8. Nora
Chapter eight
Nora
A message notification from Chase pops on my phone, distracting my focus from the huge monitor screen. Seeing who it's from, I swiftly grab my phone from the desk.
With curiosity, I open the text message.
The wedding pictures!
The text is accompanied by a smirk emoji.
I linger for a second, my fingers hovering over the message, and I feel a mix of emotions swirling within me. The last few weeks have been such a whirlwind. Sometimes, in the quiet, it all catches up with me. What if my wedding had happened? Would I still be here?
Chase rarely sends me messages at work and especially not during a meeting. They must have taken a break.
I can’t focus on the anxiety of what that might mean—that this fake wedding was for nothing if the supervisors say no to our plan. Instead, I focus on the text.
The emoji adds a playful tone, but does nothing to relieve the anticipation as each picture loads. I tap on each picture and zoom in.
“Beautiful,” I say out loud, forgetting I'm not the only one here.
“What's that?” My colleague Emma leans over, and I back out of Chase's chat.
“Nothing. Just some memories.”
“I see. They must be really nice memories for you to say that.” She replies in a sing-song voice and shifts her focus to the monitor.
I open the pictures in my gallery this time, and as I scroll through them, adrenaline rushes through me at each pose, each picture feeling more real until I get to the last.
It's not a good idea, but I can't find another reason to get Ethan away from me except leaving the country and going somewhere far away from him, and that's the last thing I want to do.
The best thing would be to get into a relationship, but since there's no one like that in my life right now, this marriage will have to do.
I contemplate sending the pictures to Ethan now, but I decide to wait till we get home. Sending them now would just cause drama, not to mention incessant calls.
A part of me is just afraid, though, and I know it.
No. I should send the pictures now. I forward two pictures to him with a message telling him,
I'm now taken, and I'm never coming back .
That should do something. I restrict his number from sending texts or calls, grateful I’m putting an end to his drama.
A part of me is eager that I can now shake off Ethan's constant pressure, while another part is genuinely excited about embarking on an undercover mission. I’ve never actually been in the field. Yet, there's also a lingering anxiety about the unknown that lies ahead.
Another text pops up from Chase.
We need to talk about the pictures. We took a meeting break. Commander Keith got a call. I told him about the idea of a fake wedding and solving the mission as an undercover couple before we started the first session. He wants to talk with us after discussing with the admirals.
Did I miss something? Seems like Chase knows something but he's not saying.
Despite the awkwardness around us this morning, I hadn’t thought this fake marriage would actually be a big deal. But the consequences of living with my boss are now coming into play—I’m stressed about his messages for two reasons now.
My phone buzzes with another text. Going in again .
Okay, let me know when you're done. I reply. I sigh in relief, but a hint of anxiety still seeps through the surface.
“Nora?” Emma asks, and I look up, guiltily putting my phone down.
“Yeah? I’m listening.” She nods in disbelief and points to the monitor screen.
“You should take a look at this, but first, how are you? I don't mean to pry but it was all over the news.” She types some commands and hands me a pair of headphones.
“What was all over the news?”
“Nora…” She trails off. I furrow my brows, and she sighs. “You running away from your wedding. I can't imagine how that must have felt with the camera flashes, and the paparazzi.”
“Emma, I'm fine.” I say, cutting her off. “That news is over. You said you wanted to show me something.”
“Oh. Okay. Listen to this.” She mutters, and I put the headphones on.
“Chase and his team were at the command center before they left for Dallas.” She begins. “I'm picking up strange interceptions, almost like someone hacked into the system and did it so carefully, Chase missed it.”
“But no one should be able to hack into the system. It's highly protected.”
“I agree, but we know that there'll always be vulnerabilities no matter how guarded the system is.” Emma replies. “Their mistake was being unable to pick it up. Let me try to trace the source.”
She types some code into the monitor, and it comes up blank. “Whoever it is they're up against tied up all loose ends.” She runs the program again and comes up with nothing.
“There's nothing to trace.”
“Send me the data; let me have a go at it. Maybe I'll pick up some locations.” Emma’s got the best ear on the team, but I’m known for my geographic skills.
Two hours later, and there's still nothing. I release a sharp exhale through clenched teeth. Emma drums her fingers against the table then releases a low growl.
“At least we have one explanation which is that they intercepted the communications and those communication lines could still be open as we speak.”
“That's true. We have to find the source and stop the leaks. We need more hands on this.”
“We need to inform INTEL.” Emma says, grabbing the phone from the receiver to inform all other analysts.
“Wait, let's get a lead on what we're doing—at least a clue—first. That will give them something to work on.”
The door swings open, and Joseph pokes his face in.
“Hey, Nora. Steele asked me to come and get you. Did you get any leads?”
“No,” I admit. Annoyance boils within me. I can't help but push my chair away with a grating screech against the floor as I stand up to follow Joseph.
Joseph grimaces. “Seems like this case is getting you all worked up and you've hardly started.”
“Yeah, not to mention the long hours and days we're going to be putting in if we don't get any information on who hacked into the system.” We reach Chase's office, but Joseph keeps walking ahead.
“Wait, you're not coming?” I push the door ajar, watching him go down the hallway.
“Nope. I've got work to do,” he calls out without looking back.
“Okay. See you.” I enter Chase's office to see his face buried in files on his table. He looks up at me, worry lines creasing his face. He tries to hide it behind a smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes.
“You sent for me?” I try to steady my voice but my concern for him gives me away.
“Yeah, take a seat.” He scans the files again before looking up.
“I can't find anything in these files. Did intelligence find anything, Nora?” He sounds on edge.
“Not yet.” He looks up at me with a steely look that’s enough to make anyone cringe. As a lower-ranking employee, I'd probably cower or shrink away in my seat if I didn’t know him.
“What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?” I know it’s not just my performance.
“Not you. I'm just surprised you didn't find anything.” He opens a set of new files, ignoring my presence. “There's nothing in them. It's driving me crazy.”
“Why did you call me here, Chase?” I can hear the annoyance in my tone, and I'm tempted to stand up. Bound by work ethics, I remain seated. Regardless of our relationship, he's still my boss. “What happened during the meeting? What did they say about the undercover couple idea?”
“Commander Keith is fine with us going undercover as a couple. He asked us to keep it quiet, since we don’t know who exactly leaked the information.”
“That's great. So, he's the only one who’s aware. Did that help your reputation as hoped?”
“It did. I'd say I gained back a bit of his respect because I was able to come up with a plan, but it didn't fully redeem my reputation. Not that I thought it would.” He makes a fist and hits it on the table in frustration.
“Chase,” I admonish. I reach out and hold his hand across the table, and I feel a jolt of electricity shoot through my fingers. “It'll be okay.”
His hazel eyes turn a darker shade at my touch, and there's a flutter in my chest that I can't quite explain, a mix of excitement and apprehension at the way he looks at me.
“What’s the next step? Let go of your anger. It won't help.” I lace my fingers through his attempting to soothe some of his pressure. He doesn't remove his hand like I thought he would in this situation, and his anger wanes. At least I've successfully calmed him down, but why did that feel strangely real. Stop it Nora, you only wanted to help.
I try to push aside the way my heart races, feeling the roughness of his fingers through mine, each bump, evidence of battles fought. Suddenly, he frees his hand from mine and runs it through his hair.
“Thanks, Nora, but this is bigger than you think.”
His tone carries a weight to it that suggests there's a deeper truth he's not sharing.
“But the next step as you asked is that we will have to interrogate team members, review communication logs, and conduct thorough background checks to identify any potential breaches in security or compromised channels.” Chase deflects, switching the topic but I know he's hiding something.
A strong feeling tugs at my heart, stronger than worry for this man. I'm torn between wanting to lean into these feelings and fearing the consequences of doing so.
“Chase, what happened during the meeting? Something is bothering you. You can't just brush this off.” I insist, but he stands and switches on the monitor built into the wall.
“It's nothing I can't handle. I’ve always been able to sort out my issues. I’m more than capable of doing that.” And as I watch him avoid my gaze, a chilling realization dawns on me. This is something bigger than Rogue himself. He can be cocky but, in this case, whatever Chase is hiding, it's not just about the mission. It's something that can change everything. Whatever the outcome of the meeting was, it's something that can change his life forever.
“I suppose I should go then.” With a reluctant step towards the door, I silently yearn for him to call my name, to stop me, and ask me to wait. As I reach for the handle, resignation settles in as I open the door and he doesn't make even the slightest move. My hope dwindles away but just as I'm about to shut the door, his voice pierces through the silence.
“Nora, wait.”