Die Again To Save Tomorrow (Die Again to Save the World Book 2)

by Ramy Vance

  With that, he left.

  Rueben shook his head at her. “You handle him well.”

  “I’ve worked closely enough with him for a while. The trick is to make him think you have everything handled and play to his ego from time to time.”

  “Good tips. He scares the hell out of me.”

  She laughed. “He’s not so bad once you get to know him. He tries to play the old-school spy games, but he’s too much of a softie to pull them off.”

  Rueben raised an eyebrow. Sven pulled off the spy games successfully when he was around.

  She pulled up the website for The Waterfall and whistled when she saw it. “This place is nice.”

  Indeed it was. Amidst a backdrop of a tranquil waterfall, there were picturesque bridges and floral arrangements. A pavilion with wood floors offered dance space and seating, and photos of past weddings showed the place decked out in silk, beads, and lace.

  Rueben winced. “They’ll let us do an impromptu wedding there?”

  She picked up the phone. “Of course they will.” Aki dialed the number with one manicured finger and coyly smiled when someone answered. “I need to book a wedding.”

  Rueben overheard the man through the phone line. “I’m sorry, ma’am, our reservation desk is closed for the evening. I’m only at the office because we’re so booked up and behind schedule. Yep. Booked clear with appointments for the next few weeks, I’m afraid.”

  Aki laughed. “Uh, I mean I need to book a wedding now.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t—”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Uh, I’m Glen, but the reservation manager is—”

  “Glen, Glen, I don’t think we quite understand each other.”

  “Uh, okay.”

  She changed her voice to a sultry tone. “What can you do for me…say…first thing in the morning?”

  “Well, I…uh…”

  “Come on, Glen, you can do it for me.”

  Rueben listened as the conversation turned. By the end of it, they had a wedding appointment for 10:30 the next morning.

  As soon as she got off the phone in victory, he applauded her. “So, what do we do now?”

  “Well, that’s the best part. Now we go home and announce our engagement.”

  Rueben gulped. “Right.”

  It was dark by the time Rueben and Aki left. They got back in her Porsche, and she programmed his address into her GPS.

  He felt a little nervous taking her to his humble home, but she had already met Marshall, so what else could he be afraid of? He called Marshall to make sure he would be home.

  Marshall was as gruff as usual when he answered the phone. “Yeah?”

  “Hey, Dad. I’m on my way home from work. I wanted to make sure you were going to be there.”

  “Yeah. What of it? You’re not coming home from jail again, are you?”

  “No, Dad. I wanted to talk to you. Make sure you were there.”

  “Talk? We’re talking right now. What do you want?”

  “It’s not that kind of talk. I’ll see you when I get home.”

  “Tell me now. Did you get fired or something?”

  “No, nothing like that. Look, I’ll see you in a few.”

  Rueben ended the call and shook his head. “I hope you’re ready for this. It isn’t going to be easy.”

  Aki threw her head back. “I love it. This kind of stuff is the reason I became an agent.”

  “What? Dealing with half-senile old coots?”

  “No, playing roles. You know, I wanted to be an actress when I was younger.”

  “I did not know that about you.”

  “I can’t believe I didn’t tell you that in one of our ‘forgotten’ timelines you warped back from.”

  “You did not.”

  “Yeah, I was a theater student in school. Pretty good at it. But there’s no future in acting unless you make it big in Hollywood. So, I ended up here. This is the part I love. Being undercover.” She winked and took his hand. “With my new husband.”

  He gulped at that last part, and she laughed. “We have to get our story straight. How did you propose?”

  “Uh…don’t make me be cheesy, with the pathway full of rose petals and the wine and all of that.”

  She laughed. “Come on, you’re not a romantic, huh?”

  Oh, geez. That was the wrong thing to say. “No, it’s not that, I just…”

  He wanted to say that his feelings for her were too real and that he didn’t dare entertain all of these ideas.

  “Okay, so how did you propose to Rachel?”

  “Rachel?” Rueben didn’t remember ever telling Aki about his ex-fiancée.

  “Yeah. I’ve done my research on you.”

  “You pulled my record at the CIA?”

  Aki rolled her eyes at him. “No. Facebook.”

  “Oh. Right. So you want to know how I proposed to her”

  Aki nodded interestedly.

  “Let’s see. It was so cliché. We did a picnic in the park, and I got down on one knee, and I asked her there. Not very creative. Marshall would remember that story.”

  “Okay, let’s make it fun. You proposed on the way to jail.”

  He laughed really hard. “That’s great.”

  “So we were in the squad car, and we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.”

  “Except that they cuffed us.”

  “Oh, right. Okay, but while the sirens were blaring, you told me that I was your partner in crime, and as soon as we got arrested together, you knew you wanted to be with me forever. Then you asked me to marry you.”

  He choked back the lump in his throat and laughed weakly. That was pretty much how he felt about her. He knew they weren’t ready to get married, but yeah, the whole partner-in-crime thing read pretty real.

  She laughed it off, though. “We need a ring.”

  He pursed his lips. “Pull over at that bank.”

  City Wide Bank sat on the corner near his and Marshall’s apartment. “This one?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It’s almost eight o’clock on a Saturday night.”

  “Right,” Rueben said. “Working for the CIA has its perks. Back at the office, I made some calls while you were checking on things. The bank is open for us only, but we have to be quick.”

  Aki studied him curiously and decided he wasn’t joking. She parked, and they jumped out. A CIA agent stood inside the locked glass doors. After verifying that it was indeed Rueben Peet, the man unlocked the entrance. Rueben ran inside, and Aki followed him. He gestured toward a couch. “Wait right there.”

  She sat, and he ran up to the teller, an irritated middle-aged woman who looked like she’d rather be anyplace other than back at work after the vault had been sealed for the rest of the weekend and then reopened by order of the CIA. Oh, the perks of being a bank manager…

  “I’d like to get something out of my safe deposit box.”

  “Absolutely.” Sarcasm. “Fill out this form.”

  He filled out the form, and she brought out a small metal box. Inside, there it was.

  Rueben lifted the black velvet jewelry box carefully. When he opened it, it sparkled. “That’s all I need.”

  “Thank you for your business, Mr. Peet.” More sarcasm.

  The bank manager took the safe deposit box away, and Rueben approached Aki at the couch.

  She looked up. “You get what you need?”

  “Almost.”

  Then, there in the bank, he got down on one knee, and she gasped. “Aki Yamashiro, will you fake-marry me?” He opened the jewelry box, and the ring glittered in the artificial light.

  “Oh my gosh. Yes, I’ll fake-marry you!”

  She grabbed the ring, and they both laughed as he rose to his feet and dusted off his knee. “That’s the second time I’ve done that, the whole one-knee thing. I think I’m getting too old for it.”

  She laughed and slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. “It was hers, right
?”

  A shadow passed across his face. “Rachel’s? Yeah. You’re supposed to spend a month and a half of your salary on a ring.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that.”

  “Yeah. I read up on it. So I saved up and bought it and did the picnic proposal. Six months after that, she threw it back at me. Luckily I caught it.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “I’ve held on to it all this time. I couldn’t bear to sell it. I guess I kind of thought she’d come back one day, and we could pick up where we left off. Stupid, I know.”

  “Well, she missed out.”

  His heart leapt into his throat. Did she mean on the ring or him?

  She let the diamond catch the light, and he smiled at his ring on her manicured finger. “Now we’re legit.”

  She crooked her arm in his. “Let’s do this.”

  Rueben and Aki arrived at the apartment building shortly after eight. They got out of the car, and he clarified, “We’re going with the jail story, right?”

  She shut the door, and they headed up the stairs. “Right. But you didn’t give me the ring until just now. We can go with that story. But not that it was Rachel’s ring. It was…”

  “I bought it on Valentine’s Day after we busted Pout.”

  “Sure, we’ll go with that.”

  Rueben had butterflies in his stomach as he approached the door. He had never lied to his dad, mainly because he always knew he’d get caught. Now, here he was, about to execute the biggest lie he’d ever concocted. He was sure Marshall would see right through him. But with Aki standing right beside him, wearing Rachel’s ring, he couldn’t exactly back out.

  He opened the door. “Hey, Dad? You here?”

  The TV blared Fox News. The lead story was a running commentary on the summit, the One World campaign, and Yolanda Martinez.

  “Dad?”

  “Yeah, I’m here, I’m here.” Marshall came into the living room, popping open another bottle of beer. It was clear he was already one or two beers in. He stopped when he saw Aki. “Son, what’s going on here?”

  Rueben motioned at the easy chair. “Yeah, Dad, maybe you should sit.”

  Marshall didn’t say anything—he just sat. Rueben figured he was putting a lid on his assholery in front of Aki.

  Rueben took Aki’s hand, and they sat across from him. The feel of Aki’s soft hand in his sent his heart racing. He toyed with her fingers, and she smiled at him. He had to remind himself it was all fake. “So, Dad, umm…I know it’s a little sudden.”

  He couldn’t look at Marshall while he said it. He was certain his dad would see right through him. Then he remembered from his CIA training that was the first indicator of a liar—they couldn’t make eye contact. So Rueben forced himself to look his dad in the eye.

  Marshall inquisitively stared back and forth between them.

  Aki squeezed his hand, and he could feel her staring adoringly up at him. He knew it was all fake, but it felt so real. That’s when he blurted his announcement. “We’re getting married.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sunday, May 21, 8:30 p.m.

  Marshall spat out his beer. “I’m sorry, I thought you said you’re getting married.”

  Aki squealed and squeezed Rueben’s arm. “We are.” She held out the ring long enough for Marshall to see what it was but not long enough for him to recognize it as Rachel’s. She squealed again and looked adoringly at Rueben. “We’re so happy.”

  Marshall sipped his beer and glanced back and forth at them. “What is she, pregnant?”

  “No, Dad. It was just…the right time for us, and we didn’t want to wait.”

  He studied Rueben for a clue, and Rueben knew his face would give him away, so he turned to Aki. His first thought was to kiss her, but given that they weren’t really together, it was likely to come off as awkward and give them away. So instead, he went for the regal gentleman route. He held his hand against her palm, slowly brought it to his lips, and pressed them against it while staring adoringly at her.

  She blushed and turned to Marshall. “He’s such a romantic.”

  Oh, shit. She was going to blow it with that.

  Marshall appeared confused. “How long has this been going on?”

  Both Aki and Rueben glanced at each other and laughed awkwardly. They hadn’t rehearsed this question. Rueben tried. “Well, it all started when, well… You tell it, baby.”

  The word ‘baby’ fell out of his mouth like lead, and he was sure Marshall would pick up on it. But Aki covered it with her blushing bride act. Then the undercover actress blossomed. “So, it started when we were working on the Pout case. We stopped for lunch at the cutest little cafe on the border… You remember that, right?”

  She pointed at him and laughed, and he nodded. “Yep. The cafe. That’s where it all started.”

  There had been no cafe on the border. There had been a McDonald’s drive-thru with Buzz sulking. But no picturesque cafe.

  Aki kept going. “And there was this gorgeous lake, with ducks and benches. And we kept throwing crackers at the ducks, and they would fly up and catch them. It was so cute.”

  Marshall contorted his face and repositioned himself in his easy chair. “You’re not supposed to throw food to the animals. It can poison them. It’s a wonder you didn’t get caught.”

  “Well, we didn’t, Dad.”

  “No, it only took another three months for you two idiots to get to jail. Is this what I get to look forward to in my old age? Bailing my idiot son and his bride out of jail every few months?”

  It seemed his father’s assholeness was back.

  Aki pursed her lips, and Rueben smirked at her. See?

  She continued her story. “Anyway, after that day with the ducks, Rueben and I have been spending a lot more time together, and things have been progressing.”

  “Really? What are you, religious or something? Why’s he sleep here every night?”

  Aki and Rueben both stammered for words. “Dad, that’s none of your business.”

  Marshall kicked his recliner upright. “Well, whatever. Best wishes and congratulations.” He stood and shuffled out of the room.

  Rueben turned to Aki. “What do we do now?”

  She glanced at her phone and then grimaced. “Shit. The agency has intercepted communications that show Pete might be about to make a move on the apartment now. We need to leave ASAP.”

  Rueben’s eyes widened. “I thought we had more time.”

  “Me too.” She nodded and showed him the agency alert on her phone. It was strange seeing his home address on a CIA alert.

  Aki nodded. “Yes. This could work. All we have to do is lure Pete somewhere we have the advantage. We can apprehend him—alive—before he attacks the U.N. building on Monday.”

  “Where would we go on such short notice?”

  Aki flashed him a wink. “We move our plans up a little.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, we were set up to keep Marshall under surveillance by having him look at a wedding venue in the morning.”

  “Right.”

  “Instead, we have him go wedding shopping tonight.”

  “Wedding shopping? You want Marshall Peet to help you pick out a dress?”

  She scrunched up her face and shuddered. “God, no. I meant a cake.”

  “A cake? You want Marshall to go into a bakery and try a dainty little cake?”

  “He eats, doesn’t he?”

  “Well yeah, but…”

  She pointed toward Marshall’s room. “You go back in there and tell him we need him to go cake shopping with us right now. I’ll arrange everything else.”

  Rueben stared at Marshall’s closed door and gulped back fear. She’d given him one job, and he didn’t think he could do it. “All right.”

  She nodded and got on the phone.

  He hesitantly approached Marshall’s door. He paused before he rapped lightly on it.

  The reply was annoyed. “Yeah?”

&n
bsp; “Hey Dad, can I come in for a sec?”

  The silence on the other end reminded Rueben that he didn’t think he had ever asked to do that.

  “What do you want?”

  Rueben cracked open the door, and the low lamplight fell into the hall. He stepped into the room. Once in a while, Rueben came in here to put something away, but other than that he didn’t enter. It was dusty and full of books, old newspapers, and beer bottles on the floor. It kind of smelled like skunked beer. It was also kind of sad.

  Marshall sat in a stuffed chair on one side of the room and shrank back a little with each step Rueben took. His son was invading his territory, and he wasn’t sure what to say about it.

  Aki laughed on the phone in the other room.

  Rueben decided he needed to get on with his one assignment. “Listen, Aki and I wanted you to help us with the wedding.”

  “Damnit. Is that what this is about—money? You need money?”

  “No, no, not at all. She comes from a wealthy family, and between the two of us, we’ve got it covered.”

  “Then what do you want?”

  “We want you to… We’d like you to be… Well, it’s important, especially to Aki, that you be part of the wedding.”

  “Sure, if that’s what you want. Just let me know where to go for a tux fitting, and I’ll show up.”

  “No, no. That’s not what I’m talking about.’

  “Damn it, son. Would you say what you mean, then?”

  “You’re not making it any easier.”

  “Oh, Christ. Did you come in here to pick a fight?”

  “No, no, not at all.” Rueben gestured toward the bed. “You mind if I sit?”

  Marshall made a face that he very much did mind, but the brazen suggestion was such a shock that he didn’t know how to say no.

  Rueben took advantage of his confusion and perched on the corner of the bed. He rubbed his palms together. “Look, we’re getting married fast. Real fast.”

  “I knew she was pregnant.”

  “No, she’s not. I’m telling you, it’s not about that. Like, we’re getting married at the end of the month.” He made that part up without Aki. They had the venue booked for the next day, but if all went well tonight, they wouldn’t need it.