by S. E. Smith
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded menu that Makayla had given him in the car. He quickly scanned the information she had written down. A swift shaft of admiration shot through him at the details she had placed into categories, as if she were documenting information on a new species of marine life she had discovered.
His gaze froze on the sketch of the man she had drawn. Picking up the paper, he studied the face. She had gone into great detail on the man’s eyes. He reached for his phone and snapped a picture of the image. Airdropping it to his account, he quickly accessed the databases he needed. Clicking and dragging the image, he dropped it into the search, he pressed the enter key. He minimized the screen while the facial recognition program ran and brought up another image, one that he had been working on late this afternoon.
His lips tightened when his phone buzzed. Picking it up, he slid his fingers across the screen. He held the phone to his ear and waited.
“No change,” the voice stated.
“Increase security. No one who hasn’t been cleared goes in or out of his room,” Brian instructed, rising from the couch and walking over to the window.
“Already done. Have you found out anything?” The voice on the other end asked.
“Another incident came up that may be connected,” Brian said, glancing at his computer screen. “I’m following a new lead.”
“Report your findings as soon as you can confirm,” the voice replied. “You are the only field agent assigned to this case now.”
“Affirmative,” Brian said in a toneless voice and disconnected the call.
Returning to the couch, he sat down and stared at the grainy image of Gabriel Harrington and an older man – a man who he knew all too well. His gaze moved down to Harrington’s left hand that was partially hidden inside one of the canvas bags that Henry Summerlin was holding while his right hand kept Henry still.
Brian lowered the screen when he heard the soft ping from the search he had been running. Pulling up the screen, he stared into the face of a young man – a young Chinese officer named Cheng Li Zhang. Brian clicked on the image. There was little information except for his possible date of birth; he had been in an orphanage until the age of nine, and the brief listing of his service record. What drew Brian’s attention was Zhang’s listed date of death. He clicked on it. Zhang was listed as having been killed when the helicopter carrying ten other men and him had crashed during a training mission. There were no survivors.
Brian closed the lid of the laptop when he heard a faint whimper. Rising up off the couch, he strode back across the living room. He paused outside of the bedroom door, his hand on the doorknob while his other hand pressed against the doorframe. Once again, a soft whimper sounded on the other side.
Twisting the door handle, he quietly pushed open the door and glanced toward the bed. Makayla was sitting up with her hands over her face and her hair falling forward to frame her face. She was breathing heavily and the bed sheets were twisted around her.
Brian walked across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, grabbing Makayla’s right hand when it shot out. A reluctant smile tugged at his lips at her wide-eyed expression. He reached up with his other hand and ran it tenderly across her cheek.
“You’re safe,” he promised, gently rubbing her cheek with his thumb.
“I was in the water again, only this time I couldn’t swim to the top,” she whispered, blinking several times to clear her vision. “I dreamed the bullet hit me.”
“Shush,” Brian murmured, shifting so he could pull her closer to him. “You’re safe.”
“What if they’ve killed him, Brian?” Makayla asked in a broken voice. “He’s just an ornery old man. Henry wouldn’t hurt anyone. What do they want with him?”
“I don’t know,” Brian said. “But, I’ll do everything I can to find out. I promise, Makayla.”
Makayla leaned her head against his shoulder and released a shuddering breath before she slowly lay back against the pillows, suddenly exhausted again. She knew part of it was because she was still suffering from jet lag, but the other part was just the emotional drain. Still, she didn’t want to be alone.
“Brian, will you hold me?” She whispered, staring up at him.
Brian’s throat tightened with emotion. He knew it took a lot for Makayla to admit that she didn’t want to be alone, that she needed to be held – that she was feeling vulnerable. This was something he knew would be difficult for Makayla. The glimpse of her vulnerability and her hesitant plea only made his need to comfort her stronger.
He motioned for her to slide over and pulled back the covers. He kicked off his shoes and slid under the covers, pulling them up over the two of them and tucking the sides, making sure that Makayla was covered before he wrapped his arm around her when she turned her back to him. Bending forward, he pressed a kiss to the back of her head.
“What happened to you?” Makayla whispered, staring out the window. “When I saw you get out of the car…. What you did…. You’ve changed.”
“I know,” Brian replied in a soft voice, his arm tightening around her. “A lot… A lot has happened since I left three years ago.”
“You don’t just work for the Consulate, do you?” Makayla guessed, turning to look at him.
Brian was silent for several long minutes. He was torn between telling her the truth or denying it. He did work for the Consulate, just not in the way she thought.
“It’s complicated,” he admitted. “I do work for the Consulate, but there are some things I do that I’m not at liberty to talk about.”
Makayla’s lips curved in a rueful smile. “Guns, driving like a professional driver, confronting bad guys, works for the government… Secret Service type moves,” she murmured, staring at him.
“Not Secret Service, those guys work for the White House,” Brian chuckled.
The smile died on Makayla’s lips and she looked at him with a solemn expression. He could feel his stomach clench and he groaned. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“More like spy stuff then,” she whispered.
“Spies? No, not spies,” he replied with a sigh.
“Intelligence,” she asked with a smothered yawn.
“Did anyone ever say you are a very tenacious person?” Brian groaned.
“I’ve watched enough movies to understand when things aren’t what they seem. I also know who you were before you left,” she said, rolling back over to face the window. “You don’t have to say, but I’ll figure it out.”
“I know you will. I just want to keep you safe,” Brian whispered, staring out the window at the falling rain. “Get some rest. Tomorrow is probably going to be a long day.”
“A Kingsman,” she muttered sleepily.
Brian softly chuckled. “They were British,” he said.
“It was still a good movie,” she retorted in a barely audible voice.
It took almost ten minutes before he felt Makayla’s body relax and she fell into a light sleep. He lay with his arm wrapped tightly around her. The feel of her in his arms and the sweet smell of her hair was a poignant reminder of all that he had pushed away three years ago.
His friendship with Makayla had gradually grown into something more – something richer and more precious – after her and Tyrell’s fateful voyage. Like millions of other people, he had been caught up in the Voyage of the Defiance as it had become known. It was the voyage of two young people searching for who they were on a journey between life and almost certain death when they were caught in a late season hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Once again, Makayla had defied death – a fact that wasn’t lost on Brian. His arm tightened around her waist and he pressed another kiss against her hair.
He had followed their journey on social media, mesmerized by the story that was unfolding. Tyrell Richards, a classmate of Makayla’s, had almost proved the saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’ when he had decided to explore Henry Summerlin’s sailboat and then fallen asleep on it. What Tyr
ell hadn’t known was that Makayla was in the process of stealing the sailboat to sail from Fort Pierce, Florida to Tampa, via the Straits of Florida – not a smart move for a land-loving, non-swimmer.
Tyrell, being Tyrell, had decided to complete the classroom assignment the teacher had given them. It had been one of those group assignments that meant if they both didn’t participate and turn it in, they both failed the assignment and more than likely the class. Tyrell had been desperate to make good enough grades to earn a scholarship.
He decided he would focus on Makayla and his own life since there weren’t any other options. Of course, Makayla being Makayla, she hadn’t given Tyrell much choice since she refused to turn back. She told Tyrell he could either sail with her or learn how to doggie paddle back to shore.
Tyrell’s humorous but heartfelt stories, videos, and pictures had captured the hearts of millions when it went viral, much to Makayla’s chagrin. During the journey, a rare and lasting friendship had formed between Makayla and Tyrell. Their friendship had later fired a jealousy inside Brian he didn’t know he was capable of feeling, and had eventually driven a wedge between Makayla and himself.
A sigh of regret escaped him. The combination of his being three years older than Makayla and her being away at college hadn’t helped. They had spent one amazing summer together after she had finished high school, but the pressures of his new job, her leaving for college, and a mysterious weekend with Tyrell that she refused to talk about, had eventually boiled over into a heated fight and he had walked away. He didn’t find out until later – from Tyrell of all people – that Tyrell had been engaged to be married and his fiancée had taken off with his older brother. The incident had left Tyrell stunned, deeply hurt, and in need of a friend who could nurse him through a severe hangover and listen to him unload his anger without judging him.
His life had become more complicated in the last three years. He reluctantly pulled his arm from around her and carefully slid out of the bed. She had fallen into a deep, exhausted sleep. He tucked the covers around her again before he bent to pick up his shoes. Walking to the door, he pulled it open and stepped out once more. He needed to find the connection between Henry Summerlin, Gabriel Harrington, and a dead Chinese soldier. There was too much at stake to let emotions get in the way, but Brian knew it would be impossible now for that not to happen. He had known it the moment he had seen Makayla in the market. This assignment had just become personal.
11
Makayla sleepily blinked and stared out the window with a frown. She rolled over onto her back and turned her head. It took a moment for her to remember where she was and why. Pushing herself up, she glanced down at her wrinkled T-shirt. She was still dressed in her jeans and T-shirt. She glanced around the bedroom and saw her sweater draped across a chair that was in the corner.
She lifted a hand and brushed her hair back from her face, grimacing when her fingers caught in a knot. Shoving the covers aside, she slid out of bed before quickly making it. She walked over to the chair and picked up her sweater before walking to the door and opening it. In the other room, she could hear Brian talking to someone in Cantonese.
A moment later he was turning to look at her. Her gaze shifted from his face to his hands where he was holding a bag with a well-known logo plastered across it. Her lips twitched and she raised an eyebrow at him.
“Old Navy?” She asked in a voice still husky from sleep.
Brian smiled at her and nodded. “I thought you might like to take a shower and change into some fresh clothes. I had a friend pick them up for me. I didn’t want to leave you here alone,” he explained. “I had her pick up some toiletries as well.”
“What kind of friend?” Makayla asked before she could bite her tongue. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”
“Makayla,” Brian said, stepping forward and grabbing her hand when she started to turn away. “…My-seventy-two-year-old-neighbor-that-lives-across-the-hall-and-likes-to-mother-me-whenever-she-can-get-away-with-it kind of friend,” he added in a soft voice. “Here, I’ll fix us some breakfast while you get a shower.”
Makayla stared at Brian for several long seconds before she reached out and took the bag he was holding out. A confused frown creased her brow as she looked back at him. Shaking her head, she looked away.
“You’re different,” she admitted, turning to gaze at him again.
“I’ve grown up a lot since I last saw you,” he said, reaching up and touching her cheek.
“I have, too,” she confessed.
Brian shook his head. “You were always what Mrs. Leu would call an old soul, Makayla. It is one of the things I always loved about you,” he confessed before he dropped his hand and turned away. “Go get your shower.”
“Yes, sir,” Makayla retorted with a roll of her eyes before she could stop herself.
Brian’s low chuckle told her that he hadn’t missed the irritation in her response at being told what to do. Makayla’s lips curved upward and she slowly walked to the bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she turned the lock and began to undress.
She didn’t take long in the shower. She washed her hair, thankful that Mrs. Leu had been thoughtful enough to purchase a bottle of conditioner as well as the shampoo. Rinsing, she turned off the shower and reached for the towel. She quickly dried off and slipped into the clothes that had been in the bag. She was impressed that everything fit, including the lingerie.
A smile tugged at her lips when she saw the brush and a new toothbrush and toothpaste at the bottom of the bag. She brushed her teeth, then brushed her hair out and braided it. Feeling more in control, she replaced the items in the bag. She would need to find out how much Brian had spent so she could reimburse him.
She opened the door and sniffed in appreciation when her stomach growled. Exiting the bathroom, she hurried across to the bedroom. She deposited the bag containing her dirty clothes and the toiletries by the door before grabbing her cell phone off the night stand. A soft groan escaped her when she saw that she had missed several calls from Helen Woo. She also needed to charge it.
She glanced around for her purse. Spying it on the chair along with her rain slicker, she grabbed it before heading out of the bedroom to the kitchen. Her footsteps slowed when Brian turned with the skillet in his hands and gave her a look that caused a light flush of pleasure to sweep through her before she glanced away.
“Thank you again for the clothes. They fit perfectly,” she murmured, walking over to the bar and sliding onto one of the bar stools. “Do you have a place where I can plug this in?” She asked, holding up her cell phone.
“Sure, let me finish this and I’ll get you an adaptor,” he said, spooning some of the eggs onto a plate in front of her. “You liked them scrambled with cheese, right?”
“Yes,” Makayla replied, watching him.
“Coffee or tea?” He asked, turning away to place the frying pan back on the stove after dumping the rest of the eggs on a plate for him.
“Tea,” Makayla replied. “I’m still not much of a coffee drinker despite Henry’s insistence that there is no other drink in the world – well, besides, rum and beer.”
Brian chuckled. “I remember drinking all of that with him, and more,” he replied, plugging an adaptor into the wall and taking the cord she was holding out.
“I need to call Detective Woo,” Makayla said, plugging her phone into the cord. “I forgot when everything that happened after….”
A shudder ran through her and she closed her eyes for a moment. Her eyelashes fluttered when she felt a warm hand on her chin. She opened her eyes and looked into Brian’s warm, serious gaze.
“We’ll find him,” Brian promised, releasing her chin when she nodded. “Let’s eat while the food is still hot, and then you can call Detective Woo. A few extra minutes won’t make much difference.”
“Okay,” Makayla replied, turning her phone off and setting it aside. She picked up her fork, no longer hungry, but knowing she needed to eat. �
�I should probably call Uncle Jason and Mom and let them know what has happened. I just hate to worry them. There isn’t anything they can do, but I think they should know what is going on.”
Brian shook his head and his face hardened into the mask that she had seen last night when he had jumped out of the car. It was the face of a Brian that she didn’t know. She raised the fork filled with the cheesy scrambled eggs to her mouth and took a bite, forcing her jaw to chew it before she swallowed.
“I think you should wait. No sense worrying them yet. We can find out what Detective Woo has discovered before we make a decision,” he responded in a lighter tone. “Why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to since I last saw you?”
There were three things that Makayla recognized immediately. Primarily that Brian had changed from the carefree guy that she had known in the past, that he had used the word ‘we’ in reference to himself and her like they were a couple, and that he could change the subject with a skill that showed he was used to commanding a situation. The last observation took her back to the first one – Brian was different.
Makayla tried to pinpoint what was throwing her off balance about him. She glanced up at him and flushed when she saw that he was still waiting for her to tell him about her life. That was when what was different about him hit her – hard. There was an air of danger clinging to him now. Shocked, she lowered her eyes to her plate and stared down at the buttered toast.
“Not much, just school,” she finally said, wondering what to do next. “You know I had opted for dual-enrollment, so I had my Associates Degree by the time I graduated from High School. I took as many classes as they would let me at the University of Florida and finished my Bachelor’s degree in a year and a half after that. I started on my Master’s degree and finished that six months ago. I’ve been taking classes toward my Ph.D. since then. It helped that some of the internships I’ve done have gone toward my degree requirements and I’ve received some very positive support from the scientists I’ve worked with,” she said with a shrug. “I should be done in another year and a half. I would have been finished earlier, but I have taken various breaks to sail with Henry, this time from Hong Kong to Hawaii.”