NCIS Fic: Paris to Serbia (Ch. 5)
Series: Paris to Serbia
Chapter 5: M-5
Author: vegawriters
Pairing: Jenny/Jethro
Timeframe: Pre-Series
Rating: Mature
A/N: I’ve always had a problem with the idea that Jenny rose to her position in NCIS so quickly. So this series gives some history not only to Gibbs and Shepard, but also to Jenny’s past and where her skills lie.
Disclaimer: I keep falling in love with beautiful characters already written by other people. If CBS is looking for a young, up and coming writer who will devote herself wholeheartedly to the process, I’m the right girl. Otherwise, I make no money from this. NCIS, Jenny, Gibbs, and the team belong to other people. I’m just walking with them for a while.
Summary: She paused again, remembering. Salvo’s hands on her. The other man in the room. The locked doors. The drugs in the wine. The safe she’d cracked while he slept.
The applause in the M-5 office made Jenny blush. Over the course of the cruise, she and Jethro had infiltrated an entire operation, set the ground work to take down cells in France and Serbia, and isolated how money was flowing from Russia through Europe and into Pakistan and Afghanistan.
And all she’d had to do was give up a couple of nights of pillow talk. She was also planning the hottest shower of her life and possibly checking for crabs when she finally got some alone time. Salvo was disgusting and his partner had been worse. She felt bad. She hadn’t let Jethro touch her since her first night with Salvo but she had to stay in her headspace. Now though, she needed to shake it. The scope of the mission was changing and she needed to focus. But her hands were shaking and she had to force each step to make it look like she was holding herself together.
Tea and crackers waited for them in the conference room. Jenny collapsed into the padded leather chair, staring blankly at the refreshments. Her stomach churned at the thought of eating. Suddenly, the reality of where they were and what they were doing started to sink in. This was real. Next came deeper cover, new papers, and the next step of infiltration. Suddenly she doubted her ability to handle what was before them.
Hands landed on her shoulders and she glanced up, her heart racing, her body on alert to attack. But gentle blue eyes stared down at her. Jethro was concerned. She tried to smile, but with the pressure suddenly off, her emotions took over and the reality of what she’d done to get the intel hit her.
She was new to this part of the work. She was good at it, hell she’d been recruited for it before they’d found out her skills at translating, but with this op she’d jumped into the deep end and landed right on top of a shark. In the water, Jethro was her safety cage and right now, she needed him.
Somehow, he understood and as she leapt from the chair, he was ready for her. Arms she’d fallen asleep in now wrapped tightly around her and she clung, her face in his chest, inhaling the ever presence scent of sawdust and male musk. “It’s okay, Jen,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.” She couldn’t speak, couldn’t reassure him. She just burrowed into him, letting him be her stability. The more she tried to control her shaking, the worse it became.
The door opened and out of the corner of her eye she saw Decker step in and clear his throat. Jenny didn’t even pull back and when Jethro’s voice rumbled through her. “Give us a minute, Will.”
“Yup.” The door shut and she clung tighter.
“Shhh,” Jethro stroked his hand down her back. “Shhh. Take your time.”
Jenny started to cry.
* * *
When she woke, it was dark outside. The debrief had gone for hours, long enough that it was decided new orders would come in the morning.
The suite had a pull-out bed in addition to the separate bedroom. Jethro had guided her to the bed, helped her undress, and left her to sleep. Somewhere during her nap, he’d come back in and pulled a clean pair of sleeping shorts and a fresh tank top out of her suitcase. He’d also left clean underwear, which for some reason embarrassed her. They’d already seen each other in almost every possible state, but that was as Matt and Kitty. As Jenny, it was slightly different. She wanted to court him, to tease and play. Whatever was between them already felt tainted. But she pulled on the clothes and ran a hand through her sleep rumpled hair as she made her way back into the living area. She found Jethro sitting at the simple, cheap hotel desk, working his way through a pile of photographs.
He’d changed into a pair of jeans and was wearing just a plain white t-shirt. Ever a marine. She wanted to walk up and put her arms around him, but suddenly she was scared. They hadn’t been just them since before the cruise. Now, for a little while, they were just partners again. Right?
“Hey,” his voice broke the silence. “You sleep okay?”
“Yeah. Passed out, actually. What time is it?”
“Around ten.” He looked over at her and offered a smile that promised her a future she was suddenly terrified of. “There’s some food on the tray by the door.”
“Thanks.” She moved over to the room service tray, grabbed half a sandwich, and curled into a ball on the couch. The bread was dry, the meat salty. “What are you working on?”
“Signals.” He walked to her and showed her the photographs. On the bottoms of each were a series of what looked like dates, but the numbers were all in chronological order.
“These are coordinates,” she said, quickly putting the patterns together.
“Yes. Where we will be.”
“I didn’t think that was set yet.”
“Some things are. These are safe house coordinates in case something goes wrong.”
“Ahh.” Suddenly she wasn’t hungry. She didn’t want to think of something going wrong. Putting the sandwich aside she decided to focus on the specifics of the moment even though she didn’t want to participate in the process he’d already started.
“Hey,” he said again.
She focused on him.
“Now is your chance to talk, Jenny. It’s just us. We’re safe here.” She froze. Safe was a word she was starting to mistrust. He set the photographs aside, sat on the couch with her, and took her hand. “Jenny.”
The touch helped but she still couldn’t look at him while trying to put her thoughts in order. Would it be a good idea to tell Jethro about the other man? In the debrief, she’d mentioned Salvo’s partner, a runner she actually recognized from Benoit’s group of cronies, but she hadn’t given the whole story. He’d been someone who came into the room after Salvo was done with her, when she was no longer a threat. She hadn’t mentioned that she’d been given to the partner as a gift for the information he provided. A long, slow breath escaped her lungs and Jenny blinked a couple of quick tears away, reminding herself she was a trained operative. She could have pushed him away but FLETC enforced that everything was done for the sake of the mission. Everything. It had worked in her favor. Because she’d been their willing whore, they’d stupidly talked plans while she was in the room. After all, Salvo had asked once his friend was done and she was lounging on the bed and they were both molesting her, how could a stupid American girl know Russian?
“I just … I didn’t expect this. Even working the desk, knowing the realities of what the undercover agents do, I didn’t think it would be like this. It’s different when it’s … real. Not just a story on paper.”
“Were you forced?”
Slowly, she shook her head. The truth was she hadn’t been, even if she still felt dirty. “No. It wasn’t pleasant, but I wasn’t forced. I just didn’t expect it to unfold like it did. I feel like it was a newbie mistake, like I could have retrieved the information without sleeping with him.”
“Could you have?”
She paused again, remembering. Salvo’s hands on her. The other man in the room. The locked doors. The drugs in the wine. The safe she’d cracked while he slept. “No. He …” she swallowed. “They only assumed I was just your bimbo. They talked like I wasn’t in the room, like I was just naked and oversexed. Without that, I couldn’t have gathered what I did.”
She saw his jaw clench as he put together what she hadn’t said. But his hand reached out and stroked hers. “You did good, Jen.”
Another breath escaped her. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. “Have you ever slept with someone to get information?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “And some were even married to me.”
The joke broke the tension and she started to chuckle. “Cute.”
He grinned and leaned back in the cushions. His arm went across the back of the couch, giving her an opening if she wanted to cuddle. She did.
“Do we have to talk about the case?” Her voice felt small.
“Nope.”
“Good. Tell me something you’ve done. Anything.” She was exhausted and just wanted to listen to his voice.
“I’m not so good at that, Jenny.”
“Anything, Jethro.”
He started to talk. Somewhere in her increasing haze she registered the words beach, Mexico, and horses. She fell asleep with his arm around her and his voice acting as a lullaby. She dreamed of riding Arabians down the beach and making love to him under the stars while the waves crashed against the shore.
***
She woke tucked into the couch, covered in a warm blanket. From the bedroom, she heard light snoring. Moving slowly, still groggy, Jenny pushed off the couch and went to peek. Jethro was sprawled on the bed, dressed only in boxers and that same white t-shirt. Her eyes raked over his form, from the salt and pepper hair to his muscled arms to the slight bulge that signified his morning erection. She grinned playfully, finally feeling the last of Kitty’s headspace fall away as she remembered exactly what he looked like naked. Yes, she knew Kitty would have to return, but for now she was safe as Jenny.
It had all happened so fast. From her desk in DC interpreting terrorist cables to his home in California to shopping in New York to seducing Salvo on the boat to getting the intel they needed. Two weeks ago she’d been in a back booth at Capitol Beat, hitting on Congressman Jones. Now she was in a safe house in England. And she was having the time of her life.
Temptation dared her to crawl into bed with Jethro, push her hands up under his shit, and connect to him as just them. Logic drove her to grab clothing from the suitcase and move past him into the bathroom and shower. They had a job to do and if whatever was between them was to develop beyond this op, it couldn’t all be physical.
Even though all she wanted was for him to step into the shower behind her and make love to her until the water ran cold.
The shower washed away the rest of the cruise. She shed Salvo’s hands and the way the other man had held her down and enjoyed her struggling. Stepping from the shower, she wrapped in the warm towel, let her hair drip down her back, and began her morning routine. In the bedroom, Jethro was stirring but she kept herself focused on getting ready for the day. Black pants, a white button down, a conservative bra and panty set, a simple gold necklace, low heels, her hair up in a ponytail, neutral makeup. When she stepped out of the bathroom, he grinned at her and slipped inside.
Alone for a blessed few minutes, she took advantage of the time and pulled out the file she’d brought with her, the one that had nothing to do with the op. A photograph confirmed her suspicions, that the second man was one of Benoit’s men. Quickly, she flipped open the burn phone she’d brought with her and sent a text message to her contact. It went back into her purse, tucked into a tear in the lining.
With a breath, she was fully Jenny again. Behind her, the shower stopped and she imagined Jethro moving around, getting dressing in his usual pants and polo shirt. When he emerged from the bedroom, he was as much business as she was, but there was a playful glint in his eye. For a moment, she wondered just what he’d done in the shower and if he’d been thinking of her while he did it.
“Breakfast? There’s a café downstairs.”
“I’d love it.” She slipped her purse over her shoulder.
He held out a hand and she took it. They walked together down the elegant staircase to the simple café and sat by the window, watching London fly by. A silent server brought tea. She recognized him from M-5 the night before. So, the entire hotel was really a safe house. She let out a low, slow breath and smiled at Jethro.
“Sleep well?” She asked.
“Almost as well as you.”
She chuckled and sipped her tea. “Thank you for last night.”
“They’re proud of you, Jen.” He paused. “I’m proud of you. I’ve forgotten just how green you are. Really, no one would ever know this is your first undercover op.”
“Thank you.” The tea was brewed just how she liked it. The fruit was already sliced. The staff had been waiting for them. Outside on the London streets a man in a black coat paused, looked over his shoulder at the front of the hotel, and then continued on. She watched him until he disappeared into the crowd. “Did you know I puked at my first autopsy? Hell, I’d probably still puke.”
Jethro laughed. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”
“Thanks.” She rolled her eyes. “Did you know that in Mossad they terminate you if you puke at your first autopsy? You have to apply all over again but they won’t select you for field work.”
“I didn’t. How do you know anything about Mossad? No one knows anything about Mossad.”
Jenny sipped her tea. “It’s my job to know things about groups that no one knows anything about. When we’re alone, I’ll tell you all about the CIA”
He grinned playfully. “Where do you want to go with your job at NCIS?”
“The top.”
“Really?”
“So surprising?” She shook her head. It was the nineties and men still had problems with the idea that a woman could run the agency.
“I’m a chauvinist. But, I’m sure you could handle it.”
Jenny grinned. “Well, thank you. And thank you for your honesty.”
Again, she looked out the window. France was so close she could taste it. Rene Benoit was only a few steps away. She had to make contact with her contact today, before they moved forward with their assignment. Somehow, she had to get Jethro to let her out of his sight so she could go shopping. But it was so easy to get lost in his eyes, to forget about her goals to be director and her own desires to see Benoit strung up by the short hairs. But she couldn’t risk it, not as much as she wanted to.
Food appeared before them. Toast and eggs, just how she liked them. They ate in comfortable silence until someone appeared at the table. Decker pulled up a chair and grinned. “Hey guys. Sleep well?” He waggled his eyebrows. Jenny kicked him under the table. It was one thing to ogle Kitty and Matthew but she and Jethro were a different matter.
“Yes we did, Will.” Jethro muttered around his toast and eggs. “How’s your girlfriend?”
“Cindy’s cool. She’s glad I’m back in town.”
“I’ll bet.”
Jenny let them talk, fading away as she stared out the window. There was a bench with a low planter next to it. The man in the black coat had stopped there. Her eyes zeroed in on the planter, knowing full well there was information for her. She had to get to it, to get out on her own for just a couple of hours.
“When are we due back at M-5?” She asked as the men hit a lull in their conversation. Her heart was pounding, her palms sweaty, but she had to do this. This was real. It wasn’t just out there as an abstract plan anymore.
“After lunch. They wanted to give you guys some recovery time and to give the director time to finalize a couple of things based on the intel you provided yesterday.”
“Good.” Jenny popped her neck. “Because my suitcase is full of slutty clothes picked up just for the cruise; these are the only dress pants I have. I could use a quick shopping trip. So I’ll let you guys catch up.” She stood and walked around to Jethro’s side of the table, leaned over and whispered in his ear. “And maybe,” she teased, her hand resting on his shoulder, “I’ll pick up something just for you.” She felt him bite back his groan and smirked. Good, he was distracted. If he was distracted, he wouldn’t pick up on her other reasons for being so willing to travel to Europe.
“Will,” she smiled warmly, “I’ll see you later.” He nodded. Jethro was still trying to regain his balance. Jenny slipped out of the café and onto the street, making sure she walked past the planter where the man in the black coat had stopped. Pretending to twist her ankle, she went down, catching herself on the rim of the ceramic planter. Just under the lip, covered with a leaf, was a micro disc. Carefully, she righted herself, brushing off the politeness of the Londoners who walked by and wanted to help, and easily slipped the disc into her pocket without being noticed. At the last moment, she turned and looked over her shoulder, back into the restaurant. Will and Jethro still sat, talking, laughing about something. But Jethro’s eyes were watching her. She grinned, letting him know she’d seen him, brushed off the dust on her knee, and made her way toward the shopping district.
TBC …
Chapter 5: M-5
Author: vegawriters
Pairing: Jenny/Jethro
Timeframe: Pre-Series
Rating: Mature
A/N: I’ve always had a problem with the idea that Jenny rose to her position in NCIS so quickly. So this series gives some history not only to Gibbs and Shepard, but also to Jenny’s past and where her skills lie.
Disclaimer: I keep falling in love with beautiful characters already written by other people. If CBS is looking for a young, up and coming writer who will devote herself wholeheartedly to the process, I’m the right girl. Otherwise, I make no money from this. NCIS, Jenny, Gibbs, and the team belong to other people. I’m just walking with them for a while.
Summary: She paused again, remembering. Salvo’s hands on her. The other man in the room. The locked doors. The drugs in the wine. The safe she’d cracked while he slept.
The applause in the M-5 office made Jenny blush. Over the course of the cruise, she and Jethro had infiltrated an entire operation, set the ground work to take down cells in France and Serbia, and isolated how money was flowing from Russia through Europe and into Pakistan and Afghanistan.
And all she’d had to do was give up a couple of nights of pillow talk. She was also planning the hottest shower of her life and possibly checking for crabs when she finally got some alone time. Salvo was disgusting and his partner had been worse. She felt bad. She hadn’t let Jethro touch her since her first night with Salvo but she had to stay in her headspace. Now though, she needed to shake it. The scope of the mission was changing and she needed to focus. But her hands were shaking and she had to force each step to make it look like she was holding herself together.
Tea and crackers waited for them in the conference room. Jenny collapsed into the padded leather chair, staring blankly at the refreshments. Her stomach churned at the thought of eating. Suddenly, the reality of where they were and what they were doing started to sink in. This was real. Next came deeper cover, new papers, and the next step of infiltration. Suddenly she doubted her ability to handle what was before them.
Hands landed on her shoulders and she glanced up, her heart racing, her body on alert to attack. But gentle blue eyes stared down at her. Jethro was concerned. She tried to smile, but with the pressure suddenly off, her emotions took over and the reality of what she’d done to get the intel hit her.
She was new to this part of the work. She was good at it, hell she’d been recruited for it before they’d found out her skills at translating, but with this op she’d jumped into the deep end and landed right on top of a shark. In the water, Jethro was her safety cage and right now, she needed him.
Somehow, he understood and as she leapt from the chair, he was ready for her. Arms she’d fallen asleep in now wrapped tightly around her and she clung, her face in his chest, inhaling the ever presence scent of sawdust and male musk. “It’s okay, Jen,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.” She couldn’t speak, couldn’t reassure him. She just burrowed into him, letting him be her stability. The more she tried to control her shaking, the worse it became.
The door opened and out of the corner of her eye she saw Decker step in and clear his throat. Jenny didn’t even pull back and when Jethro’s voice rumbled through her. “Give us a minute, Will.”
“Yup.” The door shut and she clung tighter.
“Shhh,” Jethro stroked his hand down her back. “Shhh. Take your time.”
Jenny started to cry.
* * *
When she woke, it was dark outside. The debrief had gone for hours, long enough that it was decided new orders would come in the morning.
The suite had a pull-out bed in addition to the separate bedroom. Jethro had guided her to the bed, helped her undress, and left her to sleep. Somewhere during her nap, he’d come back in and pulled a clean pair of sleeping shorts and a fresh tank top out of her suitcase. He’d also left clean underwear, which for some reason embarrassed her. They’d already seen each other in almost every possible state, but that was as Matt and Kitty. As Jenny, it was slightly different. She wanted to court him, to tease and play. Whatever was between them already felt tainted. But she pulled on the clothes and ran a hand through her sleep rumpled hair as she made her way back into the living area. She found Jethro sitting at the simple, cheap hotel desk, working his way through a pile of photographs.
He’d changed into a pair of jeans and was wearing just a plain white t-shirt. Ever a marine. She wanted to walk up and put her arms around him, but suddenly she was scared. They hadn’t been just them since before the cruise. Now, for a little while, they were just partners again. Right?
“Hey,” his voice broke the silence. “You sleep okay?”
“Yeah. Passed out, actually. What time is it?”
“Around ten.” He looked over at her and offered a smile that promised her a future she was suddenly terrified of. “There’s some food on the tray by the door.”
“Thanks.” She moved over to the room service tray, grabbed half a sandwich, and curled into a ball on the couch. The bread was dry, the meat salty. “What are you working on?”
“Signals.” He walked to her and showed her the photographs. On the bottoms of each were a series of what looked like dates, but the numbers were all in chronological order.
“These are coordinates,” she said, quickly putting the patterns together.
“Yes. Where we will be.”
“I didn’t think that was set yet.”
“Some things are. These are safe house coordinates in case something goes wrong.”
“Ahh.” Suddenly she wasn’t hungry. She didn’t want to think of something going wrong. Putting the sandwich aside she decided to focus on the specifics of the moment even though she didn’t want to participate in the process he’d already started.
“Hey,” he said again.
She focused on him.
“Now is your chance to talk, Jenny. It’s just us. We’re safe here.” She froze. Safe was a word she was starting to mistrust. He set the photographs aside, sat on the couch with her, and took her hand. “Jenny.”
The touch helped but she still couldn’t look at him while trying to put her thoughts in order. Would it be a good idea to tell Jethro about the other man? In the debrief, she’d mentioned Salvo’s partner, a runner she actually recognized from Benoit’s group of cronies, but she hadn’t given the whole story. He’d been someone who came into the room after Salvo was done with her, when she was no longer a threat. She hadn’t mentioned that she’d been given to the partner as a gift for the information he provided. A long, slow breath escaped her lungs and Jenny blinked a couple of quick tears away, reminding herself she was a trained operative. She could have pushed him away but FLETC enforced that everything was done for the sake of the mission. Everything. It had worked in her favor. Because she’d been their willing whore, they’d stupidly talked plans while she was in the room. After all, Salvo had asked once his friend was done and she was lounging on the bed and they were both molesting her, how could a stupid American girl know Russian?
“I just … I didn’t expect this. Even working the desk, knowing the realities of what the undercover agents do, I didn’t think it would be like this. It’s different when it’s … real. Not just a story on paper.”
“Were you forced?”
Slowly, she shook her head. The truth was she hadn’t been, even if she still felt dirty. “No. It wasn’t pleasant, but I wasn’t forced. I just didn’t expect it to unfold like it did. I feel like it was a newbie mistake, like I could have retrieved the information without sleeping with him.”
“Could you have?”
She paused again, remembering. Salvo’s hands on her. The other man in the room. The locked doors. The drugs in the wine. The safe she’d cracked while he slept. “No. He …” she swallowed. “They only assumed I was just your bimbo. They talked like I wasn’t in the room, like I was just naked and oversexed. Without that, I couldn’t have gathered what I did.”
She saw his jaw clench as he put together what she hadn’t said. But his hand reached out and stroked hers. “You did good, Jen.”
Another breath escaped her. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. “Have you ever slept with someone to get information?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “And some were even married to me.”
The joke broke the tension and she started to chuckle. “Cute.”
He grinned and leaned back in the cushions. His arm went across the back of the couch, giving her an opening if she wanted to cuddle. She did.
“Do we have to talk about the case?” Her voice felt small.
“Nope.”
“Good. Tell me something you’ve done. Anything.” She was exhausted and just wanted to listen to his voice.
“I’m not so good at that, Jenny.”
“Anything, Jethro.”
He started to talk. Somewhere in her increasing haze she registered the words beach, Mexico, and horses. She fell asleep with his arm around her and his voice acting as a lullaby. She dreamed of riding Arabians down the beach and making love to him under the stars while the waves crashed against the shore.
***
She woke tucked into the couch, covered in a warm blanket. From the bedroom, she heard light snoring. Moving slowly, still groggy, Jenny pushed off the couch and went to peek. Jethro was sprawled on the bed, dressed only in boxers and that same white t-shirt. Her eyes raked over his form, from the salt and pepper hair to his muscled arms to the slight bulge that signified his morning erection. She grinned playfully, finally feeling the last of Kitty’s headspace fall away as she remembered exactly what he looked like naked. Yes, she knew Kitty would have to return, but for now she was safe as Jenny.
It had all happened so fast. From her desk in DC interpreting terrorist cables to his home in California to shopping in New York to seducing Salvo on the boat to getting the intel they needed. Two weeks ago she’d been in a back booth at Capitol Beat, hitting on Congressman Jones. Now she was in a safe house in England. And she was having the time of her life.
Temptation dared her to crawl into bed with Jethro, push her hands up under his shit, and connect to him as just them. Logic drove her to grab clothing from the suitcase and move past him into the bathroom and shower. They had a job to do and if whatever was between them was to develop beyond this op, it couldn’t all be physical.
Even though all she wanted was for him to step into the shower behind her and make love to her until the water ran cold.
The shower washed away the rest of the cruise. She shed Salvo’s hands and the way the other man had held her down and enjoyed her struggling. Stepping from the shower, she wrapped in the warm towel, let her hair drip down her back, and began her morning routine. In the bedroom, Jethro was stirring but she kept herself focused on getting ready for the day. Black pants, a white button down, a conservative bra and panty set, a simple gold necklace, low heels, her hair up in a ponytail, neutral makeup. When she stepped out of the bathroom, he grinned at her and slipped inside.
Alone for a blessed few minutes, she took advantage of the time and pulled out the file she’d brought with her, the one that had nothing to do with the op. A photograph confirmed her suspicions, that the second man was one of Benoit’s men. Quickly, she flipped open the burn phone she’d brought with her and sent a text message to her contact. It went back into her purse, tucked into a tear in the lining.
With a breath, she was fully Jenny again. Behind her, the shower stopped and she imagined Jethro moving around, getting dressing in his usual pants and polo shirt. When he emerged from the bedroom, he was as much business as she was, but there was a playful glint in his eye. For a moment, she wondered just what he’d done in the shower and if he’d been thinking of her while he did it.
“Breakfast? There’s a café downstairs.”
“I’d love it.” She slipped her purse over her shoulder.
He held out a hand and she took it. They walked together down the elegant staircase to the simple café and sat by the window, watching London fly by. A silent server brought tea. She recognized him from M-5 the night before. So, the entire hotel was really a safe house. She let out a low, slow breath and smiled at Jethro.
“Sleep well?” She asked.
“Almost as well as you.”
She chuckled and sipped her tea. “Thank you for last night.”
“They’re proud of you, Jen.” He paused. “I’m proud of you. I’ve forgotten just how green you are. Really, no one would ever know this is your first undercover op.”
“Thank you.” The tea was brewed just how she liked it. The fruit was already sliced. The staff had been waiting for them. Outside on the London streets a man in a black coat paused, looked over his shoulder at the front of the hotel, and then continued on. She watched him until he disappeared into the crowd. “Did you know I puked at my first autopsy? Hell, I’d probably still puke.”
Jethro laughed. “Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”
“Thanks.” She rolled her eyes. “Did you know that in Mossad they terminate you if you puke at your first autopsy? You have to apply all over again but they won’t select you for field work.”
“I didn’t. How do you know anything about Mossad? No one knows anything about Mossad.”
Jenny sipped her tea. “It’s my job to know things about groups that no one knows anything about. When we’re alone, I’ll tell you all about the CIA”
He grinned playfully. “Where do you want to go with your job at NCIS?”
“The top.”
“Really?”
“So surprising?” She shook her head. It was the nineties and men still had problems with the idea that a woman could run the agency.
“I’m a chauvinist. But, I’m sure you could handle it.”
Jenny grinned. “Well, thank you. And thank you for your honesty.”
Again, she looked out the window. France was so close she could taste it. Rene Benoit was only a few steps away. She had to make contact with her contact today, before they moved forward with their assignment. Somehow, she had to get Jethro to let her out of his sight so she could go shopping. But it was so easy to get lost in his eyes, to forget about her goals to be director and her own desires to see Benoit strung up by the short hairs. But she couldn’t risk it, not as much as she wanted to.
Food appeared before them. Toast and eggs, just how she liked them. They ate in comfortable silence until someone appeared at the table. Decker pulled up a chair and grinned. “Hey guys. Sleep well?” He waggled his eyebrows. Jenny kicked him under the table. It was one thing to ogle Kitty and Matthew but she and Jethro were a different matter.
“Yes we did, Will.” Jethro muttered around his toast and eggs. “How’s your girlfriend?”
“Cindy’s cool. She’s glad I’m back in town.”
“I’ll bet.”
Jenny let them talk, fading away as she stared out the window. There was a bench with a low planter next to it. The man in the black coat had stopped there. Her eyes zeroed in on the planter, knowing full well there was information for her. She had to get to it, to get out on her own for just a couple of hours.
“When are we due back at M-5?” She asked as the men hit a lull in their conversation. Her heart was pounding, her palms sweaty, but she had to do this. This was real. It wasn’t just out there as an abstract plan anymore.
“After lunch. They wanted to give you guys some recovery time and to give the director time to finalize a couple of things based on the intel you provided yesterday.”
“Good.” Jenny popped her neck. “Because my suitcase is full of slutty clothes picked up just for the cruise; these are the only dress pants I have. I could use a quick shopping trip. So I’ll let you guys catch up.” She stood and walked around to Jethro’s side of the table, leaned over and whispered in his ear. “And maybe,” she teased, her hand resting on his shoulder, “I’ll pick up something just for you.” She felt him bite back his groan and smirked. Good, he was distracted. If he was distracted, he wouldn’t pick up on her other reasons for being so willing to travel to Europe.
“Will,” she smiled warmly, “I’ll see you later.” He nodded. Jethro was still trying to regain his balance. Jenny slipped out of the café and onto the street, making sure she walked past the planter where the man in the black coat had stopped. Pretending to twist her ankle, she went down, catching herself on the rim of the ceramic planter. Just under the lip, covered with a leaf, was a micro disc. Carefully, she righted herself, brushing off the politeness of the Londoners who walked by and wanted to help, and easily slipped the disc into her pocket without being noticed. At the last moment, she turned and looked over her shoulder, back into the restaurant. Will and Jethro still sat, talking, laughing about something. But Jethro’s eyes were watching her. She grinned, letting him know she’d seen him, brushed off the dust on her knee, and made her way toward the shopping district.
TBC …