Katy's Point of View.
"You can't really tell me that you're still sulking over everything that happened. You know this operation could end with me dead, right? You still want this round?"
Jackson sighed as we made our way to the airport. He wouldn't even stare into the rearview mirror. At this point, staring at my face annoyed him.
"If you know that you might not return, then why are you still choosing to pursue this?" His question stung. Now it was my turn to look away.
"You would take this if you were in my shoes."
He gave a dry laugh. "Oh, so now you're trying to guilt trip me, huh? I see you're tired of being nonchalant."
"I'm just doing my job. Trust me when I say it has nothing to do with the unnecessary feud we've both been allowing to go on between us for the past five years."
"Yeah, right." The way he said that made it quite obvious it was nothing but a bluff to him.
"Look, if you're going to be my backup, we need to squash whatever this is, at least for now."
"I kind of have no other option, so yeah. I agree. And kindly personally tell Mrs Smith I am not a fan of her games. She knew we were at odds and somehow I find myself driving you to the airport like we're buddies or I'm your boyfriend, whatever it is, I'm not a fan."
"Well, first of all, you might want to pass on the message yourself. After all, you've always been known as the gutsy one and secondly, you might want to smile. Trust me when I say I do not like sitting in this van with you either, it's just something that happens. Enemies get paired sometimes."
He finally looked into the mirror with an expression, I immediately knew what his little mind was thinking. "It seems you've been doing a lot of contemporary romance reading."
"Boy please, don't let your head wander. I meant exactly the opposite of what you are thinking."
He thought this for a second, a smirk clinging to his lips. "Ah, if you say so. But I know what I heard."
I thought I was frustrated to my limit already. Maybe I wasn't. "Okay, I would really appreciate it if you just kept quiet. I would kill for a quiet ride at this point, alright? Alright."
He didn't say any other thing, but that irritating smile remained. I knew he was just doing that to earn my annoyance and boy, was it working. When we got to the airport and I collected my luggage, his words weren't exactly kind but they weren't harsh either when he asked me to be careful out there.
"Thank you," I said. Maybe this moment could mark our friendship to its beginning, right?
"Yeah, whatever." He said and put the car back in gear. Definitely not going to be friends. Never.
I knew what I had in my heart and the further I walked into the checkpoint, my heart thudded into my ears. My stomach grumbled loudly and the headache I had been fighting for a while ached. Watching TV shows all these years, we always screamed our faces out to the television when something was about to go wrong. At this point, I was back at that place.
I felt like screaming because, for some reason, I couldn't point out, it seemed like something was going to go wrong anyway and no amount of intense training to train me for everything this job required, would shake that.
***
According to Mrs Smith, it was all set up. I was going to land in Washington DC and someone would be waiting. Yet, here I was, sitting sitting in the waiting room and nibbling on a half-done burger. Great! Job hadn't even begun yet and I was already having bad experiences. Just as I was about to get up and take a stroll, a stern-looking man walked into the halls with a cardboard over his head;
: JOSIE PHILLIPS.
"Finally," I muttered, raising my hands over my head and waving. He walked in my direction.
"I'm sorry that I did not get here at the scheduled time, I was kind of in a pickle. The pick-up truck developed a flat tire, it was not expected. Sorry." He said, grabbing my bag.
I didn't want to begin being a kill buzz.
"Oh, it's okay. Besides, I'm hungry. Very starved at that."
He smiled small. "Hmm, good for you. Cook was in the middle of preparing something wonderful." I liked the way he said it, it was music to my ears. We both started making our way to his car. "Okay, see the thing is we don't really say we're hungry in front of the boss. He doesn't quite like to hear it."
Ridiculous, still I tried my best to keep my brows down and my lips... 'unpursed'. Deciding to ask the more important question, "Huh, so what do we say?"
"We wink at each other."
I laughed at that. When he didn't join in... Oh, he was actually serious... This man had to be a beast to ban such a natural statement like that. "Wait, you're serious."
He nodded. "Mm-hmm, cook requested that I tell you as soon as I get here. Thank God you brought it up."
"Well, what if I say I'm hungry without seeking to be disrespectful, what then? He'll have my head in his soup?"
"Perhaps." He shrugged. He must have seen the look of terror on my face because he went on to shake his head. "No, no. I didn't mean it like that. I meant... Just don't try to do it. It does not really end well to go against what he has commanded."
"Ah, but he hasn't really told me anything... So, I'm still kind of excused even when it comes to that aspect."
"Yes, but you do get to have a small talk with him. That's where he tells you everything. You can't escape it. Sorry."
"Great."
By the time we were home, I was exhausted. The plane ride didn't quite do the number on me like the bumpy ride back home did. My toes felt like rubber as I walked out of the car. The house was on a lonely ground. We'd only passed two to three houses for a mile before getting here. Either this man really preferred his privacy, or the man was a stone-cold killer with a small sense of responsibility. It definitely wasn't the first option.
"You didn't tell me I was going to be on another plane ride," I said, stretching as I walked. He chuckled.
"Okay, you didn't tell me you were a comedian."
I smiled. He wasn't the only person who had said that. "Well, I try to be. I'm not exactly Charles Benton, now am I?"
"No, you're not."
I scanned the environment. The trees were tall and the birds that was as audible as an opera singer. The water that surrounded the house calmed the fear that I felt creeping into my heart. This place was isolated. Perhaps too isolated. Somehow this discovery suddenly seemed more stern than the numerous exclamation marks the chief gave me. That is after Mrs Smith had done her own talking.
"Wait, so how do you get groceries down here?"
"There's a private jet."
"Ha ha, very funny."
He kept a straight face. "Well, thanks but I wasn't really looking to be."
"No way."
"Yes, way."
"Well, if there's a private jet, why wasn't I just picked up from the airport? You could have saved yourself a whole lot of stress there."
"I'm his bodyguard and I've never been on that jet before. It's so much more than just a ride."
"Ah, how very... Kind of him." I said and he chuckled, reminding me. "You know, I didn't really get your name. What was it again?"
"Morris, sorry I kinda forgot to tell you before. And I forgot to ask yours, I mean I know, but for manner's sake... Um... What is your name?"
He was cute. "Josie Philips."
He smiled. "Nice to meet you, Josie."
"The pleasure is certainly mine, Morris." I had questions and since Morris was being kind, which was completely opposite of his leather jacket. "I have a question for you, it might sound crazy being that I have a job to get onto and all that but—"
"Just ask your question."
"Hmm, well, what do housekeepers do here basically, and this cook, well... Is it a she or a he?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but never did. Someone else was speaking.
"Well, you basically keep the house. And cook's a lady." His eyes... His eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue, but I knew that if I didn't stop staring now and say something, anything, really.
"Um... Hi. You're... You're the guy..." Oh, why did I say that? Four years of training and that was all my smart head could utter. Mrs Smith would weep if she heard.
Katy's Point of View. His office was really cold. I knew shivering was something we were supposed to repel against. Mrs Smith couldn't be more clear in training. Good thing I was not a spy. If a naive and quite comedic housekeeper was what would keep my identity a secret, then I was all in."Are you alright?" He asked, peering over me. I nodded and quickly moved to the chair that faced his own seat. He was tall. Too tall if I was being honest. Crazy tall. Why hadn't they mentioned anything about his height?"You may sit, miss...""Philips. Josie Philips." I squeaked out, falling behind on the chair.He paused, staring at me for a while before sitting down ruggedly in his chair. Stroking his chin, he finally broke the silence. "You say it like you're not very sure.""I'm not quite sure what you mean.""You said your name with a hint of uncertainty.""Yeah, only because you won't stop gawking at me." Woah. Why on earth could I not control my tongue since today?He didn't say anything.
Katy's Point of View."You know as we're touring, it's only normal that the both of us talk a little right?" Morris asked. I had no idea what changed Adelaide's mind but I was glad she wasn't the one giving me the tour anymore. At least Morris wouldn't sweetly threaten me. I searched my mind for a comeback."We're talking, are we not?""Yeah, well. But we've been talking about how beautiful the Lily bushes are for thirty minutes straight. And you're not even into the conversation. You look like you're trying so hard to focus. Homesick?"The agency was my home, I guess I did miss being myself. I had to start wearing funny wears now. No fun talk. No loud makeup. That was a lot to take in all at once. "Yeah, I guess."He nodded slowly and then smiled sympathetically. "Give it a week or two, you'll start getting used to this place. It is secluded but trust me when I say it is fun."I chuckled. "Is that what you tell yourself?"He paused, then chuckled too. "Yeah. But it does work. To just
Katy's Point of View.I would appear rude if I said I didn't want to be here. And I was tempted to say it anyway. I didn't want to be here. But when I suggested to Morris that I would rather have dinner in the comfort of my bedroom, his reply shook me to the teeth. My belly grumbled, clearly disagreeing with the repercussions of missing dinner at dinnertime."The thing is... You miss a meal here, you can forget about eating at all. It's a kind of a rule.""Well, how is he sure that you don't sneak the food from the quarters to your bedroom? He's not even there. It doesn't make sense."He chuckled a little. "We all eat at the dining table. It's not a hidden thing. I'm serious, you were not briefed at the interview about it.""Wait, so you're telling me that the moment we're called in right now to eat, we are actually going to sit down with the boss and eat with him?" Interesting.He laughed this time around. "You should see your eyes. They're so huge." He nodded still, "You act like it
Carson's Point of View."You're the boss, if you don't want her among your crew you could always tell her to go. It's not like she's going to strike you or anything." Abel said, his voice booming from the iPad. Morris chuckled softly, pouring himself a drink. He knew his brother too well."Shhh. Don't draw attention to this office. You're loud. I'm still trying to get a hang of this boss thing.""You have been on this thing for a few years, you should know the drill by now.""Oh, yeah? What, if I may ask little brother, is the drill?" Morris asked, carefully sitting to avoid spilling his drink."Be so strict with them that the mention of your name scares them to death.""This is why I don't come to you for advice." I turned to Morris, who looked like he was too deep in his thoughts to argue with his brother like they usually did. "Morris, how on earth did you deal with him for years?""He's my brother. I have my ways."I sighed. "I hope the agency's doing well? I don't want you gettin
Katy's Point of View.I stared at her for a while, not knowing what to say. I didn't want to jump to a conclusion. I knew that if I did, she would definitely know that I was doing a little bit of a federal job myself."Nail him, how?" My heartbeats blasted into my ear."Make him fall in love with me.""Oh. Is that what you meant?" I wondered out loud.She frowned. "What did you think I meant?""Nothing serious, I guess. I thought, you meant he was into shady businesses and you needed my help to bring him to the authorities." That would be nice, wouldn't it? Nailing the boss under a week that I show up. I would be the talk of the agency. In the food sense.Adelaide laughed, washing her hands. "You have a wild imagination." Well, it was true. It was also one of the reasons the agency thought I had potential, until after three months of working my brains off to actually prove myself. I was a bit nauseous just thinking about the training process.Speaking of difficulties, how did I go fro
Katy's Point of View."Um..." It almost sounded automatic as Morris and I uttered it at the same time. Adelaide walked in with a curious smile on her face. Seriously, was there a time when this girl wasn't smiling?"Are you alright? Both of you." She asked after a few seconds. "Tell me what?"I stared at Morris. I didn't think I had ever seen him so unnerved before. This was the time to come clean and if he couldn't do it, then I would do it for him. For all we cared, Adelaide wasn't really in love with Carson. Maybe, she was just scared of ending up alone and for some reason, she thought making her boss fall in love with her was the easiest way out. Seriously, don't fault me, I'd been reading too many short stories before this operation.As if Morris knew what I was thinking, he slightly shook his head the moment I stared at him. I immediately turned back to Adelaide.
Katy's Point of View.Luckily for me, well somehow, today was packed with things to do, and there was hardly any time to give romance lessons to Adelaide. But the sad part about it all was that my waist felt like it was about to break into two. And there was only one cure for a bone injury. TV. I turned to my bedside clock. If I started now, I could make it on time. I resisted the urge to jump up and slowly got off the bed and slipped into my slippers. The fluffy ones. The last thing I wanted was to do something that would wake everyone up and pin me down for questioning. There was hardly any TV time here and it had been three days since I last watched my favorite soap opera and it was driving me nuts.I slowly walked down the stairs as I made my way to the living room. Quietly. Slowly. The popcorn that I got from the refrigerator was as hot as I used to like it, but when I saw it, I didn't hesitate to collect it. Once a suc
Katy's Point of View"You have to tell me everything!" Morris said behind me, making me jump and clutch my chest. I bent down to pick up the duster while glaring at him."For crying out loud, you scared me to death."He shrugged and walked further to the room, stopping briefly before the fruit basket that lay on top of the dining table. He chose an apple."I mean, you know my voice, don't you?" He asked with a small frown, munching on the apple."I do. But it doesn't mean you should sneak up on me like that. I could have had a heart attack. Then we'll be talking about real trouble.""Yeah, but you didn't, now did you?""You know what? Forget it." I turned back and resumed dusting. I was cranky. I didn't want to transfer it to him. After all, he wasn't the one I had stupidly laid down all night thinking about. He wasn't th
Kathy's POVJust like in the movies, as Carson and I were hastily making our way to the living room, so were Morris and Adelaide. They both look rustled about something."What just happened?" Morris asked, slightly panting. "A car just screeched out of here, what just happened?" He demanded again."Well, that is exactly what we want to know at the moment, Morris." Carson clipped, making his way to the window. He paused, trying to think of something. Seemed a light bulb went off in his head because he immediately started running upstairs at such speed I knew I wasn't the only one afraid he was going to miss a step and come tumbling down, but he didn't."It can't be that bad, can it?" Adelaide asked Morris, who knowingly ignored her. I would say he didn't hear it, but from the way he pointedly looked at her—no, no he glared at her—I would say he pretty much heard her and decided to ignore her. Okay, so they were having a fight. So what? People fought al
Jackson's POV"Wake up! For crying out loud, wake up, Jack!" I heard Charmaine whisper-scream in my ear. "Wake up before they have us killed." She said and although my neck stung from the pain the dart was meant to cause as an after-effect, those words rose me."What?" I asked, lifting my eyes to look at her. She looked scared. Beautiful. But terrified. Her hair was a glorious mess and her lipstick was smudged from lips to chin. That image wouldn't have troubled me so much if her hands weren't tightly bound behind her with white ropes."You have been sleeping for the last two hours. How were you so comfortable in such a state?"I glared at her light mockery. "I was not comfortable. Besides it's not like I decided to take a nap here, the dart gun did all that by itself.""Yeah, well, we're in a moving vehicle." She announced, trying to twist her wrist out of the grip of the rope."What?" As if to confirm what she'd just said, the vehicle shook causing us both to shake rather painfully.
Jackson's POV"I don't know how you're going to act after I tell you this, but I want to know. It's better that you know." I said, making my way further into the garden. I didn't need to turn to tell that those words scared the heck out of her. I wasn't planning on telling her anything. But the truth was that she needed to know. She needed to know. If I was to be present in my kid's life then she had to know everything. I finally turned as I made my way to the edge of the small rod house that made the garden look more beautiful than it actually was."That's not a way to start a conversation, Jack. You're really scaring me right now. What is the problem?""I have something I need to tell you."She scoffed. "That's not helping. Did you kill someone?""No!""Is someone after you?" She asked, her eyes wide. I shook my head. Well, Verde would be in a matter of days, so... That wasn't exactly an accurate answer but I was about to scare her. I merely came here
Morris's POVI had been sure the door to my bedroom had been closed. I knew because I had even made it up to the worry of locking the door behind me with the golden keys Abel had specially made for me. But as I rounded the stairs, I found the door slightly open. Curious and immediately alert, I pulled my gun up and slowly walked to the door. The closer I got, the clearer the sound of intrusion. If it was one of Verde's goons, I was going to... No, I couldn't afford to shoot that person. Civilians were in the house. Adelaide was in the house. I was supposed to be finding a way to actually make things a bit lighter for her when I tell her about the party, or should I say the suicide mission we would all be walking into, rather than frightening her more.I
Carson's POV "Should I be scared that you asked to speak to me alone?" Katy asked, a bright smile on her face as she settled on my desk, ignoring the empty chair opposite my chair. "Well, you make it sound like the both of us can't have a moment to ourselves without a problem looming about." "Well, if it sounded that way, then I'm very sorry. You just seemed tensed like something was on your mind. And you're kind of making me scared. Is the house bugged or what?" I squinted at her. "Why would the house be bugged?" I asked and she shrugged. "I don't know, I only asked that because it would be better than having a bomb big enough to blow us up in the house. And before you ask why I'm suddenly talking about a bomb, I might remind you that I have been shot at before." "Fair enough," I said, thinking of the best way to say what I wanted to say without sounding selfish. Normally, if worse had come forward, I'd be addressing both she and Charmaine together, but luckily for me, Charmaine
Carson's POVWuty each step that I took to the house, my heart hammered. Verde Michi was in my house! In my house! Verde?! Oh, if only I could just get something that would finally get this man behind bars and leave him there. I could tell from the way Morris kept giving me sideways glance, that he must have been thinking the same thing."What the heck is going on? I have no idea what is going on here and half of me would be really thankful if you just told me.""I'd be lying if I said I knew. He just showed up here. He came in the cheapest car u have ever seen him. If you ask me I would say he's trying to reverse psychology thing because he must be one of the richest thieves alive. I wonder what he's doing with the car he came here with."That is not even the point. He knows where we live, that should bother you more than anything. Somehow, he knows where we are. That means that he's either come in full vengeance for the Mary Potter or t
Katy's POVI raised my head from the cup of coffee I carefully cradled between my hands and found Adelaide watching me closely, her eyes squinted. Her face frowned."What is it?" I asked and Adelaide shrugged."You do know coffee is for drinking right? I don't really know what you think it's for but definitely not for staring." She said, wiping the island. When I didn't say anything, she continued. "Are you going to tell me the reason you're moping holes into the kitchen or not? What's on your mind""What makes you think u have something on my mind? I'm just practicing a new nature called 'quietness', that's not a problem now, is it?""You look worried. What's the problem?" Maybe it was me, but I was a little bit certain the sarcasm had fallen from her voice. When I looked up, I knew for sure that she wasn't being sarcastic."I'm supposed to believe you're being genuinely concerned about me?""Shouldn't I be?" She ask
Carson's POVI had no idea how I was going to break the news to her. But I had to, one way or the order."What's on your mind?" She asked, the minute she walked into the office and closed the door behind her, then turned around to face me. She walked further into the room, her hands were tucked at the back pocket of her jean."What makes you think I have something on my mind?" I asked and she chuckled softly at what I had intended to be a firm tone, hoping it would quicken this up."You're chewing on your own, love." She said. Maybe I had been chewing in my own but for a while all I could think about was the word she had just refered to me as: love. I shook my head, trying not to smile like a teen boy talking cowardly and stupidly to his first crush.I finally smiled a controlled smile. "I chew my pen whenever I'm nervous.""Ooh, I know one more thing about you. Score, go me!" She said with a bright smile, throwing her hands
Morris's POV"So, you're saying we have hundred percent access to the device now?" Carson asked, almost spilling his coffee from excitement. Abel shook his head."I'm saying I managed to crack it a little bit. If the Mary Potter was do easy to get into like that then it wouldn't be as wanted as it is. It's a chip that Verde is making for fellow billionaires like himself to be able to take and hide digital stuff from eyes. In the hands of anyone, it's a completely empty memory card but to me and other tech gurus, it's a chip that contains all the most powerful message ever. From the tiny bugs and errors that I spotted in it, even though it's pretty genius, I'd say it's the very first out if a million more they plan to create. It's a sample and it will break backs. So I think we ought to be smart with what we have." Abel narrated as his fingers came quickly down the keyboards."What do you mean when you say it's going to break backs?" I asked and