Chapter 1: The Encounter
The door was knocked gently before it opened after hearing President John’s voice permitting entry. How much he loved John’s spacious office with its wooden furniture. And how much he admired his sixty-year-old boss, John, with his gray hair, narrow eyes, short and stout figure, and black suit. The president welcomed him and invited him to sit down. Slowly, he walked with the support of a black cane to a leather chair to the right of the desk, positioned so its right armrest faced the desk and the left armrest faced the door. He sat down and lifted his head, only to meet a pair of sharp green eyes. He wasn’t surprised by her presence, as he now knew who she was, and he understood that the president had called him because of her. What did surprise him was that he hadn’t noticed her when he first entered the room. It seemed that the armrest of the other chair had blocked his view.
President John began, “Well, let’s start with the introductions. Captain Maya, this is Captain Alexander Barron. Captain Alexander, this is Captain Maya. She was previously stationed at one of our other branches and requested a transfer here.” He paused, expecting them to exchange greetings, shake hands, or at least nod to each other. When nothing happened, he cleared his throat and continued, “Um, as for the misunderstanding two weeks ago, it was because Captain Maya’s previous department didn’t inform us that she would be on an undercover mission involving those two men. So, when one of our agents saw her on the plane with them, he reported a suspicious woman with the men and recommended arresting her, thinking she might be someone important. That’s why your men arrested her, Alex.” He paused again before adding, “Well, Maya, don’t you have anything to say?”
Maya looked at Alexander, studying him. Now that the tension had subsided, she had to admit that he was quite handsome. Everything about him spoke of that—fair skin, jet-black hair, clear blue eyes, and a lean, athletic build. She smiled at him as he glanced up at her, then said, “I’m sorry, Captain, for the incident I caused. I hope the limp isn’t permanent.” She raised her eyebrows in mock concern.
John noticed the anger on Alexander’s face and quickly intervened, “Now, Captain Alexander, you may leave, but not before you both shake hands.”
Alexander stood up and made his way to the door, leaning on his cane as he said, “No need to worry, sir. We’ve already shaken hands before.” Then he exited the room.
All the teams were gathered in the briefing room, talking and whispering while waiting for their leader to arrive. However, the chatter ceased when Creek jumped to his feet and shouted, “Shake hands? Are you crazy? She tried to kill you, man!”
“I wasn’t trying to kill him. If I wanted to, he would be dead by now,” came a voice from the doorway. Everyone in the room turned to see Maya leaning against the doorframe. She smiled at them all and walked toward Creek, saying, “By the way, I’ve already apologized to him, and I’ve been assigned to your team, which means I’ll be working under his command.” She raised her hands in a gesture of surrender as she stood in front of him. “Isn’t that punishment enough? Working under someone with the same rank?”
Creek responded angrily, “I’d rather die than work with you.”
She bowed her head dramatically, saying, “Thank you, Lieutenant Creek. I hope you don’t forget the difference in our ranks.” Then she turned to Bernard and Bob, who were sitting around the conference table, and asked, “What about you two? Do you...”
“Take a seat, Captain. You too, Creek,” Alexander interrupted sternly.
Creek sat down, while Maya exclaimed, “Wow! You’re already throwing your weight around. You don’t waste a moment.” She locked eyes with him for a moment before sitting next to him. After a brief silence, she whispered, “By the way, when exactly did we shake hands, Alexander?”
Without looking at her, he replied, “When you came to town for your father’s funeral.”
She drifted off in thought before muttering, “I knew I’d met you before.”
He looked at her in surprise and said, “Is that why you asked for my name?”
She smirked, “Did you think I was genuinely interested in you?”
“Be quiet.”
“Not before you tell me how you knew my father.”
“I didn’t know him.”
“Then why did you attend the funeral?”
Drumming his fingers on the table, he finally turned to her and said, “I’m not sure you want to know the reason, but I’ll tell you anyway.” He looked up and exhaled heavily, “I attended on behalf of my uncle. My uncle Frederick was your father’s friend.”
He wasn’t surprised by her silence, clenched fists, or pale face. Although his uncle had told him about Maya’s feelings toward him, Alexander wanted her to talk about it herself. He was about to ask her to do so when President John entered and began the meeting.
Maya didn’t hear a single word from the meeting as she was lost in her thoughts, repeatedly asking herself the same questions. Why, out of all people, was the young man sitting beside her, who also happened to be her superior, the nephew of Frederick— the man she hated most in the world, who had turned her life into a nightmare three years ago? Was it just a coincidence? Would he be an obstacle in her path? What should she do? How would she deal with him? She was utterly confused. She snapped back to reality when John called her name, realizing that the meeting had ended and the room was empty except for Creek, who was talking to another man. She turned to John and said, “Yes, sir?”
He handed her a white folder, saying, “I like my people to work on their first day. It’s nothing too demanding, just surveillance of the house of the man mentioned in the file. Record the license plates of every car that visits.”
She stood up, muttering, “Thank you for considering me one of your people.”
John laughed heartily and then asked, “How’s your mother doing? She hasn’t been answering the home phone.”
She began flipping through the file and simply replied, “She’s fine.” After a moment, she added, “She changed her number.”
“Won’t you give it to me?”
“Of course. It’s 885-3749. By the way, don’t share any bad news with her.”
Resting his elbows on the table and placing his chin on his clasped hands, he asked, “You still haven’t told her about your transfer to the narcotics unit, have you?”
Without lifting her eyes from the file, she replied, “I’ll tell her when the time is right.”
He responded, “It’s been three years, and you still haven’t found the right time.”
She slammed the file shut and said firmly, “You know she’ll kill me if she finds out. She won’t leave me alone until I switch units, so it’s better for both of us if she doesn’t know. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Then she left the room.