Twenty agents rushed in, all wearing red jackets with B.L.I.S.S. emblazoned across the breast. Ira Manetrue and Y brought up the rear. The agents spread through the room, taking people into custody. They'd missed all the fighting, but Jane was glad to leave the cleanup to them.
She watched as a sputtering and shrieking Robert Ensecksi was removed from beneath Edie and cuffed, then watched as Dirk was cuffed as well. She glanced toward the booth to see if the B.L.I.S.S. agents had managed to capture Lydia, but the blonde wasn't there. Jane glanced around with a frown.
"What's wrong?" Abel asked, moving to her side. "You should be happy. You were right about everything, and you saved Edie and the day too!"
"With a little help," she agreed.
Abel smiled. "So, why are you frowning?"
"I don't see Lydia. Who has her?"
Jane had barely finished asking that question when the swish of the pneumatic doors sounded behind her. Whirling, she saw Lydia Ensecksi escape.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Jane charged after her. She heard footsteps following and knew it was Abel. They both slipped through the closing doors with a hair breadth to spare, but they got through. Still in her stocking feet, Jane slid when she tried to stop and nearly tumbled into an empty docked shuttle. Catching herself, she looked up the tunnel and saw the brake lights of Lydia's shuttle swerve out of sight.
"Jump in!" Abel yelled. He leaped behind the docked shuttle's controls.
"Do you know how to drive one of these?" Jane asked as she scrambled in beside him.
"How hard could it be?" He began throwing switches. Jane nearly got whiplash as they shot off in pursuit. Abel glanced at her, grinning widely. "This is great!"
She'd created a monster, she realized and started to laugh.
Lydia's empty shuttle was waiting at the end of the tunnel. The elevator was already on the lake's way up. Jane spent several moments worrying the blonde would jam it or do something to prevent it from returning for them, but apparently she was in too much of a panic to think of it.
There was no sign of her in the living room when they exited the elevator. Jane and Abel hesitated, then heard an engine roaring to life. They raced for the door. Outside, Lydia was driving away in Dirk's sports car.
"Come on!" Jane charged up the hill and ran for the garage of the Goodinov house.
"Is your van going to be fast enough to catch her?" Abel asked as they got in.
"Oh, yeah," Jane said with a smile. She hit the gas and flew backward down the driveway. "I've added some modifications over the years."
The gate had slowed Lydia down; she was just slipping through it when they pulled onto the road after her. It started to close as they approached, but Jane hit the gas and passed through just in time.
"That was close," Abel noted.
Jane didn't say anything. Lydia had spotted them and really put on speed. Jane followed suit and concentrated on the road ahead, nervous about causing an accident. For that reason she left a small distance between them as they sped along the house-lined roads. This inhabited area, its curved streets with reduced night visibility made this risky. Catching Lydia Ensecksi, evil as she was, wasn't worth killing anyone.
The moment they left the houses behind, however, Jane hit her booster. Her van leaped forward, nearly ramming the red sports car in the rear before Lydia could put on more speed. They were covering ground at a deadly rate, and Jane felt herself tense further as the trees on their left gave way to a sheer mountain wall.
Abel suddenly cursed, and Jane glanced his way. "What?"
"Look." He pointed.
At first Jane wasn't sure what the problem was; then she realized the road ahead clung lovingly to the mountain and curved sharply to the left. Straight ahead was a wide flat surface reflecting the moonlight. Water. A lake.
Jane gritted her teeth and glanced down at the speedometer. They were going too fast for the curve. She glanced to the sports car, but it wasn't slowing. They probably couldn't have slowed in time anyway.
"Do up your seat belt," she ordered.
Abel reached across to do her belt first. Jane would have cursed him for the foolish move if she hadn't been too busy trying to see around his obstructing arm while controlling the steering wheel at the same time. She'd planned to hit the brakes the moment he had his seat belt on, but he was delaying her ability to do that with his concern for her.
We definitely aren't going to make this turn, she realized with horror.
Abel finally finished with her seat belt and grabbed his own. The moment she heard it snap into place, Jane started braking. She knew even as she did so that it was far too late. They were going to crash off the road and straight into the lake. As for Lydia, she never had a chance. Jane didn't know if the blond woman had actually thought she could make the turn at that speed, but she couldn't. She smashed through the barrier with an almost explosive boom and sailed into the air. Jane's van, at least, didn't have any guardrail to smash through, it simply raced right off the road behind her. The best they could hope for was a flat landing instead of a nosedive.
Abel started shouting. As they went airborne, Jane joined him and slammed hard on the brakes. Uselessly. They seemed to sail forever through the air, then landed with a bone-jarring crash. Jane swore her brain was briefly shaken loose from her brain stem. When it started to function again, she was caught between her seat and the air bag that had popped out of the steering wheel.
"Jane? Jane!"
She lifted her head and turned it slowly toward Abel. He was struggling to push his own air bag out of the way. He cursed in frustration, then dug out a pocketknife and popped it. A moment later, he had his seat belt off and was moving to her side to free her. He peered into her face.
"Thank God," he breathed when he saw that her eyes were open. "Don't worry. I'll get us out of here. I won't let you drown."
"Hmm." Jane gave her head a shake, relieved when her thinking seemed to clear a bit. "No need. We're waterproof."
"Waterproof?" He paused in his efforts to undo her seat belt.
"Waterproof, fireproof, soundproof." She shrugged and set to work on the belt herself. "I'm constantly adding new features."
"Jeez," he said. But she noticed he was looking around the van as if in search of leaks.
"Where's Lydia's car?" Jane asked to distract him.
"I don't know." He moved back into the passenger seat and squinted through the windows. All around them was water; they bobbed on the lake's surface. "I think she sank."
"Surely she wouldn't have sunk that fast." Sitting up, Jane turned on the windshield wipers. It helped a little.
"The top was down on her car," Abel pointed out. But he kept looking anyway.
"Oh. Yes." Now that he mentioned it, Jane recalled that the top had been down on the convertible. It would have sunk quickly. Lydia might have been thrown clear and survived, though. Maybe. Jane squinted through the night, searching for any sign of life.
"She crashed into the water nose first," Abel said. "I doubt she made it."
"I suppose," Jane agreed.
"So," Abel asked, "what now? Are you going to power this baby up, push a button to turn it into a boat, and steer us to shore?"
Jane laughed.
"No?" He looked surprised.
"I didn't think of that," she said apologetically. "I only made it waterproof and fireproof because Gran is in a wheelchair and would be helpless in a crash."
"And the soundproof part?" he asked.
"Oh. Well...we went on a road trip one weekend and I got tired, and we stopped to take a nap, but the rest stop we stopped at was terribly busy and noisy and I couldn't sleep a wink." She shrugged and leaned forward to switch the CD player on. Enrique Iglesias began crooning about a lost love. "I soundproofed the van so that wouldn't happen again."
"A nap? Does your seat recline then, like you reclined mine on the way here to California?"
"Yes. But I didn't sleep in my seat. I opened the bed."
"The
bed?"
Jane flicked a switch on the dashboard, and Abel jerked around as a humming erupted behind them. He watched in amazement as panels opened on either side of the back of the van and two halves of a bed unfolded to meet in the middle. When he turned to look at her again, there was a wide grin on his face.
"You're good," he announced, and Jane felt herself blush. Then he moved out of his seat. Grabbing her hand, he dragged her with him into the back.
Jane laughed as they tumbled onto the bed, but her laughter died on a sigh as he kissed her.
"I love your mind," he said after several heated moments. "You excite me, you amuse me, and you never fail to surprise me." He punctuated each compliment by undoing a button of her shirt. It was half undone when he finished. He spread the cloth and ran his fingers lightly over the pale skin revealed; then Jane sat up and leaned forward to pull his head back down for another kiss.
"Janie? Jane! What's happening? Jane? Did you catch Lydia?"
Abel lifted his head and peered around with a frown. "Is that Gran?"
"Yes." Jane sat up and leaned forward to pull the lighter out of the dash board, then spoke into it. "Here, Gran. We're fine."
"Did you catch Lydia?" Gran asked.
Behind Jane Abel commented, "You're talking into a car lighter."
"It's an emergency radio. Only Gran has the frequency," Jane explained. Then she said into the lighter, "No. Lydia crashed into the lake."
"Oh." There was a brief silence. "Did she survive?"
"I don't think so. No." Jane stiffened in delight as Abel began to nibble on her neck.
"Which lake? Are you on your way back?"
"I'm not sure what lake. A big one," she answered distractedly. "And, no, we're not on our way back. We, er...We're in the lake too."
"Oh, dear! Is the waterproofing holding?"
"Of course," Jane said, a touch indignantly.
"Good. Well, don't worry, dear. We'll zero in on the tracker in the van and find you. Just sit tight."
"Mmm," Jane moaned as Abel slid his hands around to cup her breasts. "Gran?"
"Yes?"
"There's no need to hurry." She sighed as he unsnapped the clasp of her bra and replaced the cloth with his fingers.
"Oh?" Gran radioed back.
Jane didn't answer. She couldn't; she'd turned her head so that Abel could cover her mouth with his own. Replacing the lighter in the dash, Jane fell back on the bed and pulled him with her.
Epilogue
"I can't believe that jerk Dirk got away! What kind of morons are they letting into B.L.I.S.S., anyway?"
Jane grimaced at Edie's outraged words. She hadn't been too pleased herself to hear that Dirk Ensecksi had managed to escape. When she'd heard who it was that lost him, she'd been doubly upset. "It wasn't an agent who let him go, it was Richard Hedde. He isn't an agent. He's in D & C like me."
"Oh, yes," Gran said. "Now I know why the name sounded familiar when Ira mentioned it. It's that Dick fellow who irritates you so much." She turned to Edie to explain. "He's an arrogant little brownnosing weasel, dear. Not an agent."
Jane laughed as her grandmother echoed her oft repeated complaint; then she glanced to Edie who asked, "Well, then, what on earth was he doing in California?"
"Apparently he couriered some equipment to Ira from the office in Vancouver, then just"--Jane shrugged helplessly--"stuck around. Y wanted all the bodies she could get, so they let him stay. During the confusion after Abel and I left to chase Lydia, one of the other agents mistook Dick for a field agent and put the responsibility of watching Dirk in his hands."
"And he, as we know, messed up," Gran finished calmly. "But all is not lost. Dirk did take your bag, Janie dear. You have a lot of dangerous items in there disguised as everyday things. If he uses anything, he'll no doubt end up at the hospital. B.L.I.S.S. will get him."
"Hmm." Jane nodded. A slow devilish smile spread over her lips. "I hope he uses the shrink-wrap condoms."
The three women burst into gales of laughter at the very thought. Edie was the first to stop laughing. Blowing out a depressed breath she said, "guess I'll have to get a new job." She stared gloomily into her teacup.
"Maybe B.L.I.S.S. has a position for you," Maggie Spyrus suggested as she fed a sugar cookie to a whining Tinkle.
Jane rolled her eyes, both at the comment and the way Gran was spoiling the mutt. She'd been treating the Yorkie like a princess ever since they'd returned home, insisting that Tinkle had saved the day. Never mind that it had been an accidental result of the dog's affection for criminals.
"Do you think?" Edie perked up at Gran's suggestion, her expression brightening. "That would be cool. Edie Andretti, secret agent."
"More like Edie Andretti, secretary and general dogsbody," Jane corrected. Seeing the way the other girl deflated, she added more gently, "Edie, honey, you haven't got the training to be a secret agent. They need to be trained martial-arts experts, marksmen, and--"
She paused, and all three women glanced toward the door as the doorbell rang.
"Maybe that's Abel, back from his interview," Edie said hopefully.
Jane didn't comment, just stood and moved into the entry. She was hoping it was Abel. She was also worried that it was. What if he didn't get the job? What if he had to return to England? What would happen to them? Nothing, she assured herself firmly. They'd just have a long-distance relationship until he was able to get a job here, or she might be able to transfer to England. B.L.I.S.S. had an office there. They had offices everywhere. She could transfer. Gran had always claimed to love England. Still, long-distance relationships were hard. She would miss him. Funny how that could be. She hadn't known him long, and yet her life would feel empty with him gone.
Pausing at the door Jane raised her head and softly said, "Please, God." Opening it, she found that it was indeed Abel. He stood in the hall, hands behind his back and a big smile on his face. Jane was almost afraid to hope it meant what she hoped it meant.
"You got the job?" she asked.
His smile widened and he drew one hand out, shoving a bunch of roses at her. The moment Jane took them, his other hand appeared with a small velvet jewel box. "Will you marry me, Jane Spyrus?"
"You got it!" she shrieked, and threw herself at him.
Laughing, he caught her to his chest and swung her around, then kissed her deeply. Jane kissed him back with all the passion inside her. They were both breathless when it ended.
Sighing, she laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I knew you'd get it."
"Yes. Well, actually I didn't."
Jane straightened away from him abruptly. "What? You didn't? They didn't give you the job? Why not?" she asked in outrage.
"Because I missed the original interview." He shrugged. "They decided I wasn't serious enough about it. They'd already given the job to someone else and only agreed to another appointment to explain that."
"Well, those--" she began, angry for him.
"It's okay, honey. Really," he added when she looked doubtful.
Jane fell silent for a minute; then her gaze fell on the jeweler's case, and confusion clouded her expression. "Then, how can you propose--"
"Because I love you," Abel interrupted. "I do, Jane. You're smart and funny and passionate and...Jane, I've seen you at your best and your worst this last week. You have the courage of ten men. You fight for those you love. I want my children to be like that. I want you to be the mother of my children. I want to spend my life with you. I want to face whatever adversity life has in store with you at my side."
"Oh, Abel." Jane sank against him, her heart melting. "I love you, too."
"Do you?"
"Oh, yes. And for all the same reasons. You make me laugh, you make me burn, you make me like myself, and you make me feel safe. I want to spend my life with you, too."
His chest shook as he chuckled. "And I didn't even need the truth serum perfume to hear it."
"Oh!" She gave him a smack, then kissed hi
m again.
"All right. Enough of that nonsense," a voice said with some asperity. "We've waited long enough. Now let's see the ring."
Abel and Jane broke apart and turned to find Gran and Edie in the entry with them, waiting expectantly.
Laughing, Abel let her go and dutifully opened the jeweler's case, smiling as the women crowded around to ooh and ah. He took the ring out of the box, turned to Jane, and slipped it on her finger. "There, now it's official. You're mine."
Jane leaned against him. He kissed her forehead as she stared at the ring.
"Sorry about the job, Abel," Edie said unhappily. "It's all my fault."
"No it isn't, squirt." He hugged his sister with the arm not around Jane. "No job is worth the life of those I love."
Edie hugged him back, then stepped away and asked, "So, how long until you have to go back to England?"
"Never, I hope." He smiled when Jane pulled back to peer up at him. "I asked for some time off. I'll stay with you, Edie, for the next couple of weeks--if that's okay?" He waited for his sister to nod, then continued, "And I'll spend that time looking for another position. Something will come up. And if it doesn't--"
"If it doesn't, I'll see about a transfer to the London office," Jane said firmly.
"I always liked London," Maggie announced, giving her approval. But neither Abel nor Jane was listening. They were smiling at each other.
"You're amazing, Jane Spyrus." He brushed the hair back from her face.
"So are you, Abel Andretti." They kissed again.
"Ahem."
Jane and Abel broke apart again, turning this time toward the door they'd left open in all the excitement.
"Y! Mr. Manetrue!" Jane blushed, embarrassment and alarm battling for supremacy within her as she gaped at the pair standing in her doorway. "Is something wrong?"
"Something's always wrong, Jane. We're in that kind of business," Y said blandly. "May we come in?"