“Campus security didn’t really do anything. They got the girl dressed and took her back to the dorm she was staying in. The next morning she wakes up and doesn’t really remember what happened. The school is supposed to be safe, you know?”
She nodded. She felt the school her sister attended didn’t do enough to help find the man who killed her. They just didn’t want the media attention. If the school wasn’t safe they lost revenue.
“The only reason they started investigating was because the pictures circulated around campus. And they originated from my phone. The cops came and knocked on my door. I didn’t know what to do, you know. They arrested me. They took me to jail. I stayed there for weeks; twenty-seven days.”
She couldn’t imagine Jordan in jail. It must have been horrible. If he’d been picked on in high school, she couldn’t imagine the bullying, or worse, he’d received in jail.
“I talked as soon as they arrested me. I didn’t even have the phone. When I saw what James did with it I said it was stolen and bought another. I told them everything that happened, everyone who was there. I told them I was the one who called campus security. I was grilled about why I didn’t call the cops. I was grilled about why I didn’t stop them. There were five of them and one of me. And then they talked to the others who were there. They denied it. They were arrested but released the same day. Can you imagine? I did nothing, and I was in jail.”
She couldn’t imagine.
“My parents hired a lawyer, but there was so much backlash from the DA. He was under pressure to get the case solved. Finally he had the charges dropped. No one was ever incarcerated for what happened.” He finally turned toward her and she held him even tighter. He allowed it for only a moment before he moved away. “Do you want some cocoa?”
“I was hoping you’d want to go out with me. Dinner?” She hadn’t really thought about it. But she needed to get him somewhere they wouldn’t be heard by anyone, and give him some of the honesty that he just gave her.
“I’m not really hungry,” he said as he shook his head. She knew he was upset. But this was too important to allow him to refuse. She had to get him out of the apartments.
“I’m starving. I’ve been waiting for you all day to go out.” She didn’t want to explain it out loud. She still wasn’t sure he got all of the bugs out of his apartment. But he turned away from her again.
“That’s nice of you but I really don’t want to go out.” He refused to look at her.
“We need to talk. Somewhere other than here.” She covered his hand on the counter. She was not shy at all about physical contact with him. She grinned as she thought of how much she actually liked touching him. His skin was soft and always warm.
“Okay.” He said it, but he still didn’t seem like he wanted to go.
“It’s important,” she insisted.
“I’ll change.” He looked down at his work clothes, his black suit and white shirt.
“You look great.” She didn’t say it just to flatter him. She was being honest. He looked very handsome in his work clothes. An image of Agent Argento flashed in her memory. They wore the same style and color suit. He was handsome in a different way. She didn’t want to think about him right now.
“Thanks.” His voice said he didn’t believe her as he walked toward his bedroom and shut the door. She wanted to open the door and climb on his bed and watch as he undressed.
She restrained herself and took a seat on his couch. She had to stay calm to explain it all to him. But she started crying. She couldn’t stop herself. She was overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the past few days. She couldn’t contain the sadness she felt for Jordan and the fear she felt for the both of them.
He was dressed in jeans and a dark navy t-shirt, and she couldn’t decide how he looked better, work or play. When he saw her tears he was immediately beside her. He knelt down on the floor and took her hands.
“I should have told you.” His voice held the shame he felt. “I don’t want you to be sad. I don’t want you to hate me.”
“I don’t hate you,” she sighed. “And that’s not why I’m crying. It’s just too much to explain right now. I’ll tell you later.”
She pulled herself up off the couch, wiped her tears, and took his hand to help him off the floor. “Let’s just please go.”
She popped into her apartment to grab the manila folder while he prepared to leave. For some reason she couldn’t explain she grabbed one of the many guns she kept in a drawer in her bedroom. She tucked it into the waistband of her jeans in the back and made sure it was hidden by her jacket. She knew she might need it to protect Jordan and herself.
“Are you okay to drive?” She shrugged. She didn’t want to be too preoccupied with driving to pay attention to their surroundings or any cars that might be following them. She felt sure they would be followed.
She’d seen his little hybrid car in the parking lot. It was cute and bright red and would not be hard to follow. Hers would not be any less conspicuous, but at least it was black and could blend in more.
“Would you like to drive my car?” She asked as she pulled out her keys and offered them to Jordan.
“Ummm…I don’t know” he mumbled as he stared at the keys. But she came closer and shoved them in his hand, and he climbed into her small car. He had to push the seat back to fit his long legs, and he sat all the way back in the seat and grasped the steering wheel tight. “I can do this,” he said with a smile as he stared straight forward.
“Not until you start the car.” She tried to look serious as she said it, but he looked scared and she couldn’t help but smile. “I trust you,” she said as she placed her hand on his. And when he turned his brown eyes toward her she nodded. She couldn’t say she trusted any other man; ever. But him she trusted with her life. She just hoped he could do the same.
Chapter Seven
“Where are we going?” He asked innocently as he took a left at the end of the parking lot onto the main road.
“I’m not sure for now,” she said evasively. “Just drive.”
“I thought you were hungry.” She shook her head and turned to look out the back window of her car. “So why did we leave the apartment?”
“Because we need to talk without anyone listening.” He refused to look at her, focusing completely on the road in front of him. But he did nod. “Let’s go somewhere public.”
“How about the restaurant we ate at?” She shrugged. He drove in silence and she decided to turn on the radio. He made a face when she found a pop station and turned up the volume.
“You don’t like pop music?” She wondered.
“Not really,” he shook his head. He made a left turn and Florian turned her attention to the rear mirror. She saw a pair of headlights turn behind them, but she couldn’t tell for sure if they were following her car. Not until they finally pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and she saw the black SUV drive past did she know they were actually being tailed.
Jordan’s knuckles were white when he finally parked the car. He exhaled deeply as he turned off the motor. She gently removed his hand from the steering wheel and held it to her cheek. “You did an excellent job,” she said softly.
“Thanks.” His voice cracked as her lips fluttered against his palm.
“Let’s go inside,” she suggested as she noticed the black SUV pass them again. This time she could make out Agent Argento at the wheel. He stared at her car as he drove past then parked a few rows away.
She confidently held Jordan’s hand as they walked toward the door, hoping the FBI agent would see them. He seemed to stand a little straighter and walk a little taller as she smiled brightly at his side. The hostess sat them quickly, and a waitress appeared to take their drink order. If there was ever a time Florian needed a drink, this was it. She thought about it for several seconds and finally blurted out the name of her favorite wine.
He didn’t frown, and she was thankful. And she tried hard not to gulp it. “The Secretary wants you dead,” she said softly after she finished her drink.
“What?” He blurted it out as he took a sip of his soda, and he had to wipe his mouth. As usual she tried not to chuckle at him.
“We need to leave town and hide out for a while.” She tried to remain as calm as possible. She didn’t want him to panic.
“I can’t, I have to go to work, and…”
“Hello Arianna.” She didn’t expect him to come into the restaurant. And she wanted to hit him for using her real name. “May I join you?”
He had balls, she’d give him that. He even waited for her to scoot over so he could sit down beside her. The confusion on Jordan’s face would be funny in any other situation.
“Who’s Arianna?” He wondered aloud as he glanced from the man who just intruded to the woman he thought was Florian.
“I’m Special Agent Vince Argento. And this lovely woman beside me is Arianna Becker.” He pulled the leather wallet out of his pocket again, and showed it to Jordan. Jordan took it and examined it briefly. And then he nodded. “Ms. Becker is taking far too long to explain it all, so I will sum it up. You’re in danger.”
He said it dramatically, and it sounded like a line straight out of a movie. His voice, along with his good looks, made it even more unrealistic. If she hadn’t already met him she would be looking around for cameras.
The waitress approached then, and Agent Argento smiled at her as if nothing at all was wrong. “I’d like to pay their check, please,” he said with a grin and a wink and handed her some money. “We’ll be leaving soon.”
“You can’t just march in here and tell us what to do,” Arianna nearly growled at him. “We won’t be leaving until I’ve explained to him.”
“The package your employer sent you had his picture in it,” Agent Agento stated smugly.
Her eyes grew wide. “There’s no way you could know that, unless,” she began, but he interrupted her.
“We intercepted the package and looked at it before you did.” He said with a charming grin.
“I don’t believe you,” Arianna argued. Her eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared. “You’re working for her.”
“I assure you, I’m not working for her,” he countered roughly. “The FBI has had your employer under surveillance for two years. The White House has given the go ahead to prosecute her.”
“I don’t know if you’re even an FBI agent,” Arianna countered. “That badge could be a fake.”
“It’s not,” Jordan broke in finally. He’d watched the two banter for several moments in awe. He knew he wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of either of them if they were angry. At that point, though, he felt he needed to interrupt. “It looks just like mine.” He reached into his back pocket and grabbed his wallet and handed it to Arianna.
And there, staring back at her, was a picture of the man she’d developed feelings for on a federal ID. Just when she thought her day couldn’t get any worse.
“Are you in on this?” She refused to believe he had only acted like he cared about her to… To what? Get close to her and trap her? “I am pretty stupid, huh?”
“Trust me; Mr. Stewart isn’t involved in our investigation.” Agent Argento insisted.
“I’m not a field agent,” Jordan explained. “I’m in a different department.” But he didn’t say anything else.
“His job is classified.” Agrento raised one eyebrow as he said it. “I don’t even know what he does.”
Jordan frowned and stared at the table. Arianna handed his wallet back to him, and her fingers lingered a little too long on his hand. Argento groaned when he saw it. Arianna pulled away quickly, then shot him a dirty look. He had no right to comment at all about their relationship, and she opened her mouth to tell him so. But he had a far-away look in his eyes. Then he glanced out the window.
“I understand,” he said into the cuff of his jacket. “We need to go, now,” he said as he stood up. Jordan followed him immediately, but Arianna hesitated. “Now,” Argento reiterated, sternly.
Arianna lagged behind the two, and watched as Argento placed his hand on the small of Jordan’s back and led him not to her car, but to the black SUV he drove. She glanced toward Agent Wolf as he moved from the rear of the SUV to the passenger side. And then she turned toward her car. She’d really grown attached to it; although she knew it was as temporary as everything else surrounding her job, including her name.
She didn’t hear the engine of the car that sped toward her until it was five feet away from her, and she spun quickly out of the way, right into Agent Argento. She wanted to reach for her gun, but it was already in his hand.
“I can’t take the chance that you’ll use this on me,” he said as he shoved it into the back of his trousers. Her shoulders slumped as he grabbed her wrist and led her to the SUV. Jordan was already in the back seat, and Argento opened the door and practically shoved her in.
“I’m sorry.” Arianna’s voice cracked as she stared into Jordan’s eyes. He put his hand on hers, and she grabbed it and held it for dear life. And then the tears came. She sobbed loudly, and Jordan wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
“I thought the Secretary’s soldiers were tougher than that,” Argento said snidely. “The car wasn’t even that close.”
Jordan rubbed her hair and made a soft shushing sound. She shouldn’t trust him right now. He was a fed, just like Argento and Wolf. But she didn’t have a choice. Her life, although fabricated, crumbled around her. She knew she ran the risk of capture, incarceration. She assumed, though, that the Secretary would have her back and get her out of any messy situations. Now she knew there was no one she could trust, except maybe the man who held her so close.
“You have ten minutes,” Argento said as he opened the door and held out his hand to help her. They stopped at the apartment building, which she didn’t expect. She thought, for some reason, that they would take her straight to their headquarters, put her under a bright light, and read her her rights. Argento stared pointedly, and flicked his wrist. “You have nine minutes and forty seconds.”
Arianna heard the other door close, and saw Agent Wolf escort Jordan to his apartment. “I guess you don’t want to grab your clothes,” Argento growled and moved to close the door again.