The Agent's Surrender

by Kimberly Van Meter

  Jane didn’t wait for his reaction because she didn’t care what else he had to say on the matter. She bolted from the office, jerked her jacket from her desk, scooped up her cooling coffee and barked to Holden, “Let’s go.”

  Holden, a smart man, quickly followed.

  Once they were inside the car, she allowed everything to fall out in a stream of angry, hurt and dizzying barrage of words. “How dare he do that to me! I’ve spent my entire life feeling as if I need to apologize for being the wrong gender and I’ve always had to go out of my way to be more than just a weak female, but it doesn’t matter what I do. That’s all he’ll ever see me as! Would he do that to Walker or Ian? Hell no. Of course not, because they’re men and they can take care of themselves. Of all the self-righteous, misguided, sexist bullshit my father has ever spouted from his mouth—this takes the ever-lovin’ cake!”

  “I’m going to take a guess things didn’t go well in there?” Holden rested his arm on the steering wheel as he regarded her with faint concern. “Mind if you clue me in so I can be righteously indignant with you?”

  She cast him an impatient look. “I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

  “I’m not joking,” he insisted, saying, “I’m completely serious. If he’s made you this upset, clearly he’s an idiot.”

  “Don’t call my dad an idiot,” she whipped back with a warning. “He’s still my dad and I love him, even if he is a jerk.”

  “Oh, sorry. I’m new to the rules of this particular game,” he said with a small grin.

  She sighed, bouncing her head softly on the headrest. “Why is he so...The Major at all times? Why can’t he just be my dad? And a normal dad at that? You know, he’s never given me a true compliment that wasn’t prefaced or followed by some kind of dig because I’m a woman? Every accomplishment comes with a caveat. It’s as if he can’t possibly acknowledge my skills with honest appreciation because that might challenge his long-held beliefs that women are inferior.” She closed her eyes and groaned. “Why couldn’t I have been born a man?”

  “That would make our relationship awkward,” Holden said, and she giggled in spite of her anger. She opened her eyes and stared at Holden, wondering why she felt safe sharing such personal information with him. She needed to vent and she knew he would keep her confidence.

  He drew a deep breath and said, “Listen, I’m not the most experienced advice giver when it comes to dealing with difficult dads. Me and Miko split from our dad as soon as possible and we never looked back. To be fair, I don’t think our dad cared one way or the other. By the time we were seventeen, we were just two rivals living in his house and eating his food. Once he even accused Miko of coming on to his skank girlfriend. Like that would happen. If anything, she came on to Miko and it just about scarred him for life. It’s probably the reason he wanted to join the military, because after that woman dropped her towel in front of him, Miko figured there was nothing left out there to shock him.”

  “She dropped her towel in front of him?”

  “Yeah. Horrifying. Did I mention she was a meth addict? No meat on her bones, pocked skin and terrible teeth. Honestly, it could’ve turned a man against women in general if she’d tried to do more than just entice him with her less-than-stellar goods.”

  She shouldn’t laugh, but damn, Holden had a way of tickling her funny bone when she least expected it. “You’re something else, Archangelo,” she said, appreciating him just a smidge more, even if her feelings for him were becoming more confused by the minute. “Thanks.”

  “Hey, that’s what I’m here for. Well, that and giving mind-blowing orgasms, of course. That’s the very definition of partner with benefits. Didn’t you know that?”

  She groaned. “I hate that term.”

  “Really? Okay, let’s brainstorm, then. Personally, I like secret lovah because it sounds so taboo, but in a classy way, or how about booty-call benefactor, but honestly that seems like a mouthful—and not in a good way. Or there’s always—”

  “Good God, please stop,” she begged, shaking her head. “There aren’t even words. Can we just put this conversation on the back burner for now and focus on the case? I’d rather put my brain to work doing something productive, okay?”

  “You got it.” He turned the key in the ignition. Before he put the car in Drive, he put his hand over Jane’s. “Listen, I don’t care what your dad says—I wouldn’t want anyone else on this case with me. I trust you, Fallon. And I’m not just saying that because of our...unique relationship. Okay?”

  Tears welled anew in her eyes and she wondered how she’d never seen Holden’s true integrity shining past the facade he wore every day. “Thank you,” she said with stark gratitude. “I needed to hear that.”

  “I know you did.” He put the car in Drive. “Time to work.”

  “Amen,” she murmured, more than ready to put her mind to work, although as they drove to the bank where Miko had his safety deposit box, she wondered how the hell her father had known so quickly that she’d been shot at. A disquieting thought raced through her mind. What if her father had known because he’d arranged it? The Major was known for getting things done. Maybe he thought if he scared her, she’d startle like a little bunny and scamper off for the shelter of the underbrush, cowering like a female is wont to do—in her father’s eyes.

  That’s a pretty far-fetched theory, Fallon. Yeah...probably. Her gaze followed the street-side scenery as her mind zinged in all kinds of crazy directions. What the hell? How could she even think that? Obviously, she was sleep deprived because her father was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a cold-blooded killer and he certainly wouldn’t hurt his own daughter. But even if he didn’t call for the hit, the fact that her father knew was enough to make her gut ache. “I want to know how my dad knew about the hit,” she said out loud. Maybe Holden would have some additional insight.

  He frowned. “Your guess is as good as mine.” He seemed perplexed. “All I can say is that his connections are pretty deep. Maybe someone heard it over dispatch and recognized the address? I don’t know.” He paused a moment to peer at her. “You don’t think...”

  “No,” she said quickly. Just the shameful thought was enough to make her want to cover her head and hide. “My father would never do anything so despicable.”

  “I have to agree with you. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t worried about it. That kind of thing could mess with your head.”

  “Tell me about it,” she grumbled. “This whole situation has me staring at shadows looking for clues.”

  “It’s enough to make you go cross-eyed. I wonder if that’s how Miko felt. He never knew who he could trust, and the people he could trust, he didn’t want to get involved. He must’ve felt very isolated.”

  She nodded and tenderly rubbed his cheek with her knuckles. “Thank you for talking me down and listening to me rant. I don’t usually lose control like that.”

  “Maybe you need to.”

  She cast him a speculative glance before chuckling. “Yeah. Maybe I do. Felt good.”

  “So what’d you say to your dad while you were in there?” he asked.

  “I basically told him to stop treating me like a child. He completely embarrassed me in front of the chief. It’s one thing to be treated a certain way around family, but not out in the real world where you’re respected in your field. It would be the equivalent of me dressing down my father in front of his old military cronies. It would humiliate him, which is why I would never do that. However, when it comes to me, he doesn’t think twice about throwing me under the bus, and I don’t understand what I’ve ever done to deserve being treated like that.”

  “You haven’t done anything. That’s the point of being a sexist jerk. Sorry, but it’s the facts. He doesn’t see you as a capable person in your own right—just as a woman who either needs protecting or subjugating.”

  “God, you’re right,” she moaned, hating that her father was so wrong about everything having to do with the female gend
er.

  “Kinda makes you wonder if he treated your mom that way. If so, I’d leave his ass, too. Sorry, I know that’s a touchy subject.”

  She glared even though what he said made sense. She’d never suffer a man to treat her like that in a relationship, though why she allowed her father to do so was a perplexing psychological puzzle. “Well, maybe she left because of him, or maybe she left because she was weak...who knows? It doesn’t change the fact he embarrassed the ever-loving hell out of me back there and I said a few things that, if I don’t end up backing up with proof, are going to bite me in the ass.”

  “Such as?” Holden asked, worried.

  Jane sighed. “Let’s just hope this safety deposit box provides some answers. Another dead end would only prove my father right.”

  Holden nodded in understanding. So much was riding on this case. More so than some political intrigue. She needed to prove something to her father and Holden needed to clear his brother’s name. This case was about family. Screw the intrigue. Plain and simple...this case was about family.

  Chapter 19

  Holden and Jane arrived at First National Bank and Trust and walked straight to the bank manager, flashing their credentials and causing the pencil-thin man to eye them warily. “Good morning, agents. What can I do for you today?”

  “We’re here to open a safety deposit box belonging to my brother, Miko Archangelo,” Holden answered. After reading the man’s badge, he added, “Any help you could give us, Mr. Olgivey, would be most appreciated.”

  “Do you have the key?”

  Holden pulled the key from his pocket and handed it to the manager. “And where is Mr. Archangelo, if I may ask?”

  “He’s dead.”

  Mr. Olgivey nodded and gestured for them to follow. Holden and Jane exchanged looks. Well, that went smoothly. Perhaps a little too smoothly? They passed through the security gates to the private receiving room and waited as the bank manager opened the box and placed it on the small table. “Your brother was an interesting man. He told me that someday his brother might come for his box. I suppose that day is here,” he said, surprising Holden. “If there’s anything else you require, I’ll be waiting outside.” Then the man let himself out and closed the door behind him.

  “That was strange,” Jane observed. “What do you think that was about?”

  “Who knows? I’ll worry about the bank manager later. Right now I want to know what’s inside this thing.”

  Holden opened the metal box and removed several papers, stacks of more cash and a thumb drive. He stared at the scant items and frowned. “That’s it?” he exclaimed, disappointed and frustrated. “What the hell kind of cat-and-mouse game was my brother playing?”

  Jane gathered up the paperwork and began sorting through it. “Property deeds. Seems your brother owned some undeveloped land in California....”

  He sighed. “Yeah, he talked about building a hunting cabin up in the mountains like Nathan’s. I guess he finally got around to purchasing the land but never got the chance to put the rest of his plan into action. Damn it,” he said under his breath, fighting the urge to punch the wall or break a chair. His gaze fell on the thumb drive at the same time Jane’s did. He met her questioning stare and shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. We’ll need a computer to open it.”

  “What about all this cash?” Jane asked, pushing the stacks around and counting. “At least another twenty thousand is here. It seems your brother was stockpiling cash for some reason. Paranoid much?”

  He cast a dark look her way. “Not so paranoid if our suspicions are correct.”

  Immediately contrite, she said, “I’m sorry, Holden. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”

  He waved away her apology, irritated at himself for being a touchy puss. “No worries. I’m just frustrated. Sorry for snapping at you.”

  “It’s okay.” Her gaze strayed to the cash, and he knew what she was thinking, so he decided to just meet it head-on.

  “I’ll run the cash through the system to make sure it’s not stolen,” he assured her. She visibly relaxed. “But my brother wasn’t a thief. I can guarantee you that.”

  “Are you his sole heir?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Seems if it comes back clean, you’ve come into a fair bit of cash if you count the money still locked away in those foreign accounts.”

  He shrugged. Money didn’t mean any more to him than it’d meant to Miko. He tucked the thumb drive into his pocket and returned the deed and the money to the box. “I’d rather have my brother back.” And that was the damn truth. Money didn’t mean anything if it came at such a high cost. “Let’s go.”

  Holden was slipping into a black mood, and he couldn’t seem to stop himself. He was tired of dead ends and cryptic clues that sent him running in the opposite direction. Was this what it had been like for Miko, trying to stay one step ahead of whoever was after him? Things would’ve been different if Miko had trusted him enough to just level with him. Maybe he’d still be alive. Or maybe they’d both be dead. Who knew?

  Jane touched his arm. “I have a feeling there’s something on this thumb drive that’s going to be worth our while. Nobody keeps junk in their safety deposit box.”

  “Maybe.”

  “No maybe about it,” she disagreed firmly, not letting him lose hope. “Listen, I know we’ve hit a brick wall a time or two, but we must be getting close if people are starting to shoot at us, right?”

  A small smile found him. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “Okay, then. No more pity parties. We got this. Let’s head back to the office, fire up this thumb drive and see what was so important that Miko had to hide it in a bank box.”

  Holden nodded, thankful for Jane’s cool head when he got stuck in his own loop of despair. She was a good partner. Hell, she was a good person. “You know, I really underestimated you before,” he admitted. “I mean, I didn’t try to see beyond the surface, and I’m sorry. I wish I had sooner. I couldn’t have done this without you.” She blushed prettily and he was gripped by the urge to plant a kiss on her pouty, sensual-without-even-trying lips. He held back. Now was not the time. But later, he promised himself. “How about dinner tonight? Let me take you out to a nice restaurant. Like a date.”

  Her smile faded. She tucked a chunk of hair behind her ear, her gaze clearing with no-nonsense seriousness, and he knew whatever ground he’d gained he’d just lost. “I’m not sure we should. Already things have gotten muddied, and please don’t take this the wrong way because you’ve been there for me when I needed someone, but everything in our lives is such a mess that I don’t think we need to add to it, okay?”

  “Jane, when are you going to admit you want to be with me? It’d save us both a lot of energy if you’d stop fighting what you feel.”

  Her blush deepened and she scowled. “Can we focus on the case, please? I don’t want to get into it right now. My dad is going to want to talk to me after I blew up at him in the chief’s office and I don’t want to have to explain you, too.”

  Ah...so he was going to remain her dirty little secret. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t bother him because he rarely stuck around long enough to care. But with Jane, he cared.

  He cared a lot.

  They continued the rest of the drive in silence. Back at the office, they immediately headed to Holden’s computer to open the thumb drive. Encrypted password protection stonewalled them. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered, sliding his hand through his hair and wanting to scream. “C’mon, Miko. Cut me some slack, will ya?”

  “We can give it to IT,” Jane said. “They can probably jail break it.”

  “I don’t trust anyone with this thumb drive. For all I know, my brother died protecting whatever is on it.” He leaned back in his chair, thinking hard. All lines pointed in one direction. He swore under his breath and knew he didn’t have a choice. “James Cotton.”

  Jane nodded and lifted her shoulder. “Well, at least you’ve got some more di
sposable cash to offer the little tech mercenary.”

  “True enough.”

  “All right, so we’ll table that for later tonight. In the meantime, we’ll visit Dr. Odgers at the Department of Defense. We need to talk with her anyway.”

  He nodded, knowing Jane was right. Besides, what could he do but wait and see what James’s asking price would be for cracking into the thumb drive? Not much. Better to be active than sit on his ass doing nothing. He tucked the drive in his pocket and gestured as he swung his jacket back onto his shoulders. “Saddle up. Let’s go talk to Kat.”

  * * *

  Jane had heard a few things about Dr. Odgers, but she’d never actually met the supposedly brilliant scientist. Honestly, Jane found the idea of meeting with a genius intimidating, even though she wasn’t dumb by any means.

  When they arrived, they were cleared by security and then escorted through several more levels of clearance before they reached the state-of-the-art lab where Dr. Odgers worked.

  Impeccably clean glass doors opened with a whisper at their arrival, and they passed through to find a willowy woman with her hair tucked into a messy bun wearing a lab coat and talking to an assistant. “Dr. Odgers?” Jane ventured, and the woman startled, pushing her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose. She smiled uncertainly until she saw Holden. “Oh! I heard you were coming. I’m so glad to see you!” She went straight to him and shook his hand vigorously. “You know, I never really got the chance to properly thank you for all your help in rescuing Jake during that whole abysmal situation with MCX-209. Horrid. Absolutely horrid. I still have nightmares about it all.”

  “He’s a good man. I was happy to be a part of that mission,” Holden said with the solemn integrity that was as part of him as breath. Jane waited to be properly introduced, and Holden did so a heartbeat later. “Dr. Odgers—”

  “Please call me Kat. Dr. Odgers is way too formal for what we went through together. Facing certain death has a way of making you realize that all that silly formality is just for show.”