He held her hand for several more minutes, until she stood up and pulled down the blanket. “Are you going to be able to sleep tonight, Ari?”
She rolled her eyes and hung her head. “Probably not,” she said. “But at least there’s a TV.”
“If you need me, I’ll be here,” he grinned, and reached over to kiss her forehead.
“Thanks,” she nodded, “for everything.” He kissed her one last time before he walked out of the room.
She refused to cry herself to sleep, so she didn’t sleep. She watched the television for hours, but it didn’t help. She decided to search out Jordan. She wished she’d asked him to show her which room he chose. She silently made her way toward the kitchen, got a bottle of water out of the fridge, and took a long drink. The other two bedrooms were upstairs, and she couldn’t really think of a good lie to tell if Wolf or Argento caught her up there.
She finally steeled her nerves and turned toward the stairs, to find Argento leaning against the door frame watching her. “Couldn’t sleep?” He asked. Arianna shook her head. She’d really hoped to be able to sneak up the steps and into Jordan’s bedroom unseen. Argento totally ruined that plan. “Me too. I’ve been on edge since I was assigned this case.”
Arianna had no idea what to say to him. What he called
this case
was her life. And the last person on Earth she wanted to discuss her life, and her crimes with, was Special Agent Argento. “I think I’ll go back to bed.” She tried not to sound angry, but when he frowned she knew he could hear the emotion in her voice.
“Listen, Arianna, I’m sorry that I stormed in on you while you were confessing to your boyfriend.” The way he said boyfriend made the hair on the back of her neck rise. He thought Jordan was inferior. He was probably one of those jocks who bullied kids like Jordan in school. “There were two men in suits who were staking out your car. I didn’t know what their plans were.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and she flinched.
He took a defensive posture, stepping back and crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I know what you’re thinking,” he sighed. “I know you don’t trust me. You think I’m trying to manipulate you.” She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist. That was the second time he’d done it.
“Are you so touchy feely with everyone?” She snapped at him.
“I’m sorry,” he said intently. “I come from a big family. We use our hands to talk a lot, and we’re always hugging and…” He paused when he realized that didn’t make her feel any more comfortable with him. “You and I are a lot more alike than you realize.”
She scoffed at him. “I doubt that you and I are anything alike.” She ran out of the kitchen and back to her temporary bedroom.
She lay in the bed and thought about Argento. Vince, he’d said. Why did he constantly have to touch her? She shivered as she remembered his eyes when he grabbed her wrist earlier. She’d never seen such intensity, such raw emotion. She felt something when his eyes met hers, and it upset her.
She’d finally met a man she liked, a man that she wanted to be around. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word. His heart was kind and his soul was pure. She never thought she’d meet anyone like him.
Argento wasn’t pure. He was nearly as angry as Arianna herself. Arianna had been around enough angry men to spot one quickly. But Vince Argento wasn’t like the others; he wasn’t a criminal. His job was to put criminals away. And what business did he have being so damn good-looking?
As she thought she heard a knock. She fully expected it to be Argento, but she heard a low, “Arianna, it’s Jordan.” She flew to the door, opened it, and pulled him inside. There she shoved him against the door and laid her head on his chest. The tears came then, racking her body with almost violent sobs. He rubbed her hair gently, standing patiently against the door. The knob dug into his side, but he didn’t mind. He was holding the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen in his life.
Arianna, he had to get used to the name, wasn’t just pretty, she was spectacular. She was the kind of woman that made men stop and stare. Her sky blue eyes jumped out against her tan skin and dark brown hair, which lay in perfect waves around her shoulders. Her lips formed the perfect bow, and framed her straight white teeth. Her cheeks were soft and round, like a teenager, but her neck was long and graceful like a swan.
He could feel her soft full breasts against his chest. When her arms went around his waist and pulled him closer he couldn’t breathe. He was so aroused it hurt, and he hated himself because she was hurting and he couldn’t control his reactions to her.
“I’ve got you stuck against the door, and you’re probably uncomfortable,” she finally said after she cried herself out. She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, and pulled away from him. Then she took his hand and led him to her bed, and sat down. She looked up at him and he thought things he shouldn’t think. But she patted the bed beside her, and he obediently sat down.
“I heard you talking to Agent Argento,” he said gently. She hated his observations, because he expected her to say more. She always did.
“I grabbed a bottle of water and was psyching myself up to sneak upstairs.” He could still hear the tears in her voice. It hurt his heart more than he could explain. “You didn’t tell me which room was yours.” He seemed surprised.
“I’ll show you tomorrow,” he offered calmly. “Why won’t you listen to him?” His observation skills were eerie. She would never be able to hide anything from him.
“He’s like most men. He wants something from me so he will do whatever he has to do to get it. He needs me to testify against the Secretary. But then what? After that no one could protect us.” She laid her head on his shoulder again, a now familiar comfort in a sea of uncertainty. He was a rock, strong and sure and steady. And she felt relief.
She heard his phone chime, an odd sounding alert that she’d never heard before. He pulled it out of his pocket and frowned. She could see the confusion in his eyes. She thought he knew everything.
“What’s wrong,” she asked, and changed her position to stare over his shoulder.
“We need to alert Argento somehow.” He looked around her room to find her bags still packed and sitting by the door. “Good you didn’t unpack. I didn’t either.” He sounded cryptic; she became nervous very fast.”
“What’s wrong?” She asked, as he moved toward the door.
“Put your shoes on. We have to leave now.”
“Wait,” she whispered. Her senses were tingling, alerting to the caution in his voice. She listened to the sounds of the house but heard nothing. “Can we trust Argento?”
“Yes,” he responded quietly. “But we can’t trust Wolf. I’ll carry your bags out to the car. You go wake up Argento.”
“Make sure you get this one.” She handed him the bag with the money and the guns after she pulled one out and tucked it into the waistband of her sweatpants.
She listened closely before she climbed the stairs. She still didn’t hear anything. She moved quietly, made it to the top of the steps, and looked left and right. To the left was what had to be Jordan’s room, she saw the laptop unfolded on his bed. So she turned toward the right, and found the door open. Both beds were occupied. The TV was on, her favorite show. Both occupants seemed to be asleep, but when she stepped into the room both jumped.
When Argento saw it was her he smiled brightly. She smiled back. She knew how to seduce a man, and she used all her talents at that moment. She placed her index finger to her lips, and then crooked it at Argento. His eyes glittered as he climbed out of the bed quickly. He shoved his feet into the tennis shoes that waited beside the bed. She giggled, for effect. Wolf rolled back over with a heavy sigh.
He hurried toward her, as if the most important thing was to be beside her. She placed her right hand on his shoulder, and put her left hand on his. She drew his hand to her back. She hoped more than anything they were as alike as Vince Argento seemed to think they were.
He paused for only a moment; his dark eyes burning like hot coals before they became as cold as ice. She flipped the light on as Argento pulled the gun and aimed it at Wolf.
At that moment Jordan stormed up the stairs. Arianna glanced over her shoulder, but Argento kept his eyes trained on his partner.
“I don’t know how much time we have,” Jordan exclaimed as he hurried toward his room.
That’s when Wolf turned over with his gun in his hand, and pointed it at Argento. Wolf was surprised to see the other agent already had a gun as well. “Hand me my jacket,” he ordered Arianna, and pointed toward the closet.
She hurried and grabbed the suit that hung in the closet, and his bag that lay at the foot of the bed. She quickly found her gun in the pocket of his jacket, and trained it at Wolf. Jordan ran from his room down the stairs again, apparently carrying his gear to the car.
“It doesn’t matter, they’ll be here soon.” Wolf’s tone was unrepentant.
“We’ve been partners for two years,” Argento scolded the older man.
“You’re a young gun, without ambitions or connections. I need more than that. I’m older; I need people to watch my back.” He became silent when Arianna walked toward him without fear, and presented Argento’s handcuffs. Wolf looked from one young, angry person to the other. They were both as cold as ice and calmly menacing. He also knew that Arianna wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. He offered her his gun, and she placed one cuff around his wrist and the other around the post of the bed.
“He has another gun,” Argento warned her. She hurried toward the other closet and searched around in his jacket. She found it in the inner pocket. She nodded to Argento.
“Go help Jordan,” Arianna insisted to Argento. He didn’t hesitate; he strode out of the room. “Big mistake, putting Jordan in danger,” she whispered to Wolf. There was no mistaking the threat in her voice.
“They won’t hurt Agent Stewart. He’s far too important.” As soon as he said it he regretted it. He shouldn’t have given her any information. He closed his mouth quickly.
“Thanks,” she smirked, and punched him right under his ear. He was defenseless, and he went out cold quickly. He hung limply at an odd angle, his body dangling lifelessly from the handcuff. He would have a horrendous crick in his neck when he woke up.
Jordan was already back up the stairs, and he and Argento grabbed everything and motioned toward Arianna. She carried his bag and his suit, and Jordan carried his laptop bag. They were an odd trio as they made their way toward the SUV. Argento didn’t squeal the tires, he calmly but quickly drove away.
Chapter Nine
“How did you know,” Argento asked when they were several miles from the safe house. Jordan sat in the passenger seat, with his phone and laptop both on. He pounded away at his keyboard, and ignored Argento. Arianna sat in the back seat, facing out the non-existent rear window. She had a gun in both hands, and another on the seat beside her. She wished more than anything she had a rifle with her.
“Turn left,” Jordan said quietly. He was oddly composed, focused on his screens.
“Where are we going,” Argento asked.
“Just do as I say, please,” Jordan stated firmly. “Don’t question me.”
One of Argento’s dark brows arched as he glanced over at Jordan, but the younger man didn’t look up. Arianna saw a sedan pull to the intersection they’d just left, and turn right. They were going toward the house; they had no idea yet that the trio were gone. Good, that bought them time.
Arianna huddled as close as she could to the unbroken window, but still she shivered. Argento’s voice mocked her inside her head, reminding her that the Secretary’s soldiers were tougher than that. She tried to ignore it, but it persisted. She grumbled something, and Argento heard her.
“What? Is anyone following us?” He said over his shoulder.
“No, nothing,” she assured him.
“Turn right here,” Jordan ordered. He sounded almost like the voice on her GPS. “Stay on this road for thirty miles.” Arianna struggled not to laugh. “They aren’t following us.”
“How do you know,” Argento wondered. “And how did you know that Wolf was a traitor?”
“Technology,” Jordan answered blandly. He didn’t want to say more than that.
“Explain,” Argento said, his voice more gruff than usual.
Jordan’s eyes were blank as he glanced over at the other agent. “Do you really want to know?”
“Kinda, yeah,” Argento shrugged.
“I cloned Wolf’s phone. I saw the text he sent with the address of the safe house. I used cell towers to track the cell phone that received the text. Then I hacked that cell phone, found the phone that it texted. After that I tracked that cell phone. I know that phone has texted two other phones. There are only three agents searching for us at this time. Would you like to know their names and agencies as well?” He spoke in monotone again. Gone was the sympathetic friend, replaced by a robotic genius.
Arianna sat stunned, open mouthed. Argento nodded at the right times. He looked thoughtful. And finally he said, “I thank God you’re on our side.”
“You need gas,” Jordan stated. A few seconds later the car pinged, alerting Argento that he was indeed low on fuel. “There is a gas station that has no surveillance cameras or internet service five miles ahead. Would you like to know how I…”
“No,” Argento shook his head quickly. “I trust you completely.”
“Good,” Jordan said and returned to his laptop. “Turn right.” Argento did as he was told. “Ari, would you get the blue duffle bag out of the back please?”
“Sure,” she said, and reached over the back seat to pull the bag from the top of the pile. She handed it to him and he opened it. The bag was stuffed full of stacks of bills in denominations from hundreds to fives. He removed three twenties and handed them to Argento. Arianna’s mouth fell open again. She had roughly two hundred thousand in cash stashed away, as she couldn’t put all the money the Secretary gave her in the bank without causing suspicion. Jordan had twice that at least.