The expo is a noisy affair, packed full of people poking at futuristic gadgets and exchanging business cards. Jacob is in the middle of trying to explain that technically being staff does not mean that he knows where every display is- nor does it obligate him to give directions to confused Germans- when there's a crackle over his radio.
"This is team three. Rook, do you copy?" There's a pause of static before the voice adds, "that's you, boss."
Jacob waves the Germans away and unclips his radio from his vest. "I thought I said my code name was Alpha Destroyer."
He waits and the response comes with muffled giggles in the background. "Yesterday you said that if you couldn't fit the whole beef sandwich in your mouth, we got to pick the code names."
"Yeah, and I was maybe two centimetres short."
"A bet's a bet, boss-man. You're the Rook now."
He squints at his radio. "Why the fuck would you pick that, anyway?"
"Because you eat garbage and can't sing worth shit."
"Fuck off," Jacob says affectionately. "What do you want?"
"Can you come to the north west corner of the building?"
When he finds them, they're all clustered around something that he can't see. He snaps his fingers to get their attention. "Is this another piece of unattended luggage? Because I swear to God, if we lock everything down and it turns out to be a diaper bag again-"
Lizzie turns toward him with a raised eyebrow. "No, nothing like that." She holds out a small card to Jacob, and he takes it and flips it over with a frown.
Maxwell Roth
Alhambra Security Services UK
08793 776948
Jacob raises an eyebrow. "What is this?"
Adam looks mutinous. "Some guy trying to poach. He's been working around the building, asking if we want better hours or pay." He sticks his thumb over his shoulder. "I've checked with team two, he just approached them too."
"Nice," Jacob murmurs. "Mind if I hang onto this?"
Lizzie shrugs and nods. "I was just going to bin it."
They all stare at the card in his hand for two beats before Jacob flaps his hands at them. "Tea break's over- you lot get back to work!"
He eventually finds Attaway in one of the back rooms of the expo hall, sitting alone at a table scattered with schematics. "Miss Attaway?"
"Yes, I-" she suddenly breaks off when she sees him in the doorway. "Oh, splendid. You're here to egg me."
There's a weird silence. "I- what?"
"No matter. I hope you eco-crusaders understand that the occasional humiliation is not enough to stop the expansion of fracking, no matter how many hits it gets on YouTube."
Jacob looks down at his vest to make sure that the big tag reading SECURITY is still taped to his chest. "I'm not here to egg you."
"Oh." She tilts her head back and eyes him critically. "Then why are you here?"
"We've had some security threats." There's been nothing of the sort, of course, but she doesn't need to know that. "I wanted you to be aware that I'm here in the event of any incidents. That would, uh, include any eggings."
"Well, in that case." Her hostility eases, even if the general archness doesn't, and a corner of her mouth tilts. "I'm very pleased to see you."
He puts a hand out. "Jacob Frye, at your service."
When she stands to shake it, he notes that she's a bit shorter than him, even with the heels and the pile of hair on top of her head. "Truer words were never spoken," she says, holding his hand for a quite a bit longer than necessary. "I feel safer already."
He can't help but grin at her, responding to the confidence that rolls off of her in waves. She's a bit older than what he usually goes for, but more than beautiful enough to make him willing to step out of his comfort zone.
Hello, Jacob, a voice says in the back of his head. It sounds suspiciously like Evie. Try not to be an idiot. Definitely Evie. You're not actually required to flirt with everyone who makes a move on you.
He argues with the voice. He was meant to investigate, and investigating meant getting to know someone, right? This was in the realm of getting to know someone.
I'm so proud. Jacob Frye, the honeypot.
He shakes himself a little and drops Attaway's hand. "Feel free to call on me if you need anything."
"Oh, you are too adorable." She reaches up and pats him on the cheek. "And don't worry. I will."
On the third day of the conference, Jacob is in the middle of lecturing some teenagers for messing about with the tech on display when his radio fuzzes again. "Team two to Rook, do you copy?"
He rolls his eyes and presses his finger to the receiver. "Seriously, you assholes, stop calling me that. What do you want?"
"There's an 'Attaway' looking for you near the south entrance."
When Jacob finds her, she simply announces that she wants him to keep an eye on a meeting happening in an upstairs office.
This sounds a lot like the spying that Evie wanted, so he follows her. She leads him to a small empty room and sits at the only table, gesturing for him to stand next to her. He's about to ask if this was some elaborate ruse to get him alone when a man frantically bursts through the door. "You," he hisses, pointing a shaking finger at Attaway.
"Millner," she says pleasantly. "I heard you were here looking for me."
"You lying, manipulative, bit-"
"Let's be civil, now," Attway says smoothly, raising her hand. She gestures lightly at Jacob behind her. "We have company."
Millner turns a delicate shade of purple and shoots Jacob a wary look. "I don't give a shit about your hired goons. I saw your presentation, and I swear to God, you can't just steal my technology and then-"
Attaway twirls a pen in her fingers, apparently entirely unfazed by the accusation. "You were under contract, Millner." She sounds bored, as if all of this is beneath her attention. "If you'd read the fine print, none of this would be a surprise. We've gone over this, and you're becoming very tedious. Honestly, it's no wonder that your wife ran off."
Something in the obviously fragile Millner snaps. He lunges towards Attaway, hands outstretched, and Jacob moves instinctively; he simply puts an arm out, planting a foot and tensing his shoulder and back. Already in motion, Millner barrels into Jacob's hand, his feet knocked out from underneath him with an 'oof!' upon impact.
Jacob tries to lean down to help Millner, but he's already scrambling backwards, almost looking like he might cry. "I'm going to get you for this, Attaway, I swear, I will-"
"Yes, yes," Attaway says, "I'm very frightened. Goodbye, Millner and good day. Please don't bother me again, or maybe I'll send Jacob here to pay you a visit."
Jacob turns to her in surprise as Millner sprints towards the door, scraping himself out of the room. "Pay him a visit? Beg pardon?"
"Anything I needed, you said." She cocks her head and pushes out of her chair. "That was masterful, by the way."
He's trying to think of something witty to say when she steps a little closer and pulls him down for a kiss.
Ignoring the I thought you quite liked that nice sergeant, Jacob, must you insist on screwing that up for a combination of thoughts that go something like 'I am the BEST spy' and 'I wonder if those are implants or real boobs', he leans into the kiss and deepens it.
Something like 75% of his brain is giving him the thumbs up. And if he's honest, that's actually still doing pretty well on the impulsive-decisions-scale of his life, given that he was once slapped with a public indecency charge for mooning a bus full of highly amused (and very drunk) American tourists in Piccadilly.
When she pulls away, it's with a full smirk. "You're lucky I like you. I could make you lose your contract for that."
He raises his eyebrows. "I didn't think I was the driving force there."
When she grins, it's feral. "Let's say I have a thing for dangerous men."
"So do you kiss all of your hired muscle?"
"Only the handsome ones. Do you kiss all of your bosses?"
"Depends on the day. You're lucky I like you."
She snorts and pats him absentmindedly on the chest, eyes back on the door where Millner left. This seems to be a dismissal, so he turns to go, and he only jumps a little bit when she lands an unexpected open handed smack on his butt as he leaves.
He goes back to his patrolling, and the puff in his chest lasts until his mobile vibrates with a message from FREDDY (WITH THE HOT BUTT). It's about their dinner reservations later that night.
Jacob deflates like a poked balloon. I told you, that irritating sensible voice in his head sighs.
It's just a matter of honesty, Jacob tells himself, drumming his fingers awkwardly on the wooden table. He's arrived at the restaurant early, determined to get settled and prepare himself for this upcoming exchange, and he's already chugged back a beer for confidence.
He reminds himself for the 193rd time that they had never agreed to be exclusive. And besides, it was just a little making out. It was for a good cause (sort of). He just needed to explain, and it would all be fine.
When Freddy arrives, weaving through crowded tables, Jacob feels the familiar little lurch in his stomach.
"'Lo," Freddy says with a smile, settling in. "It's nice to see you."
Jacob gives him a weak smile. "You too."
Opening the menu, Freddy lowers his eyes to the gastropub options. "How are things?"
He takes a deep breath. Okay, Jacob, he thinks, you can do this. Smooth and casual. Just be chill. "So- so I sort of made out with someone today, but not for very long and there was only a bit of tongue, and anyway it also kind of wasn't my fault because she kissed me first, and I'm only doing the whole thing for Evie because she asked me to- to get to know the woman, I mean, because she might be breaking the law with Evie's new fake-job's boss. Not to kiss her. Evie didn't ask me to do that. That just happened."
Nailed it.
Freddy blinks at him. "What?"
"And uh, I wanted to tell you because we never really talked about whether or not we were being exclusive or, whatever, and I kind of don't really know if I'm ready for that anyway, and I didn't mean to make out with her, or uh, not like that, but I've been kind of stressed about the whole just 'not seeing other people' thing anyway-" Oh God, save me from myself, a voice in the back of his head wails.
Freddy folds his menu shut and looks pained. "I'm sorry, what?"
"- It's just that, you know, I haven't done anything serious in a while" – ever – "and I don't know what that would look like, and-"
Freddy holds up a hand and stems the flow of words from Jacob's mouth, much to Jacob's relief. "Is this why you haven't been returning my messages?"
"What?"
"My messages. Which you've been ignoring. Is it because you were worried about being exclusive?"
Jacob opens his mouth and closes it again, feeling stupid. Because it sounds stupid, now that it's been said out loud.
Freddy sighs and massages his temples. "Why didn't you just tell me? And I mean- I'm confused about whatever this kissing thing is, but it sounds like you can explain that, if I'm understanding you correctly- but I worried all week, Jacob. You disappeared so suddenly and I thought I'd done something. I came here tonight ready to ask if you didn't want to be with me any more."
Freddy looks miserable, and Jacob feels like the world's biggest idiot. "What? No, of course that's not-"
"Then what was I supposed to think?"
Jacob swallows, trying to figure out how to say I'm sorry, it's just that you have your shit so together and you're so great and I knew I was going to fuck this up and I didn't mean to, and instead just mumbles "I don't know."
They struggle through dinner. Jacob manages to explain the situation with Evie and Attaway, and Freddy nods quietly through the whole thing. They talk about football and work and nothing at all, and through all of it, Freddy mostly looks quietly sad. Jacob, for his part, spends his time wishing that the floor would open and swallow his stupid self up without making a sound.
When they part ways, it's without a kiss, and Jacob watches Freddy leave with a low knot in his stomach.
Later, lulled by the gentle rocking of the Tube on his way home, he can't help but find it ironic that he had been ready to admit that he'd fucked up- only to discover that he had been feeling bad about the wrong mistake.