Undercover Engagement

by Lucy McConnell

  Taking the ring, I sniffed. “But ... how did you get it?”

  “I lifted it from your pocket on the way to the kitchen.” He was full of chagrin.

  “Why?” I demanded. Now that my sadness washed away with relief, I was a bit peeved that he would pick-pocket me. It was a violation and, in a way, his actions left me wondering about him again. Who was he – really? I'd gone back and forth on this so much in the last two days I could have taken medication for emotional whiplash.

  “T.C.S. I told your parents I wanted to propose to you and I showed them the ring. I apologized for waiting so long and acting so secretive. Your mom’s figured out my deep dark secret and loves me anyway.” He smiled. “Your dad, well, he doesn’t love me, but I think he respects me.”

  I snorted. That’s what you think.

  “So, the last thing I need to do is get that ring back on your finger.”

  I leaned away from him.

  “I know you’re not ready to wear this in front of your family yet, but will you at least keep it?” He looked so humble.

  Carefully placing the ring in the deepest corner of my front pocket in silence I gave him a non-committal shrug.

  He sighed. “We’ll go over the plan for tomorrow in the car.”

  “Okay.”

  Yeah, tomorrow, the day I officially become an information thief and ruin my boss’s life – neat.

  Chapter 11

  Jason drilled me the whole way home. By the time he dropped me off at my condo, the plan was cemented into my head and my head felt like it was full of cement.

  A restless night’s sleep followed – I debated the morality of what I'd agreed to do. Stealing was stealing, even if it was in the form of 0’s and 1’s and coded so I didn't know what it was. What I did know, was that I was about to help incarcerate a man who had been good to me, a man I considered a friend. What would Karyn, his wife, do while he was in jail? If what Jason said was true, she'd probably divorce him and I would be responsible for ruining not only his career and life in general, but also his marriage.

  I kicked the covers off in frustration. It all came down to believing Jason, the guy who lied to me for months. I prayed for guidance and finally fell into a light slumber where I dreamed I was glued to Devin's chair behind his desk and entered the wrong password.

  When my alarm clock went off, it took a moment for the panic to abate.

  Jason knocked on my door five minutes before I was set to leave for work. He handed me an ordinary looking USB drive. “This is the decryption device. All you have to do is plug it into his computer and push enter. It should do all the rest.” I nodded, taking my first piece of spy gear. It sounded so simple. Drive to the office, do my work, and then break into my boss’s office and destroy his future and possibly his children's future. No problem.

  “I’ll be waiting for you in the lobby. If anyone asks, we’re going out for a late dinner to celebrate things going so well with your parents.” He gave me an ironic smile. Grabbing my hand, he felt my ring finger. The corners of his eyes dropped. “You really should wear it to the office.”

  “Oh, yeah.” I walked back to my room to retrieve the ring from my jewelry box. I’d placed it there last night as the internal conflict raged. Knowing I was about to lie to my coworkers and plunder information from my boss left me sick inside. I wasn’t that type of a person. Some kids have the I-took-a-candy-bar-from-the-store story, but I never did. Honesty had been preached and expected in our home. I knew telling the truth was the right thing to do, even if it was hard. Yet, here I was, acting as an accomplice and helping Jason commit a felony.

  Guilt already clung to me like mud from a pigsty and I hadn’t even done anything yet. Add to that the questions I had about marrying a man who would ask me to do these things and you had one discombobulated girl. Of course, I’d forgotten my ring! I hadn’t been able to eat breakfast, so my hands shook as I slipped it on. For the first time since Jason proposed, I felt the weight of the ring on my finger.

  Ugh. Life stinks. Seriously, where did my prince charming and happy ever after go?

  “Are you ready?” Jason called from the front door.

  “Yeah.” I grumbled my way to my car.

  “Boy, you’re chipper this morning,” Jason teased. I turned to unload my mood on him, but he leaned over with a quick kiss. “For luck.”

  Surprised, my retort fizzled out under the breathtaking feel of his lips on mine.

  "I know this is hard for you, but it's important. If we can stop the money, we can stop a lot of bad people."

  That was it! That was the answer I had been searching for. Never in a million years would I have pictured myself in a situation to bring down terrorists, but here I was teetering on the fence between fighting for my country and shrinking away from my duty.

  Dad often told me that the backbone of the U. S. of A. wasn't found in Washington, D.C., it was found when an ordinary citizen stood up for the red, white, and blue. With my financial background, I understood that wars weren't always fought with bullets and bombs, they were waged every time money exchanged hands. I needed to do this.

  Jason squeezed my hand. “I’ll call you at lunch as usual. Remember, act normal.”

  “Right.” I’ll just pretend I’m not dating a spy and participating in his espionage. Sure, that should be easy to push to the back of my head. I climbed in my car and rolled down the window.

  “Here.” Jason handed me what looked like a remote locking device for a car. “Hit the panic button and I’ll be at your side in less than three minutes.”

  My second piece of spy gear. Cool.

  Chapter 12

  I spread my face into what I hoped was a happy smile. Nodding to LaNae, our receptionist, I walked determinedly to my office. I sank into my rolling, swivel chair with relief at having avoided Devin. If I could just hide in my office and stay busy, I’d fly under his radar all day long. I attacked my keyboard with determined aloofness and didn’t look up until I heard a tap, tap, tap, on my door frame.

  “Can I come in?” Devin’s freshly trimmed head poked into my office.

  I sucked in, taken off guard by having him drop in. I wanted warning by golly. What was the point of having a spy on your side if they didn’t run interference?

  I pressed my fingers to my cheeks. Do I look guilty? I feel like I look guilty. Stop being so obvious. I dropped my hands. Say something. “Hey there, Devin.” Yeah, that sounded normal. I mentally rolled my eyes at myself.

  “How’d your weekend go?”

  Act casual. “Oh, you know. Same old, same old.” I hit the button on my laptop to kill the screen saver hoping he’d take the hint that I was too busy to talk.

  Devin’s eyebrows lowered. “Weren’t you supposed to introduce Jason to your parents this weekend?”

  Crap – Plan B.

  “Yeah.” The truth couldn’t hurt. I forced a laugh. “I guess things went all right. My dad waved a few guns around trying to intimidate him – you know, regular dad stuff. My mom tried to overfeed us. It was good ... I guess.” I brought my hand to my mouth so I could bite my thumb nail. Horrified that I acted so uneasy, I shoved my fingers under my rear to smother the need to fidget.

  Devin picked up my paperweight, tossing it back and forth between his hands. “What did they think about the wedding?”

  “Ummmm.” I pretended to be distracted by an email. “Neither one is really sure about him – I mean it – I mean the wedding.” My face flushed red. This is just Devin. He's asking all normal questions. Relax. I met his gaze over the top of my computer screen. “Let’s put it this way: my Mom didn’t ask about wedding colors and Dad can barely remember his first name.” I gave a nervous sounding laugh.

  Devin nodded. He paused for a moment, considering his words. “I didn’t want to say anything, but if you need another opinion, I’m not so sure about him, it, the wedding, either.”

  My blood went cold. “Why would you say that?”

  “You know I only have
your best interest at heart, right?”

  I nodded.

  “I’m just not sure Jason is the one for you. I get the feeling there’s more to him than he lets on.”

  I involuntarily squinted. Who was he to judge Jason? Wait a minute, how much did he really know? Jason said his cover was in jeopardy, maybe Devin knew more than he was letting on. Devin set the paper weight back on my desk. “It’s just something to think on, Alyssa.”

  Biting my nail, I half-smiled. “I'll think on it, then.”

  He waved on his way out the door.

  My sigh was interrupted by my phone beeping. “Ms. Eastman, Jason’s on line one.”

  “Thanks. Hello?” I twisted the cord around my fingers.

  “Do you really think your parents don’t like me?”

  I froze in my seat. “How did you know I said that?” I whispered into the receiver.

  “I’ve had a bug in your office for six months.” Jason’s statement came out as a boring fact, not a confession. For me, the news was mortifying. I’d gushed over Jason since the day we met. Which meant he’d heard every sappy, love-struck confession in this office.

  “You’re cute when you blush.”

  Shocked, I barked, “Are you filming me, too?” I scanned the shelves and corners for hidden cameras; like I’d be able to see them.

  “Naw, I can just tell what you’re thinking.”

  I boiled over. “Jason Butler, I’m gonna...”

  “Susan is three steps away from your open office door.” My mouth snapped shut as Susan walked by, serendipitously studying an open file.

  “I do have cameras in the hallway.”

  “Jason,” I warned.

  “I’m just being thorough.”

  “Seriously?” I groaned.

  “I have to take a rain check on lunch; I’ll see you tonight for dinner?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” I answered. Wouldn’t miss the opportunity to let you have it.

  The rest of the day rolled by without incident. When asked, I said the weekend was underwhelming. People sensed my hesitancy to discuss it, a rarity in my relationship with Jason, so they left me alone. I could only imagine the rumors going through the office gossip channel.

  By 6:30 p.m. the place had cleared out. My cell phone beeped with a text: All clear.

  My “go” phrase.

  I slipped the phone into my pocket, grabbed my purse, and made my way to the ladies’ room. Against every ounce of good manners, I called Jason from inside the stall where I was hiding. The phone’s beeps echoed off the tile walls. I quickly switched the keypad’s sound off and started again.

  “Are you ready?” Jason’s deep voice was full of business.

  “Hello, to you too.”

  “Hello.” It sounded like it pained him to pause in order to deal with my sarcasm. Too bad, I’m all he’s got.

  “The hallways are clear. Do you have the emergency button I gave you this morning?”

  I fished in my purse until I held the round disk in my hand. “Yeah. It’s right here.”

  “All right. If you press the unlock button, a universal key will pop out. Insert the key in Devin’s door and it should open.”

  I pressed the button. Huh, it worked. “I’m on my way.” I poked my head out of the bathroom.

  “Hello, Beautiful.” Jason said into the phone. I smiled, despite myself. I paused at the end of the hall and put the key in the lock. Click. I dropped the mechanism back in my purse.

  Entering the office, I held my breath. The place breathed wealth. My skin broke out in goose bumps. I took a moment to verify the place was empty. It was just me and the portrait of Washington at Valley Forge hanging behind the antique English desk.

  This felt wrong. I’d been in here dozens of times, but it had always been on invitation. You don’t just walk, er, I mean break, into your boss’s office. Steady breath. I could do this. “I’m in.”

  “I know.”

  Emptiness pressed against me. The air knew I wasn’t supposed to be there. “So now what?”

  “Open his laptop.”

  I sneaked over to the huge desk on tiptoes.

  “You can quit the Pink Panther routine, the only one looking is me.” I straightened up, trying to walk normal when I felt like a kid out to toilet paper the neighbor’s house.

  The computer’s hazy light shone all too bright for the dark office. My vision beyond the screen dimmed as my pupils constricted. “All right, it’s on.”

  “Insert the USB drive and let me do the rest.”

  I found the port on the side of the laptop. A black screen popped up covered in code. It scrolled faster than my eyes could read, then disappeared. Jason logged on from his remote location. I shifted my weight, glancing at the oversized chair behind me. I just couldn’t bring myself to sit in the boss’s chair.

  “Hmm.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “I can’t get the information to travel. I’m going to save it to the USB drive. You’ll have to bring it down to the lobby. I’ll meet you there.” I heard him typing at the speed of light. “Okay. You can remove the drive.”

  I pulled the stick out of the port, shut the computer down, and I closed it up, just like I’d found it.

  “Someone’s getting off the elevator,” Jason said.

  My whole body froze with fear. “Who is it?”

  “Get to your office.”

  I bolted for the door.

  “Your purse.”

  Ack! I grabbed my purse from the desk, knocking over the pencil holder and scattering pens in the process. I started to hyperventilate.

  “Calm down. It’s the cleaning lady. She’ll start in the bathrooms. You have a little over 15 minutes to get out of there.”

  One, two, three, breathe in; one, two three, breathe out.

  I restocked the pencil holder, careful to put all the pointed tips facing down just like Devin liked.

  “Go ahead – she’s still in there.”

  Tucking my purse under my arm, I walked through the hall like I hadn’t been up to no good. Thankfully, the elevator was still waiting for a call. It slid open and shut within seconds.

  “I’ll be there when the doors open.” Jason hung up.

  True to his word, the elevator doors slid open to reveal his confident smile. He pulled my shaking figure into his secure arms. “I knew you could do it,” he whispered into my hair.

  Smiling up at him, I reached out to hold his hand and slipped the USB drive into his palm. We carried it between our palms all the way to my car, where he pocketed the device.

  “Let’s grab something to eat.”

  “Don’t you have to meet someone?” I squeezed his now empty hand.

  “Not until tomorrow morning. Come on, I bet you could use a double-chocolate frozen creation with hot fudge and brownie bits.” He smiled, knowing my weaknesses so well. He opened my door. “I’ll meet you there.”

  “Fine.” The shaking didn’t stop once I was in my car, driving away from the latest phase in a string of odd occurrences that had become my life. I shook my head. I wasn’t cut out for a life full of espionage, lies, and secret missions. But, if Jason really was getting out of the spy business, perhaps our lives could still be what he had promised. I needed time to think this through, alone time.

  Sulking, I waited at the table while Jason ordered our frozen treats.

  “Uh-oh.” He pulled out a chair and sat down.

  I gave him a sad smile. The usually scrumptious chocolate concoction did little to elevate my mood. I pushed it away after three bites. Sighing, I plunged into the icy waters of alone. “I’ve been thinking.”

  Jason twisted his cup in circles. “Yeah?”

  “Are you sure you want out of this? Because you act like you love it.” This was the clincher. I didn’t want to take away something Jason loved, or force him to choose between me and the job.

  “I do love it.” He took my hand from across the table. “But, I love you more.”

&nb
sp; I looked down. “I’m so confused.”

  “About what?”

  “About who you are.” I pulled my hand away. “About who I am. In the last three days I’ve been shot at, lied to my parents, and stolen private information from my company. I never thought I’d do any of those things and now I’ve done all three – because of you.”

  “Sweets, these aren’t normal circumstance.”

  “I get that. It’s just that, I feel ... confused. I need some time to sort this all out.” I slumped into my chair with my arms folded, staring at the ground.

  He sniffed; not a going-to-cry sniff, more of a suck-it-up-man sniff. “If that’s the way you feel.”

  Not being able to swallow past the mixed-up lump of fear and heartache lodged in my throat, I nodded.

  Jason stood. “Call me when you’re ready to talk.”

  He quickly kissed my forehead and disappeared into the dark just beyond the ding of the doorbell. I stared at my ice cream until it started to drip into a sticky puddle on the table.

  Chapter 13

  I didn’t hang out at the ice cream shop for long. The girl behind the counter had heard everything and kept giving me you-are-an-idiot looks. It's hard to wallow when a teenager is grunting her disapproval in your general direction.

  All the way home I indulged in my pet sin: 80’s hard rock. Bon Jovi and Aerosmith blasted my senses until I felt nothing inside but the pounding beat of the big bass drum. My ears rang with the screech of a lead guitar as I walked to my apartment. Dropping my purse on the table, I locked the door behind me. I took my engagement ring off and set it on the coffee table. The darn thing winked at me as I stared, stuffing my guilty face with the now goopy ice cream. One question rolled over in my head: How do you know if you really love someone?

  Forget the money, the vacations, the lifestyle and, yep, even the car. Focus on the man.

  The man who outgunned my dad.

  I laughed a little.

  The man who lied to me about his job.