a warning and the other agent retreats. "I'm not sure I wouldn't have done the same had I been given the Intel he had been given."
"Jo, give yourself more credit than that. Even if you had commandeered Mr. Cristiano's plane the moment it landed on U.S. soil. You would have at least been forthcoming with him. Given him some answers, instead of leaving him to believe the worst."
"Gina, I'm glad you have so much faith in me." Johannah sighs. "Jaxon, I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Hannah." He squeezes her hand. "But could someone please explain this to me?"
"Jaxon, at the same time your father was being gunned down in front of you. There was an attack on Colton Andrews at his school. Luckily, Kendra and I were able to prevent it from ending tragically. Although she took a bullet to her leg and gave us all a good scare." Johannah removes her hand and places them both on top of the table.
"I had no idea you tried to warn us. Although after looking at the timestamp of both shootings, it appears they transpired within moments of each other. Your warning wouldn't have come in time. Why didn't you try to get ahold of someone when you couldn't reach me, to let them know about the threat?" A question she has been asking since she read his first text.
Jaxon does his best to answer. "My only concern at the time was you. I wasn't thinking rationally, I suppose. At first, I didn't believe my father, thought he was…"
President Andrews takes over. "I believe seeing him shot like that, does things to the mind. While I would have liked to have been notified of such a threat, I can't say that I blame you for acting the way you did. I myself got a little caught up when I heard about Colton. Putting my life in danger."
One of the agents with Andrews chuckles at his honesty.
"As you can see, even Brett understands." He nudges the man. "My point is, I'm sure that had you been questioned properly, we could have avoided most of this mess. Now, why don't you tell me what happened."
Jaxon does just that. He explains the meeting that took place between his father and him. Gives them as many details as he can recall, while Agent Barker writes it down.
All the agents in the room have questions, even Johannah. Jaxon does his best to answer them, even though most of them he has no specific answer to.
He has no idea why someone would target him or Johannah. Doesn't honestly know what illegal activities Lucas was involved in. He explains why his interest in the island was more personal than it was professional. The other properties he bought were purchased to fix a wrong Lucas Jackson had done years ago to his friend Austin Boyd.
Explained that all four properties were losing money for Lucas, according to his financials. That is why Jaxon purchased them
from him at such a low price. He only recently learned Lucas selling them to him had caused his father some other problems. Those sales had made some of his investors very unhappy.
After a full ninety minutes of going over every detail imaginable. Everyone seemed to be satisfied with Jaxon's innocence. He was once again left alone in a room, while the other agents conversed with the President elsewhere. At least this time he was left with a bottle of water, along with a promise from Hannah that she would return soon.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Johannah escorts Jaxon back to his hotel room around ten that evening. It has been one of the longest days she can remember having in a very long time. Finding him in the state he was in has certainly messed with her mind and emotions.
On the way to the hotel she stopped and picked up a pizza since neither of them had eaten. Even though eating was the last thing she wanted to do once they got alone. Johannah knew it was necessary, and most likely the safest thing for them to do.
They enter the hotel suite and sit down at the table where they eat in silence. Neither dares to make eye contact with the other person. Recognizing that it would set off something deep down inside of them.
After Jaxon has had his share, he stands and excuses himself, so he can clean up. Requesting her not to leave until he returns.
Johannah clears the dinner mess while she waits. Calls her parents, explaining what she could about what was going on. When she hangs up with them, she finds herself in front of his large window. Staring out at the monuments lit up in the distance. The last time she stood here in this spot, the adventure she has found herself now in, took a wicked turn.
"Still the best view I've ever seen." Jaxon's voice echoes from across the room.
Johannah can identify his reflection behind her as he approaches. Her eyes catch his and locks in. "I agree."
"I meant you, not the city beyond you." Jaxon stops and places his hands on her shoulders. He shifts forward, inhaling her rosemary and mint scent before he whispers his request. "Stay."
