17. CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 17

Atlas

Sitting behind my desk, I faced the windows, leaning back and staring out into the Minneapolis skyline. It was a mostly clear day, with a few scattered clouds in the distance. We were expecting thunderstorms tonight, and with the humidity in the eighty percent range, they would most likely be severe. I always loved a good thunderstorm.

Resting my elbow on my desk, I squeezed a foam stress ball in my hand. This case with Roman Atwater and now Michael August has been frustrating me to no end. There have been no new developments since we almost caught the suspects who tortured and killed Tyler Florentine. It’s as if they wised up and reevaluated what they were doing. I had to hand it to them; they were smart. Frustrating but smart.

“AJ.” Derek’s voice came from over my shoulder, and I turned my chair to face him. He stepped into my office and shut the door behind himself .

“Please tell me you are coming in here with good news and not empty-handed.” I sighed, dropping my forearm to the desk and squeezing the ball tightly, my knuckles turning white from the strain.

“Michael August is arriving in Minneapolis tonight at seven from LAX.” He pulled out the chair in front of my desk and sat down, dropping a sheet of paper on my desk with flight numbers and pick-up details for the private black car service Michael would be using.

“Do you think they will go after him as soon as he lands?” I picked up the paper and scanned the details scribbled on it, rubbing the back of my thumb along my brow.

“That all depends.” He shrugged his shoulders and casually leaned back in his chair.

“Depends on what?” I threw the piece of paper back towards him and leaned back in my chair, mirroring his position.

“On how desperate they are to get to him. We still don’t know exactly what they want.”

“I know for a fact that they are desperate, and I have a pretty good idea of what they are after.”

“And what’s that?” He sat up, interested in what I had to say.

“After looking deeper into the case details, I realized the answer was more obvious than we initially thought. They are torturing these employees in order to find Atwater.”

“How do you know that?” He lifted a curious brow.

“Because after doing some research of my own, I found out that Roman Atwater hasn’t been seen in public since these killings started. He’s been in hiding, and they are picking off his lab employees, who have all had some form of communication with him. And Michael August—he has the closest contact out of all of them. If anyone is going to give them the location of Atwater, it would be him.”

“Alright then, I’ll get Dean and Marcus on detail and see if we can’t put a tracker on the car that will pick him up from the airport. We will keep a close eye on him and his movements tonight.”

I ran a hand through my hair, “ Fuck … this means I’m going to have to cancel on Chyler tonight.”

I bit my cheek, pulling my phone out of my pocket and staring at the lock screen—as if she was going to message me right now to tell me that she had to cancel instead. I really didn’t want to disappoint her and tell her that I had to work late.

“Well, I’ll leave you to figure out… that .” He pointed at my phone and got up from his chair. “Let me know if you need anything else before tonight.”

“I will, thanks, Derek.” I waved him off as he shut the door behind him, and then I blew out a breath, sat back, unlocked my phone, and attempted to tell Chyler the bad news about tonight.

Me: Hey, I’m going to have to cancel our plans tonight. I need to stay late at the office.

I sighed, running a hand down my face as I waited for her reply. We have spent a lot of time together these past few weeks, so one night shouldn’t be a huge problem. I am sure she can find something to do with her friends instead.

Chyler: That’s unfortunate. Did you want me to come over when you are done?

I wished I could have her come by my place once we were done keeping an eye on Michael, but I had no idea what to expect, if they would make a move on him or not. I would hate to have to cancel on her a second time. It could be a late one tonight.

Me: I don’t know how long we will be here. I will just see you in the morning.

Chyler: Alright. Don’t forget my croissants!

I chuckled at her reply and pulled up the bakery on my phone to place an order for tomorrow morning. I wanted to make sure I could get her the strawberry and cream croissants that she loved so much. They ran out the last time I tried to pick them up for her. They were one of their best sellers. After placing the order for the croissants, I set my phone down on the desk and turned to my computer to check my emails.

The afternoon was slow, slower than normal, and it was because we were all anticipating Michael August's arrival. The four of us made camp in the briefing room for the day, keeping track of his flight and the private black car service he had reserved. Everything up until this point had been running smoothly.

Once Michael arrived safely at the lab, we were done for the evening. We had already verified that there was ample security on shift tonight, and no unauthorized personnel, including us, were being granted access. They were on strict lockdown due to the recent events regarding their employees.

“Since we’re just sitting here staring at a flight tracker, you wanna talk about your recent adventures with Chyler?” Derek raised a brow at me after Marcus had left with Dean to get us some dinner.

“My sexual adventures are not for your entertainment, Derek, only mine.” I chuckled.

Of course, he would want to know what we have been up to these past weeks. I know he’s happy that I finally found a woman who has actually been worth my time and effort to chase. Back in DC, I had a few options, but none captured my attention as much as Chyler. I didn’t want to rush things too fast and scare her off, but if I’m being honest, I could see a future with her. I could see her as my wife. Having my kids. The long-term.

“Oh c’mon, not even just a little bit? Don’t leave a guy hanging.” He pleaded.

“Hang all you want, my friend.” I gave him a smug smirk.

“So she’s the real deal, huh? Keeping her all to yourself?” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

“As real as could be, I could see myself marrying her.” I smiled, biting my bottom lip as I thought about her. I leaned back in my chair and laced my fingers behind my head .

“After only a few weeks with her? Damn, AJ. What has she done to you?” He blew out a low whistle and chuckled.

“She’s too perfect to pass up. I know it’s early, but all I can think about is a future with her in it.” A future with her as my wife. I brought a hand down to rub the stubble along my chin.

“Do you love her?” He asked with a soft smile. That was a question I knew the answer to weeks ago. Back when she finally let me take her out to dinner.

“With everything I have and more,” I said, my heart squeezing in my chest as I thought about that night. I fell in love with her that night.

Chyler and I had never talked about the future. We spent the past few weeks locked in the present, just enjoying each other’s company—and each other. I didn’t want to complicate things by bringing up the idea of marriage and kids. But now I am curious if she feels the same way about me as I do about her. Would she want to marry me? Has she thought about a future with me?

“Well, you’re not getting any younger. Put a ring on it, get her pregnant, and have that happily ever after we’re all chasing.” He stood up and patted me on the back of my shoulder as he passed me to leave the room. Derek has been chasing that idea longer than I have. I would be foolish not to listen to his words.

The longer I sat there alone with my thoughts, the more I realized that I had never told her what I did for work, just that I worked in an office. She never pressed me further into the specifics of my work, so I guess I never thought to elaborate.

Along with talking to her about the future between us, I should also clarify with her what I actually do for a living. I wonder if it would scare her off—to know that she was sleeping with a CIA Agent and not just some desk jockey. Would it even matter to her at this point?

Marcus and Dean returned with pizza, and we all sat in that briefing room counting down the hours—the minutes until Michael’s flight landed. We knew it was going to be delayed due to the storm; we just didn’t know how long the delay would last.

At eight, once we confirmed that Michael’s plane had landed with the weather delay, Dean brought up the tracking screen for the SUV that would be picking him up from the airport. We noted its location on a live feed. It was already parked at the airport pick-up ramp, waiting for him.

“Alright, boys, let’s go. It’s show time.” Marcus chimed in, rubbing his hands together.

He was way too excited for this, anticipating a high-speed chase or anything more than simply babysitting from a remote location.

If Michael could get from point A to point B without any issues tonight, I was more than fine with that.