"Mrs. King, could I see you in my office for a few minutes?"
Amanda was straightening up her desk Monday afternoon prior to going home when Mr. Melrose called to her from the door of his office. As she crossed the bullpen, she glanced over at Lee's empty desk. There had been no sign of him all day. She wondered if it was Agency business that had kept him occupied elsewhere or if he didn't want to see her. Maybe avoidance was his standard tactic for dealing with personal issues. After all, he'd gone all the way to Germany after their last misunderstanding. She just hoped he hadn't run quite so far this time.
Billy was sitting at his desk when she entered his office. He gestured towards one of the chairs and waited for her to sit down before saying, "Amanda, I'd like to bring you up to date on the Delano situation."
"Yes, sir," she replied, nervously crossing her legs.
"I had hoped that the other night was going to be the extent of your involvement," he held up his hand and smiled, "not that you haven't done excellent work."
"Thank you, sir."
"Lee was supposed to meet with his contact this afternoon and get a copy of the guest list for the party this Saturday night. However, things weren't quite that simple."
Amanda felt a flutter of panic in her stomach, and her breath caught in her throat. Had something happened to Lee? Was that the reason she hadn't seen him all day? "Sir, is Lee ... is he ..." she started to ask, then stopped, unwilling to finish the thought.
"No, no, Lee's fine." Billy was quick to reassure her. "Unfortunately, his contact was killed."
Amanda was caught between feeling relief for Lee's safety and sadness for the death of someone she had never met.
Her supervisor continued, "Lee was unable to get the guest list. Which brings us back to you."
"Me?"
"Yes. When Harry phoned Lee yesterday, he told him that Curt Hollander has a plane ticket leaving Sunday afternoon. So it seems that things may come to a head on Saturday night. One way or another, we have to have access to that party."
"Oh," Amanda said faintly.
"Naturally we'll do everything we can to minimize your risk. All you have to do is attend the party as Delano's guest, slip away at some point in the evening and open one of the back doors." Billy sat back for a moment, studying Amanda carefully. "You don't have to decide right away. Think it over tonight, and you can give me your decision in the morning."
"Thank you, sir." She stood up, walked to the door and turned around. "Sir?" she said. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." Billy looked up from the file he'd begun reading.
"If I was a regular agent, would you be giving me a choice about whether or not to accept this assignment?"
"Truthfully?" He looked at her steadily for a moment. "No. But Amanda, you're not one of my regular agents - you're a civilian with a family at home. Once this whole thing is over, you'll need to decide if fieldwork is something you seriously want to pursue." He reopened the file. "Was that all you wanted to discuss?" When she nodded, he said, "I'll see you in the morning, Mrs. King," and turned back to the papers in front of him.
Amanda returned to her desk, retrieved her purse, and made her way out of the building. She scarcely took note of her surroundings as she crossed the parking lot, wondering what she should do. She knew Mr. Melrose hadn't tried to pressure her, but she was also aware of the fact she was the simplest and safest way to get an agent into Delano's house.
Still, thoughts of her family kept intruding. She knew that any decision she made about pursuing fieldwork would involve them, whether or not they ever became aware of the true nature of her job. Was it selfishness on her part to want to pursue this type of career? Did she owe it to them to take the safe option, to remain behind her desk, leaving the dangerous parts of the job to others?
As she put her key into the car door and opened the lock, a hand reached out and closed over hers. "Amanda, we need to talk."
She whirled around to find Lee standing close beside her, a troubled expression in his hazel eyes. "Lee! You startled me."
"Sorry. Do you have a few minutes to spare?"
Amanda studied her watch, not wanting to give in too quickly. She could still feel the sting of the harsh words he had thrown at her the other night. "My mother's expecting me home to make dinner for the boys," she said. "She's got a date tonight." Seeing his disappointed look, she relented. "Okay, but I can't be too late."
"Maybe we could go for a short walk," he suggested.
She nodded and fell into step beside him. They walked in silence for a few minutes, Amanda firmly resolving not to be the first to speak. If Lee had something to say, he could just come out and say it. She had no intention of making the situation easier for him.
Finally he cleared his throat and asked, "Did Billy talk to you this afternoon?"
"Yes. I was sorry to hear about Harry." She glanced over at him. Lee had his hands thrust into the pockets of his leather jacket and was looking at the ground. "What happened?"
A muscle twitched in Lee's jaw as his frown deepened. "I'm not really sure. Maybe someone overheard one of our phone conversations. Maybe they were following him at the reception the other night and saw the two of us talking. I don't know. But one minute I was walking towards him and the next he was dead."
"I'm so sorry," she said, softening her tone slightly.
He shrugged. "It's not as if I knew him personally. He called me out of the blue last week and offered some information. Harry was just a regular guy who thought he was doing the right thing." His voice sounded strained as he continued. "And he ended up crushed between a brick wall and the grille of a truck."
"Oh, Lee, how awful." Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his arm.
He turned to her, his eyes meeting hers intently and holding her gaze. "Amanda, this is what I was talking about the other day. Delano may not be doing the killing himself, but he's obviously involved with people who don't mind getting their hands dirty. Two people are dead already, and I don't want you to be next."
"I'm not crazy about that idea, either." She offered him a small smile. "Lee, there's no reason to think that James suspects me. He thinks I'm going out with him because I want to see him."
"I know." He stopped walking. "I think that's what made me so angry the other night – you almost had me convinced that you wanted to be with him."
"Oh, so it's my fault." She could feel a spark of aggravation rekindle deep within. Was this his idea of an apology – making it out as if she were the one in the wrong?
"No, that's not what I meant at all." Lee held out his hand as if to keep her from speaking. "Amanda, what I'm trying to say is, I was way out of line. Back there in the restaurant, what I said to you ..." He averted his eyes, staring at a point over her shoulder. "I should never have ..."
Watching him struggle to find the right words, she felt her exasperation dissipate as quickly as it had come. "Lee, it's okay."
"No, it's not okay." He looked at her again, his hazel eyes boring into hers. "Amanda, what I said was absolutely inexcusable. You have every right to be upset with me."
She knew he was right; she should be angry. And yet, seeing how difficult this was for him, she couldn't stop her natural inclination to smooth things over. "I understand, you don't have to say ..."
"No, Amanda, I *do* have to say this." A brief flicker of annoyance crossed his face. "Now would you let me finish?" She nodded and pressed her lips together.
His expression softening, he reached out and took her by the arms. "Amanda, if there was any way I could change what I said, I would. But I can't. So I just want you to know that I didn't mean it. Not then, and not now. That night in my apartment was very special to me, and I should never have cheapened it the way I did. Amanda ..." He swallowed and cleared his throat. His eyes pierced into hers as he said once again, "I really am sorry."
"Lee, it's okay," she whispered. "I really do understand."
He stood there for a moment, as if wondering if she could possibly mean what she'd said. "Thank you," he said, leaning forward and brushing his lips against hers for much too brief a contact.
Mindful of their public location, Amanda realized that she'd have to settle for this – at least for now. "You're welcome." She smiled at him and slipped her arm through his. They walked on for another block before she regretfully noticed the time. "I'm afraid I should be heading home."
"I, uh, wanted to talk to you before today, but I wasn't sure what to do," Lee said as they headed back in the direction of the Agency. He looked away nervously then glanced back at her. "This is all new territory to me."
"You could have stopped by the house yesterday," Amanda pointed out giving his arm a reassuring squeeze.
"What, you mean just tap on your window, you sneak out and we have a meet in the backyard?"
"Sure."
He sighed. "You know, I'm really bad at this sort of thing. Normally I give up on a relationship long before it gets anywhere near this complicated."
"Lee, everyone's bad at this."
"Amanda, believe me, I'm bad."
"No ..."
He cut her off again. "No, really, take it from me, I'm bad."
"Okay, fine, you're bad, you're bad. Let's just drop it, okay?" She smiled at him. "Did Mr. Melrose tell you he wants me to go to Delano's party this weekend?"
Lee nodded his head.
Hoping her voice carried more conviction than she actually felt, she said, "I think I'm going to do it."
"I figured you would. Amanda, whoever is involved here has killed two people so far."
She smiled faintly. "Yes, you pointed that out already. Lee, all I have to do is go to the party, open one of the doors and give a signal. It's so simple; how could I be in any danger?"
They reached the Agency parking lot again, and Amanda unlocked her car. She got in, put the key in the ignition and rolled down the window.
He leaned in to give her a quick goodbye kiss. At least that seemed to be his intention, but Amanda immediately reached out and slipped her right hand around his neck, pulling him against her. She buried her fingers in his hair, letting the soft strands slip through her fingers as her lips pressed against his. Lee rapidly followed her lead, their mouths meshing together. She leaned towards him, her universe shrinking for the moment to one of intense tactile sensations.
Lee's regret over his ill-advised remark was almost palpable and she hoped he could sense her equally sincere forgiveness. She appeared to be successful as he leaned further into the car, deepening the kiss and moving his hands to her shoulders, then ...
HONK! With a gasp, Amanda drew back abruptly, the blaring of the horn filling the interior of the car. Lee yanked his arm back from where it had inadvertently rested against the steering wheel. As his head collided with the top of the door frame, a few choice swear words slipped out.
Amanda bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine." Lee gritted out, reaching up and gingerly touching the back of his head.
"You've probably got a bump on your head." She started to get out of the car, only to have him hold the door closed.
"Amanda, I'm fine, really. Didn't you say your mother was expecting you at home?"
She started the engine. "I'll see you tomorrow then. I'm coming in early to tell Mr. Melrose that I'm going to accept the assignment."
"Just promise me you'll be careful." She had to smile when he simply couldn't resist the impulse to caution her one more time.
"I will. Lee, it's going to work out all right."
As she drove down the street, she just hoped that the events of the coming Saturday night wouldn't make her a liar.
***
TBC
Amanda was straightening up her desk Monday afternoon prior to going home when Mr. Melrose called to her from the door of his office. As she crossed the bullpen, she glanced over at Lee's empty desk. There had been no sign of him all day. She wondered if it was Agency business that had kept him occupied elsewhere or if he didn't want to see her. Maybe avoidance was his standard tactic for dealing with personal issues. After all, he'd gone all the way to Germany after their last misunderstanding. She just hoped he hadn't run quite so far this time.
Billy was sitting at his desk when she entered his office. He gestured towards one of the chairs and waited for her to sit down before saying, "Amanda, I'd like to bring you up to date on the Delano situation."
"Yes, sir," she replied, nervously crossing her legs.
"I had hoped that the other night was going to be the extent of your involvement," he held up his hand and smiled, "not that you haven't done excellent work."
"Thank you, sir."
"Lee was supposed to meet with his contact this afternoon and get a copy of the guest list for the party this Saturday night. However, things weren't quite that simple."
Amanda felt a flutter of panic in her stomach, and her breath caught in her throat. Had something happened to Lee? Was that the reason she hadn't seen him all day? "Sir, is Lee ... is he ..." she started to ask, then stopped, unwilling to finish the thought.
"No, no, Lee's fine." Billy was quick to reassure her. "Unfortunately, his contact was killed."
Amanda was caught between feeling relief for Lee's safety and sadness for the death of someone she had never met.
Her supervisor continued, "Lee was unable to get the guest list. Which brings us back to you."
"Me?"
"Yes. When Harry phoned Lee yesterday, he told him that Curt Hollander has a plane ticket leaving Sunday afternoon. So it seems that things may come to a head on Saturday night. One way or another, we have to have access to that party."
"Oh," Amanda said faintly.
"Naturally we'll do everything we can to minimize your risk. All you have to do is attend the party as Delano's guest, slip away at some point in the evening and open one of the back doors." Billy sat back for a moment, studying Amanda carefully. "You don't have to decide right away. Think it over tonight, and you can give me your decision in the morning."
"Thank you, sir." She stood up, walked to the door and turned around. "Sir?" she said. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." Billy looked up from the file he'd begun reading.
"If I was a regular agent, would you be giving me a choice about whether or not to accept this assignment?"
"Truthfully?" He looked at her steadily for a moment. "No. But Amanda, you're not one of my regular agents - you're a civilian with a family at home. Once this whole thing is over, you'll need to decide if fieldwork is something you seriously want to pursue." He reopened the file. "Was that all you wanted to discuss?" When she nodded, he said, "I'll see you in the morning, Mrs. King," and turned back to the papers in front of him.
Amanda returned to her desk, retrieved her purse, and made her way out of the building. She scarcely took note of her surroundings as she crossed the parking lot, wondering what she should do. She knew Mr. Melrose hadn't tried to pressure her, but she was also aware of the fact she was the simplest and safest way to get an agent into Delano's house.
Still, thoughts of her family kept intruding. She knew that any decision she made about pursuing fieldwork would involve them, whether or not they ever became aware of the true nature of her job. Was it selfishness on her part to want to pursue this type of career? Did she owe it to them to take the safe option, to remain behind her desk, leaving the dangerous parts of the job to others?
As she put her key into the car door and opened the lock, a hand reached out and closed over hers. "Amanda, we need to talk."
She whirled around to find Lee standing close beside her, a troubled expression in his hazel eyes. "Lee! You startled me."
"Sorry. Do you have a few minutes to spare?"
Amanda studied her watch, not wanting to give in too quickly. She could still feel the sting of the harsh words he had thrown at her the other night. "My mother's expecting me home to make dinner for the boys," she said. "She's got a date tonight." Seeing his disappointed look, she relented. "Okay, but I can't be too late."
"Maybe we could go for a short walk," he suggested.
She nodded and fell into step beside him. They walked in silence for a few minutes, Amanda firmly resolving not to be the first to speak. If Lee had something to say, he could just come out and say it. She had no intention of making the situation easier for him.
Finally he cleared his throat and asked, "Did Billy talk to you this afternoon?"
"Yes. I was sorry to hear about Harry." She glanced over at him. Lee had his hands thrust into the pockets of his leather jacket and was looking at the ground. "What happened?"
A muscle twitched in Lee's jaw as his frown deepened. "I'm not really sure. Maybe someone overheard one of our phone conversations. Maybe they were following him at the reception the other night and saw the two of us talking. I don't know. But one minute I was walking towards him and the next he was dead."
"I'm so sorry," she said, softening her tone slightly.
He shrugged. "It's not as if I knew him personally. He called me out of the blue last week and offered some information. Harry was just a regular guy who thought he was doing the right thing." His voice sounded strained as he continued. "And he ended up crushed between a brick wall and the grille of a truck."
"Oh, Lee, how awful." Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his arm.
He turned to her, his eyes meeting hers intently and holding her gaze. "Amanda, this is what I was talking about the other day. Delano may not be doing the killing himself, but he's obviously involved with people who don't mind getting their hands dirty. Two people are dead already, and I don't want you to be next."
"I'm not crazy about that idea, either." She offered him a small smile. "Lee, there's no reason to think that James suspects me. He thinks I'm going out with him because I want to see him."
"I know." He stopped walking. "I think that's what made me so angry the other night – you almost had me convinced that you wanted to be with him."
"Oh, so it's my fault." She could feel a spark of aggravation rekindle deep within. Was this his idea of an apology – making it out as if she were the one in the wrong?
"No, that's not what I meant at all." Lee held out his hand as if to keep her from speaking. "Amanda, what I'm trying to say is, I was way out of line. Back there in the restaurant, what I said to you ..." He averted his eyes, staring at a point over her shoulder. "I should never have ..."
Watching him struggle to find the right words, she felt her exasperation dissipate as quickly as it had come. "Lee, it's okay."
"No, it's not okay." He looked at her again, his hazel eyes boring into hers. "Amanda, what I said was absolutely inexcusable. You have every right to be upset with me."
She knew he was right; she should be angry. And yet, seeing how difficult this was for him, she couldn't stop her natural inclination to smooth things over. "I understand, you don't have to say ..."
"No, Amanda, I *do* have to say this." A brief flicker of annoyance crossed his face. "Now would you let me finish?" She nodded and pressed her lips together.
His expression softening, he reached out and took her by the arms. "Amanda, if there was any way I could change what I said, I would. But I can't. So I just want you to know that I didn't mean it. Not then, and not now. That night in my apartment was very special to me, and I should never have cheapened it the way I did. Amanda ..." He swallowed and cleared his throat. His eyes pierced into hers as he said once again, "I really am sorry."
"Lee, it's okay," she whispered. "I really do understand."
He stood there for a moment, as if wondering if she could possibly mean what she'd said. "Thank you," he said, leaning forward and brushing his lips against hers for much too brief a contact.
Mindful of their public location, Amanda realized that she'd have to settle for this – at least for now. "You're welcome." She smiled at him and slipped her arm through his. They walked on for another block before she regretfully noticed the time. "I'm afraid I should be heading home."
"I, uh, wanted to talk to you before today, but I wasn't sure what to do," Lee said as they headed back in the direction of the Agency. He looked away nervously then glanced back at her. "This is all new territory to me."
"You could have stopped by the house yesterday," Amanda pointed out giving his arm a reassuring squeeze.
"What, you mean just tap on your window, you sneak out and we have a meet in the backyard?"
"Sure."
He sighed. "You know, I'm really bad at this sort of thing. Normally I give up on a relationship long before it gets anywhere near this complicated."
"Lee, everyone's bad at this."
"Amanda, believe me, I'm bad."
"No ..."
He cut her off again. "No, really, take it from me, I'm bad."
"Okay, fine, you're bad, you're bad. Let's just drop it, okay?" She smiled at him. "Did Mr. Melrose tell you he wants me to go to Delano's party this weekend?"
Lee nodded his head.
Hoping her voice carried more conviction than she actually felt, she said, "I think I'm going to do it."
"I figured you would. Amanda, whoever is involved here has killed two people so far."
She smiled faintly. "Yes, you pointed that out already. Lee, all I have to do is go to the party, open one of the doors and give a signal. It's so simple; how could I be in any danger?"
They reached the Agency parking lot again, and Amanda unlocked her car. She got in, put the key in the ignition and rolled down the window.
He leaned in to give her a quick goodbye kiss. At least that seemed to be his intention, but Amanda immediately reached out and slipped her right hand around his neck, pulling him against her. She buried her fingers in his hair, letting the soft strands slip through her fingers as her lips pressed against his. Lee rapidly followed her lead, their mouths meshing together. She leaned towards him, her universe shrinking for the moment to one of intense tactile sensations.
Lee's regret over his ill-advised remark was almost palpable and she hoped he could sense her equally sincere forgiveness. She appeared to be successful as he leaned further into the car, deepening the kiss and moving his hands to her shoulders, then ...
HONK! With a gasp, Amanda drew back abruptly, the blaring of the horn filling the interior of the car. Lee yanked his arm back from where it had inadvertently rested against the steering wheel. As his head collided with the top of the door frame, a few choice swear words slipped out.
Amanda bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine." Lee gritted out, reaching up and gingerly touching the back of his head.
"You've probably got a bump on your head." She started to get out of the car, only to have him hold the door closed.
"Amanda, I'm fine, really. Didn't you say your mother was expecting you at home?"
She started the engine. "I'll see you tomorrow then. I'm coming in early to tell Mr. Melrose that I'm going to accept the assignment."
"Just promise me you'll be careful." She had to smile when he simply couldn't resist the impulse to caution her one more time.
"I will. Lee, it's going to work out all right."
As she drove down the street, she just hoped that the events of the coming Saturday night wouldn't make her a liar.
***
TBC