by Iris Bolling
“We have a location on that number you wanted me to check out,” Lucy announced with a pep in her step.
“Where?”
“Not where…who. The number is a part of a batch used by the office of the Vice-President of the United States of America. At the moment he is in the National Mall.”
Joshua jumped up and grabbed his suit jacket with Roc in tow. “Send the coordinates to Genevieve.”
“You strapped,” he asked as they climbed into the SUV.
“Always,” they pulled off.
“Good morning Genevieve.”
The console lit up. “Good morning Joshua. How may I serve you today?”
He grinned. “I love a woman who knows her place.” He glanced at Roc as she turned to look out the window. “I’m joking here,” he said. “Where is your sense of humor?”
“It left the moment I brought you home.”
“That’s a shame, for it takes a good sense of humor to make it in this world. Wouldn’t you agree Genevieve?
“I do not comprehend humor.”
“That figures,” Roc snorted.
“Don’t snort, it’s not lady like.”
“I never claimed to be a lady,” Roc replied.
For a moment, they drove in silence. Finally it was Joshua who spoke. “I was an ass earlier this morning.”
“Just this morning?” Roc asked, “It seems to me that you’ve been an ass for a couple of days, now.”
“Hey, hey, I was injured for some of those days. You know what happens when you have an injured wild animal. They tend to have a bit of a bite, so those days don't count.”
Roc turned to look out the window.
Joshua looked over at her, and decided to let it go for now. “Genevieve, scramble my GPS.”
“Scrambled.”
“Thank you. Now, lets see what we can find out about what Eleanor McClintock is up to.”
They pulled up on the monument side of the National Mall. People were walking, some sitting on the grounds with family. Some had dogs playing with Frisbees, and or balls. This was that time of the day when the mall was well populated. Which was probably why they selected this area.
Roc got out of the vehicle and began walking in the direction on the monitor.
“Wrong way,” Joshua called out as he walked down into the subway.
Roc turned and followed him underground. “Where are you going?”
Joshua pulled open one of the service doors and walked through. Roc pulled her weapon and followed.
“We are going to a place where we can see them, but they will have no idea we are here.”
The man had to be in pain, but to her it seemed he was in his element. He was literally strutting through the underground tunnel, as though it was his personal runway, dressed in a suit, with his trench coat flying out around him. It’s possible, just possible, working might speed up his recovery. Roc watched him and wondered how a man could look good walking through a sewer in D.C.
The underground walkway was wet, musky, not the most pleasant smell in the world, but not enough to make a person gag. The trail was under the sidewalk where pedestrians steered clear of Frisbees, jumping dogs and running children. Joshua pulled out his cell to check the coordinates sent to him by Lucy. “They’re this way,” he pointed forward and continued walking. Every hundred feet there was a grid built into the side of the concrete allowing them the ability to see people in the Mall without being detected. Joshua stopped at one, but the view wasn’t what he needed. They continued on to the next. He stopped, looked out between the bars of the grid. “Legs,” he grinned. “Nice long legs.” He reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a pipe like object. Turning to her he asked, “You know how to run surveillance without being detected?”
The question was insulting and he knew it. “Patience is a virtue, did you know that?” Roc asked as she took the cell phone, he extended from him.
Joshua gave her a crooked grin. “You’re always so calm, at peace.”
“I try to be,” Roc replied as she watched the monitor for any movement by the target. Joshua extended the device, then tested the range by following a dog running after a Frisbee. “We have eyes and ears,” he mumbled as he scanned the area.
“Aww, there is nothing like eyes and ears,” Roc nodded.
Joshua grinned, “The best there is. Where is she?”
Roc looked down at the monitor. “To our left.”
Joshua pointed the device to the left. “She’s alone.”
“Then we wait,” Roc nodded. “Let’s see who she can lead us to.” She looked at Joshua. “Would you like for me to hold that?” She didn’t want to get into another pissing contest with him, but she know if he held that arm up too long it would begin to cause him some discomfort.”
The question was not meant the way he took it, yet it still gnawed at him that she thought he needed help. He did, he just didn’t want her to think he did. Joshua closed his eyes to shake off the stupid thought. What in the hell was wrong with him? Since when did he give a damn what anyone thought of him. His hope was that the help was offered for medical reasons only. “I’m not used to someone trying to protect me. I’m normally the protector. I’m not saying this to be a smart ass, it just happens to be the truth. I know I’m limited at the moment. But I promise to let you know if I become uncomfortable. Fair enough?”
Roc looked at him sideways, then tilted her head, “Fair enough.” She turned back to the monitor.
Joshua tried not to acknowledge her presence, but a few things kept coming to his mind. When he asked if she knew Samuel, her response was ‘as well as a wife knows a husband’. Then, there was the easy way they had with each other.
Ten minutes of those thoughts was enough. “What's the deal with you and Samuel?”
The question surprised her. She adjusted her position under the pipe to get a better look at him. “Ask what you want to know.” The woman held his glare.
"Are you sleeping with my brother?"
Never looking his way she replied. "You must have a low opinion of your brother. He's a married man. It would be disrespectful to his wife if he participated in any extra-curricular activities." She looked away. "I've never known your brother to disrespect any woman."
"You believe I would?”
"You just did when you asked the question of me." She replied. "We have company at three o’clock."
Joshua looked up at the target. He watched as a man approached and embraced the woman they were following. “Hmm, that hug lasted a bit long for a casual acquaintance.”
“Mrs. McClintock has a little a little extra-curricula activity going on." Roc grinned. "I wonder if the hubby knows."
"Not surprising, most married women have a side piece."
“You know that from experience?”
Joshua grinned as he ran his hand down his jaw line. “I’ve had a round or two with a wife here and there.”
“Of course you have,” Roc smirked. "Do you recognize him?"
Joshua took a picture with his handheld. “You don’t seem to have a very good opinion of me.”
“It’s not my place to have an opinion one way or another.” She looked up at him. “Just as it’s not your place to question me on my sexual activity.”
The phone beeped. Joshua was slow to drag his eyes from hers. There was something in hers eyes that made him feel guilty for treading into that territory. A glance at the screen showed a name to go with the face. “Face recognition is a wonderful thing,” he turned the monitor to her.
Roc smiled. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the elusive, David Holt.”
“Let’s go,” Joshua said as he turned, swiftly walking in the direction from which they’d come.
“Holt or McClintock?” Roc asked wondering whom they were going to follow.
“Both,” Joshua replied as they reached the door leading back to the subway.
“We can’t take both, Joshua.” Roc stopped him. “We,” she pointed to him, the
n herself, “are going to follow one or the other, not both.”
“Look, we have a lead in this case and I’m not going to blow it because you have some kind of unquenched thirst to play mother hen.” He turned to walk up the steps, with Roc in tow. “I’m taking Holt, you take the woman.”
Roc reached up and grabbed him before he took another step. She pulled him back into the subway.
“What in the hell is wrong with you?”
Roc put her arm around his neck and pulled his lips down to hers.
Joshua was stunned to silence, as her mouth demanded he open his. And he did. What a contrast. The woman was hard as nails on the outside, but as sweet as honey on the inside. It only took a moment for him to move closer to indulge further into the smooth motions of her tongue. That was when he felt it. The hard cold steel in her hand behind her back. He attempted to pull away, but she held him firmly against her. She fired two quick shots through the lining of his coat. Joshua turned to the sound of a body hitting the ground. He looked at the man, who had two holes, center mass in his chest, then looked back at her. “Well,” he licked his lips, “That’s one way to douse a fire.”
Roc checked the man for identification. They both groaned the moment she pulled the black folded case from his pocket. She looked up at Joshua. “CIA,” she looked back at the man with the gun still in his open hand. “Now why would our own people be after us? And how in the hell did they know how to find us?”
Two things he knew for sure, no make that three. His reflexes were off. He never saw the weapon the man had. Two, his own agency had ordered a hit on him and three, this being the most uncomfortable one of all, Roc, had some juicy lips.
“We have to get out of here,” Joshua grabbed her by the hand. “I’m sure he is not alone.”
They ran towards the next set of steps, then stopped. “Oh hell, more of the bad guys,” Roc noted.
“This way,” Joshua said.
Roc turned, but he was gone.
“Hey, up here.”
Roc looked up to see he had climbed up into a vent and was holding his hand down to her. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her up seconds before two more men rounded the bend. They lay in the tight vent looking down at the men as they found their partner. Joshua snapped a picture of one of the men when he looked around.
The man pushed the earpiece. “We need a clean up team.”
Joshua and Roc looked at each other. They didn’t have clean up teams. At least, that’s not how they referred to their counterparts who wiped a place new, as if nothing ever happened. Joshua nodded his head backwards. The two slowly moved down the vent, away from the action happening below them. They moved in unison until they reached another vent opening. Looking out, they seemed to be in a deserted part of the subway system. They were about to jump out when the sound of a Metro whisked by nearly taking Joshua’s arm with it. He'd pulled back just in time. They waited for the train to go by, then looked out again.
“We have bad news, and bad news. Which do you want first?”
“I’ll take bad for twenty, Alex,” Roc smiled.
In the dark, musky subway, with little light, her smile was bright. He couldn’t help thinking about the kiss. The fact that their bodies were intimately fused together in the small vent did not help. “If I didn’t know better, I would have the impression that you are enjoying this little venture.”
“I am. This is a Jack moment. Do we go back and take our chances with the fake CIA agents or try to out run a train?”
“You look at 24?” Joshua lay there in the vent with her body pressed snuggly against his.
“Every chance I could when it was on TV.”
He grinned. “That’s all right.”
“I’m happy you are pleased with that bit of information. But I must ask, do you have a plan for our bad versus bad situation?”
“Hmm, what would MacGyver do?”
“Die.”
“You don’t like MacGyver,” he frowned.
“Give me Jack.”
“So what would Jack do in this situation?”
“That’s easy,” Roc grinned. “Jack would outrun the train.”
Joshua laughed, a rich deep laugh. The first good laugh he'd had in years. “Super agent Roc, let’s outrun the next train.”
“This is when I miss Ned,” Roc sighed. “He would be able to tell us down to the split second how much time we had before the next train.”
Joshua nodded. “That he would, however, we don’t have Ned. So by my calculation another train will be coming through in about seven minutes. “Do you think we can make it to the opening before the train runs us down?”
Roc peeked around to get a better look at the distance to the next opening. “How’s your back?”
“Non-factor,”
“Wrong answer,” Roc replied. “We’ll wait until the next train passes, then we’ll jump and haul ass to the opening."
"You should have children."
"A moment ago you were critical of my maternal instincts."
"Not in a derogatory way. I feel they are focused in the wrong direction. I'm not a child. I'm a grown man."
"That is evident," Roc replied as she adjusted her leg which was over one of his. "You refuse to accept you are an injured man, who has limitations. My job is to eliminate those limitations as soon as possible."
"Is it always about the job with you?"
"If that was the case, I would still be active."
The statement confused Joshua. "You're not active?"
"No."
"Then what are you doing here?"
"You have people in high places who care about your well being. They wanted you to have the best chance at survival so they commissioned me to come in."
“You're good," he acknowledged.
"Yes, I know."
“Arrogant, are we?”
“No more than you.”
“I’ll take that. Why did you leave the agency?"
They heard the Metro approaching. Roc looked up and turned her body to be lowered out. "To get married and have babies," she replied as the train rushed by.
Once the train passed, Joshua began to lower her down, head first. While he held onto her feet, she did a handstand, then flipped up right. She knew Joshua's back was not going to allow him to do the same, so to avoid the pending argument, Roc reached inside, grabbed his arms and yanked him through. They fell backwards onto the platform with him on top of her.
"Did you get married?" He asked as he lay there.
"No."
"Have babies?"
"No. Now if the personal inquiry is over we need to get off this track and through that opening."
He took a long look at her, then stood extending his hand to her. As they brushed themselves off, and began walking, he asked, "Why not?"
"Why not what," she asked as she looked back down the track over her shoulder.
"Why didn't you get married or have babies?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Never found that God fearing man who loves children and a sense of adventure. The tunnel was getting lighter which meant they were getting close to the opening or at the very least, another station.
He stopped suddenly. "How did they get my GPS code?"
"What?"
"That's how they are tracking me. The night we were chased in the car, they used my GPS implant. To do that, you have to know the code. Only Ned has access to the code."
"Ned would not give up that info." Roc stated.
"No, he wouldn't." They stopped and stared at each other. "That means someone hacked into his system."
"Or, he's dead."
Joshua was thinking the same thing, but did not want to say it out loud. That concern had to be placed on the back burner for another train was heading right at them. Roc grabbed Joshua's coat and pulled him into a full speed run. "Train," she yelled.
They took off running towards the opening. Joshua flew by Roc grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him.
&n
bsp; "Don't stare at it, run."
The train was coming at them full speed, as they rounded the bend, the end of the tunnel wall was only a few feet away. They had to haul ass to make it. Roc was laughing at the situation. Joshua thought she was crazy. He grabbed her by the waist, jumped from the track, rolled their bodies down the grassy hill and stopped. The two lay there breathing hard, the adrenaline pumping through their bodies and laughing as if they’d just come off a joy ride.
"Now that's what I call fun!" Roc laughed. "I have to do that again."
Joshua laid back on the grass, laughing, and breathing hard. Suddenly he stopped. The memory of another adventure came to mind. Akande crossed his mind. He sat up, causing the pain in his back to seep through. He stared at Roc. Her reaction to their brush with death was completely different. She was sitting there enjoying the moment. Did the fact that he liked that make him crazy? He stood, extended his hand to help her up.
"Let's get out of here," he said solemnly.
Roc stood and wondered what she had said or done this time. Wiping her pants off, she looked around. "Any idea where we are?"
Joshua looked around. "Yeah," he turned and began walking. "We have to remove the GPS or they will locate us again."
"I wouldn't remove it." She joined him in step.
He looked at her as they walked. "Explain yourself, Lucy,” he grinned with an accent.
The other Joshua was back, just guarded. "What's better, we chase after them or have them come to us?"
He thought about that as they walked. "Okay," he nodded his head as they walked across the tracks where several hotels and other businesses were. “Let's grab a room. I need to think."
Chapter Sixteen
Washington, D.C.
The two checked into a hotel after picking up a few necessities. A change of clothes, toiletries, and a magnet, was all they needed. After entering the room, Joshua removed his coat and was pissed to find she had shot a hole in his coat. "I can't believe you shot the coat," he fussed. "You can shoot anything else, but not the damn coat."
Roc stood there in disbelief. She had saved his life and he was upset about a coat. "I can't believe you are prancing around about a coat."
