Surrender to Temptation (Agent Lovers Series Book 1)

by Harper Steen

  “Don’t take it so hard, buddy! Women are crazy sometimes.” Chris tried to console Gray and, as a reward, got another dark look shot in his direction. This time he wisely held his tongue.

  When the helicopter was just a few minutes away, he looked at Gray. “They’re almost here. Do you want to head out?”

  “Do I ever. She’s in for it now!” Gray stood up and pushed his chair back so hard it banged against the table behind him. He stomped out of the room and toward the landing area, burning with anger.

  For one uncertain minute Chris stayed put, and then he jumped up quickly and ran after Gray. He wouldn’t miss this for the world.

  ***

  The helicopter had barely touched down when Gray ran up to it and tore the door open in order to give Liz the dressing down he’d promised. She was still lying on the ground and Jennifer was bent over her, looking concerned.

  Immediately his anger gave way to an anxious concern that, for the moment, he didn’t want to examine too closely. He suppressed the unfamiliar feeling, climbed in and kneeled next to her. “What happened? She seemed like she was doing fine.”

  “She collapsed right before we landed,” said Jennifer. “I think it’s the blood loss, plus that shit they gave us. It must have put her over the edge. We need to get her to the hospital as fast as possible.”

  Gray turned to Chris, who had just come up behind him and was quietly watching with a serious expression. “Tell the hospital that we’ll be there in ten minutes and that we’re coming by helicopter. Then see to the recording and documents.”

  Chris acknowledged Gray’s instructions with a nod and ran back into the command center.

  Gray closed the door, gave the pilot a signal to start again and slipped his uniform jacket off to make it easier to move around. He felt briefly for Liz’s pulse, pulled out a box from under one of the benches and rummaged around in it. Holding a pair of scissors, he bent over her again. Carefully he cut the blood-soaked bandage from her arm and applied a new one with Jennifer’s help. While he was affixing it, he gave her a serious look.

  “Once we get there, you’ll need to be examined immediately. You went through a lot too.” His tone left no room for argument and she nodded in agreement. When she didn’t say anything else, he gave her a faint smile. “You sized me up pretty accurately earlier.”

  “Don’t give her too hard a time once she wakes up!” Jennifer said. “I’m afraid Liz has a bad habit of behaving outrageously. She just can’t seem to help it.”

  “Let me worry about that.” They both fell silent.

  It wasn’t long before the helicopter landed on the roof of the military hospital. No questions would be asked here about how the women had gotten their injuries. Gray’s security status alone was enough to ensure that.

  Jennifer pushed open the door and Gray easily lifted Liz’s body, climbed out with her and hurried toward the hospital personnel who were already coming forward to take her. As he reached them he laid Liz on the stretcher they’d brought, and then he and Jennifer followed the doctors who took her. In the emergency room he made arrangements for Jennifer to be examined immediately too. Then he withdrew to the waiting room. Barely an hour later, the doctor who was treating her—who appeared to be about fifty—joined Gray in the waiting room just as Chris arrived.

  “Did you bring in the two women and are you their immediate supervisor?”

  “Yes,” Gray embraced the necessary lie. His claim wasn’t completely false. Even though Townsend was technically Liz and Jennifer’s supervisor, they were still under his command since he hadn’t yet reported their mission as being completed.

  He stood up, pulled out his ID and showed it to the physician. The man cast one look at the ID and dropped all further lines of questioning.

  The doctor pressed his lips together and frowned. Gray had seen that look before on the faces of men of his generation. He guessed that in the doctor’s opinion, women didn’t belong in Special Forces units, and he had to know that Liz and Jennifer were members of one. Gray’s own security clearance told him as much. Once again, the man was confronting the reality that he belonged to a different generation than did today’s young recruits. How much the world had changed!

  The doctor ran his hand through his graying hair and took off his rimless glasses. He pulled a cloth out of the pocket of his white coat and began to clean them while he summarized Liz’s and Jennifer’s physical condition. “Both women should stay here for observation for at least six or seven days, preferably longer. It depends on how quickly they recover. In addition to healing, they desperately need rest. Besides the blood loss she suffered, Ms. Gibson received various lacerations and her ribs are bruised on both sides. Not to mention the drugs both women were administered. Ms. Langner’s condition is very much the same.” He glanced at Chris, who had remained quiet the entire time, and then turned back to Gray. “You’ll take care of the formalities?”

  “Yes, thank you, Doctor.” The doctor nodded his approval and left the men alone in the waiting room.

  “Now what? Do you think their families know what they do?” Chris asked when the doctor was out of earshot.

  “Of course they don’t.”

  “So what do you propose now?”

  “I have no idea. But one thing is certain: I’m not about to let Liz take care of herself, given the shape she’s in. And since Liz and Jennifer are a team, we’ll have to take care of both of them. We’ll figure out something.”

  “We? I thought you said you didn’t want to work with me anymore.”

  “I was angry, you know that. Don’t make me beg.” Gray gave Chris a sullen look.

  “Fine, but where will you take them? They can’t go recover with their families. We can’t bring them to the Army quarters either. Agents are supposed to come in contact with the military as little as possible in order to maintain secrecy.”

  “You don’t have to explain the basics of the TDAs to me,” Gray said. As if he didn’t know that! But where could he take the women?

  “You could put them up in a hotel,” Chris suggested, then added with a broad grin, “or they could camp out on your grass.”

  Gray brightened at the suggestion. “Good idea! Of course a hotel is out of the question. We wouldn’t really be able to keep an eye on them. And they can’t go to their own places until they’re in better shape. They’d take off after a couple of days if someone wasn’t keeping an eye on them. On the other hand, my house is pretty isolated. They can get the rest and relaxation they need. You’ll help me, won’t you?”

  “With what?”

  “Jeez, Chris!” Gray rolled his eyes. “Think about it! We have to get their things from their places. Or should they just run around naked?”

  Chris gave a foolish grin at the suggestion and Gray couldn’t keep a smile from spreading over his own face either. It really was an enjoyable and tempting thought: Liz, naked as the day she was born, in his house. Those thoughts were quickly followed by ones he didn’t have time to dwell on now. They were beside the point!

  He and Chris looked in briefly and found the two women sleeping peacefully in a double room. Then they began to set their newly hatched plan into motion.

  First they went back to base again and browsed through the women’s files, looking for their current addresses. Then Gray informed Townsend about the situation. He immediately gave his consent to their plan since he’d already viewed the visual recording of their mission and had a pretty good idea of the injuries his agents had received. Townsend even seemed to be relieved by Gray’s suggestion that he and Chris take care of the women until they had recovered. If he entrusted them to Chris and Gray’s care, he wouldn’t have to worry about their accommodations himself.

  “Listen, Blackwood. I know from experience how difficult Elizabeth and Jennifer can be, so I’ll make things a little easier by issuing a direct order for them to stay at your home. That should make them a little more amenable.”

  “It couldn’t hurt.” Gr
ay laughed softly. Obviously the Lt. General knew Liz and Jennifer very well if he’d anticipated how they would react—namely, with complete resistance.

  “Take good care of them, Blackwood! Those two are still needed.”

  “Of course. I’ll keep you informed about their physical condition, Sir.”

  “You do that. I’ll arrange for access to their things so that you can get their apartment keys.”

  “Thank you.”

  Gray and Chris checked again to make sure all of the corresponding documents were secure, then they left the surveillance room.

  Chapter 6

  Shortly after the conversation with Townsend but before they left the small secret base, Gray and Chris indulged in a small transformation. The mission had left its mark on them too. Even though they had observed Liz’s and Jennifer’s moves from a safe distance, they felt as exhausted as if they had followed up a day of hiking in the mountains with a night of heavy drinking. Once they were freshly showered and dressed in clean jeans and T-shirts, however, they were scarcely recognizable and far less likely to raise any suspicion when they accessed the women’s apartments. Before they could go into either woman’s place, though, they had to drive to the nearby Army base in Jacksonville, Florida to get their apartment keys. As Townsend had promised, Gray was able to get the keys without any problem.

  Gray stowed a black backpack in the back seat of his Mercedes, then climbed into the driver’s seat and handed Chris, who had waited in the car for him, a dark green one, before buckling up and driving off.

  “That’s Jennifer’s as you would expect. I’ve already taken a look. The apartment keys are inside.”

  “I take it that you’re going to handle Liz’s apartment?”

  “You assume correctly. I’ll drop you off at Jennifer’s place and pick you up on my way back.”

  “Take your time. I’ve always wanted to leisurely poke around in a strange woman’s things.” Chris paused. “What if she has a boyfriend, fiancé, or husband waiting in the apartment who asks how I got Jennifer’s keys?”

  “You’re not an idiot; you’ll think of something. Anyway, according to her file, she’s unattached.” He grinned at Chris who was now staring awkwardly at his hands. Gray gave a soft laugh. So his friend had designs on Liz’s friend! Very interesting.

  ***

  About an hour later Gray dropped Chris off at Jennifer’s cheerful, yellow multi-story apartment building, then he drove to Liz’s apartment on the other side of Brunswick, Georgia, a smaller harbor town built on the shore of the Atlantic.

  When Gray opened the door to Liz’s apartment, a fat orange cat walked leisurely up to him and regarded him with curiosity before wrapping himself devotedly around Gray’s legs.

  “Well now, who are you?” He squatted down and ruffled the unusually large cat’s head with one hand. Since the cat didn’t answer, Gray grasped the ID tag dangling from his collar and read the name with a laugh. “Furball?” The name fit him to a T. As round and fluffy as he was, he looked exactly like a ball made out of fur.

  When Furball heard his name, he began to purr loudly and rub even harder against Gray’s legs, leaving a trail of orange fur on his black jeans. Then he ran swiftly into the kitchen and sat with an expectant expression in front of his empty bowl.

  “Are you hungry, my friend?” Gray rummaged through the cupboards in the kitchen and found a large bag of cat food. He filled the empty dish and gave the cat fresh water too. Furball pounced on the food as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

  “Looks like I’ll have to bring you along, too.” Gray gave a soft sigh and walked into the bedroom carrying Liz’s backpack. With a quick powerful shake Gray emptied it onto Liz’s bed and peeked to see if there was anything in it she might need. When he discovered the shirt he had already seen at the dinner party, he shook his head and grinned. So much for: FUCK OFF! He’d teach this ball of fury some manners yet.

  Gray gathered various toiletries from the bathroom, brought them into the bedroom and put them on the bed. Various other odds and ends that he thought she’d be happy to have landed in the backpack with Liz’s cellphone.

  Gray opened the small walk-in closet and rummaged around for some halfway decent clothes, but it seemed that all her T-shirts bore inscriptions that more or less insulted her fellow human beings. He sighed again, reached indiscriminately into the pile, and pulled out several shirts that he placed on the bed. Several pairs of pants and Liz’s leather jacket followed. He threw everything into a dark brown battered bag he’d found under the bed after a brief search. Gray’s eyes scanned the room as he considered what he might have forgotten.

  Underwear! He found them in an old blackish-brown dresser. Cautiously he pulled out bright red lacy panties and held them up for a closer look. He would be very keen to see her in them. Gray rifled through the drawer for a matching bra and found one immediately. Both intimate items landed in the large bag along with a number of others that he also scrutinized from all sides. On a final note, he pulled a one-piece bathing suit out of the drawer, held it up and appraised it.

  If she’s going to swim around in my pool, then she should by all means put on something nicer. He rummaged around, hoping to find a two-piece.

  “That’s more like it!” he said to himself after he’d found a dark blue, extremely small bikini. Pleased with his choice, he crammed the one-piece back in the drawer and closed it. Then he zipped up the bag and picked up the pet carrier he’d found in the closet.

  He set down the bag and backpack so he could pack up the cat. But Furball was onto him and gave him a look that seemed to say, The stranger in my kingdom may feed me as often as he likes, and I’ll let it pass when he ruffles my fur. But if he thinks I’ll get into the carrier willingly, then he is sadly mistaken. Quickly, he crept away, and no matter how sweetly Gray called his name and crinkled the bag of food, the cat remained hidden. Probably that cat associated the carrier with visits to the vet and knew to avoid it.

  Gray spent some time crawling through the apartment on all fours, peering under the bed and couch, peeking in all the corners, and scratching his head. Time passed and Chris eventually called to check in. “You know how it goes: you catch mice with bacon and cats with mice—or something like that,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll wait!”

  He’s right! Gray thought, and he plundered Liz’s meager supplies. “Here you go, my friend,” he said in an amicable voice. “Isn’t this yours? It smells delicious. Mmmm!” Gray set out a plate loaded with pieces of tuna fish, globs of canned cat food and other delicacies, then sat and waited. “Here, kitty, kitty. Don’t keep me waiting! Today was a stressful day. It’s time for me to get some sleep; my eyes are starting to close.”

  Gray gave a start when the phone rang again. Oh my God. Gray looked out the window. It appeared that it had been dark for a while. He looked around. The plate and bowl had been licked clean, and the cat slept peacefully in a corner of the couch. Gray grabbed the startled cat and maneuvered him into his carrier, boxed up food for him, and even managed not to forget his litter box, and then he set off to get Chris.

  ***

  His friend was waiting in front of Jennifer’s door with two packed bags and a pug under his arm. This should be fun, Gray thought. Some kind of “dog,” if one could call it that, and a cat.

  He stopped right next to Chris on the curb, leaned down to look out the passenger window and gazed doubtfully at the small four-legged creature. “Did you get conned into buying that while I was gone, or is that really Jennifer’s?”

  “That’s Brutus. He belongs to Jennifer. A neighbor always takes care of him when she’s gone. When I went to go into her apartment, she shoved him into my hands. Apparently she thought I was Jennifer’s boyfriend.” He grinned broadly at this mistake. “And who’s that on the back seat?” He threw a questioning look at the pet carrier, which had orange fur poking out of its air holes.

  “That’s Furball, Liz’s gluttonous cat. I hope you haven’t forgotten anyth
ing?”

  “Of course I haven’t.”

  “Then hop in.”

  Chris stowed the two bags in the trunk and sat in the passenger seat with the dog in his arms.

  “The dog suits you,” Gray said sarcastically. Brutus immediately scrambled loose and promptly crawled back between the seats.

  “Brutus! No!” Both men reached hastily for the dog, fearing a vicious confrontation between the two four-legged animals. But to their astonishment, Brutus lay down dutifully next to the pet carrier. Furball purred contentedly and sniffed curiously through the air slits. The two seemed to like each other.

  “It looks like they already know one another. All the better. At least we won’t have to worry that they’ll tear my place apart.” Gray faced forward again and drove off into the slow-moving rush hour traffic leading out of the city.

  Almost two hours later he pulled up in front of his house, which stood in the middle of a twenty-five acre piece of property outside of Jacksonville. Only a narrow, inconspicuous gravel road led from the highway to his house, keeping it well hidden from the casual, outside observer. Gray found the seclusion of the property almost perfect.

  The men unloaded the car and carried their haul into the house. In the living room Gray opened up the pet carrier and after careful consideration, Furball stepped out into the unfamiliar terrain. He looked around leisurely, inspected the strange surroundings with disdain, and sniffed everything. Seeming to find the place acceptable, he made himself comfortable in the soft black leather chair. Brutus, who had followed the cat everywhere, lay down next to him and snuggled close to his purring friend. A moment later they were both sleeping peacefully.

  “Have you ever seen anything like it?” Chris looked at the animals, astonished. “The two seem to belong together like Bonnie and Clyde.”

  “Or like Calvin and Hobbes,” added Gray.

  “Huh? Who’s that?”

  “You don’t know about Calvin and Hobbes? Come on, let’s take the bags upstairs. Then we’ll call the hospital and see how they’re doing.” One after the other, they climbed up the stairs, which were covered with soft, thick carpeting, and put the bags in the rooms they’d chosen for each woman. They pulled out a set of civilian clothes for each of the women to replace the filthy uniforms they’d worn to the hospital. They put them in their backpacks and left for the hospital.