Hazy shapes danced in front of her eyes and it took a moment for Nina to recognize where she was. Her mind jolted awake, she remained still, listening to the steady breathing of the man next to her. Certain he was asleep, Nina slipped from the bed grabbing her phone and clothes on her way to the balcony.
It was just before dawn and the dark sky grew lighter as it met the horizon. The cool morning air raised goosebumps on her exposed legs and she glanced back at the bed as she dialed the numbers. Jack was a light sleeper, often waking several times from nightmares he never told her about but she still saw in his face.
The ringing stopped with an abrupt click followed by silence. Nina spoke first. "I'm returning your call."
A crisp, feminine voice answered. "What took you so long?"
"I couldn't get to a phone." Not one without Jack around.
There was a pause on the other end and Nina grew anxious. She was supposed to call back hours ago.
"You'll need to be in LA on Monday." Nina sighed, careful that the other woman didn't hear her. i The plan is going ahead. /i "Same time and place as before. Peter will meet you."
"I'll be there," Nina responded before ending the call. Turning around, she folded her arms under her breasts and looked into the room. Her back stiffened when Jack stirred but didn't wake, his features obscured by the darkness of the room.
This little trip had been his idea. Jack couldn't just fuck a girl without pretending it was a relationship. They both knew it wasn't. He had spent the other night begging his wife to take him back, that hadn't gone well and yesterday he suggested a trip to Santa Barbra. She, like this trip, was a diversion. Something to make him feel a little less alone, a little less guilty towards her because he knew what this relationship really was.
Jack was using her, just like she was using him.
As she walked back into the room, Nina made a mental note to clear a half-hour for the meeting on Monday. She could say she was taking a late lunch. These meeting were generally short, five or ten minutes usually to drop off documents. Nina had a feeling, though, that the Drazen mission would be more complex.