CHAPTER 4

Lauren was making the finishing touches to her outfit before she was scheduled to meet up with Vincent Daivari at the Palmyra restaurant located in the Le Royal Hotel in midtown Amman. He often did his business in that particular hotel and lived under an alias in one of its most luxurious suites.

She was sure that instead of butterfly's, there were a flock of birds fluttering about in her stomach. She hadn't been this nervous in years, not since her first assignment for the covenant. Lauren had tried capturing her former self by wearing something the old, evil Lauren would have worn to a meeting like this; tight black leather pants a revealing red blouse and oversized black sunglasses.

Lauren would have wanted Nadia's input, but the woman who was working as her handler, had disappeared somewhere almost as soon as the private plane had landed in Amman. Most likely she and Jack had found a nice comfortable closet in which to make-out in. She had been left alone with Rachel, who was reading the details of her cover and going through the mission in the phone with Marshall. Lauren was quite surprised that nobody had put two and two together and guessed the real reason why both Jack and Nadia were absent at the same time, since they were not actually that subtle.

"Were did Jack disappear? You haven't see him, have you?" Rachel quizzed the older blonde, who had tried her best at zoning out everything the annoyingly perky agent had been talking about in the last hour.

"I haven't seen him, sorry. He probably got held back," Lauren said and mentally added that it was Nadia's lips or other parts of her anatomy where he had gotten stuck in.

"I'm going to see where he is; I want to rehearse something before the meet. If he comes when I'm gone, tell him that I'm looking for him," Rachel asked while grapping her cell phone and heading out of the hotel room that had been reserved for the mission in the fourth floor of Le Royal Hotel.

"Sure do," Lauren replied cordially, with no intention to actually make sure Jack knew he was being searched. Nadia would kill her, if she allowed something to interrupt her alone time with Jack. She hoped the duo hadn't chosen the other hotel room reserved for the mission for their canoodling, because that would be the first place Rachel would look.

--

We should get back, we will be late if we stay like this any longer. Rachel will wonder if we don't show up soon," Jack whispered to the young woman laying next to him. They had managed sneak away under the pretence of exploring the hotel's security system and emergency exits before the mission truly got started. Jack had checked those things already of course, but the CIA didn't need to know that.

"Why should I move anywhere, when I can just lay in your arms a bit longer? Lauren can handle the cow until we get back. She's dealt with worse in her day," Nadia said irritably at the mention of the woman she hated during their romantic moment.

"Rachel's really not that bad you know. If you just got to know her better, you would like her I'm sure of it. You two are very much alike and I believe if you just gave her a chance, she would surprise you," Jack said thoughtfully. He didn't mind Rachel for the most part and knew her to be a capable field agent. He would have liked her even more, if she didn't constantly cling herself onto him.

At those worlds, Nadia scrambled out of the bed with a huff and began putting her clothes back on with righteous indignation. The day she would get along with Rachel would be the day that you could go ice skating in hell. Plus she was offended at the idea that her boyfriend thought she was anything like the obnoxious, irritating bimbo they both worked with.

"Rachel is all over you like a cheap suit. There is no way I'll ever get along with her, but if you like her so much, you are free to go be with her. See if I care," Nadia said furiously and flung a shoe she was holding in his direction. Luckily, he ducked and it hit the opposing wall instead.

Jack quickly dressed and started making the bed. He watched Nadia furiously searching her top that they had misplaced in the course of the last hour. She didn't look at him, but kept snorting in fury when she was not able to find her garment. After a few Spanish curses later, she found what she was looking for and put it on. Now the only thing she needed was her left shoe and then she was ready to go.

As he finished making the bed look presentable, Jack eyed her with a laugh playing in his eyes and calmly handed the high-heeled sandal back to her and enveloping her in a tight embrace. He wanted to reassure Nadia that he loved her and had not interest in Rachel. He did that by whispering couple of lines from Moment Like This' by Kelly Clarkson, that had been the song that had played in her apartment when they had finally owned up to having feelings for each other.

Nadia softened immediately and pressed her head against his shoulder. She couldn't stay mad at him when he was whispering something about a kiss that most people spent a lifetime looking for. They stayed like that until they heard a key being inserted into the lock.

Jack pulled away from Nadia in a and took a seat on one of the arm chairs in the room and started fiddling with his cell phone in almost perfect display of boredom. Nadia stayed standing and took a the hotel brochure that was on the table. She plastered a uninterested look on her face that she hoped would not display the emotions she had inside.

--

"Lauren Reed. I have to say I was truly surprised to get your call. You disappeared after the unfortunate passing of Mr. Sark at the hands of your hubby. I thought Uncle Sam had caught you, but clearly I was wrong. Where do I owe this immense pleasure?" Vincent Daivari asked taking Lauren's hand and kissing it all the while studying her with his cold, dark eyes. He had been waiting for her in one of the secluded booths in the Arabic-themed restaurant.

"I had to keep a low profile for a bit. The Seychelles is a marvelous place to spend a year, very stress free and relaxing. I highly recommended it," Lauren replied in a unattached voice, hoping to mask her real feelings towards the death of a man she had loved more than she could have ever imagined.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Reed? Anything that's mine, can very well be yours if you play your cards correctly," Daivari said pulling her chair back and after that taking a seat next to her.

"I hear you are in the market for a bomb maker and I just happen to know one that I'm sure will get the job done. I want to get back into the business and I think this deal could be lucrative for both of us. You get the bomb done and I get a nice fee for arranging the meeting between you and one of the most sought-after bomb makers in the world." Lauren continued in a professional voice and started looking at the menu that was had been brought to the table by a waiter.

"Let's discuss business at a later time, I think all work and no play makes Lauren a dull girl. Besides I believe there is more to your story than you're letting on. Before I even consider starting another business venture together, I want to get to know you all over again. This time without another man hovering anywhere near us," Daivari said and then whispered something in her ear.

--

"What the hell is Lauren doing?" Jack asked angrily as he noticed that the blonde woman had risen from the table and was moving out of the restaurant with Daivari who was leading her somewhere. That was not what was supposed to happen, they were supposed to eat and then she would bring Rachel and Jack into the meeting. Jack didn't like this development at all.

To be continued…

I know this was short, but the next one will be lot longer. I hope you enjoy this update.