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They could have been twins, with the exception of their hair. What’s worse was the fact that I’d had no chance to prep her. I felt like we were playing hot potato with a live grenade. It didn’t matter who caught it, someone was going to get blown the fuck up.
“I can feel your stare boring its way into my back,” she said, as she placed her phone into the back pocket of her jeans.
“Are you sure—”
“If you ask me that one more time, Declan, I swear to God.”
Annoyed, I grabbed her cell phone out of her back pocket and threw it on the bed.
“Hey—”
“If you’re going to ignore my advice as your husband, you’re going to listen to me as your boss. You want to do this? Fine. But rookie mistake 101 is carrying a cell phone,” I snapped angrily. Moving to my dresser, I pulled out an earbud, and placed it in her ear. I looked over her outfit once more.
“You’re going to the Embassy, Coraline. You’re going to need a skirt, some stockings and heels, along with a blazer.”
“Wait, we’re going now?”
“Yes, now.” I frowned. “If we were doing it my way, then we could go tomorrow or maybe the next day. She’s married with two children, both of whom are homeschooled. Grabbing her at home is virtually impossible. We could have taken her on her daily ride but Mel and Liam, being the self-serving sons of bitches they are, want to prove that they can take what they want from behind enemy lines. So yes, you’re going today. Because today is the only day the agent really leaves her office. She spends the night there, mostly because she’s having an affair with her boss. The guards haven’t seen her enter today so you can go in using the false credentials.”
She took my face into her hands. “Breathe. Fedel is going to be with me, and you’re going to be in my ear. I’ll be fine, and if you believe that, I will be fine.”
Resting my head on hers, I nodded.
“Good. Now, what color suit should I wear?”
“A dull color, and something you’ve never worn before and don’t mind burning after.”
“Great, I have just the outfit,” she said with a touch of sarcasm.
I was tempted to smile, but now was not the time.
As she walked to her closet I moved over to my table and placed the second plug in my ear.
“Coraline, can you hear me?”
“God? Is that you?” Her voice came alive on the microphone.
“Very funny.”
There was a knock on the door and I already knew it was Fedel. “Come in,” I told him.
When he stepped in with his freshly pressed suit, I threw him the third plug. He caught it with ease.
“Is everything in place?”
“Yes, we have two hours before we need to be on the road. Did you find a woman we can trust to go in?” Fedel asked, as he fitted the plug into his ear.
“At your service.” Coraline stepped out looking rather plain, in a gray pant suit.
“You’re serious?” Fedel asked, looking to me.
My thoughts exactly.
“The next person to say shit will be walking around toothless. Are we clear?” she snapped at the both of us, as she crossed her arms.
“Yes, boss.” Fedel snickered while shaking his head.
“Good. Now, is this enough for me to pass as her?” She motioned to her outfit.
“One last thing.” Fedel pulled out a pair of thick, black-rimmed glasses. When she placed them on, I checked to see if the camera was working.
“Let’s get this clusterfuck on the road,” I muttered as I rose from my chair.
May God help us all.
NINETEEN
“Not feeling is no replacement for reality. Your problems today are still your problems tomorrow.”
—Larry Michael Dredla
LIAM
As I entered our bedroom, I immediately tripped over Mel’s shoe. Catching myself, I picked up the red heel, and threw it into the corner.
“Your shoe almost killed me,” I called out to the closed bathroom door while tendrils of steam snaked out at its base.
Turning on the television, I pulled off my tie and removed my shoes.
“Good evening, I’m Andrea Salvia, and tonight we bring you more in the ongoing investigation regarding the recent FBI debacle. In only a month, five federal agents have either been murdered or charged with felonies. Meanwhile, the head of the FBI, Avian Doers, was spotted rubbing elbows with D.C.’s one percent at the Opera.”
“It looks as if the public has finally caught on,” I yelled, as I stood up to take off my shirt.
I listened to the silence and paused when she didn’t yell back in reply. She always yelled back, and nine out of ten times it was with an invitation to join her.
“Mel?” I moved to the door.
She still didn’t answer.
“Mel.” I opened the door and froze the moment I stepped in. She stood in the shower, fully clothed, as the water poured upon her. Rushing towards her, I turned the shower off, thanking God that it wasn’t scalding hot, yet she remained standing there, not moving.
“Mel!” I yelled directly in her face, as I shook her.
She blinked a few times and wiped the water from her face before she looked at me confused.
“What are you doing?” she asked me.
“What am I doing?” I tried not to yell. “What the hell are you doing? You’re fully dressed and standing in the shower.”
She looked herself over with no expression, then moved to take off her black dress and underwear before she stepped around me. Grabbing one of the white towels for her body and a smaller one for her hair, she wordlessly left the bathroom.
“I’m fine Liam,” she said as I followed her.
“Bullshit. What happened to you?”
She said nothing as she continued to dry her hair.
“Melody.”
“Will you stop saying my name as though I’m a child?!”
“I will the moment you stop acting like one.”
“I said I was fine!” she screamed at me.
“And I call bullshit!” I yelled as I reached for her but she pulled away. “Someone who is fine does not stand in the shower, spaced out and fully dressed.”
“Keep yelling, Liam, the whole damn city hasn’t heard you yet!” she snapped, as she stormed off towards her closet and slammed the door behind her.
With a sigh, I moved to the door and rested beside it. I jiggled the handle, trying to open it, but she must have been leaning against the door.
“Wife, open the door and let me in. This is not the type of fighting I like to do with you,” I whispered.
“Liam, I’m fine.”
“Every time you say you’re fine, I get more pissed off because I know you’re lying to me. I thought we were over with this? I thought we were partners; that you would—”
She opened the door and glared at me. “Don’t try to guilt me into anything.”
“I’m trying to be honest with you.”
“Liam.” she sighed deeply as she turned away from me and grabbed a clean set of underwear. “I had a moment.”
“A moment?” I asked slowly, waiting for her continue.
“Yes, Liam, a moment! A lot has happened and I couldn’t breathe, okay. Sometimes I feel like I’m—” she stopped before turning to me. Dressed in only her underwear, she propped her hands on her hips but didn’t look at me. Instead she looked up at the light fixture, as she chewed on her bottom lip.
