Untrained Eye

by Jody Klaire

He looked like he always did. He had the same black suit. Same haircut.

  “You’re quite an asset.” His eyes lingered too long and in a way that gave me the urge to head butt him. “Your group is raising its stock.”

  “I like getting good value.” He slid his arm around my waist and guided me toward his building. How he wore a suit and tie in the heat, I didn’t know.

  “Yes,” his voice purred out low and deep. “But there’s no reason I can’t appreciate you first.”

  Uh oh.

  He pinched my butt.

  It took a second for it to register, another for the anger to ignite and a few more to restrain myself from knocking his teeth out.

  “What’s the issue?” I managed through gritted teeth.

  “Gold group.” He held open the door for me. I liked politeness but the way he was acting made me want to slam it in his face. The guy gave me the ‘eebies.

  “Typical as gala night is coming up but we have had threats. The girl is worth more now.”

  “So is this a heads-up, keep her safe or else chat?” I shuddered. Not so much from the icy AC but from his closeness. If he walked any nearer, I’d be carrying him.

  “No, no. That isn’t it at all.” He leaned in. “Oh, Alex, I don’t expect you to bother yourself with the slaves.” He waved his hand to dismiss it and I tried not to look confused. I was Alex Riley here. I could cope with Samson because it felt like a nickname, having somebody look at me and call me by someone else’s name felt so strange. “You leave that kind of thing to me. No, I want you to do what you’re so good at.”

  “Which is?”

  He leaned in and brushed his stubbled chin against my ear. Great, now it was itchy. “Look beautiful.”

  And he pinched my butt again.

  “You been drinking?” My tone reflected my mood, unimpressed.

  Jäger laughed. “Why do I need to drink to appreciate you?” He stopped me outside his office and leaned against the wall next to me. His face was inches from mine. “I have a proposition for you. I can tell you more about it when you come to my office later.”

  It sounded sketchy. I didn’t know how, what, or why he’d got that impression. I didn’t have a whole load of experience in such matters.

  “I got classes and stuff.” It was the only excuse I could think of. I hated how dumb it sounded. I also hated the leery look in his eyes. I’d seen guys looking at Renee like that and hated it. It felt a lot worse being the one in that creepy situation. “Besides, who will watch Locks?”

  Uh oh, he leaned in. Not good. Alarm bells clanged.

  “Don’t you worry about her. After curfew would be better. Just be your tantalizing self, hmm?”

  If he got any closer, we’d be nose to nose.

  Do not punch him. Do not raise your knee, do not raise your knee. What was it with me and homicidal maniacs anyway?

  “Deputy, may I have a word?”

  Relief and dread flooded through me. It had to be Renee, didn’t it? She stood a few feet away with a look of complete disgust in her eyes. I knew how she felt.

  Anger flared deep inside. She’d fed me a load of crap and got me to trust her. That irritation and sense of betrayal ignited so I got the urge to do something that would give her a lot to think about.

  I leaned forward, planted a kiss on Jäger’s cheek, and sauntered off down the hall.

  Stubble wasn’t pleasant, itchy, scratchy stubble. Yuck.

  My brain caught up with me, reminding me that perhaps that hadn’t been the wisest course of action. He was a killer with extremely violent tendencies and he’d hurt Frei.

  I grinned. It was worth the look of shock on Renee’s face.

  Stick that, Black.

  “Seven, my office,” Jäger called out to me as I attempted not to scratch at my face. What kind of hair did he have, poison ivy?

  “Looking forward to it,” I called back, wishing my mouth would quit getting me into more trouble.

  I hoped Jäger had a business proposition or wanted to discuss the finer details of gym equipment. The look in his eyes had said he didn’t. That sent a shiver through me. Unlike Miss Duplicity back there, I couldn’t fake affection.

  URSULA STOOD WITH her cell phone next to the tower. There were complications, then there was this.

  “Pick up . . .” she muttered into the headset “Pick up.”

  “What’s happened?” Lilia was tense.

  “Aeron.”

  “Is she ok—”

  “She’s healthy. She’s just gone and launched herself into a situation she’s not ready for.” Ursula wanted to bang her head against the wall.

  “Explain.”

  Ursula clenched her jaw. Lilia had wanted her to keep quiet, to stay out of Renee and Aeron’s business, let them sort it out and this is where it had gotten them.

  “She’s in Jäger’s sights, he wants a meeting with her . . . in his office.” It wasn’t worth risking her near Jäger and the silence from Lilia said it all. “Tonight.”

  Lilia blew out a breath. “She was close to Sam . . . But Nan . . . maybe—”

  “No. She’s given him the wrong impression.” Ursula leaned her head back against the wall. “We need to get her out of it.”

  “You can’t,” Lilia muttered. “He’ll get suspicious.”

  Ursula controlled her breathing, getting snappy wouldn’t help. “He’ll get suspicious when the woman who is flirting with him and kissing him on the cheek has a freak out.”

  “She did what?”

  Oh now Lilia acted worried. Wonderful. “She’s using her training. If she was any other agent I’d be watching on with pride.” She stared up at the deep blue above her. “Problem is, I didn’t train her in those skills. She doesn’t even have vials.” And why was that? Yes, because Lilia didn’t think Aeron needed full training. Aeron had been worked by Renee instead of concentrating fully on protection training. Ursula had advised, she’d re-iterated, she’d laid it on a platter that Aeron needed more training. Lilia was set on treating Aeron with kid gloves.

  “Then get them off Renee.”

  “I can’t.” Ursula could hear the impatience in her voice and took a long breath. “Renee and I aren’t on the best of terms right now.”

  “General Frei, what is going on in there?” Lilia sounded so much like Aeron when she had a mood on.

  “What you said would happen. We’d fall apart.” Ursula hated that it was right. She’d wanted to disprove the vision Lilia had. “We’ve fallen apart. Now how do we put it back together and get us and the children to safety without anyone losing a limb.” She thought of Jäger. “Or worse.”

  She pushed off the wall as if demanding the answer had pressed a button in her mind. “She can do it.”

  “What?”

  Ursula smiled. “Aeron can pull it off. Renee will come through. We can do this.”

  “You know what the vision said—”

  “Aeron’s said we would.” Ursula felt renewed energy pulse through her. “And no offense, but her eyes, untrained or otherwise can see a lot better than any of ours.”

  Lilia tutted. “Aeron didn’t have her gifts when she made up her vision.”

  “Noble heart, broken lock, shield. You thought they meant traits, right?” Ursula glanced up at the shape of the gym.

  “Yes, she has a noble heart, she was released from prison and she has her armor. I saw the heart, her. I saw the lock break and I saw the necklace.”

  “They realize through faith and hope they can soar, right?”

  Lilia sighed, her impatience telegraphed down the line. “Yes. She has it in abundance but don’t forget the rest. And now these three remain—”

  “If I speak in the tongues of men or angels but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship th
at I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” Ursula felt it begin to make sense.

  Aeron had been on one Corinthians chapter thirteen. The Jesuit meditations had pointed her there.

  “I’m not following, I know the passage.” Lilia was muttering to herself as if looking through the scripture.

  “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

  Lilia cleared her throat. “Are you following scripture or did you swallow the gospel?”

  “Your vision. It missed out something. It missed the fact that you take everything from us, you put us at odds . . . but there’ll always be love. We hope for each other, we have faith in each other and we love each other.” She started walking, it was time she stopped standing back and got involved.

  “That’s all well and good but how does that help Aeron survive colluding with Jäger?” Lilia was cautious. She saw but she knew it wasn’t always the full picture. They still had to fill in the blanks.

  “I know how we can get them out. Just be ready with the plane. Gala night. I’ll send details later,” Ursula said, slowing as she reached her building, her finger poised over her phone.

  “Wait, how will you do it. You’re making no sense.”

  “Together,” she said with a smile. “A noble heart, a shield, and a broken lock. Use our strengths in other words.”

  “Are you sure?” Lilia sounded relieved. They both knew that Ursula would never say a word if she wasn’t.

  “Yes, I’m certain.” Ursula shook her head, kissed the cross around her neck, and focused on three words contained in the same chapter. Three words that would see them through this. “Love never fails.”

  MY IMPENDING INTERLUDE with Jäger made my stomach ache. I’d hidden in my office after telling Frei and I was planning to stay there until someone rescued me.

  “Samson, we need you.” Jessie burst into my office, red in the face and wheezing.

  “What?” My heart pounded from just looking at the panic in her eyes. I pulled out her spare inhaler from the drawer in my desk and handed it to her.

  “Jed,” she wheezed and shot the pump with tears in her eyes. “Owens . . . trying to fail him.” The terror pulsed off her in a way that told me she knew more than she was letting on.

  Miranda appeared in the doorway behind her. She shook her head. “He won’t stand a chance.”

  Jessie led the way out as we hurried down the hallway. Frei nodded as we passed. “Remember, you have Jäger onside.”

  That didn’t make me feel a whole lot better. I shot Frei what I hoped was a confident smile and followed the girls out into the heat. “What d’you mean trying to fail him?”

  Both glanced at me. “Pop quiz,” was shot my way.

  “Owens failed half of the others with them,” Miranda added.

  Wonderful. “Subject?”

  “History, the British civil war,” Jessie muttered. “Something Jed won’t know.”

  “They had one too?” I asked.

  Both shot a smirk at me.

  “My high school education was kinda . . . different.” Neither looked impressed. Trying to explain that my education involved hiding from packs of bullies then being locked up for manslaughter probably wouldn’t help much.

  “Why Britain?”

  Jessie rolled her eyes at Miranda who giggled, and swiped us through the door at the top of the stairs. “Sucking up to Professor Worthington.”

  “Like get a room.” Miranda snorted.

  Great. Well done, Renee. She was now reduced to being gossiped about by teenagers. “Worthington there too?”

  Jessie nodded. “Yeah, she’s way cooler.”

  Miranda turned to me as we headed down the corridor. “She’s nice for a teacher.” She smiled. “She isn’t you though.”

  I fought to find a smile. Seeing Renee wasn’t part of the plan. I didn’t want to see Renee. This morning she’d stood shocked at me and Jäger. Every time we were in the same room lately it descended into a fight. I was starting to wonder if we’d ever have a respectful conversation again, let alone work together.

  The girls held open the classroom door. The look on their faces showed that they expected me to fix this.

  They needed me.

  No pressure then.

  “Jed, let’s head back to you. Which monarch was killed during the civil war?” Owens.

  I scowled.

  I’d fix it alright.

  I stormed into the classroom. Jed stood at the front, the sweat on his forehead glinted in the sunlight from the window. Kevin stood next to him, a smug look on his face and a glint in his eyes.

  “No?” Owens raised her eyebrows at him. He shook his head. Renee leaned against the wall at the back. She spotted me. I glared at her. How could she just stand and watch?

  “King Charles the first,” Kevin chimed, sounding every bit the arrogant little ass he was.

  Why wasn’t he with Jones or Sawyer?

  “You’re not doing great, Jed,” Owens said, putting another mark on the board.

  Miroslav and my group sat stony faced. They knew what it meant. I realized it for the first time. They knew a lot more than I’d given them credit for.

  “What happens when a dumb fool doesn’t listen to reason?” I strode over to stand next to Jed.

  My group, joined by the girls, broke out into smiles as if I was saving the day. Kevin shot away to cower in the corner.

  Owens tapped the board. “Marks are conclusive.”

  “Really?” I turned to Kevin. “Get your scrawny butt back here or I’ll drag it over.” I turned to the class. “New quiz master.”

  Owens scowled. I locked eyes with hers, daring her to challenge me. I flexed my biceps. She sunk back.

  “Jed, what two things can help increase circulatory volume and blood pressure?”

  Jed looked at Miroslav and smiled. “Salt and fluids.”

  Owens slapped a mark next to his name. He had to find eight marks to draw with Kevin.

  “Kevin, what did Jed eat for breakfast this morning?”

  Kevin frowned. “How am I supposed to know that?”

  “Wrong. Jed?”

  He grinned. “Toast.”

  “Correct.” The group whooped and cheered for him. I glared at Owens.

  “You can’t do that.” She scowled deeper and glanced at Renee who was impassive, unreadable.

  “It’s history. It counts.” I walked to Owens, snatched the pen off her, and put another mark next to Jed’s name.

  “Jed, what exercise improves the fitness of the heart?”

  “Aerobic.”

  Another mark. “Why for a bonus point?”

  “It strengthens the left ventricle and the stronger the heart the more efficient it is in distributing blood to the body.” He seemed shocked at himself. We’d all learned a lot taking care of Miroslav. We’d all repeated the physiology of the heart like it was a mantra.

  I stuck another mark on the board.

  Half way there.

  “Kevin, am I right or left handed?”

  Kevin scowled. “That’s cheating!” He shot a dark look at Owens.

  “Wrong, Jed?”

  Jed chuckled. “Ambidextrous, but you prefer writing with your right.”

  I stuck another tick on the board. I felt touched he paid that much attention to me. I would have gone with right.

  “Kevin, what four letter sport begins with a tee?”

  Kevin shoved his hands in his pockets. “There is no sport that—”

  “Wrong.” I looked at Jed.

  “Golf.” He smiled a big beaming smile. “You start off with a tee.”

  I marked another score. I thought I caught a twinkle of amusement in Renee’s eyes too.

  “Kevin, who was the top scorer in our class game of three-pointers.” I turned to Owens. “To make it fair, it’s a competition we’ve been running all year. Best three-point thrower gets a bar of chocolate.”

  Kevin folded his arms.
“Jed.”

  “Nope.”

  Jed grinned when I looked at him. “Jessie. She throws a mean basket.”

  Jessie looked very pleased with herself. I didn’t blame her. I’d seen a few talented players in my time but for someone so tiny, she could play basketball like a WNBA star.

  Mark number seven for Jed.

  “Jed, who won the last men’s soccer world cup.”

  “Germany!” He punched the air to go with it.

  “Kevin, who was the captain of Germany in the final?”

  He looked at Owens. She shook her head and glared out of the window.

  “No?” I asked.

  Kevin shook his head.

  “Jed?”

  “Philip Lahm. He’s also the captain of Bayern Munich.”

  I put another mark on the board. Nine points for Jed, eight for Kevin.

  “I could keep going to fail you.” I turned to Owens. “But I don’t believe in making people feel inadequate just so I feel better.”

  I squeezed Jed’s shoulder. He looked concerned for Kevin in spite of the kid’s issues.

  “You both pass. Now get gone and have dinner.”

  Jed high-fived me before heading over to the team hug from the group. Miranda planted a kiss on his lips for good measure and I smiled as they jostled out of the door.

  Kevin shot a glare at them and slunk away alone.

  “You can explain to Jäger why you interrupted my class,” Owens snapped.

  I smiled. “I’m meeting him after curfew, would you like me to do it then?”

  Didn’t that take the wind out of her sails. “Excuse me?” She glanced at Renee who looked ready to impale someone. “What about Roberta, about Serena?”

  Owens was weird. That was my conclusion. I didn’t get her. She had more issues than I could understand. “Why would I care what she thinks?”

  Renee flinched.

  “So you flaunt it in front of her face?” Owens put her hands on her hips and glared up at me.

  Lost and confused was putting it mildly.

  “She ain’t who she said she was.” My mouth was talking for me again and I was wondering just where it came from. “Turned out she was pretty good at faking a lot of things.”

  Owens frowned, she was trying to read my expression but I guess she saw the hurt there. It wouldn’t have been hard, I felt like I was glowing with it.