“Thanks, Dad,” she’d text her father when bragging to him about how many bull’s eyes she’d acquired. The feeling was exhilarating.
Chloe had also survived several more rounds of scenarios and shootouts at Hogan’s Alley. Ran endless miles every morning and performed sit-ups and push-ups until she dropped in exhaustion improving her scores with every round of testing.
The night before graduation, she had met Liam Esposito for the last time, walking to the far corner of the Marine Base to make sure they weren’t seen or followed. Being in his arms made all the fatigue and brain meltdowns worth it, although they kept it short just in case someone was looking for them back at the main building.
“We’re awfully lucky we’ve never been caught,” Chloe had said when Liam kissed the back of her hand.
“We may not have fooled everyone,” he had admitted. “There are always some NATs who get romantically or physically involved, but it’s kept on the down low and nobody talks about it much—despite it being against the rules.”
“There are times when Lindsey and Marla give me a particular look when you come into the room. I try to keep my expression impassive, but maybe someone has seen us and there have been whispers. Or maybe they just grin at me because every woman in our class thinks you’re the hottest agent in town.”
Liam’s laugh made Chloe’s heart rise into her throat. “You exaggerate, sweetheart,” he murmured into her hair. “And I’m lucky that my bosses, Wells and Fedorko, return to their own homes every night. They’re rarely around in the evenings unless we’re practicing night reconnaissance. But soon, Chloe,” he had added, his voice trailing off.
“Soon what?” she had teased.
“We won’t have to hide our relationship.”
“But we don’t even leave campus to have our secret meetings,” she protested innocently. “Or sit in a dark car. We stand right outside for anyone to see.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “But only if you’re taking a very late-night stroll around a Marine Base. And like hiding under giant willow trees.”
“We’re getting our marching orders tomorrow, right? Same day as graduation?”
“Yep. They’ll announce the field assignments when you get your diploma.”
“Are you receiving a new assignment?” Chloe asked. “Or are you staying here to train the next incoming class of NATs? Where you’ll fall in love with another girl while I’m sent off to Timbuktu,” she added with a sudden choke.
“Hey,” Liam said softly, bringing Chloe in close. She pressed her face against his shirt, inhaling his sexy cologne while his arms tightened. “I’ve never fallen in love with anyone else before, and I don’t intend to start. Whatever our new assignments are, we’ll figure it out. Try not to worry.”
Now Jenna reached over to squeeze Chloe’s arm when they raised their right hand to take the oath and be officially sworn in as special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The rustling sounds of paper programs from the audience of family members stilled while the class of fifty repeated the solemn and sober words to uphold the constitution of the United States and swear to protect the country and its citizens against all enemies, domestic or foreign.
The feeling of being part of something big and important and special filled Chloe with awe. She would never forget this moment.
After the swearing in, there were remarks by their instructors, as well as the Quantico president and other officers.
Finally, Chloe and Jenna and the rest of their classmates moved closer to the stage to wait for their turn to go on stage and complete the journey they had endured at the Academy.
Since the line-up was done in alphabetical order, Jenna received her badge before Chloe—who was one of the last to be called up on stage.
Jenna’s parents and her younger sister were in the audience sitting by Chloe’s mom and dad, as well as her older brother, Carter—and Frank. Chloe was sure that the loud voices she heard whistling when hers and Jenna’s names were called was Carter and Frank. She had finally reached her dream and succeeded, and Chloe knew she would never forget this moment.
All at once, Chloe was on stage and accepting the credential paperwork and her badge from Agent Wells, shaking hands with the woman and then Agent Fedorko. Standing in line with the other instructors, Liam shook her hand, too, giving Chloe a smile and a quick wink only she could see.
“Congratulations, Agent Romano,” he said in his deep beautiful voice.
“Thank you, sir,” she said, turning to walk down the stage stairs where the rest of her class excitedly compared their diplomas and shimmering gold badges.
She and Jenna launched into each other’s arms to embrace, trying not to jump up and down like teenagers.
“Hey, roomie,” Chloe said. “We made it, we actually made it.”
Jenna wiped away a small tear, but grinning wildly. “It feels like a dream. Did you see our families sitting together? And Frank made it, too! I cannot wait to see him after the ceremony.”
“You two deserve some time together. Only four months before the wedding! Now we get to do a real countdown.”
“Please let our assignment be in the South,” Jenna pleaded, looking upward to the ceiling of the auditorium.
“From your lips to God’s ears, Agent Fielding.”
Chloe turned the gold FBI badge over and over in her hands. It was stunning. A symbol of so many years of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, not just the twenty weeks she had spent here at Quantico.
“NATs,” a loud voice called out from the podium. It was Agent Wells. “You may now put on your badges.”
The applause was thunderous in the room, as the newly ordained special agents pinned on their shiny, new badges.
“Don’t take them off—not even when you sleep,” Agent Fedorko added, leaning into the microphone to joke. Laughter burst throughout the room and a sudden murmuring chatter from the audience.
“How about when we shower?” Wade said in a joking tone.
“Nope,” Christian told him with a jab of his elbow. “For you, it even has to be worn in the shower. Or you might forget it when you go to work.”
“It feels like we’re part of this great, big family that spreads across the globe,” Chloe said.
“I love that,” Jenna said, giving her another hug.
“Now it’s time to announce your assignments,” Agent Fedorko boomed out from the stage. “It’s in the letter that you hold in your hands, but we’ll announce them one by one so everyone can hear the location you’ve been assigned to. Assignments to field offices are determined by the needs of that particular office and your own qualifications and skills and specialties.”
The group of newly ordained agents climbed up the stage stairs to stand in rows while Agents Wells, Fedorko, and Esposito read off the assigned field office for each person.
It was exciting to hear where everyone was going. These people that Chloe had come to know and love. Exceptional people she had lived with, eaten with, trained with, and fought and sweated and sometimes cried with.
Christian was going to Southern California. Wade to Seattle. Marla to St Louis, Missouri, and Lindsey to Atlanta.
“Jenna Fielding has been assigned to Baltimore, Maryland.”
“Whoa,” Chloe said under her breath. “That was a little unexpected when we both requested somewhere in North or South Carolina. Say goodbye to our southern dreams—and the sweet iced tea I miss so much.”
But not everybody got their requested locations—only about a third of them did, and when that happened, there were cheers and a few whistles of approval.
Several more NATs were assigned, heading to cities such as Anchorage, Houston, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Honolulu, Hawaii.
“I’m next,” Chloe whispered, a knot in her throat.
Agent Fedorko opened up the next paper and glanced out at the audience. “Agent Chloe Romano is assigned to Baltimore, Maryland.”
C
hloe’s jaw dropped. “No way,” she whispered.
“We’ll be serving in the same office,” Jenna said, turning to her. “Just like I thought would happen!”
“Your premonition was right again,” Chloe said, feeling a moment of stunned shock. “I guess Baltimore must be short-staffed?”
At least she and Liam could now openly communicate, see each other, and visit on weekends. Baltimore was only about 40 miles from Washington D.C. If Liam stayed here at Quantico, it would be closer to a two-hour drive, but better than a thousand miles or more.
“Excellent news for you, eh?” Jenna said, leaning in to squeeze Chloe’s hand and give her a wink.
Following the graduation ceremony and festivities, the new agents were told to go directly to the weapons vault to pick up their FBI-issued pistol and ammunition.
Chloe hefted the newly minted Glock chambered for 9 millimeter bullets. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed, putting it into the new shoulder holster she had picked up at one of the gun stores the previous weekend.
“It’s a little sobering, isn’t it?” Jenna said. “We’ll be putting criminals and terrorists behind bars and safeguarding the nation. Protecting real lives. Not actors in Hogan’s Alley.”
“Time to pack up our stuff and head to our field offices,” Chloe said, shaking her head in wonder. “This is it. We are so lucky to be together. It’s like a miracle.”
“We get a whole weekend for travel. Such a long break,” Jenna added sardonically.
“Spend it all with Frank and your parents.”
“Frank got us a rental car and plans to drive me up to Baltimore. We’ll have the entire weekend to talk about the wedding and discuss his transfer to Baltimore and figure out where to get an apartment. That could be tricky. But I may end up in Baltimore for several years. At least he has a flexible schedule and company.”
“I’m sorry, Jenna,” Chloe told her.
She shrugged. “At least it’s not thousands of miles away in Hawaii or Alaska. We can see our families more often than some of our fellow new agents.”
Jenna always seemed to look at the bright side of things. Although the soberness in her expression the day of the bridal photo shoot continued to haunt Chloe. It was probably nothing, but she had never seen that particular expression on her friend’s face before.
“Is Liam staying here at Quantico?” Jenna asked after signing the paperwork for the weapons and preparing to leave the gun vault and find their families. They had planned a celebration dinner together.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet.”
“There he is now.” Jenna gave a small wave, and Chloe turned to watch the man she craved to be with every single moment walk toward her.
“Agent Romano, Agent Fielding,” Liam said. “Congratulations again. You did well here at Quantico, and I expect that you both will become excellent agents over the next three years while you’re on probation in Baltimore.”
“Thank you, sir,” Chloe said primly, knowing other people could hear their conversation. “I appreciate all your help here at Quantico. All the training and advice you’ve given our class of NATs.”
He grinned at her while she said the proper, neutral words. Even Jenna was trying not to laugh.
“It takes about three years to get your sea legs under you,” Liam went on. “But that’s part of the adventure. And I have some news of my own.”
“Well, tell us!” Chloe demanded. “Are you staying here or being transferred? I was hoping you’d remain here to make it easier to see . . .” she trailed off, but the inference was obvious.
Liam gazed into Chloe’s eyes. His expression was hard to read and her stomach dropped.
“Where? Somewhere far away? Please tell me it’s not Europe or some specialized assignment in the Middle East—”
“No, Agent Romano,” Liam said softly. “I’m being reassigned to Baltimore, Maryland.”
Chloe blinked, an odd buzzing in her ears overwhelming her senses. “I’m confused. Is that good or bad?”
“The good news is that we’ll be working together every day,” he said with a grim smile. “The bad news is that I’ve been assigned as your trainer in Baltimore in the Drug and Crime Unit. I’ll be your supervisor. Your boss.”
“No,” Chloe whispered. It felt like the bottom of her world had just dropped out from under her feet.
If Liam was her boss, her new supervisor, that meant no fraternizing. Ever. No more secret moonlight meetings. No more embraces or secret kisses pressed against her hair. There was no hope for them now. Not for at least three years. Maybe more if they were assigned to remain in Baltimore indefinitely.
“Drug cartels from South America have been mobilizing in Baltimore and laying down roots the last couple of years that are now spreading across the country. There are drug cells everywhere. Our job is to find them, root them out, and prosecute. Depending on their citizenship status, they go into the Federal Prison system, or we deport them to whatever country they came from. It’s dangerous work, but I think we’re up to the task. You both did great field work in Hogan’s Alley as well as physical fitness on the Yellow Brick Road. Not to mention that both of you excelled on the gun range. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume you had come straight from the military.”
“Sounds fascinating, and hard,” Jenna said, her eyes flickering toward Chloe. “But how does our previous work experience before we came to Quantico help with drug enforcement?”
“The drug gangs are skilled with computers, and Chloe is my computer whiz at hacking and spying. And you, Agent Fielding, are an accounting expert. We’re trying to break into their computers to get their financial records of deposits and transactions to track them down.”
“When we locate them, are we supposed to infiltrate their organizations and take them down?” Chloe asked. Her eyes were latched onto Liam’s face, as if she needed to memorize it and brand it forever in her mind and soul, even though they would be working closely together on a daily basis.
“That’s correct,” Liam said quietly. “Are you up to the task?”
“Of course, Agent Esposito,” Chloe said, trying to keep her words from cracking. Her heart felt like it had been breached—like a computer hacker had just turned her world upside down. There was no chance that they could ever be together now.
“Chloe,” Liam said, his voice filled with an emotion as strong as her own.
She held up a hand, desperate to maintain her composure. She couldn’t cry here. Not with so many people so close by. “Breaking into dangerous criminal computers is the easy part, isn’t it? It’s the dangers of the heart that I’m more worried about.”
Chapter 13
~ THREE MONTHS LATER ~
“Agent Esposito,” Barbara Workman, the Baltimore Federal Bureau of Investigation Field Office secretary, said, leaning forward to speak into the intercom. “Agent Romano is here to see you.”
“Thanks, Barbara,” Chloe casually told the woman she’d been getting to know the last few months, even though her heart was stuttering inside her chest.
When Chloe walked through the door, Liam rose and came around his desk, shutting the door for privacy. “Chloe,” he said softly. “I’ve missed you. I was thinking you were coming in tomorrow.”
Biting at her lip, Chloe glanced behind her but she could see through the glass door that Barbara had moved to the bank of filing cabinets for a manual search in the old files. “You must have gotten your dates mixed up, buddy,” she said, her lips curving into a smile.
Seeing Liam in the flesh, so tall and broad and devastatingly gorgeous, set tingles dancing along Chloe’s skin. She could never get enough of him, despite the fact that they could never be alone or touch each other.
When Agent Esposito was assigned the position as her supervisor in the Baltimore field office, Chloe had been convinced the painful twist of fate was designed to torture her. The kind that continued to squeeze Chloe’s heart. Or rip it into shreds. Both,
depending on the day.
“Isn’t it the third of December?” Liam asked.
“Nope, it’s the fourth, Special Agent. Maybe you’re working too hard. When was the last weekend that you didn’t work?”
He quirked an eyebrow, his eyes resting briefly on her lips. “Probably the same weekend you didn’t come into the office.” There was a small pause, and before Chloe could speak again, Liam went on in his deep voice, “I’ve missed you, Chloe. Every day you’re out working on the streets or when you’re in court.”
“It hasn’t taken very long to learn that there’s no such thing as a typical day for an agent.”
Liam laughed, pulling a chair up for Chloe to sit across from him.
“One day I’m executing a search warrant, another an arrest, while a few days later I’m testifying in court.”
“Lately, all I’m doing is catching up on paperwork, but I do have a high-level source coming in for a meeting this afternoon. It keeps the work exciting.”
“Never dull. I love it, actually, although I thought I’d be spending more time using my computer skills than out on the streets doing interviews and tracking down clues for our elusive drug gang,” Chloe admitted, sitting back and crossing her legs.
Liam glanced down at her shapely bare legs for a split second then lifted them to her face again, letting out a soft whistle before shaking his head to laugh at himself.
She grinned at him, but the smile was brief. “Oh, Liam, what are we going to do?” she asked softly, her voice strained. “I—I’ve made a decision to ask for a transfer to another field office.”
Liam blinked, as if he hadn’t heard her correctly. “What are you talking about? It’s only been three months since we arrived in Baltimore.”
“You know why, Liam. Can we live like this for months—years—without end? I’m already going mad with missing our time together. It’s worse now being in a field office and you as my supervisor than when we were at Quantico. At least during my training period, we thought that after graduation we could begin a real relationship.”
The FBI Bride: An Undercover Bridesmaid Romance Page 10
