Alex rolled her eyes as she walked into the smoky pub trying to find a familiar face. Moving deeper into the bar, she spotted the face she was looking for.
"I've been to five hotels and then after finding the right one," Alex said pulling a chair up to the table, "I had to go to double the bars to find you."
"Donovan send ya?" Jason asked, taking a swig of his beer.
"Nope, came on my own." she replied waving down a waitress.
"Yea? Why?" he asked staring at his bottle.
"Thought I could use a good pint of ale and a fag," Alex replied in her best British accent,.
"Oh sure!" Jason exploded, jumping out of his seat, not caring at the people watching them, "Let's play kick the spy when he's down! Thanks but no thanks."
Jason grabbed his coat and started towards the door when Alex grabbed his arm, "Look, I'm sorry. I want to help."
"I don't need help from Carlos Cortez." he seethed.
"Help from me," Alex bit out, "I have contacts with local police and the courts. I even have favors owed to me from the US Attorneys Office."
"What? Did Donovan have a good laugh after I left? He tell all you wankers?" Jason demanded.
"Your voice travels loudly when you're mad," Alex pointed out, motioning to the people watching their conversation., "and Donovan has no door on his office."
"Why do you want to help me?" he asked sitting back down.
"I have a gut feeling something happened to her." Alex honestly replied. "I can see you're serious about her missing. Now, before I decide to use my contacts, tell me about Emma. How you met and why she left."
"We met in London two years ago." Jason replied.
"Oh come on," Alex sighed, taking a long drink of her beer, "don't tell me you guys meet through work."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason asked, looking at her if she was insane, "We met in Buckingham Palace."
"Coming from a meeting with the Queen?" Alex smirked.
"Are you going to be serious?" Jason growled, pushing his beer away, " Emma and I met on the tour! What? Me baby sister and her friend came to London for the 'weekend and.' "What's so funny?"
"I can't see you playing tour guide." Alex howled. "Sorry, I can't. And a sister? Come on, you were on a date."
"This 'appens to be me baby sis," Jason huffed, digging a picture out of his wallet, "and she worships the ground I walk on. She's going to kick me arse for messing things up with Emma."
Alex examined the picture. Two girls, one on each side of Jason. They all looked happy. The girl on the left looked around sixteen, long blond hair just like Jason's. "Who's the other girl?"
"That's Emma."
Alex studied the other girl. Big, bright smile. Short brown hair. Alex judged her height to be around five eight. "You looked happy." Alex commented, "What happened?"
"Take yer pick," Jason laughed, "my job, my lying, my job."
"I take it she didn't like your job?" Alex sarcastically replied.
"She accused me of being married to me job." Jason complained. "And what made it was between us was the Robertson case."
"Well, kidnapping Morgan and thinking you were dead a for awhile could do that to a person." Alex commented.
"Emma 'ad no idea about that." Jason replied, "She knew I've worked from a desk. When I 'ad to up and work for Robertson, I couldn't even let 'er know. She thought I was dead."
"And how did she find out otherwise?" Alex asked.
"She finally got a hold of one of my mates. He told 'er I was out on assignment." Jason sighed.
"You had a job to do." Alex commented, taking a drink of her beer, "She knew that when she started dating you right?"
"I told Emma about Lily." he somberly stated.
"What did you tell her?" Alex carefully asked.
"I told Emma that I felt responsible for what 'appened with Lily and needed to make it right." Jason explained.
"She left you for that?" Alex inquired.
"No," Jason sighed, not able to look at Alex, "I told Emma about kissing Lily."
"Are you fucking insane?" Alex exclaimed
"The guilt and stupidity of that kiss was killin' me." Jason confessed. "She accused me of having affairs."
"Were you?" she asked.
"No!" Jason growled, jumping out of his chair. "There's only one James Bond and that's Sean Connery."
"You did introduce yourself as lover, fighter and spy." Alex reminded him.
"It was a tense situation." Jason defended himself. "Never mind that. Emma kicked me out of our place and after a week and me showin 'er how much I love 'er, three weeks later she left."
"Okay, this is what I'm going to do." Alex said, taking out her notebook. "Give me all the names of the people that know her."
"I've already," Jason started to say.
"There is a chance they're lying to you." Alex said. "And her bags are still at the baggage claim in O'Hare?"
"Yea," Jason sighed, writing all the names down.
"Got it." Alex said getting up, "Go back to your hotel and get some sleep and shower properly. You look like hell."
"Hey!" Jason huffed.
"I'll call you after I talk to these people. This is my cell number." Alex said handing him a piece of paper. "Stay at your hotel. I'll call you when I know something."
"Why are you doing this?" Jason asked, watching Alex stand up.
"For some awful reason," Alex smirked, "I like you. If you're lying to me, I will kick your snarky British ass back to London."
"I've been to five hotels and then after finding the right one," Alex said pulling a chair up to the table, "I had to go to double the bars to find you."
"Donovan send ya?" Jason asked, taking a swig of his beer.
"Nope, came on my own." she replied waving down a waitress.
"Yea? Why?" he asked staring at his bottle.
"Thought I could use a good pint of ale and a fag," Alex replied in her best British accent,.
"Oh sure!" Jason exploded, jumping out of his seat, not caring at the people watching them, "Let's play kick the spy when he's down! Thanks but no thanks."
Jason grabbed his coat and started towards the door when Alex grabbed his arm, "Look, I'm sorry. I want to help."
"I don't need help from Carlos Cortez." he seethed.
"Help from me," Alex bit out, "I have contacts with local police and the courts. I even have favors owed to me from the US Attorneys Office."
"What? Did Donovan have a good laugh after I left? He tell all you wankers?" Jason demanded.
"Your voice travels loudly when you're mad," Alex pointed out, motioning to the people watching their conversation., "and Donovan has no door on his office."
"Why do you want to help me?" he asked sitting back down.
"I have a gut feeling something happened to her." Alex honestly replied. "I can see you're serious about her missing. Now, before I decide to use my contacts, tell me about Emma. How you met and why she left."
"We met in London two years ago." Jason replied.
"Oh come on," Alex sighed, taking a long drink of her beer, "don't tell me you guys meet through work."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason asked, looking at her if she was insane, "We met in Buckingham Palace."
"Coming from a meeting with the Queen?" Alex smirked.
"Are you going to be serious?" Jason growled, pushing his beer away, " Emma and I met on the tour! What? Me baby sister and her friend came to London for the 'weekend and.' "What's so funny?"
"I can't see you playing tour guide." Alex howled. "Sorry, I can't. And a sister? Come on, you were on a date."
"This 'appens to be me baby sis," Jason huffed, digging a picture out of his wallet, "and she worships the ground I walk on. She's going to kick me arse for messing things up with Emma."
Alex examined the picture. Two girls, one on each side of Jason. They all looked happy. The girl on the left looked around sixteen, long blond hair just like Jason's. "Who's the other girl?"
"That's Emma."
Alex studied the other girl. Big, bright smile. Short brown hair. Alex judged her height to be around five eight. "You looked happy." Alex commented, "What happened?"
"Take yer pick," Jason laughed, "my job, my lying, my job."
"I take it she didn't like your job?" Alex sarcastically replied.
"She accused me of being married to me job." Jason complained. "And what made it was between us was the Robertson case."
"Well, kidnapping Morgan and thinking you were dead a for awhile could do that to a person." Alex commented.
"Emma 'ad no idea about that." Jason replied, "She knew I've worked from a desk. When I 'ad to up and work for Robertson, I couldn't even let 'er know. She thought I was dead."
"And how did she find out otherwise?" Alex asked.
"She finally got a hold of one of my mates. He told 'er I was out on assignment." Jason sighed.
"You had a job to do." Alex commented, taking a drink of her beer, "She knew that when she started dating you right?"
"I told Emma about Lily." he somberly stated.
"What did you tell her?" Alex carefully asked.
"I told Emma that I felt responsible for what 'appened with Lily and needed to make it right." Jason explained.
"She left you for that?" Alex inquired.
"No," Jason sighed, not able to look at Alex, "I told Emma about kissing Lily."
"Are you fucking insane?" Alex exclaimed
"The guilt and stupidity of that kiss was killin' me." Jason confessed. "She accused me of having affairs."
"Were you?" she asked.
"No!" Jason growled, jumping out of his chair. "There's only one James Bond and that's Sean Connery."
"You did introduce yourself as lover, fighter and spy." Alex reminded him.
"It was a tense situation." Jason defended himself. "Never mind that. Emma kicked me out of our place and after a week and me showin 'er how much I love 'er, three weeks later she left."
"Okay, this is what I'm going to do." Alex said, taking out her notebook. "Give me all the names of the people that know her."
"I've already," Jason started to say.
"There is a chance they're lying to you." Alex said. "And her bags are still at the baggage claim in O'Hare?"
"Yea," Jason sighed, writing all the names down.
"Got it." Alex said getting up, "Go back to your hotel and get some sleep and shower properly. You look like hell."
"Hey!" Jason huffed.
"I'll call you after I talk to these people. This is my cell number." Alex said handing him a piece of paper. "Stay at your hotel. I'll call you when I know something."
"Why are you doing this?" Jason asked, watching Alex stand up.
"For some awful reason," Alex smirked, "I like you. If you're lying to me, I will kick your snarky British ass back to London."