Comments: Ok here I'm mixing two books transformed into series: Tarzan and Missing. The last one is based on a Meg Cabot's book. Missing is a police's series of the daily work of a group of FBI agents that work with a medium, Jess Mastriani. This woman in her twenties has psychic abilities that can help to find missing people.
Warning: I don't own any of the characters, story and series, of Tarzan and Missing. I'm not selling, or making any kind of profit off of this story I've written. No infringement is intended. This is solely for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of others. (At last that is what I hope).
Missing
His blond hair, dyed by the ash of the explosion, fell surrounding his perfect features. From his lips a hopeful smile was holding when, gazing at the auburn-haired woman, he declared, "I don't belong there."
Her brown eyes grew wide. She couldn't detach her gaze from him. "What do you mean?" His behavior was confusing, it was his only chance to run away, to be saved, but he refused to go away.
He stepped ahead. There were not doubts into his heart, he finally found his other one. She trembled hearing him say, "I belong with you."
She swallowed hard watching him bend forward to smell her natural scent on her neck. Her mind went blank while he circled the curve of her auburn mane. She closed her eyes feeling his intoxicating proximity. He reached some feral part of her. Suddenly each one of her doubts flew away when her hands followed the command of her own desire cupping his face as she pulled back staring at his lips. Hungrily, she gave in devouring his mouth. She was a mess of hormones and lust when his inexpert lips returned the kiss with equal passion.
While the couple got lost inside their fervor, Jess could step back detaching off the woman's body. She watched them fall on the bed. "Ok this vision is getting erotic." While their bodies vanished over the mattress a bloody handkerchief appeared on it. She could see a badge over it. She bent over to read the name on it. "Jane Porter"
The dark brown haired woman sat up abruptly on the bed. "Jane Porter!" She left the bed hastily going to the computer and turned it on.
Jess Mastrioni had been transferred to New York FBI section seven days ago. Quickly she found this apartment to rent. A second later that she crossed the main door her visions started. But it was the first time she could sight a name. Possibly, on this occasion, she could find out who are those people.
Her work inside the agency wasn't easy and generally her partners didn't understand how she did it. To be honest she didn't understand how her gift worked either, but up till now her visions and dreams helped to solve the most intricate FBI' cases. In fact she never intended to join the Bureau. She had planned to take over her parents' family restaurant but fate had arranged a different future for her when a storm ray hit her. It was a miracle, she didn't expect to survive. But it awoke some un-known part of her brain. When the Agency discovered her potential to find missing people using her visions, they brought her in as a "consultant." After one year of helping them, as natural consequence, she enrolled in official training at Quantico and joined the FBI. Five years later she was living in New York building looking for a totally unknown woman's face.
Entering to the bureau's website Jess typed the name she saw in her dream. After few seconds the biography of a New York detective spread across the screen. She smirked reading the detective's address. "Ok. I'm living in the same apartment, which could explain part of the visions." She read the impeccable and impressive curriculum, but suddenly it changed after her fiancé death. A special section explained her problem with a powerful family, The Claytons, something about her intervention regarding some problems with the young Clayton heir. Her eyes slid on the file but it ended abruptly. Jess tried to find something else about this detective but all the information was under Top Secret level. "Mmm. That's weird."
Her natural curiosity forced her to pick the phone, it was early morning, but she needed to find an explanation. A nice voice answered on the other side of the line. "With Detective Porter please." She requested.
The person doubted some seconds. "Sorry Jane Porter doesn't work here anymore." After that the line died.
"It's getting weirdest." She muttered searching some pictures of the Detective Porter, but she found something unexpected when she clicked under the name of John Clayton Jr. The face of the blond guy she dreamt appeared on the screen. "Interesting…" She looked for his address. Maybe talking with him would put some light over this dark mystery.
…..
'Wow!' Jess stood at the stairs observing the mansion's front, 'surely this people exude little ancient gold coins instead of our vulgar and common perspiration.' She smirked at her mental image. This 'little' palace was impressive as well as the Mercedes-Benz limousine parked on the entrance.
The FBI agent knocked the wooden door and waited to be driven to Kathleen Clayton's office. She couldn't help but think 'There is more people working here than into the bureau.' She took a seat near the huge desk waiting for the powerful publisher woman's arrival.
When her fingers touched the arm of the chair, she saw the auburn-haired detective walked into the room dressed with a dark blue suit. A tick gold chain was tangled around her neck. Evidently it was a very heavy load that hurt her flesh. On the desk the figure of Kathleen Clayton was drawn with a red paintbrush. From her pocket she took out a huge crossbow and shot it. The arrow nailed in the middle of the redden woman's chest.
"What can I do for you Agent Mastrioni?" Kathleen's voice, kind but cold, broke the vision.
She startled but quickly replied, "I would like to talk with your nephew Ms. Clayton but your house keeper told me that I should talk with you first."
The publisher hid a tiny satisfaction smile. "What do you want to talk about, Agent Mastrioni?"
Jess doubted for some seconds then she dropped the name. "Jane Porter"
Kathleen Clayton face turned to stone. "Sorry agent, but I can't let you perturbing him with that subject. Jane Porter is a forbidden topic into this house." The publisher walked at the door, "If you excuse me, I have a job to do."
……….
"Ok that was unnecessarily rude." Jess walked down the street with the annoying sensation as if she had collided violently against a stubborn wall. Inside her mind hundred of questions were turning, but there were no answers. Then her cell phone screeched.
On the other side of the line John Pollock's angry voice sounded. "I just receive a call from Kathleen Clayton." She stopped her pace, it wouldn't be good, the main director of the FBI New York section was fuming "What the hell are you doing Agent Mastrioni?"
"Sir, I'm followed a case." Ok that was a white lie but she looked for a missing person after all. "The detective Jane Porter..."
She heard the typing noise he made on the other side of the phone line. After almost a minute his voice sounded angrier. "Agent Mastrioni stop whatever you are doing! This is a direct order. Do you understand?" He waited her answer. "Do you understand?" He asked once more loud.
"Yes…" she replied shyly and he cut the conversation.
Jess was glad to cross her apartment door once and for all. The day had been exhausting, oppressive and heavy. She threw her bag on the table picking the telephone up. She was dying for a pizza. When she hung the phone she exclaimed happily, "Only ten minutes," allowing fall on the sofa, "and I will enjoy breaking the diet." She reclined her head on the back of the sofa, closed her eyes kicking her shoes off her aching feet. "Live is perfect… all I need is a tasty not-diet pizza, a hot shower and then I will hide under the sheets." A mischievous smile danced across her lips remembering what happened under those sheets on Saturday. She sighed moaning. Roger was a very handsome man. He was exactly what the doctor had prescribed her to overcome her work's stress. Besides, he had promise an unforgettable romantic date for the next weekend. "Ok. All I have to do now is change this uncomfortable suit." Her night was planned so she decided to keep her habitual night routine. Jess opened her eyes finding the barefoot blond man face in front of her. She screamed jumping and falling on the sofa once more.
She scowled hearing him said, "Do you want to talk to me?" He seemed to be too real just for a vision. "Do you know where Jane is?" Jess spread her arm touching his hair and leaped by the panic. Instinctively her foot flew toward his groin but it didn't reach its objective because his fingers catch her heel. Tilting his head he wondered. "You went to my house to speak with me about Jane. Why are you attacking me?"
With a tug she freed her foot from his hands. That was an illogical and stupid situation. "How did you get here?"
"By the window!" He replied as a matter of fact.
"I'm in a fifth floor!"
"Yeah..." His face showed his disconcert, he didn't understand why she was astonished by it.
Suddenly she realized that, every time she saw him climbing the walls into her visions, wouldn't be a metaphor about the difficulties that he had had to face. "Ok. Spiderman, what are you doing here?"
He rolled his eyes, he had said it twice already. "You went to the mansion this morning. You ask Kathleen, my aunt, about Jane but she is angry with her and didn't want to talk about her."
"So… you are John Clayton jr."
He nodded. "People call me that way." Before she could interrupt him again he quickly explained. "I want to know why Jane ran away and where she is. I hunted for you but it was unexpected to find you here, in her apartment."
"Ok… first. This is not Jane's apartment, is mine. And you break in here illegally…"
Now was his turn to frown. "Jane lived here… and she let me enter through the window"
"… lived… that is the word… lived. Now this is my home and everyone has to go in and out through the door. Got it?" In that moment the doorbell buzzed. She sighed, "Perfect!" 'Goodbye peaceful and appeasable night.' "Do you want some pizza?" He nodded and she stepped ahead taking her wallet. "Ok make it easy on your self, I'll be right back. We can chat about what happen to Jane while we have dinner." Resignedly she opened the door. Evidently she will disobey Pollok's direct order.
…………….
John Clayton Jr. didn't argue, disagreed or even denied what her visions meant. He was the first person that had not gotten scared about her extra-sensorial capacities. He had taken her dreams and vision like a normal manifestation of nature. He was a strange creature that didn't fit at all with the image she had of a wealthy man. He didn't know at all about respecting the personal area but he was an expert bloodhound following prints and hints.
Sitting in the table bar at the Stillwell Avenue, they rested of their exhaustive searched through the Brooklyn riverside. As Jess had dreamt repeatedly the same dream the last four nights, both of them decided to follow the direction the dream pointed. It wasn't easy to go incognito with John Clayton Jr. The man was a powerful magnet to every female's gaze around. She smirked. He was so blind to his effect on women. How could a man like him exist?
Lost inside his own fears and concerns he explained without stopping to play with his orange juice glass, "Sam doesn't want to talk. I really didn't know what to do until you came." He exhaled his pain. "After six months of unsuccessfully hunting, I gave in. Maybe Kathleen is right and it's time to move on. But what can I do with my feelings? I can't stop to think about her and my feelings still the same although she doesn't want to be found. Even Nicky, her sister, doesn't know where Jane can be." He smiled shyly. "You bring me some lights through the darkness and grief surrounding me."
Agent Mastrioni smiled at his honest confession. When her lips touched the edge of the cup of coffee her eyes perceived as the street gradually began to flood. She raised her head warning to her adventure partner "John! I'm having a vision."
He leaned forward asking, "Tell me what you see."
"Ok. I'm seeing the same riverside I was dreaming lately but this time it's dark. Jane is walking down the bank. She is throwing a white powder over the boots prints on the ground drawing a line on the sand. A shadow is watching over her." Jess tilted her head trying to focus the figure. "It's a man but I can't see his face. She respects him too much. He gave her a reddish man's wallet but when she grabbed it, it changes its color to yellow. He is speaking to her, she stepped back. Her hand lean on her cheeks and pull her face out, like a mask. There's another face under her face."
"What does it mean?"
"I don't know John… it could mean anything. We have to decipher it, and you know it isn't easy. Just remember, nothing is what it seems into a vision." Suddenly John's face turned pale as he started to sniff the air. "John, what happen?"
He was anxious, worried and agitated. "I can smell her. She is near."
Jess put five bucks on the table and hastily followed the human bloodhound. They went through seven blocks galloping until he stopped abruptly. His eyes were fixed on a slender young blond woman who descended from a limousine. A tall man, with his short dark hair, was waiting for her on the sidewalks. He slipped his hand around her waist pulling her closer. Their lips fused in a long and ardent kiss. The couple was surrounded by four bodyguards. One of them gazed at John. Like a stone the young Clayton contemplated the scene. It took him some seconds to react, then he began to walk toward the limousine but one of the hulks cut his way.
The blond woman's ears perceived John's grunt and she spun her head. She froze. It couldn't be. Her gaze was followed by the others men. Tarzan slowly kept approaching to them without detaching his gaze of her figure. The bodyguards aimed him. The man next to her reacted slipping his arm around her pulling her closer as his eyes warned him, 'she is mine'. But suddenly his facial expression changed. His features relaxed and he even smiled self-assured. With a single gesture of his hand the bodyguards let John come closer. The wild Clayton fought to find his voice as he said. "Hi Jane…"
The surprise was evident on her face. He was the last person that she expected to find. 'Damn!' she cursed silently. John stared at that woman. It was difficult to recognize her under her blond mane, tightly clothes and excessive make-up.
"You're John… John Clayton Jr." The man beamed in front of the astonished jungle man. Jess watched the scene. She had seen somewhere his perfects features and that cold gaze. The man was gorgeous showing his tanned skin and his muscular body wrapped into this classy white suit.
The brown man's eyes sparked. "The world is small and life cruel. I have in front of me your worse nightmare…Querida." Opening his hand the man spread his arm but John didn't answer his greeting gesture, he just kept gazing at her.
"He ignores the basic rule of courtesy. Don't waist your time Miguel." Jane broke her stillness and with a cold and parsimonious tone she assured, "I can't say that I'm glad to see you John." She sneered at Jess and added sarcastically. "You keep picking up little critters from the street." John stepped back overwhelmed and hurt. This person was light years from the Jane he used to know. How could it happen? "I'm bored Miguel…" she tossed the man's arm, "I'm going inside. There is nothing interesting for me out here."
But Miguel didn't move, he kept smiling at the barefoot man who gazed his woman. "You don't have to be rude darling."
John perceived a tiny tremble into Jane's voice hearing her said, "I don't like this stupid game Miguel…" then, without paying the smallest attention to the couple, she disappeared into the hall entrance.
Miguel shook his left hand and one of the hulks stood behind John while other stood behind Jess. "I want to show you the Colombian hospitality Mr. Clayton." The third bodyguard opened the building's door. "Please come in. We can drink some wine and talk about the old times…"
"I thing we better go John…" Jess dared to suggest but the tip of a gun on her back convinced her that their host had another idea. "Or we can enter as you wish sir…"
John grunted and the man laughed. "Oh! This will be amusing!"
She caught Tarzan's arm whispering in his ear, "Better we go in. Don't fight." Finally she had recognized this man's face, and she didn't need her power to know that what was waiting for them it had nothing good.
…...
Jess entered into a space whose only piece of furniture was a brown wooden table located exactly in the center of the room. Two chandeliers, each one in a corner, were the merely illumination of the place. The Agent Mastrioni saw a mask over the table. Her finger picked it up finding a diary under it. It was covering with white powder. She blew it exposing the fragile calligraphy on its surface. "Jane Porter" She read loud. Daintily Jess opened it and began to read. The ex-detective's life was detailed into its leaf, the way she had meet John Clayton jr., a.k.a. Tarzan. Jess smiled, the name fit perfectly. Into three pages John's trial was described meticulously. After that Jane's calligraphy became more and more illegible and jumped abruptly to her first meeting with Miguel. Jess finger slipped over the leaf base, it was rough. Although it had been made carefully the FBI Agent noticed that several pages were missing. Deliberately someone had been removed them.
Abruptly one of the Colombian's men pushed her on the couch breaking the vision. Jess found herself inside an impressive room sitting on a white sofa with her hands tied on her back. At her side her adventure partner staring at her. "Have had you another vision?" She nodded smiling. He could read perfectly her body language. If it wasn't for his feral untamed behavior, he could be an excellent agent.
Miguel tossed his jacket aside with a smile on his face. He sat down comfortably on the opposed couch crossing his legs. "Jane, please, darling would you come here."
From one of the room's door emerged the blond woman wearing jeans and dark brown blouse. She froze seeing them. Angrily she turned to face Miguel. "What are they doing here?" As answer Miguel placed an old gun on the glass table between him and his uninvited guests. His smile grew wide. She puffed angrily. "Are you testing me?" Then she picked the weapon up, "you love this antiques," she grumbled pointing to the barefoot blonde's head. Her finger moved the hammer. "Sorry John, there is nothing personal but…" she stood there for some eternal seconds. Her arm lowered slowly and she placed the gun on the table once more. "I don't want to do such stupid thing… Why do you want to waste a million dollar?"
"What are you talking about?" Miguel frowned.
"If I make a simple phone call to his aunt, you get easily one million dollars." She took her cell phone, her fingers dialed. It rang two times but she cut the line. "No…" A cruel smile was drawn on her face, "maybe to call his aunt is not the best way to do business. I can call his uncle. He would give you two or three millions to have his nephew under his fingers again."
"I like the way your brain's work querida." Miguel beamed, "Darling you impress me…"
She winked naughtily. "I know. But we can't use our phones. If you excuse me I need to go out to make a special phone call. We don't want that Richard Clayton rake our call." She forced Jess to stand up tossing her arm. John reacted automatically but a gun over his head persuaded him of moving. Jane pushed her into the room. "Ok bitch if you behave maybe you get out of here without a single scratch." Slowly she spun looking at Tarzan wickedly. She met his cold gaze openly challenged him. "Now is your turn monkey-boy." She steeped back pointing at the windows bedroom, "Don't be a fool John, we are hundred thirty two feet from the ground, so you won't be as stupid as to jump and kill yourself." Then she assured. "Enjoy your last minutes of freedom, I think your uncle will be glad to see you again."
Her attitude confused him, once again her voice was saying one thing but her body language other. His fury amassed into his wrist giving him the power to break his ties. Jess was forcing hers. With a single tug he freed her. The agent looked into her jacket pocket. There she found a paper with the same calligraphy of the diary she saw into her last vision. She read it carefully. "John we have to get out of here immediately." He pointed out the window. No more word was needed. She was hung of his back as they descended by the vertical wall. Hardly had they touched the ground a dozen of federal agents emerged from nowhere taking them to a save place out of Colombian's view.
Jess turned pale when she saw Pollok's angry face looking at her. "Mastrioni! You and your hippie friend are ruining our six month undercover job!
John shook his head trying to understand what all was about. Jess's words were enough to comprehend the important thing. "We put Jane's life in danger."
He looked up. Before any of the FBI Agents could react he was jumping on the wall again climbing up. All he could think was in her safety hearing Miguel's threatening voice. No one expected him. Supposedly he was still locked into the near room, so he could break into the apartment without problems slipping inside. One of the Colombian' hulk was marauding but he didn't see the powerful arm until it coiled around his neck, but then it was too late. After a dry crack of his neck's bones the man fell lifeless to the floor. Tarzan kept stalking like a predator circling its prey.
He stopped his pace seeing Jane sitting at the sofa as Miguel talked. "You have disappointed me querida. I had big plans for you." He smirked and started clapping, "Your performance on my bed was superb. Oh! I wish had time to be able to fuck you again… but." He took her cell phone and pressed redial waiting one second. "Hi. I know you are there whoever you are. I have your agent here. I really had to admit that you got me unaware this time. She did a great job fooling me… It's a pity if you lose such great agent but I will kill her if you don't let me go." He cut the line beaming. "It will bring me some minutes to wait my helicopter."
"The FBI doesn't negotiate with criminals." She said as he grabbed her gun from her bag. "You wouldn't get anything."
He looked at her sardonically "Oh! Darling. Querida. I just did. I get some useful information about one tinted blond detective that shared my bed. I really believed your excellent performance of the corrupt police but there are so many vulnerable agents to the effect of a check with several zeros written over it. He spit quickly the plan. In fact you have to thanks that troglodyte of yours appeared. Otherwise you would be fish food by now." Miguel checked that the weapon had bullets. "You have infiltrated successfully into my organization and into my bed. I will miss you but you're endangering me now. You know too much about my business." He sighed theatrically, "Sorry Jane it's nothing personal but you have to die."
Carefully Tarzan came closer until he saw Miguel's hand held the gun aiming Jane's temple. Then he didn't waste much time. He jumped over the Colombian gangster. His men drew out their guns at the same time John's fingers hand forced Miguel to loose the weapon. But it didn't reach the ground, Jane caught it in the middle of its fall. Rolling to the couch her expert marksmanship reached at two of the men, the police's sniper did the rest.
Tarzan swayed Miguel's body making him fall, then his arms acted as hammers beating the Colombian gung over and over again until he didn't dare to move.
Jane rushed at his side grabbing one of his arms. "John stops!" He spun his head gazing at her. His bloodshot eyes didn't hide his anger. "They need him alive." She whispered letting herself fell to the ground exhausted. The doors were broken by the boots of the armed agents that entered into the apartment. Jane sighed looking at the barefoot blond man at her side. She beamed. "Thanks for saving my life." He shook his head loosing his last doubts and then he smiled back.
Epilog
She looked at the mirror seeing her own reflection. Smirking she untangled the towel off her head discovering her auburn color once more on her hair. "Hi girl, nice to see you again." The sound of his bare feet touching the carpet made her smile. She was amazed of her own palpitation just thinking to see him again.
"John I told you thousand times, you have to enter through the door not the window." Jess's voice nagged him unsuccessfully.
"Don't waste your energy Jess." Jane stepped out the bathroom adjusting tightly the towel around her body. "It's useless, he will keep entering through the window no matter how hard you complain." Grabbing her T-shirt and jeans Jane smiled at the happy jungle man who had brought two pizzas for the dinner. She leaned in kissing him on the cheek. "Thanks John. I'm really starving." Then she went into the bathroom again.
He sighed without being able to hide the happiness of his heart.
"You need a gigantic bib." Jess teased him walking to the kitchen. He followed her. She put on the table three glasses, orange juice and beers near the Pizzas he brought.
"Thanks for let her stay at night." His eyes sparkled.
"Oh! It's ok. This is her former apartment after all."
"It's yours now." Jane said entering, "tomorrow morning I will look for my own place." She wrapped playfully her arm around his. "I make sure it has a huge window…" Tossing one chair she sat down. "Ok I'm really hungry."
The food vanished quickly with the juice and the beers. After dinner the women enjoyed a cup of coffee while the barefoot man enjoyed just being there.
His eyes stared at Jane making his silent question. The detective played with the spun agitating the black liquid. She had to explain what happen and why she did what she did but it wasn't easy. "After the trial," she started, "Pollock contacted Captain Connor offering me to work undercover. The problem that Richard Clayton made to my curriculum offered a unique opportunity. I could infiltrate easily in the local Colombian mafia organization because I had the worse reputation after Richard's lawyer ended his nasty job. But this uncover job required that I disappeared from the places I used to live. It was dangerous for Nikki, for you, even for Sam. It wasn't easy but Detective Porter had to evaporate so Jane Porter, the renegade, could appear." Her face darkened. "I had to do things I would never believe I could do, but it was my job and the only way to stop Miguel Herrera." She made a lingering silence. "I'm sorry about the things I told you John. But I had to make sure that Miguel didn't suspect of me and at the same time I tried to keep both of you alive." She smirked. "But …"
"I heard what he told you. And I understand that you did this to capture him." He puffed. "I don't like it but understand why you did it."
"And once again you came to save me…"
"And Jess…" He playfully added.
Jane's hand rested over theirs. "Thanks both of you."
"It was amusing in spite of the punishment Pollock gave me…" Jess smirked.
"John has a special talent to make a cop, this time a FBI agent, break the rules…" They laughed. "But tell me, how did you find me?"
Jess eyes twinkled mischievously, "I dreamt of you..."
Jane's distrustful smile grew, "Come one, tell me."
"It's a long story Jane but I can assure you one thing. It was your last undercover mission." she assured holding Jane's stare.
After a long silence the detective roared with laughter. "Ok! You keep teasing me. How do you know it? Are you a female fortuneteller?"
"She sees things in a different way than us." John's face was serious. "But was her … gift what brought us where you were."
He never lied so she started to consider it from a different spot. "Really?" To her analytic mind it was hard to buy.
Jess beamed. "Don't worry. You'll witness it by yourself."
Jane frowned. "How?"
"You, John and I will work together in a near future…"
The End (Fin)
This story was written for a tarzantheseries..net Autumn Challenge.