Hello. I really wanted to get the next chapter in as soon as possible. I admit it was tough to write this weekend, given one of my all-time favorite shows ended its run. I can't speak for anybody else, but I liked how it ended. I'll be the first to admit not all of the subplots worked in the final season, but nobody can deny everybody gave such a wonderful performance in those final two episodes. They were very emotional and the ending left us with hope that anything was possible between Chuck and Sarah. There is a reference to the ending in this story, so if you haven't seen it, be forewarned.
Thanks to BDaddyDL for reading over this chapter and giving me a killer line to use in the potential John-Samantha relationship. I'm curious to know what you think of this pairing. It sounds a bit cliched that Carina's and Sarah's kids would meet up like this, but somehow this picture of a brash, yet refined, person came to my mind when I was trying to develop a partner for John, and certainly Carina qualifies as brash. But I wanted Samantha to have the benefit of knowing what went right and wrong for her mother so she could learn from it.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please leave reviews. Thanks!
Pierre Hotel, New York City
March 19, 2033
10:30 PM EDT
Alex took a long draw on her vodka tonic as she waited in her hotel suite for Jimmy and Carina to arrive. She booked a pair of suites for them to use while they waited for Casey, Verbanski, John, and Samantha to break into Carmichael Industries and retrieve the IntComm. She guessed whoever was after the IntComm would compel John to download the Intersect program from the main computers to the IntComm next.
She went to the door when she heard the knock, keeping a hand on the Sig Sauer P250 compact pistol tucked into the back of her skirt.
"Hey gorgeous," Jimmy said when she opened the door, which always gave her a smile.
"How was your flight, babe?" she asked as she gave him a kiss.
"Very quiet. Well, mostly quiet," Jimmy replied with a sideways glare at Carina, who was standing a couple of steps behind him.
Alex handed Carina her room card. "You don't mind if I borrow my husband for a while?" she said sardonically.
"Oh, relax. Nothing happened on the flight," Carina replied in annoyance. "Your oversized teddy bear slept through most of it."
"Glad I cured him of his fear of flying. We'll meet in the morning to go over the plan for tomorrow night."
"Well, good night, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Wow, that pretty much leaves everything in play," Jimmy quipped.
Alex huffed. "Good night, Carina," she said as she closed the door. She turned to Jimmy and wrapped her arms around him, giving him an even hungrier kiss than she did a moment ago. Jimmy's hands gently caressed her back and slid downward.
"Oops," he said with a smile as he carefully took Alex's gun out from underneath her skirt. "OK, you do realize that 'is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me' thing won't work for you, right? If it did, we would really need to have a talk."
"Shut up," Alex said with a growl before laughing and grabbing Jimmy's lower lip with her teeth. She ran her hands over Jimmy's chest, unbuttoning his shirt and undoing his belt. "Especially since you seem to be brandishing a shotgun down there."
"Only one owner."
"And a very satisfied customer," she purred as Jimmy planted kisses along her neck while unbuttoning her blouse. "Could I ask you a question, James?"
"Mmm, it better be a quick one. I don't know how long my libido can keep defying the odds."
"Are you sure we're going about this the right way?"
"Um, I'm pretty sure this is how making love works. Unless you've been faking it all this time…"
"I'm serious. I'm a little skittish about risking Chuck and Sarah's son out there."
Jimmy stopped his ministrations on Alex's neck and looked her in the eyes. "Well, it's not ideal, but what choice do we have for now?"
"I don't know. I keep getting this nagging feeling there might be more to this than the IntComm."
Jimmy was quiet for a moment. "I suppose it's possible, but what? Do the people who did this really want John?"
"I don't know that, either. I'm just worried about having an inexperienced teenager involved in this. Particularly one from a family who means so much to all of us."
Jimmy nodded and put his arms around Alex. "I wish there was a better way, but we have to keep playing it their way until we can find something to give us an edge. Let's hope we can find that something at Barringer's apartment tomorrow night."
He gave her a gentle kiss. "Hey, John will be safe tomorrow night. Samantha and he are just the lookouts. Carina and I will be doing the dirty work."
Alex arched an eyebrow at him. "I hope you mean the spy's definition of 'dirty work' and not Carina's definition of it."
"Of course," Jimmy replied as he kissed her hard, his hands roaming all over her body. "But I'll be more than happy to show you Carina's definition right now," he said in a smooth tone as his hand slid downward, causing Alex to moan.
"Oooh, I hate being married to a 63-year-old teenager," she panted as she straddled Jimmy's waist. The two quickly went to the bedroom.
Malibu, California
March 19, 2033
10:00 PM PDT
"Why are we here?"
John took a look around his house. It was so quiet. Obviously that was to be expected, as nobody was home. But it felt more silent even than that.
"Because it's your house and you'd probably be more comfortable here than at a hotel," Casey replied as he entered with Gertrude Verbanski and Samantha.
"I mean, why aren't we flying to New York?"
"And arrive at five in the morning? Plus, the flight crew needs to get some rest. They had the same long day we did."
"I'm sorry, you're right. It's just…Mom and Dad are locked up somewhere…"
"No apology necessary, John," Verbanski said. "We'd all like nothing more than to keep going until we bring them home. But too often in this business, you have to wait to make your move. Charging in blindly just gets people killed. They'll be calling in eight hours. We'll get on the plane right after that and head to New York."
She put her hands on his shoulders. "Don't worry. We're on offense now. We're going to find out what they don't want us to know. Now get some rest. We'll wake you at 5:45."
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before retreating to the guest bedroom. Samantha followed closely behind. Casey began to follow them but stopped and turned when he saw John wasn't moving towards his bedroom.
"John," Casey began. "You don't get a lot of opportunities to rest on this job, so you have to take advantage of them when they do come up."
John nodded. "No, it's just…" he let the words trail off. Casey looked at him for a moment before a tiny smile came to his face. Relative to Casey, it was an ear-to-ear grin.
"If you ever repeat this story to anyone, I'll tear you into so many pieces they won't even be able to identify you by your DNA."
John looked up at him in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"I've failed on a few missions in my life. One in particular I'm not very proud of. And it involved your Aunt Carina." John's curiosity was very much piqued. "It was Prague in 2005. I took out this Czech drug dealer who was selling stolen Interpol strategy memos to drug dealers who wanted to know how to avoid their patrols. I was all set to return to the NSA with the key to the safety deposit box where the documents were stored. And then, your Aunt Carina managed to get the key from me. She worked for the DEA then and got credit for it."
"But how would she get it from you?" John was confused until he saw Casey turning red with embarrassment. He then remembered Carina straddling Jimmy in the gym earlier. "Oh, she didn't…"
Casey shook his head. "What can I say? I have a thing for trouble-making women. Sadly, she used that against me again a few years later. Your mother even took a picture of it."
John froze momentarily before he started to laugh hysterically. "My mother caught you with your pants down? Oh, my God."
"Yeah, laugh a little harder, why don't you," Casey seethed. "You wouldn't have been born if it wasn't for me. You know how many times I bailed your parents out of trouble? All so your old man could plug into your mom's network? I kept them vertical so they could get horizontal."
"Eww, brain stamp," John said in disgust at the thought of his parents having sex. "You couldn't have stopped at 'bailed my parents out of trouble'?"
"The point is, quit worrying about making a mistake. For starters, you can't possibly make a worse one than some of the ones we made over the years. More importantly, even when we did, we bailed each other out. We always have and we always will. We helped each other through the good times and the bad. And believe me; there were some really bad times."
"Really?" John replied, his mood much more somber.
Casey nodded. "Your Aunt Alex, my daughter, she didn't even know about me the first half of her life. Slade? We spent a year thinking he died in an explosion to save our lives. Forrest lost her first fiancé on 9/11. And your parents…" Casey fell silent.
"What? What about my parents?" John asked with some alarm in his voice.
"I…can't tell you. It's not the sort of thing you should hear from anyone but them. But when this is over, ask them to tell you why they had a second wedding."
"Wait, what? They got married twice? They got a divorce and remarried?"
Casey shook his head. "The second one was really more of a vow renewal. You came along 18 months later. But you have to ask them."
Casey turned and headed to the guest bedroom. John slowly walked to his bedroom. He took the dirty clothes out of his suitcase and threw them in the hamper in his bathroom. He heard a gentle knock on the door. He poked his head out of the bathroom to see Samantha waiting for him.
"Hey," Samantha said. "I was just wondering how you were doing."
"Oh," John replied. "OK, I guess. It's just, to hear all of this about my parents, and Uncle Casey told me a few more things." John stopped and smiled. "One of them involved…"
"Who?"
"Never mind," John replied, figuring Samantha didn't need to hear more about the exploits of her mother.
"That was amazing work you did on the roof," Samantha said.
John was confused for a moment until it clicked in. "Oh. Well, I guess it pays to have an ex-military man in the family."
Samantha smiled. "It's funny. My mother says you have your mom's skills but act more like your dad. You're friendly with everybody."
John nodded. "I get that a lot. Mom's the quieter, reserved one. Although she's gotten a lot louder lately with Emma in eighth grade. My sister's starting that whole 'teenage rebellious' phase. She's a lot better at it than I ever was."
"I remember those days. I was quite the wildcat myself. But your parents have handled quite a bit in their lives."
"True, I guess."
They stood in silence for a minute. Samantha pointed down the hallway where she was sleeping. "Could you…help me with the bed in my room? I'm not sure where they keep the bedding in the house."
"Oh, sure."
John walked down the hallway to the linen closet and took a set of bedding from the top shelf. He walked down to the bedroom Samantha was staying in and took the fitted sheet from the set. Samantha walked to the opposite side of the bed from him as they put the bedsheet on, repeating the process with the top sheet and the blanket. Each of them took a pillow and stuffed them into the two pillowcases.
"Thanks," Samantha said. She then gave him a playful smack in the face with her pillow.
"What was that for?" John said in surprise.
"That was for staring at my ass in the vault," she said with a devilish grin.
John looked at her in mock horror for a moment before giving her a playful smack with his pillow. "Well, that's for flashing me in my hotel room," he replied with a grin.
Samantha laughed before swinging her pillow at him again. "And that's for not controlling yourself in the bed."
John returned fire. "Look who's talking, Miss I-Have-Nothing-to-Be-Sorry-For!"
They continued hitting each other with the pillows for a few seconds before finally giving up from laughing so hard. The laughter died down when they realized how close they were to each other.
John felt flushed. "We…we should probably get some sleep. Casey said that doesn't happen often on this job."
Samantha took a step back. "Yeah…yeah, you're right."
Neither made a move, almost trapped by the tension in the room. They stared at each other. Samantha moved back to where she was, standing mere inches from John. Her sky blue eyes flicked back and forth between staring into John's eyes and staring at his lips. Her hands slid up John's chest to rest on either side of his face. He bent down slightly as she pulled him to her, his head tilting slightly to the right as she placed her lips on his. The kiss was even more electric than the one the previous night, and Samantha could feel a difference. Last night, she was kissing to entice. Tonight, their kiss touched her on so many different levels, most of which she never experienced before, despite the number of men she had slept with in her life.
They separated and gazed into each other's eyes for several moments. "I…I…should…" John finally managed to eke out as he gestured to the door with his head.
Samantha nodded. "Yes. Tomorrow will be an even longer day."
John exited the bedroom, taking long, difficult steps back to his room. Samantha pulled the blanket and sheets back to climb into bed, unable to get these sensations out of her mind. She didn't even bother to pull the blanket over her; her entire being was on fire. Every part of her felt tingly.
I am in so much trouble, she thought to herself.
Calverton Maryland
March 19, 2033
11:30 PM EDT
Bob Hume waited until the exact time he was supposed to send the message. What he was doing was not something he envisioned when he began working at the DNI four years ago. But he wanted the money he was promised. A life far away from the government sounded quite enticing.
"I did what you told me. The boss is investigating," he typed into his iComm.
The reply came back a moment later. Good. Make sure it doesn't lead back to you. Someone else needs to be blamed.
"But how long can that last? The woman is no dummy. She used to be a spy."
So is her husband, I know. It just has to throw them off the trail for a short time. Let them try to get something out of Barringer. He'll have them running in circles.
"And then…and then I get my money?"
You saw the account. It's there. You'll get what you need when I get what I need.
"OK, OK. I'm just…"
DON'T just… You stick to the plan. Goodbye.
The connection was terminated. Bob went to his liquor cabinet to get a cheap bottle of scotch. He downed a couple of shots, not even caring it tasted like it was fermented in a bucket full of rust. He went to the computer setup in his apartment and hacked into the servers at the DNI. The faster he did this, the sooner it would be over.
Malibu, California
March 20, 2033
5:45 AM PDT
John stirred in his bed at the sound of people moving in the hallway. He opened his eyes and stretched his legs. His eyes widened when he felt someone's hand across his chest. He peeked carefully over his right shoulder to find Samantha spooned against his back.
Didn't I leave her in the guest bedroom last night?
John carefully slid forward, letting Samantha's arms slip off of him. He sat up in the bed and watched her sleep for a moment. She looked so peaceful, he found it hard to believe she could be the daughter of someone both her mother and Aunt Alex always claimed had to be closely watched so she didn't get them in trouble. Right now, Samantha looked…angelic, for lack of a better way to describe it.
He looked at his clock radio to see they had ten minutes before Mr. Joshua was to call.
He gently shook Samantha. "Hey," he whispered gently.
Samantha opened her eyes after a few seconds. Suddenly she bolted up and looked around the room.
She then closed her eyes in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry about that."
"How come you're in my bed?"
"I had trouble sleeping last night, so I thought I would try this bed. I hope you don't mind."
"Um, well…no," John carefully replied. "We…did I…"
Samantha shook her head. "No. Actually, I don't think you ever woke up. But that's not why I slept in here."
"Why, then?"
"I…don't want to say. It's silly."
"Oh, come on. It can't be that bad."
Samantha exhaled deeply. "At home…I…have a couple of stuffed animals I like to sleep with at night."
She was reticent to continue, but the warm smile on John's face eased her discomfiture. "I just need something…you know…to cuddle up with at night. Although I'm sure my mother would prefer I avoid anything of the 'cute guy' variety. Of course, she can't really say anything, given how she was at my age."
"Well, I hope I was cuddly enough for you," John replied with a grin.
She returned the smile and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Wonderful."
They turned when they heard a knock on the door.
"Oh, that's where you went," Verbanski said to Samantha in relief.
John's eyes widened. "Um, this isn't what…"
Verbanski held her hand up. "Don't want to know. We have to get downstairs right now. Get moving."
John and Samantha quickly exited the bedroom and went down the stairs to the dining room. Casey already had the IntComm on the table and was plugging in the gComm linked to John's phone.
"Have a seat," Casey told John as he guided him to the chair in front of the gComm. "When they call, they'll ask you for video evidence, and we'll give it to them. But, and this is very important, before you agree to any further demands, you ask them to prove your parents are still alive. Most likely, they'll acquiesce. They're not going to rock the boat since you completed the first task for them. And of course, as far as they know, you're alone."
"OK," John replied, although the nervousness on him was apparent.
"Just relax," Samantha told him as she placed a glass of orange juice next to him. "You're doing great. Once we get through this part, we're going to find out who they are."
"You're right, you're right." John took several deep breaths to calm himself. The phone rang on the fourth one. He waited for Casey to signal for him to answer.
"Yes?" John asked.
"It has been twenty-four hours, and I hope you have followed instructions," Mr. Joshua said.
"I have."
John aimed the camera on the gComm at his father's invention and switched to a video transmission. He moved the camera slowly over the unit so all of it could be seen. He then switched off the video.
"OK, I have the unit."
"An email message will be sent to your iComm with the instructions for the next part. You have 48 hours to complete it."
"Wait, one second," John said, attempting to sound authoritative. "You still haven't proven to me you have my parents."
"We have gone over this…"
"How do I know you're not some kid at my school pulling an elaborate prank? Lots of people know how to contact me. Prove to me my parents are OK."
There was a slight pause on the other end which could have lasted hours for all John knew. The video screen on the gComm activated and John stared in alarm at his parents passed out on a bed in what looked like a hotel room.
"What…what have you done with them?"
"They're asleep," Mr. Joshua answered with the same foreboding voice that constantly sent chills through John. "I told you before they would not be harmed. And since I already know what your next question will be, turn on your TV to the Weather Channel."
John looked at everybody in confusion. Verbanski retrieved the remote from the living room and turned it to the proper channel. John checked the video screen to see it was aimed at the television in the room, which was also tuned to the Weather Channel. Casey studied it for clues.
"Proof what you're looking at is live," Mr. Joshua answered. "Satisfied?"
John glanced back and forth between the video and his own television. "OK, you proved it."
"Forty-eight hours," Mr. Joshua said as the line went dead.
"Dammit," Casey said. "There was no way to know where they were from that clip. These people are smart."
The gComm beeped once again. John took a look at it to see what the kidnappers wanted him to do next. Casey glanced over his shoulder and nodded slowly. "They want the Intersect loaded onto the IntComm."
Verbanski sat in the chair next to John. He glanced back and forth between Casey and her. The somber looks on their faces was making the fear rise inside of him again.
"Wait…you mean, we're not…" John was having difficulty breathing. "You can't do that. You can't turn on Mom and Dad and leave them to die! You said you'd give up your lives for them!"
"John," Verbanski replied in a soft voice. "We'll do everything we can to find your parents. But the Intersect is more important than all of us. Giving it up would be like giving up a bunch of nuclear weapons to some power-mad dictator. The amount of damage someone can do with the full Intersect is incalculable."
"We'll find a way to get them back," Casey continued. "We're flying to New York to see how much this Barringer prick knows. He's gotta have some computer files or money transfers that will lead us to your parents. One way or another, we'll get them back."
John sat there in silence for a moment. He didn't know a lot about the Intersect, apart from what he learned in the past two days. But he knew his family. They were always there for him, and he was certain they were telling the truth when they said they would do whatever it took to get his parents back.
"OK," he said softly. He stood up from his chair, shakily at first, but the fear inside of him faded away, replaced with internal fortitude. "Let's get going."
Pierre Hotel, New York City
March 20, 2033
4:30 PM EDT
Alex, Jimmy, and Carina were waiting as Casey, Verbanski, John, and Samantha entered Alex and Jimmy's suite. Jimmy had already set up his gComm unit to display on the wall near the conference table in the room. Everybody took seats around the table and looked at the display, which showed a schematic of Barringer's apartment.
"Barringer has a two-floor, four-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side overlooking the park," Jimmy began. He's not shy about having parties; obviously he's connected enough to consider himself untouchable. Plenty of security, too. He pays for the best: Special Forces, ex-CIA spooks, former Mossad, even some wetwork guys from the Russian FSB."
"Here's the good news," Alex continued as she walked up to the image and pointed at the second floor. "The bedrooms are all upstairs, and Barringer is very amenable to couples wanting to borrow a bedroom if they want to…find some privacy. That's our in." She tapped on one of the bedrooms. "The junction box for his network is in a closet in that bedroom. James and Carina will sneak upstairs and gain access to his network from there."
"Wait, Jimmy and Carina are going in as a couple?" John asked. "Why not use an actual married couple? We have two of them here."
"Unfortunately, my job is far too high-profile for that," Alex replied. "You don't have to be as well-connected as Barringer to know who I am. To that point, we also have to assume he's familiar with Gertrude and John's company. I'm sure he's kept tabs on them over the years and would recognize both of them immediately. That's why we need Samantha and you."
"Whoah." John was getting nervous again. "You want me in there with all of those nasty, scary security guys?"
"You just have to keep an eye on them," Carina replied. "All of us are on the guest list for tonight. Jimmy and I own a company that manufactures computer viruses for whoever can put them to good use, and you're his apprentice programmer, trying to learn more about what your boss does. Sam will be right there with you. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, any odd movements by security, you let us know. Otherwise, it's like being at a grown-ups party. Only you're playing actual grown-ups. You talk, you mingle, and you act like the typical happy young New York couple."
"Only we're nothing like the typical young, happy New York couple."
Jimmy smiled. "Not to worry, John. One little trip to Madison Avenue and you'll look like you own one of those apartments yourself."
"In the meantime, John, Gertrude, and I will keep tabs on what's happening," Alex continued. "If things go bad, we'll get you out of there. Don't worry, John."
John nodded, although his mind was reeling with what was in store for him tonight.
Pierre Hotel, New York City
March 20, 2033
8:00 PM EDT
John couldn't believe it. He almost didn't recognize himself. He knew Uncle Jimmy was well-connected and street smart, but he didn't realize he had such impeccable taste.
Following the briefing, Jimmy and he went to William Fioravanti on Madison Avenue to buy suits for tonight. He remembered to call him Roger, as everybody at the clothing store called him Mr. Murdock. What he didn't expect was for them to create custom suits for both of them in the span of only two hours. But then, given he now knew his uncle was the CIA's best field agent, perhaps it wasn't such a stretch to believe.
He was checking himself out in the mirror, reveling in how jealous the other guys in his high school would be right now, when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to find Samantha waiting for him. She was wearing a midnight blue dress that hugged her every curve and a slit in the front that let her entire leg show should she desire it. Her hair was up, held in place by two long needles. The diamond necklace she wore accented the long slope of her neck. Suddenly, he felt like he just got his clothes from the dollar store.
Or so he thought. John wasn't certain, but he swore Samantha had the same deer-in-the-headlights look upon seeing him.
How did I end up like this? John thought to himself in total amazement.
He considered Samantha to be very attractive when he met her in the Wheatsheaf the other night. And there wasn't a single thing that happened since to change that opinion. He never realized women could be this attractive, let alone interested in him. He didn't think he was ugly, but he certainly didn't consider himself supermodel material. But if his parents' friends continued to think he could handle himself out in the field, perhaps the possibility existed he could turn a few heads. After all, did anyone ever see an ugly James Bond?
"Hi," he said nervously. "You look…amazing."
Samantha smiled, her eyes lighting up the entire room. "Thank you. You look…you look pretty amazing yourself."
John shifted back and forth on his feet. "Does this…this sort of thing happen to you a lot?"
"Situations like this are part of agent training, but we don't get to experience them for a couple of years, so I'm kind of ahead of the curve."
"You're way ahead of me; that much is certain."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you already look like a spy."
John shyly looked at the ground, unable to hold her gaze. Samantha reached up to straighten his tie, and John froze.
"What's wrong?"
"Sorry. It's just…my mother does that all the time to my dad when they're dressed up, and…"
Samantha's eyes widened and she put her hands to her face. "Oh, no. I am so sorry. I wasn't trying to make you feel uncomfortable…"
John gently took her hands. "You didn't know. It's OK. I'm…I'm just trying to get used to all of this. My parents aren't the people I thought they were."
Samantha squeezed John's hands in hers. "They are the same people. They just didn't do the same thing for a living you thought they did, that's all. They've always loved you and looked out for you, right?" John nodded. "That hasn't changed."
Samantha moved closer to John. "And given what I've seen of you in the last two days, I can understand why."
The two looked at each other. John felt the same sort of warm, scared/excited feeling he felt the night before in his house. He wasn't sure how Samantha could make him feel this way. And he really couldn't figure out how he was able to make her feel that way as well.
The tension was broken by someone gently clearing their throat. Both of them turned to see Jimmy and Carina waiting for them. Carina was wearing a royal blue dress similar to her daughter's. Her hair was also up but held in place by clips.
"The limousine is here. Are you ready?" Jimmy asked.
John and Samantha looked at each other before they turned back and nodded. Jimmy gestured towards the door, and the four walked out of the hotel.
500 East 77th Street, New York City
March 20, 2033
8:00 PM EDT
The limousine pulled up in front of the residence of Steven Barringer. John looked towards the sky in amazement.
"Incredible. I've always wanted to go to New York, and the first time I go, I'm going to a fancy party," he said in awe.
"Hey, you gotta play it cool," Jimmy replied. "Like they say in football, act like you've been there." He handed something to both John and Samantha. "That's trichloromethylene. You can drink as much booze as you want and you won't feel the effects. You have to stay sharp and keep an eye on things. You're Carina's and my eyes in there when we go upstairs."
"No problem," Samantha said confidently as she swallowed the pill Jimmy gave her, washing it down with a bottle of water from the limousine before handing it to John. Carina took a pair of earpieces from her purse and handed them to John and Samantha. Both of them inserted the earpiece in their ears.
"Comm check, Case?" Jimmy said.
"Loud and clear, Slade," Casey replied. "Carina? John? Samantha?" Each person responded when Casey called their name.
"Let's go," Jimmy said. Carina looped her arm through his, and Samantha did the same with John. The four entered the building, nodding in appreciation to the doorman who held the front door open for them. They stepped into the elevator, and Carina pressed the button for the 34th floor.
"OK, we walk around and socialize for 45 minutes, and then Jimmy and I will make our move," Carina said. "Understood?"
"Understood," John replied.
"Good, just follow our lead and remember everybody's name."
"You're Harry and Helen Tasker, and we're June and Al Gibson," Samantha replied.
"You got it," Jimmy replied. "Just keep 'em peeled and we'll get what we need up there.
The elevator opened on the 34th floor to a party that was in full swing. Jimmy and Carina stepped off the elevator like they had been to hundreds of social events like this. Samantha started to walk forward, but John's steps were timid and uncertain.
"Just relax," she whispered in his ear as she gently pulled him into the party.
Jimmy and Carina grabbed champagne glasses from a passing server. John looked hesitant, but Samantha covered by grabbing two glasses from a server on the other side of them and handing one to John.
"Sorry," John whispered.
"Remember, John, you have the easy part," Alex said over his earpiece. "You just have to keep an eye on security."
"But everybody's wearing suits," John replied. "How do you spot them?"
Samantha gestured to her left. "If you see any guy by himself who's too good-looking to come to this party alone, they're probably security. Someone scanning the crowd, a slight scowl on their face, anybody who suddenly turns their head to the side. Basically, anybody who looks like they're not enjoying themselves."
John nodded as he looked around the room to spot any security personnel. "OK, I think I get it."
"You're doing fine," Casey said. "Just keep moving around the room. Don't stay in one spot. Most of all, act like you're having a good time. Someone who's got a girl like Samantha on their arm should be having a good time."
John looked at Samantha and smiled. It didn't even occur to him to pretend he was on a date. He was too worried about keeping an eye on things. Aunt Alex was right; they were just the eyes and ears for Jimmy and Carina.
The music in the background changed to a slower tempo, and several couples went out in the middle of the apartment to dance.
"Come on," John said as he grabbed Samantha's hand.
"You want to dance?" she asked with a combination of curiosity and pleasure.
"If we're moving around on a dance floor, we can keep an eye on more of the room, right?"
"Absolutely," she said with a smile as they walked to the middle of the floor. They put their arms around each other and gently swayed to the music. John's eyes scanned the room, although to say he enjoyed being so close to Samantha was an understatement.
"Do you count ten security guards, Uncle Jimmy?" John said quietly.
Jimmy scanned the room. "Not bad. But don't forget the server by the bookcase and the bartender at the other end of the room."
"How did you know?" Samantha asked as she spotted the two security people Jimmy indicated.
"It's instinct. It takes years to get good at it."
Carina glanced at the clock near the entrance. "Time for us to get a bit amorous," she told Jimmy as she wrapped her arms around him.
Jimmy exhaled slowly. "I am so on the couch tonight," he muttered as Carina drew his face to her and gave him a kiss. He reciprocated to sell the cover.
"Carina…" Jimmy broke the kiss and put his lips near her right ear, away from her earpiece. "You realize the crowd can't actually see your tongue down my throat, right?"
She gave him a playful growl. "You are seriously no fun," she pouted as she grabbed his ass and continued her assault on his lips.
"Mother," Samantha said with more than a little frustration. "I think everybody gets the idea. Don't go overboard."
"Believe me, Sam," Jimmy tiredly replied. "She won't think she's gone overboard until she's gotten us both naked on the dance floor."
"Don't give her any ideas," Alex growled.
"Let's get moving." Jimmy pulled Carina off of her and they made their way through the crowd to the stairwell. John and Samantha continued their dance on the main floor while Jimmy and Carina walked upstairs. They slipped into the bedroom and found the closet. Jimmy took out a device and attached it to the network system inside the house.
"You're much more relaxed," Samantha noted.
"Huh?" John was concentrating too much on watching the guards and forgot about Samantha. "Sorry. Am I really?"
She nodded. "You look like you're enjoying yourself."
John smiled. "Well, it's like Uncle Case said, any guy would be lucky to get to dance with someone like you."
"Come on, who am I?" Samantha looked away abashedly.
John stared in disbelief. "You're only in your second year of training, but you act like you've been doing this all of your life."
Samantha returned his stunned expression. "Says the man who rappelled down a building with me on his back?"
John shrugged and smiled. "Well, we didn't have another way off the roof. And Case always told me it's better to execute a good plan now than a perfect plan next week. I'm not sure where he got that, but it makes sense."
"You did it very well," she replied. Her smile disappeared and she tapped John on his shoulder. "The security looks very busy all of a sudden."
John turned and saw what Samantha noticed. "Uh-oh."
-/^\-
"How long?" Carina whispered.
Jimmy checked the device he installed on their network. "Another thirty seconds."
Carina went to the door in the bedroom when she heard the sound of footsteps heading their way. She looked back and forth. Jimmy grabbed her and pulled her towards the bathroom.
"Stay in there," Jimmy ordered. "I'll play dumb and draw them away."
"Can't deny your skills at that," Carina replied disdainfully as Jimmy shut the door. He turned around to find Steven Barringer and a team of six security guards facing him.
"Mr. Murdock," Barringer said with a self-satisfied grin. "I had no idea you wanted to visit. You simply had to call." One of the security guards frisked Jimmy and removed his gun. "I guess I should have told you; my security team just installed the latest facial recognition software throughout the house. It can scan and identify two hundred faces in just ten minutes. The software your good buddy has can't even do that in sixty minutes. Make sure John Casey knows he has to keep up with the times."
"Jimmy, Jimmy," he heard John whisper over his earpiece. "I think the guards are heading your way.
"You don't say," Jimmy quietly muttered.