Chapter I
CHAPTER I
“Sir, with all due respect, but I don’t thi—”
“I understand your concerns, Agent Woods. But the president specifically asked for her.”
Anya Woods frowned at what she heard and looked at the man sitting in an expensive leather swivel chair with a hint of irritation showing through her eyes. Her patience was dangerously running thin and if her superior keeps on acting like this wasn’t a big deal, she wouldn’t be responsible if he has a broken nose when she walks out of this room. “I know that, Thelonious.” Anya pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “But can’t you tell the president to pick someone else? You’re marine buddies, for crying out loud. Tell him that there are hundreds of other agents out there who are more fit and capable for the job”
Thelonious Jaha studied the young woman standing at the other side of his desk. A couple of moments passed before he nodded and stood up from his chair. He walked towards the table displaying bottles of scotch, whiskey, bourbon, and vodka. Gesturing towards the couch at the other side of his office, he spoke. “Why don’t we get comfortable and have a drink? This conversation will take longer than I expected.” The dark man pulled out two glasses, filled one with scotch and the other one with vodka, handed the glass with vodka to the young agent and settled himself on the couch. “Sit, Agent Woods. We still have a matter to discuss.”
Anya rolled her eyes but sat down on the couch. She took a sip of her drink, feeling the clear liquid trickle down her throat, leaving a hot trail. “I’m not doing it.” She said, breaking the silence in the room. Jaha just raised an eyebrow at her direction. “I mean it, Jaha. I’m not going to be the one who forces her to go back to a job that caused her to lose everything.” There was a slight tremor in her voice and she quickly gulped down a large amount of her drink before looking at the eyes of the man who she considered as a dear friend. The battle of emotions she was feeling were mirrored in the dark man’s eyes as they were both reminded of a past that neither one of them would forget. Jaha reached out and squeezed Anya’s hand, providing comfort and solace. “We have to, Anya.” Thelonious whispered softly. “I think that this assignment will help her get out of the dark place she fell into. I know what happened was awful, but she can’t waste her life because of it. I’m not asking you to convince her to join the Secret Service again bu--”
Anya jumped from the couch and paced in front of her friend, frustration evident in her voice as she spoke. “Then why the hell are we even having this conversation, Thelonious?”
“I just told you why.” Jaha simply answered.
“How can she do this assignment if she’s not reinstated as a—”
The agent immediately clamped her mouth shut when Jaha raised a hand and watched as he walked back towards his desk. He pulled out two folders from one of the drawers and handed it to Anya. The agent took it and flipped it open, her eyes scanning and reading what was in front of her.
“It’s a private security detail company called Grounders owned by Marcus Kane.”
Anya’s face scrunched up in confusion as she continued to read the file, “Private Security Detail? I’m afraid I don’t understand what this had to do with the matter at hand.”
The loud banging on her door roused her from her drunken slumber and she bolted straight up from the couch, causing her to lose balance and the next thing she knew she was tumbling down the couch and landed on the carpeted floor with a thud. “Fucking Christ.” Lexa groaned as she pulled herself up, rubbing the spot on her head that made contact with the floor. She slowly sat down on the couch and cradled her head in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut as she willed the massive headache caused by her hangover to go away. The banging on her door started again and Lexa groaned, the unwanted sound was only making the throbbing pain inside her head intensify and she was pretty sure that if the person outside her door continued to make that unreasonable loud noise, her head was going to explode. “Go away!” She half-yelled and half-hissed at the direction of the door and buried her head under a throw pillow, hoping it’ll block out the sounds surrounding her.
“Open the goddamn door, Lexa” A voice called out.
“I said, go away!” the woman on the couch fisted the pillow she was using to cover her head and threw it, sending it across her apartment and hitting the door. It only caused the banging on her door to become louder.
Giving in, Lexa stood up, the room spinning around her as she took slow steps towards the door. Ripping the door wide open, she squeezed her eyes shut at the suddenly brightness that invaded her eyes and had to blink a couple of times before she could see again. “What the fuck do you want?” She practically growled at the woman standing outside her apartment. If it were any other person, they would’ve scampered away just hearing the tone in her voice and if they were at the receiving end of the Lexa’s death glare. But Anya just rolled her eyes and pushed past Lexa, walking inside her younger sister’s apartment. Lexa swayed slightly as Anya bumped into her and she quickly stretched her hand out to grasp at the door knob to prevent from falling face first in to the hallway. Huffing in annoyance, she turned around and closed the door shut behind her. She observed as her sister shook her head and mumbled something under her breath about how messy the place was and it smelled of alcohol and stale Chinese take-outs. Anya turned to her left and walked the six steps to get to the kitchen and grabbed a trash bag. Lexa leaned back on the door and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Anya circle around her apartment, picking up empty beer bottles and half-eaten take-outs and throwing them inside the trash bag she’s dragging around with her. When Anya finished, she tied the bag close and left it in the middle of the apartment before she marched up to Lexa and practically dragged her younger sister to the couch and pushing her down on it. “Stay.” She ordered and then she was gone to get Lexa a glass of water and some aspirin.
A minute later, Lexa felt the other side of the couch dip and a cool glass of water was being pushed in her hands and two aspirin pills. Anya let out a long sigh when Lexa refused to drink them and just glared at her. “Don’t give me that look, Alexandria. Drink the water and the aspirin so you can somewhat be sober when I tell you why I’m here.”
Lexa flinched when she heard her first name tumbled out of her sister’s lip and grumbled before doing what her sister told her to do. She placed the empty glass on the coffee and turned to look at Anya, raising an eyebrow. Happy now?
The older woman rolled her eyes for the second time and leaned forward as she reached for her briefcase. Slowly, she unlatched the case and pulled two white folders out of the case. Anya took a deep breath and cleared her throat before handing Lexa the folders, only to stop and pull her hand back. She was nervous. She didn’t want to be the one to do this but her conversation with Thelonious Jaha this morning was replaying itself inside her head and she couldn’t shake off the words he had spoken.
“…this assignment will help her get out of the dark place she fell into”
Anya could only hope that Thelonious was right. After the incident that had happened two years ago, Lexa had shut everyone out. She quit her job. She isolated herself from her family and friends. Anya was the only person that was stubborn enough to push her way into Lexa’s façade and she was the only person who saw Lexa break apart night after night, watch her cry until there were no more tears left, watch her drink herself to oblivion until she passed out. She had watched how Lexa went down to the path of self-distraction and she let her, thinking this is was Lexa needed to heal. But god, she was so wrong about that. Lexa only became worse; abusing alcohol, picking bar fights, even trying to end her life. Anya was there to witness all of these and she was powerless to do something, anything, to pull her little sister out of this dark place.
“Just tell me what you need, Lex. Let me help you. Please.” Never in her life had Anya begged for anything, but the sight of her sister so broken and lost was just too much for her handle.
“You want to help me!? You want to take away this void inside me that’s been growing every day!? Well you can’t, Anya! You can’t!” Lexa screamed at her as she lay in a hospital bed, looking so small and fragile that Anya was afraid she was going to shatter if she touched her. “You really want to know what I need?” Anya nodded then, not trusting her voice to speak. Lexa let out a bitter, humorless laugh that caused a shiver to run down Anya’s spine. It was so empty, so hollow; it was void of any traces of the person Lexa used to bed. The next words that came out of Lexa’s mouth caused Anya’s stomach to drop. And she knew, right then and there, there’s really nothing she could do.
“I need her back, Anya. I need her back.”
Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, she looked up and saw Lexa observing her curious, green eyes briefly glancing down and looking curiously at the folders that Anya had a tight grip on. “Are you going to tell me what’s inside those folders or do I get three guesses for each folder?” Lexa asked.
“Right. Here.”
The older woman released a shaky breath as Lexa opened the folder on top and she silently read the contents of it. Anya watched Lexa’s face for anything hint of emotion or expression but Lexa’s face was passive and remained blank.
“Private Security Detail?”
Anya nodded. “Read the next folder.”
“No.”
Lexa barely managed to get the single word out as she choked on it and she can feel her throat drying up.
“What?”
“I said, no. I won’t do it.”
Anya sighed and turned her body, facing her sister who was sitting rigidly beside her. Lexa was clenching her jaw so hard that Anya was afraid it’ll snap any moment, her hands are curled into tight fists and her knuckles are starting to turn white, her breathing is becoming labored and she was certain Lexa was 30 seconds away from hyperventilating. “Lex …” She whispered softly and reached across the couch and touched her sister’s arm. “Breathe, Lex. In and out.”
Lexa jumped at the touch like she had been burned and stood up, pacing back and forth in front of her sister. She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts that were trying to sink their claws in her brain and remind her of the past. Her face was a canvas of emotions that range from confusion, anger, irritation, and her eyes were unfocused, as if she got lost inside her own head and was struggling to fight of the onslaught of memories that were threatening to consume her.
“Lex, look at me.”
Her sister’s voice snapped her out of her trance and turned her gaze towards her. She stared at her with wide-eyes, looking as vulnerable as she was that day in the hospital. And then, like a switch has been flipped inside of Lexa, Anya watched as every single emotion from her sister’s face disappears and her face being a blank slate. She wasn’t sure which was worse; Lexa being crushed by her emotions or Lexa feeling nothing at all.
“Get out.”
“No.” Anya refused. She stood up and faced her sister. She had let Lexa hide for far too long. It’s time she did something to help her fix the mess that was Lexa’s life. “I’ve ignored this for far too long, Lexa. If you don’t start to do something to get yourself together, I’ll drag your ass out of this apartment right now and check you in rehab. All you do is drink, get drunk, get in to fights, and repeat the whole thing the next day. It’s either that or you accept this job.”
Green eyes flashed in anger as Lexa took a step forward and pointed a finger at Anya, “You don’t get to tell me what I can and cannot do.” She sneered as she took another step forwards, jabbing her finger on Anya’s chest. “You don’t know anything so don’t act like you know what is and what is not best for me.”
Anya’s own temper and frustration was boiling and was close to show its ugly head but she pushed it down and tried to control herself. Instead, she played her last deck of cards and hoped to whatever gods that was up there to help her. “This isn’t what Costia would want for you.” She felt rather than saw Lexa tense up at the mention of her name. Since the incident, no one had dared to mention her name when Lexa was around, afraid that it will cause the younger woman to fall deeper in to the dark hole she was already in. But sometimes ripping the band-aid off was just what they needed to do to heal. “If you don’t want to do this for you, then do this for her.” Anya ignored the stinging in her eyes and blinked away the tears that were forming. “She would want you to continue living, Lexa.” She knew this was a low-blow, but if this is what Lexa needed to hear for her to start healing, then Anya can carry the guilt of using Costia as leverage.
A steady stream of tears was flowing down on the younger woman’s cheeks and she made no move to wipe them. Hearing Anya talk about Costia, hearing the bitter truth tumble out of Anya’s lips, realizing that Anya was right, made Lexa sick.
“Fine.” Lexa finally said, her voice thick and raspy and full of emotions. “But I’m only doing this to get you off my back.”
Lexa sat outside Marcus Kane’s office dressed in a suit that made her look like she hadn’t spent the last two years or so being a drunk. The trousers fitted her perfectly and the white crisp shirt underneath the blazer hugged her toned body perfectly. She looked every bit of the person she once was, except she wasn’t. She stood up as the large doors leading to Marcus’s office opened and a middle-aged man, tall with his hair combed to perfection and his beard needing a little bit of trimming, walked out and smiled as his eyes landed on her. “Alexandria Woods?” He asked as he extended his hand. Lexa nodded and took his hand and shook it. “Please, follow me. He walked ahead of her and Lexa followed him inside a small conference room. Inside, there were already four people sitting around a table were files were spread out across.
“Miss Woods, allow me to introduce you to your team.”
“I haven’t accepted the job yet and I already have a team?” Lexa’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
Marcus Kane let out a small laugh as he explained, “When the president of the United States asked you to do something, you can’t exactly say no. You already have this job the moment President Griffin was informed about the situation.”
Lexa took a seat at the end of the table as she listened to Marcus. She was still trying to wrap her head around the situation. The president of the United States, President Fitzpatrick Jacob Griffin, specifically asked for her to be his only daughter’s security detail. Not only a security detail, but a private security detail. The folders Anya gave her and Anya herself briefly explained everything. In Anya’s words, the president was slightly wary about government services. He doesn’t full trust them. Anyone can pay anyone. Being the president comes with a lot of advantages, but they also come with disadvantages, and President Griffin cares about his family more than anything. And that’s why instead of following protocol, the president hired a team of private security details for her only daughter instead of using the one provided by the government.
The government is crawling with corrupt officials. President Griffin had said. I know there are people out there who are willing to try anything just to have leverage to use against me. I want my daughter to be uninvolved in this.
And that’s when Thelonious Jaha recommended former Secret Service Agent Alexandria Woods. At first the president was hesitant, since she used to work for the government. But when Thelonious vouched for her, and when he saw her records and was informed of the incident that caused Agent Alexandria Wood to quit, President Griffin agreed and ordered for a team to be assembled and that they do whatever it takes to get Alexandria Woods to lead the team.
“What you’re saying is,” Lexa spoke up “That we’re working for the president?”
“Well, not quite. You’re assigned to be his daughter’s security detail.
“Yes. Okay. But doesn’t that make us just like the agents who are babysitting the president 24/7?
“Hmm. Yes.” Marcus bobbed his head in agreement, “But you see; we’re a company providing private security. We’re not being paid by the government and we don’t work for the government, unlike the Secret Service. It just so happened that the president wanted our service.”
“That makes sense. I guess.”
Marcus grinned and then clapped his hands together. “Right. This is your team.” Marcus pointed to a tall man, “This is Agent Lincoln Hosh.” The agent stood up and extended his hand to Lexa. She shook his hand as Lexa observed him. “That’s Agent Monty Green,” Marcus pointed to the Asian man beside Lincoln, “He’s our computer geek.” Monty smiled and nodded his head. “And that’s Agent Ontari Lawrence.” Other than Lexa, Ontari was the only woman in the team. “And Agent Nathan Miller.”
Lexa nodded her head in greeting to each of the agents.
“Well then, I guess that makes it official. You’re now a Senior Agent at Grounders. Welcome to the team, Commander.” Marcus grinned at her when Lexa’s posture straightened up a little at the title. “At ease, Commander. You’re not in the Secret Service anymore. We only use titles for formalities.” Just then, Marcus’s phone rang and he excused himself, leaving the room.
When Marcus walked out, Lexa turned to find four pair of eyes looking at her.
“What do we know about our subject?” Lexa asked.
In a flash, a folder was placed in front of her and she nodded at Agent Lawrence. They’re prepared.That’s good. Lexa told herself. She opened the folder as she heard Agent Green read out loud what she was reading.
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Subject: Clarke Elizabeth Griffin
Code Name: Wanheda
D.O.B: 10/24/1989
Height: 1.65 m
Weight: 124 lbs
Hair Color: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Parents: Mother: Abigail Elizabeth Griffin
Occupation: Surgeon
Father: Fitzpatrick Jacob Griffin
Occupation: President of the United States
Siblings: None
Current Residence: #9 Polis Residences, New York City
Status: Single
Medical Condition: None
Allergies: None
Education: Arkadia High School, New York City
New York University – Art Major
Occupation: Artist
Relationship History: See attached files
Note: Subject refused to fully cooperate, subject’s schedule changes depending on the subject’s interest. Per subject’s request, only the team commander is allowed by the subject to discuss matters with her.
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Lexa closed the folder and placed it down. She then reached for the black folder with the mark “CONFIDENTIAL” in bright bold red letters. It’s the file containing the information about Wanheda’s past relationships. She read it carefully, her face remaining blank as she fed her eyes with more information about her new subject. According to the file, two years after Clarke Griffin’s graduate NYU, she had an affair with a well-known artist when Clarke stayed in Paris for a year, a Catherine Stouffer. The affair lasted for almost a year until the husband knew about the affair. The scandal almost threw a monkey-wrench at his father’s campaigned when he was running for senator but they managed to keep the whole thing sealed, although there already had been rumors about Clarke Griffin’s sexuality before.
This is part of Lexa’s job, to make these rumors to remain just that; rumors. No matter how true they were. It made her wondered the reason why the president picked up was because of her own sexual preferences. She didn’t flaunt her sexuality in public, it’s not that she wasn’t proud of it; she just wanted to separate her private life from her work. But after the events that transpired two years ago, Lexa had no doubts that her sexuality has been revealed to every single American, and she really didn’t care. What she doesn’t understand is why they wanted to keep a tight lid on Clarke Griffin sexuality and control her lifestyle. Sure, her affair with the artists was something to frown about but her sexuality? It’s now 2016, for crying out loud, and the country has finally recognized same-sex relationships and marriages. The poor woman must feel like she can’t be who she really is. No wonder the woman refuses to cooperate.
Lexa stared at the two photos of her subject attached to the file and she found herself drawn to it. The first one was her graduation photo when she finished her major at NYU. The wild smile the blonde was sporting was infectious and Lexa can’t help but curl her lips in a small smile. But it wasn’t her smile that caught Lexa’s attention; it was her eyes. They were as blue as the oceans in the pacific and Lexa wondered if they were these blue when she finally meets her in person. The second photo was a recent one and Lexa had to squint her eyes to make sure she was staring at the same woman. She looked at the first photo and back at the second one; the only thing that told Lexa that they were the same woman was the blueness of their eyes. The second photo was a candid photo and the subject had been unaware of it. It was a bit blurry, suggesting that it was taken using a camera phone, the details of it, however, were pretty clear. The subject was dressed in tight acid-washed denim jeans, a white tank top that was a size smaller for her making her breast struggle to break-free from its prison, and was topped off by a black flannel and boots. Her long blonde hair was down and it was like a golden halo was around her head. Her face was bare of any make-up, not like she needed it any way. Lexa could feel the confidence and sensual energy oozing from the woman in the second photo as she stared at it. She almost gasped when she looked at those same blue eyes, but this time, there was an intensity in them that made Lexa gulped and wondered how the woman from the first photograph can be the same as the woman in the second one. The woman in the second shot had no resemblance, except for those tantalizing blue eyes, to the contained, refined, sophisticated woman in the first shot.
“No one in public recognizes her like that.” She heard Agent Hosh say. She looked up and saw that he was also looking down at the photos. “I talked to the head of the security detail Ms. Griffin had before us and he was the one who gave us those files and photos. The second photo was taken by one of the agents assigned in the detail and had followed Ms. Griffin inside a lesbian bar. She almost lost the subject and it took her 10 minutes to identify her.” Lincoln provided.
“That’s why it was so easy for her to lose her security detail. She basically transforms into this whole other person and no one even bothers to take a second glance at her.” Lexa answered, putting the pieces together. She’s sneaky. She thought to herself.
Lincoln nodded in agreement.
“Don’t worry, boss. Marcus literally forced us to spend days staring at that photo for us to become familiar when she’s not all dolled up.” Monty piped up.
Lexa raised an eyebrow at his direction and the man just shrugged. “What? It’s true. I can still her boobies trying to spill out of that tight tank top. And I don’t even like boobs. I would never know what to do with them.” Monty said nonchalantly as he went back to type furious on his laptop.
Amusement was painted all over Lexa’s face.
“He’s gay.” Ontari said as she lightly smacked Monty on the head. “And also an ass who just doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.” Monty grumbled and rubbed at a spot on his head.
Lexa sat back and watched her team interact with each other. Maybe Anya had been right after all. She may still be having a hard time adjusting, but Lexa thought that maybe; just maybe; this is the first step she needed to heal. And at the back of her mind, she could see those blue eyes again, staring back at her through a photograph.
This whole thing ought to be interesting.