Next Exit, Three Miles

by CW Browning

She had known Jersey would call Alina back.

  Alina turned off the road onto a long dirt driveway lined with trees. The house was set back three acres from the road, hidden from view by thick woods and underbrush. The drive curved to the right and wound its way through the trees before finally breaking into the clearing where a modestly-sized, two-story modern structure sat in the wilderness. Alina scanned the area surrounding the house and was satisfied with what she saw. The dirt drive turned into gravel here, providing a little more curbside appeal. The immediate border around the house was clear of all obstructions, giving an unimpeded view from any of the windows and doors on the first floor. The lawn was flat and landscaped with flowers, but void of bushes or shrubs that would conceal a person. Lush, thick grass saved the yard from a stark appearance, however, and a bird bath perched waist high on a thin wrought iron pedestal in the center of the front lawn added a touch of whimsy.

  The driveway curved in front of the house before continuing on and splitting in two. One half stretched along the side of the house to the back, while the other half turned back toward the road. Alina followed the left side and rolled along the side of the house to the back where a two car garage was set to the right and away from the house, facing the backyard. As in the front, the backyard was flat and void of any structures that could obstruct view until the trees and thickets began about half an acre from the back of the house.

  Alina rolled to a stop and shut off the engine, glancing back at Raven. He lifted his head from his shoulder, where his beak had been buried, and pinned her with his black eyes. She smiled.

  “We’re here. You can go find your dinner now.”

  She got out of the SUV and walked around to the back door. Opening it, she angled the large cage sideways so that she could unlatch the metal door. Raven straightened his legs slowly and Alina opened the door, stepping back. With an abrupt whoosh, he launched out of the cage, spreading his black wings majestically and floating up to land on the roof of the garage. Alina tilted her head back in the waning daylight and looked up at him. He was surveying his new territory slowly, his hawk eyes darting over the area.

  Alina turned back to the SUV, pressing the button on the key fob to pop open the back hatch. She pulled two large duffel bags from the back and walked across the drive to the backyard. A large deck stretched the length of the house, sitting three steps up from the ground. She stepped onto the smooth wood and walked across to the sliding door. Dropping the bags on the deck outside the door, she turned to look over the backyard.

  As in the front, the visibility was fantastic until the line of trees began. Alina mentally picked out where she could set security cameras and watched as Raven lifted into the air and disappeared into the trees. He was off to find his dinner. She knew he would return when he was full. Alina didn’t worry about him getting lost. He had followed her out of the compound and down the mountain easily enough. She tried to leave him in South America, in his home, but Raven had other ideas. He had even gone into the cage readily enough, accepting that it was the only way to travel with her.

  Alina turned and walked around the house to the front door, her eyes moving constantly over the trees. The air smelled fresher out here, not as thick with fumes and dirt as it had coming over the bridge from Philadelphia. She really had forgotten how badly New Jersey smelled. It was like sticking your head in an exhaust pipe and turning the car on, taking a deep breath, and then plunging your head into a garbage can.

  She unlocked the front door and stepped into the house, closing the door quietly behind her. Alina stood for a moment, taking in the silence and the feel of the house. She was standing in a very small entryway with a tiled floor that gave way to hardwood in the rest of the front of the house. To her left was a wide doorway leading into what looked like a den, and to her right was a sitting room. A staircase going upstairs was in front and to the right, and a hallway ran to the back of the house along the side of the staircase. Alina noted that she could see the back sliding doors from the front door and smiled. The open plan appealed to her sense of security. She liked this house more and more.

  Alina went down the hallway and emerged into a large common room that was a living room on the right and a dining room on the left. The back of the house was carpeted from the end of the hallway and, clearly, this was where the family “living” was meant to take place. The sliding doors to the deck separated the dining room from the living room and Alina moved into the dining room. A picture window looked over the deck and there was a walnut table with four chairs around it and two more in the corners, suggesting a leaf could be added to the table. To her left a granite topped bar, capable of seating about four people, separated a large kitchen from the dining room.

  Alina stepped into the kitchen, looking around. The floor was light gray and white stone and the counters were the same black granite as the bar. The Viking stove was stainless steel, as was the large refrigerator. In the center of the kitchen sat a granite topped island, with a stainless steel pot rack above it. Alina looked at it for a moment, then moved over to it and reached up to lift the stainless steel 6 quart sauté pan down from the pot rack. She placed it perfectly in the center of the island and stepped back to watch as the entire island moved silently and smoothly to the left, revealing a stone stairwell.

  “Bravo, Marcus, bravo,” she murmured.

  The stairwell opening was exactly 2 feet by 4 feet, just wide enough to step through, and Alina descended into the hidden basement. The first room at the bottom of the stairs was lined with counters topped with security monitors, servers and equipment, not yet connected. At the end of the room was another door, leading to a larger and more spacious room, lined with cages holding a variety of weapons. There were a few empty spots and all the cages were locked. Alina smiled slightly when she stood in the center of the room and looked directly up to find a set of keys taped to the ceiling, right next to a sprinkler head.

  “Well that's original, at any rate,” she chuckled.

  Alina went back upstairs and grabbed her duffel bags from the deck, moving back to the front of the house to go upstairs, content that the most important section of her temporary command center was exactly as she had requested.

  Stephanie Walker stepped into the restaurant and looked around. It was a busy Friday night and wait staff were rushing around between tables. A packed capacity crowd battled with the music piped in from hidden speakers overhead, vying to be heard over each other. The hostess smiled at Stephanie and Steph nodded back.

  “I’m meeting two friends here,” she said, still scanning the busy restaurant. The hostess came out from behind her podium and looked around.

  “What do they look like?” she asked.

  Stephanie glanced at the very thin, early twenties hostess. The thought crossed her mind that she would be shocked if the girl remembered anything, let alone two women that she probably seated close to half an hour ago, and Stephanie immediately felt a twinge of guilt.

  “One is about my height, with light brown hair, and she’s probably wearing a suit.” Stephanie decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. “The other one has almost black hair, or she did the last time I saw her, and is a little taller than me.”

  “They came in about half an hour ago.” The hostess swiveled on her high-heeled slides and headed toward the back of the restaurant. “I seated them in the back,” she added over her shoulder.

  Stephanie followed with a raised eyebrow. This woman was a rare gem in the restaurant business. She followed her through the crowded and noisy bar until they reached the back. Two women were seated on opposite ends of a round table in a half booth on the back wall. One was, indeed, wearing a suit and had her blackberry in hand, typing away. The other still had dark brown hair that appeared black in some lights.

  Her hair was longer than it had been ten years ago, brushing her shoulders in a thick, straight wave. She was dressed in a red shirt that draped over her shoulders and black pants. Stephanie paused for just a seco
nd, taking in the straight spine and squared shoulders. There was something about her old friend that made her pause: a radiating sense of power that made her look twice. Alina turned her head suddenly and Stephanie encountered dark brown eyes that were as familiar as they were strange. Stephanie pushed the sudden feeling of awkwardness aside and smiled at her.

  “Alina!” she exclaimed, stepping up to the table. Alina stood up and accepted a big hug.

  “Hi Steph,” she smiled fondly at Stephanie. “It’s been a long time.”

  “Too long.” Stephanie slid into the booth next to Angela and set her purse on the seat next to her. “Hi Ang.”

  “How are you?” Angela scooted to the middle of the booth as Alina resumed her seat with her back to the wall.

  “Exhausted.” Stephanie tossed her hair out of her face and reached for the closest glass of water. “I’m sorry I’m late. I got held up at work. Did I miss anything?”

  “We waited to order until you got here,” Alina said, lifting her hand and motioning slightly. Stephanie stared, shocked, as a waiter materialized next to Alina. She glanced at Angela, who shrugged and grinned. “Are you drinking?” Alina asked Stephanie, pulling her attention away from the phenomenon of an attentive waiter.

  “Absolutely. I’ll have a Cosmopolitan.” Steph looked at the other two glasses. “And bring another round for them,” she added, noting that Angela’s martini was almost empty and Alina’s glass was half empty. The waiter nodded and disappeared. “What are you drinking?” Stephanie demanded, leaning forward and looking at her glass. “Vodka?”

  “Water,” Alina answered.

  Stephanie stared at her.

  “Water?!” she repeated, and Angela laughed.

  “I told you she’s changed,” she said. “Apparently, she doesn’t drink anymore.”

  “I drink occasionally,” Alina retorted, “but a clean body makes a clean mind.”

  “Oh Lord.” Stephanie sat back and groaned. “You probably eat organic vegetables too, don’t you? Where were you? California?”

  “I’ve been a lot of places,” Alina answered with a grin. “And yes, I do eat organic vegetables.”

  “I think the Philly cheesesteak idea is dead,” Angela said in a stage whisper to Stephanie.

  Alina laughed.

  “I will still have a cheesesteak,” she said. “It wouldn’t be right to come home and not have one. But only from Pat’s. None of that Geno's nonsense!”

  They fell silent as the waiter returned with the drinks and pulled out his pad to take their order. Cheeseburger and fries for Angela, Chicken Alfredo for Stephanie, and grilled chicken breast and steamed vegetables for Alina. Once the waiter had left, Stephanie looked at Alina and shook her head.

  “Well, for what it's worth, you look fantastic,” she commented. “Obviously the clean living agrees with you.”

  Alina smiled.

  “Thank you,” she sat back and regarded Stephanie. “So, Angela filled me in on her stellar banking career. How about you? She said you got a promotion at work.”

  “Well, I don’t know how much of a good thing that is.” Stephanie sipped her drink. “The upside is I get more money. The downside is that I work all the time.” She glanced at Angela. “Did you tell her yet?”

  Angela shook her head.

  “Nope.”

  “Oh.” Stephanie swallowed and cleared her throat. “Well, I have a partner now.” She glanced up from her drink to Alina to find her watching her with those strangely detached dark eyes. “You know him.”

  Alina tipped her head to one side and raised an eyebrow.

  “Let me guess,” she said. “John.” Stephanie drank half her martini before nodding. Alina watched her for a beat and then sighed. “I heard he joined the FBI.”

  “He’s a good detective,” Stephanie said. “He’s turned into a good guy. I almost never smack him now.”

  “Thing is, Alina, he knows you’re back,” Angela said, leaning forward. “There was really no way of hiding it from him.”

  Alina smiled slightly.

  “John is part of my past,” she told them. “Don’t worry.”

  Stephanie laughed.

  “I’m not. I just wanted you to be prepared in case you run into him.” She sat back again. “So, tell me what the heck you’ve been doing with yourself for ten years.”

  “Well, I’m a consultant now,” Alina said evasively. “When I got out of the military, I did some work with the government, then took a sabbatical. And now I’m back.”

  Stephanie blinked and stared at her.

  “Ok then. Ten years in three sentences. That works.” She paused as the waiter reappeared with their food and set the plates out. When he was finished, a slight nod from Alina sent him on his way. “Ok. Two things.” Stephanie picked up her fork and prepared to dig into the creamy pasta on her plate. “One, do you plan on sticking around this time? And two, what spell did you put on the waiter and can you teach it to me?”

  “It's not just the waiter,” Angela said, picking up her knife and cutting her huge cheeseburger in half. “It’s also the hostess. Everyone seems to be afraid of Alina.”

  “I have to admit that if I didn’t know her, I would be a little intimidated.” Stephanie nodded. Alina raised an eyebrow and Stephanie pointed her fork at her. “You, my friend, look like you are dangerous. That is the only way to describe it.”

  Alina laughed, but the laugh didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  “I’m just trying to eat my dinner and get used to Jersey again!” she protested. “You guys realize it smells here, right? I don’t remember it smelling when I left.”

  “That’s because you didn’t notice it when you lived here,” Angela explained. “We don’t notice it either. Give it a few days and all that healthy pollution will clog up your nose and you won’t smell a thing. Can you pass the ketchup?”

  “So is that a no to number one?” Stephanie demanded. “You’re not going to stay because of the smell?!”

  “Let’s just say that I'm trying Jersey out to see if we still like each other,” Alina replied, handing Angela the ketchup. “No promises.”

  “Oh, come on.” Stephanie laughed. “What's there not to love about Jersey? We have the shore, we have Philly...or New York, if you’re a traitor...we have Herr's chips. Hell, we have Tastykakes!”

  “And don’t forget the nuclear waste and polluted water,” Angela interjected before taking a huge bite of her burger.

  “Well, yeah....but that just makes us a stronger species,” Stephanie retorted with a laugh.

  “You have Snooki,” Alina pointed out dryly.

  “That would be one of the results of the nuclear waste and polluted water,” Angela mumbled, her mouth full, and Alina grinned reluctantly.

  “So, are you allowed to talk about work?” Alina asked Stephanie, changing the subject.

  “Somewhat,” Stephanie answered. “What do you want to know?”

  “What made you late?” Alina asked, cutting into her chicken breast.

  “Oh, that. A floater popped up in the Delaware, near the bridge in Riverton.”

  Stephanie finished her martini and watched as Alina lifted her hand again. The waiter reappeared and took the two empty martini glasses, disappearing with the promise of two more. Stephanie and Angela looked at each other, and then at Alina. Alina was eating her dinner, oblivious to them. When Stephanie didn’t continue right away, she looked up and raised her eyebrow. Stephanie hurriedly cleared her throat and went back to her pasta. A smile twitched at the corner of Alina’s mouth.

  “Anyway, the floater was identified as Angelo Cordeiro, a drug lord,” Stephanie continued. “He also dabbled in guns and information, which is why he was on our agenda. When he floated up, I won the pool.”

  “Lucky you,” Angela murmured.

  “So the Bureau has taken over the investigation?” Alina asked, finishing off her vegetables and sitting back with her glass of water.

  “Yes.” Stephanie grimaced. �
�Well, with some assistance. Another agency has also been brought in.”

  Alina was silent as the waiter came back with the two drinks. Once he disappeared again, she looked at Stephanie.

  “What other agency?” she asked.

  Stephanie shrugged.

  “That’s as much as I can tell you,” she said. “And, actually, I don’t know much more than that myself. Angelo must have strayed into much larger waters and pissed off some mighty scary people. But enough about work. Where are you staying?”

  “A friend has a house in Medford that I’m renting,” Alina answered, dropping the topic of Angelo. “He wants to sell it. I’ll see how I like it.”

  “What’s in Medford?” Stephanie demanded.

  “Peace and quiet.”

  Stephanie looked horrified.

  “What on earth do you want with that?!” she demanded.

  Alina smiled and sipped her water.

  “Come on. How often are we going to get the chance to do this?” Stephanie demanded. “Angela and I are lucky if we see each other once a month anymore, and I haven’t seen you in ten friggin’ years.”

  Alina stood in the parking lot of the restaurant while they tried to convince her to go out for drinks.

  “She’s right,” Angela agreed. “Just come for a few drinks and then leave. It’s still early.”

  Alina glanced at her watch. It was seven-thirty.

  “I’m not one for the bar scene anymore,” she remarked.

  Stephanie scoffed.

  “It’s a fed bar,” she retorted. “Not exactly the epicenter of single meet and greets.”

  Alina was silent. That was the point. She had no desire to go into a bar filled with feds and lawyers.

  “One hour. Give us one more hour,” Angela coaxed, digging for her keys in her Gucci bag.

  Alina sighed inaudibly and nodded.

  “One hour,” she agreed. “I’ll follow you.”

  She turned on her heel and walked toward a sleek black car a few feet away.

  “Whoa! What’s that?” Stephanie followed her.

  Alina glanced at her.