She knew black was the perfect color during missions—especially during night time. And she just got the perfect gray turtleneck long sleeves, a pair of white tight pants, and a pair of amazing black boots—with heels of course. It was such a struggle to keep her hands away from the silver earrings and bracelets. She knew her outfit—especially her pants would give her away in one look.

Don’t, Angelica, they catch light. And light catches attention. No earrings for now.

She paced around her room, thinking of the speech she would do when Henry found her out. It would be an apocalyptic event, she was sure. But she was just so damned curious of what he was working on and what really went on during a mission that she desperately wanted to follow him. And yes, of course, she was concerned for his safety.

He might get shot and he will need a fantastic doctor like me.

Angelica had put out the light in her room a long time ago, pretending she was tired and needed to go to sleep. Henry was busy with something that he did not mind. And when she finally heard the door open and close, she crept towards her bedroom door and opened it a crack. He was gone. Carefully, she walked out, almost crouching to the ground to see if he was not in his room. She straightened when she was finally sure that he was gone and then got her phone and dialed his number.

  *****

Henry was in the car when his phone rang. “What?” he asked.

“I need to go out so you might get an alarm that your door opened,” Angelica’s voice said from the other line.

“It’s in the middle of the night, Angelica.”

“But my patient’s dying. Don’t worry, someone’s picking me up.”

He thought hard for a minute. “Who’s taking you to the hospital?”

“I called a colleague and she said she’ll drop me there. She’s on her way now. My patient had a sudden attack and I need to be there.”

“Okay, okay. But be sure to answer your phone when I call,” he warned.

“Yes, yes, thank you!”

It was not a few seconds later when he saw the alarm beep, indicating his apartment door was opened. He pushed a button and it turned off. He concentrated back on the task at hand. Angelica would be safe at the hospital.

  *****

Angelica hurried towards her rented car. The new one was still on the way so took the trouble of renting one and had it brought outside Henry’s apartment building that afternoon. She sped away, trying hard to keep in sight Henry’s car which was a long way ahead. She better step on it if she wanted to stay longer in this adventure she had put herself into.

Excitement and apprehension raged through her veins as she ran a red light. Third time for her. Okay, that was a lie. She ran red lights a lot of times doing the same thing: chasing men. But now she was chasing a man for a different reason: to be there when he needed her.

Luckily, the streets were almost empty and she was able to follow Henry about ten meters away. She smiled wickedly. He wouldn’t be able to recognize her this time. She got a plain silver Honda and it was too common to even get a second look from anybody.

She tried to keep her distance especially when he left Park Avenue and turned right, and then left again until they reached 6th Avenue. She knew his trick. He was trying to lose someone who was not even there—well, she was there but he didn’t know that. He was just plain paranoid. It was minutes later that she realized where he was going when she knew the road he was taking was going to lead them towards Canal Street.

They were headed towards Manhattan Cruise Terminal!

She knew the place was probably empty and secluded because of the time.

“How the hell is he going to get in?” she asked aloud. Then, she saw him circle around Dewitt Park and chose not to follow. She was sure he was finding somewhere to park. She chose the bolder course and went ahead to the parking space outside the terminal. There were at least one or two cars far from hers. She looked behind her to see if Henry was on his way. She looked ahead, bending her head to see through the windshield. There was literally no one beyond the chicken wire that served as wall between the actual terminal and the parking lot. She searched the area beyond to see if there were yachts or cruise ships. Yes, there was one cruise ship but there were no lights that indicated someone was there. And then she saw the yacht. Angelica frowned. Though the yacht was big, she didn’t know if it was normal for a yacht to be in the terminal. As far as she knew, only cruise ships were docking in here.

She waited anxiously for any sign of Henry. And while doing so, she made a plan on how to freaking cross over the chicken wires if ever she needed to. Security was tight in here and she knew that. But then, no one seemed to have noticed she parked her car in the area or that she entered the entrance at all. There was no guard in that guard post earlier. Okay, that was weird and she just noticed that one. She shrugged and looked up. Shit, there was a barb wire on top. It would surely ruin her pants.

Humming a tune, she tried to patiently wait for Henry.

But what if he is not coming here after all? She asked herself. She made an assumption and jumped at it. Maybe his mission was somewhere else and not here.

That yacht is strong evidence something’s not right here, another voice whispered in her ear.

And just as when she was about sure that she made a wrong decision coming there, she saw a shadow running across towards the yacht.

Henry! She was so sure it was him. She jumped up on her seat and panicked. What to do now? With so much determination, she climbed out of the car and looked around. When she was sure she was completely alone, she looked up at the chicken wire.

You can do it. It’s just like wall climbing. You know, when you climbed that wall during a party, she reminded herself.

Of course she could do it and do it she did. The hard part was the barb wire and she struggled to keep her balance to keep the sharp edges from tearing her pants. Shit, she should have worn flat boots. The heels were not helping to keep her from swaying. But finally, when sweat was running down her temple, she was able to get to the other side without causing alarm. Weird. Someone should have caught her by now.

Maybe this is really dangerous after all, she thought. But no worries, Henry was here to save her if ever something bad happened. Or, I’ll be there if ever he needs me, she said proudly. No one had ever escaped Angelica Dalton’s charms—well, except Philip, of course. And maybe two or three other guys.

There was nothing in sight that she could possibly use to keep herself hidden, but the large cemented area was poorly lighted, enough to keep her in the shadows. The cool breeze was blowing her hair and the muffled sound of cars audible enough to silence the noise her boots were making.

When she saw people in suits standing just outside the yacht about thirty meters away, she ran towards the tiny building—probably a shade house of some sort.

And then, she saw Henry crouching in the shadows about ten meters away from her. She almost gasped. What was he going to do? There were at least five or six men over there. She looked at the men once again and it seemed the only one of them was far from the group. He was holding a briefcase. Okay, she was not ignorant of spy movies and she was nearly sure what was going on. An exchange was about to happen.

  *****

Henry waited patiently until the exchange happened. Then, just as expected, the stupid CIA was down on the ground the moment he grabbed the briefcase offered to him in exchange of the one he gave them. Henry knew the man was dead. And stupid to think the Russians would let him leave alive.

Speaking of the Russians, there were five of them and they were his mission. He had to get that briefcase back and if possible, at least let one of them live for questioning. He already got a plan and he was just waiting for the perfect timing. He watched as the five men walked their way back to the yacht, leaving the dead body behind.

Henry crouched lower and the moment the men were safely inside the yacht, made a dash, holding on to his gun. Before anyone saw him, he jumped in the water and stayed there for a minute, concentrating on not thinking too much for that would only eat up much of the oxygen he got left in his lungs. Then he swam towards the yacht and climbed using the rope that held an orange rubber lifesaver.

Once on board, he crouched his way, circling the yacht. The engine was still out which meant that the men had no plans to leave just yet.

Good.

He was about to climb up the hatch when he heard a very familiar sound coming from inside and he froze. Then he heard the laugh that he was sure he had heard before and he froze once again.

Dalton! He wanted to shout in outrage.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” A deep voice with a rich Russian accent said behind him.

Shit.

And then he felt a strong force slamming him to the ground.

  *****

She didn’t know what made her do it. She just got out from her hiding place and started running after Henry dived into the water.

“Who sent you again?” a big Russian man asked, looking her over.

“Mr. Vocovich,” she said surely. Of course she made up the name. “He said I’ll enjoy your company,” she added, batting her eyes.

The four men around her chuckled and spoke in Russian. She had no idea what they were talking about. They could be discussing how to kill her and that thought alarmed her.

Her laughter died down with dread when she heard a loud grunt outside. The four Russians that were eyeing her with lust shot up to full height and looked at the door and Angelica’s heart started to hammer.

An angry voice was shouting outside and one of the men exited. More Russian mutterings and shouting. “Looks like we have company,” the leader looked at her with a wink.

Angelica forced a smile and looked at the entrance and surely, there he was, held by his hands behind him was Henry. Angelica tried not to meet his gaze. Somehow she felt this was all her fault. “Who are you? Who do you work for?” The Russian asked Henry.

Angelica flinched when he did not answer and received a heavy blow right on his gut.

“I am sorry for this, Angel,” the leader told her and stood up to join the group that circled around Henry. His head was bent and she was not sure if he was still conscious.

She stood there, not know what to do. She came here to be his back up and right now, it seemed to be the craziest idea she ever had. With her eyes, she searched frantically around the room for something to use. Any weapon of some sort. She found it lying beside an empty plate. She swallowed. She had never held one and was not intending to—until now. Trying to act as a curious spectator, she checked if anyone was watching her and when she was sure that everyone was focused on killing Henry, she quickly grabbed the grenade in one hand. Shoot, who would have thought it was heavy?

  *****

“Speak now before we kill you,” another man said above him.

Henry chose to keep his mouth shut, trying to memorize his surrounding before he made his move. Taking five men would be difficult. And his gut hurt like hell. Damn Dalton!

He did not look at her direction in fear that his eyes might give her away. If he couldn’t escape, she had to. She had a better chance.

Then he felt the pain before the sound. He received one bullet for being silent.

“Speak now or I make sure you have a bullet in your heart the second time I pull this trigger.” Henry shut his mouth, his breathing heavy. He had to make a move fast before the bastards kill him.

“Step away from him if you don’t want to be blown up!” Henry snapped his head up and was taken aback when he saw her holding up her hand. She was holding a goddamned grenade!

“Don’t you dare!” she cried out when one of the Russians sprang on his feet and made a move towards her. “I will not hesitate to blow everyone up!”

“You will not do that,” the leader of the group said with a chuckle.

“Oh, you want to test me?” she asked, lifting her eyebrows. “I’m an agent and I know my life will be much appreciated if I take it with yours.”

“Are you crazy woman?”

“Yes, I receive that a lot. Now, step away from my partner and stay there,” she pointed at the corner. “Now!”

“I will get you for this,” the Russian eyed her with menace.

“Yes, yes, catch me if you can. Now, move!”

Henry stared at her in awe. Was she not afraid? She was freaking holding a grenade that could blow them all up and she was in the same room with five Russian operatives who had killed more men than Henry had.

“Drop your weapons on the ground,” she ordered once they threw him and walked to the corner. “Now!”

Henry was slow to recover, the pain on his shoulder taking him over. But adrenaline was starting to rush once again and he straightened. The briefcase. He had to take the briefcase. He found it under the table and took it.

“Henry, let’s go!” Angelica cried behind him.

“Just one moment,” he uttered and found a rope. He tied the men securely and after making sure they were safe to go, he turned to Angelica and said, “Give me that thing before you blow us all up,” he held out his hand and she dropped the grenade in his palm with shaking hands.

“Let’s go,” he said in haste. He couldn’t arrest the Russians now. Angelica was not supposed to be here and he would have to answer a lot of questions to Grissom if he found out.

He led her towards his car without a word.

Once inside, Henry grabbed his phone and dialed Grissom. “The Russians are tied up in the yacht. The CIA guy is dead. I have to go on an emergency.” He clicked off before Grissom could say a word. Then he turned to Angelica. She looked ashen and he felt his anger towards her fly out the window. “Hey,” he grabbed her hand and pressed. “Don’t ever do such a stupid thing again, Angelica or I swear I’ll kill you myself.”

“Yes, yes,” she said with a smile. She looked down at his wound and said, “Get out. I’ll drive. You’re wounded.”

Henry did not complain and obliged. The pain would keep him from driving because the adrenaline rushing through his veins was wearing down.

“We can’t go back home yet,” she said.

He nodded, “Those men can still escape and I can’t jeopardize your safety.”

“I know where to go,” she said.

“Where?”

“Cassandra’s house is near here,” she offered. “She’s now with Philip so I guess it’s the only option.”

“How did you know where she lived?”

“Research,” she answered simply as she wheeled the car away from Dewitt Park.

Henry smiled inwardly. She really researched about Cassandra before? Then again, that weird feeling knowing she had been that desperate to know everything about Philip Strindberg ticked him off.

  *****

 “What the hell, we could shout all we want here. Why are we whispering anyway? Cassandra’s not home. She’s with Philip.”

 “Shut up and be quiet. We can’t be too careless. This was your fault,” Henry said with irritation, then he grunted. Angelica frowned at him. What was wrong with him? He was not that pissed in the car earlier—well, until he suddenly became quiet.

“What? It’s my fault? Who almost got killed if I didn’t save him? Was it me? No, mister, it was you,” She said pointedly.

They had managed to break into Cassandra’s home and were now in the living room with the lights out. Henry sat on the nearest chair and was applying pressure on his wound.

“What the hell are you two doing inside my house?”

Angelica gasped and Henry shot up from the chair still grasping his shoulder. Cassandra was either taken aback by their presence in the house or that they were there together.

“Cassandra!” Angelica exclaimed and Cassandra stepped back with shock when she saw her. Yes, she looked like a mess from all the running and that climb up the chicken wire.

“Angelica, what the hell happened to you?”

“Let me explain—” Henry started, but Angelica cut him off.

“We need your help now that you’re here,” she uttered, brushing her hair from her face.

Cassandra’s mouth had fallen open and now she was shaking her head as if she was trying to check if she was in a dream. “What the hell is going on? Henry, are you hurt?” She peered through the darkness to look at Henry. She gasped when she saw the blood on his hand.

 “No, I’m fine,” Henry lied.

“No, you’re not,” Angelica snapped at him. “Look,” she walked towards Cassandra and her friend’s eyes looked at her torn white pants and boots and her bloody gray shirt which she used to wipe her hands with when she checked Henry’s wound earlier. “Cass, we can’t explain everything. I don’t even know if I understand the whole thing myself, but I—we—really need you to keep this thing to yourself. Don’t tell anyone about what you saw, or what you were about to see. Please.”

Cassandra just stood there for a long time before she finally nodded. “If you don’t tell anyone you saw me here,” she negotiated.

Angelica’s curiosity took over her. “And why are you here again? I thought you are married and living with Philip?”

“It’s complicated,” her friend answered.

“Angelica,” Henry called out, obviously in pain. Angelica wanted to glare at him for trying to be all so gallant telling Cassandra that he was okay.

“Yes, yes, I’ll get to it!” Angelica snapped at him, and looked back at Cassandra. “I need hot water, clean towels, and a first aid kit.”

“Uh, sure,” her friend nodded and walked away, leaving her with her guardian once again, and when she found a scissor lying on the table with some cans of paint, she took it and started working.

She sat Henry back on the chair and looked at his wound through the light offered by the moon outside. “Hey, stop whining like a baby,” she snapped at him. He was groaning and trying to shake her hands away. She slapped that hand and worked with his shirt until it was torn in half. Just like what they did in the emergency room.

“Why do you have to cut it? Are you crazy? I don’t have a spare shirt!”

She just looked at him and said, “Are you the doctor here?”

 “Where have you two been and why are you—oh my God, you’re shot?” Cassandra asked when she came back, her face horrified when she saw Henry’s wound.

“Yes, he is. Now, stop asking questions,” Angelica told her, taking the towels from her hand.

“What the hell, this is really crazy!”

“Yeah, that’s the first thing that came to my mind when I found out,” Angelica said sarcastically, Henry being an agent in her mind.

“Found out what?”

“Cass, please, no questions.” She didn’t want to drag her friends into her mess.

“Okay, okay,” Cassandra placed the basin on the nearest table and went to where the switches for the lights were. “How can you work with that wound if the lights are out?” she asked, about to raise her hand to turn on the switch.

“No!” Angelica and Henry cried in unison

“No lights,” Henry ordered.

“Yes, no lights, Cass,” Angelica agreed.

“This is really getting creepy, you know that?”

“Tell me about it,” Angelica said, rolling her eyes, going back on working with Henry’s wound.

“Since you two are not so glad to talk about what’s been going on, I think I’d go back to my task. Just call me when you need something.”

“Thanks, Cass,” Angelica said gratefully.

“Thank you,” Henry was able to utter through clenched teeth. “Means a lot,” and Angelica saw him give Cassandra a wink.

“What was that about?”

“It’s nothing, I was trying to provoke her,” he said nonchalantly.

“Shut up now please. It’s already hard to work without the lights on.”

  *****

“Hey,” Angelica peeked through Cassandra’s bedroom doorway and saw that she was packing. “You’re leaving?”

Cassandra did not answer. “You need fresh clothes? I have some in my closet if you want. You look like hell, Ange.” She knew Cassandra was trying to change the subject.

“Did you and Philip fight? Why are you here?” Angelica entered the room.

“Something like that,” Cassandra answered. “So, fresh clothes?”

Angelica nodded, deep in thought. Actually, she was shocked. She never thought the couple would end up fighting that soon. They seemed happy the last time she saw them.

 “Hey, are you okay?” Angelica asked with concern as she looked at Cassandra picking out clothes inside her closet.

“No, no, I’m not,” her friend answered truthfully and sniffed, grabbing a white shirt and a pair of pants. “Do you need some socks or something?”

“Cass, what’s going on with Philip? I can’t believe you’re actually crying right now.” She had thought all along that Cassandra and she was too much alike when it came to being stalwarts with their emotions. And now, seeing her crying made her even more curious.

“I’m not crying.”

“Yes you are,” Angelica insisted, grabbing Cassandra by the shoulder and turned her around to face her. “Yes you definitely are.”

“He served me with divorce papers,” she finally blurted out, and the moment she did, the tears rolled down. Angelica couldn’t believe her ears. Did some freaking ultrasonic wave interrupted the real message that was supposed to be delivered into her brain that she heard wrong?

“He what?” she asked to make sure.

“He served me with divorce papers. You’re not deaf, are you?” Cassandra pushed the shirt towards her and walked out from the closet.

“Why the hell would he do that?” That stupid Philip would let his wife walk away?

“It’s a long story and I don’t want to talk about it,” Cassandra replied and sat on the bed.

Angelica walked towards her with a frown, “You weren’t stupid to sign them, were you?”

“Of course I didn’t sign them.” Good, because she would have slapped her if she did.

“Then what did you do?”

“I tore them up and made a collage out of them.”

 Angelica laughed. “You did what?”

“And now I think he’s angry and any time soon, I expect he’ll deliver me another set of papers, probably tear-free.”

“That’s why you’re running away,” Angelica pointed out, looking at her suitcase.

“Whatever the hell it means, I have to go. I just need to think and be away for now.”

“Where will you go?”

“Somewhere,” Cassandra shrugged. The two of them were silent for a while, and then Cassandra smiled. “I guess you will get your chance when I get to sign those papers.”

“Oh, don’t be stupid,” Angelica huffed. She pointed at the door with her thumb. “That guy out there whimpering in pain is my new target.” Well, it was kind of true. But then she remembered he specifically told her that there should be no chasing for more than sex.

“Uh, I hope he’s not a target for you to shoot. You didn’t shoot him, right?”

“Of course I didn’t! But I would not hesitate shooting him again if it means saving his life,” Angelica said seriously.

 “You’re not in grave danger, are you?”

“Huh, well, not when you think to the extreme,” Angelica said, taking a step towards the bathroom. “When it’s all over, I’m going to tell you all about it. But you better be around when I do that. You have to get back soon, Cass. You have to fight.” She said it strongly and seriously.

Cassandra sighed and nodded.

As Angelica took a warm shower inside Cassandra’s bathroom, she was deep in thought. She envied the lady for being truthful and honest enough to admit that she needed to get away. A big part of her wanted to do just that—to go away from all the danger and the mysteries that were surrounding her. She wanted to just grab Henry’s hand and make him go with her wherever fate would take them.

She desperately wanted that to happen that it made her smile.

When she got out of the shower, she told him to get some sleep but he said they shouldn’t and that they had to go back home in a few hours.

“My superior called while you were in the shower and said they got the five Russians in custody. So, I guess we’re safe to go home now,” he said. The thought of running away crossed her mind again, but she just nodded.

She borrowed one of Cassandra’s baggy shirts and put it on him before he walked out the door naked.

“What time are you flying away?” she asked her friend a while later outside the door.

“Eight,” Cassandra said with a sad smile.

Angelica just nodded and turned towards Henry who was already seated in the passenger seat. She gave Cassandra a hug—a thing she didn’t usually do—and left.

In the car, she grabbed her phone and dialed Philip’s number. She watched Cassandra get inside her house as she waited for the call to connect.

“Hello?” he asked, his voice sounding tired.

“You moron!” She saw Henry’s startled gaze beside her when she suddenly burst out the words in anger. “Your wife is going to fly out to nowhere and you’re still home? She’s leaving at eight for the airport so you better get your ass out of that house or I’ll come chasing you around again,” she said breathlessly and then clicked off, not giving Philip the time to answer.

Henry was looking at her with shock when she placed her phone back on the dashboard and started the car. “What was that about? Was that Philip?”

“Yes. Cass is going to go away and I thought he should know.”

Henry just nodded.

“And so are we,” she stated, a grin creeping up her face.

“What?” he asked.

“We’re going to go away.”

The seconds dragged long before he finally got what she meant. “Angelica Dalton, you are not…”

“Yes, I am, Henry Bell,” she mocked him and added, “We’re gonna go away.” She stepped on the gas and started driving. Good thing she was behind the wheels.