“Sort of. I have some ideas at least.” Amelia shrugged.
“You are just like your babuyla. Headstrong and reckless. There’s no talking sense into you. And no use warning you about Jack West.”
“I wish you wouldn’t say that about me all the time. I am tired of hearing it from everyone that knows me. I’m not reckless. Not anymore and I wish you wouldn’t say that about Jack West. We don’t know who’s responsible.” Amelia pouted.
Her mother smiled endearingly and drew Amelia into a conversation over more glasses of wine. After a while, Amelia remained quiet and let Natasha ramble on and on about family stories and old memories. Afterward, her mother retreated to the bedroom that she shared with Denis.
Amelia couldn’t help but think about what her mother said about Jack being dangerous and insane. He appeared completely normal to her except the rare occasion he acted strangely and irrationally, but for the most part, he was kind to her. Nicer than most men and adults she knew these days. Although, a tad bit confusing. The scene earlier, outside in his car, still didn’t make sense to her but she vowed to figure out what it was all about.
Chapter Five
Jack West has dealt with a lot of dangerous people in his career, but none of them made him lose his mind like Mel Antonov. He wasn’t scared of anyone, but she seemed to affect his emotions more than anyone has been able to in a long time. Not since Maria.
An hour after dropping Mel off, he finally made it back to his loft. He was exhausted but could not sleep, he was too agitated. Jack retreated to his bar and poured himself a glass of single malt whiskey and sought solace in the dimly lit living room. He couldn’t help but think about all of the anguish he felt.
After Maria had jilted him at the altar, Jack fell into a downward spiral that morphed into anger, depression, and resentment. He didn’t see it coming and for a period of time blamed himself for Maria’s departure. He spent month after month going through every single conversation they had together and tried to pinpoint when it was exactly that may have caused Maria to get cold feet and run away.
It was around that time he was approached by a mysterious man who promised him retribution and resolution and a way for him to get out of the sinking ship he was in. The strange man was a recruiter for the CIA, and although Jack had moved up ranks, he never forgot about Maria for a long time. Whenever he was reminded of her, he would use CIA technology to find her whereabouts, but there was no trace. Nothing. It was as if she vanished out of thin air, which only hurt him more.
Joining the CIA taught him to push any emotions that could be a distraction into the back of his mind and to look at things objectively and impersonally. As he buried himself in his work, he forgot about Maria. That is until Mel enlisted in the CIA and he relives the pain again and again whenever thoughts of Maria pop into his mind. The only solace he seemed to have is when Mel’s attitude starts to infuriate him. Of all things, when Jack was angry at Mel…he appears to forget about Maria. The more Mel angers him, he remembers Maria less and less.
Jack sighs and slouches comfortably in the recliner and finishes off the whiskey as his eyes start to close from weariness, “Maybe, she’s my saving grace.”
The next morning, Mel Antonov stormed into his office and dropped into one of the guest chairs on the other side of the desk that faced him.
“Morning!” Amelia said cheerily.
“Just what in the hell do you think you are doing?” Jack sighed.
“What does it look like I’m doing, partner.”
“What do you mean, ‘partner.'”
“Well, I just found out that Clarke is currently on hiatus for a couple of weeks and I can not have a partner and supervising agent for my probationary and training period. I looked into it for you and asked Agent Fitz in Level 7, he’s your direct report, right? And well, since you are my direct report and since I am kind of a wild card, I’m stuck with you. He said it was an excellent idea.”
“You did what? You asked Fitz that I was the perfect person to supervise you? What about your training?”
“Well, Fitz said that since I am going to be under your wing, they accelerated it to field training.” Amelia smiled with glee. “Now I’m all yours.”
“You are not becoming my partner.”
“Yes, I am. In fact, Fitz gave me permission to tell you so.”
Jack struggled to keep his temper in check and roared, “I do not have a partner. This isn’t supposed to be how it works. I am going to talk to Fitz right now.”
Amelia propped her feet on Jack’s desk and immediately popped a cigarette between her lips and said, “Well go right ahead. I’m sorry to break it to you, though, but you have a partner now. Do you happen to have a lighter, by chance?”
Jack lost it then and growled, “I am not going to be your partner, Ms. Antonov. I have always worked alone, and I am keeping it that way.” He pushed her feet off his desk and grabbed the cigarette and its accompanying pack from Amelia and crumpled them in his hand and tossed them into the trash can near his office door.
“You cannot barge in here like this…demanding things.”
“But, I already did.” Amelia grinned.
Jack growled again and snapped, “I may be forced to watch over you, but I refuse to be around someone with filthy habits.”
“Look, I want to get some real training. I want to be out in the field; I want to make a difference.”
Jack continued to pace around fuming and muttering to himself combing his hair through his fingers.
“Look, Jack, I’m not trying to partner with you because of what happened between us yesterday, and I am not talking about the part where you kicked me out of your car. I’m talking about our intimate moment.”
“We had no intimate moment!”
“Don’t deny it, West. We were both there.”
“Ms. Antonov…”
“I said my name is Mel.”
“I know your God forsaken name! You are the most frustrating woman on the planet!”
“Oh, calm down,” she said with a girlish laugh, folding her arms over her chest as she enjoyed their banter. “I think you could use some frustration. You seem to be too comfortable in this little position of yours.”
He stopped the urge to strangle her and asked, “What?”
“You’ve got quite the reputation around here. You are quite a grumpy goose. ‘Jack’s always keeping to himself’ they say. You seem to either be a party pooper or the person people walk on eggshells around.”
“Aren’t you calling the kettle black?” Jack asked.
“What?”
“Funny but they say the same thing about you.”
“See, a match made in heaven,” Amelia exclaimed.
“So that’s it.”
“What?” Amelia wondered.
“That’s why you’re doing this aren’t you? You get your kicks from wounded men.”
“Where I get my kicks are none of your business,” she replied, standing up as she folded her arms. “I am just fascinated by you; that’s all. You have made it far up, and I figured if I am going to learn I might as well learn from the best. Besides, you hardly talk about yourself. I think the more time I spend with you, the more I’ll get to know about you. We can make a little game of it, like 20 Questions.”
“Look, I’ll tell you all about me,” Jack sighed, “if you leave me alone afterward.”
Amelia laughed loudly at that statement. “Whether you like it or not, Jack West, but I am going to be your partner. I am determined to be on the field, and you are going to help guide me through it. So which case are we taking on next? The Baladin case?”
Jack growled in frustration right then and shoved existing files off his desk into a mess on the floor.
“Well, I think I will just inquire with the rest of the team on the case, okay? We can discuss our next steps later.” Amelia smiled and left his office.
Jack balled up his fists and struggled with the urge to punch a hole in the wall
. He headed into the agency gym locker room so he could let off some steam properly.
Who did she think she was? What was she trying to accomplish exactly? The woman came barging in and started taking over like he was supposed to do her bidding.
“What does she have up her sleeve?” He muttered to himself as he changed into his white t-shirt and sweat pants.
A woman like Mel got her jollies out of making people miserable and disrupting their lives. It almost seemed like that’s how she entertained herself.
“Damn her!”
Then he stopped tying his shoes. For the first time in a long time, he was agitated over the actions of someone else. It was a weird feeling.
He had always been alone for years, and he preferred it that way. Keeping people at bay was something he decided for himself. That is why he loved working for the agency; it was part of the job not to get emotionally involved, especially someone in his position. He avoided people for a lot of reasons.
Now that woman came bursting into his life as if she had the rights to it. She was the first person to interrupt his peace. Practically the only person who dared. “I can’t work with her. It’s impossible.”
She was a handful; hell bent on creating trouble everywhere she went. She already had gotten him all churned up inside, and God only knows what might happen if she continued.
He let off some steam after an hour of lifting weights, but it did no good. He was still muttering to himself, so he decided to go for a walk outside.
Fifteen minutes later he still didn’t feel calm enough, like he usually would. The breeze that rustled in the leaves of the trees did nothing to ease his mind, so he decided to head back to the office.
“Jack? Jack is that you?”
A familiar voice called to him from behind. Jack turned around. It was Maria Antonov, it had to be. It had been fifteen years, but she didn’t look that much different other than what time did to age her.
Jack waved to her hesitantly and was unsure if she actually was standing in front of him or was he dreaming? He had to be. Maria had her hair pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a khaki colored knit sweater and crème colored slacks. Her gold necklace beamed brightly in the sunlight. Maria had a shopping bag in one hand, and her face looked flushed with dark shades of makeup that only enhanced her features.
For a split second, he noticed how much she looked exactly like Mel. Mel’s eyes were just as dark and playful, but somewhat fragile like a doe at the same time. Mel also seemed more expressive in personality as well as demeanor and her features were like her mother’s but more delicate. Maria on the other hand always seemed like there was something hidden behind those dark eyes.
As difficult as Mel was to be around, her presence had an air of softness which I’m sure she didn’t realize.
“I still haven’t gotten used to how quiet your presence is, Jack. You magically entered my life all those years ago, and here you are again. Like magic!” Natasha said as she stepped towards Jack.
“I’m a different man now, Maria. I’m no longer that soft spoken, silly boy you used to know.” Jack said.
Natasha stood there studying Jack and then smiled at him, “Oh, I am awful with my manners. How are you doing, Jack?” She hugged him then.
Maria wasn’t awful; she was still as beautiful as ever, but he received instantly that all too familiar feeling whenever she was around that there was something not quite right. She was as mesmerizing and sweet as ever, but he still felt that she was guarded. Not in the painful past kind of way but more like she had a lot of dark secrets she didn’t appear to want to share. He always had that cautious feeling around her but often pushed it to the back of his mind back then, he didn’t want to do that this time around.
“What’s wrong, Jack? Aren’t you glad to see me?” Natasha wondered.
“No, it’s not that. I just…it’s just been a long day.” He said as he shrugged and brushed his hand through his hair.
Natasha laughed, “Darling, it’s only the afternoon.”
He wasn’t even sure if he should bring up Mel unless Maria were in town to visit Mel. Had she taken her advice after all? Maria must be, why else would she be in town if it weren’t for Mel. Did Maria live here too or was she just visiting again? He had to know, and he wanted answers.
“I see you went shopping in town.” Jack nodded towards the shopping bags.
“Only for a minute. How are you doing, Jack?”
“I’m doing alright,” Jack replied.
“Still not much of a talker, I see. You never really were. I guess it’s because you want an explanation. You deserve one just the same. I don’t suppose you would do me the honor of talking about it later, over dinner? I discovered this beautiful restaurant down the street called Rossario’s.”
“I have the time. I do want an explanation. I deserve that much from you.”
“Yes, you do. Shall we say 7 o’clock?” Natasha smiled.
“Seven is fine,” Jack said.
“I guess I better be off, I have more errands to run. It was nice seeing you again.” Natasha said as she hugged him and unlocked her car door.
“Goodbye, Natasha,” Jack said as he turned back around to head back to the office again.
“Jack?” Natasha called out.
“Yes, Maria?”
“I really am sorry. For everything.” Natasha said.
“I know you are. We’ll talk about it later.” Jack gave a reassuring smile and walked away.
Jack returned to the office some time later, he didn’t keep track of the time, but it took longer than the fifteen minutes it was supposed to take to get back to the office. He was distracted by what had just transpired that he just kept walking without being aware of where he was going.
Mel was missing, and it was an even bigger relief to see that she was in his office. As he was shutting the door, Agent Woods stopped the door with his boot.
“We’ve got some news.”
“What is it?” Jack asked, opening his office door.
“We received some intel that Aleksandr Baladin made his way stateside,” Woods confessed.
“Ah. That is news. What of his whereabouts or agenda?”
“Nothing but we’re working on it.”
“What?”
“Agents were sent out to bring him in from JFK, but he must have chartered a private jet because there’s nothing on the books in his name or anyone affiliated. He must have paid a lot to disappear into thin air when he landed. But don’t worry, the men are on it. We’ll find him.” Woods assured Jack.
“I hope so. If we don’t get him now, he’s gone for good. Once gone, I don’t think he’ll pop up again unless he’s planning something.”
Chapter Six
Mel popped into his office some time later. “I’ve got good news.” She said smiling. “My car is fixed.”
“That is good news indeed,” Jack said not looking up from the file he was reviewing. “Just don’t crash into another wall again.”
“Ha ha, funny.” Amelia feigned a laugh and rolled her eyes. “Well not fixed yet exactly, but they said more than likely it will be finished by tomorrow afternoon.”
“That means you’re still stranded here.”
“Yep. Which means you are the lucky winner who gets to take me home, partner.” She beamed. “So where did you go earlier? You aren’t supposed to go out on the field without me. Trying to stay away from me?”
“Yes if you must know.”
“Well, that’s a sad thought. A little fire is good for you.”
“What’s good for me is a little peace and quiet.”
Amelia decided to ignore his last comment and said at last, “I’ve done some investigating you know.”
“Oh really?”
“I’ve been looking into the Baladin case and discussed it with the team, and I managed to track him down here locally. There was a charge made at this restaurant down the street called Rossario’s. I went down there, but he was long
gone by then.” Amelia explained.
Jack nearly choked on his saliva. He wanted to warn her that it was dangerous to go out on his own. How could she not see that? He struggled to say what he was thinking. “Ms. Antonov-”
“It was a good idea, right? It’s fabulous in fact.”
“Hold it-”
“So I’ve been making some outlines, you know, devising a plan.”
“Wait for just a-”
Mel didn’t listen but begin to describe her plans with naïve enthusiasm. “…it will take a lot of manpower, but with your experience and my sheer talent, we can just handle it ourselves.”
“Will you be quiet?!”
“Sure! Something you want to add?”
Angry and frustrated, it took Jack a lot of strength to hold it inside, but he managed to say, “Just what the hell are you doing?”
“Was I talking too fast? I can repeat myself-”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what? The only way Baladin is going to get caught is if we act right now. But we’re just standing here wasting time.”
“This is a horrible idea.”
“You can’t do this all by yourself, West. You aren’t the only person in the agency, you know. Now if we go-”
“We?” he snapped. “There is no we!”
“Of course there is. You and me. You could use help anyway. You’ve been doing this by yourself for years. You must be bored, and you need a fresh perspective from a third party.”
“Oh go to hell! We are not doing anything, Woods and Johnson are already on this, and I have plans.” Jack said furiously.
“Oh. Where are you going? Can I come?”
“No.”
“Why not? Is it a date?” Amelia grinned.
“For one thing, it is none of your business. Secondly, no it isn’t a date.”
“Then why can’t I come with you? It doesn’t seem that important if I can’t go, maybe we should focus on Baladin-”
“My plans have nothing to do with you.” Jack snapped as he put back on his suit jacket. “And you are not a part of the Baladin case so you can forget any idea you have about being involved and playing hero.”
One Little Letter_A Bad Boy, Second Chance Romance Page 10