by Diana X Dunn
“We should wait for Blake before you open it,” Michael told her as she reached for the envelope. “He can check it for prints and DNA. I put gloves on before I touched it.”
Within minutes Julia’s apartment was filled with crime scene technicians and police officers. Blake was only a few minutes behind the first response team. He turned pale when Julia showed him the envelope, clearly understanding the significance of the list of names on the front.
Asking her to wait a few minutes before opening it, he had a quick word with several of the technicians.
“There is no sign of forced entry. We have to assume whoever got in here had the codes.” Blake told Julia and Michael when he returned.
“And that is impossible,” Julia told him. “Only I have the codes and I change them all daily. My M-ped generates a totally random code on the extra lock as well. It’s supposed to be impossible to duplicate.”
“We are studying the security tapes from the corridor, but it appears that there is a gap of about two minutes about an hour ago and a second similar gap about forty minutes later.”
“What about the security tapes from within the apartment?” Julia asked. Her internal security recorded everything that happened in every part of her apartment, and it was meant to be tamperproof. In her business she had access to the very best equipment that was available.
“Your internal system went down at the same time as the first gap in the external system,” Blake told her, still trying to digest the information himself.
Michael shook his head. “This isn’t possible,” he insisted. “We put the security system in this building, and I personally supervised the installation in Julia’s apartment. No one should be able to breach it using any known techniques.”
“Guess there must be some unknown techniques, then?” Blake sounded frustrated. “Look, I don’t know what happened here. I don’t know how good or bad the security is. What I do know is that I have a dead body without a mark on it, and a letter addressed to the secret agent apartment owner listing a whole bunch of aliases that no one should know are her. So yeah, something is going on, and it is bigger than we realized.”
Michael looked at Julia and then Blake. “Go on then, let’s open the letter and see if we can learn anything. It’s been checked for explosives and chemical weapons and it looks clear. Of course it sounds like whoever is behind this has skills beyond the norm, so maybe we’ll all get blown up and not have to worry about any of this anyway.”
Julia nodded and watched as Blake carefully opened the letter with gloved hands. He pulled out a piece of folded paper and all three waited tensely as he unfolded it.
My Dear Julia,
(I hope you don’t mind me addressing you as Julia. I know you have several other names, but you’ll always be Julia to me.)
I am sorry for leaving Mr. Richards in your apartment. It was somewhat rude of me not to clear up my mess, but I was in rather a hurry and I know you have lots of friends who can help you sort things out.
Mr. Richards was going to be a valuable addition to my team, but I knew you would be determined to find him and discover who was employing him, and that was unacceptable to me.
I have no doubt that we’ll meet in the future. I’m sure our paths will continue to cross in many areas. I prefer to keep that meeting as far in the future as possible.
Kind regards,
Rex
Julia read the letter through twice and then looked at Michael and Blake. “Rex?” she questioned. “Any ideas?”
Both men shook their heads.
“Rex is Latin for ‘king’ of course, so it seems our new friend has delusions of grandeur.” Michael sighed. “I need to get people working on this right away.”
Julia nodded and then walked into her bedroom. She threw a few things into an overnight bag and returned to the two men who were still huddled over the letter.
“I’m going to stay at the Woodford tonight. I’ll be there under ‘Margaret Dove’ if you need me.” Julia announced, leaving before either man had a chance to reply.
She took the elevator down to the lobby and used Michael’s private transport to deliver her to the hotel. Once inside the luxury room, she took a long hot bubble bath and then sank into the world’s most comfortable bed. She slept like a rock.
Twenty
A week later Julia’s apartment had been thoroughly cleaned and the couch had been replaced. Julia put the apartment up for sale, fully furnished, and then moved into a new apartment a couple of blocks away. Her new address was hidden through several complex layers of holding companies and corporate identities and the security put into it was everything the latest technology could offer. Most of the time she felt almost safe there.
Michael and the agency had spent many hours trying to track down “Rex”, but as yet they could find nothing but elusive shadows. Julia had pulled in every one of her favors across every agency and organization she knew of, legitimate and otherwise, but no one was able to help pin down the person behind the growing myth that was Rex. That he was head of a criminal organization was certain, but the size of the organization was unknown. Its goals and tactics were also, at this stage, unknown.
Michael started a new electronic file for Rex, including all of the data from the murders committed by Matthew Richards. Julia’s apartment had been completely devoid of any evidence when examined after the man’s body had been found. The coroner was fairly certain that some sort of electronic stunning weapon had killed Matthew Richards by instantly stopping his heart, but it had left no trace.
The only fingerprints or DNA traces found in the apartment were Matthew’s. Whoever had cleaned the apartment, either before or after the murder, had managed to clear away every single trace of not only themselves, but also of Julia and everyone else who had ever been in the apartment as well. Not a single hair or skin cell remained behind.
Cleaning equipment that was that sophisticated was large and unwieldy, but apparently no one had noticed anyone coming in or out of the building with it or seen it being unloaded at Julia’s door. Security cameras throughout the building had been compromised, and even those outside the building and in the surrounding area had been scrambled during the relevant time.
That sort of cleaning took time as well, and a team had spent hours trying to work out if one person could do it or if they would have had to have help. Eventually it was decided that the most likely scenario was that Richards himself had helped Rex with most of the cleaning, leaving Rex to simply do the last of the tidying up after murdering his no longer valuable assistant.
It was Friday night, a week after the explosion that had nearly ended her life, and Diana wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. She stood in her new apartment and stared out the window. She had a great view, but it still felt off to her. She’d really loved the view in her old place. She paced the living room slowly, wondering if she should go out, make some friends, and have a drink, or just stay in and try to make the new place feel more like home. The floor plan was nearly identical to the old one, but the kitchen was had even more modern gadgets. She could just stay home and read the instruction manuals for everything. That would probably take all night. The buzz from security startled her.
“Ms. Jackson? There’s an Alex Knight here asking for you.”
Diana took a deep breath and then instructed security to escort him to her door. She dashed into her master bathroom and checked her hair and makeup. The knock on the door made her nervous.
“Hi,” Alex said when she swung the door open. “I was in the neighborhood.”
Diana smiled at him. He looked amazing in a fitted suit that showed off his muscular physique. She was reminded of the night they’d first met.
Alex’s face had healed and his nose was straight again. He’d gotten his hair cut recently and as he stepped into the foyer, she caught a whiff of expensive cologne. She fought off the urge to reach out and stroke the expensive fabric of his jacket.
“Lots of extra securi
ty here,” Alex commented as Diana waved away Alex’s escort.
“There are some things going on that necessitated some changes.” Diana stumbled through an explanation. “That’s why I have a new name and a new look.”
Alex nodded. “Thank you for sending me your new information,” he studied her for a minute, taking in the new shoulder-length brown hair and light green eyes.
There was a slightly different shape to her eyes and nose and her mouth was slightly altered as well. The changes were subtle, but taken together Diana Jackson looked very different from Julia Randall, and different again from Sienna Madison.
“I was hoping you might message me or stop by.” Diana said.
Alex grinned. “After everything that happened, I couldn’t just walk away.”
Diana grinned back at him. It was easy to joke now, when they were both physically healed. The emotional scars would take longer, but they were also easier to ignore.
“Can I get you a drink?” Diana offered, heading toward her shiny new kitchen. She stopped in front of her Drinksmatic and turned back toward him. “It’s loaded with four or five different white and red wines, seven different beers, and a range of cocktails as well as hot and cold non-alcoholic drinks. You can even order your drinks with a dose of neutralizer already in the drink.”
“That sounds…um…not very good, really.”
Diana laughed lightly. “Actually, you can’t tell the difference. Everything the machine makes is delicious, and all of the ingredients are the real thing, too.”
Alex looked intrigued. “Really?”
“Yep, the Drinksmatic is part of the new ‘real food’ movement from GEX Corporation. This model uses only the finest natural and genuine ingredients to mix up and deliver an amazing beverage experience every time.” Diana quoted from the manual that had arrived with the machine.
“Okay, I’ll try a beer, then.”
He watched as Diana punched a few buttons on the machine and carefully considered his options before choosing his favorite brand and style. The machine hummed and whirred softly before a foamy liquid was dispensed into the glass that Diana had loaded.
Alex looked surprised by the result. “This is really delicious,” he admitted. “It actually tastes exactly like the real thing.”
“That is because it is the real thing.” Diana reminded him.
“Maybe.” He took another sip. “I can’t stay long.”
“I appreciate your stopping by,” she answered him in a formal tone that made him smile.
“Ah Hades,” he swore and he put the glass down and crossed to Diana.
He pulled her into his arms and stared into her eyes. “I’ve been waiting a long time to do this,” he told her just before he kissed her. Diana was caught up in a heady mix of aftershave and beer as her lips responded to Alex.
Alex kept the kiss short, stopping well before Diana had had enough. He pulled his head back and then dropped a quick kiss on her nose before stepping back and taking another sip of beer.
“I can’t stay long because I need to get to California to do some research. I needed to see you before I went. I needed you to know…” he trailed off.
Diana shook her head. It was still swimming from the passion of the brief kiss. “Know what?” she asked.
“When I was locked in that basement and I thought I was going to die, I had a lot of time to think,” Alex began. “I thought about my life and what I’d accomplished and what I hadn’t.” He tilted his head and looked thoughtfully at her. “And I thought about regrets. I regret that I couldn’t save Cassie. She was a good person, and I wish I had done more to save her.”
“I’m not sure there was anything you could have done. Matthew killed her because she knew his secrets, I don’t see any way you could have prevented that from happening.”
“I don’t know, either. I just wish I could have done something. She didn’t deserve to die.”
Diana nodded her agreement.
“And then I realized that my other big regret in life involved you.” Alex continued. “I regretted walking away from you the night you asked me to stay. I spent a lot of hours wishing I could reverse that decision. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a woman more, and I let my stupid pride get in the way of our being together.”
Diana felt herself flush with emotions she didn’t bother to suppress. She stepped closer to Alex and put her hands on his shoulders. “I wish that night had ended differently, too,” she admitted.
Alex pulled her close again, and this time they both let the kiss continue until they both needed air. Only inches apart, they stared into each other eyes, both intrigued and excited by the chemistry they shared. An alarm sounded on Alex’s wrist-con. An expletive escaped from his lips as he released Diana and checked the display.
“I really do have to go,” he told Diana, regret obvious in his eyes as well as his voice. “I have a commuter transport waiting to take me to California and I’m holding up several dozen other people.”
Diana nodded. If Alex hadn’t had to leave, she would have happily taken him to her bed tonight, but his leaving gave her time to think. Alex was a complication she didn’t really need in her life right now. If she was going to attempt a relationship with him, it was best to take things slowly.
She walked him to the door, her arm still around his waist. “Have a wonderful time in California,” she told him. “Maybe you could message me once or twice?”
Alex grinned at her. “I think I could manage that,” he told her. “I should be back in a few weeks, sooner if I can manage it.”
Diana nodded. It was likely she’d be undercover somewhere in a few weeks’ time, but there wasn’t any point in telling Alex that. A quick kiss at the door and he was gone. Diana watched him walk to the elevator and waved as he turned back toward her just before he boarded. She bit back a sigh as she locked her apartment door behind him.
She was right back where she had been half an hour ago, bored, restless and unsure of what she should do. She loaded the empty beer glass into the sanitizer and then stomped into her bedroom. There she flung open her closet and started searching for something to wear.
A sequined and sparkly mini dress in fire engine red caught her eye. Diana Jackson had more flamboyant taste than Julia Randall had had and sometimes Julia was still startled to see Diana in the mirror. She adjusted the skirt and tugged the top into place. A pair of skyscraper heels in the same red finished the look.
Diana was going to have a night out on the town. Time for the new girl in the big city to make some friends and have some fun, she decided. She was half way to the door when someone knocked. She frowned. Security should have called her if someone had come to see her. Maybe it was her next-door neighbor, popping over to borrow a cup of sugar. She tried to laugh off the unease she felt as she punched up the security camera over the door on the wall-mounted screen. Blake Bowman stood on the other side of the door. Diana inhaled deeply and then opened it.
“Blake, what a surprise,” she carefully kept her tone neutral.
Blake stood in the doorway and surveyed the changes she’d made. “That is some dress,” he said finally, after he had studied her from head to toe.
Diana rolled her eyes and invited him in. “I’m just on my way out to go clubbing,” she told him. “You can come in for a quick drink if you like, though.”
“I can’t stay long.” Blake told her. “I just wanted a quick chat.”
Diana stood in front of her Drinksmatic yet again, offering the full range of options. Blake simply shook his head.
“I really can’t stay. I’m meeting Jenny in a few minutes.” Blake looked confused and conflicted when he mentioned his wife.
“Taking her some place nice for dinner?” Diana asked, keeping her tone steady.
“We’re going to see a counselor,” Blake told her. “To start working through a legal separation agreement.”
Diana blinked in surprise. “Separation?”
“I know you haven�
��t changed, that you still aren’t looking for anything like a commitment. I thought that commitment was what I wanted, but seeing you again changed my mind. It wasn’t just commitment that I needed, it was you.”
Diana shook her head. “You love Jenny,” she reminded him.
“Yeah,” Blake replied. “That is why this is so difficult. I do love her and she’s a wonderful woman, but she deserves better than me, a man still in love with another woman.”
Diana shook her head again. “Lust isn’t the same as love.”
“Lust would be easier,” Blake told her. “I could get rid of that in a night or two. When I thought I had lost you in that house, in that fire, I felt like my life was over. That isn’t lust.”
Diana looked at him sadly. “You know I don’t do relationships or commitment. I simply can’t.”
Blake nodded. “I know I can’t expect more from you than what you’re capable of giving. To be honest, I’m not even sure I want to see you again. I just know I can’t stay in a marriage where I’m not totally committed. For some reason, I wanted you to know that.”
Blake was already heading toward the door as he finished speaking. As he opened it, he turned back toward her, “I’ll probably see you around.”
He was gone before Diana had a chance to speak. She stared at the back of her door for a few moments. Then she gathered up her handbag and her M-ped and headed out. Julia Randall no longer existed. Diana Jackson’s life started now.
Also by Diana X. Dunn
Murder Times Two
Sailing around the Caribbean on a luxury yacht as the guest of one of the world's richest men sounds like a dream vacation, but for F6 it is just another assignment. As far as her host is concerned, she’s "Suzy Barr", spoiled, rich and lazy. In fact, she is deep undercover, keeping a close eye on his business deals and his personal life.
