by Mike Ryan
“Well let’s ask,” Turner said.
He went over to the laptop and entered the code for a visual conference with Burnett. As soon as she came on screen, she was a little surprised to see who she was talking to. Parker and Cole kept out of sight and stood behind the computer.
“Turner! What’re you doing?” she asked.
“Uhh…I uhh…,” he stuttered, not knowing what to say.
“Why are you on my computer screen instead of in this building…where you’re supposed to be?”
Cole chuckled in the background, enjoying watching his friend squirm to get out of trouble.
“Oh, that,” Turner said, clearing his throat. “Well, I, uhh…I was on lunch. Yeah, I was on lunch, and I had an idea that I wanted to run past you.”
“And it couldn’t have waited until you got back? You do realize that these video conferences are usually reserved for field agents who are…in the field!”
“Yes. Yes, I do realize that…now. But since I’m here, I had an idea I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Fine. What is it?”
“Well, I heard about Alex and Cole going to Los Angeles, and I thought I’d be able to give them a hand considering I’m from the area,” he told her.
“Who told you that?!”
“Uhh,” he stammered again, looking to his friends for help.
Parker finally put him out of his misery and thought he’d incriminated himself enough. She walked around to the front of the laptop and stood in front of the camera to reveal herself. Cole had no such feelings.
“I did,” Parker admitted. “Since we were going back to L.A., and he’s from the area, I had a few questions for him about some of the surrounding areas.”
“I see. And what do you hope to accomplish there, Mr. Turner?” Burnett asked.
“I don’t know. Help them with whatever they need. I mean, we did work as a team before. And if you recall, we took down…”
“I don’t need your help in reminding me about what happened,” Burnett interrupted. “Where’s Cole? I’m sure he must be there somewhere as well.”
Cole grumbled, then moved around to the front of the camera.
“What are your thoughts on the matter?” she asked him.
“I, uhh, I don’t really have any. Either way I’m fine.”
“Alex? As if I need to ask,” Burnett said.
“Well, we’ve worked great as a team before and considering he is more familiar with the area than we are, I think he may be of great assistance to us on this case,” she replied.
“My main concern is of your current workload, Turner.”
“I can still work on my assignments remotely and e-mail my reports in every day,” Turner told her.
“Very well. As long as your keep your current obligations fulfilled, I will grant you permission to assist Parker and Cole in their duties. You must still work on your assignments and upload your reports every day or else I will have you back here in an instant,” Burnett warned.
“Understood.”
As soon as the conference ended, Turner pumped his fist in the air, excited to be part of the team again.
“Isn’t this great?!” he exclaimed.
“Yeah. Fantastic,” Cole sarcastically responded. “I’m excited.”
Parker leaned in and kissed Turner on the cheek. “Well I’m happy.”
“I guess I’m gonna need to go pack my stuff,” Turner said. “How long you think we’ll be there for?”
“Who knows,” Cole said. “Hopefully not more than a few days. That reminds me, I’m gonna call my contact out there and see if he knows anything. You remember, the one we met when we were tracking Davis?”
“Oh, yeah. At the Burger King,” Parker recalled.
“Yeah. I’ll see if he knows anything.”
Cole went into his bedroom and called his contact to see if he knew anything about Arsenyev and Zubov. While he was doing that, Parker and Turner expressed their feelings with a few intimate kisses.
“I wish we could do this all day,” Parker said. “But we need both need to get ourselves ready to leave and you need to pack.”
“OK. I’ll finish my shift at work first,” he told her. “I have to get my work laptop and make sure I have all the files I need, and grab the documents I need. Then I’ll have to go to my apartment and pack. What time do you figure on leaving tomorrow?”
“Well, I’m gonna try to get one as early as possible.”
“They didn’t make the flight for you yet?”
“They don’t always. If there’s enough time, they usually do. If it’s a last minute thing, then it’s usually up to us to do it. No big deal really.”
“What time do you want me here, then?”
“Well, considering it’ll probably be early in the morning, I was thinking you might as well just stay with me tonight,” she smiled. “You know, that way there’s no chance that you’re late or anything.”
Turner smiled at the thought of his evening plans. “I could get behind that plan.”
Cole heard the last couple of exchanges between the two as he emerged from the bedroom, his phone call finished. “You two sure didn’t waste any time in shacking up again.”
“Oh, don’t be jealous, Cole,” Turner said.
“Jealous of you? Don’t make me laugh.”
“OK. Well, I gotta go. I’ll be back later,” he said, giving Parker a goodbye kiss before leaving.
“Do you really need to tease him so hard?” Parker asked.
“What? I’m just joking around with him. He knows that.”
“Sometimes it sounds like you’re serious.”
“Sometimes I am.”
“He considers you a friend, you know,” Parker reminded.
“Yeah, I know. He knows he’s mine too. Listen, when I got shot by Davis in the shoulder and I was in the hospital, he was the only person who visited me almost every day. I’ve never forgotten that. I just like giving him a hard time. He’s an easy target.”
“How about you just lighten up a little on him, OK?”
“Yeah, yeah. Getting soft as your getting up in years,” Cole remarked.
“What’d your contact say? Speak to him?”
“Yeah. He doesn’t have anything right now. But he’ll do some digging and see if he comes up with anything. Who knows? Maybe by the time we get out there he’ll have something for us.”
Parker booked a flight for eight in the morning so they could still have most of the day out there, especially with the three hour time difference, to search for their targets.
“Do me a favor?” Cole asked.
“What’s that?” she replied.
“Keep the noise down over in your room tonight. I don’t wanna have to hear things that go bump in the night, if you know what I mean.”
Parker smiled, “I’ll do my best.”
“And make sure you’re ready to go in the morning,” he warned. “Last thing I need is for you two to oversleep and make me come charging into your room and having to wake up your naked asses.”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Parker teased.
“Please, still haven’t gotten the last images of you two out of my head yet.”
Parker and Cole spent most of the rest of the day going over the information they had on Arsenyev and Zubov. With a failed attack, they assumed he was underground somewhere. It wasn’t likely that they’d find him as easily as they did their targets in Toronto. Now, Arsenyev knew someone was after him. The CIA had all major transportation outlets covered in case he and his partner tried to flee the country, or even the city. They heard no chatter or had any evidence that he attempted to leave Los Angeles. They were reasonably sure the two of them were still there somewhere. Parker and Cole just had to find them. Just as Marchenko used an auto clinic as a cover for his base of operations, Arsenyev used a strip club. Like Marchenko, Arsenyev had a thing for the ladies and was rumored to have been seen with several of them.
“What do they m
ean, seen with?” Cole asked. “I mean, a lot of people have seen them, if you know what I mean.”
“Really, Cole? I’m pretty sure they mean that he’s dated a few of them.”
“Oh. Well why don’t they just say so?”
They figured if Arsenyev was still in Los Angeles, then he needed help from someone to remain hidden. Though they didn’t know where his home was, Arsenyev wasn’t likely to be there. He wasn’t likely to be anywhere that he often visited, in case someone was there waiting for him to finish the job. Parker and Cole had to figure out which known person in his life knew where he was. And somebody did. The first place they’d have to check out was the strip club. Maybe one of the girls that worked there still fraternized with him.
Turner returned to the hotel around nine, suitcases and luggage in hand. Parker and Cole finished up their work, both ready to go to bed, though under very different circumstances.
“Remember what I said?” Cole threatened. “No noise!”
Chapter 6
The CIA agents had just gotten off the plane and found their luggage when they heard a familiar voice yell out to them, excited to see them. They turned around to see Vicki running towards them, her arms extended for a warm embrace.
“I’m so happy to see you guys!” she told them, hugging her brother first. After him, she gave both Parker and Cole hugs as well. “It’s been so long.”
“I hope you guys don’t mind,” Turner said. “I asked Vicki to meet us here. Figured it was better than grabbing a rental or a taxi.”
“No, it’s fine,” Parker said. “It’ll be great to catch up.”
“And we have so much to talk about!” Vicki exclaimed. “I can’t believe you guys kept all those secrets from me for so long!”
“What secrets?” Cole asked.
Turner shook his head and started waving his finger around to try and prevent his sister from saying another word, though it was no use. Usually when she started on something, he wasn’t able to shut her up.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Turner said with a laugh. “Where’s Brad?”
“He’s at work. He’s looking forward to catching up with everyone later though.”
“Later?” Parker asked.
“Yeah. At dinner,” Vicki answered.
“Dinner?”
“What about these secrets?” Cole asked again.
“Oh. Haven’t you talked to dad yet?” she asked her brother.
“Umm, no. Why?”
“Oh, well, he’s in town right now and he wanted to have dinner with us,” she explained.
“Us?” Parker wondered.
“Yeah, you, me, Ryan, and Brad,” Vicki said. “He’s so looking forward to meeting you finally. Remember he was here at Thanksgiving, but you had to leave.”
Parker nervously laughed. “Yeah. I remember.”
Turner could see in Parker’s face that she was nervous when his dad was mentioned. That part of her didn’t change. “Maybe another night would be better, Vick. I mean, it’s been a long flight and we’re all kind of tired,” Turner said.
“Well once you get to your hotel, take a nap so you’ll be refreshed. I’m so glad you guys got back together. When Ryan called yesterday to tell me that you two were together again and coming out here I was so happy.”
“Oh, did he?” Parker asked, shooting him a look.
Turner smiled back, knowing he was in trouble. “You know, I just thought it’d be nice for a friendly face to welcome us back here.”
“What kind of secrets?” Cole asked yet again.
“You know, you don’t have to hide everything from me anymore,” Vicki responded. “Ryan already told me everything.”
“He told you everything? What exactly does that mean?” he asked, concerned about the answer he was about to get.
“About you guys working for the government. You know, the CIA,” she whispered, not wanting anyone in the crowded airport to overhear her say it.
Stunned, Cole wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. He opened his mouth but no words came out. He gave Turner a look that could’ve killed him if Turner hadn’t turned away from his stare out of fear.
“What exactly did Ryan tell you?” Parker pleasantly asked, a smile on her face, as she sternly looked at her boyfriend.
“That the security job you said you worked at was a cover for your other thing that you did,” Vicki informed her.
“Oh. Well that was nice of him to blow all of our covers.”
“It’s not exactly the way it seems,” Turner said, miserably trying to defend himself.
“And how’s that?” Cole asked, perturbed.
“I didn’t just say we worked for the CIA. I mean, she’s known for months.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he closed his eyes, knowing he just stuck his foot in his mouth even further than it already was.
“Oh really?” Cole said, trying hard not to strangle him. “You do realize that we’re used to working in secrecy?”
“Let me explain,” Turner replied.
“You do that.”
“After Alex and me broke up, I decided to tell Vicki everything. My job, what I was doing, where I was, everything. I mean, we weren’t together anymore, and I wasn’t sure you’d ever even talk to me or see me again, so I just let the whole cat out of the bag,” he explained.
“And you didn’t think to tell us this before now?”
“It didn’t occur to me?” he nervously responded. “I asked Burnett before I did it and she gave me the OK.”
“She did?”
“Yes. I told her I wanted to let my sister know I was working for the CIA and what I was doing and she said I could.”
“Of course, I didn’t believe him at first,” Vicki stated.
“So how’d you convince her?” Cole wondered.
“I sent her a picture of my paycheck.”
“Smart. Good thing nobody hacked your phone and stole your information, numb nuts.”
“Relax. Nobody hacked my phone. That I can tell.”
“And people wonder why I hate Los Angeles,” Cole said to himself.
“I’m just so glad you’re all here,” Vicki said. “Jim, you’re more than welcome to come to dinner with us tonight, too. The more the merrier. I mean, you’re practically a member of the family.”
Cole forced half a smile on his face. “Great.”
Vicki talked about almost everything she could think of as they walked out of the airport to her car. She continued gabbing away as she drove them to their hotel, talking about their work, her work, relationships, both hers and her brothers, and just about everything else under the sun. She dropped them off and told them she’d pick them up around six o’clock for dinner.
After the three of them got to their rooms, one for Parker and Turner, and one for Cole, he invited the couple over to his room. Once inside, Cole pushed Turner to the wall and clenched his fist like he was about to strike him.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t punch your lights out right now?” Cole asked him.
“Because you wouldn’t want to take the chance of breaking your hand and jeopardizing the mission?” Turner returned, hopefully convincing him.
Parker grabbed Cole’s right arm that was cocked and maneuvered her way between the two men, hoping cooler heads would prevail, mostly Cole’s.
“Just let me hit him one time,” Cole said.
“Go over there and cool off,” Parker told him, gently pushing him away.
“I guess I screwed up, huh?” Turner asked.
Still fuming, Cole responded, “I’ll say you did. You know, they call us ghosts for a reason, idiot. That’s because nobody’s supposed to know we exist. It’s hard to be invisible when people know who you are and what you do!”
Parker put her hand up to stop Cole from saying more. Though she wasn’t happy, she tried to voice her displeasure in a more diplomatic manner.
“Ryan, it’s not so much that you told her about you, or us. I can un
derstand you wanting her to know,” Parker politely said. “What we’re unhappy about is that we’re not hearing it from you. You told her months ago about this and we’re just hearing it now…from her.”
Turner nodded, knowing he messed up. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. I should’ve let you guys know that I told her. But she’s not gonna tell anyone.”
“You mean, other than her boyfriend, and your father, and then whoever they tell?” Cole chimed in again.
“It’s not so much as to who knows as much as it is that you didn’t tell us you told her and it was just sprung on us,” Parker said.
“I oughtta call Burnett right now and tell her to send your behind back to Virginia,” Cole threatened.
“OK. Everyone settle down,” Parker said, trying to play the peacemaker. “What’s done is done. Let’s move on and remember why we’re here.”
“Well I’m here to find a couple of criminals. You’re apparently here to play Suzy Homemaker,” Cole fumed.
“I’m not here to play Suzy Homemaker, Cole.”
“Yeah, well, tell that to your boyfriend and his family.”
Parker knew things weren’t likely to de-escalate anytime soon as long as everyone was still in the same room. She went over to Cole and pulled him over to a chair and told him to just sit there for a few minutes. She handed him a remote and told him to find something on TV to watch for a little while until he calmed down. Once he was handled, she turned her attention to Turner. She took his hand and led him out of Cole’s room and into their own.
“So how much trouble am I in with you?” Turner wondered.
Parker let out a half smile to try to ease his fears. “You’re not in trouble with me,” she softly said. “I don’t really have a lot of time left in the agency anyway, so it’s not really a big deal for me. I just wish you would’ve told me first. Hearing it from someone other than you isn’t the best way to distribute that kind of news.”
“Well, when I told her, it was when you weren’t speaking to me and I needed something in my life to be normal.”
“Are there any other secrets that I need to be aware of?” she asked.
“No. None,” he shook his head. “Absolutely nothing. You have my word. If there is, I give you permission to cut off my hand.”