Chapter TWO
Britton opened her eyes to the rising sun. She was safely in her bed, tucked under the blankets. She hadn’t remembered finding her way home last night, but she did. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing that even while her body was failing her, she had the sense and energy to make it home. She slowly moved out of her bedroom and made her way to the kitchen. The food in her cabinets disgusted her. Still, she knew she had to force herself to eat. She grabbed a piece of bread, tore off the crust, rolled it into a ball, and shoved it into her mouth. There, she ate something. She sat down on the couch and reached for her bag. She pulled out the file she had looked at every day since it was given to her. His face. She couldn’t run away from it. That picture was with her wherever she went.
She knew Jagger had gotten in with the wrong crowd back in high school. He'd made excuses, but she wasn’t oblivious. She knew that the nights they didn’t spend together were nights he was out there risking his life. She didn’t know what he had gotten involved in, but she knew it wasn’t good. At that time, all that mattered to her was that they were together. Now, that meant nothing. Now, it was her job to find him and take him down.
Britton graduated from Quantico with full intentions of going straight after Jagger Stromm and his crew of bikers. She knew too much about them, having focused her thesis on his group, the Harbingers of Sorrow. She hated that name. It made her teeth grind together, her fingers stiffen, but most of all, it made her heart ache. She leaned her head back, recalling her return to Las Vegas.
College was her way out. After the accident, her only goal was to get out of Nevada and never look back. Still, she couldn’t help but want revenge on the man who practically left her to die. When the FBI offered her a choice of any branch in the country, she could do nothing but request the town she grew up in. She knew he was still there. She knew a return would be the only way to face him again.
Britton worked hard, never giving up on a case until it was solved. After a year and a half with the FBI, her boss had called her into his office.
“Special Agent Howard, you wanted to see me?”
“Britton, you can call me David.”
“Yes, sir.”
He snickered as he gestured for her to take a seat.
“I have something for you.” He threw a file onto the desk in front of her. A picture was stapled to the top. His picture. Britton froze. This is what she had wanted since her decision to pursue a career in law enforcement, but now that it was literally staring her in the face, she couldn’t take the leap.
“I can’t.”
“You will.”
“Sir, I know this man.”
“I know you know him. I read your thesis paper.”
“No, I personally know him.”
“Britton, I’ve done my research. I know about you. I know about your relationship. I think we can use it to our advantage. I want you to go undercover.”
“I’ve never been undercover.”
“I think this is the perfect case for you to start with. You already know him, so just be yourself before you joined the bureau.”
“I… I…” she stumbled. Words refused to leave her lips. She couldn’t be herself before the FBI. She was no one before the FBI. Jagger left her as a shell of a person. She was lost without him. It wasn’t until joining the FBI that she had found some semblance of an idea of the woman she could become away from her family, and away from him. Now she was being asked to go back to that life. It was all she'd wanted for so long, but now, faced with the reality for the first time in so many years, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“Agent Ramirez, I’m not asking you. You start tomorrow. You have an interview with the Halanu Star Casino at 10:00 a.m. Don’t be late, and make sure you get the job.”
“Yes, sir.”
She was startled out of her daydream by her alarm clock screaming from the bedroom. It was 7:00 a.m. and she had a meeting in two hours with her boss from the casino. She had no idea what it could be about. She had been nothing but a perfect employee for the past eighteen months. Everyone loved her. She was punctual, diligent, never called out sick, and often had regulars come in just to sit at her table. There was no way they could fire her. There was no way she had spent all that time working this case to fall short and be thrown out. There was no way.
A thought crossed her mind. What if she was getting a promotion? It could be just the promotion she needed. Britton knew that she would have no chance of running into Jagger until she was promoted to the high roller’s room. Her ex-boyfriend, the love of her past life, was through those giant golden doors, and every night was just another night he got away from her.
She walked into the empty casino and moved swiftly to Larry’s office. She spent enough time around men to know how to get what she wanted, and the outfit she had donned would do exactly that. Preceded by a small knock, she cautiously opened the door. Larry smiled as she walked in, but was suddenly taken aback. He always thought Britton was gorgeous, but he had only seen her in the casino uniform: black pants, a button up shirt, vest, and a bow tie. He couldn’t help but hold his breath as she fully walked into his office. This woman had a body.
She was wearing deep purple suede heels to contrast her tight white dress. Britton had thought the white dress would make her appear innocent, like she didn’t have a strategy that led beyond this casino. Larry was too focused on the curves of her hips. He immediately pictured himself grabbing them in the throws of passion. His eyes traveled down. Her dress was short, leaving little to the imagination. Her legs were tanned and muscular. He was completely lost in his own fantasy to remember why he'd asked her into his office.
“Larry, are you okay?”
“Yes, of course, sorry. Wow, Britton, you look gorgeous.”
“Oh, this old thing?” She couldn’t believe she'd just said that. What kind of a line was that? She was obviously nervous.
“Well, I don’t want to hold you up, but a few of our regulars have taken a liking to you. It’s been suggested that you move into a dealer position in the high roller’s room to bring more regulars to the higher table minimums. Would that be something you’d be interested in?”
Her heart stopped. It was happening. The case she had been working on for half her career was finally coming to a point. She was going to take down the bad guy. She was going to get her revenge on Jagger Stromm.
“Wow, absolutely, Larry. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. You won't regret it.”
“I’m sure I won’t. You’re welcome to pick your own wardrobe, but may I suggest you stick to this sort of thing?” He tries to conceal his excitement as he motions to her form-fitting frock.
“Yes, that’s great. Again, I really appreciate this.”
Britton could barely contain herself as she shook Larry’s hand and ran out of the casino. She hadn’t felt that great in years. She couldn’t stop the corners of her lips from rising. She was smiling. She was actually smiling. She was going to see Jagger again. Britton paused. Was she happy to that she would finally be able to take him down, or was it because she missed him. At that moment, she had no idea. The thought terrified her.
“David,” she yelled into her phone. “I got the promotion. I’m moving into the high roller’s room.”
“Well done, Britton. Well done. I am so proud of you.”
She loved to hear those words. If her first goal in life was to catch Jagger Stromm, her second was to make David Howard proud. He was the first person to ever tell her he was proud of her. It felt childish at first, but she found herself craving his acceptance, craving his pride. And today, he was proud of her. He continued.
“How shall we celebrate?”
“I’m hungry. How about brunch?”
“The usual?”
“Perfect.”
Britton’s stomach growled. Her stress was subsiding. She had been so nervous about her first undercover case, but now it was all falling into place. She didn’t realize how happy she could be that her body was asking for food. She jumped in the car and headed to meet her boss at their favorite brunch café.
David was already seated when she walked up. He was beaming. She reached the table, and he stood up to greet her. They ordered and began their meal. Food never tasted so good.
“I got you something.”
“What do you mean?”
“I got you a gift to congratulate you.”
“David, you did not have to do that.”
He pulled a box out of his suit coat jacket and handed it to her. She lifted the lid and gasped. He had gotten her jewelry. It was a beautiful white gold bracelet with a single charm. It was a casino chip.
“I thought it would be a fun way to remember your first undercover case.”
“David, this is too much.”
“It’s not…”
David smiled and placed his hand on top of Britton’s. Her heart jumped. She quickly raised her eyes to his, and for the first time, she actually saw him. He was a good-looking man, maybe ten years older than her. His hair was light, with specks of gray. His smile was real, and it reached his bright blue eyes. His hands were strong but gentle, and she felt heat radiating under his touch. How had she not seen this before? How blind was she?
The Bureau would never allow it, so he would have never acted on it, but this man cared for her, and he cared more deeply than she had realized. For the first time, she briefly pictured herself with a man other than Jagger. She tensed, feeling a sensation that she had forgotten. At that moment, she found confidence. She would be able to face Jagger, and she would be able to beat him. No longer would he have this hold on her. After finding closure, she would be free to be with other men, to move on with her life, to love again.
They finished brunch and said their goodbyes. David politely outstretched his hand, and Britton returned the farewell. They smiled at each other, and Britton knew what he was thinking. She knew what he was wishing. She didn’t know it was possible for anyone else to look at her that way. It felt wonderful.