by George Nagle
“Suppose we should have gone for just the Celtic winning the match, then? At least would have made twenty quid instead of losing it.” Carissa was looking at James almost apologetically, or was it in a happy way, but very soft? James wasn’t used to being unable to read a person. It was unnerving and exciting.
“No worries. Best money I’ve spent in a long time. But what would be an even better spend of money is to take you on a proper supper date, if you’d let me.” James tried not to speak clumsily.
“That is sweet, but I …” Carissa began.
“Ah, no worries, I understand. I just …”
Carissa placed a finger to James’s lips to stop him from speaking.
“As I was saying, I am here in Glasgow for a bit more, but would love to go to supper with you, very soon.” She said this softly while removing her finger.
“Tomorrow?” James blurted.
“Did you not hear me?” she asked, eyebrows up.
“I don’t mind that it’s here. Please let me take you to supper tomorrow. I will be traveling the day after and don’t want to wait so long. Please?” James finished, deliberately trying to create what he thought “doggie eyes” would look like.
It must have worked, as she said, “Yes, fine then.” She took out a pen and paper and wrote down her address. “Want to pick me up at 7?”
“Sooner.”
“Sooner, is it?” She laughed. “We will be having supper with the likes of Mary and Joseph. But fine, let’s say 6.” She put the pen back into her bag.
“Perfect. See ya then, and be dressed to impress.” James regretted this the moment he said it. Wait, did that sound bad or maybe will she take that as I don’t find her attractive? Damn, why I am so bad at this? He wondered if he should clarify.
“Sounds like you are a good listener about taking me someplace proper. I like that. I will be ready, no worries. Bye, John.” She smiled as she walked away, and James almost melted with relief.
This girl was different. Most women didn’t react like that.
She might be a keeper!
Then another side of his brain kicked in.
Maybe she was just really well trained.
The latter thought didn’t make him happy, but it was reasonable. Still, he had gotten a second date, and if it was as genuine as it felt, any suspicions he had would be easily dismissed later.
***
James was right on time the next day. He pulled up just as the clock showed 6 p.m. to find Carissa walking out of her building.
Dressed to impress was an understatement. She looked phenomenal in a royal purple dress that hugged her figure. Her shoes matched, and she had done her hair differently. It flowed around her beautiful face in a way that seemed alive. She also had gone very light on the makeup and perfume. James was particularly happy about this, as he much preferred a natural look and hated heavy perfumes.
He quickly got out to open the door for her. “You look amazing!” he stammered.
“Thank you, my good sir, you look handsome yourself,” Carissa replied pertly.
“I think you’re really going to enjoy this place tonight. I had a friend make the arrangements last night. He said it was the best place in the city,” James said, climbing back in the car and starting the engine.
“I am sure it is lovely,” she said.
They made small talk and laughed for the twenty minute journey to the restaurant.
“How did you get us a table for tonight?” Carissa asked when she realized where he was taking her. “It takes weeks to get a reservation here. Who is your friend?”
“Ah, just like with your tickets, this is my treat, and so is how I came about it.” James answered her question with a playful sense of mystery that worked.
Carissa just smiled and offered him her hand to help her from the car.
Neither remembered the food, environment, or anything about the dinner later, just that it was one of the best evenings they’d ever had.
Saying goodbye three hours later at Carissa’s apartment seemed to take a long time. James was terrible at goodbyes anyway, but this one didn’t feel right. He stood for a moment, setting his weight in his heels and just listened as her words washed over him. His eyes fixed on hers, as each word rang in his ears, but nothing registered. His breathing focused because he knew what he wanted to do.
Slowly, he reached forward and took her hands in his. She peered down at his touch. It wasn’t an aggressive move. It was the opposite, a gentle and calming touch. He wrapped his palms over the back of her hands, allowing his fingers to wrap around her wrists.
Slowly, they looked up at each other. And he stared at her big, beautiful eyes.
He had his proof in that moment.
“Risa, I’ve had more fun than I can remember having in, in, well ever. I would like to see you again, please, and as soon as I get back, if you are willing.”
Carissa blushed, her fingers grasping his fingers now. She leaned forward and kissed him. It wasn’t a long, hard kiss like you see in the movies. It was soft and just long enough to be a full kiss, the kind of kiss you would give a lover who was nearly asleep. She pulled away for half a breath before they kissed again, like a newlywed couple that has just been pronounced man and wife.
She stepped slowly back, smiling, and then turned and began walking up the sidewalk.
“I will take that as a yes,” James called. “That, or I’m going to have to ask that Glassie lad to supper, as he was by far the second most entertaining person I’ve been near the last few days.”
She turned, smiling. “I was thinking the same thing if you hadn’t asked, don’t ya know. Cute lad. A wee bit too dirty for my taste, but cheeky calling me Risa as he did.”
James smiled. He loved her dancing eyes and accent.
“Call me tomorrow before you leave and we will sort the date then,” she said, starting to wave.
“First thing,” James said, then felt his brain recoil as if to say, Too fast and desperate sounding, fool!
“I would expect nothing less.” She turned and walked away, humming a light tune.
James turned to his car and almost fell. He’d forgotten he’d locked his legs and restricted blood to them. He felt something surging through him that was beyond adrenaline. It was love, and he knew it. He knew it just like everyone always said you would. What’s more, she felt the same. He’d needed to be sure, and now he was. This was no set up. This woman was into him as much as he was into her.
Her pulse had quickened when he’d held her wrists. Her eyes had dilated, even though there’d been no change in the lighting. Her reaction had been purely chemical and unmistakable. What’s more, her eyes had responded the same way when he’d almost fallen down the stairs at the football match. This was impossible to fake.
James was happy and smiling like he’d never smiled before. In fact, by the time morning came, he would have a sore jaw from smiling so much.
***
The following morning, James rolled over to see the clock blinking 6:30 a.m. just as the alarm sounded. He hit the off switch and flopped back onto the bed. He’d been having an amazing dream in which he was dancing with a laughing Carissa.
He rolled toward the phone.
“Good morning, sleepyhead. What happened to first thing, then?” came Carissa’s answer.
“Good morning, Risa, how did you sleep?” he asked.
Carissa chuckled. “So I see that lad’s take on me name has stuck, then. You know, I will have to come up with a right nickname for you too, I suppose. Hmm, I will have to have a think on that, I will.”
James laughed.
“What’s so funny ‘bout that?” Carissa asked.
“Nothing, it’s just that I’m happy is all, and hearing your voice makes the joy come right up as rain from the sky.”
“Well, now, who would have thought you was a poet? A good on-the-spot one at that. That was very sweet and lovely of you. Ah, that is your nickname.”
“What? Spot?�
�
“No, ‘love,’” Carissa said, and James could tell she was smiling and probably blushing by her voice.
“Can’t argue that, can I?”
She giggled.
James went on. “I will be gone for a bit but should be back in a few weeks. I tried to get a date that was more specific, but couldn’t. Would it be all right then if we just talk until I can manage to be back? Shouldn’t be more than four weeks with the training and visits and such.”
The prior night, they’d both talked about their jobs, his in marketing and all the travel, hers as a bank teller up for a promotion. The promotion was why she’d been in Aberdeen, and she was looking to move there after graduation, if she got it. They also talked about living in different areas growing up, which easily explained their faded accents.
“I think that is perfect. When do you fly out?”
Carissa’s voice sounded fainter, and James had a feeling she was getting ready for work based on the background noises.
“I leave for the States in about three hours. Shall I let you go? I hear you getting ready.”
“Oh sorry, I wasn’t bored or anything, just …”
“No worries. I know how it can be in the morning. I’m just glad we could talk before I left. If you’d like, I can give you a quick ring when I land, should be about tea time for you.”
“Yes, please, that would be lovely. Okay, got tae run. Thanks for calling and safe travels,” Carissa said.
“Talk soon, Risa. Bye,” James said, and they hung up together.
She’d called him “love.” He knew it was just a nickname, but it reminded him how little she really knew about him. Ugh. He needed to deal with this and get it sorted, but how?
He thought a minute, then stood up with the phone in his hand. He knew what he needed to do.
***
“So, what is the question exactly?” asked Master.
“Should I tell her that my name and appearance aren’t real and that I wasn’t trying to lie to her?” James answered.
“No, that is not the question,” Master stated.
James paused. “Do I love her?”
“No, wrong,” Master stated.
“Okay, all things simple.” James paused again. “Do I trust her? Can I trust her?”
“No, wrong, but closer.”
“Can I trust myself?”
James’s words resounded in the silence.
Chapter Eight
James showered and packed, but deliberately left the envelope Calum had handed him unopened. He could pass along the name and let someone else take it from there, but it sounded like this connection in Asia would advance him a lot further down the line. Even so, Calum, with Petior’s insistence, had told him not to go down that path.
If James had been anything his whole life, it had been someone who recognized the wisdom in others’ mistakes.
On the other hand, other individuals seldom had his skill set.
This wasn’t a vain or prideful thought, more an affirming one. Perhaps he wanted to move forward for the good of taking down something evil with no thought of self-reward, aside from conquering the task itself.
No harm in opening the envelope, he decided. He didn’t have to do anything with it if it was too horrible. He grabbed the note and sat on the bed. There were two sheets. The first page read:
“Osh, Kyrgyzstan, entry point: Noi Rasa is the contact (phone number on next page): two weeks’ notice for approval. No more than two people accepted. Don’t bring a negro. Don’t bring electronics that can’t be shut off. No weapons. ID will be required with copies presented ahead of time as instructed.”
James moved to the second page.
“STOP” was written above the sentence, “I was calling about A S pirit.” The number was given below, followed by “Call at 01:32 EST.”
James was intrigued. He’d have to talk with Tom when he got back to sort this out and figure out how to get to Kyrgyzstan, but that didn’t sound like the final destination. And it wasn’t Asian, though it was next to China.
Lots of questions were going unanswered, at least until he was on location. James got up and placed the note in his bag. It was time to head back to the good old U.S.A.
***
At group headquarters, it took Tom about thirty minutes to shed a little light on the note James gave him.
“The city and country are what the note says. As for Noi Rasa, that’s Laotian and means ‘little king.’ We have no records on him. The requirements seem straightforward. I’m guessing the negro part refers to Daen.”
“I thought that, too,” James answered. “An English speaking person wrote this; a native English speaking person, by the way the letters are formed. Probably Calum, so obviously that was specific to me. Odd that they said about that on/off switch for the electronics, though.”
“It is. So, you’re going into a Russian-speaking area to meet a Laos-named man who is supposed to be an Asian connection. The town is near the China border, but that area is deserted. It has nothing, literally.” Tom unfolded a map with satellite pictures.
“Anyone else speak Russian and both dialects of Chinese and Laos?”
“Actually, yes. Rain Man.” Tom looked serious. “You know that.”
“Don’t call him that. He hates it. He knows what it means,” James said.
“Sorry. Tim. But you can’t be thinking about taking him in with you.” Tom stood up and placed both hands on the table, peering down at James. “You have no idea what’s out there. He’ll slow you down tremendously, not to mention blow the cover if someone asks him even the slightest direct question we haven’t thought of first.”
“I don’t know the languages, and that’s more dangerous to me than anything,” James replied. “I’ve been repeatedly warned not to go down this path, so I’d rather rely on knowing what’s being said and having his eyes than to go in deaf and blind. I’ll work with him and give him specific tasks. He’s not my biggest worry.”
“James …” Tom started.
“Can we get him the needed cover and ID? I’ll need a new one made, as it looks like I’m going to have to burn the Stephen Lewis identity after this.”
“Melissa can do it, and you know it. That isn’t an issue. There are too many unknowns in this. Maybe the ‘STOP’ in the note is a last ditch effort to save you.” Tom’s voice dropped. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to stop James.
James thought a moment and said, “The concern is noted, and I’ll make every effort to keep this safe and come back with Tim. I haven’t failed yet.”
“No one does until they do,” Tom said.
James waited patiently in the long silence that followed those sage words. After all, knowing when not to talk could be a powerful tool. Finally, Tom got up to leave.
“You have to work out how to get Tim for that long and a name he won’t mess up. He isn’t used to this type of thing, and you’re about to mess with his schedule and time. He solves puzzles for us, but I think this is way beyond him.” Tom shook his head and stepped from the room. He really didn’t want to allow this, but at the same time, he had faith that James would handle it.
James knew Tim would be excited about doing fieldwork, and that was a problem. Tim was truly schedule oriented. They usually had to give him a few days’ advance notice just to make sure he’d be settled when it was time for a meeting. Tim needed to associate a distinct time and place to be comfortable.
The trip into Osh would be unpredictable, cross time zones, require Tim to be around a vast number of people he didn’t know, and require a cover story. The trip was essentially the opposite of how Tim lived. However, James had to explore this option, or go back to the drawing table.
“Hey, Jake!” James called as a man walked past.
Jake paused and stuck his head into the room. “What’s up?”
“How’d the bust go last night?”
“Smoother than silk. That information about the audio set up was great. They had tha
t going full swing, and it really did sound like they had a solid extra eight people. The sergeant in charge didn’t want to proceed, but the captain himself called and said to. No shots fired from us, the buyers, or the sellers. Plus, it’s all on tape. I talked to Shane, who talked to the first two guys last night. Both confessed and are turning state’s evidence. This is a slam dunk. Thanks again for all the help.”
James waved, and Jake disappeared down the hall.
Jake was new to the group, and had been one of the people James had mentored. He was smart and even-tempered and could make choices, but he lacked the natural ability to actively engage others to make things happen. James had spent time with him thinking out plans and developing reasonable scenarios and showing him that people were like any other resource. Though Jake took a common cookie-cutter approach like the CIA or FBI would, at least he was open to the possibility of getting out of the boundaries, which the federal agents couldn’t do.
Openness to ideas was typically what got you into the group. The CIA/FBI types were good at what they did, but they had the wrong mentality. In fact, that was exactly why this group existed. Its members did the things that others couldn’t, all because of their unique approach and lack of desire to get the credit. It was all about playing the game in order to achieve the end result.
“Tom said to tell you Tim is here and in D1,” said Korey, Andy and Tom’s assistant and general manager of the facility.
Korey was a nice lady who never asked too many questions and was utterly trustworthy and loyal. The mother of three, with a husband who had been a drug addict, she had a remarkably upbeat personality, though the lines on her face and general manner of moving told the true story of the stress she experienced.
“Thanks,” James said, pulling himself out of his seat. He was surprised Tom had moved so quickly. No doubt it was to prove a point about how poorly Tim was going to take to this operation. What was more surprising was that Tim had responded so quickly.
James paused. He felt a little uneasy. He needed to sort this out first in a logical way and for that he needed Master.