Scrunching up her face to get past the horrible pain, Chloe attempted to open her eye while taking a swing at the punching bag. She missed. But that just made her mad. She’d pass this test if it killed her.
Coughing and convulsing from the pepper spray floating in the air all around her, she forced her left eye open. Once she spotted the blurry outline of the bag, she gave it the hardest thwack she could. Then she held it close to her body with her left arm while she hit it with her right fist over and over again.
“Go, Chloe!” she heard Jenna shout behind her.
But just as she lifted her arm for a final punch, someone was suddenly breathing down her neck and wrestling her for her gun.
Her hand instantly gripped her pistol, but suddenly Chloe was down on the ground and wrestling with the attacker to keep him from taking her gun. She was virtually blind, and it was an awful, panicky feeling.
The adrenaline rush was so strong—even more so than at Hogan’s Alley because she was more vulnerable without protective clothing, two guns on her, a helmet and infrared. In this incapacitated scenario, she was fighting for her life.
Kicking and landing a few punches to the man’s gut, Chloe finally managed to subdue whoever was attacking her by sitting on them.
She had figured out quickly that whoever she was fighting was a large male, but at last she had him in a chokehold—her gun still intact in its holster.
“Done!” Agent Wells called out. “Up on your feet.”
The entire test was probably over in no more than a couple of minutes.
“Romano passed,” Fedorko added, handing Chloe a cold, wet washcloth for her face.
She held the washcloth against her face and stood still to ease the burning that made her want to scream like a baby. Lifting a corner of the washcloth, she glanced back as Jenna was sprayed. She was curious to know who she had been fighting.
Agent Esposito stood to the side watching her. His arms were folded against his chest, windbreaker flapping in the cold breeze, and a ball cap with the FBI logo pulled low over his eyes.
An agent she didn’t recognize attempted to take Jenna’s gun away as her friend struggled to open her eyes.
“You’re a good fighter, Agent Romano,” Liam said, smiling mildly at her. “Almost choked the life out of me. I’d hate to be apprehended by you if I were a criminal.”
“You’re a stinker,” she said under her breath, trying not to laugh at the same time.
Before she could pass, Liam bent over to look at her burning face and red eyes. “Let me double check you.”
“Another cold compress and I’ll be perfect,” she lied. “Did you volunteer to fight me?”
“Of course,” he replied softly, smoothing a lock of her hair off her eyes as he inspected the damage of the pepper spray. “It was the only way to get close to you again.”
“Better not talk too loud,” she warned, giving him a casual finger wave as she headed off to give her face a good washing. That pepper spray was incredibly potent.
With a surreptitious glance over her shoulder, she caught sight of Liam getting ready to tackle one of the male NATs who was up next. Last night’s memories rushed at her like a deluge of warmth, except for the excruciating goodbye.
He gave Chloe a thumbs-up, placing the palm of his hand briefly on his chest. The sight of him always took her breath away, but Chloe tried to continue walking casually to take her place next to the NATs who had already finished the exercise.
Once everyone was finished, Agent Wells walked up to the group. “It’s about to rain so I’ll keep this short and sweet. This is probably the hardest test you have to undergo here at the Academy. You all did well. Congratulations. You’re dismissed.”
Yells of joy filled the air, but then Fedorko held up his hand, making them all pause as if waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Just to clarify, you’re dismissed means you get the rest of the weekend off. Go back to bed and sleep all day if you want to. Go into town. Have a party, but stay clean, stay safe, and stay sober. This fulfills the end of your first ten weeks at the Academy. You are now allowed to go off campus. Congratulations. See you Monday. 8:00 a.m. sharp.”
Jenna came up behind Chloe and tugged on her ponytail. “You know what this means, don’t you Romano?”
“Hey, I don’t need to be told twice, Agent Fielding. We’re going wedding shopping!”
Chapter 11
Before heading into the real world, Chloe dropped back into bed for two hours after showering and using a milk mixture on her skin to counter the effects of the pepper spray. A tip Agent Wells had offered up.
Eager to experience the real world again, she and Jenna finally rose and dressed in actual civilian clothes—skirts and blouses—and caught a local bus into town.
First order of business was a sit-down lunch complete with barbecue ribs and sky-high biscuits slathered in butter and honey. It was heavenly.
“There’s nothing like two months of institutional food to make you appreciate good cooking,” Chloe said, dripping honey on the last of the biscuits.
“I’m taking the last rib,” Jenna said.
“Be my guest, I couldn’t eat another bite.”
The rest of the day was spent in bridal shops. Jenna tried on more than a dozen dresses, from simple flowing streamlined gowns to frilly dresses with poofy sleeves. Plunging necklines. Plunging backs. Overdone trains, and dresses with no trains. Then it was time to try veils. And smart, white hats.
“How will you ever decide?” Chloe finally asked, her feet starting to hurt. She wasn’t used to wearing heels after so many weeks of black service shoes.
Jenna chewed on her lips, running a finger inside her own pumps. “There was a dress at the very first place—Crystal’s Bridal Elegance. I saw it on one of the racks, but didn’t try it on. Do you mind going back? I don’t want to think that I might have missed something I’ll love.”
“Let’s do it.”
They took a cab to save their feet, and within thirty minutes, Jenna was slipping the gown up over her shoulders.
She turned to show Chloe who jumped to her feet. “Jenna, my gosh, that is a gorgeous dress! And you have the perfect figure for it.”
Jenna stepped up on a small platform with a wall of enclosed mirrors. She turned in a slow circle to show off the dress. “Chloe,” she said. “I think this is it. The dress.”
Chloe couldn’t take her eyes off her best friend. The dress had a fitted bodice with lace scallops that scooped along the entire décolletage. Beautiful, sensuous, but not overly done at all.
The sleeves were all scalloped lace, too, moving up into an open neckline that showed off Jenna’s flawless skin.
“You look absolutely stunning, Jenna. It’s the perfect dress for you.”
Dangling from the delicate capped lace sleeves were rows of jewels in a scalloped pattern that also matched the lace and neckline design.
Just below the waist-emphasizing bodice, the skirt was a creation of layers of tulle that fell in a billowy mass all the way to the floor.
“This dress is exquisite,” Crystal, the owner of the shop said, a woman of about fifty with coiffed gray hair and wearing designer jeans and a red blouse. “It hardly even needs a veil because the neckline and shoulder design is so perfectly done.”
Chloe nodded, staring at Jenna. “It’s true although you probably want something that Frank can lift up over your face when the minister tells him he can finally kiss his bride. But something short, just a few inches below your shoulders. Any longer and it will cover up the open circle of lace in the back of the bodice.”
“With a fancy hairstyle, all it needs is a short necklace and earrings,” Crystal said, nodding approvingly. “The gown comes with its own matching jewelry. Unusual, but I think the designer wanted to create a perfect package. Her name is Samantha Moon, one of my favorite designers from the west coast. Here’s the jewlery if you’d like to try it on while you’re wearing the dress to get the full,
potential effect.”
“My hands are shaking with excitement,” Jenna said as Chloe clasped the necklace around her neck and then inserted the earrings.
“You are a vision, Agent Fielding,” Chloe said, staring at Jenna in the mirror.
“And to think I was beating up some guy this morning with a red swollen face.”
“You are a woman of many talents.”
“Shall I wrap it up for you, my dear?” Crystal asked.
Jenna’s eyes caught Chloe’s in the mirror. “What do you think? I’ve been saving pretty much all of my Quantico salary for wedding expenses.”
“It’s the best dress of the day. And I think we’ve exhausted all the shops. Frank won’t be able to take his eyes off of you. I mean, I can’t take my eyes off of you!”
“Done!” Jenna told the shop owner. “I’ll take it. I just didn’t want to be frivolous. It’s a pretty hefty price tag.”
“Two thousand dollars is the norm these days,” Chloe told her. “Did you notice the tags on all the other dresses you tried on today?”
“You’re right,” Jenna admitted. She stared at herself in the mirrors again, a smile lighting up her face. “This makes me want to get married tomorrow.”
“Well, call Frank, have him fly up, and you can elope!”
“My parents would kill me if I did that!”
“I suppose I’d really miss eating the wedding cake,” Chloe said with a grin.
“I’m supposed to have a southern wedding at the church with the reception in the backyard of one of those old plantations outside of Charleston.”
“That will be absolutely lovely.”
“You’re right. But gosh, it’s so hard to be away from Frank and wait for the New Year.”
“It’s going to be a fantastic New Year,” Chloe told her, helping Jenna out of the dress. “Maybe the new year is the best time to get married and begin your new life.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Jenna agreed while Crystal rang up the purchase, although the dress would stay at the shop for alterations over the next few weeks.
During the last two months of training, Chloe and Jenna spent weekends perusing flower shops and discussing the wedding dinner menu, including the option to hire a band or DJ for dancing.
“I do love to dance,” Chloe said, smiling secretly.
“You always were a nut for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.”
“Hm. Among other things I’m nuts for.”
Jenna jerked around, her eyes zeroing in on Chloe. “Have you been keeping secrets and conducting more rendezvous with Liam?”
“We’ve never left campus together. It’s against the rules while we’re NATs, you know. But—”
“Keep talking, girl!”
“We’ve met a couple more times down by the lake. Well, we went to a different lake so nobody could follow us. And yes, we put on some music through my phone and danced. I always wanted a man who could dance.”
“You found your Fred Astaire.”
“Be assured that my Fred Astaire is even better than the real Fred.”
“Liam is much better looking—and he’s more your age bracket.”
“Ha! Because my age bracket isn’t entombed in the cold ground!”
“You know what I mean,” Jenna said, laughing.
“Liam is everything I’ve ever wanted in a man, but why did I have to fall in love with my superior and trainer? I told Liam that we have to stop these last several weeks before graduation.”
“Did he agree?”
“Yes, but it’s killing me. He’s so close and yet so far away.”
“And you’ve never even kissed him . . .”
“We made a pact. If Liam and I had been kissing under the stars all these weeks, it would show because I wouldn’t be able to hide it.”
“One day, Chloe, you’ll get him all to yourself. I promise.”
“If that’s a premonition, I’ll take it. So when does your mother fly down?”
Mrs. Fielding wanted her daughter to get a bridal photo shoot done in the D.C. area since she wouldn’t have to try to transport the dress until after graduation. It made sense because Jenna could do it over a weekend without having to fly to Charleston and potentially miss classes or tests.
The summer months were also so much lovelier for flowers and foliage than winter would be.
“By staying here, I won’t be tempted to show off my dress for Frank,” Jenna said, making a face. “But I half wish he’d accidentally-on-purpose show up while I happen to be wearing it.”
“That would be bad luck.”
“I’ve been thinking that I’d love to find an old mansion house for the photo shoot.”
“That sounds perfect. Leave it to me. I’ll find one, and we’ll make a day of it with the photographer.”
It turned out that there were lots of fine, old homes that were open for tours or had been turned into restaurants, and the week before graduation ceremonies, they met the photographer on a Saturday morning.
Jenna had her hair done by a professional stylist who specialized in wedding creations, and it was gorgeous and glamorous and simply romantic.
“I want to fly you to Charleston to do my hair for the wedding,” Jenna told her, admiring the beautiful upsweep of finely done curls in the mirror.
The hairdresser laughed. “I can send pictures to a stylist in Charleston with instructions to replicate it.”
The photographer, a woman named Alice Dawson, set the entire shoot up ahead of time, getting permission from the historic home. They took pictures of Jenna in the mansion gardens, under the portico, and a variety of garden trellises.
After the outdoor shots, they went inside the house where there was a magnificent drawing room with white Victorian sofas and a white grand piano.
Alice Dawson snapped her camera a hundred times over. “Pause right there, Jenna,” she instructed while Jenna stood in front of the antique sofas.
Jenna turned her head at a slight angle, hands resting lightly on the layers of white tulle. The pose showed off her gorgeous hair creation while her face was in profile.
“That’s perfect,” Chloe said across the room. “The background is stunning—and you’re even better, Jenna. Your dark hair with all those amazing curls stands out against the white background so well.”
“Gorgeous,” Alice agreed. “Keep holding . . .” she said, snapping the shutter as fast as she could.
A moment later, Chloe stopped roaming about the room and paused to stare at her friend. Jenna had a pensive, haunted expression on her face. “Are you okay, Jenna? Do you want to take a break for a minute?”
“I’m fine, Chloe.”
But Jenna wasn’t smiling any longer. Her skin was flawless, makeup glowing, eyelashes dark and mysterious, but something was going on inside her friend’s head.
Alice paused, fussing with her camera. “I need to change my lens and make some adjustments. The light is changing in here. Let’s find another room to do the final poses.”
Chloe touched Jenna’s hand. “I’ll hold up your dress while we hit the restroom. I brought you a bottle of water, too.”
“You are an amazing bridesmaid, Chloe. Actually, you’re my Maid of Honor, you know.”
“I’m here to serve you. Was something bothering you about the room or the photographer?”
“No, just my own silly mind. Every time things are going too well, I think I’m actually cursed. That something terrible is just around the corner.”
“It’s our superstitious heritage from the Dark Ages. Or something like that. Ignore me. I’m just babbling.”
Jenna shook her shoulders. “Maybe you’re right, but I had the strangest rush come over me. Maybe it’s graduation nerves since we’re getting so close. I’m doubting myself, and wonder just how good I am at this agent business?”
“Liam says that everyone feels the same. That five months is a long time but not that long either. We’ll learn a lot more when we go out in the field and ac
tually put everything into practice.”
At the mention of Liam, Jenna smiled. “It’s nice that we can talk about him openly while we’re away from Quantico.”
“Agreed,” Chloe added with a happy sigh. “Did I tell you that once graduation is over, he asked me for a real date outside of the walls of protocol and restrictions. There is one advantage to our secret rendezvous though. We talk. A lot. I think I know him almost as well as I know you. We’ve crammed the last two decades into three months.”
“Relationships get more confusing when there’s things like kissing involved.”
“Oh, Jenna, there can never be too much kissing. I just hope I get to partake of Liam’s lips one day.”
Jenna gave her a shoulder bump. “Smarty-pants. But you’re right. You two have had all this time to work together and talk about real life stuff. Maybe that’s a good thing. Oh, there’s Alice again.”
Chloe gave the woman a brief wave as they walked toward the double outer doors. “I can’t wait to see what the photo looks like when you get the proofs.”
“Me, too. Especially if you say that I was looking kind of weird in those last shots.”
“Maybe there are ghosts in this old house and your premonitions have been turned on to their full potential. Maybe you’re a psychic in disguise. Or a teller of the future?”
“Oh, Chloe, you are so funny.” Jenna’s words were flippant while she swished the skirts of her gown through the hallway to meet Alice by the outdoor fountains.
Meanwhile, Chloe had a funny feeling in her chest. Jenna was hiding her true feelings about something.
Chapter 12
It was a muggy morning in August as hundreds of people filled the auditorium at Quantico Academy. Excitement was thick in the air. The chatter of the friends and family members of Chloe’s class made a small roar of noise as they found their seats before the ceremony began.
Chloe’s palms were sweaty and her heart was pounding. She had done it. Passed all the tests that were required of the new agents. The most brutal were the law tests, of course. Which meant studying until her eyes blurred and she had ground her teeth into bits.
The FBI Bride: An Undercover Bridesmaid Romance Page 9