Date: March 27th
Time: 8:50 a.m.
Place: 15 minutes out of Time Square, New York
"Lovely day, eh?"
"Yes, I suppose." Jeff answered, giving me a somewhat crooked smile. He was from Illinois and was one of my few close friends. He could be counted on for any mission.
My name is Lola Hart. I had just been assigned a case that got the last agent killed. He was shot and killed by Mirage's leader, Smoke, who also was shot and killed by an assisting agent.
"Have you ever met Agent Adams?" I asked, speaking of the first member of our team.
"Once. He didn't leave much of a good impression."
"Do you have his file?" I asked, ignoring Jeff's apparent hatred of the man.
"Sure, it's in the front console."
"Got it."
The man's name was Frank Adams. He was 24 years old and had been certified to fly a helicopter. He was valedictorian of his class as a cadet and specialised in close combat.
As I looked over his file I noticed a new message ding on my phone. It read:
"looking forward to meeting you at the square. Excited to be working with you" ¬Adams
"Speak of the devil."
Jeff raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Nothing. Jeff, they don't include personal phone numbers in an agent's file information, do they?"
"Not that I'm aware of. It's usually just the work phone or pager."
I nodded, deciding to be on my guard with Frank. It was no coincidence that he got my number, he must have gotten it from somewhere. This man was already making an unsavory first impression.
Jeff parked the car and opened the door for me. I thanked him and proceeded to survey the area. I quickly found Frank and walked over to him to say the code greeting;
"How's the coffee?"
"Not bad, but my mothers' is better."
"It's good to meet you, Agent Adams." I shake his hand.
"You may call me Frank," Jeff immediately frowned upon seeing the man.
"Hello, Jeff." Frank stuck out his hand.
"Frank," Jeff replied rather curtly.
After we were seated in the car I studied Frank's profile. He was a good looking guy with chocolate brown eyes and dark brown hair. Long nose, well-shaped eyebrows. His mouth seemed to be resting in a small, enigmatic smile. He definitely didn't look very threatening, but looks can be deceiving.
Jeff asked me to give Frank the rundown of the operation, instantly pulling me from my rambling thoughts.
"Shit."
"Everything alright, Jeff?"
"Tank is almost empty. Gotta make a detour,"
"You're very pretty." Frank said once Jeff was outside the car.
"Thank you," I replied cordially.
He stared at me for a while in silence. "I'm sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut."
"Either way, I appreciate the compliment." I said, smiling.
"These windows have a pretty dark tint, don't they?" Frank reached across me and knocked on the window. "Nice for privacy. One could do almost anything without people looking in."
My hair stood on end. "Yes, I suppose so."
When we reached our motel Jeff checked us in.
"We have rooms 204 and 205, I'll meet you guys up there." Jeff told us.
Frank and I load our bags on to a cart and step into the elevator. I press the engraved button and it lights up as the heavy doors close. It was a shabby little place with old wallpaper and the smell of damp wood.
Once I'm in my room I start to unload my suitcase.
"Do you want any help?" Frank asks.
I shake my head. "No, I think I'll be fine. Thanks,"
That's when I heard the door close and the gears of the lock click into place.
"Frank, what are you doing?" I say as I turn around.
"I saw the way you smiled back there. You look twice as beautiful when you smile."
Where is he going with this?
"I know I just met you, but I think we could make a really good team. Just us."
"Thank you for the compliment, but-"
"Please, just give me a chance?"
"Listen. We have a job to do, personal relationships aside..." I move my toiletries to the bathroom.
"That's not a 'no'," said Frank, following me.
Sighing, I try to explain why it would be a bad idea to start a relationship now.
"Please, let's just give it a go. No harm in trying."
'Would it really be that bad?' I ask myself. I still don't trust him, but maybe this is a way I can gain information.
"Fine. You get one week to convince me this is a good idea. Your time starts now."
~*~
One hour later...
My nerves were tingling and I couldn't help but smile. Perhaps this was a good idea.
"Lola..." Frank said against my neck. "Lola..." he chuckled in a growly sort of way.
He smothered my lips with his. My fingers intertwined themselves into his hair and I giggled.
"What?" He said, grinning.
"You're very convincing."
"Mmm..." Frank pulled me into another kiss.
"It's late, Frank. You should go to bed"
He held me closer to him. "Why can't I stay here? Are you afraid of me?"
'Yes,' I think to myself. I'm losing myself to him, and I barely know him. "No, you should go because..." Wait a minute, Jeff hasn't showed up. It's been over an hour and there was no sign of him.
"Frank, where's Jeff?"
"I don't know. He probably found some pig and is making love to her in the other room." He said as he leaned into me again.
I pushed him off, "He's not that type. He said he would come up, something must have stopped him. Or someone." I said as I stood from the couch.
"Come on," I pulled him up.
We left my room and opened the adjacent door. It opened easily and I stepped past the threshold.
"Jeff?" My eyes strained to see in the gloom. I saw a figure lying on the sofa, it wasn't moving.
"Jeff? Frank, turn on the lights,"
The bright light stung my eyes, making me squint. I knelt beside the couch and shook Jeff's shoulder. He didn't respond. I shook him harder but nothing happened.
"Jeff! Wake up!" My fingers tingle as I slapped his face.
Jeff winced and sat up sleepily.
"What the hell, Lola?"
"You weren't responding. I was running out of options. Why didn't you come get your bag?"
"I was about to," He yawned, "But I suddenly became very tired and decided to take a nap. How long was I out?"
"About an hour. I'm not to sure, I was busy with-" I glanced at Frank, "With something else." I helped him from the couch, "Let's go pick up Freddy."
~*~
I breathed in the sweet, flower perfumed air. The cherry trees were in bloom, bringing with them vibrant pinks and whites in the silky petals of each flower.
"Hi, Freddy. Nice to see you again." I say as a man clad in a well-fitted blue suit stepped out from behind a tree.
"And you, Miss Hart."
"Oh come off it, Freddy. You know I hate it when you call me that."
I have known Freddy since I was a little girl. We grew up together, his mother also being an agent of the FBI. His father died in a plane wreck, my Dad is the closest thing to a father-figure he has.
"That's why I do it, Mouse." He tousled my hair.
Mouse is Freddy's pet name for me. When we played hide-and-go-seek, I would find the smallest places to hide in, gaining me the nickname.
"Nobody's called me that for years, not even Dad."
"That's why I had too," Freddy said, grinning ear to ear.
~*~
In the motel room we debated our plan to find Mirage. Frank offered that we might use satellite imaging, but that would take forever.
"We could send in an operative undercover."
"We could. I'll get Marcus to search through any files we have on Mirage. Hopefully then we will be able to find their hiding place."
Jeff was silent throughout the proceeding. He seemed distant, as though he was in a trance.
At 10:30 pm, Jeff stood up.
"Well, come on Frank, Freddy. We better get to our room." He said, giving a slight smile while walking to the door. Freddy gave me a hug.
" Night, Mouse."
" Don't call me that. I'm going to stay up a while longer and talk to Marcus about going undercover."
"Don't stay up too long," Jeff said, giving me a one-armed hug. Frank tried to do the same but Jeff pulled him out the door before he could. I smiled, closed the door, and dialed Marcus. The phone rang a few times and he picked up.
"Hey Dad,"
"Oh, hey Squirt. What's up?"
"Just wanted to check up on you, someone has to." His laugh crackled through the phone.
"Thanks Lo. I'm doing alright. We're out of milk, by the way."
I chuckled; "I'll pick up some on my way back." I swallowed and braced myself for what I knew he was going to ask.
"Great. Where are you, anyway?"
"New York, working on a case."
"Anything I can help with?"
I took a deep breath. "Yeah, actually. What do you know about Mirage? We're at a bit of a cross-road and I would appreciate anything you've got."
There was a long silence on the other side of the phone.
"My God, they didn't give you my old case, did they?"
"Yes, they did."
Another long silence passed.
"Well, you can't back out now. You're a great operative, they need you."
"I had a good teacher, didn't I?"
"Thanks. I think there are some old files in the FBI database. It will take a bit of finding, though."
"Thanks,"
"Okay, need anything else?"
"Dad advice?"
"Uh oh, what did you do?"
"Nothing yet."
"What are you going to do?"
I sighed, "An member of our team has revealed his feelings for me, we were getting to know each other for a while before I called you, if you know what I mean."
"I see. Lo, if you like this guy, go crazy. God knows I've done some stupid things in my time, but I don't regret them. They brought me to meeting your mom and having you. You need to make your own mistakes. Other people can't make them for you."
"Hallmark card?"
"Fortune cookie. I love you squirt."
"I love you too, Dad. Bye."