Chapter Two

Through the Looking Glass

Edward's POV

Thirty-six hours later, inside one of the lavish rooms at the Oktyabrskaya Hotel...

I tipped my especially strong coffee towards my lips, sipping a great deal of the steaming hot brew during such a odd, evening hour, a few of my fellow FBI agents having already retired, for we had quickly broken down our man-power into round-the-clock surveillance of a couple key places we knew the Morozov Faction performed business.

The buildings making up the background in some of the member photographs had helped us tremendously in narrowing down city-block target areas as well as specific locales where we had set up cameras that recorded video only in a crisp resolution for our small monitors to display.

Currently, I was seated on the edge of one of the two, queen-sized peach-colored beds that complimented the light cream color of the walls that were specifically highlighted with softer shades of the peach and pink hues.

The whole hotel room was surprisingly warm and offered a tranquil sense of serenity with so much surrounding pastel tones, and I was infinitely grateful that such a beautiful space was to act as our headquarters for the time being.

Suddenly, I saw movement on the monitors – two men walking into one of the bars we had bugged in multiple corners.

The first male, I recognized immediately.

Emmett.

I shifted even more towards the edge of the bed, the thought flashing across my brain to alert the other members of my team, as I watched as he and the second man approached the front doors of the bar, their short and long coats wrapped tightly around them to shield them from the dangerous cold.

"...ah," I silently gasped upon seeing the second man whom Emmett was with, catching his profile and blonde, curly hair clearly before the both of them stepped through the door to the establishment.

Jasper.

I swallowed hard, before hurriedly darting my eyes a little to my left, seeing the agent assigned to room with me fast asleep on his side, dressed in his white shirt, slacks, and tie as he snoozed, unaware of how I was finally seeing the face of the mostly unknown member of the Morozov Faction right this second.

"...and...from what I saw...he is...beautiful...gorgeous, even..." I could not help but admit to myself as I pressed a button on the remote controller in my hands so that two of the screens that had been running surveillance on the outside streets suddenly switched into viewing inside the bar that Emmett and Jasper had just entered.

They had already sat down at a round table near the back of the bar, joining the long-haired, softly smiling Aro, as well as a few other men I did not know...probably just local hoodlums merely on his payroll and nothing more.

Jasper was not wearing his coat, as he sported a buttoned, black blazer and dark blue jeans, his entire outfit showcasing his long, strong limbs and figure as he sat with one ankle resting on his opposite knee and an arm slung along the back of the chair while his other brought his lit cigarette from the table to his lips.

I inched closer to the black and white feed of this absolutely stunning man sitting so enticingly careless, my eyes taking in every, attractive feature of his that was framed so perfectly but the loose curls of his styled hair.

Aro seemed to be speaking to Emmett and Jasper both, making mild gestures with his hands, while Emmett responded with loud movements and a giant smile adorning his face.

Jasper remained mostly still, looking almost bored with the whole exchange as he tipped his blonde head this way and that, continuing to smoke his cigarette until he smashed the rest out in the ashtray in front of him.

I unconsciously licked my lips upon seeing Jasper lower his eyes, his sinfully tempting lips parted, as he straightened the lapels of his blazer before slowly standing up from the table, probably cordially excusing himself as he appeared to have said something to Aro before walking away from their table and towards the restrooms located down a long corridor on the right.

However, as soon as Jasper had provided enough distance away from the table, one of the seated people shot up from their chair and rushed after him, catching his attention within the corridor as Jasper turned around and visibly dropped his shoulders in either relief or disappointment.

"...I hope it's disappointment...I don't want him to be relieved to see that guy..." I mentally answered my own question even though my own inner musings left a sour taste in my mouth, my mind hurriedly reminding me that this person was my enemy, one of the people I was meant to capture, and to not spare one iota of leniency.

This person was a threat against the United States.

This lovely, dangerously attractive man...

My thoughts diminished the moment I saw the rushing man hastily shove Jasper back against a wall, his large hands violently pinning both of Jasper's wrists above his head against the unforgiving wood as he ducked his head towards Jasper's neck and began licking at his smooth, sensitive flesh.

My mouth fell open, my eyes glued to the scene taking place before me, my mind in even greater turmoil than it had been just a few seconds ago when I had been merely feeling guilty that I thought Jasper was beautiful...as I watched as Jasper struggled against the man's advances.

The offending man freed one of his hands from holding onto Jasper's wrists, but only so he may run his fingers heavily down Jasper's chest and abdomen, before the man slid his hand inside the front of Jasper's jeans, making the blonde-haired male toss his head the other way, slightly arching his slender body from the wall behind him.

"Shit...! God...he is so sexy like that...wait, what am I thinking? I need to do something!" I began to mentally panic, not entirely sure what plan of action I should choose in such a confusing, obviously personal situation.

If I just left right now, immersed myself in the freezing cold alone, and burst in through the doors of that bar, our cover would be blown.

If I did nothing, however...Jasper...might get...

Once more, my thoughts were cut short even from forming inside my mind, as Jasper suddenly threw the man off of him so that his back thudded against the opposite wall, one of Jasper's hands slamming into the man's collarbone to hold him steady while his other hand swiftly retrieved a handgun from somewhere inside his blazer, the whole retaliation taking no more than a few, startling seconds.

If possible, my eyes widened even more upon seeing Jasper holding the offending male at gunpoint, the gleam of the polished black standing out through the video feed to me, as I watched as Jasper motioned for the man to leave.

The man, obviously not wanting to press his luck any more than he already had, fled clumsily from the bar, but my vision was still trained on Jasper now standing by himself inside the dim corridor.

The blonde-haired Russian brought his free hand up to his hair to briefly push back some of his stray locks from his eyes, before sliding his gun back inside the holster that I now realized was located on his left side, and his very stature just seemed terribly...lonely.

"...I can relate to that..." I internally surmised as I watched a considerable amount of my own physical attributes that, no doubt, depicted my oftentimes dreary thoughts and mood, being perfectly reflected in that of one fascinatingly alluring Morozov Faction member.

He had the shoulders of a man who knew real depression, real sadness...and I longed to know...

I had to force my jade-colored eyes to look away from the monitors once Jasper eventually passed through the door to the restroom, my head clearing up drastically once that mesmerizing man was out of my line of sight.

"Uley...Uley!" I called to the slumbering agent beside me, giving his arm a good shake until the dark-skinned Native American male snorted out his excess air and quickly blinked his darting eyes open.

"...yeah? What is it? You got something...?" Agent Sam Uley rattled off a few questions at me upon being woken up so abruptly, as he started sitting up with a hearty clearing of his throat, ready to hear my information.

"I got something alright...they're having a meeting at the Udachi Bar right now as we speak," I informed the other agent who locked his jaw a little tighter, already assessing the situation in his mind as he peered passed me at the surveillance footage.

"I think we should set it up to have a few of us in there tomorrow. They control their territory as well as they do because they make it a point to show up at their usual spots so much...it's highly likely that they'll be back again soon..." Uley deduced right away, his words instantly sending chills running through me at the prospect of seeing Jasper, being in the same room with him.

"...I wonder what color his eyes are...how he smells...is it rough and bold...or sweet..."my thoughts mercilessly raced at once as Sam Uley held my gaze with a stern, serious one of his own, waiting for my reply.

"...I wonder...just how I'll react once I see him...really see him..."

"I'll make it happen," I responded strongly to Agent Uley, my eyes just as sharp as my clipped words to him, even though I secretly relished in the surrealistic ideal of seeing such an extraordinary man up close, being able to notice even the small details about the way he moves, the way he talks, the way he drinks...everything.

I wanted to know it all.

I wanted to know him.

Author's Note: Hoo hoo hoo. XD Next chapter...they meet! By the way, I named the bar Good Luck. Ha! Funny, right?