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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
- - - -
Samantha took careful aim from behind her sunglasses and the safety glasses she was required to wear on the range, and fired her weapon repeatedly. The room echoed with each gunshot, and the young woman was glad she had her ears covered since her headache was still present - though not as intense anymore. When she was finished, she removed her ear and eye protection - but left her sunglasses on - as Steele brought her target in. She had hit her marker every time, and the young woman couldn’t help but give a small, satisfied smile, but when she glanced over at the older agent, her smile vanished; Steele looked unimpressed as he kept his eye and ear protection on.
Wordlessly, he took her target off and put on a new one. He reeled it out to the farthest distance on the firing range, farther than Samantha’s target had been. Samantha backed away and her heart quickened when Steele took his gun out of his holster. He took careful aim at the target then glanced at her. Samantha shook herself from her stupor and quickly put her ear and eye protection on.
Steele glanced back at his target, took aim, and fired multiple times. He removed his gear and put it down as he reeled in his target. Just like Samantha, he had hit his mark every time. He didn’t say a word as he removed the target, wadded it up, and threw it in a nearby garbage can.
“So, do I pass?” Samantha asked, slightly annoyed by the blatant and arrogant display of testosterone Steele had given. She had managed to not focus all her attention on it, but her neck was still tingling, and she was still feeling very uneasy about this man, especially since Jarod wasn’t there and they were alone.
“You passed,” Steele replied. He picked up his gun and removed a new clip from his pocket. “But don’t be thinking you’re out of the woods yet, Parker. I’ll still be keeping my eye on you.”
“Really?” Samantha asked, folding her arms.
“Really,” Steele answered. He loaded the clip into his gun and readied it. The noise echoed like thunder, startling the young woman. Steele leaned over, trying to pierce through the young woman’s eye protection and glasses, but he couldn’t. “Make no mistake about that.” He stood tall, put his gun back in his holster, and walked away, leaving Samantha by herself.
The young woman removed her ear and eye protection, but she left her sunglasses on as she let her breath out slowly. She was starting to regret being so insubordinate to Steele earlier, knowing it was because of that she was being treated the way she was. Still, she made a mental note to talk to Jarod about what the agent had said to her when she returned. She quickly put a new clip in her gun and put the gun back in her holster before hurrying to catch up with her only ride back to the field office.
- - - -
Broots was going up the stairs of the Sim Lab, reading some papers Sydney had given him, when Parker came walking up the stairs. He barely had time to look up and register her sudden appearance before she grabbed his arm tightly, and pulled him down the stairs with her. The two made their way over to Sydney’s office, where she pushed open the door without knocking. Sydney looked up from his work as Parker shoved Broots in and closed the door behind her
“Hey, hey, what’s the big deal?” Broots said, nearly stumbling over his own feet. “I was on my way to call up the neighbors and see how Debbie was doing.”
“Something’s come up,” Parker replied. “Debbie can wait. Believe me.”
“Miss Parker, is everything okay?” Sydney asked.
“Well, that all depends, Syd; if your definition of ‘okay’ is descending from a cat with who knows how many lives left to spend, coming in to work to have to answer to a rat, a weasel, a snake, and a ghost, then yeah, everything’s just hunky dory!” She patted her suit pockets fruitlessly as she paced. “Only *I* would have my cigarettes confiscated by airport security.”
Sydney’s eyebrows climbed into his hairline. "I thought you had gotten rid of all of your cigarettes, since you were *ahem* so determined to quit."
Parker gave him a wounded, defensive look. "Well, now, apparently I have. Can we get on with the issue at hand?"
Sydney rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Now what's this about cats and rodents and ghosts?"
Parker stalked back and forth across the confined space, eerily like the cat she’d mentioned, caged inside her own concerns and prowling for a weakness in the structure. Sydney sat back in his chair, Broots standing uncomfortably behind him, as she detailed - loudly and colorfully - how her world had just been overturned once again. He couldn’t say he was all that surprised, but this did put something of a new spin on how they would conduct business now - possibly including how they would deal with the man he’d privately labeled the Hunter.
Outside in the hall, Mr. Parker listened, smiling to himself, secretly pleased that he still possessed the ability to keep the young woman off-balance; having her around was a calculated risk, but he felt much more comfortable keeping her close, where he could keep his eye on her and, if necessary, control her.
He mentally sighed as he caught the faint sound of squeaking wheels approaching him. He turned before Raines could speak, and was again pleased to see that the smaller man was slightly discomfited at having failed to surprise his colleague. Raines recovered quickly, though, subtly reaching for the upper hand in this situation.
“Ranting again?” He leaned over slightly, cocking one ear toward the doors, then pulled back and stood straight. “Well, no matter; if she wishes to survive in this environment, she will have to learn to accept that she will never have any control over anything, even her own life. I think I have been most generous thus far in overlooking her history of insubordination and allowing her to continue to serve the Centre; from now on, if she values her life here, she will have to learn to show some gratitude and respect for those who are better than her.” He had to stop to wheeze for a moment before continuing. "In any case, Miss Parker is for the moment obsolete - the operative from the Tower is top gun; the organization has never found a better man. It’s refreshing to finally work with a true equal.”
Mr. Parker winced slightly at the mention of the Tower man - he refused to fall into the trap of trying to prove that he was a match for some foreign upstart, but he knew first-hand that the man was more lethal than his physical stature made him seem. Mr. Parker was nothing if not shrewd, and he fully intended to keep a sharp watch on this new player and to stay as far out of the hunter’s path as Mr. Parker’s own agenda would allow - nothing could be permitted to interfere with his plans.
- - - -
Jarod was sitting at his desk, going through the case he and Samantha were supposed to be working on when he felt a small tingle on the back of his neck. He reached up to rub it away, but it wouldn’t go away. He looked up as Steele walked by his desk. He glanced momentarily at Jarod before walking to his office. Jarod felt a shiver on his spine as he watched the agent disappear into his office, but it passed quickly. He glanced back as Samantha came walking to her desk and all but fell into her chair. She looked very upset.
“So, how did it go?” Jarod asked.
“I don’t like that man,” Samantha replied in a hushed voice.
“You did pass, didn’t you?”
“Of course I passed. I got a perfect score.”
“So, what happened?”
Samantha sighed and leaned forward. “Jarod, I think he was threatening me,” she said in a hushed voice.
Jarod suddenly sat up straighter and leaned forward, looking concerned. “What do you mean?” he asked.
Samantha looked around, making sure no one was in hearing distance. She glanced briefly at Steele’s closed door then took a deep breath as she looked back at Jarod. “After I finished my shooting, he took out his gun and fired fifteen rounds into a new target. Then he turned to me and said that he was still going to keep his eye on me - as he loaded a fresh clip into his gun and walked away.”
“Sam, maybe you -” He stopped when he saw the young woman’s fearful expression. He sighed as he reached over and took her hand. “Look, if it makes you feel any better, just stay close to me, okay?” He gave her his boyish grin, which made her smile. “Feel better?”
“Yeah,” Samantha replied. “Thanks.”
Jarod said up straighter. “We better get to work. Last thing we need is a reason for the Sith Lord to come out and yell at us.”
Samantha smiled. “You know what I was referring to?”
“Actually, not really,” Jarod replied. “I tried asking one of the agents, but he just laughed at me.” Samantha gave a small smirk, causing Jarod to raise an eyebrow. “What?”
“Nothing,” Samantha said, still smiling. She paused. “Can we run by Wal-Mart after work?”
“Uh . . . I guess . . .” Jarod said slowly. “Why?”
“It’s a surprise,” Samantha grinned. “Now, what’s on today’s agenda? I mean, I know what’s on our agenda, but where do we start?”
Jarod couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness to begin their work, but he knew it was a far from light-hearted case that they were working on: an agent from that field office, Jim Trask, had been missing for a week. Normally, Jarod would have not bothered looking for a missing agent, knowing there were missing children - vulnerable children - who could have used both his and Samantha’s help, but there was just something that jumped out at Jarod when he had read the newspaper article. He still couldn’t put his finger on what it was exactly, but Samantha was accepting of their new mission just the same.
A little too quick, though, Jarod thought. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that being a Federal Agent was dangerous, or if he was still concerned for Samantha’s safety after her attack in Boston the previous Christmas . . . or both. Jarod sighed as he rubbed his head.
“Hey, Jarod,” Samantha’s voice snapped him out of his little world. He looked over at her concerned face. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry. Now, here’s what we’ve got so far; I figure if we approach this like a brain teaser, we can see the holes in our research and then plug in some variables and see where it takes us.” As he starting hashing out the details, he avoided the doubtful look Samantha was giving him, concentrating instead on the case at hand. Glancing up and deciding he needed to distract her if only to save himself, he passed the file over the desk to her. “Now, tell me what we’ve got so far.”
Samantha bit her tongue as she took the file and opened it, knowing better than to say anything to him at that moment. “Well,” she said, reading, “according to the file, Trask left on Friday like he always did; he visited his nephew in Tulia every weekend; he would fly out to Lubbock then rent a car and drive the rest of the way, and it appears that he never missed a weekend. Ever.” She smiled wistfully. “Lucky nephew. Anyway, Monday came along, and by lunchtime Trask still hadn’t shown up, so a couple agents went over to find his place ransacked.
“There was no forced entry, his car was still in its usual spot in the parking lot, and the only fingerprints they found in the place belonged to Trask. The neighbors don’t recall hearing anything out of the ordinary at anytime during the weekend. When the agents called Trask’s sister and brother-in-law they learned that Trask never made it to Tulia, and when they viewed the surveillance tapes at the airport they didn’t see any sign of him, so they’re assuming he never made it to the airport for his flight. Oh, and Trask is widowed, no children, not seeing anyone, and doesn’t seem to have any enemies.” She looked up. “And that appears to be it.” She closed the file. “That being said, what’s our next move?”
Jarod leaned back in his chair, folding his hands and thinking. “I think we should go to Trask’s apartment,” he said after a few moments. “The FBI may not have found anything, but that doesn’t mean they knew what they were looking for.”
“That’s assuming there’s anything to find at his place,” Samantha added. “I’m not doubting you, but there’s a big variable in this equation, and the answer we’re looking for rides on how Trask disappeared.”
“I know,” Jarod replied. “That’s why we’re going to start over on this investigation. Remember what we are, Sam. We have the ability to look beyond what the other agents might have missed and that could end up giving us the answers we need to find out what really happened to Trask.”
“Ah, the joy of being the few, the talented, the pretenders,” Samantha smiled wryly, mocking the Marines slogan as she and Jarod got to their feet.
“Excuse me,” Steele said as he walked up to the pair. They stopped in their tracks. “Where do you two think you’re going?”
“Out,” Samantha mumbled under her breath.
Jarod shot her a quick glare before straightening up and looking nonchalant. “We’re going to get the paperwork regarding that money laundering case the Texas Rangers are assisting us on.” The pretender was glad he had read some of the open cases the FBI was working on while Samantha and Steele were at the firing range.
Steele stared at them, his _expression cold and hard. Samantha felt her spine tingle and her teeth itch as he looked right at her, almost like he was trying to burn holes into her sunglasses just by staring at her. Jarod also felt uneasy about Steele and how he was staring at his young friend, but he didn’t say anything as he set his jaw and stood tall.
“Very well,” Steele replied after a few moments of silence. “But I expect you both to return promptly. You have work to do, and I will not tolerate anyone who doesn’t pull their weight around here.” He turned on his heels and walked back to his office.
The pretenders glanced at each other then turned and walked out the double doors. They made their way to the parking garage to where their car was parked. They were silent as they got in and Jarod drove off.
“Don’t worry, daddy,” Samantha said sarcastically as they pulled out of the garage. “We’ll be back before dawn - oh, and after the movie we might get married or just get a room somewhere, but I promise to pick up the dry cleaning on the way home; you want us to get you some doughnuts? It’s right next door to the tattoo parlor we like . . .”
Jarod raised an eyebrow and glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes as he drove through the city. “Is this how PMS affects you?” he asked jokingly.
Samantha glared over at him. “Jarod, if I was in a better mood and you weren’t driving, I’d slug you for that remark. And no, this is how Special Agent Steele affects me *on* PMS, if you must know. And don’t be saying it’s all in my head, because *you* saw what he was like.”
“Yeah, I did,” Jarod nodded once.
“And?”
“And what?”
“Admit I was right.”
“I’m not going to admit you were right.”
“But I *was* right.”
Jarod sighed, knowing how she could get when she was in a foul mood. And as much as he sympathized with her being in pain, he was not in the mood to deal with it right now. “Look, why don’t we just concentrate on our case, okay?” He nodded toward the back seat. “Is the camcorder battery charged?”
“It should be.”
“Will you check please? We don’t need it dying on us while we’re filming.”
“Fine,” Samantha replied as she reached around and grabbed the camcorder nestled behind her seat. She started fiddling with it while Jarod hid a smile as they drove on in silence.
(End of Chapter 2)
Samantha took careful aim from behind her sunglasses and the safety glasses she was required to wear on the range, and fired her weapon repeatedly. The room echoed with each gunshot, and the young woman was glad she had her ears covered since her headache was still present - though not as intense anymore. When she was finished, she removed her ear and eye protection - but left her sunglasses on - as Steele brought her target in. She had hit her marker every time, and the young woman couldn’t help but give a small, satisfied smile, but when she glanced over at the older agent, her smile vanished; Steele looked unimpressed as he kept his eye and ear protection on.
Wordlessly, he took her target off and put on a new one. He reeled it out to the farthest distance on the firing range, farther than Samantha’s target had been. Samantha backed away and her heart quickened when Steele took his gun out of his holster. He took careful aim at the target then glanced at her. Samantha shook herself from her stupor and quickly put her ear and eye protection on.
Steele glanced back at his target, took aim, and fired multiple times. He removed his gear and put it down as he reeled in his target. Just like Samantha, he had hit his mark every time. He didn’t say a word as he removed the target, wadded it up, and threw it in a nearby garbage can.
“So, do I pass?” Samantha asked, slightly annoyed by the blatant and arrogant display of testosterone Steele had given. She had managed to not focus all her attention on it, but her neck was still tingling, and she was still feeling very uneasy about this man, especially since Jarod wasn’t there and they were alone.
“You passed,” Steele replied. He picked up his gun and removed a new clip from his pocket. “But don’t be thinking you’re out of the woods yet, Parker. I’ll still be keeping my eye on you.”
“Really?” Samantha asked, folding her arms.
“Really,” Steele answered. He loaded the clip into his gun and readied it. The noise echoed like thunder, startling the young woman. Steele leaned over, trying to pierce through the young woman’s eye protection and glasses, but he couldn’t. “Make no mistake about that.” He stood tall, put his gun back in his holster, and walked away, leaving Samantha by herself.
The young woman removed her ear and eye protection, but she left her sunglasses on as she let her breath out slowly. She was starting to regret being so insubordinate to Steele earlier, knowing it was because of that she was being treated the way she was. Still, she made a mental note to talk to Jarod about what the agent had said to her when she returned. She quickly put a new clip in her gun and put the gun back in her holster before hurrying to catch up with her only ride back to the field office.
- - - -
Broots was going up the stairs of the Sim Lab, reading some papers Sydney had given him, when Parker came walking up the stairs. He barely had time to look up and register her sudden appearance before she grabbed his arm tightly, and pulled him down the stairs with her. The two made their way over to Sydney’s office, where she pushed open the door without knocking. Sydney looked up from his work as Parker shoved Broots in and closed the door behind her
“Hey, hey, what’s the big deal?” Broots said, nearly stumbling over his own feet. “I was on my way to call up the neighbors and see how Debbie was doing.”
“Something’s come up,” Parker replied. “Debbie can wait. Believe me.”
“Miss Parker, is everything okay?” Sydney asked.
“Well, that all depends, Syd; if your definition of ‘okay’ is descending from a cat with who knows how many lives left to spend, coming in to work to have to answer to a rat, a weasel, a snake, and a ghost, then yeah, everything’s just hunky dory!” She patted her suit pockets fruitlessly as she paced. “Only *I* would have my cigarettes confiscated by airport security.”
Sydney’s eyebrows climbed into his hairline. "I thought you had gotten rid of all of your cigarettes, since you were *ahem* so determined to quit."
Parker gave him a wounded, defensive look. "Well, now, apparently I have. Can we get on with the issue at hand?"
Sydney rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Now what's this about cats and rodents and ghosts?"
Parker stalked back and forth across the confined space, eerily like the cat she’d mentioned, caged inside her own concerns and prowling for a weakness in the structure. Sydney sat back in his chair, Broots standing uncomfortably behind him, as she detailed - loudly and colorfully - how her world had just been overturned once again. He couldn’t say he was all that surprised, but this did put something of a new spin on how they would conduct business now - possibly including how they would deal with the man he’d privately labeled the Hunter.
Outside in the hall, Mr. Parker listened, smiling to himself, secretly pleased that he still possessed the ability to keep the young woman off-balance; having her around was a calculated risk, but he felt much more comfortable keeping her close, where he could keep his eye on her and, if necessary, control her.
He mentally sighed as he caught the faint sound of squeaking wheels approaching him. He turned before Raines could speak, and was again pleased to see that the smaller man was slightly discomfited at having failed to surprise his colleague. Raines recovered quickly, though, subtly reaching for the upper hand in this situation.
“Ranting again?” He leaned over slightly, cocking one ear toward the doors, then pulled back and stood straight. “Well, no matter; if she wishes to survive in this environment, she will have to learn to accept that she will never have any control over anything, even her own life. I think I have been most generous thus far in overlooking her history of insubordination and allowing her to continue to serve the Centre; from now on, if she values her life here, she will have to learn to show some gratitude and respect for those who are better than her.” He had to stop to wheeze for a moment before continuing. "In any case, Miss Parker is for the moment obsolete - the operative from the Tower is top gun; the organization has never found a better man. It’s refreshing to finally work with a true equal.”
Mr. Parker winced slightly at the mention of the Tower man - he refused to fall into the trap of trying to prove that he was a match for some foreign upstart, but he knew first-hand that the man was more lethal than his physical stature made him seem. Mr. Parker was nothing if not shrewd, and he fully intended to keep a sharp watch on this new player and to stay as far out of the hunter’s path as Mr. Parker’s own agenda would allow - nothing could be permitted to interfere with his plans.
- - - -
Jarod was sitting at his desk, going through the case he and Samantha were supposed to be working on when he felt a small tingle on the back of his neck. He reached up to rub it away, but it wouldn’t go away. He looked up as Steele walked by his desk. He glanced momentarily at Jarod before walking to his office. Jarod felt a shiver on his spine as he watched the agent disappear into his office, but it passed quickly. He glanced back as Samantha came walking to her desk and all but fell into her chair. She looked very upset.
“So, how did it go?” Jarod asked.
“I don’t like that man,” Samantha replied in a hushed voice.
“You did pass, didn’t you?”
“Of course I passed. I got a perfect score.”
“So, what happened?”
Samantha sighed and leaned forward. “Jarod, I think he was threatening me,” she said in a hushed voice.
Jarod suddenly sat up straighter and leaned forward, looking concerned. “What do you mean?” he asked.
Samantha looked around, making sure no one was in hearing distance. She glanced briefly at Steele’s closed door then took a deep breath as she looked back at Jarod. “After I finished my shooting, he took out his gun and fired fifteen rounds into a new target. Then he turned to me and said that he was still going to keep his eye on me - as he loaded a fresh clip into his gun and walked away.”
“Sam, maybe you -” He stopped when he saw the young woman’s fearful expression. He sighed as he reached over and took her hand. “Look, if it makes you feel any better, just stay close to me, okay?” He gave her his boyish grin, which made her smile. “Feel better?”
“Yeah,” Samantha replied. “Thanks.”
Jarod said up straighter. “We better get to work. Last thing we need is a reason for the Sith Lord to come out and yell at us.”
Samantha smiled. “You know what I was referring to?”
“Actually, not really,” Jarod replied. “I tried asking one of the agents, but he just laughed at me.” Samantha gave a small smirk, causing Jarod to raise an eyebrow. “What?”
“Nothing,” Samantha said, still smiling. She paused. “Can we run by Wal-Mart after work?”
“Uh . . . I guess . . .” Jarod said slowly. “Why?”
“It’s a surprise,” Samantha grinned. “Now, what’s on today’s agenda? I mean, I know what’s on our agenda, but where do we start?”
Jarod couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness to begin their work, but he knew it was a far from light-hearted case that they were working on: an agent from that field office, Jim Trask, had been missing for a week. Normally, Jarod would have not bothered looking for a missing agent, knowing there were missing children - vulnerable children - who could have used both his and Samantha’s help, but there was just something that jumped out at Jarod when he had read the newspaper article. He still couldn’t put his finger on what it was exactly, but Samantha was accepting of their new mission just the same.
A little too quick, though, Jarod thought. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that being a Federal Agent was dangerous, or if he was still concerned for Samantha’s safety after her attack in Boston the previous Christmas . . . or both. Jarod sighed as he rubbed his head.
“Hey, Jarod,” Samantha’s voice snapped him out of his little world. He looked over at her concerned face. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry. Now, here’s what we’ve got so far; I figure if we approach this like a brain teaser, we can see the holes in our research and then plug in some variables and see where it takes us.” As he starting hashing out the details, he avoided the doubtful look Samantha was giving him, concentrating instead on the case at hand. Glancing up and deciding he needed to distract her if only to save himself, he passed the file over the desk to her. “Now, tell me what we’ve got so far.”
Samantha bit her tongue as she took the file and opened it, knowing better than to say anything to him at that moment. “Well,” she said, reading, “according to the file, Trask left on Friday like he always did; he visited his nephew in Tulia every weekend; he would fly out to Lubbock then rent a car and drive the rest of the way, and it appears that he never missed a weekend. Ever.” She smiled wistfully. “Lucky nephew. Anyway, Monday came along, and by lunchtime Trask still hadn’t shown up, so a couple agents went over to find his place ransacked.
“There was no forced entry, his car was still in its usual spot in the parking lot, and the only fingerprints they found in the place belonged to Trask. The neighbors don’t recall hearing anything out of the ordinary at anytime during the weekend. When the agents called Trask’s sister and brother-in-law they learned that Trask never made it to Tulia, and when they viewed the surveillance tapes at the airport they didn’t see any sign of him, so they’re assuming he never made it to the airport for his flight. Oh, and Trask is widowed, no children, not seeing anyone, and doesn’t seem to have any enemies.” She looked up. “And that appears to be it.” She closed the file. “That being said, what’s our next move?”
Jarod leaned back in his chair, folding his hands and thinking. “I think we should go to Trask’s apartment,” he said after a few moments. “The FBI may not have found anything, but that doesn’t mean they knew what they were looking for.”
“That’s assuming there’s anything to find at his place,” Samantha added. “I’m not doubting you, but there’s a big variable in this equation, and the answer we’re looking for rides on how Trask disappeared.”
“I know,” Jarod replied. “That’s why we’re going to start over on this investigation. Remember what we are, Sam. We have the ability to look beyond what the other agents might have missed and that could end up giving us the answers we need to find out what really happened to Trask.”
“Ah, the joy of being the few, the talented, the pretenders,” Samantha smiled wryly, mocking the Marines slogan as she and Jarod got to their feet.
“Excuse me,” Steele said as he walked up to the pair. They stopped in their tracks. “Where do you two think you’re going?”
“Out,” Samantha mumbled under her breath.
Jarod shot her a quick glare before straightening up and looking nonchalant. “We’re going to get the paperwork regarding that money laundering case the Texas Rangers are assisting us on.” The pretender was glad he had read some of the open cases the FBI was working on while Samantha and Steele were at the firing range.
Steele stared at them, his _expression cold and hard. Samantha felt her spine tingle and her teeth itch as he looked right at her, almost like he was trying to burn holes into her sunglasses just by staring at her. Jarod also felt uneasy about Steele and how he was staring at his young friend, but he didn’t say anything as he set his jaw and stood tall.
“Very well,” Steele replied after a few moments of silence. “But I expect you both to return promptly. You have work to do, and I will not tolerate anyone who doesn’t pull their weight around here.” He turned on his heels and walked back to his office.
The pretenders glanced at each other then turned and walked out the double doors. They made their way to the parking garage to where their car was parked. They were silent as they got in and Jarod drove off.
“Don’t worry, daddy,” Samantha said sarcastically as they pulled out of the garage. “We’ll be back before dawn - oh, and after the movie we might get married or just get a room somewhere, but I promise to pick up the dry cleaning on the way home; you want us to get you some doughnuts? It’s right next door to the tattoo parlor we like . . .”
Jarod raised an eyebrow and glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes as he drove through the city. “Is this how PMS affects you?” he asked jokingly.
Samantha glared over at him. “Jarod, if I was in a better mood and you weren’t driving, I’d slug you for that remark. And no, this is how Special Agent Steele affects me *on* PMS, if you must know. And don’t be saying it’s all in my head, because *you* saw what he was like.”
“Yeah, I did,” Jarod nodded once.
“And?”
“And what?”
“Admit I was right.”
“I’m not going to admit you were right.”
“But I *was* right.”
Jarod sighed, knowing how she could get when she was in a foul mood. And as much as he sympathized with her being in pain, he was not in the mood to deal with it right now. “Look, why don’t we just concentrate on our case, okay?” He nodded toward the back seat. “Is the camcorder battery charged?”
“It should be.”
“Will you check please? We don’t need it dying on us while we’re filming.”
“Fine,” Samantha replied as she reached around and grabbed the camcorder nestled behind her seat. She started fiddling with it while Jarod hid a smile as they drove on in silence.
(End of Chapter 2)
