Book 1 in the NOK series
Excerpt:
Mark inserted the key into the ignition of his car and turned it. Considering what he did for a living, every day he managed to do such a simple thing and survived, was a good one. He pulled out of the parking garage and entered the evening traffic.
Vivian had been on his mind since he left the briefing that morning. He missed seeing her from the other side of the glass wall and hearing her relaying information to his team during their briefings. He especially missed the moments he would catch the passion in her green eyes while looking at him when she thought he wasn’t noticing. His reaction would be instant. He’d become hard to the point of distraction. He wished they could still be in the same office but promoting her was the best thing for her career. He supposed he should count his lucky stars. Her division could have been based out of another state. Instead, Anderson had chosen to leave her in Tampa. Right above his office. Which meant she was on top of him. Figuratively speaking. But he wanted her on top and underneath—literally.
As he drove, he worried about Vivian’s strange behavior these last few days. With one hand on the steering wheel, he dialed her cell phone and inserted the earpiece.
“Hey, how are things going?”
“Quiet,” she replied. “So far we haven’t found anything on Future Bio Labs or genetic studies that would give us any solid leads to follow. I’m taking home the info my team collected today to go over it again.”
“I can help you, if you’d like.”
“No.” She replied quickly. Too quickly. “I mean, thanks for offering.” Her voice sounded strained again. “If I need you, I’ll…um…let you know.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah. Fine.” Yet, she sounded deflated. “Just getting used to having Amanda, Daniel and Max around. Plus, I still haven’t gotten over the shock of hearing from Carter.”
“Let me take you out to dinner tonight.” She could use the distraction and in return, he could give her moral and emotional support. “You can go over everything with a clearer head afterwards.”
“Mark,” she sighed, “I need to be alone. I have some…uh…things I need to figure out.”
“Anything I can do for you?” he offered. “We could dine in and go over whatever it is.”
“Not right now.”
“Okay.” He respected her decision. “Call me if you need me.”
Mark didn’t push any further, but something wasn’t right. Vivian knew their minds worked well together. She always accepted his input when she was stumped. Why would she shut him out now? Especially when there was no one else with whom she could discuss Carter, Reed, or her team at NOK. If nothing else, she could at least take comfort in his company and vent her frustration. But instead, she was avoiding him. She had never done that before. He contemplated the reasons behind her behavior while driving through the streets of Tampa, but by the time he got home, he hadn’t come up with one that satisfied him.
Mark parked his car in the garage and headed for the mailbox. There were three envelopes inside. The utilities bill, a Christmas card and an invoice from George’s Books and Things. He dropped the first two on the kitchen counter and opened the invoice. From inside the envelope he removed a single sheet of paper. At the top was the letterhead in bold print. Down the left side was a traditional vertical barcode with a UPC number written in tiny print alongside it. In the center of the page was a list of items—an electronic reader, two books, a package of number two pencils and a notepad. At the bottom of the page was a logo made of tightly knit spirals and swirls inside a triangle.
Mark left the invoice on the living room sofa and headed for the bedroom. He removed his suit jacket, tie and shoes. His mother’s upbringing and his late wife’s insistence throughout their marriage had him putting everything away in the right place. He smiled at the photo on the dresser, a picture of him, Susan and their son, taken at Jeff’s college graduation, two and half years ago. Five months later Susan had died in a fatal car accident along with Vivian’s husband.
Mark had been devastated. He’d lived for so long with the sensation of a bulldozer inside his chest, crushing his heart into his ribs. Time had lessened the physical ache, but in his heart, his love for Susan will always be there. Which was why he had been taken by surprise when his feelings for Vivian began to evolve into something more than friendship. Love was a mystery. And the capability to love was even more mysterious.
He undid the top two buttons of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves on his way back to the living room. In the corner bar, he reached for a snifter and poured himself some brandy. He took a sip of the golden liquid, appreciating its rich burn as it went down, and then sat on the sofa. He was ready to relax, but the invoice next to him said otherwise.
Mark picked up the paper and tried to make sense of it. It had to be a message, since he hadn’t purchased any of the items listed. He just needed to figure out how to read it. Somewhere on the piece of paper was a clue. He went over the items again. An electronic reader. One would assume it would be a hand held book reader, but then why buy two books? Why not download them on the reader? What else could the electronic reader be? Was it a barcode reader? Was that where the message was?
He pulled his laptop out from the case he’d brought it home in, placed it on the coffee table and turned it on. From another compartment of the leather case, he retrieved an attachment and inserted the cable into the USB port. At the other end was a small hand held scanner. Scanning the barcode at the side of the invoice revealed the numbers listed alongside it. No hidden message.
Number two pencils and a notepad. Those were the rest of the items on the list. They were symbolic. He was certain. As a kid, when taking math exams in school, he had always been instructed to bring number two pencils and blank notepaper to work out the problems. He wondered if that was the case here.
He went back to the books. Why two books? Why not one? And the reference to the number two pencils could have a double meaning. There had to be two of something on the invoice. He examined it again. The only thing unusual was the logo. He stared at it, as if it would explain itself. And then it did. At first he couldn’t see it, but now that he was searching for a second something, it made sense. It was a barcode. Not a traditional elongated one, but a modern one. There were square ones, why not a triangle?
Mark scanned the logo and waited. Seconds later, encoded text appeared on the screen. The pencil and paper weren’t for math problems. They were for deciphering. After working at it for a while, he finally decoded the message.
He’d seen good guys go bad throughout his career, and sometimes wondered if they had truly been turned, or if they already had the “bad guy” instinct in them. In this case, he was just as unsure.
Mark raked his hand through his hair as he read the message a second time. Vivian had enough issues interweaving her personal and professional life. She didn’t need any more. But the forces of the universe thought otherwise. He wondered if the sender realized he was accusing his own family of treason.
***
Vivian peeked through the peephole and saw Mark outside her door. So much for wanting to be alone to figure things out. She unlocked the door and motioned for him to enter. If she didn’t let him in, he’d only insist. Better to get it over with.
“God, Vivian, you look worn out. What’s going on?” There was genuine concern in his voice and she should be grateful to have a friend who cared about her. “Have you been crying?”
He brought a hand to her cheek but she moved away before he could touch her. She walked toward the living room, passing the decorative mirror on the wall without looking at it. She didn’t need a glimpse to know how swollen her eyes were, or how red they must be. The throbbing and burning sensation confirmed it.
Mark followed her to the sofa.
“Why are you here?” She forced the words through her dry throat.
“I received a message from Carter.”
Her heart thumped at the mention of her brother’s name. “How?”
“He encoded it into a funky barcode on an invoice.”
“What did it say?”
“Carter’s message concerns Aaron.”
“Aaron Hughes?”
Mark nodded. “Aaron is using his company as a means of obtaining government secrets and selling them to the highest bidder. In this case, the bidder is Reed.”
“My God! Are you sure?”
“According to Carter, Aaron and his brother, Dexter, have obtained genetic studies of the brain from one of our own government labs. Research that’s being done for possible use on post traumatic military victims of war.”
Vivian snorted. “Classified genetic information,” she said wryly.
Mark nodded. He gave her the rest of the details of Carter’s message, which included the names of the contact at Future Bio Labs.
“Just when I think my emotions can’t take any more, another bomb goes off.” She stood and paced the length the living room, ignoring the glittering of the Christmas tree in her peripheral vision. “I can’t believe Aaron and Dexter are traitors. I’ve known them since they were little boys.” She stopped pacing and rubbed her forehead. “Aaron is family. What else can go wrong in my life?”
Vivian tried to hold herself together, but the harder she attempted to stay composed, the more she trembled. How was she going to break the news to her daughter that Aaron…
“Oh God!” She gulped for air as tears ran down her cheeks, and in the next instant, she was in the comfort of Mark’s arms.
“It’s okay,” he assured her with his smooth, strong voice. “Let it out. You’ll feel better.”
She held onto him as if her life depended on it.
“I’m here for you,” he told her. “Always.”
She rested her head on his shoulder until the wave of emotion passed. Then sniffled one last time before pulling back to find Mark staring down at her. The intensity in his dark eyes mesmerized her. She became aware of how tight his arms held her, keeping her captive against his chest. Her arms were also wrapped around him. She had dreamed about being this close to him many times and knew it would feel as good as it did.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth. They had kissed once before. But that had been a long time ago while on a mission, under the pretense of honeymooners. How would his lips feel pressed against hers now, without any pretense?
Mark let go only to bring his hands to her cheeks. He wiped away leftover tears with his thumbs. And then she knew…
Mark’s lips were soft and firm, a combination that was sweetly satisfying. His hands ended up tangled in her hair as they held her head. Without thinking of the consequences, she parted her lips at the touch of his tongue, allowing it access to the inside of her mouth. His tongue found hers and the room began to spin. Vivian tightened her hold on him for fear her knees might give out. Mark brought his arms around her again and caressed her back while pressing her closer. She molded her body to his and heard him moan the instant he hardened against her. And then…
Out of nowhere, realization sank in and Vivian pulled away from him.
“Oh my God, Mark!” She brought her hands to her mouth in disbelief. “This is horrible.”
“I didn’t know I was such a bad kisser.” Mark placed his hands on her shoulder, but she pulled away.
“We can’t ever do this again.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because…” She knew she had to tell him about her mother’s diary, but what would he think of her now, after kissing him like that, knowing what she knew…
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This is currently a work in progress.
Stay tuned for future updates on this intriguing story.
Mark inserted the key into the ignition of his car and turned it. Considering what he did for a living, every day he managed to do such a simple thing and survived, was a good one. He pulled out of the parking garage and entered the evening traffic.
Vivian had been on his mind since he left the briefing that morning. He missed seeing her from the other side of the glass wall and hearing her relaying information to his team during their briefings. He especially missed the moments he would catch the passion in her green eyes while looking at him when she thought he wasn’t noticing. His reaction would be instant. He’d become hard to the point of distraction. He wished they could still be in the same office but promoting her was the best thing for her career. He supposed he should count his lucky stars. Her division could have been based out of another state. Instead, Anderson had chosen to leave her in Tampa. Right above his office. Which meant she was on top of him. Figuratively speaking. But he wanted her on top and underneath—literally.
As he drove, he worried about Vivian’s strange behavior these last few days. With one hand on the steering wheel, he dialed her cell phone and inserted the earpiece.
“Hey, how are things going?”
“Quiet,” she replied. “So far we haven’t found anything on Future Bio Labs or genetic studies that would give us any solid leads to follow. I’m taking home the info my team collected today to go over it again.”
“I can help you, if you’d like.”
“No.” She replied quickly. Too quickly. “I mean, thanks for offering.” Her voice sounded strained again. “If I need you, I’ll…um…let you know.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah. Fine.” Yet, she sounded deflated. “Just getting used to having Amanda, Daniel and Max around. Plus, I still haven’t gotten over the shock of hearing from Carter.”
“Let me take you out to dinner tonight.” She could use the distraction and in return, he could give her moral and emotional support. “You can go over everything with a clearer head afterwards.”
“Mark,” she sighed, “I need to be alone. I have some…uh…things I need to figure out.”
“Anything I can do for you?” he offered. “We could dine in and go over whatever it is.”
“Not right now.”
“Okay.” He respected her decision. “Call me if you need me.”
Mark didn’t push any further, but something wasn’t right. Vivian knew their minds worked well together. She always accepted his input when she was stumped. Why would she shut him out now? Especially when there was no one else with whom she could discuss Carter, Reed, or her team at NOK. If nothing else, she could at least take comfort in his company and vent her frustration. But instead, she was avoiding him. She had never done that before. He contemplated the reasons behind her behavior while driving through the streets of Tampa, but by the time he got home, he hadn’t come up with one that satisfied him.
Mark parked his car in the garage and headed for the mailbox. There were three envelopes inside. The utilities bill, a Christmas card and an invoice from George’s Books and Things. He dropped the first two on the kitchen counter and opened the invoice. From inside the envelope he removed a single sheet of paper. At the top was the letterhead in bold print. Down the left side was a traditional vertical barcode with a UPC number written in tiny print alongside it. In the center of the page was a list of items—an electronic reader, two books, a package of number two pencils and a notepad. At the bottom of the page was a logo made of tightly knit spirals and swirls inside a triangle.
Mark left the invoice on the living room sofa and headed for the bedroom. He removed his suit jacket, tie and shoes. His mother’s upbringing and his late wife’s insistence throughout their marriage had him putting everything away in the right place. He smiled at the photo on the dresser, a picture of him, Susan and their son, taken at Jeff’s college graduation, two and half years ago. Five months later Susan had died in a fatal car accident along with Vivian’s husband.
Mark had been devastated. He’d lived for so long with the sensation of a bulldozer inside his chest, crushing his heart into his ribs. Time had lessened the physical ache, but in his heart, his love for Susan will always be there. Which was why he had been taken by surprise when his feelings for Vivian began to evolve into something more than friendship. Love was a mystery. And the capability to love was even more mysterious.
He undid the top two buttons of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves on his way back to the living room. In the corner bar, he reached for a snifter and poured himself some brandy. He took a sip of the golden liquid, appreciating its rich burn as it went down, and then sat on the sofa. He was ready to relax, but the invoice next to him said otherwise.
Mark picked up the paper and tried to make sense of it. It had to be a message, since he hadn’t purchased any of the items listed. He just needed to figure out how to read it. Somewhere on the piece of paper was a clue. He went over the items again. An electronic reader. One would assume it would be a hand held book reader, but then why buy two books? Why not download them on the reader? What else could the electronic reader be? Was it a barcode reader? Was that where the message was?
He pulled his laptop out from the case he’d brought it home in, placed it on the coffee table and turned it on. From another compartment of the leather case, he retrieved an attachment and inserted the cable into the USB port. At the other end was a small hand held scanner. Scanning the barcode at the side of the invoice revealed the numbers listed alongside it. No hidden message.
Number two pencils and a notepad. Those were the rest of the items on the list. They were symbolic. He was certain. As a kid, when taking math exams in school, he had always been instructed to bring number two pencils and blank notepaper to work out the problems. He wondered if that was the case here.
He went back to the books. Why two books? Why not one? And the reference to the number two pencils could have a double meaning. There had to be two of something on the invoice. He examined it again. The only thing unusual was the logo. He stared at it, as if it would explain itself. And then it did. At first he couldn’t see it, but now that he was searching for a second something, it made sense. It was a barcode. Not a traditional elongated one, but a modern one. There were square ones, why not a triangle?
Mark scanned the logo and waited. Seconds later, encoded text appeared on the screen. The pencil and paper weren’t for math problems. They were for deciphering. After working at it for a while, he finally decoded the message.
He’d seen good guys go bad throughout his career, and sometimes wondered if they had truly been turned, or if they already had the “bad guy” instinct in them. In this case, he was just as unsure.
Mark raked his hand through his hair as he read the message a second time. Vivian had enough issues interweaving her personal and professional life. She didn’t need any more. But the forces of the universe thought otherwise. He wondered if the sender realized he was accusing his own family of treason.
***
Vivian peeked through the peephole and saw Mark outside her door. So much for wanting to be alone to figure things out. She unlocked the door and motioned for him to enter. If she didn’t let him in, he’d only insist. Better to get it over with.
“God, Vivian, you look worn out. What’s going on?” There was genuine concern in his voice and she should be grateful to have a friend who cared about her. “Have you been crying?”
He brought a hand to her cheek but she moved away before he could touch her. She walked toward the living room, passing the decorative mirror on the wall without looking at it. She didn’t need a glimpse to know how swollen her eyes were, or how red they must be. The throbbing and burning sensation confirmed it.
Mark followed her to the sofa.
“Why are you here?” She forced the words through her dry throat.
“I received a message from Carter.”
Her heart thumped at the mention of her brother’s name. “How?”
“He encoded it into a funky barcode on an invoice.”
“What did it say?”
“Carter’s message concerns Aaron.”
“Aaron Hughes?”
Mark nodded. “Aaron is using his company as a means of obtaining government secrets and selling them to the highest bidder. In this case, the bidder is Reed.”
“My God! Are you sure?”
“According to Carter, Aaron and his brother, Dexter, have obtained genetic studies of the brain from one of our own government labs. Research that’s being done for possible use on post traumatic military victims of war.”
Vivian snorted. “Classified genetic information,” she said wryly.
Mark nodded. He gave her the rest of the details of Carter’s message, which included the names of the contact at Future Bio Labs.
“Just when I think my emotions can’t take any more, another bomb goes off.” She stood and paced the length the living room, ignoring the glittering of the Christmas tree in her peripheral vision. “I can’t believe Aaron and Dexter are traitors. I’ve known them since they were little boys.” She stopped pacing and rubbed her forehead. “Aaron is family. What else can go wrong in my life?”
Vivian tried to hold herself together, but the harder she attempted to stay composed, the more she trembled. How was she going to break the news to her daughter that Aaron…
“Oh God!” She gulped for air as tears ran down her cheeks, and in the next instant, she was in the comfort of Mark’s arms.
“It’s okay,” he assured her with his smooth, strong voice. “Let it out. You’ll feel better.”
She held onto him as if her life depended on it.
“I’m here for you,” he told her. “Always.”
She rested her head on his shoulder until the wave of emotion passed. Then sniffled one last time before pulling back to find Mark staring down at her. The intensity in his dark eyes mesmerized her. She became aware of how tight his arms held her, keeping her captive against his chest. Her arms were also wrapped around him. She had dreamed about being this close to him many times and knew it would feel as good as it did.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth. They had kissed once before. But that had been a long time ago while on a mission, under the pretense of honeymooners. How would his lips feel pressed against hers now, without any pretense?
Mark let go only to bring his hands to her cheeks. He wiped away leftover tears with his thumbs. And then she knew…
Mark’s lips were soft and firm, a combination that was sweetly satisfying. His hands ended up tangled in her hair as they held her head. Without thinking of the consequences, she parted her lips at the touch of his tongue, allowing it access to the inside of her mouth. His tongue found hers and the room began to spin. Vivian tightened her hold on him for fear her knees might give out. Mark brought his arms around her again and caressed her back while pressing her closer. She molded her body to his and heard him moan the instant he hardened against her. And then…
Out of nowhere, realization sank in and Vivian pulled away from him.
“Oh my God, Mark!” She brought her hands to her mouth in disbelief. “This is horrible.”
“I didn’t know I was such a bad kisser.” Mark placed his hands on her shoulder, but she pulled away.
“We can’t ever do this again.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because…” She knew she had to tell him about her mother’s diary, but what would he think of her now, after kissing him like that, knowing what she knew…
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This is currently a work in progress.
Stay tuned for future updates on this intriguing story.