The Abduction

by Nichole Allen

  “Um, excuse me?” The woman turns in her seat and minimizes the window she just had open on her computer.

  “Can I help you?” she snaps. Someone isn’t having a very good morning.

  “I think so. I’m Rachelle. I’m supposed to start my internship with you today.”

  “Right.” The still unnamed woman turns back to her desk and ruffles through documents before handing me three folders. “The top is your log-in information for the computers, the second is a walk-through of our programs, and the bottom is your first task. You’ll meet with the agents working the case in about two hours so try to familiarize yourself with as much as you can now.”

  I force a smile and make my way towards the empty desk she had pointed to, setting everything down and making myself as comfortable as I can. The log-in information is fairly self-explanatory and most of the programs are similar to others I’ve used and even created, so by the time someone stops in the room to take me to my meeting, I have a general understanding of everything.

  “You’re the new tech analyst?” the agent asks as he leads me down another few hallways to a large meeting room.

  “Yeah. Why?” I ask.

  He shrugs and opens the door for me. “I just didn’t expect another woman on the team, that’s all.” I raise my eyebrows at him, hoping he’ll get why I’m so unimpressed with his comment. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. We just have a primarily female tech crew and I –”

  “It’s okay. I’m used to it.” He sort of shrugs in response so I leave him at the door and walk into the conference room. I’m not sure where I’m supposed to sit but since it’s a circular table, I sit opposite the two agents already seated and pull out my tablet and mission folder.

  “Hi,” the blond agent says. He’s seated next to an older, dark-haired man who just smiles as a welcome.

  “Hi,” I respond quietly.

  “You’re the new tech analyst, right? Rachelle, is it?” the blond man says again.

  “Yeah, that’s me.”

  “Well, Rachelle, I’m Blake. This guy here is Brody. We only have two others on our team so we should get started pretty soon.” I nod at his introductions and turn back to my tablet. I’ve never been that great at small talk, especially somewhere completely new. “Have you already met the rest of the tech group?” I nod again. “If you need help with anything in there, don’t go to Melissa. She’s probably the first one you met. She’s awful. Go to Corrine. She’s set to help you out for a while until you’re used to taking cases so you’ll probably be shadowing her on this one.”

  “Thanks,” I smile. Even the agents agree with my first impression of the woman at the desk. And thank God I don’t have to take my first case on my own. I wouldn’t even know where to start.

  Before Blake or Brody can give me any more advice, two more people walk through the door and sit at the table, one man and one woman.

  “You must be Rachelle,” the woman says, holding her hand out. I shake it silently but smile so she knows she’s right. “I’m Corrine; this is Mark. They’ll be our guys on the field but I’ll be the one guiding you through the ropes for now.” Corrine already seems one hundred times better than Melissa but all these new names are confusing me. There’s a reason I chose to study computers: no people, no names.

  I smile a silent hello at the two new agents in the room and let Corrine take notes so I can observe for a while. Once we’re all settled and the door is shut, Mark opens his file and starts the meeting.

  “Let’s get started.”

  *****

  An hour later, Corrine and I are searching national and foreign bank accounts, federal documents, and social media learning everything we can about Chase Anderson. Why am I not surprised the FBI is investigating the CEO of a technology company? On the bright side, Corrine and I have a lot of work to do in the tech department hacking into his accounts and servers. Blake and Brody are acting as investors to get to know Chase and Mark is looking into his top employees.

  By the end of the work day, Corrine and I have barely gained any ground in hacking Chase’s servers. Of course, a tech genius is going to have firewalls at every entrance. I’m exhausted and ready for a drink or two by the time I walk out of the building. Even with my eyes pulsing in my skull, I’d say it’s been a successful first day.

  The one thing I’m still not adjusted to is DC traffic. Public transportation can get me to my place in Virginia so, even though I’d rather drive myself, I resort to buses and subways. The only problem is I hadn’t planned on getting out of work only five minutes before the bus left. It doesn’t seem like a problem, but I’m at least a 10 minute walk from the bus stop, so I’ll have to wait another half hour unless I sprint there. And running is one thing I can’t do.

  I begrudgingly walk the streets of Washington DC, maneuvering my way through rush hour foot traffic. The bus stop is fairly empty – and by empty, I mean I’m surrounded by only half a dozen people. Thankfully, there’s a small coffee shop a few doors down so while I wait my 20 minutes for the next bus, I sit inside the cozy café and order myself a quick snack.

  Coffee isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I thought of drinks after work but it would do until I could get back to my place for the night; there’s a bottle of rose waiting for me at home. It also gives me a little time to relax and unwind from a slightly more stressful day than I expected, especially after being thrown right into a case I didn’t know how to handle.

  The atmosphere around me is surprisingly calm, with only about five other people sitting in the café, almost all of them on laptops or tablets of some sort. I may have studied computer science, but I can’t spend another minute looking at a screen. I had done enough of that at work.

  Unfortunately, I had also learned a lot about Chase Anderson at work. And sitting alone in the café, the ringing of the bell over the door catches my attention and the man I spent the entire day studying waltzes in like he owns the place. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he does.

  I mentally curse myself for choosing to sit near the counter since now I have to walk right past the man to get to the bus stop. And I have to sit at a bus stop in front of a man who could buy the entire bus company. A quick glance at my phone tells me I have five minutes until the bus is scheduled to arrive – which means it’ll probably be closer to 10 minutes – so I stand and bow my head as I walk towards the door. Unfortunately, I’m stopped before I can get there. A tall figure knocks into my shoulder as I start to walk past and what’s left of my coffee falls from my hands and splashes on the floor. Thankfully I had chosen to wear black tights so it’s hardly noticeable but it had also splashed on the black dress pants of the one man I’m not supposed to have any contact with outside of cyber space.

  “I’m so sorry,” I start to say before he cuts me off.

  “No, it was my fault,” he says with a smile. Why is he so happy about spilling coffee? “Please, let me buy you another.”

  “I really don’t need one. I just finished that one and I really need to catch the bus, I’m sorry,” I say quickly, moving to head out the door.

  “Let me give you a ride home then,” he suggests, very adamant about helping me in some way.

  “I don’t even know you,” I laugh lightly.

  He holds his hand out and smirks. “I’m Chase. And you are?”

  My jaw nearly falls open at where this conversation has turned. “Rachelle.” I shake his hand awkwardly before turning to see the bus boarding right outside. “I really need to go now, I’m sorry.”

  Even though I rush out the door and hold my arm out towards the bus driver, he pulls away from the curb right before I can pound on the door for him to let me on. Great. Another half hour of waiting.

  I don’t get much time to pout, though. Chase sidles up beside me with a smug grin. “Can I give you a ride now?”

  *****

  Did he really just ask if he could give me a ride home? I literally just met him. Hell, we haven�
��t even actually met. What is happening right now?

  “I know I’m a grown woman but I still don’t get in cars with strangers,” I say, taking a seat on the now-vacant bench behind us.

  “Well in that case, I’m Chase.” He holds his hand out to me with a smile and since I don’t want to come off as rude, I introduce myself as well. “Do you live in DC?” he asks.

  “No, I actually commute from Virginia. Which is another reason I can’t let you give me a ride. It’s way too far,” I reply.

  He chuckles to himself and shakes his head in amusement, as if he sort of expected this type of exchange. It seems odd to me, though. Chase Anderson has a reputation; I had learned plenty about his personal life while researching him at work. He’s never been married but he has had a different woman on his arm at every charity auction and city event he’s attended. I doubt he expected to be turned down, especially by a woman like me.

  “Then the least I can do is keep you company while you wait for the next bus,” he says with a sincere smile.

  His demeanor makes me smile back and I nod, figuring no harm can come from spending 20 minutes with him.

  Twenty minutes later, I prove myself wrong.

  By the time the bus pulls up, I’ve given Chase my phone number and somehow agreed to have lunch with him the next day. Thankfully, I have a cover story so instead of telling him I work for the FBI, he thinks I work for a small-time IT company with offices less than a block from the J. Edgar Hoover building. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?

  -

  The next morning, my heart is racing when I get to work. I know I’ll have to tell my new team about Chase but I don’t want any unnecessary drama to come from it.

  When Mark’s office comes into view, I take a deep breath and walk straight to his door. He’s sitting at his desk looking over files when I walk in but he seems surprised to see me.

  “Rachelle, is there something I can help you with?” he asks, setting the files back down on his desk.

  “Actually, I think so,” I say quietly. I stay standing, hoping I can get out of the situation quickly instead of sitting to stay. “Yesterday after work, I may have run into Chase Anderson.” Mark’s face remains passive. “And he may have asked for my phone number and we may be going to lunch today.” He almost looks baffled at what I’ve just told him, but I’ll take that over the outrage I expected. “Sir?”

  “Come back to my office before you leave for lunch. We’ll wire you and get as much information as we can.”

  “What? Wired?” I ask. “Sir, I can’t do undercover. I’m just a tech girl.”

  “Not now, you’re not,” he says with a thin-lipped smile. “Now you’re our best lead. Talk to him. Become his friend. Hell, become his girlfriend, for all I care. Whatever it takes to get the truth.”

  I’m frozen in my spot. Whatever it takes to get the truth? What if my safety is compromised? What if he knows I work for the FBI? What if he figures out I’m investigating him? If he really is supplying money to fund foreign arms trade, who’s to say he wouldn’t use those foreign arms to hurt me?

  “Rachelle?” Mark says, snapping me out of my trance. “You can go now.”

  I leave without another word and go straight to the tech room. Corrine is already at our computer when I get there so I boot up and start our search where we left off the day before.

  “Hey, Rachelle,” Corrine smiles. “How’s it going?”

  “I have a date with Chase Anderson today and I’m supposed to wear a wire,” I blurt out. Her eyes go wide but she just nods slowly, probably trying to keep it from getting awkward. Too late.

  “Well in that case, you’ll need something to talk about. Let’s see what you and he have in common.”

  Three hours later, I’m standing in Mark’s office letting him hide a microphone in my shirt and an earpiece in my ear while Corrine rattles off different things Chase and I have in common.

  “You both like football – his favorite team is the Patriots, go figure. He’s donated a lot of money to no-kill animal shelters in his mom’s name, his private Facebook page shows a room with books by James Patterson on the shelves, and his favorite restaurant is, surprisingly, TGIFriday’s.” Everything she is saying has gone right over my head so I just nod to keep her from repeating herself and confusing me even more.

  “You’ll be fine,” Mark says. “Just pretend it’s a normal date. You’re just trying to get to know the guy, okay?”

  I nod again and make my way out of the building to the restaurant we agreed on. It’s only a couple blocks away from work so it’s not worth getting a cab. The short trek gives me time to not only think of conversation starters if things get quiet but also over-hype everything and freak myself out. It’s just a date. It’s just a date. It’s. Just. A. Date.

  Even walking four blocks, I show up to the restaurant five minutes early to find Chase also waiting for me outside. He’s wearing a navy blue suit with no tie and the first few buttons of his shirt undone. Something about his style combined with his messy hair and grown-out stubble works for me. He looks damn fine.

  “Hey,” he smiles, engulfing me in a hug and pressing a kiss to my cheek. “How’s it going? Did you get home safe last night?”

  “I’m here in one piece, aren’t I?” I laugh.

  “Point taken,” he smiles. He seems so carefree and sweet; I find it hard to believe he could be sending money to terrorists.

  Could be, as if anyone other than me actually doubts that.

  “How much time do you have for lunch?” he asks. That’s when the first sound breaks through my earpiece.

  “As much time as you need,” Mark says.

  “As much time as you want,” I say.

  “Good,” he nods, opening the door and gesturing me inside. It’s not a fancy place, casual enough for a first date – or whatever the hell is happening. Chase rests his hand on my lower back and leads me to a table towards the middle of the room. He even pulls my chair out for me. If there’s anything I’ve learned from the movies, it’s always the charming ones who are harboring a secret.

  The server comes over for our order and we’re stuck making small talk for about 15 minutes before our food shows up. All those conversation starters I had wracked my brain to come up with have suddenly vanished and I’m left in my seat just smiling at him and relying on him to start conversation.

  “You’re in tech, right?” he asks. I nod. “What made you want to go into that?”

  Oh boy, is he ready for this story? “My brother is a lawyer in Chicago and my sister married the tight end for the Bears. I used to sell insurance but about five years ago I decided I wanted to do something worth noting, you know? Something my mom could brag to her friends about. I know computer science isn’t really at the top of the list, but it’s better than insurance.”

  “So you went back to school? That’s cool. I respect that.”

  This makes me smile – until Mark speaks up in my ear.

  “Ask him what he does. Pretend you have no idea who he is.”

  I internally roll my eyes but keep my smile. “What about you? What do you do?”

  “I actually own a tech company. Not like the kind you work for,” he says, shaking his head. “We’re more like Apple and Microsoft. We create the tech.”

  “And I fix the tech,” I laugh.

  “Thanks for that, by the way,” he laughs with me.

  This is going way too well. I haven’t been on a first date in a while but this is definitely the easiest I’ve ever had. Maybe he knows. Maybe that’s why he started talking to me.

  “Ask him something about his work,” Mark demands. “Keep him talking. We need more.”

  I clear my throat to give myself an extra second to think. “So…” Blank. My mind is blank. “Um, do you like football?” Mark grumbles in my ear and I’m mentally punching myself for sounding like an idiot the way I asked that.

  “Yeah, I do,” Chase replies easily. “I grew up in Boston so
I’m a Patriots fan.”

  “Me too!” I respond excitedly. Thankfully it’s genuine excitement. I knew he liked the Patriots before this but I love talking about football. “I was born and raised in Chicago so I was supposed to like the Bears but then I started watching football on my own and loved the Pats.” Oh god, I’m rambling.

  “Maybe we’ll have to go to a game sometime,” he suggests.

  “Say yes,” Mark interrupts.

  “Yeah, that’d be awesome,” I smile.

  Our food comes out and cuts our conversation short but we manage to keep a little conversation going while we eat, at least until Mark speaks up again. “Okay, plan another date and get back here.”

  I wish I could tell him to calm down but I have a feeling that would definitely tip Chase off. Mark’s incessant whining for me to “just leave” continues as I carry on the conversation with Chase. Finally, he insists on paying the bill and we leave.

  “Are you busy this Friday?” Chase asks when we step back onto the street.

  “I don’t think so. Why?”

  “Do you want to come over to my place when you get off work?” His place? Already?

  As much as I want to just recommend seeing a movie or something, Mark is practically screaming in my ear so I smile and reply, “Sure. It should be fun. Do you want me to just meet you at your office?”

  “Yeah. I’ll text you the address.” And with that, he gives me a quick hug and we go our separate ways.

  *****

  When I get back to the office, Mark is already on the move. He tugs me into his office with Brody, Blake, and Corrine. Corrine is the only person besides Mark who knows I went to lunch with Chase so seeing the other two react should be interesting. We all take a seat before Mark starts lecturing like a principal punishing his students.

  “Rachelle is going on another date with Chase this Friday,” he starts. Brody and Blake immediately perk up and start asking questions, but Mark quiets them down with a single look. “I want one person outside his place the entire time she’s there. We won’t have you wired but you will need to gain a little ground, okay?”