"Wonder how Mr. Cross' retreat went?" D.D. said as they descended the spiral staircase in ComCent.
"It was a pure week of heaven for me." Shane cracked.
"It was nice not to be at his beck and call 24/7." Cassie agreed while serruptitously scanning the office of the man in question but finding it empty.
"Hey Duncan, he in yet?" D.D. asked as their technical support civilian appeared.
"Nope, five minutes late in fact." The younger man answered checking his watch.
"Maybe he didn't get home til late." Cassie shrugged.
"Let's get some coffee." Shane motioned her away.
"I think Duncan likes Deeds." Cassie said as they walked away from the pair.
"Uh-huh, the computer heads are perfect for each other."
"So, are you still looking for 'Mr. Rich and Handsome'?" Cassie teased her.
"And what was on your list? Smart, funny, mysterious, makes a great martini..."
"You forgot Matt Damon's smile and Brad Pitt's butt."
"Sorry for missing the assets." Shane smirked.
"Tall, mysterious...and those eyes."
They looked over to where the two agents were looking...and saw Mr. Cross descend the staircase.
Cassie felt a moment of jealousy and pushed it aside.
"He must have been on a fashion retreat." Shane uttered leading Cassie toward him.
"Tie and jacket at the cleaners?" The tall blonde joked with Cross seeing him dressed in a black shirt, slacks and loafers instead of his customary navy blue suit, white shirt and tie.
"Didn't feel like a suit this morning." He replied, caught the smile of another agent and returned it.
"Guess the retreat went well." Cassie said trying not to glare at the woman.
"Yeah, I feel good." He nodded.
"So who's bad booty do we kick today?" Shane asked grinning.
"None, you have to protect a diplomat's daughter." He replied, picking up the small remote and bringing up the photo on the larger screen outside his office. "Daria Morovenski. Her father and I met several years ago on a mission, he's here to meet with Washington officials."
"So why is he here and not in Washington?" D.D. asked.
"Too much attention, it's a low key meeting only a few people in D.C. are privy to."
"Babysitting, great." Shane rolled her eyes.
Cross clicked onto another photo of a man no older than himself. "Petre Morovenski, he's been fighting the Russian mafia for a while and has come to ask for our help, we picked up some chatter he might be targeted, another reason he's here and not D.C."
"Shouldn't we be watching him then?" Cassie inquired.
"He has a security force equivalent to the C.I.A. but he doesn't want Daria to feel like a prisoner. I gave him my word she would be safe with you. She's eighteen and wants to see California..."
"Well, there's the beach." Cassie said.
"And the tourist spots." D.D. agreed.
"The movie studios are really cool." Duncan added.
"Don't you have some project to work on?" Cross looked at him.
"Yes sir." Duncan nodded and hurried off.
"I'll take you to the hotel now." He said to the women and led them out.
"My friend, your Russian is much better." Petre chuckled shaking Cross' hand after exchanging pleasantries.
"I've had time to practice."
"He tell you how we met?"
The women shook their heads.
"He saved my life."
"Part of the job." Cross shrugged.
"Always with the modesty." Petre clasped his arm. "Ah, Daria!" He motioned his daughter over as she came into the room.
"She's bigger." Cross uttered.
"It's been a few years." Petre nodded.
"Are these my wardens?" She said sarcastically.
Petre spoke to her in their native tongue and the young woman looked none to happy.
Cross then introduced the spies to her and left them to get acquainted.
"Daria, perhaps you should tell them what you want to see here."
She looked utterly bored and remained silent.
"How about we start with the tourist spots?" D.D. smiled.
"Whatever."
"Go, have fun." Petre bade, giving her a kiss.
"This ought to be a barrel of laughs." Shane said under her breath.
They drove through Beverly Hills then L.A. and shopped for a while, ate lunch, did some star gazing then took Daria back to the hotel for dinner.
"Cross speaking."
"Yeah, we just dropped Daria off at the hotel." Cassie informed him.
"How'd it go?"
"She's a teenage girl." Shane replied.
"What are your plans for tomorrow?"
"The beach." D.D. replied.
"Good, Petre has a meeting at noon so pick her up before then."
"Right, anything else?" Cassie asked.
"You're free for the night."
"Club Alchemy here we come." Shane grinned.
"It's crowded." Cassie nearly shouted to be heard.
"A lot of cute guys." D.D. agreed.
"Isn't that...?" Shane pointed.
"Mr. Cross?" D.D. gaped.
"And Daria!" Cassie added, shocked.
They followed the pair to the bathroom.
"Surprised to see you two here."
"She was bored at the hotel, Petre asked me to take her out. Figured it would be safer with four." He replied as his phone went off. "I have to take this, keep an eye on her." He ordered walking away.
"I see the man on my list." Shane smiled.
"Don't go too far." Cassie requested.
"Just holler." Shane nodded and headed off.
"Want a drink?" D.D. asked the taller blonde.
"Diet Coke." Cassie sighed.
D.D. left for the bar as Daria exited the bathroom.
"You come here?" The young woman asked surprised to find her there.
"All the time." Cassie nodded and escorted her to the bar.
"We have to go." Cross intercepted them.
"What's up?"
"Mob's been spotted, I'm taking her back to the hotel."
"You might need back-up." Cassie replied, getting D.D.'s attention and receiving a nod.
Cross hesitated for a moment then nodded and led them to the parking lot.
They drove in silence and had to brake for a large moving van close to the hotel. Cassie kept an eye on their rear and let go a soft curse as another truck blocked them in. Cross gripped the wheel, ready to make a break for it when Cassie began to feel woozy, the last thing she heard was Daria gasp before she passed out.
"Still no answer?"
"No, I've tried both their phones. Time for Plan D."
"Plan D?"
"Yeah, Duncan." D.D. replied.
Shane nodded and drove to ComCent. where they found him working.
"We put the tracker on her ring now we need to find it." She said without preamble.
"You lost her?" He asked moving to his computer.
"And Cassie and Mr. Cross." D.D. nodded.
Duncan turned to them in surprise.
"They were all together, find one..." Shane motioned at the computer.
"Right." Duncan nodded and worked quickly. "A warehouse in Encino." He informed them a moment later.
"Come on." Shane strode for the door with the address.
"Thanks Duncan." D.D. called back following her.
They reached the staging area, changed and packed the equipment they thought they might need and headed out all under five minutes.
"Who spiked my Diet Coke?" Cassie groaned raising her head.
"It wasn't your drink."
"Daria?"
"I am all right."
"Mr. Cross?" She called trying to look around.
"I have not seen him since I woke several minutes ago."
Cassie watched a man with a phone walk toward them.
"Yes Comrade Morovenski, Daria is fine... for now. Do as we say and no harm will come to her." The balding man with the heavy Russian accent held the phone to the girl's ear and she spoke in her native tongue into it for just a few seconds before it was snatched away, the man spoke in Russian again then hung up.
"Where's Mr. Cross?" Cassie demanded of him.
"Ah, Mr. Cross...he has been a...how do you say it? Pain in my ass...for a long time...but not too much longer." The man smiled and walked away.
Cassie started working on the ropes that bound the women together.
"What did he say to your father?" She asked the girl.
"My father is to come at 2 a.m....or they will kill me."
"That's not going to happen." Cassie vowed.
"I am sorry about Mr. Cross."
Cassie didn't reply fervently hoping he wasn't already dead.
D.D. led Shane across the rooftop of the warehouse, reaching the skylight they looked in and saw several men in uniform milling about.
"Damn! I don't see them." Shane hissed.
"We still need to get inside."
Shane nodded, taking the hint to get started and she suctioned the glass then cut a piece out over the latch which she opened easily. They waited til the coast was clear then repelled down and automatically retracted them. D.D. pointed and Shane nodded espying Cassie and Daria.
"I'm going in." D.D. whispered.
"I've got your back."
"Thanks." D.D. smiled and quickly but quietly made her way to them and started untying them. "Where's Cross?"
"I don't know but he doesn't have much time." Cassie replied pulling her hand loose.
D.D. nodded and was grabbed from behind. Shane came to her rescue and they made quick work of the two Russians.
"Get Daria out of here, I'm going to find Cross." Cassie said getting up.
Shane and D.D. nodded, hustling the girl out.
Cassie searched for their boss but found only ropes tied to a fence. She knew it was where they had kept him prisoner. Ducking out of sight she watched the balding man walk into another room then followed. It was easy to take the two sentries out and as she slipped into the room she heard voices at the end of the corridor so she jogged toward them. She came to the cross-corridor and found herself very outnumbered.
"There goes my French manicure." She sighed as the first ones came at her.
Moving quickly she was able to use the men against each other, catching sight of one escaping she buckled down and finished the other four off then chased after the escapee.
"Cassie."
"Are you okay Mr. Cross?" She asked, relieved they'd found each other.
"Yeah, he was my doppelganger Cassie."
"What?"
"The man you came here with, it wasn't me."
"We have to get out of here, D.D. and Shane have probably already called ComCent for back-up but their leader wants you dead."
"I know. There's a service bay this way." He said and led her down another corridor.
Cassie was suddenly knocked to the ground and looked up to see Mr. Cross fighting...Mr. Cross!
"Cassie go!" One shouted to her as they traded punches and kicks.
She hesitated only a moment then ran to the door and started to pull it open when her eyes met the real Quentin Cross'. Dropping the door back into place she sprinted back to him and sent a kick into the fake man's head making him stumble back. Cross grabbed her hand and pulled her back the other way as the bay door started to open. They reached a pallet of crates as more Russians poured in.
"Up!" He ordered.
Cassie climbed rapidly and he followed her up to the rafters which they traversed to reach the window and climb onto the roof.
"Where now?" She asked as it was a long way down.
He scanned the rooftop and smiled as he pulled her over to the ropes Shane and D.D. had left behind. Cassie quickly tossed them over the side and used her jacket sleeves to avoid rope burns on the slide down. Cross pulled his shirt off and used it the same way. They heard shouts in Russian as they reached the ground and took off at a run.
"Look!" Cassie pointed at the dark Suburbans speeding their way.
"We're not home yet!" Cross replied and as if to prove his point a bullet whizzed by rather closely and splintered a crate they just passed.
The pair ran until the first truck passed them then they nearly collapsed against the wall of a warehouse.
"Are you guys okay?" D.D. asked rushing over and touching them both.
"Fine Deeds." Cassie smiled and looked at Cross who nodded then he looked up at Shane and the girl.
"Who's this?" He asked.
"Petre Morovenski's daughter." Cassie supplied.
"Daria?" He asked studying her.
"Did we miss something?" Shane asked.
"Only that Mr. Cross wasn't Mr. Cross." Cassie smirked at him.
"I'm confused." Shane admitted.
"Me too." D.D. agreed.
"I was kidnapped from the retreat." He clarified.
"It wasn't you that assigned us to protect Daria?" D.D. asked.
Cross shook his head.
"I'm kind of glad. It was too weird working with a more relaxed boss." Shane commented.
"Thanks...I think."
"I mean, the guy didn't even wear a suit." Cassie looked at Cross and smiled, she received a slight smile in return.
"Call Petre, let him know she's alright." He ordered.
Shane made the call to a very relieved father while Cassie motioned to the medics who came over.
"He was held prisoner for a few days." She told them and Cross was tended to.
"I hate to think of what they did to him." D.D. said.
"Torture probably...he knows a lot of secrets." Shane replied, giving him a sympathetic look.
"Yeah...I'm glad we found him." Cassie agreed, watching their boss.
It was after midnight when they left Encino. Cassie volunteered to take Cross home while Shane and D.D. returned Daria to her father.
"I want your reports on my desk Thursday morning." He said opening to door to get out of the car.
"Tomorrow...today is Wednesday." She sighed.
"I know." He answered tiredly and headed inside his building.
Cassie was no more than ten minutes away when the car phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Cassie?"
"Hey Duncan."
"Where's Mr. Cross?"
"I just dropped him at home, what's up?"
"Two of the Russian guys are missing. The head mobster Yuri Bulgari and Nicolai Candemar, Mr. Cross' double."
"I'll head back to Cross' place, let Deeds and Shane know to protect the Morovenskis."
"Right." Duncan replied and hung up.
"He's a workaholic too!" She sighed making a u-turn.
When she got back to his building, she saw his light was on so she took the elevator up.
"Cassie?" Cross opened the door surprised.
"Duncan called, the main mafia guy and you double are on the loose."
"Thanks, I'll keep my guard up."
"Okay, I'll see you in the office later this afternoon with all the t's crossed and the i's dotted on my report."
"Right, goodnight." He nodded and started to close the door.
"Mr. Cross?"
"Yes?"
Cassie shot a fist into his face then delivered a kick to his gut sending him reeling backwards. She was vaguely aware of a scuffle ahead of her and looked up as she finished off the faux Cross. She took the time to admire the real Cross fighting skills as he took care of Bulgari with a chop to the neck.
"You should come and workout with us sometime... we could probably learn a lot from you." She smiled.
"I'm retired remember." He replied picking up the phone.
"Right." She smirked, thinking that for a retired guy he was in remarkable fighting shape.
After he called for pick-up on the Russians he rubbed his knee and caught her watching so he dropped his hand.
"How'd you know?"
"Duncan said they were missing and I figured they'd come after you, I tested him with the report...he failed."
"Yeah..." Cross nodded looking at his double.
"He may look like you but there is only one Quentin Cross...thankfully."
He chuckled at her dig and soon after the clean-up crew arrived and removed the Russians.
"Can I go home now?" Cassie smirked.
"Yes and I will see you Thursday, report in hand." He replied and walked her to the door.
"Good night...Mr. Cross."
"Good night Cassie."
The tall blonde slid into Cross' car and watched as the light went out in his apartment, with a smile she headed home to get some sleep herself happy to know all was normal...well, as normal as could be when you were an ex-con working for the government as a spy anyway.