It was Monday now, and that meant it was back to life in the office, back to the world of Intelligence. But any second that she had to spare, she planned on hunting down Mia and spilling her apologies out. It had been two weeks now, and surely Mia couldn’t stay mad at her forever.
Ella’s phone pinged again.
Outside! x
Ella hurried to the door, leaving behind her stacks of files. Since they’d met, she’d taken a real liking to Mark Balzano. One date turned into two, and two turned into a casual relationship. Now, she wasn’t desperate to make things official, at least not yet, because such things came with time. She wasn’t one for jumping into relationships, especially with someone she worked with, although such circumstances were a new venture to her.
Outside her complex, spring was in full sway, but the pleasant temperatures and moderate sunlight did very little to quench her worries. Mark’s sedan was waiting right at the door. Ella jumped in and greeted Mark with a kiss on the lips.
“You’re early,” she said. “Punctuality is a very attractive quality in a man.”
“Five minutes ahead of schedule. Right on schedule,” Mark said.
Mark was a seasoned agent but was currently sidelined due to an injury. He’d been assigned to administrative work for the time being, although it didn’t stop him from helping Ella out in the field when she needed it last time. He had his FBI-issue jacket on today, and he’d tied his hair back in a stumpy ponytail. It was a bold move, but he got away with it.
“How are you holding up?” he asked. “Did you find anything in your dad’s stuff?”
She liked Mark because he understood her. They had the same approaches and philosophies when it came to saving lives and exacting justice, and it didn’t hurt that he had a chiseled jawline she could admire for hours.
There was just one thing that concerned her.
They drove out on the main road towards the freeway. FBI HQ was a forty-five-minute venture, double in rush hour.
“A lot of it was useless, but I did find one thing. Some kind of receipt.”
“A receipt? For what?”
“I don’t know exactly,” Ella said. “It was handwritten and just mentioned borrowed monies.”
Mark turned the radio dial down. “That could be anything. It could be a friend of his just being anal after lending him ten dollars. Or it could be a joke.”
Ella considered it. “I suppose. But why would he keep it?”
“Sentimental reasons? I don’t know. I’m just guessing. But it’s definitely worth checking out.”
“Absolutely. I’m going to try it for prints first. If nothing comes back, then I’ll try matching the handwriting. Then if there’s still nothing…”
Mark slammed the brakes on as another vehicle swerved in front of them. Ella clutched the armrest as the car abruptly slowed to a crawl.
She braced herself, predicting backlash on Mark’s part.
“Damn. Close one,” he said.
Ella waited a second for the moment to pass. If there was one thing about Mark that she didn’t quite get, it was his temper. On their first date, Mark had berated a restaurant customer for almost knocking his drink over. A minor inconvenience, but one Mark blew up to extravagant proportions. Ella brushed it off as a one-off and Mark apologized profusely, but since then, she was on alert around him. In the past two weeks, he’d been fine, but the worry was still there.
“Monday drivers,” Ella said. “Typical.”
“Rushing to work to sit in a cubicle for eight hours.”
Ella shrugged. “Maybe. He might be a doctor or something though.”
“Doubt it. It was a woman.”
Ella scratched her head. Some lame attempt at humor? “That’s a bit…”
“Joke,” Mark interrupted. “I’m kidding. Just trying to lighten the mood. I’m a bit worried about you. What with all your recent troubles.”
Ella sped through a series of responses, landing on frustration. It was too early for this. “I’m fine. I just need time to process everything, but I appreciate the concern.”
They moved got onto the freeway. It looked clear for a few miles but no doubt the traffic would creep in closer to the city.
“What are you gonna be doing from now on?” Mark asked. “You’re still working out in the field occasionally, right?”
“Same thing as the last two weeks. Working in Intelligence until the director calls on me. If he calls on me. He hasn’t said a word to me since Ripley ditched me. I’m starting to think my special agent days are behind me.”
“Retired in what, less than a year? You lasted longer than some people.”
Ella stared out at the passing buildings. Familiar sights she’d seen a thousand times, but they brought her an indescribable comfort.
“I want to do it a lot longer. Working behind a desk just isn’t the same as actually being out there.”
Mark rolled down his window and rested his elbow in the gap, the other hand on the wheel. “Tell me about it. You actually feel like you’re making a difference when you’re in the thick of it, don’t you?”
“One hundred percent,” Ella sighed. “Now I just feel like I’m waiting. Waiting for bad news, or something worse. It sucks.”
“If you want to help me out, I can make a request. You get to be a little closer to the action but still keep your distance. Like window shopping.”
Ella thought about it for a second but didn’t like the idea. She was better off where she knew she had a job.
“Thanks for the offer but I don’t think it would work. At least I know what I’m doing in Intelligence. Well, I think I do. It’s all been a bit of a blur recently.”
“Don’t sweat it. Things will work out.” Mark reached over and rubbed her thigh. “The director’s a busy man. He’s got governors on his ass, politicians, government big wigs. You think he’s got time for a nobody like you?”
Ella glanced at Mark. Her narrowed eyes met his. He smiled.
“Kidding. Come on. You know what I mean.”
She shook her head and laughed. “With a sense of humor like that, you’re wasted at the bureau.”
Mark nodded. “You think I’d make a good standup?”
Ella’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out. “I was thinking more funeral director.” She stared at the notification, suddenly transported to a different plane of existence. Her heart stopped for a second.
Mark caught wind of her change. “Problem?” he asked.
She heard his words but didn’t register them. The thoughts came thick and fast, and she had to roll down the window so the fresh air could cleanse them.
“Turns out he’s not too busy for a nobody like me.”
“The director wants you?”
Ella read the message aloud.
Come to my office immediately. We need to have a discussion.
CHAPTER TWO
Inside the FBI offices, Ella stood outside Director William Edis’s office. She could see his blurred outline behind the frosted glass, hunched over his desk in a pose of professionalism that induced new dread in her. She knocked with a trembling hand.