“I am not a lovesick puppy,” Elle snapped. “I’m the same person I always was. Well, no, I’m not.”
This admission seemed to surprise both of her friends.
“It’s finally set in for me that I don’t need to treat my plan like the Bible, or some universal law, or something,” she said. As she spoke, she realized she was speaking the truth, which emboldened her. “Yes, my fling with Preston was the first step, but that’s all it was, a first step. I don’t know where this thing we have will go.”
Although she had come to realize the timing might work out for them after all. He once told her he would be looking to leave the clandestine service in about five years. She had no interest in getting married before her late twenties. So they just might be ready to settle down at the same time, but she wasn’t sharing that little tidbit with her friends. They would completely freak.
“My father was the one who put the idea in my head that I’d go to grad school at Virginia, just like him. Then I’d go into the corporate world, just like him. I’ve always known I don’t want to get trapped in the golden handcuffs, but I figured the degrees couldn’t hurt, right? But I like informatics and analysis. I want to keep doing that,” she finished.
“I get it,” Tina said, “and it’s great that you’re willing to be more flexible. But advertising? And at the advertising agency that just happens to be where Preston is?”
“That’s what isn’t you. At all,” Marni chimed in.
And that was what she couldn’t explain to them, which seriously sucked. Elle sighed. “It’s not the only place I’m looking at,” she said. “I have a few other ideas in mind.”
“Like where?” Tina asked. Trust her to always ask the most annoyingly reasonable question ever.
Elle thought back to a few of the places that had come to talk to the class. Luckily, some came to mind, so she could rattle them off, feeling terrible even as she did. The names of other places seemed to pacify them, however, so that was good, even if she hated lying to them.
“And this is assuming I don’t go to Virginia,” she said. “I haven’t made a final decision.” She looked directly at Marni. “I just don’t want to shock the hell out of you if I do decide to decline the offer.”
Marni nodded. “I get it. You know I don’t have any problems with you changing your plans; I think it’s great that you’re becoming more flexible about things. I just want you to do it for the right reasons.”
Tina added, “And we know your family isn’t… well, they don’t act like family. But we meant what we said: we’ll always be your family, Elle.”
Elle shook her head. “You better not make me cry all over my pizza,” she said, making them all laugh.
Chapter 26
Things were uneventful over the next couple of weeks. Elle struggled to focus in her classes when she wasn’t working with Preston. If the FBI was around, she was clueless about where. They truly were experts at blending in. She found herself scrutinizing everyone who didn’t look familiar to her, but there were literally thousands of students at the university, and many of them used the library, so there were far too many people for her to try to keep track of. Preston kept telling her to act naturally, and she came to admire one more thing about him: the guy personified nerves of steel.
The one thing Elle took solace in was the warmer weather. It was finally warm enough where even most of the slush had melted, leaving just a few patches here and there. It was a relief to put away the heavy winter coat and boots. Some students wore shorts around, but after making that mistake her first year, Elle learned it wasn’t quite that warm. She had nearly frozen her ass off walking around in shorts when it was in the high 40s, low 50s, for one day before pulling out her jeans again.
Elle got the email about graduation tickets. She called her mother from the lab since she and Preston were working late.
“I’m just calling to let you know I got an email about graduation tickets,” she explained to her mother. “It’s May 6th.”
“May 6th… let me check my calendar,” her mother said. Elle waited. “Are you sure?” she asked Elle after a moment.
Elle double-checked her email. “Yep- it says May 6th. I get four tickets. Extra tickets are on a first-come, first-serve basis.”
“Lindsay’s annual ballet recital is that evening,” Elle’s mother said. “Oh, Ellie, I don’t know…”
Of course she should have known getting onto her mother’s calendar could be a problem. “The ceremony is at ten in the morning,” Elle said. “It should be over by noon, at the latest. What time is the recital?”
“Seven-thirty that evening.” It was a five hour drive from campus to their Chicago suburb. It was cutting it close but doable, especially if her mother flew, although then she would have to hope there would be no travel delays. Nothing you could count on.
Elle asked, “Won’t Robert take his video camera?” He recorded it every year.
“Yes, I’m sure he will,” she said, “but that’s always such a special night for Lindsay. I’ll have to talk it over with him.” Elle didn’t know why she bothered. His priorities would be where they always were: with their family. She didn’t even have her own room in the house anymore because they needed multiple guest rooms. There was no way he would want one of their annual “family events” to be disrupted.
“Okay, it’s no big deal,” Elle said. Only her once-in-a-lifetime college graduation. “Just let me know.”
Once they got off the phone, Preston looked up at her. “Getting ready for the big day, huh?” he asked.
Elle nodded. It was a big day for her, at least. Both Tina’s and Marni’s family always welcomed her with open arms, so if push came to shove, she knew she could hang out with them.
“You know,” Preston said suddenly, “I’ve never heard you talk to your mother before.”
“We haven’t spoken since I left in January to come back here for winter semester.” It was typical, but she knew it didn’t sound any less pathetic.
Preston’s eyebrows practically shot up into his hairline. “Did you two have a falling out over the holidays?”
“No.” Elle kept her voice nonchalant with effort. “Nothing unusual about that. We don’t talk much.”
She hated the sad look in his eyes. “My mom remarried after my parents divorced. She and her husband have two daughters and a son. They keep her busy.”
“Your mother’s husband? You mean your stepfather?”
“No,” Elle shook her head, refusing to pretend to that extent, “I mean my mother’s husband.”
And then all the lights went out.
Chapter 27
It was pitch black in the lab. Blinking, Elle finally could make out the windows. The lights were on outside and in the next building over, yet this building was in darkness. She jumped when Preston grabbed her arm. It was a good thing they were lovers- which Elle realized was a weird word even as she thought it- because she recognized his touch.
“Get your laptop and put it in your bag,” Preston told her. His voice was low but because it was deep it was still audible. Elle fumbled for her laptop. It was right in front of her, so it wasn’t difficult to fold it shut and pull on the power cord. Her bag had been near her feet, so she didn’t have much trouble finding it, feeling for the zipper, and unzipping it to slip her laptop inside.
She was trying to zip it shut when Preston started tugging on her arm again to get her on her feet. “We need to get out of here,” he said. There was a screeching noise. It was the door at the end of the hall. Those squeaky hinges seemed even louder in the dark. Elle heard a click but didn’t know what it was. Her eyes began to adjust to the dark, however. She could see Preston in front of her, pulling her towards the door.
“Stay behind me,” Preston said before flinging the door open. There was the sound of a thud.
“Did the door hit-” Preston shushed Elle before pulling her out into the hallway, away from the squeaky door as it squeaked again. Someone else was
coming in. And then someone grabbed her from behind.
Elle screamed, struggling as two hands clamped down on her upper arms, pulling her away from Preston. She could smell Preston’s aftershave as he came closer and then heard what sounded like a punch. The man behind her grunted, his grip loosening on her arms. She yanked herself free.
The door was squeaking again, and there were footsteps as more people came running in. A bright circle of light illuminated a bit of the hallway, showing several people- they all looked like men- in the hallway.
“Police!” one man shouted.
“This way,” Preston whispered right in Elle’s ear as he took her forearm. They ran away from the squeaky door, down the hallway to the indoor walkway. Elle stumbled a bit but was able to keep up with him for the most part. The indoor walkway was dimly lit, but it felt like bright sunlight when they reached it. She was shocked to see Preston holding a gun as he pulled her along.
He had a gun? Okay, she knew he was a spy and all, but… he had a gun? How did that manage to be both dangerous and hot at the same time? She needed to get a grip. Her heart should be pounding out of fear, not excitement. Seriously.
Preston kept the gun drawn until they reached the other end of the walkway. This would lead them into the library stacks, which would be better lit and likely have students in there.
“Stay behind me,” he ordered Elle as he tucked the gun inside his jacket before opening the door.
The stacks looked so… ordinary. Just like they always looked. There were students here and there that they hurried past. Elle wondered what they would do if there was a student in the little corner where the secret room was? Talk about some seriously rotten luck.
Luck was on their side, however. The corner was empty. Preston had the secret room open and both of them inside it in no time. He pressed the button to reveal the tv monitors.
The cameras weren’t placed directly in front of the School of Information Science wing where Clark’s labs were near, but the side could be seen. Elle saw what looked like a swarm of guys in campus police jackets even from the side.
“We’ve been compromised,” Preston said. Elle turned to see him talking into his cell. He listened for a minute before saying, “The files are secure.” Their laptops. Their laptops contained all the necessary files on the project.
Elle rubbed her upper arms. She could still feel the death grip of the guy who grabbed her. The bastard held her so hard, he’d probably given her bruises.
“Understood.” Preston slid his phone into his pocket. “We stay put for the moment,” he said, “until the Feds have the area secure.”
Elle looked around and realized there was no place to sit. She sat on the floor. Preston looked startled for a moment before he smiled and joined her.
“This is an unexpected variable for the model, huh?” he asked.
Elle couldn’t even manage a smile. Not yet. She just nodded.
He slid an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “This is an anomaly,” he assured her, “especially for an analyst.”
It took the FBI about an hour to declare the area all clear. They arrested five guys. Preston and Elle returned to the lab once they restored power to the building. Amazingly enough, Clark’s lab looked untouched.
Agents Sykes and Linden were both there, wearing campus security jackets. “Is the data secure?” Sykes asked.
Preston nodded. “Nothing was compromised.”
“They have significant knowledge of the campus,” Linden said, “to be able to pull this off. We caught five guys, but we don’t really know if we arrested them all.”
Oh joy. They conferred for a few more minutes. Elle heard Preston tell them she would be staying at the hotel with him that night and then they were all headed towards the parking lot. Elle looked around at an area she had been around plenty of times in the past four years. It looked surreal. Terrorists? Here on campus? A terrorist had grabbed her.
Preston insisted she eat something once they arrived at The Manor, so they ordered room service. She managed to eat her gourmet hamburger and french fries, although she was clueless how the burger was cooked or what the toppings were. She just chewed and swallowed. Preston made several phone calls, but his end of the conversation was so short and cryptic, she stopped listening, since trying to figure out what he meant just frazzled her nerves even more.
Preston had to repeat himself several times before Elle realized he was talking to her. “Your phone is going off,” he said.
The noise suddenly broke through to Elle. She checked it. Texts from Marni and Tina.
Where r u?
R u ok?
Police @ ur bldg.?! Arresting people? WTF?
Call. Me. Now.
Of course this would’ve already made it all over campus. She sent out a text to both Marni and Tina.
I’m fine. With Preston. Will talk 2 u 2morrow.
She’d need time to figure out what the hell she was going to say to them about this fiasco. The FBI had been disguised as part of the campus police force, so it wasn’t as odd as the truth, but they had been in Clark’s lab, so she still had some explaining to do.
Preston hugged her close. “Quite an anomaly, huh?” he murmured, his lips brushing against the top of her hair.
Elle let herself relax into him. “That’s for damn sure.” She wondered if they were going to have sex, sex that was even hotter than make-up sex after that adrenaline rush. The steady beat of Preston’s heart was soothing, as were his hands, which were stroking her arms.
“What’s going to happen next with this plan?” she asked.
Preston gave her a squeeze. “Well, the question is what they’re looking for,” he said. “I’m guessing they’re trying to figure out just how much we knew and what we’ve done. They’re planning coordinated attacks on all of the major continents in the world, in many countries. It’s not going to be an easy thing to just call off and plan again so they’ll do their best to avoid that.”
Trying to keep their plan intact. She knew that deal. “Well, if anyone can foil a plan, it’s you,” she said. They both laughed at that.
Once she was completely relaxed, Preston took her to bed. She didn’t get a chance to find out if the scare they’d experienced led to steamy sex, however. Instead Preston offered her one of his undershirts to sleep in. She wasn’t sure it would be big enough, but it turned out to be more than a little roomy, which he seemed to find amusing. Preston stripped down to his boxers and slid into bed beside her, gathering her close. She let herself melt into his warm bulk. As she drifted off to sleep, she was almost positive she felt Preston’s lips press a kiss into her forehead.
Chapter 28
Elle stretched, enjoying the luxurious feel of the sheets. This wasn’t her double bed. Her eyes popped open as last night flooded back. She could hear Preston’s voice in the next room, although she couldn’t make out what he was saying. After a few minutes, she slid out of bed. She had class this morning: she would need to get home, get dressed, and get going. Or was she supposed to stay put after what happened last night? There was no way she could stop going to class. She was less than two months from graduation.
Preston stepped into the room and smiled at her. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
Elle smiled back, feeling shy. There was no good reason for it; they had slept together before, but it was after a night of scorching sex. For whatever reason, after the literal life-and-death excitement of last night, things felt more… intimate, somehow. “Good morning yourself.”
After a pause, Elle asked, “Can I… go to class, do my usual stuff?”
Preston looked startled for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, it’s all clear as far as we can tell.” He took a deep breath. “Listen, Elle- I’m being sent back out to the field.”
What? He was leaving? Leaving her? Elle knew this was irrational; he’d had to leave before throughout the semester. “Will you be gone for a couple of nights?”
Preston didn�
�t shrink from her gaze. “We have the intel to finish this,” he said, his voice gentle. “And we suspect the players you’ve identified will stop using Sub Rosa. I won’t need to return here.”
Elle nodded. Swallowing suddenly became painful. She had known this day was coming, had always known, but for it to come now…
“I- I’ve enjoyed you… broadening my horizons,” she finally said, trying to force herself to smile but her lips wouldn’t quite turn up like she wanted them to. It felt as if lead filled her insides, starting in her solar plexus and pouring outward, up through her chest and down through her legs. She knew, she always knew, this was a fling. So why did she feel like shit when it was ending?
“I’ve enjoyed broadening them,” he told her, pulling her close. He kissed her lips. “And I don’t intend to stop, either.”
“What?” Elle tried to keep her voice neutral but knew a flutter of hope was in it.
“Being in the clandestine service makes it hard to maintain relationships,” he said, still holding her close, “but it doesn’t mean we have to disappear forever. I want you to feel free to do what you want. There’s no obligation here. But I would like to see you when I get back.”
And just like that, something warm started spreading through her, melting the lead that was solidifying her insides. She even noticed the slivers of sunlight shining through the curtain opening, creating a beam of light on the plush carpet.
“I still have a few tricks left to try,” he added.
Elle couldn’t stop what she was sure must be a goofy smile on her face. “I’m up for sampling them,” she replied.
Chapter 29
Even though it was morning, both Marni and Tina were waiting for Elle when she got back to the apartment. It felt as if she had walked out of the apartment a lifetime ago. Preston dropped her off on his way to the airport.
Covert Assignment Page 14