acknowledged the ocean at her left or the majestic forests on her right. She passed through crowded thoroughfares and quiet tree-lined streets—none of which made it past her mental gatekeeper. Instead she’d focused on the jumbled pictures in her ever busy mind. Unlike Master Wan and Jake, she’d never mastered the centered peacefulness of meditation. ‘Quiet mind’ as the experts called it eluded her. She’d tried over the years, but sitting quietly allowing her raging thoughts and fears to fade away into ‘nothingness’ was beyond her. Running for endless miles or beating a bag were her drugs of choice for maintaining her sanity.
She wondered if Tiffany could meditate. She sneered. Of course Tiffany could. She’d probably written the seminal book on the benefits of transcendental meditation for special operative bad boys. With her picture on the book jacket, no less. Probably with the buttons on her USC uniform casually unbuttoned to show off her impressive torso. Lexie managed a grim smile at the idea of a semi-naked Tiffany on an ‘academic’ book cover that was required reading for special ops wannabes. If nothing else it would occupy a critical place under their mattresses instead of the ubiquitous Hustler or Playboy magazines.
Lexie was self-aware enough to know that focusing on Tiffany was her way of protecting herself from the agony of the murdered girls. The girls’ deaths and her indirect role in the hideous murders had rocked her to her core. Tiffany’s arrival was just one more reminder of what they were up against. Solving the murders and bringing down Mr. E . would require the best of their ace team. A team Lexie wasn’t sure would work for her. Whether she could fit. Working with two, no, with Peter make that three, hard-assed military hotshots who worked together like a well-oiled machine was challenging enough. Now add one more crack military undercover dynamo who also happened to be gorgeous and it was even less likely Lexie would fit in. Oh and don’t forget, that the new ‘guy’ on the squad was a renowned martial artist maybe as good as—or better than—Lexie.
Fuck. What she wanted to do was hit the streets. Meet with her snitches. Wear one of her ‘street’ costumes that allowed her entry into any brothel in the District. Sure it was dangerous. But what wasn’t? She knew the streets would be buzzing with chatter about the murders. A night of prowling the District in one of her many disguises and meeting up with some of her sources was sure to pay off. As it was, she’d put out the word that she’d pay top dollar for any information about the scum who’d killed the girls. But to get the information she paid for, she needed to be on site. No one would come to her. That truly was dangerous, for them and for her. No, she needed to meet the shadowy figures on their turf. She hadn’t told Jake what she’d done, of course. But then when had she had the time? Her ‘team’ had spent most of the afternoon briefing Tiffany. A task she reminded herself with a shiver of guilt, she’d refused to participate in.
~~~
It was dark when she reached the Jai Li Center. Master Wan’s study door was closed. Lexie quieted her footsteps thinking that if the gods were with her, her sensei and Jake were enjoying one of their after dinner cognacs. The two most important men in her life had become close friends. Jake’s father had been an Army Colonel and was killed in an overseas clandestine mission when Jake was just a teenager. In the last year, the solemn Chinese man became more than a father figure for Jake, he became a trusted confidant. Just as Jake revered the wise elderly man, Master Wan respected the accomplished hero who’d begun to fill the empty hole in the household left by Anthony’s death. Moreover, Master Wan made no secret of his delight that someone as strong as Jake had fallen for the feisty, headstrong young woman Master Wan called his ‘spirit daughter.’
Lexie opened
She wondered if Tiffany could meditate. She sneered. Of course Tiffany could. She’d probably written the seminal book on the benefits of transcendental meditation for special operative bad boys. With her picture on the book jacket, no less. Probably with the buttons on her USC uniform casually unbuttoned to show off her impressive torso. Lexie managed a grim smile at the idea of a semi-naked Tiffany on an ‘academic’ book cover that was required reading for special ops wannabes. If nothing else it would occupy a critical place under their mattresses instead of the ubiquitous Hustler or Playboy magazines.
Lexie was self-aware enough to know that focusing on Tiffany was her way of protecting herself from the agony of the murdered girls. The girls’ deaths and her indirect role in the hideous murders had rocked her to her core. Tiffany’s arrival was just one more reminder of what they were up against. Solving the murders and bringing down Mr. E . would require the best of their ace team. A team Lexie wasn’t sure would work for her. Whether she could fit. Working with two, no, with Peter make that three, hard-assed military hotshots who worked together like a well-oiled machine was challenging enough. Now add one more crack military undercover dynamo who also happened to be gorgeous and it was even less likely Lexie would fit in. Oh and don’t forget, that the new ‘guy’ on the squad was a renowned martial artist maybe as good as—or better than—Lexie.
Fuck. What she wanted to do was hit the streets. Meet with her snitches. Wear one of her ‘street’ costumes that allowed her entry into any brothel in the District. Sure it was dangerous. But what wasn’t? She knew the streets would be buzzing with chatter about the murders. A night of prowling the District in one of her many disguises and meeting up with some of her sources was sure to pay off. As it was, she’d put out the word that she’d pay top dollar for any information about the scum who’d killed the girls. But to get the information she paid for, she needed to be on site. No one would come to her. That truly was dangerous, for them and for her. No, she needed to meet the shadowy figures on their turf. She hadn’t told Jake what she’d done, of course. But then when had she had the time? Her ‘team’ had spent most of the afternoon briefing Tiffany. A task she reminded herself with a shiver of guilt, she’d refused to participate in.
~~~
It was dark when she reached the Jai Li Center. Master Wan’s study door was closed. Lexie quieted her footsteps thinking that if the gods were with her, her sensei and Jake were enjoying one of their after dinner cognacs. The two most important men in her life had become close friends. Jake’s father had been an Army Colonel and was killed in an overseas clandestine mission when Jake was just a teenager. In the last year, the solemn Chinese man became more than a father figure for Jake, he became a trusted confidant. Just as Jake revered the wise elderly man, Master Wan respected the accomplished hero who’d begun to fill the empty hole in the household left by Anthony’s death. Moreover, Master Wan made no secret of his delight that someone as strong as Jake had fallen for the feisty, headstrong young woman Master Wan called his ‘spirit daughter.’
Lexie opened
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