“He is one of them,” Regina replies nonchalantly, shrugging.
“Who am I here for?”
My eyes return to the profile picture of Isaac, silently praying she doesn’t say his name.
“The Bureau's primary focus is Isaac. If we get anyone else, it is a bonus.”
I suck in several deep breaths to pacify my nerves. Who would’ve known the very first case thrust into my hands upon leaving FBI headquarters would be to hunt down some of the country’s most notorious mob bosses? Let alone a man who can ignite my senses with the simplest touch of his fingertip.
I was barely swimming above water during my training at FBI headquarters. Now, I have no doubt I’m in way over my head.A rookie FBI agent versus the mob. I don’t see how this could end well.
5
Isabelle
“You do realize that during surveillance you’re supposed to be incognito with the rest of the population?” Regina asks as her eyes rake my body.
I glance down at my black linen pants, white short sleeve shirt, and black cropped boots. “What is wrong with what I’m wearing?”
Regina's eyes dart to the top of my head. Shooting my hand up, a smile forms on my face when I discover I've instinctively put on my black FBI cap. It has become a habit the past two years to brush my thick brown hair into a low ponytail and place my FBI cap over the top. The pants are the standard government-issue black trousers, and my shirt is now plain instead of having ‘Trainee' emblazoned on the front in thick black ink.
“Much better.” She nods when I remove the cap and put it on the mantelpiece. “Your Uncle Tobias would’ve been very proud of you, Isabelle.”
Her words compel tears to well in my eyes. My Uncle Tobias raised me from a small child. He passed away six months before I sent in my application to join the FBI. He had initially been a police officer, and that was how he met Regina. He took her under his wing and taught her everything he knew about the local beat, even though he was ten years her senior. A few years later, he became a detective, and then he was recruited by the FBI.
I need to remember my Uncle Tobias was the sole reason I decided to join the Bureau. I want to make him proud, and I want to help people the way he helped me. And I aim to still accomplish that, even if I have to go up against a man who can make my heart beat faster from a sideways glance.
“Have you ever worked with Alex Rogers before?” I aim to keep my focus on the task at hand and not on the man who has invaded my dreams every night this week.
Alex is my superior officer. He is four years older than me and was the talk of the town at FBI Academy. He was the golden boy, the beloved son of the trainers. He started his illustrious career like the rest of us rookies do, at the bottom of the rankings, but he soon climbed his way to a very lucrative position. He is now the head of his department and has a handful of staff underneath him. It is inspiring considering he is only twenty-eight years old.
“No, but he is a pretty little thing.”
My lips tug higher on my face. I saw a photo of Alex on the wall at FBI headquarters in San Francisco. My first thought was also that he is a pretty boy. He looks like he would spend more time in front of the mirror than I do getting ready in the morning. I’m not saying he isn’t good looking; he most certainly is, but he has that plastic Ken doll type of look.
"Smile.” The flash of a camera blinds me.
Once the bright light clears from my vision, I spot the source of my sudden blindness. Regina is holding an ancient-looking Polaroid camera. She smiles a full-tooth grin while placing my half-exposed picture right alongside two similar looking photos on her refrigerator. The only difference between the images is that I’m in plain clothes, and she and Uncle Tobias are wearing police officer uniforms.
“It’s tradition.”
After wiping under her eyes to ensure her tears haven’t fallen, Regina flurries around her eat-in kitchen, gathering her purse and keys.
The year before my Uncle Tobias died, he shared many stories about Regina and him. He loved Regina, but their work kept them apart. Their interracial relationship already raised enough eyebrows, but a rookie officer dating her superior was also frowned upon by the department. He thought once he became a detective, he would no longer have to hide his relationship with Regina, but he did. Not because it was frowned upon anymore, but because he had gone undercover. He had to keep his whole life a secret, not just his relationship status.
“How come you never married and had your own family?”
Regina freezes with her coffee mug halfway to her mouth. Her dark eyes shift to the Polaroid picture of Tobias on her refrigerator before they turn to face me. She doesn't need to say anything. Everything is relayed in her pained eyes. They reflect not only pain but love as well. Just like Tobias, there was nobody else for her either. I often asked Tobias the same question; he merely replied, "Why do I need anyone else but you, kiddo?" But I could see his heartache in his blue eyes. He was a good man who sacrificed his own happiness for the sake of others. He passed that trait on to both Regina and me.
“Are you ready?”
After exhaling my nerves with a large puff of air, I nod.
* * *
“Excuse me,” I interrupt.
I’ve just walked into an office on the third floor of a brick and mortar building located across the street from Isaac’s 18+ dance club, The Dungeon. Considering there is only a handful of people, the atmosphere is surprisingly bustling. The middle-aged lady I addressed walks right by me, rudely ignoring my introduction.
