Chapter 29

Jerlyn looked ready to burst into tears, and even Mabel was a little sad-looking. Frankly, they looked like a pair of kids that were going to be sent away for something bad they did and in the middle of the busy airport, they really pulled that look off.

Except for the fact that they were grown up adults.

“Don’t give me that expression, you’ll make me cry too!” I exclaimed, rushing to claim both of them in my embrace. Sending them away made me feel a little sad, and I knew I would miss them when they were gone. But they had dabbled their hands in my large-scale complicated con for too long, and it was time for them to leave before they got into too much danger.

“I can’t help thinking that you’re pulling us out because of Dory!” Jerlyn expressed, and on cue, the tears began rolling down her cheeks.

“No, it’s not because of him, sweetie. Dorian rebelled against me because he wasn’t loyal enough. I’m better off without him, and it’s none of your fault, alright? You girls were doing what you were supposed to do, and you did it perfectly. Now it’s time for you to leave New York before things get worse.” I hugged her tighter, as if that was going to help with her tears. I knew Mabel would have a way of calming Jerlyn down, but it probably wouldn’t help if Mabel was looking… well, as full of tears as her soul-sister.

“We understand…” Mabel put in softly. “But we are truly sorry for what happened to Dorian. This wouldn’t have happened if we watched him more tightly. We just wanted to help you with Hayden.”

I drew from their embrace before I got too teary-eyed too. Ever since touching down on NYC, I have done pretty much nothing but cry. It was time to stop the tears and be the woman I’m supposed to be –and that meant no more crying like a baby.

“And the two of you have helped me more than you know. I should be the one apologizing to you. It’s my fault that Tyler sent you girls here to be caught up in such a dangerous con. It’s all I can do to have the two of you far away from NYC before I move on to my next phase of the plan.” I explained again, and while Mabel nodded with sad understanding, Jerlyn refused to listen as she cried louder.

Hayden began to look around wildly as Jerlyn began to attract more attention, as if desperate to be away from this teary scene.

“I’m so sorry for screwing up! Don’t send me away! I'll do better next time!” Jerlyn wailed as Mabel –somewhat comically –tried to stop her by placing a hand over the open mouth of her soul sister.

“It’s okay, Jerlyn. You didn’t screw up. You were great. But you need to go because it’s dangerous for you here, alright?” I urged quickly, but she didn’t seem to hear me as she continued wailing. Hayden attempted to walk away, pretending to not know the crying girl who was attracting the crowd, but I pulled him back and forced him standing beside me.

Without warning, Jerlyn broke free from her soul sister and pounced on me, latching on to me fiercely while I tried to pull her off me. I thought it was just her childishness on the move, until she whispered in my ear.

“FBI are on you, Hays. Get out of here in the crowd.” She hissed quietly, and continued her fuss which was beginning to attract quite a crowd. I had come to the airport to send the girls off –as Hayley Seyfried –and while I hadn’t really expected FBI to be tracking on me so early on in the case, what shocked me was the fact that I hadn’t noticed.

Maybe I was really losing my skills.

Mabel must have whispered the same thing to Hayden, because my brother shared a quick look with me. Being a CI for the White Collar Division, Hayden had the rights to be anywhere, but the same couldn’t be said for his Seyfried sister. I gave the girls a quick kiss on their cheeks and waited till the crowd got too thick before slipping away.

Three hours later, I was in the office typing out a report on the sighting of Hayley Seyfried in the airport, biting back a large yawn. After Agent Clarke’s forced leave of absence, I had been assigned to take his office and table temporarily, considering the fact that I was now the lead investigator of the long chain of cases that has shifted attention of the FBI from Dorian Renay to Hayley Seyfried. I was doing a fine job throwing attention away from the existence of Jerlyn and Mabel in NYC, and was still congratulating myself silently when a knock on the door jolted me out of my mundane reporting.

On my invitation, Barrett walked into the office. There is something about that emotionless slate that I’ve come to be wary of, but I pretend to be unfazed as I stood up to receive him in the office.

“Hard at work, Francis?” He grunted in greeting, and where I would have just demanded for him to get to the point, I saw wise ways in just going with the flow.

“This is a case on Hayley Seyfried, sir. You probably won’t find harder work than this.” I replied in an even tone, watching as a knowing smile came to his lips. Boy, Barrett must have seen agents come and go dealing with my cons, haven’t he?

“I’ve seen tons of agents attempt to reopen cases on Hayley that have been closed previously, Francis. Almost all of them failed to do anything about her. Trust me when I say I know how hard it is for agents trying to do anything about Hayley Seyfried.” Barrett spoke seriously, as if he were imparting important advice –which would have been useful if I really was looking out for Hayley.

“‘Almost all’? You mean that there was someone who broke through Hayley’s con, sir?” I asked, letting my curiosity show. Who in the FBI could have possibly broken through my cases without the help from any cons?

“If you really want to ask for advice, you’d do better asking Clarke. That boy is really a potential, but what’s pulling him down is his attachment to Seyfried. I understand that his close relationship with Seyfried is what helps him, but he goes too far to protect just a CI. Clarke is really obsessed with the family.” Barrett commented with a slightly disdainful look, and while it wasn’t in any position of mine to say anything, I felt the pure instincts to put in my own comments.

“In all due respect, sir, I really admire the way Clarke treats Seyfried. Seyfried is just like his sister –edgy. But Clarke really controls him well.”

Barrett nods understandingly, taking a seat across me at the desk and motioning for me to sit back down.

“Yes, but I hope you understand that the number 1 thing that Seyfrieds are good at is running. Clarke may control Seyfried well now, but when the time comes, Seyfried will run away from his grasp. When that happens, Francis, I need you to capture him and put him back in place.” Barrett continued, a twinkle in his eye as if he shared some sort of secret with me… and I don’t know which one he was trying to hint at.

“I don’t understand what you are implying, sir.” I replied honestly, and I guess Barrett is a man who likes honesty.

“Clarke told me about your expressed desire to hold the reigns over Seyfried… and the relationship between you and Seyfried. Now, before you protest, I will tell you that while I discourage office relationships, your relationship with Seyfried will only work in the Bureau’s favor, and thus my lack of action against it.” Barrett explained, and though I hadn’t been intending to protest, I pretended to have intended for it.

For the effect, I let a blush rise to the surface, letting him see me fidget with my fingers a little.

“I do not wish for my relationship with Seyfried to affect my work, sir.” I said, pretending to sound like a career-orientated woman. The heaviness of Hayden’s contract with the Bureau laid on this man, and if I could convince him that Hayden was better with me… then I would have hit jackpot.

“Clarke saved you this time. We were looking into your progress on the case, especially after Clarke’s injury, and your name connected to the Seyfrieds a few times. Had Clarke not told us of your involvement with Seyfried, then you would have been taken in for questioning. He seemed to express concern for you. I understand that… Hayley Seyfried wants to claim her brother back, and you are trying to stop her?” Barrett wrinkled his nose a little, and I took it as his small gesture to express dislike over the idea.

“I have to, sir. Seyfried means the world to me. I will protect him from his sister.” I declared, and Barrett seemed a little disturbed by that.

“I will not question your motivations, Francis. But you understand that Hayley Seyfried works through ways that no one predicts. Before you know it, your man will be running away from NYC. Will you pull him forcefully back into the Bureau and stop him from doing anything stupid? Seyfried brought us quite a bit of trouble when Clarke fought to keep him, but he has offered more help than trouble.”

I saw my glimmer of hope immediately. If I could convince Barrett that he could trust me to keep Hayden in the Bureau, loyal to the laws, then I probably wouldn’t have to risk so much. I could just get Hayden’s contract, burn it to pieces, and go running.

“In all due respect, sir, all I want is to keep Seyfried safe, and he is only safe with us. Out in the con world, god knows what will happen to him.” I explained, praying my apology to my dead parents. I hoped they understood that my words were only for an FBI agent.

“I’m glad you see things the way I do, Francis. I’ll give your request to have rights of Seyfried serious thought, but I cannot guarantee that the management above us will be happy about it. I’ll try my best, so make sure you do too.” Barrett stood up from the seat, signaling the end of our short conversation and backed out of the office as quickly as he’d come in.

As soon as the door was closed, I picked up my phone and dialed a number.

“Rainer Clarke.” A tired voice answered the phone, but I wagered there was more boredom than actual lethargy there. I’d gone through the same experience of recuperating from a gunshot wound, so I knew exactly how boring it could be while you were stuck at home, unable to do anything. The only difference was that Rainer probably didn’t have the entertainment like I had –in the form of a still-healthy Jeremy.

“Barrett just talked to me. You told him about me and Hayden?” I asked, faking unhappiness.

“Um…” There was hesitation, as if he’d been caught red-handed with his hand down the cookie jar.

“You won’t believe what just happened. He’s going to consider passing Hayden to me! You don’t know how much I love you right now!” I exclaimed joyfully, doing my best to keep my voice low since the walls of the bureau wasn’t so thick. I could never be sure if there were any security cameras or microphones hanging around in any corner of the office.

“Um… Thanks…” The uncomfortable Rainer rose to the surface again, but I was too happy to care. This was my chance, my long awaited chance. Things were going smooth –after the topsy-turvy start. All I had to do was to pursue everything that I’d been doing so far, and up it one more notch. I needed to do something about Rainer. And Neal.

“How about a treat? I’ve got to thank you for this.” I proposed in my no-nonsense voice, and Rainer knew better than to argue against it over the phone.

“I’m supposed to be recuperating at home…”

“I’ll drop by your place with the ingredients.” I cut him short before he could think of more protests.

“You don’t know my address, do you?” He asked skeptically, but I only laughed.

Oh, things were finally starting to get better. NYC had given me nothing but pouring rain so far, but for the first time, I was seeing the first ray of sunlight. Things were finally shining on me.

The White Collar Paradise was back for me.

“I’m an ex-con and girlfriend to a Seyfried, Rainer. I know your address.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

He put down the phone with a helpless expression after staring at it for a long time, wondering if he truly was feeling the emotions that rushed through him. He hated himself for feeling such strong emotions, and tried to convince himself that he was just concerned.

But he couldn’t ignore the fact that his smile got wider with her, his heart a little warmer when he was with her. She reminded him of his brother, and gave him a feeling of warmth that only his brother had given him before.

“You know, phone cradles were invented for the purpose of holding a phone when they are not in use.” The voice that spoke suddenly in the silence jolted him, and he jumped, turning to see his brother watching him with an amused expression written upon his face.

Ever since he’d been pulled off the case and discharged, his brother had announced that he would be working his cases at home and not attend court until he was done healing from the bullet wound. He had tried to insist against it, but Nick had been adamant in staying until he was fully recovered, so there was nothing he could do about it.

“I’ve just got a shot close to my heart, Nick. I don’t want a heart attack doing me in.” He scolded, trying to hide his blush as he spun his back on his wheelchair-bound brother. He heard the chuckles of his brother while the man grabbed something from the refrigerator, and silently hoped that he could make his brother shut up.

“Well, if you weren’t making lovey-dovey gazes to the phone, then maybe you would have heard me opening the door.” Nick reasoned and he heard the soft rolling of wheels towards the counter where Nick poured a good measure of ice cold water. Where people had their rejuvenating juices in coffee or Red Bulls, Nick had his rejuvenating juice in ice cold water.

“I was trying to enjoy a moment’s worth of personal silence.” He tried to cover up the fact that he’d been spacing out, taming down his wild blush quickly. He shouldn’t have thought about her while standing in the kitchen. He had tried his best to confine such thoughts of her while he was safely alone and undisturbed, but recently his mind had been drifting.

It did not help that he had been left to his own devices ever since he was pulled off the case on mandatory leave. Rainer had never suffered such heavy injuries before, and had never been forced to take leave before. Without work, Rainer officially had no life.

He wasn’t even sure how he’d survived the past week. He distantly remembered himself starting by watching crime shows, before the familiarity of the work got to him, and he couldn’t bear to watch the shows anymore. Comedies, sitcoms and dramas didn’t sit well for him, and he was unamused by variety shows, which left him indefinitely bored as hell.

Determined to cure his addiction to his job, Rainer quickly progressed to reading books, but instantly found himself gravitating towards books of crimes and mystery. He remembered Nick laughing at him before he gave up reading, substituting it quickly for games. It was only all too soon that games grew dull for him, and he often beat the games with his higher instincts and faster thoughts.

With every form of entertainment wearing out on him, Rainer hadn’t been sure what could possibly entertain the remaining three weeks of his month-long mandated leave of absence.

Until he received a call from work, asking him why he hadn’t been watching his agent Annabel Francis well, and having her name appearing in some Seyfried’s problems. Unable to help her lie, Rainer had ended up confessing to his superior about Anna’s and Hayden’s relationship, and how deep she was tied with her boyfriend. It definitely gave Barrett something to lecture him about, but he had been relieved that he had saved Annabel from a whole load of administrative problems.

When he received the call from Annabel, he had been convinced that the woman would hate him for not upholding his promise of keeping their relationship under wraps. While it was generally known in their small team, the other agents in the office hadn’t been aware of the relationship between Annabel and Hayden, and Rainer had unwittingly promised the couple to help them keep things under wraps.

Instead, Annabel had been… grateful.

He understood that her joy was speaking for her, but for a moment there, his heart felt something warm that he had never felt before when she declared that she loved him. Even though he knew she loved Hayden with her life, and was willing to put herself in danger for the Seyfried ex-con, Rainer had felt a glimmer of warmth and hope when Annabel declared her ‘love’.

“Silence seems all you have at the moment, Rain. I’m surprised it hasn’t killed you yet. No more video games?” Nick asked, following Rainer as the man retreated quickly to the living area, where everything was kept pristinely neat. Rainer had never really spent much time in this room, but throughout the week, he found he had spent more time on this couch than he did on his own bed.

“I was over that yesterday.” Rainer replied boredly, glad for the temporary company he had in his brother. “Right now, I’m just glad to be talking to someone.”

“Well, you seemed still a stuttering idiot when I came out for a drink. Who was the lucky lady on the phone?” Nick asked with a teasing grin, and he tried not to let his blush show again. Exactly how long had Nick been eavesdropping on him?

“You’re supposed to be a lawyer, not a con anymore. Stop eavesdropping on me.” Rainer scolded quickly, but Nick only laughed at his brother’s weak attempt at bringing the topic away.

“I wasn’t intending to, but it’s pin-drop silence outside here. Even if you were whispering, I would have heard you. Who’s coming over?” Nick ventured further, and he sighed. There was nothing that could ever escape Nick’s observant mind, was there? It was something about cons that Rainer grudgingly admired.

“Annabel Francis called to thank me for spilling the beans about her and Hayden to Barrett.” He finally admitted and Nick’s baby blue eyes widened,

“You mean Agent Francis, the woman protecting Hayden Seyfried from Hayley?” Nick confirmed, and though it struck him weird that Nick would confirm anything (considering the man had an almost photographic memory), he shrugged it off quickly and nodded in confirmation.

“She’s coming over?” Nick asked again, eyes still wide. FBI instincts began to ring bells as he watched his brother carefully. There was just something about Nick’s reaction that didn’t sit with him. For a man who had only known Annabel through all that he told his brother about her, Nick was awfully reactive at her imminent arrival.

“You sound a little too nervous, Nick.” He observed, and his brother –true to a con –composed himself quickly.

“This is a woman who has dealt with Hayden, tamed that dragon, and is taking on Hayley like she’s a champion. It would be easy to say I’m impressed greatly by this Annabel.” Nick recovered quickly, and despite everything, he knew Nick would be able to weave up a lie to trick him if he asked more.

“Well, you can show her the extent of your fan-dom when she drops by for dinner.” He baited more, and for the first time, he saw his brother rise to the hook as Nick’s eyes widened even more.

“She’s coming over for dinner?” Nick’s voice was a hoarse whisper now, and the alarm bells literally clanged. There was something between Nick and Annabel –there was no doubting it.

“She wanted to thank me, and since I’m recuperating, she’s making dinner.” He provided, suddenly glad that the woman was coming over –because he would finally see what made his brother so unnerved. He would get to the bottom of this.

“Well, that’s nice… I… uh… have stuff to do.” Nick drew a hasty, lousy retreat, and even Rainer knew it as he watched his brother hide quickly back in his room. Nick had never been so unsure before since he knew this brother from seven years ago. Something about this Annabel Francis was making everyone he knew different people.

This Annabel was a special one. For some reasons, she had the ability to change the people around him.

Or maybe…

She had changed him?