Chapter 5
Jack lay in bed with his fingers interlaced and resting behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling fan without really seeing it. His mind was focused on a problem. That problem being a vivacious five foot seven, chestnut brown hair and golden-eyed Andrea Burns.
She appeared immune to his charms which he had to say wasn’t unheard of but rare.
In the past, he wouldn’t have cared. He’d just move on to the next woman, but there was no next woman this time.
He’d been sent to charm this woman into confessing her crimes, and either he would or he was going to have to prepare his interrogation game.
He wasn’t ready to concede defeat yet; he just needed to change tactics. Typical flirting wasn’t going to suffice this time. But what else could he do? Andrea didn’t seem the normal hearts and flowers woman. He was going to have to think outside the box if he was going to win her over.
Maya wouldn’t be any help. The woman knew next to nothing about her. Even Andrea’s co-worker Sophie didn’t know anything other than that she’d started about seven years ago. She kept to herself and did her job and left. The woman was practically a ghost. Appearing and disappearing without notice.
He couldn’t risk telling Nick he’d learned next to nothing about her. Nick wouldn’t accept failure, and neither would he. He just didn’t know what to do next.
Jack removed one hand from behind his head and grabbed his phone from the nightstand next to him. He pulled up his recent contacts and hit send, waiting for the person to answer.
“Jack,” the person greeted him.
“Hi, Luke.” Luke was his team leader and a good friend. Being the youngest in the group, with Luke the oldest, he looked up to Luke like an older brother. Luke had an open-door policy where any of them could come to him and talk about things. It didn’t even have to be work related.
“Everything alright?” Luke asked hesitantly.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Did his friend and team leader not trust him?
“It’s not like you to call for a friendly chat.” It was true. He didn’t believe in idle chit chat.
“It’s not a friendly call, you’re right. I need your help.”
“Name it.” This was one of the things Jack liked about his friends. They didn’t ask questions. You said you needed help, and they came running, willing to help in any way they could.
Jack couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “I need some female advice.”
There was a long pause at the other end. “You?”
“This woman I’m dealing with isn’t like others.”
“You mean not a floozy you picked up in the bar?”
“They aren’t floozies, and not all have been met at the bar.” Jack felt the need to defend himself though he didn’t know why. He didn’t have to explain himself to anyone. He was an adult with other consenting adults. He didn’t owe anyone an explanation.
“Apologies,” Luke replied, though he didn’t sound sympathetic. “How can I help you with women?” Jack heard the humor in Luke’s tone. Oh, he wasn’t going to hear the end of this for a long time.
All of his teammates were going to tease him mercilessly for years to come because of this. If Luke’s advice proved sound though, it would be worth it. “As you know, Nick assigned me to this case in Florida.”
“Yeah…” Luke hadn’t been given full clearance on what to know. The less people who knew what Jack was about, the better.
“Well, part of the assignment is to get close to a woman.”
“Which should be a walk in the park for you.”
Which was why Nick had picked him for the mission. “Normally, yes, but she’s being very resistant. My normal skill set isn’t going to work on this one. I need to think outside the box; that’s where you come in.”
“How me?”
“Well, you didn’t wine and dine Shay for her to open up to you and tell you about her life.”
“No, but she was very distrustful when we first met. It took me rescuing her for her to see that she could trust me.” Shay had been kidnapped over a year ago and was set to be sold to the highest bidder.
The auction house she’d been stashed at was also a night club and gambling hall.
She’d set a fire as a cover to escape and ended up hiding in Luke’s car.
Little had she known she had gotten into the right car because several people were on the payroll that would have turned a blind eye to her plight and handed her over to a monster without blinking said eye.
“Yeah, this lady isn’t the damsel in distress type.”
“She’s the rescuer?” Luke guessed.
“Yeah, very independent. She also looks at me like I’m an ogre about to eat her.”
“I like her already.” Luke chuckled. The guys had teased him more than once that they couldn’t wait for Jack to meet a woman he couldn’t charm.
It wasn’t to say he scored every time he met a woman, but this was the one time he couldn’t walk away to the next woman.
He had to charm her or torture her. He’d prefer charm to torture right now.
“Hey, you’re supposed to be helping me.”
“Sorry,” Luke muttered, though he didn’t sound it. “Have you tried talking to her just to talk and not flirt?”
Jack thought back on some of their brief encounters. He was always flirtatious whether he meant to be or not. It was part of his armor. Always upbeat, happy, and flirty. He didn’t know how to be any other way. “No.”
“Talk to her like you would any of our women.”
“It’s not going to help me get what I need from her. Besides, she might think it’s a ploy, and then the plan will backfire. Like I said, she’s leery.”
“How badly do you need her to talk?”
“Nick’s exact words were ‘charm her or interrogate her.’” All of them were well versed in the ways of interrogation.
It wasn’t their first plan, and they usually only did it as a last result.
He also hated the idea of hurting Andrea in any way.
It wasn’t because she was a spitfire and stirred his blood.
“That’s not good. Nick must need her to talk bad.”
If only Luke knew. Everything was riding on Andrea. She was the only lead in the investigation. If they couldn’t get her to talk, the case was dead in the water.
“How about you try appealing to her rescuer side?”
“What, you mean play the damsel?” Jack couldn’t hide the disgust in his voice. There was nothing damsel about him. He was trained to always be the rescuer, not the other way around.
“I’m not suggesting get mugged and she saves you, but appeal to her rescuer side. Maybe finding something you need help with, and she can help you.”
The plan wasn’t as abhorrent as he’d first thought.
“And while she’s helping you, you could talk. Get to know her. Win-win.”
“Well, charming isn’t working; what do I have to lose?” He might not play the best damsel, but national security was on the line. To hell with his pride.
“Just be quick about it. It’s getting too quiet around here.”
“Am I mistaken, or are you missing me, brother?” Jack was touched.
They were all as close as brothers, but it wasn’t like they said they loved each other or anything.
For a group of guys, all from different branches, they all got along pretty well.
Nick knew what he was doing when he’d teamed them up together.
“I didn’t say that.”
“That’s what I heard.”
“Shut up and get to work.”
“Yes, sir.” Jack chuckled and hung up, feeling lighter than he had a little while ago. Now all he had to do was come up with a plan involving Andrea’s help.