WINDOW OF TIME

by DJ Erfert

  “Gabe’s death wasn’t enough PC?” Lucy’s anger finally flared. She jumped up and rushed around her chair. Raising her voice, she thumped a fist against her chest. “How about the attempted murder of an agent in connection with the same compound?” Turning, she paced the length of the room, thinking out loud. “Did he get inside? Did he get pictures of the people working there? What are they doing in there that’s dangerous enough to warrant them tracking me back to the US?”

  “Which is why I’m sending you on his mission, Agent James,” Brockway said calmly. “You have a vested interest in how this turns out.”

  “I need equipment.”

  “The dungeon is at your disposal.”

  “I’ll need a plane, too.”

  “There will be one on standby in an hour at Daugherty Field.”

  Lucy made a mental list of necessary items she knew she would want to take with her. Now she needed to say goodbye to Johnny and hope she stayed alive long enough to see him again.

  Eighteen

  Lucy had spent an hour in the agency’s warehouse, or, as it was better known, the dungeon. It encompassed the whole floor of the sub-subbasement, with metal shelving reaching up to the tall ceiling. From one room she was able to get everything she needed, as Agent Charles, the man in charge of the floor, followed her, questioning her decisions. Lucy ignored him as she found her black, battle dress uniform, the best in tactical weaponry, electronics, and keys to a new car, plus a few unique items she figured might come in useful. The car’s GPS had made it an easy drive to Daugherty Airport near Long Beach.

  Driving up to a chain-link gate, Lucy took out a key-card and passed it across a box suspended on a metal pole. After a subtle beep, the gate slid sideways, and she drove through to a private parking area. Beyond were huge hangars. All but three were closed and dark as she drove to Hangar 8.

  There were two men leaning against the fuselage of a small jet aircraft. “Impressive,” Lucy said as she turned off the car’s engine. She reached for the small bag next to her hip and froze—Johnny’s image floated in front of her mind’s eye. His presence physically pushed at her, nearly embracing her in warmth and security. She looked in the back seat at her other bags to make sure he hadn’t somehow slipped inside the car. Lucy rubbed the back of her neck and tried to rid the feeling of him being near. She needed to concentrate on her mission and not on how much she’d like to hold him again.

  Opening her door prompted one of the men to come over and greet her. His blue jumpsuit suggested to Lucy that he might be a pilot.

  “Agent James?”

  “Yes, I’m Lucy.”

  Holding out his hand, he said, “I’m Special Agent Adam Sanderson.” Adam motioned toward the other man flashing a white, toothy smile at Lucy. “That’s Special Agent Gerard Summers. We’re your pilots.”

  Lucy shook his cool hand. He had a solid grip, but it was his intense stare that caught her off guard. He had soft blue eyes, and they were taking in every aspect of her anatomy. His hair was the same shade of light blonde as Sunny’s. He was shorter than Johnny, but he looked as muscular. “Nice to meet you.” Lucy motioned toward the aircraft. “Pretty plane.”

  “Thank you,” Adam opened the car’s back door. “She’s a fully loaded Beechjet 400A.”

  “I bet it needs a smooth runway to take off and land, huh?” Lucy asked. “It probably has a fairly small gas tank, too.”

  Adam reached in and took out the first black backpack. “She’ll go five hundred miles an hour, so we’ll be in Nassau in about six hours, taking in a little extra time for refueling.”

  “Nassau?”

  “Yes, ma’am. We can charter a boat from there.”

  “We?”

  Summers spoke up. “Assistant Director Brockway suggested we stick close to you on your mission.”

  Lucy noticed Summers’ smile never wavered.

  “I think we’re going to need a bigger plane,” Johnny said.

  Lucy whipped around, startled beyond reason when she heard his gentle voice come from behind her. It wasn’t her imagination. He was there. Standing next to him were Sunny and Dusty, and from their all black attire and the bags each of them carried, they weren’t coming to see Lucy off.

  “What are you doing here?” The question wasn’t necessary—their presence there was obvious—but the words fell from her lips just the same.

  Sunny said, “We’re coming with you.”

  Lucy’s hardened stare fell on Sunny’s defiant face. Her chin was lifted like she was waiting for Lucy to tell her she couldn’t go. Then Lucy looked at the huge man standing behind Sunny’s shoulder. Dressed in black, Dusty was beyond intimidating. He dwarfed Sunny, and Sunny was as tall as Lucy. Lucy let her stare fall onto Johnny’s handsome face.

  “Whose idea was this?” Lucy asked sharply.

  Johnny immediately said, “Mine!”

  Sunny huffed. “No, it wasn’t. It was my idea.” She gave Johnny a disrespectful glance. “I called Dusty about your mission—”

  “How did you know about it?”

  “Like I told you before, I’m not stupid. You told me you had a plane to catch. All I had to do was call Daugherty to see if a plane was being readied.” Sunny glanced at the towering hulk behind her. “I told Dusty that I was going with you whether you liked it or not, and things … well, things just kind of progressed from there.”

  “Progressed from there?” Lucy lifted her shoulders. “How old are you? Ten? Don’t you have the strength to say no to a civilian when you’re asked something ridiculous?”

  Johnny’s voice dropped in volume, but the intensity increased. “It’s not ridiculous.”

  “As far as I’m concerned, this whole thing is silly.” Lucy motioned to the bags. “I don’t need a medic on a simple intelligence gathering mission. I certainly don’t need three.”

  “I disagree,” Sunny said. “Hear me out.”

  Lucy rubbed her temple.

  “I could have argued with Jim about letting you go, and I could have used your health to keep you here. I am your physician, and I do have authority over even the assistant director in certain situations.” Sunny glanced over Lucy’s shoulder at the two pilots before continuing. “But I stayed quiet because I had a feeling that you would have sneaked out and gone on your own.”

  “So now you think you’re going with me,” Lucy said. “I can understand your, um, thirst for adventure.” Lucy nodded toward Johnny and Dusty. “What I can’t understand is how you said two civilians could come along.”

  Johnny gave her a charming smile. “I told Sunny that I would stand in front of the plane until you gave in.”

  “No, you didn’t,” Lucy said in disbelief.

  “Yes, he did,” Dusty added. “And I had to promise not to save him before the propellers hit him.”

  “No props,” Sanderson said. “It’s a jet.”

  Lucy sighed. “Whatever.”

  “I need to talk to you—in private,” Johnny said, stepping closer. He grasped Lucy’s elbow, and she followed him away from the small group.

  Lucy let him pull her past the hangar’s door. She could easily stop him with one blow if she wanted to hurt him. However, all she could think about was taking him in her arms and kissing him until her lips burned with pleasure. He looked so determined with his brows pinched together. He had his mouth drawn into a thin line as he led her near the next hangar. They stopped far enough away from the group that privacy wouldn’t be a problem.

  “I can be useful to you,” Johnny said. He had his face hovering inches away from hers.

  “How?” Lucy asked. “Can you shoot a gun?”

  He hesitated. “I know how—”

  “But would you?”

  Johnny dragged his fingers through his hair. “I … I don’t know.”

  “How about Dusty?”

  Johnny didn’t hesitate when he answered, “He was a Marine for four years before he became a firefighter, so, yeah, he can shoot. He’s been in combat. L
ucy, I’ve been thinking about this. I can stay close to you just in case you have a”—Johnny looked over at Sunny and lowered his voice—“…in case you’re in danger and have a window. You’ll see it if I’m trapped in it, right?”

  Lucy felt her heart painfully constrict at the image. “What makes you think that I want to see you die, even once more?”

  “How do you think it felt seeing myself being shot?” Johnny asked without answering. “I think if I can take it then you should be able to.”

  Lucy placed her hand on his chest and leaned in close. She could feel his heart pounding under her touch. The hyper rhythm matched her own pulse. The rise and fall of his ribs was quicker than it should have been. “But what if I can’t? What if I see a window, and I can’t change it. What if you—”

  “Don’t think in what-ifs.” He wrapped his hands around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Just do your job, and everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”

  Lucy swung her arms around and broke loose from his grasp. “The way it’s supposed to?” she yelled. “I told you I don’t believe our lives are laid out for us to follow blindly, waiting for fate to take over.” Lucy pressed her hand to her stomach and tried to quell the sick feeling lurching up to her throat as Mac’s face flashed through her mind. “We have to be the best—” She quickly jabbed the point of her index finger against Johnny’s chest and lowered her voice. “Or we’re the ones dying instead of them.”

  Lucy then gave an exaggerated groan. “This is ridiculous,” she said, loud enough that they could all hear. “None of you are coming with me.” She stepped around Johnny and strode to her car.

  “Yes, I am,” Sunny told her as she picked up the backpack Lucy had set down on the ground. “You need a medic with you for the next thirty-six hours, and I’ve assigned myself to the mission.”

  Dusty took the pack from Sunny’s hand. “You’re not going without me. You’re a doctor, not a field agent.”

  “I’m coming too,” Johnny told them.

  Lucy turned abruptly, facing him. “What then? Are you planning on quitting the fire department to become my permanent partner?” Johnny stepped back when she moved closer. “Or have you decided that I’ll be retiring from my job now that you’re in love with me?”

  “I …” Johnny blinked several times.

  “Lucy—” Sunny touched her shoulder, and Lucy swung around ready for a counter argument. “Admit it. This is different, and you know it.” Sunny reached for her wrist, but Lucy yanked her arm away.

  “You don’t want me to take your pulse because your heart is racing too fast.” Sunny softened her voice. “What if I’m right, and you’re not well. I …” She glanced at Dusty and Johnny. “We can be there to help you.” She shook her head. “If I’m wrong—” She lifted her shoulders. “Then our being on board the plane doesn’t hurt anybody.”

  “Times ticking, Agent James,” Sanderson said.

  Nineteen

  “I won’t stuff my bags into the cargo hold,” Lucy declared as she walked away from the small aircraft. Sunny had brought four bags with her, and both paramedics brought large blue bags plus small personal bags, making it impossible to use the six-seat jet without putting their equipment under the deck.

  “What are you going to do?” Sunny kept in step with Lucy.

  Lucy glanced at Sunny and at Sanderson walking on the other side of Sunny. “I saw another plane that might be a better fit, and I want to check it out.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Sanderson said, looking at the open hangar she was headed toward.

  Lucy didn’t feel like explaining. And she certainly didn’t need his permission. It was her mission whether her pilots “stuck close” or got lost. It was bad enough she was cornered into letting three medics tag along, but Johnny did have a certain point. He knew about her windows and might be helpful in keeping her secret if she should have one during the next thirty-six hours. Plus it never hurt to have a Marine watching her back.

  “No,” Sunny said, pulling Lucy to a stop with a hard tug on her elbow. “Can’t we talk about this?”

  Just about the time Lucy started to lose her temper, she saw the look of panic cross Sunny’s face as she stared at the big, silver-clad propeller plane taking up most of the space inside the hangar. “You can still change your mind and stay here,” Lucy said quietly.

  Sunny dropped Lucy’s elbow. “No, I won’t. I—I can’t.” Sunny turned and faced Lucy. “I promised myself that I would take care of you, so I’m not changing my mind.”

  “I’m not either. If this DC-3 is available for rent, then I’m taking it on our mission.”

  Sanderson said, “It will just about double the time it will take for us to get to the Bahamas.”

  “I know that,” Lucy said sharply. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and let her temper cool a moment before speaking again. “I have contacts that will make our refueling quick, and best of all”—she motioned toward the antique craft—“this can land directly on the island’s shorter landing strip and save us a boat load of time on the water between Nassau and Long Island.”

  “Cute pun,” Sanderson said as he stepped toward the plane. “But I don’t think you’re going to be able to secure this plane no matter how beautiful you are.”

  “What?” Lucy asked in disbelief.

  Sanderson ran his hand gently along the riveted wing and said, “I mean, how perfect can it be, two gorgeous female special agents going on a secret mission in the middle of the night, having to trick an unsuspecting plane mechanic out of his antique aircraft—”

  “It’s early evening, Sanderson, and I don’t plan on tricking anybody.”

  “Lucy, it’s … old!” Sunny stormed inside the hangar bay and went around the far wing. “You don’t expect me to actually fly in something that will fall apart if it hits a stiff wind?”

  “This lady has been through a great deal more than a stiff wind, little miss.”

  From inside the plane’s open doorway, an older man with a graying, short ponytail dressed in greasy coveralls climbed down the steps and came over and stood in front of Sunny. Wiping his hands on a rag, he said, “Is there something I can do for you, beautiful?”

  Lucy stepped next to her. “I believe Sunny would love a tour through your plane.” She leaned sideways and bumped Sunny’s shoulder. “Right?”

  “I do?” Sunny asked as her wide-eyed stare scanned the silver airplane. After another bump, she said with conviction, “I mean, I do!”

  The dirty rag went into his back pocket before he took Sunny’s elbow. “It would be my pleasure, beautiful.” Leading her up to the steps of the plane, he said, “My name is Rockwell Sizemore, but everybody calls me Rocky.” He motioned for her to go up first. “And your name is Sunny?”

  “That’s right,” she said.

  Lucy heard a touch of sarcasm in her doctor’s voice, but as long as she played along Lucy didn’t care how annoyed she felt, and they would get to see if the plane would fit what she needed for the mission. Sanderson followed them inside.

  “I have her restored almost to her original condition with a couple of custom touches,” Rocky said. They were standing just inside the doorway. “Aft”—he pointed toward the rear of the plane—“we have a decent sized bathroom.” He turned Sunny forward with an arm around her shoulder. “I found four original Murphy beds and installed them, but refurbished sixteen of the seats that came with the plane.”

  “How long have you had it?”

  Rocky gave Lucy a brief glance over his shoulder. “I bought her five years ago from a dude who was getting too old to fly any longer.” He chuckled. “His loss. My gain.”

  “Is she ready to fly?” Sanderson asked, trying to see into the cockpit.

  “You bet.” He let Sunny go and asked, “You want to sit in the left chair?”

  Sanderson scooted around the women and followed the other pilot forward.

  Lucy started to follow, but Sunny grabbed her arm and sto
pped her from getting any farther down the aisle. When the two men were a fair distance ahead, she quickly whispered, “You owe me.”

  “We’re not even yet,” Lucy said before moving up the aisle. She found Sanderson sitting in the pilot’s seat, tenderly touching the carved wooden yoke in front of him.

  “What are you doing here tonight?” Sanderson asked. “She looks perfect.”

  “I work on her after the bill paying job every night for a few hours. I just wanted to polish up a few more things before this weekend.”

  Sanderson tapped a small screen on the instrument panel. “This GPS isn’t original.”

  “Nope. I think that piece of equipment is as important as a radio in any aircraft, vintage or not.”

  Sanderson nodded. “I agree.”

  Lucy leaned between the two men, happy with what she’d seen. “Have you rented it out for a little extra cash?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’ve chartered parties before. They’re a drag, but every so often it’s necessary to pay for the upkeep.”

  “Good,” Lucy said. “I’ll take it for three days.”

  “Sorry,” Rocky said. “I’m not taking any new clients right now.”

  “I need this plane. I have my own pilot if you aren’t willing to fly.”

  Rocky stood up, climbed out of the co-pilot’s chair, and stood in front of Lucy. “I’m taking The Belle Starlet to an air show in southern Arizona this coming Saturday. I don’t have the time to be taking her any place else before then.”

  “If you’re not willing to cooperate with me, then it will be impounded for suspicion of terrorist training.” Lucy turned around and marched down the aisle and headed for the door. She listened to the man sputter behind her.

  “What? No, wait. You can’t do that! Who do you think you are?”

  Lucy stopped short, tugged out her ID and held it close to the irritated man’s face. “I’m Special Agent Lucy James, Central Intelligence Agency. And yes, I can have this plane grounded until you miss that air show and maybe even the next one before you clear it up. Are you going to cooperate?”