by Skye, S. D.
“Agent McCall, may I speak to you for a sec?” Six asked in the sexy way he asked for shit.
J.J. paused before questioning what harm a quick word or two could do. It would give her the perfect opportunity to tell Six there was a new sheriff—or FBI agent—in town. Tony wouldn’t go far with Six in the room, at least she hoped he wouldn’t.
J.J. turned to Tony. “I’ll be out in a minute. And just a minute,” she emphasized.
“All right,” Tony said, hesitant to leave the room. “I’ll be waiting for you. Out here.” He pointed at his watch. “Don’t forget we have a deadline.”
“I’m on it!” she said, comforted by his concern. When the door shut, she snapped her head toward Six and hissed, “What is it, Six? I’ve got work to do!”
“Awww, why you gotta be like that, J.J.?” he sang in his usual sexy serenade. “Why haven’t you returned my calls? Didn’t you miss me?”
She replied with stone silence; he could take her quiet defiance however he chose to. Her glare shanked him with jagged daggers if he needed a clue.
“Well,” he said, invading her body bubble, standing so close she could tell him the day and hour he bought her favorite hypnotic scent, which he no doubt wore for the sole purpose of tormenting her. “I think it’s only fair to warn you that I don’t really give a damn about this case, although you know I’ll excel at my job. I can’t help it.”
J.J. rolled her eyes.
“I came back for one thing and only one thing—you.”
She waited for the itch, any sensation to remind her of the liar she knew him to be.
Nothing.
No matter. Just because he came back for her didn’t mean his intentions were honorable. This was Six after all.
“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you but I’m not avail—”
At once, his mouth lunged into hers, dancing a slow and easy drag. She struggled to fight him off, but her lips and body waved the white flag about five seconds after they touched. By the time she regained consciousness and pressed her hand against his chest to force him backward, the door had opened.
“J.J. you about . . .” Tony froze, paralyzed by the sight of J.J. in Six’s arms, his lips parting from hers. “Uhhhh . . . I can see you’re not...ready yet. I’m just gonna head back to the office and get started,” he said, storming away in a huff.
“Six! What the hell’s wrong with you?” She pointed to the door as if she was kicking him out of her house . . . again. “Get out!”
“Hmph. I see you have some unfinished business to take care of,” he said coolly as he pimped toward the door. He glanced over his shoulder and winked. “I’ll leave for now, but baby, handle your business, so I can handle mine. Because I’m back—for good.”
J.J. groaned as she watched him leave, wondering how he could create so much chaos in a little less than five minutes. It was Six’s way, bursting into J.J.’s life like a human tornado, powerful and equally destructive. She collapsed in a chair, threw her head back, and looked to the heavens. Then she slipped the gold-plated badge from her leather belt and eyed that powerful yet graceful eagle once again.
“God,” she said. “I love your sense of humor...but this is so not funny.”
Her mouth began to salivate as she thought about the drink she wanted but couldn’t have. She reached into her purse to get a couple sticks of Trident to relieve the urge when she felt an old mini-fridge bottle of Smirnov left from a trip to the New York office several months ago. She preferred the mini bottles. They were just enough to soothe the nerves, never enough to get fall-out-of-the-chair intoxicated. That’s all she needed.
She exhaled and mumbled under her breath. “Why Six? Why now?”
Sunnie, who just happened to be passing on her way to drop off some files to Wendell, stuck her head in the door a minute later. She noticed J.J. sitting alone. “Hey! Is everything okay in here?”
J.J. choked past the heat in her throat and turned to Sunnie with a pasted on smile. “I’m...fine, Sunnie. Just fine.”
One step forward. Two steps back.
Now available, the next exciting installment in this series…
Winner! 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Award for Multicultural Fiction
Situation Critical (A J.J. McCall Novel)
The Spy Catcher Series (Book 2)
Frankie V Books
An Imprint of LadyLit Press
Cheltenham, MD 20623
Copyright © 2013 by S.D. Skye
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.
Publisher’s Note:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
October 2013
First Edition
To Mommy
Acknowledgments
Thank you God. I’m still writing because of the gift You gave to me, and my earnest desire to use it to tell the stories you put on my heart.
Thank you to the men and women of the FBI who lay their lives on the line for this country every day. The United States is safer today than ever because of what you do.
Thanks to my beautiful son, William.
To my Dad. Without his love and support, I couldn’t have brought J.J. McCall this far.
To my dear friends and beta readers Lisa and Becky. Thank you for suffering through my early drafts.
And last but never least, thanks to my cousin and graphic designer RheQuan Robinson for yet another couple of great book covers.
Prologue
Friday, November 6th – Irving Street NW
Mist crawled through the darkness as the sound of revenge echoed with Lana Michaels’ every step along the quiet residential street. It was lined with a mix of neglected and pristine darkened row houses. Her body teetered on the edge of collapse since she’d broken free from the hospital. She'd grown tired of riding the metro, looking over her shoulder, flinching at each splashed puddle, paranoid that police cars stalked her in the darkened side streets. Still, she kept her pace swift and determined, pressed into the fog, ready for battle. She tightened her paper-thin jacket around her neck as the wind wrapped her in a shivering blanket. Nothing could quell her insatiable thirst...nothing except that bitch's tears.
She had no doubt J.J. McCall was now a hard target. FBI protocol demanded it. Lana suspected the Bureau had already retrieved her personal files from her laptop. The director had probably assigned a detail of Special Surveillance Group personnel to tail J.J. and ensure Lana didn’t get within five feet. That’s the reason Lana selected a softer target, one easier to kill. And Lana planned to savor his death and the untold pain inflicted on her nemesis.
For too many years, Lana had labored tirelessly in virtual isolation, sacrificed her body, and risked her freedom, all to end up with nothing. No small thanks to that meddling so-called star FBI agent and her bitter ex-lovers.
When Jack Sabinski, Lana’s lump of a boyfriend, was freed from Alexandria jail, he went into seclusion and hadn’t been seen in public since. According to The Washington Post clenched beneath her arm, Chris Johnson, her moronic stooge, was now keeping Jack's cot warm. He sang like the Harlem Boys' Choir during his Bureau interrogations and confessed each and every one of their sins, still angry the baby she claimed to be carrying had never spawned. She had no one to rely on except the Service—which was stifled by diplomatic protocols and bound by the Embassy compound gates.
Then her mind flashed to him, and tears for Jake McGee’s spilled blood flooded her eyes. She tightened her lids and saw him laying in a scarlet pool, murdere
d by the merciless bullet fired from J.J.’s Glock.
Lana's TV photo, the one in which she played the blond FBI agent, now fueled intensive manhunts for the so-called Red Honeytrap across six states. Her treachery had been splashed over headlines from LA to Moscow, and the FBI had issued every all-points bulletin, short of the Amber alert, dangling a million dollar bounty to sweeten the pot for greedy hunters. Her dyed black hair and green contact lenses couldn't conceal her for long. But by the time they figured out her location, the deed would be done. Her work would be complete. And she wouldn't be the only one left suffering a crippling loss.
Head down, shrouded in her hoodie, she rounded the corner onto Irving Street and pulled the folded newspaper from beneath her arm. She glanced at the address, then strained to see house numbers through the night fog. Halfway up the block she'd finally arrived.
“Here it is.” She opened the rickety gate to the three-story duplex, trotted up the steps, and rang the doorbell. A tall, older gentleman with cotton-colored hair answered moments later. He stretched inches above her head, but his frame was thin, frail.
She peered up at him and noticed the hearing aid and thick bifocals. “Hi. I'm here about the room? I called earlier.”
He inspected her, squinting his eyes and leering skeptically. The dead air gave Lana pause. For a moment, she believed his expression revealed a glint of recognition. How she hoped she was wrong. Exhausted, she grimaced at the thought of using her last shred of energy to slaughter the old man. Her right hand tensed when she imagined tightening her grip around his neck until his motionless body slammed against his pristine wood floors. An easier feat than convincing him she wasn’t Lana Michaels when, in fact, she was.
“You don’t remember? I told you…my apartment caught fire and I need a temporary place to stay.” She flashed a sheepish smile and nervously swiped her bangs from her forehead. Then she glanced down at the newspaper where she’d scribbled the name beside the advertisement. “I believe I spoke with a Mr. O'Leary? I'm Katherine.”
He hesitated for another moment then patted his chest. “Katherine, ahhh yes, yes. Come in.” He stepped aside and his smile warmed. She scanned the foyer and waved to the matronly woman poking her head out from the kitchen. “I'm sorry, but I've been getting so many calls, it's hard to keep all the names straight.”
She exhaled and the rigidness in her body released. “No problem, I understand. The room is still available, right?”
“Yes, yes. Do you have the deposit?”
Lana pulled a wrinkled white envelope from her pant pocket and counted out five one-hundred dollar bills. “This should do it.”
He held a bill up to the light and stretched it at the ends. “Can't be too careful. You'd be surprised by how much counterfeit money is floating around D.C. these days.”
He pulled a key from the drawer of the side table near the door and led her outside.
“My wife and I live in this half. We rent out the rooms on the other side. There is a gentleman sharing the home with you. Nice guy. Respectful. Very quiet. You'll be perfectly safe. We've got bolts on both bedroom doors so no one can get inside.” He escorted her back outside, opened the door, and led her up the wooden steps. “You two will share the kitchen, but you each have a bathroom. Yours is here,” he said pointing to a water closet-sized room containing an old-fashioned pedestal sink and footed bathtub with a shower.
“Here's where you’ll be staying. Rent's due by the fifth of the month. All utilities included.” The cramped space was clean, old fashioned, contained the basics. A bed, dresser with mirror, and a nightstand were positioned against the longest wall. Lace curtains hung from the windows which covered the venetian blinds.
She walked over and peered out. “I like it. You've saved my life.”
“You're welcome,” he said, easing toward the doorway. “Will that be all?”
“What about the neighborhood? It’s not dangerous, is it? I mean, you know, I’m single. I'll probably be alone a lot, sometimes at night.”
“Oh yes, yes, perfectly safe. Most of the residents have lived here for twenty years or more. Except one. Max McCall. He lives in the red-brick house right across the street. He's been here longer than any of us.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah, keeps to himself mostly. Doesn't go out much except to check on his business.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, he owns a corner store a three blocks down 7th street. You can pick up eggs, bread, milk, and the basics there. A Giant grocery store is located near the metro,” Mr. O'Leary said. “Now, if that's about all, I'll be getting back to the house. Time for Law & Order.”
He grasped the rail and descended down the stairs. “Oh, by the way, not that I'm rushing you out or anything but how long do you think you'll be staying? The wife and I are going on Caribbean cruise for two weeks starting tomorrow.”
Lana smirked as she once more peered at the house across the street. “Not much longer than a week or two. The minute I finish my business, I'm going home.”
And her business was sinking hot lead into the skull of J.J.’s father—Max McCall.
Chapter 1
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” Helen Keller
Monday, November 16th – G.W. University Hospital
Exactly three moments defined the entire course of J.J.’s being—the day she got “the itch,” the generational curse that sparked random irritating tingles through her body anytime she heard a lie; the day her mother died; and this one, the day in which she grasped the fragility of life and how it could slip away in an instant.
The ambulance siren blared down Pennsylvania Avenue through the remnants of rush hour traffic as she stared down at his tearful eyes, his face shredded with pain, his body curled with anguish. Slowly, his lids opened to expose a bloodshot blank stare. She saw her mother’s eyes in his, and his last breath whispered in the distance, drawing ever near.
“I’m here. You’re going to be okay. We’re almost there,” she said as her voice shook.
George Washington University Hospital was just a few minutes away and had one of the best trauma centers in the D.C. area.
He placed his trembling hand on hers and struggled to speak. “There…something…you should…kn—”
“Shhhh. Save your strength,” J.J. shook her head to dissuade him from speaking. She stroked his fingers and tried to maintain a steady front. “You’re gonna be okay. You can tell me everything when you’re better.”
Her mind whirred as the ambulance zipped into the circular driveway beneath the overhang and masked emergency personnel in blue and green scrubs swarmed the doors. They out pulled the gurney, wheeling him inside beyond her view. She’d never felt so alone in her life. She had calls to make, people to notify, but her mind was still foggy from the shock.
She searched her purse for the flask, the reminder of just how far she’d come and how much further she had to go.
J.J. walked into the waiting area and slipped onto one of the cold, cramped seats near the television, hoping to check the news for signs of a press leak. Instead, the hospital station replayed loops of doctors giving prevention tips on high blood pressure and heart disease.
Disappointed in the dearth of distractions, J.J. allowed her eye to drift from one ailing patient to another. She gazed at her feet until her vision blurred and left her wondering how she got to this place of confusion and despair. She was irresistibly drawn to this duty to her country, but with every day that passed she longed to understand her true purpose, the one that perhaps wasn’t tied to her mother’s legacy.
Even still, she was committed to seeing the task force through until every Russian spy was caught despite, once again, being neutered by the FBI.
The first Monday after Lana’s escape—seven days ago—J.J. had arrived in Director Freeman’s executive conference room, the one he h
ad personally reserved for Task Force Phantom Hunter. The team, comprised of DIA, CIA, NSA, and FBI, had been established under DNI authority to identify members of a suspected Russian illegals network operating throughout the U.S. intelligence community. After getting passed over for well-deserved promotions and years of second-class, stepchild treatment, Freeman had entrusted J.J. with leading this critical mission, and the significance did not escape her.
But the gratification didn’t last long.
Not even a day passed before the Bureau reneged. The offer that kept her from quitting that Friday was off the table. The shocking reversal, prompted by political machinations occurring in pay grades way above hers, left her wondering why in hell she didn’t pack it in while she had the chance.
She didn’t even have time to plan out the agenda for the first task force meeting before the next order came down from on high. President of the United States high. The directive was clear and unwavering, and J.J. had the dubious honor of breaking the news to the team.
She trudged through the drab, hollow corridors at FBI Headquarters to arrive a half hour before the rest of the group. Needed a quiet moment to collect her thoughts. It was her first day back to work since Tony Donato, the sexy co-case agent with whom (in diplomatic terms) J.J. had hoped to explore significantly warmer, friendlier relations, caught Six’s lips parting from hers.
J.J. emptied a large bag of M&Ms into a plastic candy dish on the oversized mahogany conference table. She’d dig in whenever the alcohol cravings became too intense. She peered up, hearing footsteps pad toward the door. Walter Lowenstein, the NSA representative, straggled inside toting an attaché. He pushed his Coke-bottle, wire-rimmed frames onto the bridge of his nose. His ill-fitting suit sagged from his shoulders and waist as if he was twelve and had pilfered the ensemble from his father’s closet.
