Sharon Raydor sat in her car for at least 30 minutes. Her mind was all a flutter. After a year, she had finally been able to almost rid herself of Brenda Leigh Johnson's memory…or at least that's what she convinced herself. But then in about 15 minute's time, Brenda Leigh came back and turned her world upside down.
And she didn't come back and just say hello. No, not Brenda Leigh. She returned and asked Sharon to do the one thing she had always said she wouldn't. Break the rules.
Funny thing was…when Brenda asked her for help…she didn't hesitate. Letting her walls down was not something she had ever done before for anybody. Not her husband. Not her children. But this little spit of a woman made her throw out all hesitations, all rules, all reasoning.
Sharon agreed to meet Brenda at Harry Bridges Park near the Queen Mary at 10pm that night. That would give them enough time to plan their ambush of G. R. Hawthorne's men and hopefully save and capture the smugglers as well. Brenda hadn't had time to tell her the whole story but she got the gist of it. She only wished they had backup. And she wasn't sure Brenda realized the danger they would be in.
Brenda Leigh walked Henry up and down Rodeo drive for hours. By the early evening he was completely exhausted. After a little sweet talking, she finally convinced him to take a nap in the car while she met with her customers in the swanky hotel bar. Henry hesitantly agreed. He was under strict orders to keep his eye on her at all times.
She called Griff from her cell phone in the car so that Henry could hear the conversation and feel a little more at ease.
"I just wanted to let you know that I should be out of here by 10. If this deal goes through then you and I will have some celebrating to do." Griff wasn't immune to her flirting and eagerly accepted her late itinerary.
By the time she made her way into the hotel bar, making sure Henry hadn't followed her, it was almost 8:00. She ordered a glass of red wine and asked to use the bar phone. She wouldn't make it to Long Beach by 10 in LA traffic in a taxi now.
The deep voice answered on the first ring.
"Peninsula. Charleville side." Hanging up the phone, she hoped Sharon understood her message. Of course Sharon would understand her message.
Sharon clutched her phone in her fist and shook her head slowly back and forth. She'd have to hurry to Beverly Hills then race to Long Beach so they could get positioned early enough. She still couldn't believe she—they were doing this.
Surprisingly, it didn't take as long to get to Beverly Hills as she had thought and Brenda Leigh was waiting behind a brick wall when she pulled up. The trees blocked any light from the street so it would have been almost impossibly to distinguish Brenda Leigh from anyone else.
They rode in silence for a long time. As comfortable with one another as they had gotten a year ago, it all seemed so new now. And the hug they shared that morning made them both a little uneasy. Neither one was accustomed to showing such emotion especially with one another.
Finally Sharon broke the silence. "How did you get mixed up in this?"
Brenda Leigh thought for a second before answering. "I needed to get away. After mama and daddy died. And Fritz. And Stroh. I couldn't be objective anymore so I walked away. My liaison with the CIA contacted me and put me on this assignment." She looked out at the passing horizon. "I relished the danger. Being a new person." She swallowed hard. "But…"
"But what?" Sharon asked when Brenda didn't finish her thought.
"But after awhile I started missing my life. Brenda's life." She looked over at Sharon gripping the steering wheel. "My friends."
"Will this bust at Long Beach get you what you need?"
"No, but it's a start."
Sharon looked over at Brenda fidgeting in her seat.
"In my purse." Sharon nodded her head towards the backseat.
Brenda reached around and pulled the brown leather bag into her lap. Unzipping it, she saw a familiar orange and brown wrapper. Her smile spread across her face as she tore open the plastic, tore off the black paper cup and slid the whole peanut butter cup into her mouth. She moaned slightly in satisfaction which caused Sharon to whip her head around and stare in amazement.
"Thank you!" Brenda mumbled. Sharon smiled at hearing the true Brenda Leigh accent for the first time since they met this morning.
Brenda finished her candy and explained how they would apprehend the handlers once they took possession of the diamonds from the smugglers. It had to be fast because they wouldn't leave much time between the hand off and when the smugglers were murdered.
As Sharon parked her car near the Queen Mary attractions, she took a breath then told Brenda the one thing she knew she wouldn't want to hear.
"You need to call Fritz."
Brenda looked at her with confusion. "Why? Fritz is the last person I want to talk to."
Sharon cocked her head to the side. "This is a dangerous situation, Brenda Leigh. Not to mention that it's FBI territory."
Brenda knew Sharon was right. Sharon was always right. But she couldn't risk her cover being blown. A sharp pain settled to the bottom of her stomach. She wanted this one. But she hadn't thought about it clearly enough and that scared her. She reached into Sharon's purse again and pulled out a pen and paper. It took several minutes for her to scribble whatever it was she wanted.
Sharon watched Brenda's hands move feverishly. Those delicate hands were strong as iron yet soft as silk. And she was taken aback by how good they felt. Closing her eyes, she was drawn back to that morning when Brenda rushed back in and embraced her.
The paper was thrust in Sharon's direction pulling her back to the moment. "Here. These are the questions that the FBI needs to get answers for."
"Sooo?"
"Yes. Yes. Call Fritz. But I need these men caught and publicized. I need names and contacts and I need those smugglers held separately." Brenda exhaled. She absolutely hated giving up control. But this was a double-edged sword. And she had to pick her battles. This one she had to forfeit.
Sharon smiled as she took the paper from Brenda's hand. As their fingers lightly touched, their eyes met. Neither one wanted to break the hold. It was like they were looking into each other's souls. And in that moment Brenda knew it had been right to have the feelings she had for Sharon. But how would she explain it to Sharon or perhaps she wouldn't. She couldn't drop that information on her and then run back to London. It wouldn't be fair to either of them.
As Sharon called Fritz and explained the situation and anonymous tip she had received, Brenda called for a cab to take her back to the Peninsula Hotel.
Sharon sauntered up to Brenda who was standing under a tree waiting for her taxi.
"Will I see you again?" Sharon asked hesitantly. She knew after tonight Brenda would have to be more careful and could even go deeper in her cover.
Brenda shifted from one foot to the other just as her cab pulled up. "I hope so."