Agents, Agreements and Aggravations: In Her Paranormal Majesty’s Secret Service™ Book Three

by Anderle, Michael

  It was Jennie’s turn to give a smug grin. “I wasn’t asking you. I was telling you. Consider it a courtesy so that no one worries where I am while I’m gone.”

  Daggro held her stare. The tension in the air was palpable. “Which team did you have in mind?”

  Jennie told her.

  Daggro chuckled, happy to have the upper hand. “You may be able to gallivant wherever you like but know that SIA agents are contracted to remain within the orders and confines of the SIA.” She leaned across the desk. “I knew this day would come. Already looking to emancipate yourself from us, aren’t you? You’ve just gotten over one war, and now you’re looking to start a second?”

  Jennie remained silent. She didn’t need to clarify that this would be the third battle she’d been involved in since arriving on US soil, nor did she want to give Daggro any satisfaction in showing that she was getting to her. Daggro fed off misery. Jennie would not submit to show any of her own.

  “I’m not looking for emancipation,” Jennie replied flatly. “I’m merely continuing with my initial objective. Speak to your superior, he knows the nature of my business. I’m not sure he’d likely have shared it with those within the lower ranks. He’s still a good agent, you know Agent Hopkins.”

  Daggro’s cheeks flushed red as her satisfied smirk faded.

  Jennie grinned. “I appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to see me.”

  Jennie made to leave, but Daggro called after her. “No SIA agents. No SIA equipment. You want to abandon the agency for your own self-interests, then fine. Just know that not only will you be on your own out there, your absence will drag the morale of the whole team down.”

  Jennie turned, surprised. “Have you just given me your first ever compliment?”

  Daggro growled.

  Jennie threw a lock of hair over her shoulder. “I always knew you needed me, Daggro. You’d just never admit it, would you? I’ve survived through longer and worse with nothing but these two pistols by my side. Don’t worry, though. I won’t be on my own out there. I’m recalling everyone I supplied to the agency as a consultant. Get my people back here; we’re leaving.”

  And then she was gone, leaving an unsettled Daggro in her wake.

  * * *

  Jennie emerged into the bright Washington sunshine a little after midday.

  It had been some time since she had seen the sun in its full glory. For the last week or so, she had operated only by night—carpe noctem!—and she was thankful that the lenses of her glasses were tinted. Even with them on, she had to shield her face from its rays.

  “That’s the problem with vampires.” Agent Rhone laughed, appearing behind Jennie. “They can’t stay in the sun all that long. It does things to their skin.”

  Jennie was surprisingly glad to see Rhone. After all the changes that had happened at the SIA over the last few weeks, it was good to see that nothing had changed with him. She embraced him and smiled. “I think you’ll find that vampires immediately burst into flame in the sun. Or at least the ones that I’ve met do.”

  Rhone’s face fell. “Please don’t tell me we’ve got vampires to worry about, too?”

  Jennie chuckled. “I’m only kidding. I’ve never encountered any vampires. Although, that’s not to say they don’t exist. Maybe they’re just less attention-hungry than specters are?”

  Baxter strode over from where he had been waiting inside the Mustang, melting out of the car door to cross to the pair. “We’re not that bad, are we?”

  “Not all of you,” Jennie replied with a grin. “There are some good specters among you.”

  They stood in the middle of the SIA parking lot, the smell of warm asphalt all around them. It was the kind of heat where the roads in the distance warbled, and the traffic moved at a lazy pace. All around them were rows and rows of black SUVs, sedans, cruisers, and other sundry government vehicles. Jennie’s Mustang, although a sleek black like the rest of the vehicles, stood out like a sore thumb. It was a horse among mules, and even now the sight of it made Jennie’s heart leap.

  Jennie wandered over to the Mustang and rested against the hood. The others followed. “So, Rhone, I assume this is just a flying visit? I was made to understand that I’m not allowed to take any agents. The SIA is very precious about protecting their own.”

  Rhone gave a knowing nod. “Daggro is letting the power get to her head. It won’t last forever. As soon as Rogers is back, things will recalibrate. He’s on your side, Rogue. We all are. Just know that.”

  Jennie studied his eyes, sensing the honesty within. She wanted to believe him, she really did. But her experience with large government-led organizations over the last century or so had left her with a few scars that were difficult to heal. She had only just got into the position where she was trusting others to join her team, and already the SIA—the organization she had helped induct into the spectral world—was cracking at the edges. Maybe the organization would rebalance, but Jennie had witnessed enough to know what the pressure of such a large operation could do to mortals.

  “It’s a shame you can’t join us,” Jennie replied, deciding to side-step Rhone’s statement. “You’re one of the good ones.”

  Rhone nodded to where a group of men and women were emerging from the SIA HQ. “You’ll be fine out there, I’m sure. Your team will carry you far. The only problem is going to be fitting them all in your car.”

  They were a strange group. Leading the front of the charge, and surprising Jennie since as far as she knew the government had the right to recall them to active service, were the three conduits Jennie had helped to rescue the specters from their hideaway beneath the Lincoln Memorial. Ula Huntington, Triton Ward, and Roman Long looked a fierce team as they took confident strides toward them.

  At least the SIA hadn’t stolen them yet. Jennie smiled. Good old Hopkins, he had her back.

  Behind them, Carolyn, Tanya, Sandra, and Lupe wandered across the parking lot, struggling to keep up with the leading three. Tanya was presently in spectral form, thanks to her connection with Sandra, and they held hands as they walked. Lupe had his hood shadowing his face, while Carolyn just looked pleased to see Jennie and Baxter ahead.

  Carolyn ran ahead, shoving past the others to get to Jennie, earning herself unimpressed looks from the conduits.

  “Jennie!” Carolyn embraced Jennie and beamed. “Good to see you.”

  Baxter coughed.

  Carolyn chuckled. “And you, of course, Bax.”

  Jennie made a strange noise as Carolyn unwrapped herself from their hug. “Careful. You’ll give people the impression that I’m a nice person and not the badass I truly am.”

  Ula scoffed, a smirk on her face. “I see you’re still as modest as always.”

  Jennie shrugged. “It’s just a part of my charm.” She turned her attention back to Carolyn and stuck out her tongue. “I’m glad we waited for you, how was your top-secret mission?”

  Carolyn rolled her eyes. “Boring as shit. There were reports from the east side of the city that a gang of specters was terrorizing a small farming family. Groans, things moving at night in the barn, things like that. Turns out that the father was running his own secret brothel and hiding the women in the basement beneath the barn in the daytime. There was no need for a specter to help at all.”

  Jennie turned up her lip. “The SIA really need to focus on sorting out their intelligence ahead of time. Just because there’s a mention of spectral activity, doesn’t mean they immediately have to muscle their way in and show them who’s boss. The guys in the UK learned that one pretty quickly. If it’s a real spectral issue, they’ll know.”

  Rhone cleared his throat and raised a hand. “I mean, I’m right here, Jennie.”

  Jennie winked. “Am I wrong?”

  Rhone half-shrugged. “The guys are just excited because the department is growing. As we spread out more into the neighboring states and set up our reconnaissance teams there’ll be a few of these. Every wave of growth eventua
lly settles down in the end. I’ve seen it enough times, working for the government.”

  Jennie wrapped an arm around Rhone’s shoulder. “Ever the optimist, aren’t you? It’s a shame you can’t come with us, you know. I’d love to have you on my team.”

  Rhone raised his eyebrows. “We’re all the same team, remember?”

  “And what team is that?” Baxter questioned.

  “Justice,” Jennie and Rhone stated in unison, before laughing and setting off after the others. Even Ula had a smirk on her face. Triton and Roman, however, did not.

  Tanya had already climbed into the back of Jennie’s car and was letting out some of the heat that had accumulated inside. She poked her head out of the door. “Are we getting on the road, or not? I’d appreciate some air-con blasting out this heatwave.”

  Triton did a cursory headcount. “We’re not all going to fit in there. How are we supposed to all journey together?”

  Rhone held out a set of keys. “Take my car. You’ll need it more than I will.”

  Jennie looked up in surprise. “Daggro made it perfectly clear. This is my mission, no SIA equipment. You don’t want to get reprimanded by that spiteful bitch.”

  Rhone’s eyes flicked toward a CCTV camera stationed on the wall nearby.

  Jennie nodded in understanding, raising her voice. “Although, she is wonderful,” she announced, “and amazing, and I don’t know what we would do without her.”

  Rhone chuckled, muttering quietly enough so that only Jennie could hear, “Take it. Seriously, I can handle her. You go do what you need to do.”

  Jennie moved so that the camera couldn’t catch the exchange, then pocketed the keys and hugged him again. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Go get ‘em.”

  They divided among the two cars, with the three conduits taking Rhone’s black Chevrolet Equinox. Jennie, Baxter, Carolyn, Tanya, and Sandra took the Mustang. Jennie thumbed the ignition and got the car purring.

  They all looked set to get going when Hendrick burst out of the front doors of the SIA HQ and began half-shuffling, half-running toward them. His eyes were narrowed so tightly that it looked as if he was running totally blind. A large black satchel swung from the crook of his arm.

  “What’s Hendrick doing?” Carolyn asked with her nose pressed to the glass so tightly it was a wonder that she didn’t melt out.

  “He’s joining us,” Jennie replied. “The old mole has been holed up for so long I figured he might want to wander outside and get some sun on his skin.” Hendrick grimaced, holding the bag over his head to block the sun. “Maybe there’s a reason moles stay underground…”

  Much to Ula’s discomfort, Jennie assigned Hendrick to the Chevrolet. He clambered up into the high base of the SUV, made himself comfortable beside a disgruntled Roman, and soon they were ready to go.

  “All set, chaps?” Jennie asked, turning around to face her passengers.

  After a unanimous thumbs-up, she hit play on her phone and filled the car with the aggressive bumping bass of an urban UK rap artist.

  Tanya covered Sandra’s ears. “What the hell is this?”

  “Stormzy,” Jennie replied, craning her neck to look through the rearview. “Downloaded his album after our trip to London. Forgot all about it. Catchy, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, about as catchy as herpes,” Baxter mumbled.

  “What?” Jennie shouted over the music.

  “I said it rocks!” Baxter lied, exchanging a look with the others as they hid their laughs behind their hands.

  Chapter Seven

  Route 95, Virginia, USA

  The road trip to Richmond may just have been one of the happiest times of Jennie’s life.

  After a rocky start, the group began to get in the groove of Stormzy. They learned the choruses of a number of his popular hits—Own It was a particular favorite—and as the sun shone above them they sailed the highway, reminiscing, laughing, joking, and imagining what the atmosphere must have been like with the three conduits and Hendrick in the Chevrolet.

  It felt like years since Jennie had felt this unburdened and, in a way, she supposed it had been. The last time she had been truly happy would have been those final days when her parents were still around at the turn of the twentieth century, before her induction into the Paranormal Court. Life had changed forever when she had taken her place as Rogue.

  They stopped for food at a Denny’s on the outskirts of the city. The hostess questioned their motives when Jennie insisted on seating for ten, but her pointed headcount of the seven mortals she could see fell on deaf ears, so she let it drop and took them to the open booths by the window at the back.

  They drank milkshakes and devoured burgers, watching out the wide glass windows as the sun painted the sky in licorice colors. When they were sufficiently fed and watered, they hopped back in their vehicles and drove the final stretch to the place Jennie was ready to face once again.

  Mendleson Manor.

  They waited around the corner, biding their time until night had fallen and they were truly alone. The manor lay at the top of a hill a short drive from the city, and many dog walkers and young lovers migrated to the heights to take advantage of the vantage point of the city.

  “So…it’s a house?” Carolyn asked, unimpressed. “What’s so great about that?”

  Jennie leaned against the cold metal of her car, one foot resting against the car door as she monitored a teen couple who laughed, kissed, then hurried their pace as they caught notice of the odd group waiting nearby.

  “A couple of things, really. Baxter and I stumbled across it during our mission and found signs of spectral activity. We tried to clear it by ourselves but failed.”

  Sandra’s mouth fell open. “You failed? I thought you were a superhero?”

  Tanya laughed and rolled her eyes.

  “I wish,” Jennie cooed. “But even superheroes have their weak points. We came across something I’ve never encountered before inside that house. A type of specter that didn’t show up on my radar.” She turned to the conduits. “I’m wondering if you guys will be able to sense it at all. The fact that it escaped my radar has greatly alarmed me. I’ve never come across something that felt truly undetectable before.”

  Ula, Roman, and Triton stared at the building in the distance.

  Ula answered, “Some faint spectral activity, perhaps. Though it’s likely just being in close proximity to these guys.” She thumbed toward Baxter, Sandra, and Carolyn.

  “You’ve got me worried,” Carolyn declared. “Something that beat the great Rogue? Are we strong enough to defeat it ourselves?”

  Jennie shrugged. “We’ll find out soon enough. When the church bells chime midnight, we’ll take to the building and try once again.”

  Carolyn lowered her head. “Man, I wish Feng Mian was here. His shields might come in handy. Where did you guys say he was, anyway?”

  “Out fighting the Dragon,” Jennie grumbled with a hint of bitterness.

  Carolyn gasped. “The Dragon?”

  Baxter nodded. “Apparently so. Seems he’s back and causing a ruckus in NYC.”

  Carolyn arched an eyebrow. “But isn’t he with us? Y’know, a member of the Spectral Plane?”

  Baxter grinned. “I think we’re going for the Summer Court now.”

  Lupe raised a finger. “Actually, it’s the King’s Court.”

  Jennie laughed, deciding not to engage in that debate. “He’s where he’s needed. We can do this without him. We’re going to have to. We need to clear this house.”

  Roman spoke up, breaking his reverent silence. “There’s a motive here that you’re not telling us.”

  Jennie stared at him for a moment. “I’m sorry, was there a question there, somewhere?”

  Before he could reply, the church bells tolled midnight. Jennie checked the coast was clear.

  It was.

  Jennie clapped her hands. “Enough of that business, it’s showtime.”

  Richmond
, Virginia, USA

  Jennie got a feeling of déjà vu as she looked at the manor. Although she was standing in the exact same spot, and the house looked exactly the same as it had before, something felt different.

  Maybe the house has awakened, and I can finally sense the spectral power? Perhaps it’s on edge, knowing that we’d come back?

  “It’s big,” Carolyn declared, stating the obvious.

  “Huge,” Lupe agreed.

  Hendrick squinted up at the building. “It’s hungry.”

  They all turned to him, but if anyone else had something to say, they kept it to themselves.

  Jennie led them up the overgrown path and toward the front door. This time, when she tried to open the door, she was alarmed to find that it was locked. Last time it had yielded like butter to a hot knife, but now entry was barred.

  Baxter stepped forward. “I’ll try to open it from the inside.”

  Even Baxter could not get through, no matter how he had pushed against the frame.

  “They’ve done it again,” Baxter complained.

  “Done what?” Carolyn looked between them both with curiosity. “What are you not telling us?”

  Jennie addressed the group. “There’s a conjoined spirit inside, a specter who has become one with the house. During our last visit, I found only a few poltergeists in the basement, but Baxter encountered the main spectral mass.”

  “There were hundreds of tiny spectral imps,” Baxter explained. “They attacked me all at once, and then when I tried to leave, they somehow merged together and became a part of this…this…creature.”

  Lupe had lowered his hood, beads of sweat peppering his brow, his face contorted in worry. “Creature?”

  “A huge white dog,” Baxter continued. “It filled the entire music room, all the imps joining to become one with the motherlode. When we attacked it, we managed to separate the darkness, but we only revealed the ancient couple who were the puppeteers of the whole situation.”