Agent by Her Side

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  Cooper suddenly looked down to the notepad he’d been doodling on. A line of little hearts decorated the page, Kiely’s name and his block printed in the center. Feeling foolish again, Cooper shook his head. He was grateful Kiely hadn’t witnessed his adolescent behavior. Then again, he thought, maybe it was exactly what he needed to break the ice and open the conversation about what he was feeling. Tearing the top sheet of paper from the pad, he folded it in half and slid it into the back pocket of his jeans.

  Chapter 9

  Kiely stood in the spray of hot water, allowing it to rain down over her shoulders. It trickled over her breasts and puddled beneath her feet. The body wash smelled of Japanese cherry blossoms, the delicate scent one of her favorites. She lathered herself from head to toe and then stood beneath the water to rinse it away. She was grateful for the moment, enjoying the quiet.

  It had been a busy afternoon. Alfie had been on overload times ten. From the moment he’d woken from his nap, he had called her name over, and over again. Ki-Ki! Ki-Ki! Ki-Ki! It had sounded like a mantra for preschoolers. Being able to take the child outside to run and play had been a godsend. His energy was abundant and Kiely joked that if she could find a way to bottle and sell it, it would make them millions. Cooper had joined them and they had stomped through the woods, thrown leaves and hiked the trails behind the property. Alfie’s laugh had been infectious and Kiely had had the best time.

  Before they’d known it, it had been time for dinner. It had taken no time at all to toss the chicken she had marinated into the oven and to prepare a salad. Mashed garlic potatoes rounded out the meal. Both Cooper and Alfie had eaten heartily, the fresh air and outdoor activities triggering their appetites. Brownies topped with vanilla ice cream had been the perfect dessert. After his bath and thirty minutes of playing in the bubbles, Alfie had gone right to sleep. Once he was down for the night, Kiely had stolen a few minutes for herself, the hot shower feeling like heaven.

  Her fingers and toes were shriveled when she finally stepped out of the glass enclosure and cut off the water. She felt like new money. Every muscle was relaxed and her skin was glowing. Her Japanese cherry blossom lotion was the last layer before a few spritzes of body spray. For ten minutes Kiely debated which pair of panties to wear and then she had to question why. This wasn’t a date and she was acting like Cooper was taking her dining and dancing. Kiely was excited about spending time with him as if they hadn’t just spent the entire day together. Feeling like a teen with her first crush, Kiely was struggling not to act like one.

  Kiely dropped down against the corner of the bed, a heavy sigh blowing past her lips. There had been men in her life before Cooper. Men she had liked and men she was still friendly with. There were one or two who were friends with benefits, only calling on each other when there was no one else in their lives to satisfy those intimate urges. Calling on them when battery-powered Bob wasn’t enough. But Kiely couldn’t say that she had ever been in love with any man because she’d been fearful of failing herself the way she’d seen her parents fail each other. She didn’t want to trust her heart and have her heart be disappointed. She didn’t want to be her mother, putting a man first while losing herself in the process. Her life was simpler without a relationship and Kiely always chose simple when the opportunity presented itself. Men complicated things; her feelings, her time, her head. Men disrupted her flow and made her second-guess her own wants and dreams as she tried to navigate theirs. Keeping all men at arm’s length, far from her heart, protected her.

  But there was something about Cooper that had her letting her guard down. Something grounded and comfortable. Though she considered him a friend that something had her wanting more and imagining the possibilities had her completely discombobulated. Everything about their situation was foreign to her. Had anyone told her she’d be playing mommy and acting like a wife she would have told them they were lying. It surprised her how easily she had slid into the roles and how much she was enjoying them. Alfie had stolen her heart, but truth be told, so had his father.

  * * *

  Cooper was sitting on the sectional, playing with the television remote. A second helping of brownie and ice cream sat in a bowl on the coffee table. He’d also opened a bottle of wine and had poured them both a glass. He stopped to stare as she moved toward him, his eyes skating up and down the length of her body. Awe painted his expression and Kiely suddenly liked how she saw herself in his eyes.

  She pointed at his bowl. “Really, Cooper?”

  “It’s all your fault. You’re an amazing cook and you keep making these incredible desserts to tempt me. What else can I do?”

  Kiely laughed. She moved to the kitchen. Her laugh faded quickly. “That was the last brownie! How many have you eaten?”

  “Just grab another spoon. I’ll share!”

  “Yes, you will,” she said as she pulled a utensil from the drawer and moved back to the sectional to sit with him. She swiped two bites of brownie before she scooted up to sit beside him. “So, any news on Gunther?”

  “Your boyfriend Tripp and I are playing phone tag. I’ll try him again in the morning.”

  “My boyfriend Tripp? You’re funny!”

  “I saw how he was looking at you.”

  “And how was that?”

  “The way he’s always winking his eye at you and that smirk on his face. I’m sure I don’t have to explain it to you.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head, “you really do.”

  “I can’t explain it. It was just inappropriate.”

  “You really are funny! That man is not interested in me and I am not interested in him.”

  “You sure about that?”

  Kiely changed the subject abruptly. “The night the bombs went off you were about to say something to me.”

  Cooper paused and his cheeks suddenly flushed a bright shade of red. “Was I? I don’t recall...”

  “You recall,” Kiely laughed.

  “Has anyone told you that you can be slightly intimidating?”

  “I intimidate you?”

  “No! Not me! But I’m sure...well...” He suddenly stammered and then he laughed.

  Kiely giggled with him. “I can’t believe you’re tongue-tied.”

  Cooper tossed up his hands. “You do that to me.”

  “Do what?”

  “You know what.”

  “How long are we going to play this game?”

  “As long as it takes for me not to make a complete and total fool out of myself. I don’t know how to do this anymore.” He suddenly looked exasperated.

  Kiely shifted her body closer, settling into his body heat. She hooked her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Tell me what it was you were going to say before that madwoman on the motorcycle interrupted us.”

  Cooper sighed, a soft breath of air blowing past his lips. “Before we were so rudely blown out of the moment, I was trying to tell you how I was feeling.”

  “And how were you feeling?” Kiely asked.

  * * *

  Cooper hesitated, trying to choose his words carefully. He cut his eye at her, holding his breath deep in his lungs. He suddenly felt completely out of his depth and he knew it showed.

  Kiely spun her body around to face him, sitting with her legs crossed lotus style. “You like me, don’t you?” She met his stare, a hint of mischief shimmering in her eyes.

  Her expression made him smile. “Yeah, I do. I like you a lot.”

  She tapped his leg gently with her hand. “I like you, too, Cooper.”

  His smile pulled into a full grin. “You do?”

  “Why does that surprise you?”

  “Because I don’t get the impression that there are too many people you actually like.”

  Kiely laughed. “So now you have jokes!”

  Cooper laughed with her. He took another deep breat
h, his expression turning serious. “I know this whole situation with us has been awkward.”

  “It’s been interesting. Maybe not ideal, but it’s felt pretty darn special.”

  “That’s one way to look at it.”

  Cooper reached for her hand and held it, studying her fingers. She had the hands of a piano player, he thought. Her fingers were long, her nails cut short and manicured with a light coat of pale pink polish.

  “Are you interested in a relationship, Cooper?” Kiely was eyeing him intently. Watching him as he was watching her.

  “After Sara died, I’d sworn off any kind of relationship. I’d pretty much given up on love. But yeah, since you and I have been getting to know each other, I’m very interested in seeing where we can go from here. But can I be honest with you?”

  “I would hope you wouldn’t have to ask. I expect honesty, Cooper. I don’t ever want to be lied to.”

  He gave her a nod of his head. “This scares me, Kiely. I was never any good at dating. And I’m sure if she were here, my wife would tell you that I wasn’t great at marriage either. I just don’t want you to move forward thinking I have a clue about how to do this.”

  “Well, the way I figure it, we can stress over it or we can just make it up as we go along. And I don’t stress out over anything,” Kiely said softly.

  “You really are an amazing woman, Kiely Colton.”

  “Yes, I am, and you’ll have to work hard to earn me.”

  Cooper chuckled. “I just knew you were going to be high maintenance!”

  The conversation was suddenly interrupted as Alfie came scampering across the room in their direction. Kiely’s eyes widened as she tossed Cooper a look. “Alfie! Are you okay?”

  “Want my Ki-Ki!” he exclaimed as he climbed onto the sectional and into Kiely’s lap. “Where you go, Ki-Ki?”

  Kiely hugged him. “Kiely’s right here, sweetie. Why are you awake?”

  “Did he climb out of the crib?” Cooper said, still looking stunned.

  “You didn’t know he could climb out?”

  “You mean this wasn’t his first time?”

  She laughed, giving Alfie a tickle. “Your daddy is so silly!”

  Alfie giggled. “Silly, Dad-dy!”

  Cooper leaned forward to kiss his son’s cheek. And then he pressed his lips to Kiely’s cheek, the kiss lingering until Alfie pushed him away.

  “No kiss my Ki-Ki, Dad-dy. Dat my Ki-Ki!”

  * * *

  Cooper noticed he and Kiely were working well together, playing easily off each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This dynamic give-and-take allowed them to discover more about each other as they continued to research the case. The friendship that had blossomed was full and thick. Their time together felt as natural as breathing and both found themselves wishing that it would never have to end. Conversation was sometimes intense and sometimes nonsensical. Laughter was abundant as they realized they were more alike than they were different.

  When Cooper and Tripp finally connected, the call coming in the early evening two days later, Kiely excused herself from the room, heading back upstairs to check on Alfie. They exchanged smiles and Cooper winked his eye at her.

  “Only my boyfriend does that,” she said smugly as she pointed to the phone and the call that was on hold.

  Cooper laughed. “I deserved that!”

  “Yes, you did.”

  She waved her hand at him. “I’ll be upstairs with the baby,” she said, disappearing from his sight.

  Cooper reached for the telephone receiver. “Tripp, hello! Sorry to keep you holding.”

  “It’s not a problem. I’m glad we’ve finally caught up with each other. There’s a lot I need to fill you in on. You want the good news or the bad news?”

  “It’s like that?”

  “Why don’t I just start with the good news. We’ve got a name!” Tripp said excitedly.

  “Gunther came through?”

  “Not before asking for a down pillow and cashmere blanket to go with everything else he wanted.”

  “That guy’s a real piece of work.”

  “That he is. I just emailed you the report. According to him, the man behind Capital X is named Tate Greer.”

  Cooper frowned. Tate Greer? The name was familiar but he wasn’t sure where he’d heard it before. “What do we know about him?”

  “That’s it, right now. He’s been running under the radar for a while. He’s got no rap sheet. Not even a parking ticket. He’s squeaky clean. Almost too clean.”

  “Are we sure the name’s not an alias?”

  “We’re not sure of anything at the moment, but from everything Gunther told us, he’s bad news: racketeering, fraud, embezzlement, solicitation and possibly a murder or two. He personally ordered the assault on Brody Higgins and all the others. I sent you Gunther’s signed statement. Once he started talking we couldn’t get him to shut up. He was crooning like a stuck canary.”

  Cooper had scrolled through a lengthy list of email messages and was printing off the documents that Tripp had sent. “This is good news. Good work, Lieutenant.”

  “Couldn’t have done it without you, Agent. I don’t know what you said to him, but he’s not interested in ever seeing you again.” Tripp laughed.

  “What’s the bad news?”

  Tripp sighed. “We’ve had another death. The coroner is attributing it to the ricin-laced RevitaYou product. The mayor is on a rampage. He wants Landon Street caught and caught yesterday.”

  “Damn,” Cooper cussed. He suddenly felt like he was losing traction with the case. “I really need to get back to my office,” he said. “I’m limited in what I can do remotely.”

  “I get it,” Tripp said. “But when you do come back you’re going to be able to hit the ground running. You’ll be well rested, healed and ready to kick ass. Meanwhile just do what you can do. We’ll keep you in the loop here and call on you when we need you.”

  “Thank you,” Cooper said, suddenly feeling bad about the names he’d called the man in his head. He realized they might actually be good friends one day and when that day came, he looked forward to laughing with him about his assumptions about Tripp and Kiely. “I’d like to buy you a beer when we close this case.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” Tripp said. He continued. “My office also sent you the forensics report from the bombing at your property. It was a nondescript pipe bomb. There was nothing about it that we could connect to anyone already in our database. But we’re not giving up.”

  “I appreciate that.” And Cooper did, but it wasn’t lost on him that they were no closer to finding the woman who’d taken his son than when they’d started. Which meant Alfie was still at risk.

  The two men agreed to talk again later in the week after Cooper was able to read through all the reports. After disconnecting the call, he sat back in his seat, his mind racing. There was information he still needed and he began making a list of orders for his team at the agency. Even though he couldn’t be there, he knew how to delegate well.

  Finding Wes Matthews and his cohort Landon Street was at the top of his to-do list. He added the unknown woman who’d kidnapped Alfie and bombed his car. And now there was Tate Greer. Something told him the three men were connected. He needed to figure out how. And his instincts were shouting that the woman who had taken his son was a lone wolf and not necessarily doing the bidding of any one man. So, what was her connection to him and why his son?

  Alfie suddenly called him from the top of the stairs. “Dad-dy! Dad-dy!”

  Cooper called back. “Yes, son? What’s wrong, baby?”

  “Me and Ki-Ki making cookies!” he exclaimed excitedly. The pitter-patter of his little feet running back to the kitchen echoed after him.

  Cooper smiled. Alfie and Kiely were definitely a thing. He had high hopes that if all c
ontinued to go well, he and Kiely would be a thing, too.

  * * *

  Hours later Alfie was down for the night and he and Kiely were enjoying cups of hot chocolate laced with bourbon and the white chocolate cranberry cookies she and Alfie had made. This was quickly becoming his favorite time of day, when he and Kiely sat side by side, their conversation easy. Sometimes they talked and sometimes they didn’t. This night Kiely was scrolling through her iPad reading recipes while he watched some Jimmy Kimmel special on the television.

  “I had a good conversation with Tripp,” Cooper said, when she finally laid the iPad down.

  “That’s good.”

  “The case is...”

  “Let’s not talk about the case. Not tonight. We’ve been working the case all day and I need to take a step back from it. Please.”

  Cooper met the look she was giving him with one of his own. He nodded. “That’s fine.”

  “Did you take your meds?”

  “No. I actually feel good. I haven’t needed a pain pill all day.”

  “That’s good. You may want to take one before you go to bed to ensure you rest well.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Wanna play a game?” Kiely questioned.

  Cooper grinned. “A game?”

  “Twenty questions. We ask each other ten questions and each has to be answered. No shirking off an answer because you don’t like what was asked.”

  Cooper eyed her curiously. His gaze narrowed just a smidge. “Why does this feel like it’s going to get me in trouble?”

  “I guess that all depends on your answers,” Kiely said with a warm laugh.

  He sat upright. “Okay, I’m game to play.”

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  “My favorite color? My favorite color is green.”

  “Okay, your turn.”

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  “You can’t ask the same question.”

  “Why not? I want to know the answer.”