Jae's Assignment (17 page)

Walking back out of the cemetery to where she’d parked the Lexus, Jae kept one eye on the back area of the cemetery. Once inside the Lexus, she glanced up in the rearview mirror and watched a red car approaching, then scrunched down in the driver’s seat. She sat up just in time to catch a glimpse of the small yellow emblem painted on the back quarter panel of the driver’s side of the Mustang.

That’s my car!

With one eye narrowing dangerously, Jae also noticed the license plate had been switched.

“Trevor Grant, I’m going to strangle you,” she screeched.

She swung around, making a tight U-turn, narrowly missing a headstone perched closely by the road. “Sorry,” she called out the window as she followed the Mustang at a discreet distance.

It was dark but early evening when she watched her Mustang pull off the road. After making a quick stop at a diner, Trevor pulled back into traffic and Jae followed at a discreet distance. She had no idea where he was going but one thing was for certain, she was going to punch his lights out for stealing her car.

Soon, the Mustang pulled around the pool side of a motel off the interstate. She continued driving with the flow of traffic but watched him get out of the car.

Two blocks down the road, Jae headed into the parking lot of a convenience store. Using her binoculars she could see him park the car in front of room 106 then collect his bags from the trunk before sprinting up the steps to the second level. He casually walked down the platform and entered room 216.

Jae drove back down the road and parked the Lexus across from the motel.

Mindful not to park under the road light, she maneuvered the car to face the motel.

Reclining the seat, Jae picked up the bottle of orange soda pop and pack of chocolate chip cookies she’d purchased earlier. Pressing the illumination button on her watch she noted the time. She decided to give Trevor time to settle in and eat his dinner before she went in.

But first, she had something else to do just for the fun of it.

Jae needed to torment Iverson one more time.

When he answered his office line gruffly Jae was positive then that he’d broken down and told Darius about her taking his cell phone. “Hey, you mad at me?” she asked.

“Uh-huh.”

Jae munched on a cookie. He sounded pissed.

“Sorry about that. Darius around?”

“Uh-huh.”

Jae was biting her lips to keep from laughing when she pictured Iverson’s handsome face all red after getting chewed out by Darius. “Hey, don’t let Darius punk you down. He’ll be getting his own ass handed to him when Sheila finds out he brought a Lexus instead of a minivan, and hopefully, we’ll get to see it, right?”

“That’s a good one, Jae,” Darius said dryly.

Jae bolted upright in the seat.
Oh, damn!

“What’s wrong? You don’t feel like talking any more crap for Iverson’s big red ears?” Darius asked. “What’s going on?”

Jae let out a cautious sigh. “I’m working my assignment,” she said, all teasing gone.

“Really? Well, as the assistant special agent in charge, when I issue you a directive to stay put, I expect you to follow it. You didn’t, Jae. So where’s the ape-man?”

“He’s on my radar,” Jae said, holding the binoculars up to her eyes when she saw Trevor come out of his room carrying a bag to the trash bin at the end of the walkway.

“Don’t go after him. We’ll handle it.”

“There’s a connection between the two.” Jae spoke cryptically.

“With the ape-man and the other one we talked about on the patio?”

“He saw y’all coming,” she said, watching Trevor walk back to his room, pulling off his T-shirt as he carelessly strolled inside. “Did you get my note?”

“I did… A gut thing?”

“The people who want him six feet under want some intel first,” she said. “Did you put a BOLO out on my baby?”

“Not yet.”

“Do me a favor and hold off?”

“Why should I? You sprinted on me.”

“My baby was stolen,” she said.

“No it wasn’t. You took it, didn’t you?”

“Nope, the ape-man did.” She heard Darius curse.

Time was of the essence now because she knew Darius would trace Iverson’s cell network for the closest tower location, that is, after he tracked the GPS on her Mustang.

Finishing her soda, Jae grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and exited the Lexus.

She made a quick dash across the road holding her bag securely to her side. It contained vital information and she hoped her timing was perfect to catch Trevor off guard.

Chapter Fourteen

Randy stood behind the one-way mirror. He didn’t think he needed to hide his identity any longer seeing that Grainger was no longer a threat to him.

With his arms folded over his chest, Randy watched Otis issue a command to Grainger. It was a simple task. He was instructed to get up from the chair, pick up a notepad from the desk, and return to his seat.

Grainger couldn’t do it. He would get up, take a step, look confused, then sit back down in an exhausted heap. He’d failed several tasks he had been instructed to do while under hypnosis, that is, after being administered medications.

To test the limits of the experiment, Otis had taken Grainger to a small clothing store, and instructed him to go inside and purchase one white dress shirt.

It was then that either the medication had worn off or he’d awakened from the hypnotic state. Things had gone terribly wrong. While paying for the shirt, Grainger had become confused, stumbled into the displays, mumbling incoherently, then begging for help. The store clerks assumed he was drunk and were seconds from calling the police when Otis hurried in apologizing profusely. He’d told them his mentally challenged, adult son had wandered away from him. He had given him a sedative and then guided a lethargic and disoriented Grainger from the store.

Frustrated, Randy raked a hand through his blond hair. He’d hoped by now Otis would have perfected the correct combination of medication and hypnosis for Grainger to follow the given commands. He hadn’t. Several of their test subjects couldn’t stay under long enough to test its accuracy either. So what was wrong? Why wasn’t it working?

Watching Grainger’s blank expression filled Randy with a sense of satisfaction. To see the once powerful, highly disciplined former Marine reduced to this had been worth his efforts to get to Grant.

Smiling wickedly, Randy had to admit that Grainger had been an excellent subject. He had a strong, focused mind. He really had been a superior soldier, a strong-willed and determined fighter to the end. Breaking him down mentally and physically had proven to be a challenge. Initially, Grainger had fought so hard against the effects of the medication and restraints that Otis had to keep him sedated. But gradually, Grainger lost the battle and succumbed; his mind became malleable, susceptible, the blank slate that Otis needed to work with.

After being hypnotized and commanded to perform a series of tasks, which Grainger did successfully, Randy was satisfied that Grainger could do what Randy wanted, which was lead him to Grant.

Randy also needed Grainger to rescind his suspension of duty orders and promote him as the new assistant special agent in charge. It was Randy’s perk to replace that smug bastard Darius Hall. Nobody would question or oppose Grainger’s orders. However, given the fact that both he and Jae Randall called his behavior extremely inappropriate and insubordinate in that bank robbery fiasco, their report called for an immediate psychological examination. Fortunately, Randy had intercepted the results of the examination before it hit Grainger’s desk. If Grainger had received the results and read the report, Randy would have been deemed unfit for duty and Grainger would have demanded Randy’s immediate termination from the FBI.

Now, as he watched the once fearsome Grainger sitting there practically catatonic, Randy could barely suppress a giggle. He was heady from the surge of power he now felt—power that had been denied him for so long.

As he stared into Grainger’s empty eyes the man stared back at his reflection in the one-way mirror. Randy knew what he would have to do in the end.

Eliminate Grainger.

With questions arising about Grainger’s special OP, Randy needed to step up his game.
Not a problem
, he thought, turning away from the glass.

He was in the driver’s seat

* * * * *

With her weapon drawn, Jae snorted at the TV once she’d entered the room. She couldn’t believe he had been watching an FBI drama series. With a shake of her head she continued looking around.

Absently, Jae guessed this is what Trevor’s life must have been like: solitary, trusting no one, conversing with only a few, looking over his shoulder and seeing loved ones from afar. She had to wonder if he would trust her enough to take him in. It was for his own protection.

Spotting his large backpack on a chair, she dug inside with her left hand, searching for the gun he’d had at her apartment. Not finding it, she searched the dresser drawers, but they were empty.

When her eyes landed on the nightstand, the key to her Mustang gleamed brightly. She leapt across the bed and snatched it up as if it were a winning lottery ticket. The shower suddenly stopped running and she heard him let out several ohs and ahs, causing her to wonder what he was doing. It was a mistake for her to wonder about that because now curiosity was gnawing at the pit of her stomach and she couldn’t stop imagining how he looked naked. Probably hot, if she’d assessed him correctly. Tight abs, buns, rock hard powerful thighs…Pulling her thoughts to a halt, Jae couldn’t understand why she couldn’t stamp down the erratic beating of her heart whenever she thought about him.

Okay, so he’s sexy as hell and I’m attracted to him. There, I admit it.

Walking around the bed away from the door, Jae crouched down and reached into her back pocket, pulling out a pair of plastic handcuffs. She looped one end around her wrist for easy access because she had every intention of taking him in. But she would wait until he stretched out on the bed and then…

Ah, damn! What if he was naked?

Jae went completely still when the bathroom door opened. As steam swirled around her, she was positive her blown-out hair was going to need some TLC and a flat iron later.

She could hear Trevor moving about and prayed he was putting on a pair of underwear. She had to shake a quick vision of him parading around in a pair of boxer briefs when heat rose to her face. She wasn’t sure if it was from the steam filling the room or the prospect of seeing Trevor in all his naked glory.

As she waited for him to lie down on the bed, Jae planned her takedown. She would spring on him and cuff his right hand to…
what?
She didn’t recall seeing a bedpost, and glancing around the bottom of the bed she didn’t see a metal rail, either.

No problem. I’ll get up on his chest, weapon aimed down center mass, and cuff him.

The idea of straddling him led her thoughts astray once again. Commanding herself to remain focused, she thought about how often she’d done this. She knew how to handle herself.

After silently counting to three, Jae sprung up from her crouched position and barked out, “Don’t move!”

That’s when her mouth dropped open and, to her disappointment, it wasn’t because Trevor was naked.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said casually as the steam from the shower rose to the ceiling. When her eyes swept from his face, down to his feet, and back again, Trevor smiled. “Disappointed?”

Getting out of her crouched position, Jae kept the gun aimed at his chest. “Shut up, Trevor,” she said, dumbfounded to find him fully dressed. He’d played her well because he had been expecting her.

“I should shoot you right now for what you did,” she snarled, gripping the gun tighter.

Trevor kept a face of pure innocence. “What do you think I did?”

“You stole my car, you fool!”

“Oh, that. I thought you meant the other thing I did.”

“What other thing you did?”

“The orange soda pop I brought to you out on the patio.”

“What about it?” she asked.

“I only used a small amount of a sleep aid, just enough so I could get my things together,” he said.

“You drugged me, again? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blow a hole in your ass, right now?”

“Oh, well in that case, I should also tell you that I kissed you before I left, too.” Not giving her a chance to react, Trevor reached over with both hands, lifted her up off her feet, and swung her over to rest on top of him. “And I don’t think you really want to shoot me, do you? Besides, the safety is still on,” he added, removing the gun from her slackened hand.

Caught off guard, all Jae could do was relax when he applied just enough pressure to her upper back to bring her in close proximity of his lips. Her subtle protests went unheard. And when his arms circled her in a blanket of comfort, strength, and pure masculinity, longing filled her. The touch of his lips evoked a heady sensation that melted her from head to toe. Relaxing even more, she indulged and savored the sweetness of kissing him. The hands traveling up and down her back were better than any massage she had paid for at the spa. Her reasoning evaporated into the atmosphere with the steam from the bathroom.

Trevor broke off the kiss but only long enough to kiss her forehead, then her eyes and her nose before reclaiming possession of her mouth. The kiss lasted several minutes before she opened her eyes and pulled away. Holding her close, Trevor lightly traced the outline of her face and her mouth before his hand drifted down to her backside.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said again, caressing her cheek.

Jae sensed his unspoken message loud and clear. She also felt a part of his body she shouldn’t be feeling. Guiltily, she wondered if he had on a pair of those boxer briefs that she found sexy. The fact that she was perched atop him didn’t do anything to control her lustful and wayward thoughts. If anything, she thought she was losing control.
Damn. Why him?
she wondered. Inhaling deeply, she attempted to lift up from him, but when a deep moan resonated in his chest, Jae’s stomach muscles involuntarily reacted. Instinctively, she wanted to lower her head to his chest just so she could hear the sound of his heartbeat that was oddly pleasing to her ears.

Jae gazed into the blue eyes staring up at her. She thought it best at that point not to acknowledge his hammering heart or her own for that matter. “Where’s my digital picture frame?”

“In the car, but seriously, Jae, is that all you have to say after a kiss like that?”

“What should I say?” she asked quietly, in no hurry to move away from him.

“How about, you’re under arrest? Will that work for you, Doctor?” Darius Hall’s baritone voice suddenly filled the room and resonated off the walls.

I should have guessed.

Jae glanced over her right shoulder and saw Darius standing in the now fully open doorway. She should have expected this because that was how Darius worked. He called it the sneak up; so quiet in his approach you wouldn’t know he was there until he let you know it. And he wasn’t alone either. Iverson and Mike were now trying unsuccessfully to squeeze into the room on either side of Darius’s large frame.

Feeling as if she’d been doused with ice water, Jae watched Darius’s crooked finger, aimed at her while he pointed to the large window with the other. To her mortification she watched as Amil and McGuire eased in through the window. She saw their weapons were drawn but downward, indicating there was no immediate threat. And now that she wanted to get up, she couldn’t because she was trapped with Trevor’s hands plastered onto her backside and he was definitely not cooling down.
Aw, damn!

In the next instant, Mike barreled across the room with Iverson behind him, Mike’s weapon aimed at Trevor’s neck. “Let her go,” Mike growled out.

Trevor raised his hands up from where he had them, splayed across Jae’s backside. With the hollowed barrel of the Glock pressed against his jugular by a pissed-off Mike, Trevor lifted his hands and Jae scampered off him.

“Mike?” Jae was relieved when McGuire moved Mike aside and told Trevor to get up. Then to her chagrin, she heard McGuire sarcastically suggest the shrink might want to take a few minutes to cool off first. Groaning inwardly, Jae averted her gaze as she walked slowly toward Darius. She didn’t need to see what she’d felt while lying atop Trevor.

She met Darius’s unwavering and somewhat perplexed stare.

“Well, Jae, go ahead and tell me what I’m thinking.” Stuffing his hands into his pants pockets and spreading his jacket open, Darius waited.

“Uh…that I should consider asking Randy if I can share his cubicle?”

“Wrong. Try again.”

“That I’m facing suspension after you submit your report?”

“Wrong, you’re zero for two,” Darius said.

“That you’re really not mad that I took your spanking new Lexus.” She expected that would pop his cork…and it did.

“Wrong! Where’s your weapon, Agent Randall?” Darius roared, looking beyond her head to Grant, who was now able to stand without embarrassing himself or her.

“It’s…” Jae turned to look at the nightstand. It wasn’t there. She sent Trevor an accusatory look. There was no doubt in her mind they would shoot him if they suspected him of having it.

“It’s right here.” Trevor reached underneath the pillow.

It was a bad move on his part and what took place next happened so fast, Jae didn’t have a chance to warn him. She could only watch as he was suddenly hurled back against the bathroom door by McGuire and Iverson as Amil charged in from his post just outside the window which left Mike open to swing a meaty fist into Trevor’s stomach.

Darius shouted for Mike to cool his heels but Jae knew he certainly wasn’t going to admonish Mike. After all, the “ape-man” had caused them a lot of trouble. She saw that on their faces. When Amil was passing her weapon, Jae wasn’t surprised to see Darius stretch out his hand and take it before she had a chance to get it.

Jae felt it prudent to remain silent while she evaluated her position. Glancing into the mirror above the dresser, she saw that Trevor was still doubled over in pain. He had the same pained expression that he had when she saw him come out of the chapel at the cemetery earlier.

“Dr. Grant, not only are you in a hell of a lot of trouble, but you’ve been a royal pain in my ass since I first heard your name,” Darius said, ignoring Jae’s steady gaze locked with his. He then gave an order for the crew to sweep the room for any recording devices. “I would think the last thing we need is for a videotape to surface showing how a special agent had compromised herself. And somebody, please, turn that TV off. I hate that damn show.” Darius turned back to Jae. “So, Jae, what’s going on here and don’t say nothing,” he said.