Traces of Grey: Book Four of The Alexis Stanton Chronicles

by Phelps, J. C.

  “Wonder what’s going on?” she asked.

  “I suppose, they’re either on some secret mission or I’m the topic at hand.”

  “Speaking of—” Gabriella grew a large smile. “Did you really get the best of Black?”

  “No. We killed each other. It was a draw.” I grinned at the thought. “It was really fun.”

  I got lost in my own descriptions as I spent the next twenty minutes telling her all about how Black and I took out teams of ten as partners and then how Black wanted to test my skills by pitting me against all of the men at once.

  “I’ve definitely got the better job,” she said when I took a breath.

  “No you don’t.” I argued.

  “Yes I do, sweetie. I got to eat real food more than a few times in the past month. Marty took me to the movies twice. I slept in a real bed. Not to mention, I showered regular.”

  “Haven’t you ever been camping?”

  “Yes, I have. I’d rather be in the city.” She waved away the idea of camping with a flick of her wrist.

  “The beauty of the mountains—”

  “No, honey. Not going to convince me. Not even with that dreamy look you’re wearing. I prefer to see the mountains in scenery pictures or from the car as we drive to the hotel.”

  We laughed.

  “Why do we get along so well?” I asked.

  “Because I’m perfect and you’re awesome,” she said without having to even think about it.

  I stood. “So true. I’ll be in my apartment if anyone wants me.” I hiked my head toward White’s office and rolled my eyes.

  “I’ll let him know.”

  I ordered in Chinese food for dinner and ordered extra just in case someone came knocking at my door. I ended up eating alone and more than I should have and fell asleep on the couch.

  Black showed up the next morning for coffee.

  “I won’t be going to the gym for a while,” he said.

  “Where’re you going?”

  “No where. I’ll still be here to drink your coffee.”

  He stayed for several quiet cups before he left me alone. We rarely experienced uncomfortable silence. Was that why he came to me for his morning coffee? I had to admit, having another person to share my morning coffee with was nice and not having to make conversation first thing in the morning just added to my satisfaction level.

  By late morning I wondered why White hadn’t called or shown up at my door yet. I had been gone a month and he had no desire to catch up? Even if we hadn’t taken that leap into a more involved relationship, I would have been offended. I didn’t want to come off as a needy girlfriend so I hesitated to pick up the phone. How was I supposed to act? Were we really calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend? What did that mean, anyway? The titles seemed so juvenile, somehow. But, what else was there? Lovers? I couldn’t really bring myself to use that terminology. Once didn’t really count for anything other than a good time. I hated this. I paced for half an hour before I picked up my phone. There was no point in putting it off and worrying for days. I’d given him my soul and I deserved to know what was going on between us.

  Gabriella transferred me directly to White.

  “Yes?”

  “Hey. What are you doing?” I wanted to slap myself for not coming up with something better.

  “Working.” I heard papers being shuffled around.

  “I thought you might have stopped in yesterday or found some time in your schedule to welcome me home.”

  “I’m sorry, babe. I’ve just been really busy. I’ve got something lined up for you, though. I figure, if we’re both busy, the time apart will pass easier.”

  I grinned from ear to ear. He called me babe. Maybe he wasn’t blowing me off.

  “We haven’t had any time alone since Carmen’s Retreat.” I didn’t want him to think I was being possessive or overbearing, even if I felt like I was. However, a month is a long time to be apart. It wasn’t out of line expecting a, ‘I missed you.’

  “I know and it’s going to be a while yet. Can you come down in a bit?”

  “Sure. I’ll be down in about an hour.” I hung up and took a deep breath. I was ready in less than half an hour and found myself outside the main office door before I thought about how it might look.

  I stepped in anyway and took some time to chat with Gabriella.

  “What brings you here in such a good mood?”

  “White asked me to come down. Maybe he has a job for me. I really hate sitting around.”

  “I’m sure it’s not just a possible job that’s got you all excited,” she smirked.

  “What?” I feigned innocence. “I guess maybe I’m a little excited to see him. It’s been a month.”

  “You can’t let him see you this excited.” She gave me a level look.

  I took some deep breaths to calm myself but was only able to contain the smile slightly.

  “Are you ready?” Her finger hovered over the intercom button.

  “No. I have half an hour yet before I’m supposed to meet him.”

  She laughed. “Half an hour early, too. I hope he appreciates what he’s got.”

  Though I hadn’t told Gabriella about our encounter on the yacht, she could always read me when it came to my feelings about White.

  The half an hour at Gabriella’s desk seemed to take days. Finally, it was time to announce me.

  “Ms. Grey is here.”

  “Send her right in.” He sounded happy through the phone intercom.

  After a couple more deep breaths I entered his office.

  “Hey.” He smiled and gestured to a chair in front of his desk.

  We visited for several minutes before he finally brought up the training op in Wyoming.

  “You’re prowess as a sniper has Red’s panties in a bunch.”

  “I know. I probably shouldn’t have tried as hard as I did.”

  “Probably. But we can’t change it now. What I’ve got is a Penumbra contract.”

  He pushed an envelope across the desk toward me.

  The target was Lucio Flores of Peru. His daily routine and upcoming appointments were all provided as well as a map of Peru’s capital city of Lima. His job title wasn’t listed, but the appointments suggested he was some sort of government official.

  “This is an urban hit.” I passed the map to White.

  “Looks like it. You feel up to it?”

  “I’ve never done anything in an urban setting.” I bordered on panic with this prospect.

  “If you’re uncomfortable with this, we can decline.”

  “Where does this request come from?”

  “I don’t know, for sure. I ran it past your father, just in case, and he’s given his blessing. Does that help?”

  “A little. I better do some research before I decide. There’s no reason listed and I have no idea who this guy is.”

  “He’s head of border security and has been letting drugs cross the borders. At least that’s what the Admiral tells me.”

  “Sounds like, even if dad isn’t paying for this job, he’s involved.”

  “That’s my impression.” White shrugged.

  “I still want to do a little research, to be sure,” I said.

  “Of course. Let me know as soon as you can. This is time sensitive.” He stood and came around the desk while he dug in his pocket. He pulled out his keys and held them out for me. “You can use C.I.C.”

  “Thanks.”

  I reached out for his keys and our hands touched. My breath caught in my throat as his hand enveloped mine. The keys felt sharp in my hand as he held me there. I didn’t complain about the pain, it was the only thing keeping me from losing all sense of location.

  “Can we do dinner tonight?” His voice was eager.

  I tried to swallow, but my mouth had gone dry. Instead, I gulped in some air. White’s expression had become predatory but I managed a slight nod.

  “I’ll meet you in my apartment at six o’clock, then?”
>
  “Okay.” I managed to keep my voice clear and steady and lifted my chin as I walked out of the office.

  I met Red in the front office as I was leaving. I still wasn’t fully composed but Red’s presence helped me refocus my thoughts immensely.

  “What’s that?” He indicated the envelope. His bearing was that of an officer challenging one of his recruits.

  I scrutinized it while turning it over in my hands then said, “Huh? It’s an envelope.”

  Red’s expression changed from superior to annoyed. I smiled pleasantly at him and Gabriella as I walked out of the office. As soon as I had the office door shut behind me my smile turned from pleasant to beaming and I carried it all the way up to White’s apartment. It didn’t drop away until I put the key into the lock. Then, my hands started to tremble as I remembered White’s demeanor toward me less than two minutes earlier. I had to take several deep breaths to calm myself enough to get the door open.

  Once inside the apartment I went directly to C.I.C. and fell into a chair in front of a computer. My imagination took over and I had to force myself to focus long enough to turn on the machine in front of me. White had always had a strong effect on me, but now his hold was even stronger. I was looking forward to six o’clock and had to fight with myself to concentrate.

  Researching Lucio Flores had taken less than an hour before I had enough information to convince me that the job was in the interest of all things good. I also found out Flores was connected to Mateo Ruiz and his efforts to reestablish a formidable drug cartel. This could be a way to get involved in what the guys wouldn’t talk about in front of me.

  White’s attention had dwindled, and his workload had skyrocketed since our encounter in Jamaica. Though I had no proof, I knew my partners were working on a job that involved Mateo Ruiz and the mysterious man we saw eating lunch with Ruiz.

  All I really knew was that White and I had inadvertently stumbled upon some bad guy the government wanted to get their hands on, and that guy also had connections to Mateo Ruiz. The more involved I got with Ruiz, the better. At least I wasn’t breaking my promise not to pry if I got my information this way. My current research was legitimate and maybe it could help me figure out what else was going on.

  I sat back in my chair, pleased with my progress and checked my watch. It was nowhere near six o’clock. I changed my task to that of planning. I had never done much of anything in an urban setting and questioned my ability. This scared me.

  The Dimitri hit could be considered urban, I reminded myself. This helped to settle my unease, and I was able to concentrate and start making some definite plans.

  I had several options open to me, but one of the big questions was whether or not to do the hit in a public area or try and take him in a more private setting. I also had to worry about acquiring a weapon locally. Penumbra’s signature weapon might be a .50 cal. sniper rifle, but it was not the only way she was known to complete her objective.

  I got up from the computer and called White.

  “Yes?” His voice came through to my ear.

  “Does Helix have connections in Peru?” I asked.

  “I’m sure he does—”

  “Do you think you can get him to set up a way for me to my hardware?”

  “Yep. Where do you want to pick it up?” He was short and to the point.

  “Lima. I’d do it myself, but you took his phone number from me.”

  He chuckled. “I did, didn’t I? Okay. I’m still with Red. I’ll call you back in a while.”

  We hung up and I went back to making plans. I wanted to get this done and get back as soon as I could, so I made my travel reservations. My flight left late tomorrow morning. I only hoped White would be able to talk Helix into setting up a weapon for me.

  Lucio’s schedule was fairly routine and slightly rigid. That always helped. If a person had habits, I could use them against them instead of wondering where they might be at any given time of day. The best plan, on paper, was taking him at home. I spent a good amount of time locating his apartment building via satellite and finding a nearby building I could easily gain access to. I systematically planned his death according to his own schedule. I was into the second week of his itinerary when I heard White’s front door open. My heart skipped a beat and I found myself straightening my shirt and hair.

  To avoid looking too eager, I remained in my seat with every intention of finishing up the specific scenario I was working on. About ten seconds later I finally gave in and turned around to look out the door of C.I.C.. Red stood in the doorway watching me.

  “Grey. White asked me to tell you he’d be right up.”

  I casually turned away from him and shut off the computer. I didn’t know how much he’d seen, but I’d had a big picture of Lima on the screen. The last thing I needed was for him to know where I’d be in the coming days.

  “Thanks.”

  I rose from the computer and pushed past him. Coffee sounded good all of a sudden. When I turned from the coffee pot Red sat at White’s kitchen bar with his hands folded in front of him. His head was cocked to one side and his expression was scrutinizing.

  “What are you working on?” He asked.

  “Just playing around and passing the time.” I shrugged.

  Red nodded, but wore a suspicious look. “Do you know what White has you up for next?”

  “No. I don’t think he has anything lined up. How about you? What are you doing?”

  “Actually, I think he’s going to send you off for EOD and flight training next. That should keep you busy for a few months.”

  He employed some of my father’s tactics and ignored my question completely.

  “Sounds good. When?” I let him get away with it to avoid an argument.

  “Probably next week sometime. Brown’s not happy with it, but that’s the way it goes.”

  “Why isn’t Brown happy with it?”

  “He’ll be instructing you and isn’t quite ready to give up several months right now. He’ll get over it.” He smiled. “We haven’t had much time to talk since White was shot. We’ve both been pretty busy. So, how have things been?”

  “Good.” I used the unintentional teachings of Black for shortest answer.

  “Are you still happy in this job?” I knew he was trying his head shrinking techniques on me again.

  “Now that I’m getting back to it, yes.” Just a simple yes would have done, I berated myself.

  “How was Carmen’s Retreat?”

  “Beautiful. Did you know it has a garage with all kinds of watercraft? They roll them out of a door on the side of the yacht with hydraulics and lower them onto the water. It was really cool.”

  He smiled. I was onto his game and he knew it. “It’s not a garage. It’s called a bay. I heard you and White shared a suite. How did that go?”

  My temperature raised but I kept it in check. “It sucked. It was a pain to have to change my clothes in the bathroom. It wasn’t as roomy as a regular bathroom.”

  “You know what I like about you, Alex?”

  “What’s that?”

  “You’re a challenge. But I’ll get there. I’d like to get back to where we were a couple months ago. You weren’t so guarded. Why did you get so defensive back in Wyoming when I questioned you about your sniping and evasion tactics? Do you have something to hide?”

  “Nothing to hide here. Why’d you revert back to prick-psychiatrist mode? You know I don’t respond well to that.”

  “I guess I’m just a little suspicious of the time you and White have been spending together. Then he comes back from Carmen’s Retreat and, though we have a pressing issue, he’s more relaxed than I’ve seen him in more than a year.”

  “So you’re taking White’s issues out on me? Do you do that because I’m a woman and you think I’m easier to crack than he is? Or is it because he’s your friend and I’m just an intrusion? Maybe it’s because you have issues of your own? Whatever your problem is keep it to yourself from now on. If yo
u want to get back to where we were a couple months ago don’t come at me as if I’m the one with issues. I’m quite content.”

  “I don’t know why I always forget to take the direct route with you.” He folded his hands in front of himself. “Are you and White—” he looked toward the ceiling in thought for a few seconds, “a couple?” He chose the least offensive way to put it, which probably saved him a lot of grief.

  I smiled. “There it is. Finally, you get to the point.” I turned around and poured us each a cup of coffee. “You’ve told me in the past that the men’s relationships are your business because— Actually, you never did convince me why it’s any of your business, so there you go. It’s none of your business whether or not I’m getting any and from where I choose to get it from.” I said when I set his cup in front of him.

  The door opened and White came in with our food.

  “I got Italian. I hope that’s okay.” He set it down on the counter, not at all rattled Red was here. White maneuvered around me and grabbed plates and utensils for the three of us.

  Despite my answer, Red watched us both closely as we ate. I thought we handled ourselves well during the meal. Afterward, I hoped Red would leave, but caught myself saying goodnight before he did. I felt antsy, and didn’t want Red to pick up on it. If White really wanted to see me, he’d call when Red left.

  The clock ticked off the hours as I sat on my couch, waiting for that call. By three A.M. I was tired of infomercials and was about to give up when the call finally came.

  “Hello?”

  “Red just left. He’s been on my back all day.”

  “That’s okay. We have to give up some things if we want to keep this a secret, I guess.” I switched the topic. “Did you ever get in touch with Helix?”

  “Not yet. I’ll do that first thing in the morning.”

  “Good. My flight leaves around ten in the morning.”

  “You set it all up already?”

  “Yep. I thought it’d be good to get it over and done with.”

  “You have a place to stay?”

  “Of course.”

  “What about a return flight? When is it?”

  “It’s an open ticket, so I should be able to return any time for the next month.”