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“Hey!” a familiar voice called from behind him.
Jackson grinned, swiveling on his heels. “Hey. It’s been a long time!”
Aaron shook his hand, then pulled him into a hug, patting his back. “Come with me,” he said, tilting his head toward the staircase.
They took the stairs two at a time and Jackson’s gaze swept over the dealership. It was modern and flashy: multiple levels, lots of steel and glass. Glass he prayed was not going to be shattered by the end of the day. He scanned the hallway, disappointment rising when he realized Aaron’s office was the last one at the end of a long hallway with no other exit.
Only once they were in his office did Aaron press for more information.
“Are you going to tell me what this is about?” Aaron asked as he sat on the edge of his desk, crossing his arms over his chest.
Jackson grinned. “No, I’m not. I do have a few questions though. In the event of a fire and you can’t access the staircase, how do you get out of here?”
Aaron stared at him a minute, then tipped his head back, laughing wildly. “Okay,thatI was not expecting,” he said with dancing eyes. He nodded toward the glass railing. “See that pole? You slide down it. What is this about?”
Aaron was still smiling, but Jackson wasn’t sure he would be if he knew the truth about what Jackson was doing.
“I told you, I can’t give you the details. It’s a confidential case. I need to meet someone here and I don’t want anyone to know I’m meeting her. Oh, and from now on, my name is Jamie. When she arrives, she’ll aks for Jamie so I need you to be at the reception desk and direct her my way.”
Aaron’s eyebrows threaded together. “Redwater cops are stepping up their duties, that’s for sure,” he mused. “Does the Oradale team know you guys are here, working their turf?”
Jackson played along. He was undercover with the FBI, but as far as anyone else other than Anna knew, he was still part of the Redwater squad.
“They know,” he said, vaguely.
“All right then. What else do you need?” Aaron asked, looking around his office.
Jackson grinned. “A gift basket of merchandise, wrapped nicely with a big bow, please.”
Aaron’s head snapped in his direction. “Say again.”
Jackson shrugged. “I promise, it’s for the job.”
Aaron gave an odd grin, then laughed. “Anything else I can do for you, Jackson?” he asked mockingly.
“That is all. Thank you,” Jackson said, returning the grin.
Aaron moved toward the door, then looked over his shoulder. “I’m not going to get in trouble for this, right?”
“No,” Jackson said, praying that was true.
Aaron chewed on his cheek, seeming to be figuring out if he believed that or not. Eventually, he said, “One gift basket coming up,” and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Jackson sat behind Aaron’s desk and wondered what it was like to work a job like this. No risk, a lot less stress, but definitely not as much fun.
Jackson checked his phone again, but there were no messages from Anna, which he took to be a good sign. He wanted to be here early, hours ahead of time, so anyone watching the dealership wouldn’t be suspicious if he entered. Aaron returned with a gift box, perfectly wrapped as per Jackson’s instructions, then Jackson sat and waited. The minutes passed like hours, and by the time the clock struck two Jackson felt like he’d been sitting in the office for four weeks, not four hours.
But at two o’clock, the office phone rang.
“Jamie, speaking,” he said, grabbing a pen in the event he had to take a message.
“Anna White has arrived. I’ll send her up,” Aaron said.
“Thank you kindly,” Jackson responded, feeling a rush of excitement. He liked this—he loved undercover work—but, more than he wanted to admit, he was excited to see her. He didn’t know how long she’d stay. She might walk in and decide he wasn’t worth her time and walk out again. But he had a shot, and that was more than he could hope for at this point.
The door opened and Anna entered, her eyes locking on his. His entire body felt like it came alive. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was seeing her, or the rush of what they were about to do, but he thought it was mostly the former.
Aaron closed the door, leaving Jackson alone with her, but Anna didn’t step forward.
