And so it begins…

“Whatever happens, just know that I love you” Aiden said to Winnie as the couple ate lunch in the park. He looked preoccupied as if there was more on his mind, however, the allure of the last bite of a cold cut sandwich cut short the thought. Equally preoccupied with a full mouthful of food, Winnie could only nod in agreement. Wordlessly, they finished lunch, cleaned up and walked the two blocks to the auto shop that both worked for.

Aiden, an autobody repair specialist, began working at the Roldan Repair Shop about six months ago looking to be more independent by working outside of the familiar family business. After making friends with his supervisor and proving his skills, Aiden was now welcomed as a long-lost cousin. He enjoyed the work despite the shady reputation of the family behind the business. Hard work, determination, and loyalty kept him on the family’s good side from the onset and continued. Winnie arrived a month later, a painter whose artistic background led to a successful job at silk-screening cars, specializing in custom paint jobs. She had been hired after getting caught tagging the building. Instead of turning her into the authorities, the matriarch Victoria Roldan offered her a Job. Though they worked at opposite ends of the building, Aiden and Winnie gravitated towards each other from the start and no one was surprised when they hooked up.

The couple strolled back into the shop and went to their workstations, putting on protective gear, plugging in music, and returning to their individual projects. Lost in their routine, both were equally stunned when a loud cacophony of chaos erupted.

SWAT and local police had surrounded the building, and on a cadenced count, plunged into the shop yelling the phrases “Hands Up” and “Step away from the Vehicle”. Both respectfully followed directions, pulling off the protective headgear and masks.  Alarmed gazes found each other however neither attempted to move closer as to not gain the attention of the authorities.  The leaders seemed to go after their boss Anthony, Tony Roldan, grabbing and cuffing him while reading him his rights. Other officers looked in vehicles, storage, units, and side rooms, expecting to find stolen contraband and illegal belongings.

Just as the chaos seemed over, one officer popped the trunk of the car Winnie was working on.

“What is this?” he exclaimed loudly for all to hear. “There is a dead body in this trunk.” Horrified, Winnie looked desperately at Aiden and shook her head in abject denial. “I’ll have to take this one” the officer said referencing both the woman and the car.

“I didn’t do it,” she cried hysterically while being handcuffed and lead outside of the building. Aiden could only watch in disbelief as his girlfriend was dragged out of the building  to the back of a police car desperately trying to communicate her innocence “You know me, I didn’t do it.” In his heart, Aiden knew she was speaking the truth however it had all happened so fast that he did not have time to react.

Defeated and heartbroken, Aiden quit working at the auto shop within the month. He was determined to find Winnie, prove her innocence, and make it on his own.

Chapter 1

Six years Later

Jason Garrett strolled through the long hallway of an Aircraft hangar building wearing the custom black suit of the FBI. Making his way passed the shop section, the agent slowed down and strolled into the open room admiring the wall artwork. It looked stylistically familiar to him in a way that caused Jason to pause and study the designs for a moment. Meanwhile on the other side of the building, A handful of soldiers surrounded someone who had just sketched an outline of a beach sunset on the back of a F-16. Confidently, despite the audience, the soldier worked with precision, expertly mixing colors testing them on paper before climbing up a small ladder in order to spray the waiting aircraft.

“Nice work,” he called out to the small crowd. They all looked over at him with a quick glance then back to the current show.

“You are seeing the master at work,” one retorted. The artist looked down to the stranger for a split second. He nodded in agreement figuring that if this was the artist whose work he had just been admiring, they would be a “master at work” For a split second, the artist glanced in his direction.

“Shit,” muttered an unexpectedly female voice from underneath the white loose-fitting painting overcover.

Before he could process the comment, Jason’s attention moved from the group to his boss walking briskly by the door gesturing for him to follow. He complied, wondering why something subconsciously, tugged him back to the room in order to get closer to the artist. It would be a moot point because a high-ranking military official marched into the room, to which everyone stopped what they were doing and saluted. The crowd dispersed into their own work projects leaving the artist alone.

“Dylan,” he barked.  The artist stopped, saluted, and took of the googles, revealing a young woman; mid 30’s about medium height. Brown hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail.  “I need you in the office, now looking presentable.”  She nodded and began cleaning up her station. Several minutes later, Paige Dylan was back in camo gear with a loose knot at the base of her neck. Walking though the shop, she made her way to the front offices. Pausing briefly to discard a picture from the top of her desk into a side drawer; Paige lingered outside of the conference room looking the side window.

“There is one tall, dark, and handsome hunk of a man in that room,” gushed Libby, Paige’s best and possibly only girlfriend at work. Females in the aircraft shop world were hard to come by so the women long ago decided to be friends and allies.  As the supplier to the department, Libby was the one in charge despite her lack of seniority and ranking. Her desk was a very happening place as it seemed there was always someone wanting something from her. Flowers, candy, and chocolate were readily accepted and accessible.  Contrary to Paige’s standoffish nature to the men around her, Libby thrived on flirtation and always had an eye on the newest male entering their sanctuary.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Paige muttered looking everywhere but the conference room. Her friend didn’t notice as she craned her neck trying to get a better view. “I would say, six foot even. Medium skin tone.  Nice black hair pulled into a ponytail poof. Killer figure. I Can tell from here that he works out… Brown eyes you could just melt into. Even more of a killer smile…. Wait just one moment.” Libby got up and marched over to Paige’s desk.  She reached into the desk drawer for the picture that had unceremoniously been discarded. Though she rushed to her desk, Paige was a step behind and could not grab it fast enough.

“No way! Is that him?” Libby walked to the window and stared boldly into the room. “Oh my it is him… the smile gives it away….”

Paige finally found her voice. “Stop talking so loud. People can hear you.” Before either could continue, heavy boots stormed closer to the women.

“Dylan, there you are.” Major Byrnes gave her a once over. He glanced at Libby who definitively shut her mouth and began walking in the direction of her own desk.

“Tell me everything,” Libby hissed as she walked away. Dumbfounded, the major rolled his eyes at the behavior and diverted his attention to Paige. With a quick nod to the window, he caught her wary gaze.

“Can you handle this?” he asked pointedly. Paige looked up and met his eyes startled at his correct assessment of the situation.

“I don’t understand what you are asking sir.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

“I may not be a good observer, but even I can see the resemblance.” Paige let out a loud breath not wanting to face this moment. The major gestured in the direction of the room. Both knew what he was referring to despite Paige’s feeble attempt of indifference.

“Yes Sir. I can handle this,” she said, then put her chin up and walked into the room choosing to sit down in the closest chair to the door. Several people glanced in her direction in the respectful acknowledgment of yet another person which entered the room.  Subtly, out of the corner of her eye, Paige waited for the inevitable realization from the man who had pledged his love to her 6 years ago.  When it came, Paige pretended to be interested in the coffee cup in front of her and spent the morning avoiding his intense gaze.

Someone began the meeting but neither Paige nor Jason focused on the words being spoken. They began with introductions, and only after being nudged, did Jason manage to state “Jason Garrett, FBI”. Paige gasped audibly causing several others to look in her direction however a quick sip and a clearing of the throat by the Major, caused the attention to turn elsewhere.

She was more prepared when her time came and said “Paige Dylan, Military Intelligence.” The meeting consisted of the two of them, Jason’s boss, her CO, and a man who introduced himself as the head of Military Security, two technical advisers, and a prep team of three.

The man in charge began talking about a case from several years ago regarding stolen military vehicles which had been repurposed and given significant upgrades to be sold on the black market. Both the FBI and Military Intelligence had sent in undercover agents in to gather as much evidence as possible before an inevitable raid.   At that time, neither organization had caught on that they had both sent agents into the shop, and the agents themselves were unaware of each other’s role in the other’s operation.

At the time of the raid, Military Intelligence caught the owner of the shop and several others working under him including his oldest son. The evidence was damming against the owner, and his arrest led to jail time and his subsequent death.  For several years, the auto shop stayed off the radar of both organizations, however the illegal activities had begun to explode recently causing both agencies to question whether they had captured the correct man in charge.  Leaders from both agreed that another undercover operation was necessary and this time the organizations would work together. The same two agents would go back undercover so long as their covers had not been blown.

A break could not happen soon enough for Paige, and once it began, she burst out and sped to the bathroom. Slamming the door,  Paige made sure it was locked.  Only then did she slide down on the floor and let loose six years of pent-up emotions. Realizing her time was limited, Paige collected herself quickly and washed her face.  Gathering up her strength, she opened the door and plowed straight into the unmistakable wall of a male. Sensing her sudden loss of balance, he reached out steading her.  For just that split second, it all came rushing back to her, the familiarity of his scent, and his touch.

“We have to talk,” he whispered for her ears alone. She nodded jarred by her visceral reaction to his presence.

“I know.” He pulled back suddenly surprised by his own reaction to the electricity between them.

“When?” Realizing they had an audience Paige shook her head.

“Not here.” He looked up and realized right away what Paige was communicating. Libby was practically falling out of her chair leaning over to see the show. He led them back into the conference room where they both took their seats and the meeting resumed.

“Well,” Major Byrnes concluded. “I expect that you two are going to be spending a lot of time together.” Both nodded. That part was obvious. “You can start now. Apparently, you have a lot to get caught up with.”

“That will not work for me, I have to get home. I have some business to take care,” Paige argued trying desperately to prolong the inevitable. The Major was not biting. He pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and handed it to Jason.

“Dylan, your shift ends in two hours, so you’ll have plenty of time to talk. Also, I think an early dinner is in order.” Feeling cornered, Paige walked quickly past Jason and kept going until she reached her desk. Jason had to practically jog to keep up with her. Trying to grab her wallet from the desk and not open the drawer wide enough for him to see the picture inside caused an awkward moment of tension which only escalated due to Libby’s curious glances. Without saying goodbye to her friend, Paige stood up and made her way to the front of the building.

“Winnie?” he asked holding the front door open for her.

“Winifred was my grandmother’s name.” They stopped short right outside the entrance to the warehouse realizing that it was just the two of them.  Neither wanted to be the first to speak but both had a lot to say to each other.

“Is there a good restaurant close by?” For the time being, Paige wasn’t ready to share a small table or booth in an intimate setting. Getting takeout and spreading out on a park bench seemed like a more comfortable option.

“There is a street taco truck around the corner a couple of blocks away.” They smiled sharing the same craving.

“You were always a sucker for a good taco truck.” She led and he followed. Both ordered and Jason paid. They then walked to an open park with picnic tables, choosing an open one.  Jason sat down on the chair placing his food on the table. She hopped onto the top of the table and sat with her legs crossed over each other and faced to the side adjacent to the man. Her food sat on her lap.  Staring intently at each other, both felt the chemistry from years ago but neither knew how to begin so they dove into the tacos and fell into tense silence.

“Well, we are on the same side now.” Jason began with a sheepish grin after they had completed their meal and still sat glued in the same spots.

“Apparently, we were always on the same side, but no one bothered to tell us.” She admitted not looking at his grin. This was not the right place to let her guard down.  He got up from the bench and she followed stepping down from the top of the table. They strolled from the bench to an empty park where she sat on an open swing. He straddled the swing next to hers. Subconsciously, she began swinging low and slow, dragging her feet to anchor the pendulum.

“FBI?” Paige asked at the same moment Jason blurted “Air Force?” Quickly they looked away Paige blushing slightly in embarrassment.

“You were always an amazing artist. I was drawn to the paintings on the wall this morning and recognized your style.”

“I began working in the shop right out of basic and soon was working on more artistic custom orders. After my… our adventure in the shop, I… took a break for a couple of years, but returned recently and here I am.” Jason listened hearing cautious pauses and wondered what she wasn’t saying. They would have plenty of time to catch up and hopefully she would share more.

“I looked for you; well, an Aiden Roberts for a while after we were separated but it was as if you didn’t exist.  I guess that I was right; you didn’t exist.” Jason bristled and grabbed her rope pulling Paige close so that she would have no choice but to look at him. “I talked to my CO about making a deal for you because I knew that you were innocent in any wrongdoing.” She whispered and began to swing back and forth slowly.

“Hey, I looked for you too for several years. All the while talking to the FBI to grant you clemency for any crime that both of us know you didn’t commit.” Jason had in fact searched the prison records for every 29-year-old female arrested that day. Then added a few years older and younger but had always came up with nothing. He had all but given up his search for a Winnie. Their thoughts drifted back to the day of their separation.

“There was no dead body in the car was there?” She shook her head. He continued speaking as if narrating the event.  “That was just an excuse because they needed to pull you out.” She nodded. Something dawned on her in that moment.

“You knew something was going to happen also. That was why you said what you did that afternoon.” She was not ready to repeat it out loud.  He reached to touch her arm, however Paige moved away in a not-so-subtle fashion.

“We beat you guys to the arrest.” Both sat reflectively for a few minutes.

“What do we do now?” Paige asked finally letting her guard down a little. This time she met his gaze and held it remembering the good that had transpired between the two of them.

“Well, we know each other’s real names now; and know that we will be working on the same side this time around.” Jason began. “We will be spending a lot of time together I hope.”

“That is a good start.” She agreed. They both stood up and began walking back. They made it to the parking lot quicker than either of them anticipated. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”

To be continued…