Strong Reflection: Book 2 of the Dark Series Trilogy (3 page)

“Thank you, sir.”

Kyle tried to hold back his unexplainable need to know all about his agent but failed miserably as he asked, “Going somewhere in particular?”

“Catlyn Lyte and Jack Gard offered me a mini-vacation at their home in Newburgh, NY before the wedding.  We thought we’d hit some of the local sights, hit the beach, just some nice leisurely hanging out before my girl gets married.”

Kyle smiled warmly.  “Sounds nice, Jack offered me the same invitation.”  He smiled again, “Who knows?  Maybe, I’ll join you guys in some sun and fun.”

Kyle was stunned when Ashley gave him one of her most genuine smiles, all showy white teeth and sparkling eyes.  It was the smile he had only ever seen her give her partner Catlyn Lyte, his sister, Nancy and his niece and nephew, Holly and Drew and his mother, Cheryl.  It took her from the very pretty realm to the unbelievably beautiful.

Still smiling, she stood.
 “Well, I hope to see you there Director Strong.”  She headed for the door.  “If I don’t see you during my time off, I will definitely see you on Saturday.”

“Saturday?”  Kyle questioned distractedly.  He was watching Ashley’s ass.

She looked at him over her shoulder, catching him staring.
 Her smile blossomed again. “Remember, Drew’s dance contest?”

Bringing his eyes quickly to her face, he nodded.  “Ah, yes, that hip-hop thing.”

“Uh-uh, Director Strong, don’t say it like that.  You’re Drew’s idol and he looks up to you so much.  He wants to impress you.  He was so psyched when you said you’d come and watch him compete.”

Kyle tried not to roll his eyes.
 “I really don’t consider people jumping around to rancorous sounds dancing, but I love my nephew.  There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for him.”

“He’s very good.”  Ashley quirked a brow, “He’s a mini-you.”

Kyle laughed.  “I don’t hip-hop.”

Ashley shook her head.  “No, that’s not what I meant.  He’s a mini-you because he excels in all he does; sports and academics, hip hop, also he is one of the good guys and is fine as hell.” Ashley winked and walked out the door.

Kyle sat stunned for a few seconds before he smiled.  He would definitely be seeing his agent during her mini-vacation.

Chapter 2

Ashley jack-knifed into a sitting position.
 Her night clothes were drenched.  Her skin was soaked with sweat.  Her heart was still hammering from the demon in her dream, which now, in the cold dead of night, she could not recall.  She sluggishly untangled herself from the covers, making her way to the master bathroom.

As she got herself a glass of water, she glimpsed her reflection by the dimly glowing night light.
 Her hair was in its naturally curly, kinky state, aided by the sweat.  Her hair resembled a fluffy flower surrounding her head.  She would need to wash, blow-dry and flat iron in the morning. Her eyes were tired looking.  She actually looked her 31 years.   For the first time, in forever --Ashley Anne Mackenzie-- looked her age.

She went back to her bedroom, turning on the bedside lamp.
 Making quick work of changing her linens and switching night clothes and lying back down, because of her nightmares and waking up soaked in her own sweat she usually slept in panties only, diminishing the need to change during the night.  Ashley wondered at the dream she had tonight.  What had caused her nightmare tonight?  Which monster chased her this time?  She either had nightmares she couldn’t remember or hot steamy dreams about Director Strong she couldn’t forget.

Interrupted sleep was common for her.
 Since she was 11 years old she had been a chronic insomniac.   Her nightmarish sleep pattern had started, understandably, shortly after Ashley was the sole survivor of a home invasion, in which, she had lost her identical twin, her pregnant mother and her father.

Her father had been a special agent for the FBI.
 In the years prior to his death he had been working his way up the chain of command.  In fact, the night of the murders was the eve of his first day as the new director of a new division of the FBI specifically extended from the BAU.   The HCD (Hate Crimes Division) was a brain child of several agents.  It was agreed upon that David Mackenzie, top ranking special agent should head the new group with his hand-picked team.

Ashley remembered her dad as a man full of life, a man whom had loved her mother deeply and endlessly.
 David Mackenzie had met and fallen in love with Linda Normers through work. Linda had worked in the secretarial pool in the government building.  When his personal secretary was out due to maternity, Linda had been chosen to cover for David’s secretary.

And it had been love at first sight for David Mackenzie.  From that first moment of their working together David pursued Linda.  He didn’t care that she was from another race.  He didn’t care that she had newborn twins and was a single mother because the father had left Linda alone when she had told him she was pregnant.  David happily adopted the twins of the woman he loved.  By extension he loved them too.  

David took to the father role.
 He ended up loving the girls as much as their mother.  He loved the twins as if he had fathered them.  They quickly became Daddy’s little princesses.  They were with him whenever he had a free moment.  

The girls had thought David hung the moon and was the greatest man on the planet.
 The twins Ashley and Ariel didn’t become curious about the difference in their skin color from their dad’s until they entered kindergarten and the twin’s classmates began to comment on the obvious difference.  Once they voiced their curiosity to their dad, David had lovingly explained that, although he was not their biological father, he was indeed their Daddy.  He told them they were so special he got to pick his girls and he was so very happy when he picked all three of his ladies. He told them they had belonged to him since they were 5 months old.  The twins and their mother, from that day on were called his special ladies.  The twins had thrived under David’s love and attention.  They were one big happy family.  Until the night the monsters came.  

Ashley referred to the criminals as monsters because that was how she saw them in her nightmares she remembered, feral eyed creatures with snarling fangs, slashing away at her family, leaving only Ashley in a stench of blood.
  Still today, Ashley got a little queasy at the smell of blood.  She was haunted with the smell of death and the horror of her mother’s screams and the horrible wale of her dad’s anguish when he realized his beloved wife and unborn child were dead.

Ashley also had intermittent, extremely vivid pictures of certain moments of the most horrible night of her life.
 The moment her twin’s blood spattered across her face from her throat being slashed; and the very instant her dad died, the spark of fight leaking from his eyes as he sank to the floor, clutching his chest wound, trying to keep his life-blood from seeping pass his fingers. And the even more horrible part; getting soaked with her mother’s blood as she lay curved around her very pregnant belly and feeling the slow moving ripples become slower and slower until they were no more.

Ashley reached for her iPod.
 Putting the headphones on, she settled back down to sleep.  She hit the play button.  “Come on Beyonce, make me forget.”

****
 

“Put these in ASAP.  And, let me know as soon as Bunny gets here, until then, no calls, no visits.”  Kyle instructed Lisa, handing over Ashley’s request forms.  He would put his request personally to the director.  He hoped Director Mackenzie didn’t notice that he was taking off the exact days and amount of time as Ashley.  

Just before Lisa cleared the doorway Kyle added, “Unless it’s Agent Mackenzie, I don’t want to be disturbed.”
 Lisa acknowledged his amended instructions with a nod.

Kyle was feeling anxious.
 He had made a decision last night that had actually been years in the making. He was going to make a play for Ashley.  He was going to make her his!  He was giving himself to the end of their vacation to make serious inroads towards having a deeply committed relationship with Ashley Mackenzie.

He had several loose ends to take care of before he could go after Ashley without feeling like an ass.
 Actually there was only one loose end.  Bunny!

Bunny
 Bencroft was a nice enough woman, sexy, gorgeous and displayed loving traits at times. She was a bit of snob when it came to certain things but it wasn’t bad as outright bigotry.  Kyle had enjoyed being with Bunny on and off these past several years, but, there was something missing between them. Something essential that Kyle found he needed very much.   And, so far, he had only found, or rather felt, that missing element in Ashley.

Kyle was reminded of something his father always used to say; his bright blue eyes would go intense before he would impart:
 ‘Son, you can’t control who you love and you’re not supposed to, keeps a body humble.’  He’d laughed his deep happy-with-life laugh and added, ‘You think your mama would have me as her husband otherwise?’

Kyle knew he could have an ok, even happy life with Bunny.
  But, Kyle wanted more and he wanted it with Ashley.  Ashley made his heartbeat hard, made his blood pressure rise, his temper explode, his hard-ons more exhilarating.  Ashley made everything just more…more!  

Several hours later his
 intracom-phone buzzed.  He hit the button.  “Yes, Lisa?”

“Ms.
 Bencroft 
and
 Agent Mackenzie are here.  Whom do you want to see first?”

“Business first, please, Lisa, thank you.”

Kyle was just standing when Ashley walked through the door, closing it behind her.

Kyle hoped this would be the last time he would refer to Ashley as business.

“Ashley, what’s up?”
 He addressed her informally, getting into the habit of calling her by her first name even in the office.  Because, if Ashley was to be his and he was going to be making love to her on a regular basis he absolutely would not be calling her Agent Mackenzie or the dreaded Mack.

Ashley only quirked an eyebrow at the rare use of her first name in the office.
 “Sir, Agents Sanchez and Washington and a team are headed to pick up a couple of susp—“

“Absolutely not Ashley!”

Her eyes widened innocently and her luscious lips opened to say something just as fraudulent as her innocent looking eyes.  He cut her off again.  “Don’t even try it!”

“What?
 I was only going to—“

Kyle rounded his desk, not stopping until he thoroughly invaded her personal space, bringing her words to a sudden halt.

Ashley didn’t step back she only lifted her face to keep eye contact with him.  Her beautiful eyes watched him closely.  He leaned closer aligning his mouth with her ear, taking in her intoxicating scent.  “The very next time you go into the field, I will be by your side.”

Their proximity invited hushed tones, she whispered back, “Why?”

Grasping her hips in his big hands, he pulled her flushed against him.  Closing the final gap between them, he hotly sealed their mouths, taking what he had been craving for years and giving her what he had no words to express.

At first she stiffened and tried to pull away, but as his mouth became more insistent her arms went around his neck and she pulled him to her, returning his kisses fiercely.

They moaned simultaneously, clawing at each other, trying to get closer even though a sheet of paper wouldn’t fit between them.  Kyle took his chance, devouring her mouth for all he was worth.  His cock began to thicken and lengthen as she arched into his arms, lowering one of her hands to gently grasp him through his pants.

Seeking air, he released her mouth for precious seconds, “God, Ashley!” He then took her mouth again more desperately.
 He cupped her breast, kneading it, swiping his thumb across the burgeoning tip.

Suddenly, Ashley tore her mouth away and pushed against his chest, stepping back.
 With tears in her eyes, she wiped his kisses from her mouth with a trembling fist.  Looking deeply into his

e
yes, not hiding her pain she spoke.  “S-sir, your 
girlfriend
 is waiting outside to see you.”

Her eyes, words and tone were accusatory.
 Kyle felt like shit, seeing her pain gutted him.                He was doing this backwards and hurting Ashley in the process and not being fair to Bunny!  What the hell was wrong with him?

“Ashley, I’m so s—“

“Sir, you’re saying I cannot accompany Agents Sanchez and Washington?”  Her tone was dismissive.

Ok she wanted business only.
 He could be professional with this woman who made him hard with a look.  Right!  “That’s exactly what I am saying, desk duty for you until further notice!”

She turned towards the door even before he finished his sentence.
 With her hand on the knob, Kyle reiterated.  “Ashley, you are not to go into the field.  Is that perfectly clear?”

She turned and flashed him with dark angry eyes, “Yes, sir, crystal!”
 She left, slamming the door in the first show of temper from her while at work Kyle had ever seen.

He deserved her attitude.
 He would fix things between them, but, first he had to take care of other business that was holding him back from what he wanted with Ashley.  With that end in mind, he went to his desk and hit the button on his phone, “Lisa, send in Bunny now, please.”

****
 

Ashley was suiting up in full tactical gear as their SUV sped towards the address of the wanted suspects in a child pornography ring that catered in ethnic children only, selling them to the highest bidder to do with as they please and filming the children doing obscene acts with full grown men, a lot of the times with more than one man at a time.
 Ashley couldn’t be left out of putting these animals down!

“I am so surprised Director Strong allowed you to come with us.”
 Sanchez said from the front passenger seat.

“Well, I am fine physically.
 No need for me to be left out of the field any longer.  I’ve rested enough,” Ashley said from the driver’s side backseat ignoring Agent Washington’s knowing eyes in the rear view mirror.

Ashley didn’t know the agent that sat next to her personally but she had seen him around.
 She did know all four of the other agents in the other SUV that was leading the way.  They were all solid, good agents, known for great field work.  Good!  The more skills in play the better, those scumbags didn’t have a chance.

In a very short time the SUVs pulled into a warehouse’s large parking lot.
  Sanchez was the SAC for this field mission.  He gave quick instructions, dividing up the quadrants systematically.

Ashley was on the team with Sanchez.
 They took the front easily, getting pass the lax security. Hairs stood up on Ashley’s neck, a simple entrance usually meant getting out was going to be hell.  That was ok with her, she was itching for some action after being bed bound and the grueling physical therapy and all the extra training she had done to get back to her former strength.  What better way to get back into the swing of things than bagging a couple of pieces of slime that profited on the misery of children?  

The tip that came in on the disgusting duo was proving to be from a good source.
 Ashley gave Sanchez the signal that she was going off to a staircase in the far corner.  Sanchez nodded pointing his weapon towards a door in the opposite corner.