Eyes Of Danger (21 page)

Bouden slapped the table. “Ms Tompson, quit playing games. Did Myers tell you he worked for us, I mean the Government in some manner?”

I smiled. “Yes, Tim told me many things and that was one of the things he mentioned.”

Bouden smiled. “What else did he tell you?”

I uncrossed and crossed my legs the other way. “Well, he told me that jade brought out the green in my eyes, he told me to turn into a skid, he told me how to order in an Italian Restaurant, he—”

Bouden jumped up. He came around the table, but JB was also up and moving around me. As for me, I didn’t move. I wasn’t going to show fear in front of a two-bit Government flunky in a three hundred dollar suit. But at this moment the door opened and two men came in. One was an older man, casually dressed, but neat, and behind him was Tim. Oh, God, I wasn’t sure I could hold it together with Tim in the room.

First, the older man gave one crisp order. “Clear the room, everyone. Turn the recorder off.”

Bouden turned and looked at him. He even looked like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. He grabbed his folders and all the people left, even the stenographer with her equipment.

The man sat down where Bouden had been sitting. He had a legal pad and a pin that he laid on the table. He pulled out a couple of business cards. He handed them to Tim who brought them down to JB and then went back behind him. Tim leaned against a cabinet with his ankles crossed.

“I am Field Agent in Charge, Paul Burroughs. Now, I am a busy man, I have a lot of people under me and I answer to a lot of important people. We have some really serious problems in this country that I need to be attending to right now.”

He looked over at JB for a long moment and then looked at me for a longer moment.

“You two just made a complete fool out of an Agent whose career has been in some trouble to begin with. JB Cortland, I know who you are, and I know how smart you are. I know what kind of cases you have won. I applaud you for the fact that once you made your money, you spent your last litigation years defending the little guy.”

Then, he turned his gaze on me.

“But you, young lady, are a different story. I really don’t know who you are. I read your file. I have listened to Timothy’s reports, both the volunteered and the other type. You are what I would call a chameleon. I know part of the look I am seeing today comes from Rose’s Salon.” He raised his hand when JB started to say something.

“But Rose can only put on a bandage. She can’t teach you to walk, to smile, to cross your legs at the right time. And before that, without training, no one taught you how to avoid some of the best trained detection and control squads this country has available. I’m told we had you pinned down in a public building, all sides covered by eighteen men including Tim, and all roads blockaded. You had no funds, no access to friends or family, and look.” He used a remote and a TV came on showing their arrival in the limo.

“Who are you, Missy?”

There was silence in the room. I finally looked up at Tim. I fought the deep feeling brought by those beautiful and deadly dark eyes, surrounded by the heavy lashes. I was grateful that he was not looking at me. The most important thing was that there was a heat in my stomach. I had to fight this. I
could
fight this.

I looked at JB and he nodded.

“I am only what you see, a plain US citizen who was accidentally swept up by something that, to this moment, I don’t understand and don’t really want to know anything about. I just want my old life back. I want my credit restored and I don’t want to see black SUV’s with tinted windows.”

“Would you consider going to work for us?” this man asked in a calm voice.

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was just too funny. “I don’t even know who you are. In my world, I know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. There is a nice neat line. There is no grey line were some good guys can be sent to kill another good guy because it needs to be done. No, I can’t work for whoever you are because I need to be back in that world of clear, distinct good and bad.”

He sat back and looked between JB and me for a long time. Tim was looking out the window, not moving, like a statue.

“Okay, I understand. You can go, and we will not bother you. That will go into your file.”

JB cleared his throat and Burroughs looked at him.

“Okay Mr. Litigator, what do we have to do to make this all go away?”

JB smiled. “Reverse the Credit Cards and her Credit Rating and put the money back into her checking and savings.” I saw Tim flinch and look around the room. “Then, deposit a quarter mil into my litigation holding account which I will pay her the two thirds we have already agreed upon for a fee. That should be fair for the inconvenience caused by your overactive Agent Bouden.”

Burroughs sighed and nodded. “I will be able to get that back, as I am going to fire Bouden. I will have it all done by tomorrow morning.” He stood up, took the unmarked pad, and headed for the door.

I stood with JB, but Tim turned around.

“Can I have a moment alone with Ms. Tompson?”

Both older men looked at me. I looked at Tim. I was not sure I could do this. I wasn’t sure I
wanted
to do this. I loved this man with every fiber of my being. But I now realized I still didn’t know him. Oh, I knew a lot about him. I had learned so much. I knew where a scar was low on his back. I knew what it felt to have him inside me. I knew his crooked grin. I knew he could kill with his bare hands. I knew more than I wanted to know. I also knew that I had heat burning in my stomach.

Finally, I looked at Agent Burroughs.

“It will be all right as long as Mr. Myers agrees not to touch me in any manner.”

I raised my eyebrows.

Burroughs looked at Tim and Tim shrugged.

Both older men left the room and closed the door behind them.

I pulled out a chair half way down the table and sat down, sliding in to hide my legs and putting my elbows on the top to steady me. Tim went over to the window and looked out at the building across the street. He turned and leaned back and placed his hands on each side on the window ledge beside his hips.

“You look different.” He said this in almost a sad way.

I looked at him in the black ops gear. He didn’t have a weapon in the holster that was strapped to his leg, but he looked lethal. The sunglasses were hanging at the neck of the black tee shirt that showed under the black vest with all the pockets. I wondered for a moment what was in all those pockets, including the pockets in the black pants tucked into the black combat boots.

“You look different, too,” I finally replied.

“Michelle, Ma belle.” He whispered the words.

“Don’t,” I shouted. I felt the tears building.

“They have offered me a project.” He was still whispering.

I looked at him, shaking my head. “Like in the movies, one you can’t refuse?”

He came to the table and sat down opposite me. “No, not like that this time. They told me the problem and did give me a chance to say
no
. It is out of the country. It is with some men I have worked with before. I needed to talk to you before I went. To try to explain, but Bouden screwed things up. I am so sorry about that. I had no idea what he had done.”

I fought the tears. “I saw the car crash. I thought you were dead.”

He looked at his hands on the table. They were large battle-scarred warrior hands. Yet, I remembered the tender touch they brought to me so many times.

“It would have been better if you had let me continue to think you were dead. I can’t deal with the life you lead.” My voice was steady, but the tears were trailing down my cheeks.

“Michelle, what can I do?” He was whispering again.

I took deep breaths and looked away. I used the back of my hands to wipe away the tears, hoping I was not smearing any make up. I needed to leave with a proud appearance. “You can sit here quietly while I get up and leave. You can make sure that we never meet again.”

I took several more deep breaths and then, when I was sure that I had myself under control, I stood up. The pain in my belly almost matched the pain in my heart. I straightened my skirt and walked with purpose to the door, opened it and walked into the hall. JB was waiting, leaning against the wall. He wasn’t alone, as there was an agent with him. I realized the agent was Marks. He saw us down the elevator and out the door.

When we got to the sidewalk, our limo was pulling up. I assumed JB had phoned the driver when we were ready to leave. I slid in and put my head back on the leather and closed my eyes.

JB waited while the large car moved through traffic and finally, he reached over and patted my hand. “I can drop you off at your home now, but I am concerned about you being alone. Is there anyone I can call to be with you for a while?”

I opened my eyes and looked out the dark window at the buildings as we passed. “I would like to go home, JB. And to tell you the truth, I need some alone time. I need to get my head together and see if I can find myself somewhere in all of this. I don’t think I will ever be the old Michelle of a few months ago. But somewhere is a Michelle I can live with and go on with my life.”

* * * *

I guess some would say I have my life back together. I have extra money in the bank. I am out of debt. I still work for Steve because I like it. It gives me something to do during the daytime. Nights are a bitch. I still cry. I know, I read the poem in school.
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
. Bullshit. Before I became enthralled by a pair of dark and dangerous eyes, I never realized how happy I was in my ignorance.

I don’t wonder where he is, but I do remember the times together. I wake in the night feeling him near me in bed, but when I realize he isn’t there, I feel the tears and wonder how much fluid a person can lose through their eyes.

I cut my hair short and hated it. I let it grow back out and just let it friz up, sometimes too lazy to do anything with it. I sold the jeep and got a nice Ford truck. I still have a temp license on a shelf in the garage.

Once, in a crowded bar with Connie, I got a touch of heat and I looked around quickly. I moved through the crowd searching. But the feeling went away. I didn’t see him. I got a
Michelle Alarm
once, but it turned out to be the old alarm. A guy was coming into the Seven-Eleven to hold it up. I had stepped back outside in time. I was in my car dialing 911 and pulling away.

Love, a word that means all the joy one can imagine. Love, a word that means all the pain that the world can hand out.

After raising a daughter, running an International Business, traveling the world and only finding time to write a few minutes in any twenty-four hour period, Muriel now is retired in Florida and can write all day and all night, which she often does. Under the pen name of M. Garnet she uses all the experience she gained and without any hesitation draws information from her long list of friends and acquaintances worldwide. She loves to hear from you at
[email protected]
.