Honey Kisses

Chapter 19

"Yes, she is," Jackson agreed.

Ann walked past him without speaking and opened her door. Meg headed for the closet. Ann was curious about the costume, but didn't have the guts to ask her to take it out of the bag.

Meg closed the closet door and turned around with a big grin. "That's one hot cowboy you have. If I wasn't married to a hottie myself, I'd have my eyes on him." She winked.

Rather than respond, Ann asked, "Does your husband know the danger you put yourself in?"

"Oh, sure. He puts himself in the same danger. We got assigned as partners a few years back to take down a known hijacker. The plane almost crashed but my honey saved the day and won my heart in the process."

Ann didn't know what to say.

Meg grinned. "Well, my new friend, I'll see you tomorrow. Another day...another adventure." She gave a thumb's up and stepped from the room.

The next morning Meg was supposed to arrive at nine, but when she didn't show by ten, Charlie said, "I'm calling Agent Kosky; something's wrong. Hatcher is never late." Ann could see worry etching the faces of all the agents.

Shortly after eleven, Alligator entered the safe house. The strained look on his face didn't bode well. He walked into the surveillance room and Ann and Jackson followed. "Meg and Harry were in a car accident this morning. They were hit by a teenage drunk driver. They're both in intensive care, but expected to survive." He shook his head. "You know, they put themselves in volatile situations almost daily, and an idiot teenager takes them out."

"Shit!" said Charlie.

The other officers also expressed their concern with colorful language.

Officer Acuff said, "Does that mean the sting is off?"

The officers and agents looked at Alligator. "Yeah, it's off. Although we have agents who could pull off the hack after Annie trained them, none have the capability of infiltrating as an exotic dancer. It was our only chance of downloading mainframe data from a terminal. We'll have to rethink this entire operation."

Charlie exclaimed, "That sucks! Now that scumbag is gonna expand his operation."

The other agents voiced their frustration.

"What do you want to do about Kitty Puff? Should we pull her out of the club?" asked Officer Acuff.

Al responded, "Not yet. Not until we know how soon Meg will recover. Depending on that, we may be able to create another sting from a different angle down the line." He turned to Jackson. "I'll check with my superior and let you know when you and Annie are released to go home. It probably won't be more than a day or two."

Jackson looked at Ann and then back at Alligator. He nodded.

Ann left the group and returned to her room to sprawl across her bed. She felt terrible about Meg and her husband. By late afternoon she hadn't heard an update on their condition and paced in front of her closet trying to shut out an idea that wouldn't stop nagging her. Several minutes later her hands trembled as she reached for the bag with the costume. She unzipped it and removed the black and red sequined confection from its hiding place.

Since Ann was as small as Meg, she knew the skimpy outfit would fit. She sat on the side of her bed and placed her head in her hands. Did she have the guts to pull off such a ruse? Could she escape the government agents and Jackson? She puffed air and thought about all the innocent people who would be hurt, or even killed, if the crime organization wasn't stopped. She thought about what they'd done to her and that made her angry. All she needed was two minutes at the computer terminal. Maybe this was her chance to atone for stealing from Jackson.

Removing the outfit from its hanger, she slipped it on and then stepped back into her jeans and button down shirt. She stuffed the red stiletto heels that were in the bottom of the bag into her purse, along with her makeup bag, a scarf, and a skirt.

With her plan of escape fully formed, she left her room and went in search of Alligator. In the sitting area, Alligator, Jackson, and Acuff were talking. Ann said to Alligator, "I'd like to go to the bookstore. I'm going stir crazy waiting to hear an update on Meg and her husband. It shouldn't be a problem since you've let me go there before." She gave Jackson a chilly look, hoping that would deter him from wanting to go with her. He looked away from her.

Alligator said, "All right. Acuff would you escort Annie, please?"

"Yes, sir."

Ann followed the female officer to the elevator. On the ride down, she asked Acuff what her favorite genre was.

"Oh, anything with suspense and intrigue." She laughed and mused, "I wonder why? Someday I hope to work undercover like Agent Hatcher. I sure hope she's okay."

When they reached the bookstore, Ann perused the books, selected several popular suspense novels, and then, in the reading section, sat in a cozy armchair that faced the front of the store. She patted the chair across from her that faced the back of the store for Acuff to sit in. Ann began shuffling through the action suspense novels she'd set on the table between them. After a few minutes she said, "I'll bet this one is right up your alley." She handed Acuff a book by Maxwell Henry. "Did you see the movie?"

Officer Acuff gushed, "I sure did. Loved it! I heard there's a sequel coming out and it's going to the big screen, too." She began paging through the book.

Ann said, "Hey, remember the scene about the female agent getting past the enemy's border while disguised as a hooker."

"Do I ever. It was my favorite part of the movie and the book."

"Can you find it so we can read it again?"

"Sure. Give me a sec." She thumbed to the back pages.

"Do you mind if I run to the bathroom while you're looking?"

The officer started to set the book on the table.

"Oh, pleeaassee. The bathroom's right there. You find the scene in the book and I'll be right back." Hastening down the hallway, Ann prayed Acuff wouldn't accompany her. When she pushed the bathroom door open and glanced over her shoulder, her pulse steadied. She was alone. Ducking into a stall, she yanked her purse open and pulled out the skirt and scarf. She stepped out of her Levis and slipped the skirt on. Next, she wrapped the large scarf over her head and shoulders before riffling through her handbag to find her sunglasses. Finally, she stuffed her feet into the stilettos and tossed her jeans and tennis shoes in the trash. Reaching for the note she'd prepared earlier, she ripped off a line of tape from the roll she'd shoved in her purse and then fastened the note to the inside of the stall.

Inhaling a calming breath, she opened the bathroom door and hastened toward the bookstore exit.