"Unfortunate," he said, letting go of her hand. He glanced at Fred and frowned. "Who's this?"
Jayne looked at the other man and groaned internally as she saw him doing his tough guy impression again.
"My cousin," she said, rolling her eyes. "Ignore him. He breathed in too much smog as a kid."
She heard Merry snicker over the earpiece and Fred crossed his arms, offended.
Reed finally looked in Jerra's direction, keeping his smile in place though his gaze was chilly as an arctic night. "Jerra. Good to see you made it in one piece. I worry about you traveling around the lower levels by yourself. Anything can happen."
"No need to worry about me, Reed," Jerra replied, her calm facade flawless. "I can take care of myself. And it's not like accidents are exclusive to the lower fifty. Bad things can happen anywhere."
They stared at each other for a long moment and Jayne cleared her throat, half afraid they were about to jump at each other. She'd already clocked several weapons on both of them.
"Did you bring that present for Reed?" Jayne asked.
"Sure did," Jerra confirmed.
"Where is it?" Reed asked, a little too intently.
"Oh, it's around," Jerra shrugged. "First I want those vacation photos you promised me."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Reed said archly. "I don't think I owe you any photos."
"Well then I guess you won't be getting your birthday present," Jerra replied, her eyes hard.
"We had a deal you backstabbing little—"
"Don't talk to me about backstabbing you son of a—"
Fred gave her a nervous look, like he was debating trying to tackle one of them. Jayne shook her head quickly, waving him down. The last thing she needed was Fred setting them off and getting himself shot.
Jayne's phone vibrated in her pocket again and she quickly hit the ignore call button, watching Reed and Jerra step closer to one another, inches from violence.
"Hey," Jayne hissed, leaning in-between them. "You guys want to stop acting like children and do this thing? Because I can take you both out right now if that's what you'd prefer."
"You don't know the kind of blood this man has on his hands," Jerra said. Compared to the carefree expression she'd worn a moment ago, her face seemed like an entirely different person.
"Don't pretend you're so innocent," Reed shot back. "I know who you are. You play up the hero thing but it's just another cover—"
"Hey!" Jayne said again, louder this time. "I didn't spend all week dismantling your stupid little plots for each other just to watch this turn into a fist fight in the park. I'm done with this spy vs spy bullshit, alright?"
She looked between the other two, waiting for them to comply or go for the throat. They stared one another down, neither making a move.
"We’re professionals," Jayne said, ignoring her racing heart. "We are better than this. Are you really going to throw everything you've worked for away just because you can't control your fucking tempers? Pull it together. You're agents for god's sake."
She saw Reed twitch. She'd known appealing to his pride would work. She was less certain if it would have an effect on Jerra, but as Reed began to carefully withdraw she did too. Though they were still watching each other with barely concealed hatred in their eyes.
"Thanks," Jayne said with a sigh of relief. "Now let's—"
Her phone went off in her pocket again and she cursed quietly.
"One second," she said, holding up a finger as she took out her phone. "If I don't answer she'll just keep calling."
The other agents looked slightly confused as Jayne stepped away to answer the call.
"Jayne, finally!" her mom said as soon as she picked up. "You know I hate it when you don't answer your phone."
"I'm working, Mom," Jayne said, annoyed. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, how's work? Are you doing well? You know I was telling Dee the other day about—"
"Mom, I can't talk right now," Jayne said, rubbing her forehead where she could feel a tension headache developing.
"Oh, I'll just be a minute then. I just want to catch up every once in a while! You never call. Are you doing alright? Do you have a boyfriend yet?"
"Yes, several," Jayne replied. "Now can I please—"
"Jayne, you've really got to stop playing around. You're not getting any younger, you know! Now, Trisha at work has a son your age and he's a doctor—"
"Mom."
"Wow," Merry said over the earpiece. "This sure is a conversation we're having right now, in the middle of a mission."
Jayne felt an intense desire to just melt into the pavement and disappear.
"I'll call you later Mom, I love you, bye," she said, hanging up before her mother could say anything else. She shoved the phone back into her pocket a little more aggressively than necessary and shuffled back to where Fred and their clients were waiting.
"What was that you were saying about being a professional?" Reed asked, raising an eyebrow, a small smile on his lips.
"Can we please just get this over with?" Jayne said, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"I don't know why I expected better from another academy drop out," Reed said shaking his head. "That's why you couldn't cut it, both of you. Neither of you would know professionalism if it bit you in the ass."
Jayne took a deep breath to cool the boiling rage that rushed up the back of her throat and burned like acid in her sinuses. She forced a jagged smile.
"Ha, that's funny," she said, danger in her tone. "You know what else would be funny? If I told the guy that I replaced your sniper with to give you a third nostril."
A little of the smugness in Reed's expression drained away as he glanced nervously in the direction of the window he'd stationed his sniper in. Of course, there was no one there. Jayne hadn't replaced the sniper. Who the hell would she have replaced him with? But Reed didn't know that.
"You don't think that sounds hilarious?" Jayne continued. "Then let's get this done so we can all go home, alright? You can go back to trying to kill each other tomorrow."
+++
The exchange progressed quickly and smoothly after that. As Jerra pocketed the flash drive Reed had brought her she gave Jayne a nod of respect and then turned and hurried away, melting into the crowd before she'd even left the park. Reed's parting look was more scathing. Jayne was just glad to see them both gone.
"Can I talk now?" Fred asked.
"I said not until we left the park," Jayne replied, squinting in discomfort as that tension headache throbbed behind her eyes. She scanned the park, doing one last check to make sure there were no last surprises waiting for them before they left.
"Because that was insane," Fred said, ignoring her. "I thought they were going to go at it right there. I was right, it's exactly like my buddy and his girlfriend. They get off on the adrenaline or something, I swear..."
He kept going, but Jayne ignored him, her eyes on one of the old men playing chess. He had his back to them, but Jayne’s heart stopped when she almost thought she'd recognized that profile. It isn't him, she told herself. He can't be here. It's not him.
The old man turned, giving her a better look at his face. Her heart started beating again. It wasn't him.
"...successfully transferred!" Merry had been speaking in her earpiece and Jayne tuned back in at the last minute. "Most of this is going straight into bills, but I think we've got enough to celebrate."
"Let's hit the bar," Fred suggested.
"Heck yeah, I'll meet you there," Merry agreed.
But Jayne shook her head. That last scare on top of everything else had her feeling wrung out.
"You guys go ahead without me," she said. "I'll catch up with you in a bit."
"Alright, suit yourself," Merry said, disconnecting the earpiece.
"Don't keep us waiting too long," Fred added, patting her on the shoulder. "I'll get you one of those big pretzels."
Jayne scoffed. "Thanks, Fred. And thanks for the backup
today."
"That's my job," Fred replied, flexing dramatically as he headed for the walkway out of the park. Jayne watched him go, her smile fading once he was out of sight.
She checked to make sure there was money in the account, then headed out in the opposite direction. She stopped by a food truck moored to a walkway just outside the park and ordered herself a burrito. While she waited, she scanned every passing face, unable to stop herself. Anxiety didn't imbue her with nervous energy, it sat on her like an exhausting weight. She needed to get her mind off of this. She needed to catch Burrett.
She chewed her lip, watching people pass. Maybe there was a way she could do both.
"Make that two burritos," she said to the vendor.
+++
Police Station, L45, Theron Techcropolis, Amaros
The paper bag with her food was still warm by the time she slipped into precinct forty-five and dropped it onto Cameron's desk. He looked up in surprise as she perched next to it and dug out her own burrito.
"Afternoon, Jayne," he said, setting aside the report he'd been working on. "What brings you to the station today? Turning yourself in?"
"Yeah, I stole these burritos," Jayne replied, unwrapping the foil from around her own and pushing the bag towards him. "From that good food truck near the park that grills the fajitas to order."
"The one that makes their own tortillas?" Cameron asked, eyes widening as he grabbed for the bag. "They're always sold out by the time I make it over there for lunch!"
He paused as he opened the bag, then let it go with a sigh. "Wait. I know what you’re doing."
Jayne feigned innocence. “Whatever do you mean?”
“This is a bribe.”
"What makes you think I'm bribing you?" Jayne asked, taking a bite of her own burrito. It was delicious. She really needed to hit up that food truck more often.
"You never come to see me unless you want something," Cameron said, smiling at her.
"I haven't asked you for anything you haven't thoroughly enjoyed giving me," Jayne replied, leaning closer to him over the desk.
"Absolutely true," Cameron said, his voice low as his eyes swept slowly over her. "But I'm at work. So if that's the kind of favor you're after, it's going to have to wait."
The spark of desire Jayne saw in his eyes made her consider skipping the burritos and heading straight for the nearest room with a lock on the door. She sighed, and pushed the burrito towards him again.
"Later, then," she said. "But seriously. It's not a bribe. Eat your burrito."
"So what is it then?" Cameron asked as he peeled the foil off. "I know you didn't just pop in to see me at work for no reason."
Jayne shrugged. "Just celebrating a successful mission.”
Cameron chewed thoughtfully.
"I heard there was something supposed to go down in the park this morning," he said. "Feds warned us to stay clear. That you?"
"Yup," Jayne confirmed. "Nothing for the feds to write home about, unfortunately. It was a clean exchange."
"But not a legal one, I assume?" Cameron said, raising an eyebrow. Jayne just winked at him.
"Anyway, it was good money," she said, looking away. "Maybe enough to keep Merry off my back for a little while about..."
She trailed off, remembering that moment in the park again.
"You alright?" Cameron asked, bringing her attention back to the present.
"Yeah I'm fine," Jayne said quickly, but Cameron's concerned look didn't waver. "I just thought I saw something at the park earlier. It threw me off."
"What did you see?" Cameron asked, frowning. Jayne shook her head.
"It wasn't anything," she said, wishing he would drop the issue and knowing he wouldn't. “I just mistook some random old man for... for someone else."
"Burrett," Cameron guessed immediately. Jayne’s eyes flitted across the police station, looking for anything else to talk about. "Have you had any luck tracking him down?"
She shook her head again.
"Nothing," she said quietly. "It's like he just disappeared. The chances are slim to none that he's still in this city. But I keep feeling like if I turn around he'll just be there, watching."
"He played you pretty good," Cameron said, setting his burrito aside to focus on her. "That could leave anyone feeling off balance. But that isn't all there is to it, is there?"
"I just need to catch him," Jayne said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Once he's back in prison where he belongs I'll be fine."
"You haven't been sleeping," Cameron said, and Jayne could feel his eyes on her. "I fall asleep holding you and when I wake up an hour later you're gone. At first I thought you just didn't want to spend the night at my place, which is fine. And smart. But then the last few times, when you knocked on my door past midnight smelling like tek and tasting like uppers, I could tell I wasn't your first stop that night."
"We never said we were exclusive," Jayne said, tension in her shoulders and frost in her voice to hide the worry she felt beneath it.
"I know," Cameron said, and she felt his fingers graze her hand. "I don't mind that. As long as you're safe, I don't mind. I'm just worried about you."
Jayne softened a little, but caught her guard. She pulled her hand away from his, transforming back into professional Jayne.
"Thanks," she said quietly, “but you don’t get paid to worry about me.”
"You know, a lot of guys on the force go through this," he said. "Hell, I've been through it. There are people you can talk to."
Jayne winced. "Not interested."
Cameron sighed but didn't press the issue "Fine," he said. "I just want to help. So what can I do?"
"I told you," Jayne replied. "I just need to catch Burrett. It's my fault he's out."
"I'm not too happy about him being out there either," Cameron admitted. He glanced around them at the rest of the precinct, making sure no one was listening. "I can't use police resources to hunt for him. It's not in our jurisdiction.” He watched Jayne’s frustration boil, he knew that look in her eye. He couldn’t help but give in to her. “But there's no reason I couldn't ask around. Talk to a few of my CIs, some independent contractors I know. Maybe they'll have a lead."
"You wouldn't mind?" Jayne asked, turning to face him more fully.
"I want him off the streets as much as you do," Cameron replied. "Chief won't like it, but what the chief doesn't know won't hurt her."
"I'll send you something to help pay off your informants," she said. Merry would be pissed, but any chance at a lead on Burrett was worth it. She dug a micro-drive out of her jacket and handed it to Cameron. "That's everything we've dug up on him so far."
"There anything useful in here?" Cameron asked, taking it and setting it on the screen set into his desk. The files opened and he swiped through them, scanning the information.
"Probably not much you don't already know," Jayne admitted. "But there's always a chance. Nothing on where he might have gone to ground, unfortunately. Not unless you want to stake out every donut shop on Amaros. Which I'm almost desperate enough to consider."
"Donut shop?" Cameron repeated, confused.
"Apparently he has a serious thing for them," Jayne explained. "Before he was captured he was a regular at several local places. Doesn't care for the big name franchises apparently, just mom and pop places, where they fresh bake ‘em every morning. Even when he was locked up they were using donuts to bribe him for information."
"If we find this guy in a Dunkin’, I swear to god," Cameron said, shaking his head.
"Mom and pop places! Are you listening? Besides, you’re a cop. Aren’t donuts your specialty?" Jayne teased him.
"Ha. Ha." Cameron said sarcastically. "Very clever. I did not drop complex carbs and commit to spending all my weekends at the gym to maintain these abs just for you to disrespect them this way."
"I apologize to your abs," Jayne said with a chuckle, leaning over the desk to press a brief kiss to his lips. He smiled, forgiving her instant
ly.
"I guess this makes us partners," he said.
"I suppose so," she agreed.
"We should celebrate," he added, and Jayne's smile grew wider. "My place? I'll cook. We can grab a bottle of wine, watch that show you like with the long haul ice planet pilots, make an evening out of it. What do you think about ceviche?"
"I think you're too damn good for me," Jayne said with a groan. "But not tonight. I promised I'd catch up with Merry and Fred at the bar."
"Greasy bar food and listening to Fred and Merry argue about a cult TV show I've never heard of?" Cameron replied. "Sounds way better than ceviche. I'm in." He stood up and grabbed his coat as Jayne slid off the edge of his desk.
"Hey, I'm going to lunch," he shouted at the nearest officer, who was combing through a thick police report. "And also I have to leave early today."
"How early?" the officer asked.
"How many hours left in this shift?" Cameron asked, and as the officer looked for the time, Cameron hurried Jayne past the front desk and away.
+++
Berty's Beer Bar, L45, Theron Techcropolis, Armaros
They spotted Merry and Fred as they stepped into the bar and made their way through the modest lunchtime crowd.
"You brought Blue Eyes?" Fred put on a show of being offended as they approached the table. "I'm hurt."
"I don't know what to tell you, Fred," Jayne replied, sliding into the booth across from him as Merry got up to let her in. "Sometimes I like to have conversations with adults who don't spend their evenings over analyzing cartoons on the internet."
"Neon Generation Excalibur isn't just a cartoon. It's a philosophically rich reflection of contemporary—"
Merry sat down next to Fred and put a hand over his mouth to stop him before he could get started. "You're only going to prove her point, Fred. Quit while you're ahead."
"If it makes you feel any better," Cameron said, taking the seat next to Jayne, “I don't think she keeps me around for my conversation either."
Merry scoffed and reached for her drink to hide it.
Expelled (Interplanetary Spy for Hire Book 1) Page 48
