Jae's Assignment

by Bernice Layton

  “No, I haven’t forgotten. The market opened at six o’clock and I was one of only three customers. As they made their way to the coffee station, I filled the cart with breakfast items I thought you might like,” he finished, leaning closer to her. “But don’t worry. No one would recognize me without the long hair, beard, and glasses.”

  “I recognized you in that hotel lounge,” she snorted.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  He promptly changed the subject. “How’s your side?”

  “Fine now, but it did get infected,” she said, sipping her coffee. “Now, tell me how you found me?”

  “I called your sister Ronnie. Don’t be mad at her. Now, tell me about the infection.”

  I’m going to strangle Ronnie. After reining in her vexation with her sister, Jae told him what had happened. “It still aches sometimes,” she said.

  “I’m sorry, Jae. I may have put a suture in too loosely or may not have cleaned the wound enough. Unfortunately, that’s always a possibility with a gunshot wound because bullets are dirty. I’d hoped you wouldn’t get an infection,” he said quietly, studying her.

  “Not your fault, but my crew wants to skin your hide.”

  “Well, tell them to take a number and get in line,” he said.

  They ate in silence for several minutes until Jae asked how he’d come there, followed by why was he there.

  Trevor evasively told her how he’d taken several train rides, all done in order to see her. “I need your help, Jae.”

  “My help?” she asked around a mouthful of fluffy scrambled eggs oozing with melted cheese.

  Trevor laughed. “I hit a roadblock and knew I couldn’t return home yet.”

  “What happened?” she asked, giving him her undivided attention.

  “I left my family in order to protect them from the people who want me dead.” With a sad shake of his head, Trevor continued. “As much as I miss them, I can’t go back and risk putting them in danger.”

  “Do you come from a big family?”

  “I have my dad and stepmother, two sisters, and their husbands and children. I had a younger brother, but he died a year before…” He paused. “A year before I…died.”

  “Trevor, although my assignment has ended, there were some loose ends that I haven’t been able to tie up, like the agent who initially handled your case. I want to help you.” Jae paused, looking down at her plate, before staring into his intense blue eyes. “What made you risk your safety to find me?”

  “I have to find justice for those five soldiers, Jae. Somebody killed them in some botched experiment and pinned it on my research. I firmly believe that someone purposely altered my formula to try and create supersoldiers. I had the data and my notes to show that my research was beneficial. I could have helped thousands, soldiers and civilians alike.”

  Trevor stood up to refill their coffee mugs. “Do you recall me telling you about being interrogated for hours in Washington?” At her nod, Trevor continued. “For all I know it may not have been inside FBI headquarters or even Washington for that matter.”

  Jae was well aware how the FBI could stage and set up a location for such a purpose as he’d described. “When you left that location was it day or night?”

  “That’s the thing, Jae. I don’t remember. After a day and a half long interrogation about the Marines, I was driven back to the airport and kept in a secluded area for three hours. One of the two MPs standing guard finally handed me my ticket and hustled me onto an airplane that had just pulled up to the gate. And guess what?”

  “What?” Jae didn’t try to hide her interest.

  “It was a private airplane and I was the only passenger. Or so I thought.” When she raised eyebrows, Trevor said, “As the plane taxied out to a runway this FBI agent, Dan Willow, steps out from the back of the airplane. He hands me a packet of papers and tells me it’s my new identity and career as a researcher at the Kincaid Institute. He said it wasn’t a high profile position, but it paid well enough and the job would start in two months.”

  All of the pieces were starting to fit together.

  “What happened then?”

  “It wasn’t until about six months ago when I took a big chance and called the number I had for him. I was told he’d been killed a few months prior, but I don’t believe that, especially because he called again.” He swore hotly. “But now I have to wonder if it really was him because Agent Willow seemed to be asking too many questions. I kept my responses evasive and vague.”

  “What’d he say?” Jae recalled searching for the agent and coming up empty.

  “That night, after the airplane taxied out to the runway, it suddenly stopped. I thought Willow was on the plane for the trip to wherever. But then he opened the door and before he went down the steps to the tarmac, he told me that if my cover was ever blown he would contact me with a SYOA code,” he said, casually.

  Reflecting on what he’d said, Jae got up from the table and carried her empty plate and coffee cup to the sink. Something he’d said had a familiar ring to it. She was so consumed by trying to figure out where she’d heard it, that the plate slipped from her hand, hitting the bottom of the stainless steel sink with a thud, so hard, it chipped on the side.

  Rushing to her aid, Trevor cupped her pale cheeks between his hands. She closed her eyes at his touch. “What is it?” She didn’t respond. “Jae, are you ill?”

  Jae couldn’t speak immediately because another voice was filling her head. She was straining to listen to it. It was Grainger’s voice from one of the two cell phone conversations she’d had with him in Richmond.

  Her eyes flew open and she found herself grasping the front of Trevor’s polo shirt as her mind latched onto the words. “Trevor, what was that code this Agent Willow gave you again?”

  “SYOA,” he said, lifting her hands from gripping the front of his shirt in her tight fists. “It means a cover is blown, or a jig is up.”

  “I think I’ve heard it before. Is it something the military would use?” His yes nod caused Jae to back into the counter.

  “Jae, I’m trusting you with my life so come on, talk to me.”

  “I’m trying to remember, but I can’t grasp whatever is circling around in my mind.”

  “Do you really want to remember, Jae?” Trevor asked, seriously.

  “Yes, of course I do. I vaguely remember something that Grainger said, which I initially ignored. I know he would’ve expected me to remember it, but I can’t.” Jae groaned in frustration.

  “Your subconscious is blocking it probably due to what was happening around you while you were talking with him. Come with me.” Trevor took her hand and led her out of the kitchen.

  Walking into the living room, Trevor led her over to the sofa and encouraged her to sit down.

  “You may be right. There was a lot going on at home during that call. I’d had to create a ruse to keep my family from picking up on my conversation. He gave me the particulars of the assignment, but I had to make it sound like I was going out to hook up with a male friend. Damn it, I need to remember.” Jae thumped her forehead with the heel of her hand.

  “Close your eyes, Jae,” Trevor said, sitting down on the coffee table, facing her. When she just stared at him, he reached out and smoothed his hand over her face until she closed her eyes. When she presented him with a dubious expression, Trevor nudged her shoulder, pressing her into the back of the sofa. He instructed her to relax her neck and shoulders, her arms and hands and so on, down to her feet. He started counting, telling her to remember where she was and that it was safe for her to remember anything she wanted to because he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. He told her to imagine being in her bed surrounded by all of her pillows and that it was safe and no harm would come to her there. He smiled when her hand reached for the pillow to her left and held it against her s
tomach.

  At first, Jae grinned at Trevor’s voice, but slowly she did relax, as if she’d taken a sleeping pill.

  “Jae, you’re on the cell phone with Grainger. It’s the second call. What is he saying to you?” Trevor asked.

  “SAC Grainger,” she corrected. “He was having sex, but he wanted to know my ETA to the hotel.”

  “Go ahead, and tell him your ETA, but listen closely to everything he says,” Trevor instructed quietly.

  “My ETA is twenty minutes. Huh…SYOA? What? 10-4,” Jae whispered.

  “What did you say, Jae?” Trevor asked.

  “He’s whispering, croaking almost. Oh, God, s-something’s wrong, I can feel it. He can barely say, ‘See ya, JR, you got that…see ya,’” Jae mimicked holding her cell phone to her ear.

  Seeing this and her agitation increasing, Trevor reminded Jae that she was safe. She relaxed immediately. He stared into her face and smiled. She was gorgeous. “So, what do you think about Trevor Grant, Jae?”

  “That son of a bitch!” Jae exclaimed, making a fist unconsciously.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked, watching her wrinkling her nose.

  “He looks different, now…lots of hair before. His eyes are the same…he kissed me. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  He had no idea what she meant about the hair but didn’t want to probe. It was unethical so he went about bringing her out of the hypnotic state, though her face remained troubled. “What’s wrong? Where are you now, Jae?”

  “I’m in the lounge watching Dr. Grant. He doesn’t recognize me, but I know it’s him.”

  Getting up from the table, Trevor walked into the kitchen, all the while counting to bring Jae out of her hypnotic state. By the time he returned to the living room, she was fully awake. Giving her a glass of water and instructing her to drink it, he asked if Grainger had been in the military before joining the FBI.

  “Uh-huh,” she mumbled as she downed the entire glass of water. “What did you do?” she asked, meeting his eyes before looking around the spacious living room.

  “I hypnotized you.”

  “Oh, really, what’d I say?” Jae stared at him skeptically with a twist of her lips.

  “Your SAC Grainger didn’t say ‘see ya’, Jae, he said, SYOA. It means to ‘save your own ass’ and since Grainger said it to you, he was warning you that the jig was up. Where is he?”

  “Nobody knows and from what I can tell, I was the last person to talk to him, and that same day my five team members were sent on a bullshit assignment. When I returned to work there was a memo that Grainger was on a special assignment.” When Trevor lifted his shoulders in a shrug, Jae added how unusual that was for Grainger.

  “Maybe he’s spending time with a woman and getting some R&R.” Trevor winked.

  Jae told him that although Grainger dated, she didn’t think he was seeing anyone seriously. “My last conversation with him, I just assumed his rushed voice was because he was with a woman.”

  “You mentioned he was having sex. Why did you think that? Did you hear a woman screaming in the background?”

  Jae snorted. “No, I didn’t. But we’ve spoken while he was caught up before. Despite being in the act, he’s always been available when needed.” Refusing to continue, Jae pushed up from the sofa and crossed the living room to the patio door. Sliding the glass door open, she walked out onto her patio.

  Trevor was soon on her heels, walking over to the palms. She shot him a contemptuous glare as he bent to upright the palm that had been knocked over.

  “So this is how you got into my apartment and muddied my carpet?” she said, turning and sitting upon the loveseat-style swing.

  “I cleaned up the mess I made,” he said, walking over to her.

  He sat down beside her, forcing her to move over an inch or two on the swing.

  “I’m not moving. It’s comfy, like that big bed of yours.” Trevor leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Why does one so small have such a big bed?”

  Jae shook her head. “Oh, give me a break with that line.”

  “I slept out here yesterday.”

  “Exactly what time did you break into my apartment?”

  “I arrived while you were talking on the telephone. Two hours, Jae, seriously?” he said, widening his eyes in a mocking manner. “Must have been some sweet talking. Anyway, that’s how I ended up soaking wet.”

  “Serves you right and for your information, I was talking to Ronnie.”

  Trevor stretched his arms along the back of the swing before turning and flashing a smile at her. “Don’t worry, I couldn’t hear anything out here.”

  “It rained all evening,” she said absently.

  “Yes, I know and by the way, I put your bed linens in the washer. They should be ready to come out of the dryer soon,” he said, dropping his hand to her shoulder to glance at his watch. Trevor had thought about her a lot and had found himself recalling the perfection of her skin, glowing like dark honey, and her luminous chocolate brown eyes. Gazing into them as they now squinted at him dangerously and threateningly. He also noticed she had a few freckles across her cheeks.

  Jae wore no makeup, but she didn’t need any. She was a classic beauty—a bewitching siren pulling him toward her lips that seemed to be calling out to him. Of course, that was wishful thinking. He dipped his head lower. But a split second later, he wasn’t a bit surprised when she reached up, trying to send an uppercut into his chin. He caught her hand and held onto it. Their eyes caught before his lips descended upon hers and devouring their softness. When she didn’t stop him or otherwise try to hit him again, he kissed her slowly savoring the pleasure radiating down his chest and beyond.

  When his hand tightened around her Jae pulled back and told him to cut that crap out.

  “Sorry, sweetheart, but it’s been a while since…I’ll leave it at that.” Trevor didn’t think she needed to hear the sad and depressing details of his love life, or lack thereof. “Jae?” Trevor whispered.

  “Yes?”

  “I was just curious how you were chosen to be my contact that night.”

  “What you mean is, how come some six-foot, two-hundred-and-eighty-pound dude wasn’t chosen, right?”

  Trevor laughed so hard, the swing bounced. “That’s exactly what I was looking for instead of a beautiful woman who asked me to dance all the while packing heat.”

  “Do I need to remind you of the capabilities and strengths of female agents, Trevor?”

  “Good Lord, no! I heard your speech loud and clear the first time,” he said, fingering loose tresses of her hair, grazing the back of his hand and neck. Seconds later, he was surprised when she moved his hand away.

  “It was really odd that Grainger called me like that. He knew how important it was for me to go home and he knew how busy I was going to be. As a matter of fact, before I left the office he pulled me aside and gave strict orders that I was to relax and enjoy myself.” To Trevor’s questioning look, Jae shook her head sadly. “Everyone was stressed out at that time, but long story short, I led a preliminary investigation that resulted in the demotion of one of our own,” she said. “It was a bank robbery gone bad.” Jae paused. “I arrived as backup and my assessment of his attitude and lack of remorse at killing the suspects before backup could arrive didn’t help the situation. He even shot the hostage and now lawsuits have been filed. So yeah, in the office, everybody’s nerves were stretched to the limit.”

  Sensing her regret, Trevor rested his hand on her shoulder compassionately. “That’s too bad, but those would-be bank robbers could have killed your agent and the hostage.”

  “True, but they were still kids who obviously hadn’t thought their plans through. They didn’t even have a getaway car.”

  “Did you ever find out why you couldn’t reach your other teammates?”

  “Yes
and that was another odd thing to happen. They were sent on an assignment to do nothing more than shadow the local FBI. Now they’re backed up on some of their cases.”

  Trevor’s mind drifted. As a therapist, he knew about feelings of grief and culpability.

  “Trevor, look at me.”

  “Gladly,” he said, kneading the knot of tension from her shoulder. He didn’t miss the frown creasing her otherwise smooth forehead. He hadn’t planned on kissing her forehead, but that’s exactly what he found himself doing without thinking about it.

  Jae didn’t utter a sound, or form another tight fist. Instead, she pulled in a shaky breath and held it. Was she waiting for him to kiss her? Her lips moved as if to speak, but no words came forth.

  “Go ahead and punch me, Jae, but it won’t stop me from kissing you again. Besides, I know you want me to,” Trevor whispered before dropping a series of light pecks against her top lip. His senses came alive with everything that she was—beautiful, feminine, sexy, sweet…and waiting for him to kiss her.

  And when he did, Trevor found himself kissing her devouringly and with the same demanding intensity, she kissed him back.

  No, Jae wouldn’t hit him. Not this time. But she was shocked by her response to him again. Allowing herself to explore his lips with her own, she traced their fullness. She’d only kissed him twice before, but that familiarity was now welcoming. Pleasurable shivers started at the base of her throat. It was the exact spot where his fingers caressed her as the kiss became possessive, ravishing and demanding as each acted on the intimate magnetism of the other.

  Jae discovered that she enjoyed kissing him. In her mind, there was no shame in delving into something that felt so positively good. Now, she found his nearness both disturbing and exciting. Sensual tension billowed to the surface like smoke from a smoldering fire and it was driving her to distraction. She was going way beyond reason when his arms suddenly enveloped her in a cocoon of unadulterated heat, desire, and passion like none she had ever experienced before.