Tangled Mark

by Becky Harmon

  Mel returned to the couch with two cans of Coke. “If we had more time and more people, we’d try to do a twenty-four-hour surveillance, but with just two of us, we’ll have to work faster.”

  Mel handed Nikki one of the cans before she pulled the other computer closer. Nikki cradled the cold can as she watched Mel work. She typed quickly, bringing up the voice mail recordings. “There have been four cell phone calls this evening.” She hit play and they listened to two conversations of an unknown man talking to another man he called “brother.” They made plans to meet that evening at a hotel bar on Gordon Street. She paused the third call as her cell phone rang.

  Mel looked at the caller ID. “It’s Liam.” She hit speaker as the call connected.

  “Can you look back through the call logs and get info on the delivery place he ordered from the other night?”

  Mel’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she maneuvered through multiple screens quickly. “China Court or The Pizza.”

  Nikki recognized the search window Mel opened but couldn’t see what she was typing.

  “Looks like The Pizza is closer to you. Two blocks to the east.”

  “Got it. Thanks.” Liam disconnected.

  Nikki was confused and she gave Mel a puzzled look. “Hungry again?”

  Mel laughed. “He’s probably going to pick up takeout and pretend to be a delivery man. It’s the easiest way of approaching a door without drawing suspicion.”

  “No one refuses a pizza, right?”

  “They’ll at least answer the door, even if they didn’t order it. It seems reasonable that the restaurant might make a mistake, especially if you’re able to use a place they order from often.”

  Nikki was intrigued by this new side of Flagler. She had never conducted an operation in an urban city. The technology Mel had at her fingertips was fascinating, as well as Mel’s ability and knowledge to make things happen. Nikki was pulled from her thoughts as Mel hit a button on the keyboard and the third phone call began to play.

  Nikki laughed as the male voice ordered a pizza. Mel shrugged and started the fourth call. It was in Hebrew and Nikki looked at Mel for translation. “I recognized ‘country’ and ‘friends’ but I have no idea about the rest.”

  “It seems we both speak about the same amount of Hebrew.” Mel hit a few more keys. “Gotta love technology.” The conversation was replayed by the digital laptop voice in English.

  Nikki bent her head in concentration as they listened to the phone call.

  “Hello,” said the male voice they could now recognize after several calls.

  “Peace upon you! I hope you are well,” an unknown male voice responded.

  “Very well. You have news?”

  “Our friends arrived in the country earlier today.”

  “What do you need from me?”

  “Let’s meet tomorrow and we can discuss it.”

  “Fine. Goodbye.”

  “Be well.”

  Nikki glanced up to find Mel with her eyes still closed. She stared silently at her as Mel’s forehead wrinkled in concentration.

  “Do you think we’re the friends he referred to?” Nikki asked.

  Mel opened her eyes. “I certainly think you might be.”

  “I don’t recognize that voice.”

  “Me either.”

  Nikki took a sip of her Coke. “I’m pretty sure it’s not Josh.”

  “I don’t think so either, but I’ll run it through voice recognition so we can confirm.”

  “Will that identify him if he used some type of voice-altering software?”

  “It should. It picks up on tempo and pace too.”

  Nikki leaned closer to look over Mel’s shoulder at the laptop. She resisted the temptation to lean into her shoulder and allow their bodies to touch. She caught a faint familiar scent and inhaled deeply, trying to hold onto the smell.

  Mel stopped typing and sat still for several seconds before turning to look at Nikki. “I am trying really hard to concentrate here.”

  Nikki tilted her head and smiled. “I’m just watching.”

  Mel shook her head and turned her entire body to face Nikki, a faint smile on her face. “No, I think you just sniffed me.”

  Nikki’s smile widened. “I might have.”

  Mel cupped Nikki’s cheek, sliding her fingers through the soft strands of her hair as she grasped the back of her neck and pulled her close. “I’m getting tired of trying to resist you,” she whispered. Nikki could feel Mel’s breath as she spoke and the movement of her lips softly grazed her own. She leaned forward closing the inches that separated them and kissed her.

  She struggled to keep her hands planted on the couch between them, knowing that if she gave in to her desire, she would not be able to stop. Mel’s hands, still wrapped through her hair, massaged the back of her neck, leaving a trail of flame each time her fingers brushed skin. The kiss deepened as their tongues touched. Nikki was about to lose her struggle, when Mel’s hands cradled the back of her head, stilling their movement.

  Again Mel spoke with their lips inches apart, “Hmmm, no resistance there.” She kissed her softly again before resting her forehead against Nikki’s. “As wonderful as this is, we have work to do, but once Liam and Brad return…”

  Nikki mumbled her agreement and buried her face in Mel’s neck, memorizing the intoxicating fragrance. She breathed deeply, allowing the aroma to consume her body. It smelled clean and fresh, pushing the stress from her body and exciting her at the same time. She had not forgotten about Brad and Liam, but she had to admit Mel had taken possession of every part of her, including her mind. Sighing, Nikki pulled her body back so again only their foreheads were touching. “You take my breath away.”

  “And I have been losing any semblance of professionalism since almost the first moment that I met you.”

  Mel’s cell phone interrupted their confessions. Sitting up, Mel placed a hand on Nikki’s thigh.

  Mel looked at the caller ID and connected the call. “Hey, what’s up?”

  Nikki smiled at the gravelly tone of Mel’s voice. She had to admit she enjoyed the effect she had on Mel.

  Liam’s voice came through the speaker. “I’ve got Brad on a three-way call. I’ve started the party and he’s watching for our friend.”

  Nikki’s eyes widened as Mel leaned over and spoke into her ear. “Liam’s in the guy’s apartment.”

  “Anything good at the party?” Mel asked.

  “No, just the usual. I sent you some selfies though.” Liam paused.

  “Liam?” Mel prompted with a frown.

  “Brad, I need you to hang up for a second. Mel, take me off speaker.” Liam spoke rapidly.

  Nikki remained silent as Mel punched a button and put the phone to her ear. She could still see the screen on the laptop and she watched her scroll through several pictures stopping on the last one.

  “What’s wrong, Liam?” Mel asked with a quick glance at Nikki before focusing on the screen again. “I see it…Okay…I’m hanging up. Call back if you need anything.” Mel disconnected and tossed her phone on the coffee table.

  Nikki leaned back against the couch, pulling a leg up she turned to face Mel. “What just happened?”

  “Brad was calling him. Might be the mark returning.” Mel closed the laptop and sank back into the cushions with her Coke. “I really like you, you know?”

  Nikki raised her eyebrows. She already missed the pressure of Mel’s hand on her leg and the change of subject had instantly swelled the gulf between them.

  “And the more I’m around you the more I like,” Mel continued.

  “I really don’t think you know me,” Nikki challenged her. “Tailing me isn’t the same as spending time with me.”

  Mel tilted her can toward her. “I’ll give you that. But,” she paused, “I have read all of your file notes, as well as what others have written about you. I know that you have integrity and that you cover your friends no matter the personal cost.”


  Nikki was silent as she listened, her eyes searching Mel’s face for a sign she was being played.

  “I know that you have a good heart and,” she dramatically rubbed her Coke can across her forehead, “you are incredibly hot.”

  Nikki couldn’t help but smile. “So if I’m all those things, why won’t you tell me what Liam found?”

  Mel took a deep breath and Nikki could see she was struggling with sharing what she knew. Nikki extended her leg and gently pushed on Mel’s thigh with her foot. “Tell me.”

  “The info Liam found puts a new slant on things, and I don’t want that knowledge to jeopardize your safety.”

  “I get to make that decision. Not you.”

  “Fine.” Mel opened the laptop and turned it toward Nikki. “Recognize any numbers?”

  Nikki scanned the list. With a sharp intake of breath she looked at Mel. “That’s Mr. Flagler’s office number.”

  Mel raised her eyebrows. “Yep.”

  Nikki scanned the header on the phone bill. “Is it incoming or outgoing?” she asked.

  “Incoming.” Mel paused, leaning closer to the screen. “But that’s not the number we’ve been monitoring. Daniel Abbott has a second phone.”

  “So it could be anyone that had access to Mr. Flagler’s office,” Nikki stated.

  Mel’s attention was still focused on the screen and a frown creased the corners of her mouth.

  “Or it could still be Josh,” Nikki continued.

  “Right.” Mel nodded and pulled the other computer closer again. “Let’s see if the voice software has finished analyzing the phone call from earlier.” She paused while she continued to type. “Yep, it’s finished. It’s not Josh.”

  “So what does that mean?”

  Before Mel could respond, the card reader on the hotel room door beeped and Liam walked in followed by Brad carrying a pizza.

  Nikki couldn’t help but laugh. She knew Brad would never dispose of a perfectly good pizza.

  Brad tossed the box on the coffee table, and flipping it open, he grabbed a slice. “Hey, I figured people don’t pay attention to a man carrying a pizza, and if they do, they might confuse me with a delivery man.”

  Liam shrugged. “It was a sound plan so I didn’t argue.” He grabbed a slice of pizza and bit into it. “Besides, it smelled good.”

  Nikki helped herself to a slice and Mel pulled drinks from the refrigerator for Liam and Brad before grabbing a slice too.

  “Thanks for the fun, Liam.” Brad saluted with his Coke. “I’m going to turn in now.” He grabbed another slice of pizza on his way out.

  Liam sat down across from them as he downed the slice and pulled another one from the box.

  “Did you see anything else in the apartment?” Mel asked.

  Liam took a bite as his eyes slid to Nikki and then back to Mel.

  Nikki remained silent, waiting to see if Mel would include her.

  “I showed her,” Mel stated.

  Liam shrugged before answering Mel’s question. “Not really. It looks like Daniel Abbott enjoys takeout food and porn. Trash was filled with empty food containers and all of the videos were well above an R rating.” Liam chewed another bite and they waited for him to swallow. “There wasn’t any personal stuff. No pictures or letters. The desk was filled with nothing but bills.”

  “Like that might not be his only residence?” Nikki asked.

  “Yeah. That’s what I was thinking,” Liam concluded before glancing at Mel. “Did you notice that bill was not for the phone we’re recording?”

  “I did. I’ll tap into it and start recording those calls as well.”

  Liam took a long drink from his can before standing. “I think I’ll turn in too.”

  Mel turned back to her laptop. “I’m going to search a few of these other US numbers on the phone bills you photographed.” Nikki wasn’t sure what to say or do so she remained seated.

  “Good night, ladies,” Liam said, crossing the room and closing his bedroom door behind him.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mel gave Nikki her cocky smile.

  Nikki shrugged. “I was going to say something about helping you, but everything I could think of sounded so lame and obvious.”

  Mel laughed. “He might make the connection in a day or so, but honestly I don’t care. It’s not like I’m in the closet.”

  “Me either. I don’t advertise, but I don’t hide either.”

  “I’ve never worked with Liam before this case, but I’m sure my file arrived before I did. Just like I received Liam’s and Joey’s before our package pickup last week.”

  Nikki frowned. “You said something at dinner about our last mission being a setup. I got sidetracked with chocolate cake, but was that true?”

  “Yes and no.” Mel crossed to the minibar and poured a small bottle of scotch into two glasses.

  Nikki took the glass from her, shivering as Mel’s fingertips purposely brushed across the back of her hand.

  Mel sat back down on the couch. “We were the ones making the pickup and that’s not normally who you support, but our contact getting shot was not part of the plan.”

  Nikki took a sip of the scotch, feeling it burn all the way down her throat. “Do you know what happened there?”

  “We think we were getting close to finding out who is behind all of this. We had tracked phone calls from Josh to that village, so we paid a man to make that package exchange, thinking it would make Josh or whomever nervous. We specifically planned the exchange on your team’s rotation so we could check out all of you too. We certainly didn’t plan for our setup man to get killed though.”

  “He didn’t even know anything, right?”

  Mel shrugged and Nikki could hear the stress in her voice. “Not as far as we know.”

  Nikki kicked her shoes off, pulling her feet onto the couch. She stretched her arm across the back of the couch and gently massaged Mel’s neck. Mel’s head bent forward and Nikki shifted closer to her. Her fingers tangled in Mel’s wavy hair as she scraped her fingernails softly across her scalp.

  Nikki took another sip of the scotch. “If the caller from Mr. Flagler’s office isn’t Josh, it has to be someone else, right?” Nikki didn’t want to even think about Mr. Flagler having someone killed to cover up his actions. He was a father figure to most everyone who worked for him. With his rugged features and quiet manner, he had earned his employees’ respect rather than demanding it. Nikki had heard the stories of how he had built the company by running each mission himself in the beginning. His hands-on approach, even now, allowed employees to speak with him directly and he insisted on an open-door policy. His secretary would schedule anyone who asked for a meeting with him, but you better have followed chain of command first or have a good reason not to. Nikki had never had a reason to schedule a meeting with him, but she had heard him discuss missions and mission execution during training and briefings. He would just appear, hang out and then disappear.

  “Who would you look at?” Mel asked, turning her back to give Nikki better access as she continued massaging her shoulders.

  Nikki complied without breaking the conversation, though her fingers were now memorizing every inch of the hard muscles and soft skin they touched. “I don’t know. How about anyone that had a meeting with him? Maybe his secretary let someone into his office before he arrived.” She thought for a minute. “How about the cleaning crew?” She sighed. “Or Josh?”

  “Those are good ideas, but whoever it is has contacts internationally.” She frowned. “Probably not the cleaning crew.”

  Nikki dug her fingers into the knots on Mel’s shoulders, causing her to moan. “Can we stop talking now?” Mel asked.

  “Just one more question,” Nikki said, sliding her hands down Mel’s arms and interlocking their fingers. She pressed her chest tight to Mel’s back. “What’s all this about? What has Josh or whomever done? I mean before killing your contact. What started this investigation?”

  Mel set her glass on
the coffee table and leaned back into Nikki’s embrace. “I wondered how long it would take you to ask.” She sighed heavily. “About a year ago we found a posting on a US chat board disclosing details about an upcoming mission. The case came to the internal investigation office and fell on my desk. It was a basic mission, and, at first glance, I thought it was a new employee. It happens sometimes when people are new and can’t contain their excitement.” She pulled Nikki’s arms tighter around her. “But then I tracked it back to the office in Pensacola, and there weren’t any new employees there.”

  Mel paused as Nikki unbuttoned the first two buttons on her shirt and ran her hand across her chest, pushing the bra strap off her right shoulder. “Keep talking, Carter,” she whispered into Mel’s ear.

  The vibration from Mel’s moan rippled through Nikki’s body as she switched hands and slid the bra strap off her left shoulder. “Then the leaks started getting bigger. We had to cancel missions for the safety of our clients and our teams. Mr. Flagler’s reputation was being attacked internationally. I started tracking all international calls from the Pensacola office and that led me to where we are today.” Mel finished as Nikki unbuttoned the rest of the buttons on her shirt. “Can we please stop talking now?”

  * * *

  Mel’s body was on fire. Her skin was seared where Nikki touched her and she didn’t want to stop the inferno that was threatening to consume her. Ten minutes alone with this woman and she was already begging. She tried to slow her heartbeat, but Nikki’s hands roamed everywhere. Across the front of her bra, pushing inside her pants on the outside of the thin cotton covering her wetness and then back inside her bra. Her nipples were hard and ached to be released from the material covering them.

  Nikki’s tongue stroked her earlobe, sucking it into her mouth. Each breath pushed Mel closer to the edge. She was so hot and ready. She pushed Nikki’s hand down inside her pants, her body convulsing as Nikki’s fingers slid across her clit.

  “Bedroom now, Carter.” Nikki’s voice was deep with arousal and Mel didn’t need to be told twice. She stood and pulled Nikki to her feet. Downing the last of the scotch in her glass, Nikki pulled Mel close and kissed her.