Although they had made the decision to just be friends, his instincts were to wrap her in his arms and kiss her senseless.
Jessie couldn’t look away and neither could Brian. It was as if time stood still and nothing existed except for them.
Michael and Téa came inside from the patio. It was obvious they were interrupting something important. But, the moment was lost.
Brian quickly let Jessie go as if they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t have. Then he rubbed his jaw, “I’m just glad we were able to clear it all up.”
Jessie was slightly breathless, “Me too.”
Téa thought it was a good sign they were in each other’s arms when they came inside. She’d hoped Jessie was going to tell her that she and Brian were an official couple. You’d have to be blind not to see the energy between them.
Jessie’s cell phone vibrated and completely broke the spell in the room. She looked to see who was calling. After knowing Jessie for years, Téa could tell that was a call from MEGA-AX1 headquarters.
“Excuse me guys, I’ve got to take this call.” Jessie stepped out onto the patio for privacy.
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose trying to get it together, “What’s up, Max?”
We got a call from a John Wellington through one of our secured lines. He said it was urgent and that he would only speak with you.
Téa stepped out onto the patio to find out what was going on.
“I spoke to him before I left yesterday to set up a meeting. We’re meeting in a few days after I leave here. How did he get through our secured phone line? Make sure you look into that, and did his summary background check come through?”
“We’re looking into how he got through on our secured line now, and yes, the report is here. Did you want me to download it to you?”
“Yes. We’ll need to change all the security codes for the phone system right away. I’ll call you if I have any more questions.”
Téa had been standing their quietly listening intently. “What did Max want? I thought he knew better than to call us when you’re on vacation.”
“He called to tell me about an urgent message from a potential client, Mr. John Wellington.”
Téa wrapped her arms around her waist, “Who is he? And why haven’t I heard anything about him yet?”
Jessie hadn’t said anything to Téa about this potential client because information regarding him was still too sketchy to discuss. All the pieces of Intel hadn’t come through. She’d hoped their conversation yesterday would clear some things up, but it actually created more questions than it answered.
“Can’t say just yet. I’ve got to go over the summary report to see who I’m really dealing with. But, if the cursory investigation appears to be in order, I’ll need to do a little more follow up which will require me to fly to Mongolia.”
“It must be a big deal if you’re thinking of handling it personally.”
Jessie’s phone buzzed letting her know that Max had downloaded Mr. Wellington’s information. His message was that it was urgent he speak with her. She dialed his private telephone number and he picked up on the first ring.
“Wellington speaking.”
“Mr. Wellington, I received a message that it was urgent you speak with me. How can I help you?”
“Is this Command from Mega-AX1?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for calling me right away. It was difficult to track you down, but I desperately need your help. It’s a matter of life and death.”
Jessie heard the urgency in his voice.
Sometimes Téa hated when Jessie flipped the switch to work mode because she was an entirely different person. She was also so hard to read. Jessie wasn’t giving much away in her response to Mr. Wellington and Téa couldn’t hear what he was saying. They spoke briefly, but after Jessie ended the call, she turned to Téa, “Looks like I’ll be flying out to Mongolia tonight.”
Chapter 15
Jessie had only been back to the MEGA-AX1 headquarters for a couple of days since returning from her trip to Mongolia. She was on a flight two hours after the phone call with Wellington. Téa was disappointed that she had to cut her visit short, but it had actually worked out in Jessie’s favor. Jessie needed time—and a distraction—from all the emotions she was feeling.
Gray had just left her office with the comprehensive follow-up report she’d requested after her meeting with John Wellington. His references checked out, he’d easily agreed to her exorbitant fee and wired half the money into the offshore account. Nothing really seemed out of order. There was no reason not to take the assignment. It was basically an extraction, but something still felt…off. Any third-rate company could carry out this request. Yet, he’d come to MEGA-AX1 and requested that Jessie’s elite team handle this job personally.
Jessie continued to review the report. She’d had some of his profile information before her trip to his office.
Mr. Wellington, a 54-year-old self-made billionaire, was a widower and didn’t have any children. He graduated from the London School of Economics and was raised as an only child in Dublin, Ireland to a single mother. It seemed Mr. Wellington grew up dirt poor and used his wits to stay just slightly above the law and out of jail.
His vast portfolio consisted of mineral and diamond mines, oil, a couple of hedge funds, and many other smaller businesses. Most of them were above board. Although, he did have a few shadier things in his background like selling arms to a couple of small militant groups.
Everybody had something they might want to hide in their background. Jessie had only one rule. She drew the line and would not work with people or governments that supported human trafficking. Gray was always thorough and didn’t turn up anything like that in his investigation.
Jessie had flown unannounced to Mongolia the same night she received Wellington’s urgent
