A/N: I know it took a long time for an update, but that darn RL really got in the way, so sorry for the long wait. PS - Reviews encourage me to update quicker. Hint hint. Cough cough. Nudge nudge.

Chapter 3

No one knows it but I'm actually afraid to fly. Deathly afraid. I'm sitting perfectly still in the private jet, one leg crossed over the other, staring dismally at the empty seat across from me but inside my heart is pounding painfully and the adrenaline is starting to make me dizzy.

And we only took off three minutes ago.

Braden and Granger are talking amongst themselves, bursting into laughter every now and then. If I didn't know any better, I would say they looked like old friends reuniting after a few years of being separated.

My finger begins to tap against the plush armrest and Braden picks up on it immediately. "You okay back there?" he calls to me and I turn my attention to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He doesn't believe me and raises his eyebrows. "Really."

"Yeah. Really. I needa take a leak." Taking off the seatbelt that I technically don't need to have on any longer, I casually walk to the far end of the plane where there's a small, but comfortable bathroom - a toilet and a sink. I shut the door behind me and plaster myself against the wall, promising myself I won't get sucked into the toilet and die. Pull yourself together, Eden. You fly almost every week. Running a hand down my face I regard myself in the mirror thoughtfully.

Like most women do my age (twenty-six, almost going on thirty) I find myself criticizing my face too often. I know I don't look old, in fact, I barely look twenty-three, but that doesn't stop me. I slip my fingers into my hair and push up, wondering what 'volume' means. For the tenth time this week (it's Monday) I wonder if I should get my haircut or not. Maybe some layers. But with only one even length, it's so much easier to keep my hair confined when I need to wear a wig - which is often.

Once again, I fantasize about being able to pull of Cleo's hairstyle. Or any style, period, for that matter. She's barely twenty-two, an MIT graduate at nineteen years old, and is the envy of every woman that works at the S.A.A. Her hair is slightly shorter than mine but chopped in funky layers, the top of which are white blonde, the bottom bright red and purple chunks. It's almost always yanked up in unfathomable ways with bobby pins, hair clips and ponytail holders. Flashy pieces of gravity-defying hair sticking out in every which way.

Her fashion sense is something I wish I had the guts - and age - to wear, as well. Today when she walked into work she was wearing a black tank top, camo caprice with more pockets than I could count and one long red and black striped sock, the other bright orange. Her small feet were tucked into those shoes with the wheels on the bottom so she could roll her way around the large building. Bracelets, necklaces and rings galore were dangling off of her petite body.

My thoughts run short when there's a sudden knock on the door and I jump nearly a foot in the air. "Eden? You sure you're all right?"

I sigh, fling the door open and glare at Braden, who's standing there, looking concerned. Granger's back is turned to us but I have no doubt he's listening in.

"Braden, I'm fine. I just needed to take a piss."

"Right. You know," his voice gets quieter and he leans in, "we're partners. You can tell me if something's wrong."

My shoulders drop and I smile. "I appreciate it Braden, but I am fine. Promise."

He scoffs and grins at me. "You know I don't believe your promises."

"Ha ha ha," I mock and he pulls me under his arm, leading us back to the seats, which really aren't far away. He shoves me into 'my' chair and goes back to sit with Granger. My eyes rest on the back of the mans head and I try to figure out what is bugging me so much about him. They are playing chess and chatting again, their voices quieter this time.

I get the nagging feeling that they're talking about me, but I tell myself that I don't care if they are or not. I don't care what he thinks of me, whether I'm hot or not, whether I'm a bitch or not. I look away quickly when Braden's eyes meet mine and Granger turns to see what's going on.

My arms fold across my stomach and I stare straight ahead, feeling his crazy beautiful eyes on me, adding me up and chopping me down.

This time, when my heart speeds up, I get the feeling that it's not because I'm in a tin can thousands of mile above the ground.

I'm very quickly beginning to despise the newbie.

---

Colby turned back to Braden but he just shrugged at him. "Is she all right?" he asked the dark man across from her in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, she's okay."

He didn't believe him, and they both knew it. Colby was aware of the fact that he didn't know Eden at all, but he was sure that had gotten a real glimpse of her when they got to the topic of her son back at his apartment. Something had seemed different then, more genuine and vulnerable. For a moment he had forgotten his nightmares and the lack of sleep he'd had and just wanted to let her cry. But that feeling ended pretty quickly when she came back from her phone call and all he saw in her eyes was a chill.

He had almost jumped out of the window in the bathroom, despite the supposed goon that was waiting for him at the bottom but when she came to check on him he had decided against it. He promised himself it wasn't because she was gorgeous and mysterious. He was just curious about what she wanted with him and what this 'field trip' was all about.

Those big baby blues that he just knew were deeper than the ground between the USA and China weren't why he stayed after all. That dirty blonde hair that hung around her small shoulders didn't matter, even if his hands were itchy to run through it just to see if it was really as soft as it looked. And god, those cheekbones begged to be touched, those lips to be kissed and her smooth, tanned skin to be stroked...

And he had better stop thinking like that if he wanted to last the flight. He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in the seat, turning his attention back to the chess game at hand. After a quick glance over he made his move.

Braden let out a rush of air and shook his head. "Dammit," he breathed. "You could play this game with your eyes closed couldn't you?"

Colby grinned, crookedly. "Prob'ly. Your move."

"Yeah, yeah," he waved him away and stared intently at the board.

"So...you and Eden, huh?"

He smirked and looked up. "Like she said, we were undercover. Didn't have a choice. Why? You jealous or something?"

Colby scoffed and leaned back. "No."

"Uh-huh. Right. But dude, if you're going to go for her, you gotta be stubborn. And nice to Cleo."

He frowned at the unwanted and unneeded advice. "I'm not jealous," he insisted.

"Look, dude. Eden has a lot of protective friends, and I'm one of them. Chances are you won't get within ten yards of her, but if you do crack down that wall, you better be ready for it. She can be...difficult and sometimes I just wonna shake her...but if I did I'd be dead before I hit the ground."

"What's your point, man?" Colby was starting to get impatient and wanted to know where this was going. Braden made his move and motioned for him to make his.

"My point is, man, she's not easy to love, never will be. She has a mind of her own and nothing is ever gonna change that, and trying to get her into bed will only backfire on you. Eden is one woman that's gotta make the first move, but you sure as hell better be watching carefully, 'cause it will be the smallest thing you've ever seen."

He moved his King over. "What makes you think I want to get her into bed? I don't even know her."

"Yeah, but you will soon. In our line of work, you can go into an operation complete strangers and come out feeling like you've known someone your entire life. There's a lot of things to play with at work, but Eden isn't one of them. Probably why she chose that name. Checkmate."

"What is this, the CIA?"

Braden laughed and shook his head, "Nah. We're the H.T.S.R."

"The what?"

"Hypocritical Thumb-Sucker Refuge."

"Somehow, I get the feeling that's an unofficial name."

"We don't have an officially official name. But if I tell you who we are, there's no going back, Colby. You know who we are, you're with us."

He remained still, holding his own under Braden's suddenly intense stare. "And what happens when we get where we're going and I don't want to join whatever you are?"

"We get you piss drunk, drug you, and drop you off at your apartment with a nasty hangover and some messed up memories of something you know couldn't have happened. And then we watch you for the rest of your life. Keep tabs on who you talk to, where you go for breakfast, who else goes there, what hotels you stay at, your freakin water bill, too. You'll probably think you're going crazy, paranoid. And if you ever have kids, we watch them just as closely as we watch you."

That didn't sound that great to Colby. "And if I stick with you guys?"

"We know about your training, your CID assignments in Afghan, everything. We know you can't be that scared of dying, and you're willing to fight for your country. You come from five generations of duty, honor and following orders; when you know what we do, you'll realize this is something that you can be proud of being a part of."

He looked sharply at the man across from him.

"Yes, Colby, we looked into you that much. After a day or two or working with us, you'll wonder why you're so surprised."

"This sounds more like a thread and less like a job description every second."

"We're not in the business of threatening innocent people. Just recruiting them," he added cheerfully.

"How long do I have to think about it? It's kind of a lot to chew."

"Can't tell you. But I can say this - I think we both know what decision you're going to make and the sooner you make it the sooner we can get started."

"On what? Right, can't tell me."

He grinned and laughed, "You catch on quick, my friend. So, whaddya say? We have dental..." he offered, holding his hands out in front of him like a salesman.

Making a quick move of the chessboard he grinned. "I say checkmate and that's the game."

"Damn." His hands dropped heavily on the table and he saw all Colby's pieces still on the board, save for three. "I hate this game."

"If I agree to do this, what are the chances of me getting shot at within the first month?"

"Shot at? About a hundred percent."

"And shot?"

"That depends on you and whoever you're with."

"Yeah, I figured," he let out a long breath, took a quick glance behind him at Eden, whose finger was tapping lightly on her opposite arm.

"No. Don't even think about it. You say yes because you want to, not because of her."

He turned back to Braden and nodded. "Okay."

"Is that an 'okay, I won't do it for a woman but I still needa think even though I know what I'm going to say I'm just to damned stubborn to say it already,' or an 'okay, let's get this shit started'?"

"Let's get this shit started."