by A. Gomez
“No,” I sighed. “They sound worse. Especially my Daddy. Everything with him has to be a car analogy or a football analogy, and when it’s mixed in with his twang it sounds hilarious at times.” I smiled at the memory. “For example, he might say to my mother, ‘straighten up, woman, or I might have to trade you in for a newer model.’” I used the best deep voice I could muster.
Josh was rolling with laughter on my bed. “And the football analogy?”
“Oh, yeah, he once told her, ‘Baby doll, wear that little black dress I like for the party tonight.’ My mother then comes out with a little red dress and he exclaims, ‘Oh shit! You did an audible on me.’”
“Well, I think you sound just fine, Isabel,” he said through his laughter.
“Thank you,” I said bashfully. “Since I moved here I try hard to keep my accent from being so prominent but sometimes I get too relaxed.”
“I’d love to meet your father. I think we’d get along great!”
I smiled, crinkling my nose at him. I got my laptop off my dresser and hopped into bed next to him. I sat cross-legged with the laptop in front of me, waiting for it to boot up. Josh was reclined, looking relaxed with his legs stretched out in front of him but he looked pensive.
“Isabel, your bed feels amazing. It’s as if I’m laying down on a fluffy cloud.”
“It’s the comforter. That is exactly what the sales lady said to me it would feel like. So, I bought it and it never disappoints.” The laptop was having trouble connecting to the Wi-Fi. We sat in silence for a few seconds staring at the screen. My cashmere robe fell off my shoulder. Josh sat up and moved my hair off my shoulder. I could hear my heart pound a little louder and my pulse start to race.
“I never noticed your hair is wavy,” he said in his sultry bedroom voice.
“Yup, it gets wavier when I cut it short.” I was frozen where I sat, afraid to move or even look at him. He leaned in and kissed my shoulder. I held my breath and turned my head slightly to gaze at his beautiful face. He cupped my face with his hand and kissed me gently on the lips. My lips parted, inviting his tongue, his breath, his heat. He pulled away to breathe and gaze at me; I couldn’t resist him, it was almost impossible. I untied my robe and let it fall off my body onto the bed. He reclined me onto the pillows and began to kiss me from my jaw line down to my neck. I heard him groan loud, almost a growl and then he abruptly stopped kissing me. He sat me up and pulled my robe back on.
“Josh, what’s the matter?” I ask confused. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, never!” he whispered. The space between his eyes was creased as he was looking down. “I can’t do this to you again, Isabel. You’ve already told me it’s hard for you to say no to me so I have to be the strong one for both of us. I want you in the worst way but I also want it to be your decision.” His voice was strained, yet caring. “You drive me crazy, Isabel! I think about you all the time! I always catch myself looking at you when I should be focusing on the task at hand.” He was now pacing the floor and talking with his hands. “I don’t like how other men look at you, especially David Summers! I can’t stand the thought of someone out there just waiting for the right opportunity to kill you. And at the same time, I don’t want this assignment to end because I can’t bear the thought of leaving you,” he revealed with a pained expression.
“Josh, what are you saying?”
He exhaled loudly, “I’m saying, I don’t want this to be a pseudo-relationship.” He stopped pacing and got on his knees in front of me. “I’m saying, I don’t want to be your pseudo-boyfriend. I’m saying I want to be yours and yours only and you mine and mine only and I want the entire world to know. I want you to take a chance on me, Isabel. I want to show you I can be patient. I want to show you that you’re worth waiting for.” He was gazing at me, waiting for a response.
How could I say no? There was a magnetic pull he had on me. And he was right, I was having the worst kind of trouble saying no to him. Every time I even looked at him, I got wet and my breasts ached for his touch. I cupped his face in between my hands and kissed him gently. He was holding me close, embracing me tighter, burying his face in my breasts; I kissed the top of his head.
“You don’t have to go anywhere, Joshua. I like being with you too, so yes, I’ll be yours and only yours and you mine,” I declared. “By the way,” I asked casually, “who are these other men you speak of? I’d like to meet them.” I giggled in his ear.
“You’re not funny, Isabel,” he said sternly.
“I think I am,” I replied through my giggles.
8
Samson started barking and we could hear someone trying to get in through the back door. Josh was half dressed and weaponless in my bedroom. All of his communication devices were in the spare bedroom. I reacted without thinking and grabbed my gun from my nightstand. It was a Glock 22 full-size semi-automatic pistol. I put a magazine in and handed it to Josh. He looked at me, stunned.
“What? It was my birthday present from last year. Just take it!” I hissed.
“Isabel, you are the most prepared woman I know,” he said and kissed me one last time. “I want you and Samson to stay put and not say a word. Do not come out, no matter what you hear. Do you understand me?” He was in FBI mode, his voice having that ring of authority again.
“Josh, I…” I was at a loss for words.
“Don’t worry about me, baby. The other team has my back and nothing will happen to you, I promise,” he reassured me and then left me alone.
I could still hear the person trying to get in. He or she sure was loud about it. Not exactly trying to hide they were here to murder me. In fact, I thought I heard cursing. Hm, this didn’t add up. All of a sudden, I heard a sea of deep voices hollering and what sounded like my kitchen chairs getting knocked over. Then a girly scream rose above all the noise. That’s a familiar-sounding scream, I told myself. Suddenly a man’s voice yelled, “Samson, go!” Sammy darted out of my room and straight for the voice. I gasped, covering my mouth. I ran out to the kitchen, turned on the lights and saw about five agents, including Josh, with their weapons drawn, all aiming them at my brother, who they had on the floor face down.
“Charles Andrew!” I chided. “What in god’s name are you doing here and scaring us half to death? You’re supposed to be at MIT!” We heard whimpering and a meek voice saying help. We all looked around for the voice and saw an agent against the wall where Charles Andrew was laying. Samson evidently got the agent who was closest to Charlie. He had him by the testicles and pinned against the wall. I love that dog!
“Oh dear! I’m so sorry! Samson off,” I commanded. I praised him, showing him love for being such a good dog. I gave him a bone so he would go to his bed and not make the agents nervous.
“Isabel Grace! What the hell?” Charles Andrew yelled, still on the floor.
“Gentlemen, this is my younger brother, Charles Andrew.” I was exasperated. “Do what you will with him.”
“Isabel Grace!” he yelled, his voice cracking.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” I snickered. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? This could’ve turned out bad.”
“I did,” he snapped. “Well, Mom did. She left you a message, she and Dad are coming in for your birthday and I’m just here for Mom’s cooking.”
“Message?” Had I forgotten to check my messages? “Are they coming now?”
Panic shot through me. I was not ready to tell them about my predicament.
“No, not until tomorrow morning. They’re flying in on the company jet. Can I please get up?”
“Oh, sorry, yes.” I felt flustered. I started picking up chairs and putting them back in place.
All the agents were starting to disperse. The one Samson got was on a kitchen chair icing his privates. Josh walked over to me, wrapped my robe around me and tied it. He gave me a tender look and kissed me on my forehead. I whispered thank you to him. The other agents noticed the special attention he gave me and exchang
ed looks. Uh oh, I hoped this wasn’t going to be a problem.
Charlie was getting up off the floor and picked up a chair to sit on. He looked shaken up. He glanced at the agent in the chair and apologized for calling Samson. The agent just waved it off as nothing. I went to Charlie and gave him a hug around his neck and shoulders. He felt more muscular and looked like he had grown a foot. I thought he might be as tall as Josh. His reddish-brown hair was below his ears and he looked like he needed a shave. He eyed me with his honey-brown eyes, waiting for me to say something.
“I’m sorry if this scared you or caught you off guard. I wasn’t expecting you. It’s my fault for not checking my messages. Will you forgive me?”
He took a deep breath and let it out. “Of course, I forgive you but you have to tell me what the hell is going on. What’s with all the security?” The agent got up and headed for the living room, I assumed so we could talk in private.
“It’s a long story but the short version is, I figured out the Chinese Triads are running a sex trafficking operation here and one of my victims managed to get away from them. Since I’m the one who pieced together the puzzle and I was also subpoenaed as a witness originally, the FBI thought it best I have a little protection.”
“Huh. Really? This is not a little protection. These are a lot of FBI agents, Isabel Grace. What are you leaving out?” he demanded.
“Yeah, so, since I pieced everything together, a person has been murdered and two others were attacked at their work place.” I left out the part about Jill nearly losing her life and being kept under sedation. Charlie didn’t react. He had no expression, a perfect poker face. My mind was racing. Did I say too much or not enough? Was he going to run for the hills screaming? Perhaps it was better if he did leave, just in case there was trouble, I wouldn’t want him in the middle of all the danger. Or maybe he didn’t believe me and he thought I might be hiding something and he just didn’t know how to respond?
“Charles Andrew?” My voice was a whisper.
He blinked a few times and very calmly said, “Holy fucking shit! Are you messing with me? Because if you are, it isn’t funny, Isabel Grace!”
“I wish I were. I still can’t believe it myself,” I said wryly.
“Do Mom and Dad know?”
“No, they do not know and please don’t tell them. This will worry both of them and they’ll just insist on me coming home. Besides, you saw all the security that’s here, so I’m okay. Plus, Agent Rockwall is staying in the house with me and Samson is here…and, well, you saw.” I smiled, hoping to make it sound a little better.
“Agent Rockwall?” He looked around the kitchen to see if Josh was there with us. They had all left to give us our privacy. Josh and a few of the other agents were congregated in the living room making sure things were in order, no doubt.
“He’s the tall blond in the living room,” I told him.
“You mean the blond in the PJ bottoms and the white t-shirt?”
I didn’t realize he had gotten more clothes on. “Yes, that’s the one. Let me introduce you two.” We headed toward the living room and the agents that were still in the house patted my brother on the shoulder as they exited and apologized for almost shooting him and knocking him to the floor. Charles Andrew just nodded as if to say it was okay. The agent that Samson had grabbed was walking out with a slight limp, not saying a word; the other agents watched him and snickered behind him. Josh only grinned as they walked out, locking the door behind them.
“It looks like y’all were having a date,” Charlie observes. “And I might have interrupted things. You have the fireplace going, pizza, beer on ice…I thought you said this agent was just here for your protection?” Charles Andrew eyed me suspiciously.
“It’s not a date, Charles Andrew. Rockwall didn’t get to celebrate his birthday this month because of this assignment and everything that’s happened with the Triads, so I told him we could order pizza and watch a game.” I was fidgeting with the tie on my robe. Charlie noticed I was nervous.
“Okay, whatever,” he said with raised eyebrows. Josh was then at my side with his arm around my shoulder.
“Charles Andrew, this is Special Agent Joshua Rockwall. Josh, this is one of my brothers, Charles Andrew.”
“Hey, man,” was all Charlie said, shaking Josh’s hand.
“Hey,” replied Josh. “Sorry about earlier, man. I was trying to keep Isabel safe, but after witnessing what Samson can do, I don’t think I really need to be here.” Josh was the only one laughing. Charlie just half smiled.
“So, it looks like I interrupted y’all’s date. Sorry about that, man.”
Josh was about to take the bait and there was nothing I could do to stop it. “No worries, we were just getting started. Have some pizza and beer with us. We were going to find a game, too.”
Charlie smirked at me and gave me an “I knew it” look. I shrugged sheepishly. We all sat down, Josh and I on the sofa together and Charlie on the chair closest to the fireplace. I turned on the television and searched for football. Josh opened beers for Charlie and me and set them on the coffee table in front of us. He opened water for himself. I stopped on a high school game that looked promising. Charlie started drinking his beer. I could feel him staring at us. I knew what he was doing: he was watching both of us, trying to assess just how severe my situation really was. I tried to ignore him, grabbing the paper plates and passing one to him. He wasted no time in getting two slices of pizza. I surveyed the size of the pizza in relation to the amount of people eating it. I thought I was going to have to order more pizza now that my brother was here. I decided to let them eat first and just drink my beer. If there was any left, I would eat. If not, I would order more or get something from the fridge. I leaned back to watch the game and drink my beer. Josh placed a slice of pizza on a plate and handed it to me. It caught me off guard, so I hesitated a little before I took it from him. He leaned back with his water in hand and rested his arm behind my head on the sofa.
“Isabel, baby,” Josh said softly in my ear. “Do you think we can find some basketball instead? I only like watching high school football when it’s the playoffs.”
“I suppose,” I replied, wrinkling my nose. “It is your birthday party.”
“Wow!” Charlie exclaimed through a mouth full of pizza. “Isabel Grace must like you a lot if she’s willing to sit through a game of basketball.” Josh’s eyes lit up, grinning.
“Shut up, Charlie!” I hissed.
“Baby, do you not like basketball?” Josh was surprised.
“No, not really,” I said apologetically. “But I’ll watch it since it’s your belated birthday celebration.” Josh kissed my temple and pulled me closer to him.
He put his lips to my ear and whispered, “So it’s Isabel Grace, huh? The G is for Grace,” he stated, sounding like it was more for his benefit.
I gazed up at him and he was already engrossed in the game. I looked over at Charlie and he was absorbed in the game too, eating pizza. I noticed Josh wasn’t eating so I offered him a bite of mine. He took a small bite and then I took a bite right after. I finished the slice and got another but this time handed it to Josh. He thanked me without taking his eyes off the television. Both men started to yell at the TV at some foul I didn’t catch. I wished this were football… this game was going to put me to sleep. I took a bite of Josh’s pizza and got up to look for some water and to feed Samson. Samson followed me to the kitchen, knowing I may have food for him. I placed his bowl full of food on his mat. He inhaled it as usual and then I let him out back to use the bathroom. I decided to sit at the table and go through my mail. It was mainly bills and junk mail. At the very bottom of the stack, however, was a white envelope with very elegant writing. It looked like an invitation of some kind. The envelope was thick and heavy and the paper was satiny. It looked expensive, almost like a wedding invitation. Whoever sent it used my full name, including my title. It read…
Dr. Isabel Grace Langley
T
hey didn’t put my address on the envelope and there was no return address. Huh, it must have been one of my neighbors having a get-together or a wedding. Who else would put an envelope this nice in my mailbox, use my full name and not put a return address on it? I opened it and the card inside was equally as nice, also with satiny paper. The design on the front was a bouquet of flowers with soft fall colors. It was beautiful. I smiled. Yes. I thought to myself, this is a wedding invitation. I just love a good wedding. Everyone is always so happy and there’s at least one family member that always makes a fool of himself or herself and that’s entertaining in and of itself. My smile got broader at the thought. I opened the card.
Shock, fear and anger washed over me all at once. My hands started to shake as I read, my heart began to race, and my mouth went so dry I was unable to swallow. I looked up from the card in the direction of the living room. I locked eyes with Josh. Unable to move, I just looked at him, my eyes wide, calling him. I was frozen with disbelief. Josh headed my way, not taking his eyes off of me. I was still holding the card and my hands were still shaking. Samson jumped at the door, barking, asking to be let in. It startled me and I jumped in my seat, gasping. Josh let him in, secured the door and made sure all the shutters were closed. He came to my side and took the card from my hands and began to read it. He then reached for the envelope and looked at it.
“Isabel, tell me what this means.” His voice was low and calm. I didn’t look at him. I only half heard him. I was numb with confusion, fear and anger. I watched Samson go into the living room with my brother and lay at his feet by the fireplace. My brother was still engrossed in the basketball game. It all looked so picturesque, so happy and so loving. I loved my brother. I loved both my brothers. Had I put them in danger? Was testifying really that important?
“Isabel, baby, focus, tell me what this means!” Josh’s voice was more insistent but still calm. He sat down beside me, placed his finger under my chin and turned my head so I could look at him. I blinked a few times and shook my head as if shaking the fogginess out. I took the card back from him to look at it again. I had to make sure I saw it correctly and just didn’t imagine it. When I opened the card, on the left side of the card was my full name and title, again in the same elegant writing, but the rest of the card had no writing or words after that. On the right side of the card was a picture or drawing of the tattoo that all the Asian men had on their right arm in the pictures Jill had as evidence. It was the red serpent-like dragon enclosed in a red circle. The head looked as if it had fangs coming out of its mouth. The rest of the head and body had wavy or wiggly spikes sticking out of it. I couldn’t tell if they were tentacles. The creature was upright like a question mark.
