Chapter 2: Don't Wait Up
Ada glanced at Hunnigan's response and scoffed. Her secrecy was not unexpected. If Leon was indeed sent on a hush-hush assignment, it was logical that no one should know that it even existed at all. But Ada was no ordinary civilian and she was a tad irked that the brunette was following the rule book to a T.
[txt] There's no need to be coy. Are you not Leon's field support agent?
Deciding that it would not be productive to continue waiting for a reply as the stew pot simmered downstairs, Ada placed her cell down on the bedside table and took her shower. Might as well get things done instead of idling.
She did not realise that showering was going to be agonising though, as all of Leon's toiletries were lined up neatly on the bathroom counter, silently mocking her about his absence. Even the scent of his aftershave from this morning still faintly lingered around the sink.
The raven-haired woman exhaled loudly through her nose at the emotions she was feeling. This would not do. Ada wasn't a lovesick puppy dog. They were both adults and while they were married, she did not have any right to dictate whatever he did. Being an overprotective helicopter spouse was simply not her style.
She pumped a heaping amount of lavender body wash to mask the scent of her beloved husband and to soothe her frayed emotions.
Ingrid could not help but feel immense irritation at Ada's accusation. The implication that she was withholding information out of personal or professional preference was not something she tolerated lightly.
She had to admit she was not Ada's biggest fan once upon a time. When Leon initial reports mentioned Ada, Ingrid recalled grilling him on why he did not arrest her on the spot. He was always evasive, citing that her capture was never part of his mission objectives. It did not take a genius to figure out that he had a soft spot for her.
Ingrid did try to talk him out of protecting her and he had always ignored her suggestions. However in due time, she had grown to respect and even, in some way, like Ada once she realised that the mysterious woman wasn't as nefarious as she was made out to be. They were not BFFs, but she would not outright lie to Ada without just cause.
Pushing up her glasses, Ingrid began to send a flurry of messages one after the other.
[txt] While I am Leon's support agent, I am not his personal secretary or babysitter.
[txt] He is not at the office and he is not out on a mission.
[txt] Therefore, if you want to locate him you are better off messaging him directly.
Setting the phone down and tapping the table impatiently, her eyes remained fixated on the clock, trying to remember her last interaction with Leon. It had been several days earlier when she had politely reminded him of a meeting they both had to attend at the end of the week with some private backers looking to outfit several DSO agents with new gear.
She turned her attention back to her computer and opened up her inbox. The program in her computer automatically logged messages by importance and relevance. Leon, holding the highest level in both categories would have been at the top but there was nothing. Any supposed mission he was sent on would have her roped in. Sure, there were other field support agents but they've worked together like a well-oiled machine over the years, they were almost always paired together unless she was on leave or out sick.
Still, Ada's allegation lingered at the back of her mind. She lifted her phone once more and scrolled down to Leon's number.
[txt] Your wife seems to be looking for you. Call her.
Ada came out of the shower feeling refreshed, naively hoping for a sliver of good news. However, what she received were irate texts. Ada felt inclined to believe Hunnigan but there was one piece of info that the field support agent did not know. Leon only left his ring behind for assignments and it was quite peculiar that Hunnigan was saying otherwise. Something was not adding up.
Fine, two could play the game. She'll leave the Hunnigan alone for now, let her maintain her strict code of conduct.
When Leon returned in a few days, he would be in for an earful. Without sending a reply, Ada set her phone face down on the bed, and proceeded downstairs for dinner. Since her husband would not be home for a while, she would have to portion out the leftover stew into individual serving containers. She had heated up the entire pot since Leon could eat two to three bowls in one seating.
She scooped out one bowl for herself as her cats mewed at the pet gate, wanting to get in. Oh, why not. The stove was switched off anyway. Ada got up to unlatch the barrier and both pets happily rubbed her legs in response. They stayed close by as she ate her dinner in solitude.
The sound of her spoon scraping against the side of the bowl echoed rhythmically throughout the kitchen and she had to switch on the television to provide some white noise in the background. Anything to drown out the silence.
Leon considered himself to be a fairly patient man. He kept quiet during the ride to the private air base, he followed protocol as he idled in the lounge while the aircraft was getting one last inspection, and he kept scanning the entire interior of the plane during takeoff.
His eyes could only be preoccupied with observing his surroundings. If he let his mind wander, he could only imagine how displeased Ada would be. As much as Leon loved her, he could not afford to be distracted at this moment. Like a switch, he activated work mode pretty easily, pushing aside all personal needs for the sake of the job.
He betrayed his poker face and heaved a sigh of relief when Reginald slid into the seat across from him. Finally, he would receive the details of his mission after the plane reached cruising altitude.
"Thank you for agreeing to this on such short notice, Agent Kennedy," the DSO director greeted him once more and placed a satellite image on the table. One of the buildings was circled in a red marker. Leon had to stop himself from comparing the shade of red to Ada's lipstick…
"This would be slightly different from your past assignments. There is no damage control needed to be done, neither is it a rescue mission."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Infiltration? It isn't my specialty."
While he knew how not to be seen or caught, there were others who could surpass him easily. If Ada was ever interested, she would have excelled at this position.
Damn, he really ought to stop thinking about her. So many things in this mission was reminding him of his spouse, one way or another.
"You sell yourself short, Leon. You've been through occasions where you needed to employ stealth and came out relatively unscathed," Reginald said reassuringly before he pointed to the target. "Your mission is to acquire files from the server room and wipe it clean. The data contains schematics for a new potential weapon."
Reginald tapped the map with his finger before clenching it into a fist, it looked like he was attempting to get his frustration under control. "The previous times we did this by the book, our agents turned up empty-handed. It is important we do not lose this time," he stared right into Leon's blue-grey eyes and the blonde knew the stakes were high.
Leon glanced down to study the heavily-forested topography, already formulating a plan of entry using one of the smaller roads in the South.
A few hours later, the plane landed and they disembarked in yet another private hangar. Leon spotted a jeep and a sleek looking car close by. He assumed the former was for him to utilise since he had to traverse through rough terrain.
Before he could head towards the vehicle, he was tapped on the shoulder and he turned towards the director who was typing something on his cell before putting it away. The blonde's phone buzzed and he saw a set of coordinates on the screen.
"After you've completed your objective, head to this location and press 0."
Leon nodded and was then presented a set of jeep keys by the older man.
"While you're off doing this, I will be planting a bait to plug the leak. Godspeed, Agent Kennedy," Reginald held his hand out and Leon shook it.
"Likewise, Director Martin."
Author's Note: Leon's only MIA for a day and already, both he and Ada are missing each other.
I have this headcanon that Leon's phone has two modes, one when he is off the field and another when he's on the field which blocks out all calls and messages except from pre-established lines. So he won't be able to receive anyone's texts for now...
Onward to reviews.
To windrose1205: Buckle in for the ride! :)
To BlackRain00: Glad to see Aeon fans on too! This story will be updated, don't worry.