NEAR MISS

It was morning, but hard to tell in the confines of their super spy van.  Pax shook her head.  How damn secret agent man could one get?  The van was the most horrid cliché ever, but it served a few practical purposes here and there.  Hopefully, Ahiga wouldn't be so bold as to notice it and do anything about it, not with his wife and children in the home.  The fucker wouldn't risk them.  He had only sacrificed her son.  She had been gazing out the window for the entire span of her 'watch.'  Donovan was conked out a few inches away, snoring lightly.  Fucking snoring?  Since when did he start doing that?  Ugh.  She had gotten a little too comfortable with Frankie lately, hadn't she?  She liked the shift in their relationship, but it was scarier than shit, especially his tentative hint at marriage.  Marriage?  For God's sake, had she ever thought of herself as anyone's wife, especially Frank Donovan's?  Damn.  It freaked her out and she gave him a wisecracking answer instead of pouring her heart out [as usual].  For the last few days, they had literally acted like a newlywed couple.  She had even heard his parents commenting on how 'cute' they were when they argued.  But that wasn't what startled her the most.  Pax was not a woman who blushed easily, but one evening, she had heard the elder Donovan's comment how their son and his new wife acted like they did when they were younger.  It was horrifying realizing that they knew.  Duh.  Of course they knew.  It was their fucking house, but then again, they were married themselves, they knew what married people did.  Shit.  She had to stop thinking about it that way.  They were not fucking married.  She sighed heavily, tempted to throw something at Donovan to break his snoring.  It was cute, but fucking irritating. 

Pax held her breath as she saw some light activity around the house.  Mostly, it was just the hired help, gardeners and the like.  She shook her head incredulously as a woman stepped out and picked up the morning paper.  He's even too fucking lazy to pick up his own goddamn paper.  She was very close to bolting out of the van and making a run for the front of the house, but she hesitated as soon as she heard another soft snore emitting from Frankie.  She had made him a promise and she was determined to keep it.  As much as it hurt, as angry as she was, she wouldn't go back on her word.  The fucker snoring behind her meant a fucking lot to her now, and hurting him intentionally wasn't something she wanted to do.  When he blew out another snore, she reached behind her and smacked his ankle.  He came awake suddenly as if she had thrown a cup of cold water in his face.  Irritated, he wanted to deck her, but he hesitated.  That would come later; they had to stay focused on their quarry.  Without a sound, he reached for his cell phone to check in with the team.

*  *  *

Tore Raynor stretched and yawned.  Morning was the best time of the day for him.  He became renewed and refreshed at the dawn of a new day.  Each one brought new opportunities, new adventures.  For the time being, he had even forgotten about the jomfru [virgin] and Frank Donovan.  They were the least worries in his mind.  Beside him, Ingrid moaned softly in her sleep, her belly huge and rippling before his very eyes.  He laid his hand on her stomach and reveled in the feel of his son kicking at him strongly.  This boy would be his strongest yet.  He so loved his wife for bringing such joy, so many strong sons, and so many heirs.  Some day, they would follow in his footsteps and take their rightful places.  He enjoyed his role as a father.  He loved his boys greatly and spent as much time with them as he could.  Of course, he left their care in the complete hands of his wife and the nanny.  Tore Raynor would not wipe a snotty nose or change a shitty diaper, not in this lifetime.  It was strictly meant for women.  Yet, he would do everything else expected of a father.  He thought of himself as a good father, a caring one, and he wouldn't hesitate to die for his children. 

His mind wondered very briefly to the jomfru.  She had obviously set out to destroy him, ruin his life, and for what?  He had only been trying to love his son.  Who was the better caretaker for him?  It wasn't her, that he knew.  She was a single mother, a slut, who spread her legs repeatedly for him.  She was a woman who cared so little for her virginity that she gave it to the first man who touched her.  Of course, he didn't see his role in it, didn't care to.  He hated the jomfru and had cringed when he was told that he would have to seduce her.  Couldn't his mission have been carried out some other way?  She was a wimpy woman, a weak one, she should have produced him a daughter, not a son.  If she had had a daughter, none of the horror would have happened.  He wouldn't have cared as much.  Daughters were nothing to a man, only extra baggage to marry off or to care for the rest of their lives.  It was her fault his son was run down in the street, her fault that she carried such anger in her heart.  If Frank Donovan hadn't been flanking her that night, he would have put out her lights.  He hated Donovan as much as her.

When he thought of the jomfru and Donovan, his mind wondered.  Had she taken him as her lover?  Interesting thought, one he would like to explore.  Would she bare him a son?  Would she use his body?  Perhaps if she had another child, she would forget the one who died.  The two made an intriguing but mixed up couple.  He frowned a little.  If they were together that way, wouldn't it be more difficult for him to escape their clutches?  Why was he suddenly worried?  He sat up and glanced at his wife for a long moment.  He had to get up, get going, and start his day.  If he didn't, he thought he might go mad.

*  *  *

Donovan had tried repeatedly to take the binoculars from Pax, but she wasn't giving them up.  Her obsessive behavior worried him and he was incredibly afraid she didn't intend on keeping her promise.  Yet, something told him she wouldn't betray his trust.  Once she saw Ahiga, she'd give over.  She wouldn't do it until then.  Feeling just a tad useless at the moment, Donovan leaned up behind her and dropped his hands on her shoulders.  She didn't flinch.  Her neck and shoulders were knotted.  Jesus.  If she didn't let this go, he couldn't imagine what would happen to her.  His hands began to knead the muscles, but she kept her eyes peeled.  Nothing could distract her.  She had another promise to keep, one she had made to Lee.  Looking away would only aid toward breaking that promise, and she would rather die than do that.  Mentally, Donovan decided if they hadn't seen Ahiga by nine a.m., they would go back to the hotel and regroup for the next phase.  She wouldn't like it, but he didn't care.  They both needed rest, needed the time.

While Pax watched the house obsessively, Tore Raynor stepped out of the shower and dressed.  His special phone, his 'work' phone, rang.  He reached for it and listened to the words on the other end of the line.  After a moment, a grin spread across his face, one that was also a bit tentative and fearful.  He hung up and stepped out toward the back of his mansion.  Considering how much his property sprawled in all directions, he might be able to just see what his attention had been drawn toward.  He craned his neck against the door.  Ah yes.  A van.  It seemed deserted, of course, but it was pretty obvious who was in it.  Did they think they could get away with this shit?  Ah well.  He knew how to get out of his home without detection.  He had made sure that the architect had designed a safe escape underground.  He couldn't believe their stupidity.  Actually, he could believe the stupidity of the jomfru.  After all, she was a woman.  But Donovan surprised him.  He should have known better.  It would have been easy to pick them off like flies, but he'd wait a while and bide his time.  He only wanted to strike when the pair was separated.  Alone, he could handle the jomfru, but with Donovan in the mix, it would be slightly more difficult.

The hour of nine came and went.  Several times, Donovan tried to pull her back, to lead her away.  Stubbornly, Pax held on.  Eventually, he snatched the binoculars out of her hand and tossed them aside.  "Goddamn it, Jonella, we've either missed him or he isn't leaving right now.  This man isn't an idiot.  He probably knows we're here.  We're going back and we're leaving right now.  Give me the fucking keys to the van.  Don't make me take them from you."

"As if you could," she said.

"Jonella, I don't have time for this shit.  It's time to go, time to give up for now.  Tonight, we'll go again.  We'll find him.  Remember, you're supposed to be trusting me now, or have you forgotten?"  She looked away and then down.  "I see that you haven't," he said.  "Good.  I'm glad I have your attention.  Give me the keys and let's go back.  We both need food, showers, and sleep.  Even I can't go twenty-four seven," he said with a sardonic grin.

She shook her head and smiled a little.  "If you had me in bed, you could," she commented lightly.  She dug the keys out from inside her bra [it would have been the first place he would have looked] and handed them over.  "Okay, Frank, let's get out of here.  Although I hate to fucking admit it, you're right.  I'm a mess and I need a bed."

An hour later, Donovan and Pax sauntered into the hotel room together arm-in-arm.  Yesterday, when noticed, they had broken apart as if they should be ashamed of themselves.  However, today, neither of them gave a shit.  Of course, the team noticed yet again, with dropped jaws and lifted eyebrows.  Surely they had worked last night, hadn't they?  They eventually broke apart, but not because they were noticed by anyone.  Pax escaped to take a shower.  In her gentle vernacular, she declared that she needed to shower because she 'smelled like a fucking pig.'  Shaking his head, he watched her until she was out of sight.  He turned and saw the stunned looks on the faces of the team.  He lifted both eyebrows briefly as to say 'so what.'  He then stepped into his boss shoes to find out if they had found anything interesting or useful.  Donovan had formulated a plan while he and Pax were coming back to the hotel, and it would rely on Alex.

Pax stepped out of the shower, immediately noticing the steam in the room.  God.  It felt heavenly in this room, like a sauna.  In a moment, she would retrieve Donovan and give him a chance to feel this wonderful, soothing heat.  Until then, she relished it for as long as was humanly possible.  When she came out of the steamy bathroom, she noticed that Donovan had plopped down on the bed and had his arms tucked beneath his head and his ankles crossed.  He appeared exhausted, but was wide-awake.  His cheeks were scruffy again.  He needed a shave.  She ignored him for a moment and started looking around for the clothing she had brought with her.  Where the fuck had she put it?  Jesus.  She had left it in the other room and there was no fucking way she was going to step out there like this.  Perhaps if she demanded nicely, Frankie would get them for her.

Before she asked, he glanced at her with a smile.  "I brought them in for you.  I noticed you had forgotten them.  I started to go back out, but I needed a break.  After a night in a van, this bed feels incredible."

Oh yeah, I'll bet it does, she thought.  She was very tempted to jump right in the big middle of him, but she kept thinking of the agents outside.  Sometimes, their lovemaking sessions got out of hand.  What if today was one of those days?  Get your mind out of the fucking gutter, you horny assed bitch.  Sighing, she walked around to the other side of the bed, noticing that he had left her clothes there.  In the back of her mind, she wondered if he had done this on purpose.  You certainly do not have to fucking trick me into bed.  All you have to do is ask.  Hell no.  Better still, just fucking look at me, and I'll be your slave for the rest of the day.  She reached for her panties and he didn't move a muscle.  She slipped into them and then reached for her bra.  Still nothing.  Okay, she thought, a bit disappointed, I could have read him wrong.  Oh well.  When she reached out for her slacks, she stopped when he sat up with his back facing her.  To her amazement, he began to strip down for his shower.  She felt quite perverted watching him strip, but couldn't help it.  So she'd wait a minute to finish dressing until he went into the bathroom.  What was a few more minutes?

Once undressed, Donovan stretched and listened to his spine cracking.  At that point, Pax grabbed the rest of her clothing and began walking around the bed.  She intended to leave him to his shower.  When she was close enough, he reached out for her, took her hand, and pulled her back.  He gazed up at her with the most solemn look on his face she had ever seen.  She thought he had already consumed her with his eyes, but she had been completely wrong.  At that very moment, he literally picked her up and drew her inside, holding her tightly, not releasing her, never releasing her again.  That one look moved her more than any single touch ever could.  It was scaring the shit out of her, because she found herself reacting to it, returning the heated gaze, transmitting as many of her thoughts to him as he was to her.  It wasn't necessarily a heated, sexual gaze; it was deeper, earth shattering, and almost…soulful.  Soulful?  Was that the word she was seeking?  She knew right then and there that he wouldn't let her go, and not just for today.  Uncaringly, she dropped her clothing and discarded what she had just put on.  Both of them knew they shouldn't do this, not with so much work that needed to be done, but it was completely out of their control.  He needed her, needed to show her what he'd transmitted through his eyes.  It couldn't wait, it couldn't wait another moment.

After, they lay sprawled together on the bed, his face was nearly buried in the pillow and his arm rested across her body.  She was close enough to hear his heartbeat and it freaked her out a little.  She allowed her hand to run down his arm several times before slipping it into his, their fingers entwining as much as their bodies.  He leaned up just a bit to kiss her, and she noticed that his cheek was still scruffy.  He had yet to get his shower, and she thought he might need one now.  In fact, she was probably going to have to climb back in there herself.  As he nuzzled the delicate skin of her throat, she realized that if he were to mention the word 'marriage' right at that moment, her answer would be quite different.      

*  *  *

Alex gazed at Donovan as if he had lost his mind.  "You want me to what?"

Donovan sighed.  He had gone over the scenario a dozen times and would now have to go through it again.  He understood her trepidations, but damn it, they had few options.  Pax certainly couldn't do it.  "You saw the hideous singer last night, did you not?"  Alex nodded.  Hideous wasn't quite descriptive enough.  "Go back to the club tonight, find out who the owner is, hopefully you'll be directed straight to Ahiga.  Audition for him.  Cody can create a persona for you; can even get press out that will describe you as the hottest new singer.  We can get closer to Ahiga this way."

"Jesus, Boss," Alex sighed.  "I can't sing."

"And you call what that freak of nature was doing last night singing," Jake offered.  "You can't be any worse than her."

"Shit," she said.  "What other avenue do we have at this point?  None of the stakeouts panned out exactly.  I just hope I can pull this off."

"After what we heard last night, Alex, anyone could pull it off," Jake quipped. 

*  *  *

Tore Raynor stared down at the petite woman with the ice blue eyes.  She had told him her name was Gyllene.  It was Norwegian, meaning 'golden.'  Intriguing.  She had boasted she was an up and coming singer and she wanted the floor tonight.  His other star, Iona, was wearing thin.  Everyone around was getting tired of her, and to be honest, he was as well.  She was unstable and needed to go to a mental institution.  He gazed down at Gyllene, noticing that she was quite beautiful.  Her manager, Liten Mann, stood in the background and demanded that she should ask for top dollar.  Raynor would give it to her, but she would have to prove herself first.  He ushered Mann out the door, and stared down at the lovely woman. 

"So," Raynor said, "Show me what you have."

Nervous as hell, cursing the boss in her mind, she opened her mouth and let it out.

*  *  *

At the hotel, Cody, Monica, and Donovan were monitoring the situation.  It made them nervous that Ahiga had thrown Jake out, but right now, she was fairly safe.  Ahiga wasn't onto her yet.  With Alex singing her heart out in the background, Donovan drew away and crossed his arms over his chest, bringing one up and running his hand over his mouth thoughtfully.  Donovan then glanced over his shoulder at Pax.  The moment she heard Ahiga's voice, she had gone over to the window.  It was too much for her.

He turned back toward the other agents.  "Yell if anything gets out of hand, I need to take care of her."  He approached her from behind, pulled her hair away from neck, and pressed his lips against her flesh.  "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she said shortly.  "I'll be better when the fucker is behind nine inches of reinforced steel."

"We'll have him soon.  We've made direct contact now and it's only a matter of time," he said.

"I know.  It's just that my need for vengeance has to slow down and match your moves, I suppose.  I don't care how you do it, I just want it done," she whispered.  "If I have to live another year with that fucker still free, still on the streets, I don't know what's going to happen to me."

"It won't happen.  He'll be gone, Jonella.  This time next year, it'll be as if he was never anywhere but prison.  All I ask is that you maintain your trust in me."

"It's there," she said.  "I won't go off, I promise."

He kissed the side of her throat again.  "And I know you won't let me down.  I love you."

She closed her eyes and sighed.  Goddamn, that still sounded so very weird, to hear him say it with such passion and sincerity.  It was even weirder feeling it for him.  "Me too."

He left her a moment after that, but she remained at the window.  She wanted this whole deal over and done with, wanted to fulfill a promise made so that she could get on with her life.  Goddamn.  She never thought about what was going to happen next?  What would happen to her and Donovan?  What would happen to them?  There was a definite 'them' now, wasn't there?  This wasn't a thing or a fling or just about sex, not anymore.  She would do what she always did, shove it away, and not think about it.