Suprise (6 page)

With the large crowd on the street, it was easier to stay calm than Vanessa expected. Still, a part of her wanted to run and scream. Only the couple years of military training she'd had, and the self defense classes, helped keep her calm. Also for some crazy reason, despite the lies, she trusted Sophia.
I'm going to make her pay, though
, Vanessa thought. Determined as she was to get to the cigar shop, she ignored the glances from passerby, which instead of admiring her body, masked a nervousness. Men simply dodged to give her a wide birth, and the women started giving her entirely unfriendly smiles.

Focused as she was, the cigar shop grew close, she could tell by the smell. So she slowed to a saunter, breathing slowly to calm her racing pulse. Wiping her hands on her jeans, she had no idea what to do next, and didn't want to grab the phone to figure it out. Looking in the window, she saw rows and stacks of cigar boxes, with various brand names. Some cigars were in metal tubes, some plastic wrap and even from the outside, the smell was near enough to make her gag. Wrinkling her nose, she walked inside, noticing there was a fat, portly man behind the counter and a single male customer lounging in one of the leather chairs. Nearly a half dozen others remained empty, and ash trays lined the glass coffee tables interspersed.
 

"Can I help you?" The old, fat man leered when he said it, giving her an all too familiar smile. His beady eyes didn't quite roam down her frame, but she felt soiled just from his tone. There was a tiny bit of gray fringe lining his head, and his jowls moved when he spoke.

"Maybe," Vanessa replied, not wanting to offend him, but not wanting to make small talk either. "A friend of mine was going to meet me here."

"Not that I know of," he said, looking confused.
 

Shouting erupted on the street, "Help," was all she could make out. Confused, Vanessa walked to the entry way.
 

"Come on," Sophia said, walking quickly to her out of the crowd and grabbing her hand. "We need to leave. Now."

"Where did you come from?"

"Walk and talk, Vanessa," Sophia replied, holding her hand and striding quickly towards the opposite direction of the parking garage. Confused, she glanced over at the brunette's clothes, tight fitting black slacks, and a button up, pink top. Her shoes were flats, not tennis shoes, but easy enough to run in should the need arise.

"Fine," Vanessa replied, squeezing the other woman's hand as she walked with her, quickly towards the intersection. "However, you owe me big time," her firm tone received a reassuring squeeze of her hand, which made her feel better. However, the tension from the previous night returned and Vanessa swallowed, hard, thinking of what she said. "Answers. A lot of answers."
 

"That, and more," Sophia smiled, "My car is there."

"Tesla?" Vanessa squeaked. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," Sophia replied, pulling a remote out of her pants pocket. Vanessa noticed the other woman carried no purse,
odd, she thought.
I guess it makes sense for a spy perhaps, but don't you want to blend in?

Vanessa hoped into the passenger side of the Tesla, barely noticing the luxurious leather interior. She fastened the seat belt after a few tries, and by the time the clasp clicked into place, Sophia had pushed down the emergency brake and floored the accelerator.
 

Confused, Vanessa could not hear the engine running and asked, "Why can't I hear the engine?"

"Electric," Sophia smiled, "It's also a lot easier to hold a conversation and drive in this thing." After a moment, they passed through the last row of shops in Santana Row and took a right. A few streets later, they merged onto I-280, the nearest freeway, and were heading North. All the while, Vanessa sat silently, fuming and confused.
 

On the freeway, the car was still confusing. Sure, the road noise was there, and the wind but the usual engine sounds were absent. Vanessa enjoyed music while she drove, but at that moment, she didn't want any other distractions. In the daylight, Sophia was just as pretty as she remembered from the day before.
There is no James
, she reminded herself.
Damn
. Her long legs were confidently pressing the gas and dodging the mild traffic as she drove. The strong, capable hands she had were gripping the wheel with a control that Vanessa envied.

"Why did you start flirting with me online?"

"As James? Well, you had a profile, you said you were straight, and you fit the criteria for the agency."

"The CIA?" Sophia nodded, smiling, without looking over. "What could you possibly want with a woman who works at a local hospital?"

"Precisely. You do know they do some medical research, in conjunction with a few biotech startups, right?" Vanessa nodded, not liking where this was going. "Part of the reason you got a job there was your military experience and extra clearance, right?" Again, the blonde got a sick feeling in her stomach. "Not only that, but despite your work with the public, you do realize you have access to areas that are off limits to most staff, including people like your friend Letty, who's more senior?"

"Fine. But can't the agency simply get a forged pass or something, or get somebody like you hired in the hospital to do, well, whatever?"

"Doesn't work that way," Sophia said, shaking her head. "Imagine if we left such an obvious paper trail behind us for a given job. First thing you do when something happens is check the employee files. Were any new staff hired in the past month with access? Do they have a record? What do their bank accounts look like?"

The sinking feeling continued in her stomach, and she felt as if she might throw up. "I need food," she said, "Or I'm going to barf all over your car."
 

"We'll stop and get something on the way, then."
 

"Where are we going?"

"I told you I'd make it up to you," Sophia replied, "How does a night in Napa Valley sound?"

"That's a long drive," Vanessa said, "And most of the nice places are expensive, take forever to make a reservation...wait a second! You were planning this?"

"Possibly. Though, the room I booked has two beds..." Sophia trailed off, her cheeks heating up. "Okay, you don't have to do anything. I can drop you off at your place, call the FBI or police and get you protective services." Pausing, the brunette focused on driving for a moment, the freeway opening up on I-280. The mountains were sunny in the background, the road less busy than normal. Vanessa could almost believe they were on a date, rather than running from...whatever those thugs wanted. "I told you when I won last night. I wanted to see you again."
 

"Can we stop at my place for a change?"
 

Blushing, Sophia refused to look at her, "I took the liberty of ordering an extra dress for tonight. Pajamas, a toothbrush..."
 

"You bastard," Vanessa shouted. "After lying to me over email for a month. A MONTH! You expect me to ride off into the evening with you, in a hot sports car, to a romantic bed and breakfast." Vanessa slugged the brunette in the arm with her right fist, turning as she did. Sophia said nothing, only frowned slightly. "Is it a designer dress?"

"Yes," Sophia said, smirking. "I thought you might like red, or black, so I got both."
 

"Matching shoes?"

"Yes," Sophia said, "I have a nice everything that will go well with the outfit, however," she paused, "Remember, I can't give you anything. Well, nothing material. After we setup the lottery, then..."

"What lottery?"

"Oh, common CIA trick. We get you a winning lottery ticket, you pay taxes, everything is legit on paper and there's a nice electronic trail for the money that can't be linked to us. So yes, I am in fact paying for your help." The brunette focused on the road for a moment longer, going around a curve in 280 and passing a BMW. "Regardless, I want to spend time with you. I hope that's not too much to ask."

"I see," Vanessa said, thoughtful. "Do you know of any nice places for lunch in the city? I won't be able to last till dinner."

"Sure, I know of a great Asian fusion place. Near the water off Embarcadero," Sophia said.
 

The blonde nodded and relaxed, her only regret in that moment forgetting her sunglasses in the car. A nice lunch, then a relaxing ride in an amazing sports car into Napa Valley to spend the evening with wine, dinner and a romantic bed and breakfast. With a woman, which she still could not quite get over. Watching Sophia drive the car, she admired the woman's cool composure, her no nonsense attitude and taste. However, Vanessa was hoping when she met James, it'd be for a lot more than his fashion sense or flair for the romantic that she was admiring. Confused, she spent the rest of the ride to the restaurant in silence, simply enjoying the view and occasionally, watching Sophia drive.
 

Less than twenty minutes later, they were in San Francisco, parking in front of Slanted Door, an Asian fusion restaurant with a fantastic view of the Bay Bridge. After Sophia parked the car, Vanessa followed her out and was half tempted to grab the woman's hand, or arm. The brunette walked briskly across the wide, cement sidewalk, so Vanessa was content to follow. Again, she marveled at the shape of the woman's backside, and was curious about her workout routine. Was it pilates?
I think my ass is that round, but I'm not sure
, she thought. If it had something to do with being in the CIA, Vanessa was tempted to abort her medical career just to look so sexy.
 

The large, cement building was situated on a bend in the Embarcadero, which was square facing the bay. Inside was the restaurant and more, seated between the many famous piers with various entertainment, food and more offerings. Slanted Door was an Asian fusion restaurant, which when Vanessa entered, seemed exactly the kind of place she'd love to go for a lunch date. Frowning, she looked over at Sophia, who calmly waited for the host to arrive, her hair immaculate and her poise nonchalant. For a moment, she considered the brunette's pink top, wondering what kind of bra she had underneath. Half cup, she decided, otherwise, it would show against the fabric.
 

"Table for two?" The host arrived, a young, black haired woman, probably less than twenty. Sophia nodded, and they followed, the woman leading them to a booth with an excellent view of the Bay Bridge. "Is this okay?"

"Yes," Vanessa said, nodding and smiling. "Can you get us a few glasses of water and a bread basket? My stomach is a bit upset."

"Right away, Miss," the host replied, smiling and striding off to the back of the dining area and a door with a glass viewport. She watched the host disappear for a moment, the door swinging closed, before looking around the rest of the place. There was a bar,lined with glasses in the top via some clever cabinetry. Along the wall were booths, and in the middle of the floor, tables. Presumably, the better seats were the booths, especially the ones with the view from both sides of the bay. Vanessa could not help but stare out for a minute after reviewing the inside at the water, the bridge and the occasional passerby or lovers seated on one of the few stone benches.
 

"What do you think?" Sophia had been watching the blonde, smiling to herself, biding her time before breaking the other woman's concentration. Despite the month worth of email, and single night together, Sophia was very nervous, though she took great pains not to show her feelings.
 

"Honestly?" Vanessa arched an eyebrow, and gave Sophia a level gaze. "I just needed something to settle my stomach, but this..." she trailed off, not sure what to say. "Thank you."
 

Nodding, Sophia felt her heart lurch into her throat and she could not say anything in response. So, she waited patiently until the water arrived, along with a bread basket including an olive oil and balsamic combination for dipping. The host dropped off the menus a moment later, and she buried herself in the selection of lunch items, while taking a few bites of bread. She watched as Vanessa ate two pieces, then sighed, and drained her whole glass of water.
 

Chapter Six

Six

"Listen, Vanessa," Sophia began, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I need your help, but for all that, we can do this anyway you want. Or not at all." Her brown eyes locked onto the blonde's blue spheres and held them, "I'm only driving to Napa if you want me to take you there."

Studying her lunch date for a moment, Vanessa could barely sort through her own feelings. James, on the one hand, she had been practically ready to marry and start making babies with. Reality was, he did not exist, and Sophia, despite their very interesting evening together, was nothing like her preferences at all. Still, the kiss was amazing, and knowing it was really Sophia who wrote those emails, she could not help but be curious.

"Have you ever seen the movie, 'As Good As it Gets,' with that old guy, Jack Nicholson?"

"Yes," Sophia replied, eyes narrowed into slits.
 

"You're sexy as hell, Sophia," Vanessa said, smiling. "So am I." Breathing deep, she took another sip of water before continuing, "However, I've been frantically trying to find 'the one' since my last relationship ended in tears." Blue eyes grew misty for a second, before she dabbed at her face with the napkin, "The message, as I recall from that movie, was that sometimes, you can either find the partner that's as good as they can be for you, or you can end up alone, forever waiting for the perfect person." Looking down at the menu again, Vanessa finished in a whisper, "I'm sick and tired of waiting for the perfect partner. So far, you're the first, and second, best dates I've had."

At that moment, the waiter arrived, just when Sophia's mouth opened to reply. "Can I interest you ladies in our special today?"

"No thanks," Sophia said. "I'll take the spicy vermicelli salad, and we'll share an order of the glass door spring rolls."

"For you, Miss?"

"The Vietnamese beef soup, and the half dozen oysters, to share."