Chapter 08: Taking Stock

“You ready for this, A?”

“Of course I am,” she replied, readjusting the glasses on her face as she stopped in front of the tall building. The large 30-story office occupied much of the block and stood a dominant presence in Crestview. WET had not shown to be very subtle, but if ever Alexa needed a reminder, this enormous erection in the middle of the financial district would serve as such.

Alexa glanced up the street towards Kasper’s rented SUV. Metallic silver, she sighed. “Kinda sticking out like a sore thumb there, K. I know you’re still kinda new to the whole spy thing but Rule 1: Blend in.”

“Well it was either this or the candy red Mustang. I think I made the better choice,” he replied with a hint of humor in his voice.

Alexa swallowed a smile as she refocused herself. Turning her attention back to the front doors of WET, her eyes fell on another vehicle. A black sedan parked three cars down from Kasper. The dark windows made it difficult to tell who it was or how many were inside.

Shrugging it off as paranoia, Alexa straightened her silk, cobalt striped pantsuit and stepped inside the lobby, heading directly for the shapely brunette seated behind the reception desk. “Hello,” Alexa smiled, placing her briefcase on the floor beside her as she handed the clerk a lanyard. “I’m Linda Thomas. I’m here to see Ross Jennings.”

“Hey there. I’m Maria, it’s nice to meet you. Mr. Jennings has been expecting you,” the woman replied with a smile of her own. “Right this way please.” 

“I’m in,” she quietly whispered into her earbud.   

“Great, get as close to his computer as you can, I’ll take care of the rest.” Following behind Maria, Alexa studied her short, slender frame. Her straight, brown hair was pulled together in a tight ponytail fastened by a clip. Her baby blue, two-piece dress fit her hips nicely, the skirt ending just above her knees. Her black peep-toe pumps provided Maria a little extra height, as her heels clicked on the floor with each step she took.  

The walls in the hallway were glass which separated them from the other employees. Some were on their phones, while others watched the two make the trek down the corridor. Alexa received a few smiles…and a few glares. Turning another corner, Maria suddenly stopped at a set of double doors. Tossing a smile over her shoulder, she gripped the handle and pushed it open, exposing the large office to Alexa. 

The room was enormous. The white walls were bright with the sun reflecting inside and bouncing off the round marble table in the middle of the room. The walls were decorated with pictures of celebrities, politicians, and world-renowned musicians. As Alexa took a step inside, two men looked up and smiled. A tall man approached her with a dark smile on his face. His chestnut brown eyes held a bit of mischief.

His dusky hair was trimmed neatly low. His frame was firm and perfectly fit and his buttoned-down white shirt, fresh from the cleaners, was accented with a brilliant red tie. He smiled, showing perfect teeth. To say he looked like he hadn’t missed the gym a day in his life would have been an understatement. 

“Hello, Linda. My name is James Clayton. I’m the CEO of the eastern division of Weapons, Enforcement & Transportation. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He reached out, presenting his hand to Alexa.

“Hello, Mr. Clayton. It’s a pleasure to be here today.”

“Please, call me James,” he said, smiling. She nodded, smiling slightly. “Thank you, James.” She glanced at the man over his shoulder as she shook his hand. Ross Jennings, the man she was here to see, smiled and nodded at her.

Clearing his throat, he followed her gaze and watched as the other man stood. “Ross Jennings,” he said. He was also tall but, maybe an inch shorter than James; his salt-and-pepper hair emphasized his light blue eyes. His goatee gave him a youthful appearance. His grey dress shirt was matched with a blue tie which brought out his eyes.

Ross Jennings wasn’t the man Alexa was expecting to find. Appearing older in his profile picture online, he had a youthful appearance; strong, but not as fit as James. She reached over to shake his hand. “Mr. Jennings, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, Linda.” He smiled and looked over at James. Ross walked towards the table. “I understand from James you’re here to make us an offer we can’t refuse.”

“Not unless you’re too foolish to realize what a golden opportunity I’m here to present.”

He motioned to the leather chairs pushed against the table. “Shall we?” The curved conference table was set up with coffee, and various assortments of bagels and cream cheese. 

James pulled out a chair for Alexa, a good distance away from his desk and her ultimate prize; his computer. She smiled and obligingly took a seat.

Ross picked up a remote and pressed a button, sending down shutters to cover the windows. “The sun can blind us in here at times,” he chuckled and placed the remote beside his glass of bourbon before taking the seat next to Alexa.

She smiled in appreciation. “Thank-you.” Leaning over, she opened the top of her black briefcase, reached in, and pulled out copies of a portfolio Kasper created with projections he said the men would be insane to turn down. Here goes nothing. 

Alexa took a breath as she stepped outside. That black sedan was still parked across the street, but now it was blocking her exit. Kasper was pinned in and he didn’t even know it. Alexa took a step forward and listened as the engine roared to life. They were waiting on her after all. She smiled, barely turning up the corners of her mouth and eyed the group of college students stepping out of the bar next door. Winking at the person behind the wheel, she lunged forward. The car jetted out of its spot and rushed down the one-lane road, barreling towards her. Perfect.

Without hesitation, Alexa scaled the wooden fence, landing in the soft patch of grass of someone’s back yard. She could hear the motor of the car stop. This had become a foot pursuit. “K, I have a tail. I pulled them away from you but you need to get out of there, now!”

“What about you? I’m not just gonna leave…”

“GO, K! I can handle them but in order to do that I need to know you’re safe, please,” Alexa urged, hopping over a playhouse on her trek through another backyard.

“Ok. I’m mobile. Stay on the line, A. I’ll find a place where we can meet up. I’m tracking you on your cell. Keep it on,” he sighed into the headset. “I got you.”

“Do whatever you have to do, Kasper. I’m not going dark.” Putting the conversation on hold, Alexa saved her breath for what she needed it for; evading the three goons hot on her trail. Her lungs burned and the back-and-forth with Kasper was only making it harder to concentrate on her escape. Conquering another fence, Alexa jumped back against the wooden slats as a barely chained pit bull charged for her, barking and foaming at the mouth. 

Thinking quickly, Alexa figured out a way to use the animal to her advantage. Skirting around the edge of the yard, she got behind the chained pet and slightly loosened its tether just as the beating footsteps of her pursuers could be heard over the other side of the fence.

Slipping through the gate behind her, she listened as the three men hurdled the fence. Almost instantly, one of the men screamed as the guard dog lunged for him. “Get it off! Get it off!”

Two shots erupted from a shotgun. The explosion made Kasper sit up straight with a sudden sick feeling. “A? A, are you ok? ALEXA? Answer me!” Kasper’s worried voice sounded over her earbud.

“I’m fine, K. They weren’t shooting at me,” she replied. The poor animal was slaughtered in his own backyard but, he’d served his purpose and she was able to slip away.

“Jesus! You’re giving me a heart attack here. I’m out near the park. The passenger door is opened. If I did this right, you should be approaching me right about…now.” Just as Kasper looked to his right, Alexa came hurtling over another fence. Running as fast as she could through the alley beside the drug store, she dove headfirst into the car, slamming the door shut while Kasper stomped the pedal into the floor. 

“Nice work,” she huffed, leaning over and placing a big kiss on his cheek. “WHOO!” Alexa sat up straight and buckled herself in. “Another few minutes and I was a goner.”

“That was too close.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, checking the rearview for any additional tails. “The sedan was there waiting. It’s almost like they were expecting us to show.”

“Well fuck, A, if you knew that, why’d you go in?”

“Because we needed to get into their systems, remember?” Alexa replied, finally starting to relax beside him. “Now, K, tell me, did you get in?” she asked, referring to the reason she was even in the building in the first place.

“Of course I did,” he said, brandishing a thumb drive with a satisfied smile.

“Alright. Next issue: please, tell me this is everything we’ll need to find the son of a bitch that green lit us.”

“With any luck,” Kasper replied, turning another corner as he drove them towards Alexa’s cabin. Alexa leaned back in her seat as Kasper’s driving slowed to normal speeds. But her attention went out the window as the car slowed even further and she noticed the speeding fire engine heading up the hills in the direction they were going. 

“That’s not a good sign,” she said, oblivious to Kasper’s heavy breathing. It wasn’t until she felt the tapping of his fingers on her arm that she gave a look in the direction he stared. Thick, black smoke pilled through the streets like an early morning fog. Kasper pulled the car to the side of the road and slowly stepped out with Alexa close behind.

“NO!” Kasper shouted, seeing the fire blaze higher. The inferno licked up the sides of the house, engulfing their hideout in brilliant orange flames. It crackled and it popped and they watched as it consumed the structure and with it all of their possessions.

“Let’s go. We need to get off the street.”

“And go where, A? Huh? Because if you hadn’t noticed your cabin is destroyed which means ALL of our shit is gone! My laptop, our IDs, our spending cash, our clothes, everything we’ve uncovered about WET…ALL GONE!” he shouted, stopping in the middle of the street as he threw his arms up in dramatic fashion.

“Fine! So what do you want to do, Kas? Huh? You wanna quit? Turn tail and hide? You do that and you KNOW it’ll be forever. We will never be safe again. We have the upper hand here. Let’s not squander our advantage by standing here arguing in the middle of the street.” She moved away, walking towards their SUV parked just on the corner. Reaching into the trunk, she pulled out a familiar looking green laptop and sat it on top of the car. “Besides, they didn’t get everything.”

Kasper smiled and rushed forward. “My…how?”

“I have my ways,” she grinned and stepped around him to the driver’s door. “So. You coming or what?”

“Coming where? We have no place else to go.”

“Don’t be so sure.” They drove for a while, crossing state borders and into Brooklyn Heights’ city limits. Kasper had dozed off beside her as she drove. And as she pulled into the parking lot of a corner market, she nudged him awake, waiting for him to respond before stepping out of the car to stretch.

“Where are we?” Kasper asked, nearly rolling out of the car to stand beside her.

“A place I know we’ll find the help we need. Come on.” She led him around the corner and up the brick walkway of a private school. Entering the gate, they walked across the rose garden and beneath a stone archway to the front door.

“A church? A, you brought us to a church? What on earth are you thinking?”

“Would you relax? This is the last place WET will think to look for us. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

“Alexa Hughes,” a stern, feminine voice spoke behind them. They turned simultaneously as a woman dressed in a white habit stepped from beside an altar. “I always knew you’d return.”

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