WINDOW OF TIME

by DJ Erfert

  Leaning his shoulder against the solid door, Jim crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the redheaded woman. “What do you know about Special Agent Lucy James that isn’t in her dossier?”

  Kate leaned back in her chair, tossed down her pen onto the large glass-topped desk, and gave Jim a cryptic half-smile. “More than you might think.”

  “Oh?” Jim cocked his head to the side and waited for her to continue. He didn’t try to prompt her into spilling her intelligence any faster. He’d found out only a few short days after transferring to the Los Angeles department that thirty-seven year old Kate Laurence had her own particular ways of relating any information she discovered. Jim also knew she’d been an operative for ten years before being transferred to his office. She’d worked for his predecessor, and she had been working as his assistant since he’d taken over. Jim had no idea how he’d handle things without her.

  “Uh-huh,” Kate said slowly. “I was the one sent to recruit Lucy. She was barely nineteen when one of our contacts in her university passed along her transcripts.”

  That’s what the smug look was for. “You were?”

  “That’s right. I had to convince her that I was really a CIA agent. She thought I was playing a joke on her.”

  “How did you do it?”

  Kate placed her elbows against the edge of her desk. “I just did my job.” Kate leaned forward, staring at Jim. “Did you know that she never missed a day of school? Ever? And she graduated high school with perfect grades? That girl doesn’t know what the letter B looks like.”

  “Did she keep it up at the university?”

  “Better. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 5.0 GPA in Criminal Justice and can speak Spanish as fluently as she does English, according to her professors.”

  “Impressive. Not many of our couriers can say the same thing.”

  “Not many of our English-born operatives can say that. I offered her a field agent’s position, and she turned me down. She told me she didn’t want to be a spy. I knew we didn’t want to lose her as an asset, so I went with a courier’s position.”

  “She sounds over-qualified for that level of job. I wonder why she didn’t go for the adventure and become an operative?”

  “She may have started out a courier, but she married an operative, and they went on his missions together.”

  Jim shook his head. “What did I miss?”

  “Lucy James, aka Mrs. Seth Mackenzie.”

  “I read about him,” Jim murmured. “I didn’t make the connection.”

  “He was killed before you transferred here. Evidently she doesn’t use his name anymore. Since he died she’s kept to herself, just taking low-key assignments.”

  “You seem to know a lot about her.”

  Kate shrugged. “I’ve been following her career since she accepted my challenge.”

  Jim chuckled. “You challenged her to join us?”

  “I took her out to lunch, and then to dinner trying to talk her into at least applying, all while she kept looking over her shoulder like she expected someone to jump out from around the corner at her. She’s very smart, but more than that, she intrigued me. And …”

  Jim stood upright when his assistant paused. Her furrowed brow told him something bothered her to the point she was struggling whether to tell him or not. “Does this intel have an impact on her job as an agent?” When she started chewing on her lip, it was time to become her boss again. “Come into my office.”

  An unreasonable feeling of agitation began to fill his stomach, churning the acids and causing him some heartburn. That, or he was hungry.

  “Sit.” Jim dropped into his chair behind his desk and waited for her to make up her mind. She pinched her pretty, dark red brows together and leaned forward in her chair. He couldn’t force her to tell him. He was all out of thumbscrews.

  “I shadowed Lucy for two weeks before I approached her. I wanted to see if she had any unhealthy habits that would interfere with her working for us.”

  “I take it she didn’t.”

  Kate leaned back. “Not if you don’t call walking out into on-coming traffic bad for your health.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Kate sighed loudly. “She walked off the curb directly in front of a minivan when it had a green light. The poor woman driver had to slam on her brakes, and even then she still bumped into Lucy.”

  “Is she suicidal?”

  “No, she—” Kate faltered a moment before continuing. “I thought the same thing when I saw her step out in front of that car, but I didn’t have time to say, or really do, anything before a full-sized pickup truck ran the red light.” Leaning forward again, Kate said, “Jim, if that minivan wouldn’t have stopped when it did, then it would’ve been broadsided by a man talking on a cell phone. As it was, he barely missed two other cars in the intersection.”

  Jim let out a slow breath and tried to digest the implications. “Did Lucy get injured?”

  “No, actually. She hit the van’s hood with her hands, like—like she expected the impact.”

  “So nobody was hurt?”

  “No. The driver and the four kids she had in her car were all okay. Lucy disappeared very quickly, and I lost sight of her. I picked her up again at her taekwondo class. I thought seriously about asking if she’d had a premonition about the accident, but I didn’t want to break my cover.” Kate sat back and covered her mouth as she let out a heavy sigh.

  “What is it?”

  “I think that’s why she kept looking over her shoulder when we were talking, because somehow she knew that someone had been following her.” Kate smiled into Jim’s eyes. “You know the feeling. She has incredible instincts.”

  “Or your skill at following a target was slipping.”

  “Oh, I doubt that,” she said low and slow.

  “Did she have any other premonitions while you were watching?”

  Kate rubbed her forehead with her fingers for a moment. “Jim, I think Lucy has a sense of intuition so acute that …”

  “What happened?”

  “Really? I don’t know. On the surface it looked like she went to an ATM to withdraw some cash. There were two people using the machine. It was at night, after her martial arts class, and the bank’s exterior wasn’t well lit. The woman at the machine was putting her card in the slot, and there was a guy standing next to her. The next thing I saw was Lucy beating the crap out of the guy. He was out cold before the police got there. They arrested him for armed robbery. He’d been holding a knife on the woman.”

  “What happened to Lucy? Did she disappear again?”

  “She sat down against the building after she knocked the bad guy out. It looked like she fainted for a minute, but she came around before the police arrived. After a trip to the hospital for injuries to her knuckles, she was back in class the next day. Jim, from my point of view, it looked personal, like she took her anger out on his face. He ended up in the jail’s infirmary with broken ribs and missing teeth. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the dirt-bag had a rap sheet as long as my arm, including spending five years in prison for rape, I might have disqualified her for service with that one act. As it was, she did the city of Phoenix a favor by taking him off their streets.”

  Jim whistled lowly.

  “Yeah, that was what I thought, too. Strangely enough, during her preliminary background investigation, I found out she didn’t have any accounts with that bank, so she didn’t have any reason to deviate from her normal path back to her dorm.”

  “Did you write up these premonition episodes in your fitness report?”

  Kate pursed her lips for a few moments. “I took notes …” She shook her head. “No, I didn’t include them in writing my opinion on her being a good asset to our company. I didn’t understand what I saw, really. She didn’t necessarily do anything wrong. Definitely nothing illegal.”

  He touched his mouse pad and woke up his computer. “I need to find out what kind of an agent Lucy James is.�
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  “An unconscious one, last time I heard,” Kate muttered.

  “Finally,” Jim said with a little satisfaction, “I know something before you do. It seems our agent woke up this morning and our doctor forgot to call and tell us.”

  “Lucy’s awake?” Kate stood up and headed for the door.

  “And …” Jim let the word hang in the air and marinate for a few seconds.

  Kate immediately turned on her heels to face him. “And what?”

  Jim tried not to grin at her impatience. “She was almost immediately attacked by a woman posing as a nurse.”

  “What?” While not quite reaching for the doorknob, she asked, “Was Sunny able to defend her?”

  “No.”

  “Oh, dear Lord.” Kate groaned, letting her arm fall down to her side. “She was hurt?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “But—”

  “Neither Sunny nor Mendez were in the room, but Agent James disarmed the woman by herself.”

  “Disarmed?” Kate shook her head. “She defended herself? How can a woman who has been unconscious for four days even lift up her head this quickly, let alone fend off an attack? I tell you Jim, there’s something unique about Lucy.”

  Jim began typing at his computer’s keyboard. “I’m beginning to get that idea. Get Sunny on the phone. I want to talk to her. In the mean time, I’m going to catch up on some reports and see what Agent James has been doing for the ten years we’ve been paying her.”

  Fourteen

  “I’ve got to get back to work,” Dusty said, taking Sunny by the elbow. “Or did you want me to call in and take a personal day?”

  She looked down the quiet hallway. “Could you stay just until Sergio gets back?”

  Dusty nodded. “I’ll take the rest of the day off.”

  “Now that we know Lucy is targeted, I’d feel better knowing she had more”—Sunny smiled—“muscle to keep her safe.”

  Dusty lifted his elbow and flexed his considerable bicep, straining the already tight sleeve around his arm. “Not a problem, Sunflower.”

  Sunny closed her eyes. “Please don’t call me that.”

  “I think you have an adorable middle name,” Dusty leaned in closer to her flushed face. “Now I know where you get your nickname.”

  “I’m sorry I ever told you about it.”

  Dusty lifted her chin with a touch of his finger. “I’m not,” he whispered as he leaned in closer to her lips—just as her phone rang.

  Sunny grinned as she stepped back away from him and grabbed her cell phone from her pants pocket. “Pettigrew … Yes, sir, she woke up around noon.” She listened for several moments, and then said, “No, sir. I don’t think that would be advisable. Lucy is still recuperating.” Her brows scrunched together. “She still has a concussion, and it would be in the best interest of my patient if she stayed in bed—”

  She closed her eyes. “Yes, sir, just as soon as I give her another physical.” Sunny closed her phone with a loud sigh.

  “Was that the boss?” Dusty asked.

  “Yes.” Sunny checked the hallway again. “Assistant Director Brockway saw Sergio outside his office and found out about the attack. Now he wants to talk to Lucy.” She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. “I guess she gets a trip to the agency after all. I don’t understand why this can’t wait until she’s better.”

  “I thought her CT scan was clear.”

  “It was, but that doesn’t mean she should act like she’s healthy. She’s not. Lucy could get dizzy and lose her balance, have nausea, or she could develop a lung infection from being exposed to the re-circulated hospital air.” Sunny strode over to the door, but before she went through she turned and said with a lowered voice, “I need to stay with her and watch her for any signs of regression and for those foreign agents who want to kill her. She could’ve been killed this morning. It would’ve been my fault. I let her down. I’m not going to do it again.”

  Dusty rested his hand on the small of Sunny’s back, whispering, “I think I might take that vacation now.”

  ~*~

  The hot water beat down Lucy’s back as she tipped her hair under the pulsing stream to rinse out the conditioner. Sunny told her to get ready to be discharged, and then she would have to meet with the new assistant director of the west sector, a man named Brockway. He’d asked for the meeting, and Lucy didn’t like it. She’d turned in her reports, but she supposed he wanted an explanation in person for having to destroy the film. Maybe he even wanted an apology.

  If Lucy could swing it, she’d talk her way onto that mission as Gabe’s partner. If Brockway didn’t agree, then she’d go and hunt those agents down on her own. Going on the offensive seemed like the only logical thing to do. Well, maybe.

  Lucy lathered up her leg and used the razor Johnny had bought for her. He’d surprised her with a basket of products including shaving articles, a toothbrush with flavored toothpaste, and other essentials. They smelled a lot better than the non-scented basics the hospital had in the bathroom.

  “Are you okay in there?”

  Lucy stuck her head out the side of the shower curtain. “What are you doing in here?”

  Johnny’s gaze drifted down from her face to her bare shoulder. “I was just checking to make sure you didn’t pass out or anything.”

  A sudden wave of desire pushed through her at his attention. “I’m fine,” Lucy said tenderly. “You can stop worrying about me.”

  “If you need anything, just let me know.”

  Lucy closed the curtain, smiling. “Does Sunny know you’re in here?”

  “She’s otherwise occupied with Dusty.”

  “Have they known each other very long?”

  “They’ve been practically inseparable since they met four days ago.”

  “Wow! Your friend seems rather smitten with my doctor.”

  “Doesn’t he though? I’ve known him since I first came onto the department, and I think this is the first time he’s really fallen in love.”

  Lucy looked outside the curtain again, her hair dripping onto the linoleum floor. “You think he’s in love after only four days?” Johnny moved to where he stood only inches in front of her. Longing pulsed through her body. With the way his dark brown eyes glistened when he gazed at her, she suspected his emotions were very close to the surface. He didn’t say anything before he leaned in and kissed her, his hand caressing her wet arm. When he pulled back, he said something that sent her heart racing.

  “I don’t think time has anything to do with how the heart feels.”

  “I think you may be right,” Lucy said, slightly breathlessly.

  “You better finish up with your shower.” Johnny’s fingers ran lightly down to her elbow, raising goose-bumps along every inch of skin he touched. “I’ll wait for you in your room. Sunny agreed to let me drive you to your meeting.”

  Lucy closed the curtain. “Oh, I don’t want to go.”

  “Why not? Do you think you’re going to get fired?”

  “I don’t think so, but I have butterflies the size of sparrows in my stomach.”

  “Are you nauseous?”

  “No. Just … anxious.” Lucy turned off the water and stuck her hand out. “Towel, please.”

  Johnny handed her a bath towel. “Are you sure? We need to watch out for signs of nausea.”

  “I’m fine.” Lucy stuck her hand out again. “Another towel, please.”

  “What did you do with the last one?”

  “I used it to wrap my hair.”

  “Oh.” Johnny passed another towel around the curtain. “Here.” When Lucy took it, he asked, “Why do you suppose your boss wants to talk to you?”

  “I think he’s angry with me.”

  “Because of the film?”

  “Yes,” Lucy said, drawing out the word like a long sigh.

  “But you did what you had to do to stop something very bad from happening.”

  Lucy slid back the curtain and stepped
out of the shower with the towel wrapped around her body. “Think about it, Johnny. How could I have known something like that was going to happen?”

  “We saw them”—he stopped and lifted his hands, palms up, in an attempt to weigh his words—“move next to us and pull a gun? And I … heroically slammed on the brakes, making them miss us by a hair’s breadth. Then you …” Johnny stopped and pinched his brows together.

  “Coming up with a good lie isn’t easy, is it?”

  Johnny dropped his hands down. “No.”

  “Mac was very good at it—an expert,” Lucy crossed her arms over her stomach. “He had a lot of practice.”

  Johnny stepped closer and slid his arms around Lucy’s bare shoulders, pulling her close. “I’m sorry, Lu.”

  “A lot of our colleagues looked up to him because of it,” she whispered.

  “I’m sure he sounded very heroic because of you.” He tightened his embrace.

  Lucy moved her arms around Johnny’s back and rested her face against his neck. “After a while, his missions became more treacherous when he took bigger risks.”

  “He knew you were there to save him.” Johnny let out a heavy breath into her wet hair. “I’m sorry, Lu, but I’m not sure I would’ve liked your husband for putting you in that much danger.”

  Lucy wasn’t so sure she liked him at times either.

  Fifteen

  “It’s about a twenty-minute drive from here.” Lucy set the basket of bath products on the floorboard next to her feet. “And, please, don’t take the freeway.”

  Johnny laughed. “I agree.” He started the truck’s engine and slid the gear into reverse. “By the way,” he said as he backed out of the parking spot, “I have all of your things from your hotel room in my garage. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to leave them unattended while you were in the hospital.”

  Lucy moaned. “Oh, no! How did you find enough room for my stuff in all that mess?”

  He put the truck into drive. “Yeah, well, I thought you would say something like that, so I had the Salvation Army come in and take all those boxes away. You can even see the washer and dryer now.”