Chasing Frost by Isabel Jolie
Sixteen
Sadie
I step outside BB&E’s building five minutes before schedule. The black sedan, a corporate car service, is parked on the curb in front of the building. I wheel my suitcase over to it, and the driver gets out and pops the trunk.
“Maitlin party?” he asks.
“Yes.” I gesture to my wrist. “I think Chase is going to be a little late. Do you mind if I go get an iced coffee?”
“Not at all. I have water in the back of the car.”
“Thanks, but I could use the caffeine. I’ll be back in a minute.”
While I’m paying the street vendor, my phone rings. I have an open view of BB&E. The coast is clear.
“Aaron?” He doesn’t call often, and when he does, there’s a part of me that expects him to be calling from a hospital. He’s working a gang, and the risk level is high.
“Can you talk?”
“I wouldn’t have answered if I couldn’t.”
“I’m coming to New York for the weekend. Send me your address.”
“I won’t be here. I’m going out of town.”
“For work?” There’s a mixture of disbelief and annoyance in his tone.
“Yes,” I snap.
“This is what I meant. It doesn’t work for us to both be UC.”
“Aaron. Don’t call me again. I do wish you all the best.”
I hang up and slide my phone into the side pocket of my pocketbook and zip it closed. A mixture of emotions ricochet. Guilt. That was harsh. My rib cage expands as I take a deep inhale of the crisp fall air. Relief. I don’t think I’ll hear from him again. I’m ready to put him behind me. Aaron cared most about Aaron. If anything, he tore me down.
The sun beats down on the pavement, and I tilt my head back to absorb it. Aaron and I only worked because I had no expectations and never pressured him for more. I never imagined he’d have trouble letting go. But that’s the thing. When you have few people in your life, your dependency on those few people strengthens, whether it’s deserved or not. Aaron’s been deep undercover for too long. I hope he gets a break soon. A real break, for a long time, so he can build a personal life. He’s lost touch with himself, but it’s not my problem. Maybe by refusing to be his crutch, I did him a favor.
The driver gets out of the car and leans against it, watching me as I slowly pace the concrete.
“I’m sorry about the wait.”
“No problem at all. It’s a gorgeous afternoon. But what time is your flight?”
I hesitate to tell him. If we were flying commercial, we’d be screwed. And, as it is, we might be forcing them to delay takeoff.
I pull out my cell to call Rhonda as Chase rushes through the revolving door. Within seconds, his small carry-on is tossed in the back of the car and we’re both in the back seat.
“Let’s go,” he says, more to the driver than to me.
Chase is all business. He’s tapping away on his phone. Presumably telling his friends we’re on the way. Grim is how I’d describe his expression. His lips fall in a straight line, and tension runs across his brow.
“Everything okay?”
He holds up an index finger as a silent shush and continues texting. I shift in the seat to gaze out the window. Storefronts pass by as the car whizzes along Park Avenue.
I take the opportunity to look at Chase. He looks good in a suit; some would say handsome. He’s a good-looking guy in a t-shirt, especially the tighter ones that fit snugly around his biceps. But in a well-fitted suit, he transforms into a respectable, driven, focused businessman.
When he’s finished, he swipes up and flips it over, face down, resting it on his thigh.
“Hey, had to deal with some things. You ready to go to the middle of nowhere?”
“I don’t think you can call Cedar Falls the middle of nowhere.”
“Ever been there?”
“No. You?”
“No. But I’ve got a good idea of what to expect.”
His brow is now relaxed, and he kicks back comfortably in the back seat of the car, crossing an ankle over his knee.
“You sure everything’s okay? You’ve seemed really tense lately.”
“You worried about me, Frost?”
“Well, yeah. You’re throwing me off with the suit. Is it for the rehearsal dinner or something at work?”
“Rehearsal dinner. Did you and Evan Mitchell ever…date?”
“What? Why would you ask that?” The question is so left field. The man’s married. I maneuver myself in the seat to better face him.
Chase opens his mouth like he’s going to say more, then closes it. Then he slips his phone into his jacket pocket and reaches down to pull out his laptop.
“If you don’t mind, I have a few emails I need to send before we reach the party plane.”
“No problem. Did you figure everything out on South Fork?”
He pauses. “I did mention something about that to you, didn’t I?”
I nod.
“I figured it out.” Then his fingers fly over the keyboard.
While he works away, I pull out my personal phone and send a text to Agent Hopkins.
SF: Suspect Maitlin alerted Mitchell to fraud discovery earlier today.
We have so many rooms to listen to on this operation, it’s important to alert the team when there are some offices that need priority surveillance. I slide my phone into my pocketbook with a discreet glance at Chase. His head is bowed, and all his focus is on the open laptop resting on his crisp, pressed trousers.
When we arrive, the Esprit jet sits on the tarmac, and our car drives up almost to it. Thanks in large part to our driver breaking speed limits and swerving through traffic, we made it here five minutes before three.
Chase takes my hand as we hurry to the ramp.
“Ready for the weekend?”
“I am. Are you?” I’ve only known the guy for a few weeks, but the apprehension radiating off Chase this week has been noticeable.
“I’m glad it’s Friday. Ready for a drink.”
We reach the steps, and I tug on his hand, forcing him to give me one more second before we’re in with the group.
“Will you tell me what’s going on?” I’m playing the role of a concerned friend, maybe even concerned love interest. Everything indicates the source of his stress is the key to my case.
“Yeah, Frost. When the time is right, I’ll tell ya.”
He steps aside and gestures for me to go up the stairs ahead of him.
The luxury private jet is by far the nicest plane I’ve ever been on in my life. Blonde leather seats and walnut tables lend a refined, luxurious design. The interior feels more like a posh den in someone’s home rather than a plane for transport.
Each of the couples is grouped together. Olivia and Sam are sitting in two seats with a small table between them, Mason and Delilah are sitting on a wide sofa-like seat in the back, and Jackson and Anna are in two seats on the opposite side. I glance toward Sam. Sam the billionaire, with personal security and a lavish life. I lead the way toward the empty seats closest to the richest guy on the plane.
Operation Quagmire hasn’t uncovered anything suspicious regarding Esprit Corp. Other than Maggie having worked for Senator McLoughlin, we haven’t discovered any additional connections between this group of friends and McLoughlin’s cronies. Agent Hopkins has instructed me to keep my ears open for any work discussions between Maitlin and Sam, but at this point, these guys aren’t suspects.
For my part, I’m not entirely sure what to think of Maitlin. His net worth is eyebrow raising. This weekend, I hope to gain some additional insight into how he’s accumulated over $12 million in his brokerage account as a mid-level employee living in one of the world’s most expensive cities. My gut says he’s not the guilty party, but I need answers.
The flight attendant offers beverages. I ask for sparkling water, since I’m on duty. But Olivia requests champagne for each of us to kick off the weekend, and to fit in, I accept a glass and automatically sip. The bubbly liquid goes down smooth. It’s light, cool, and refreshing. Delicious. As sober as possible is the goal.
Once we all have glasses of bubbly, Olivia raises hers and says, “To Maggie and Jason, and to a fun weekend with friends.”
We all lean toward the center of the plane to clink glasses. Chase finally sets his phone down and stops texting to join in the toast. I’m not sure who he’s been texting so furiously and emailing before that, but if I get a chance to sneak onto his phone, I will.
After the toast, we’re instructed to buckle our seats as we prepare for takeoff. I’m now facing Chase, and he has raised the small table that is between our two facing chairs. He rests his elbows on it, taking care to keep hold on the champagne. He has dark circles under his eyes, and when he exhales, his cheeks fill and push out. It’s as if he’s visibly breathing out stress.
In a low voice, meant for only me, he dips his head and says, “So, I forgot to tell you. We’re sharing a room at the hotel. They were booked, but I did get them to switch me to a room with two queens. I promise I’ll be a perfect gentleman. This isn’t me expecting anything this weekend. It’s just, it made sense for us to stay where everyone else is, and I know I should have talked to you about it, but it’s been this insane week—”
“It’s okay,” I interject to stop his rambling. “Two beds are fine. Thank you.”
He relaxes back against his chair. “Thanks for being cool about it.”
“No problem.” I smile to reassure him. My own room would have been better, but I can deal with this. I didn’t carry a gun with me, and while I do have a wire tucked into my suitcase, should I decide I need to wear it, he wouldn’t recognize it for what it is if he saw it.
As soon as the plane ascends and levels, discreet seatbelt lights go off, and the captain’s voice comes on overhead. “Feel free to walk around the cabin. Our expected arrival time is 5:02 p.m. central. Lucinda, your flight attendant, will be available at any time. Should you need anything, simply press one of the call buttons. She will be distributing an afternoon snack for everyone in about an hour, but if you want anything to eat or drink before then, please let her know.”
Olivia raises her voice to the group. “Why don’t all of the girls sit together? I know Jackson and Sam have some business they wanted to go over on this flight, and Mason and Chase, you guys can continue one of your epic card games.”
Chase mutters under his breath to me, “Of course she assumes I don’t have any work to do.” I understand his frustration. Without thinking, I reach out and squeeze his knee. He gives me a private smile then addresses Mason. “All right. Come on, man. Let’s do it.”
When I stand, I squeeze his shoulder before heading over to the girls. His muscles are like iron rods without any give. He’s stressed, all right. We trade soft smiles before I head over to the sofa area for girl bonding time. I take Mason’s spot on the sofa beside Delilah.
Jackson and Chase talk in hushed tones, then Jackson claps Chase on the back and pushes him toward Mason, who is already shuffling cards.
Delilah diverts my attention away from Chase with a touch on my wrist. I recognize her eager expression. Fear rises as I anticipate the round of twenty questions she’s going to hurl my way. I know my backstory backward and forward, but still, this is my first UC op, and every day feels like a test. Only, if I screw up, I’m not going to get a briefing from an FBI trainer.
“So, you and Chase?”
I automatically glance back to see if he heard her. He’s in the middle of shuffling cards and chatting with Mason. I don’t think he’s listening, but still, I give Delilah a shush-it look.
Anna and Olivia smirk.
“We’re not a couple.”
All three women lean in.
“So, you’re just friends?” Delilah asks, her voice rising an octave.
“We’re colleagues. And he’s asked me out on a date. Look, there’s a lot of pressure when you’re going away with someone for a weekend. Please don’t add more.” Be honest when you can. And that right there is about as honest as a girl can be, and what someone in my shoes would say. I soften my words with a weak smile.
“We won’t,” Anna reassures me while throwing a pointed look to Delilah. “I’m so happy you came. I can tell he likes you.” She holds up her hand defensively, probably in reaction to my visual response to her comment. “I know, it’s all new. You work together, too. I get it. Even if nothing works out with you guys, I’m glad you came this weekend.”
“Yes, please don’t let us pressure you,” Olivia adds. “We never see Chase with anyone, so we’re excited. But, while we like him, we would never hold it against you if things didn’t work out with him. Chase is, well…” Olivia turns to Anna as if asking her to complete her sentence.
“Chase is a close friend to all of us. But he can be a lot to take. I’ve known him for a long time. Like Olivia said, if it doesn’t work out, we won’t blame you.”
“You know, I can hear you guys.” Chase interjects. His voice rings with annoyance, but he’s grinning as he shifts cards in his hand.
Anna lifts her shoulders as if to say, whatever.
“Where are you from originally?” Delilah asks. And here it goes, twenty questions.
“Virginia.”
“Oh, really? Jackson’s from Virginia, too. What part?” Jackson and Sam are engaged in conversation, and he doesn’t turn when Anna offers up his past. I picked Virginia as my cover story because I’ve lived in DC, and I’m familiar with it, but I don’t know if I’m prepared to deal with someone from the same supposed hometown. Shit. I should’ve spent more time reviewing the backgrounds of these people.
“Richmond.” If memory serves, Jackson’s not from the city, but if he is, Richmond is large enough it would be believable that we didn’t know each other.
“Ah, Jackson’s from Fredericksburg.” Anna must not know much about Virginia, because she drops that line of questioning. “How are you liking New York? Are you getting settled in?”
In reality, I haven’t been to my real apartment since starting this case. Since it’s filled with boxes that need to be unpacked, I haven’t felt the need. But I do miss having my stuff. The impersonal apartment the FBI has set up doesn’t feel like home.
“I’m getting settled. You wouldn’t know that if you saw my apartment, but I really like the gym Chase introduced me to, and I’m getting to know my neighborhood. I found a cleaners I like, a Starbucks… I’m building my collection of menus.”
“She likes the gym because we go to the best gym in Manhattan,” Chase offers with a grin.
The others must be used to him spouting off about the gym because they ignore him.
“Do you have family in the area?” For this assignment, we’re keeping it simple.
“No. My parents live in London, and I don’t have any siblings. What about you all? Do you have family in the area?”
This line of questioning does the trick of deflecting attention away from my story. Delilah is from New Orleans, Olivia is from Connecticut, and Anna is from Savannah. That discussion leads to updates on siblings. It sounds as if they know each other’s family members. All the talk has me missing my sister and realizing it’s been a long time since I saw my parents.
Throughout our conversation, which, truth be told, mostly consists of the other three ladies talking and laughing, I catch Chase watching us. He’s quick to look away when we connect. Mason’s a veterinarian, so I know there’s no work talk going on between the two of them. From the bits of conversation I overhear, both are trash talking to each other. Well, Chase is about ninety percent of the trash talk, and Mason adds a ten percent sliver.
I can’t hear anything from Sam and Jackson’s table, but there’s a printed contract on the table between them, and it appears Jackson is highlighting various points in the document. From what I understand, they work together closely, with Jackson as general counsel for the venture capital group Sam runs, so it’s not surprising they are taking advantage of this time on the plane. Not once do they engage Chase in their discussion.
After we land, we exit in pairs. Sam and Olivia remain on the plane longer than the rest of us to speak to the crew. As we descend the steps to the tarmac, Chase wiggles his eyebrows with his signature I’m-a-troublemaker grin.
“Ready to dance?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”