Hunting the Fox

Chapter 16

During their breakfast, they discussed where they might want to move in together. Kiera said she would be happy to move to Scotland since she did have dual citizenship. Ryan thought that it was a wonderful idea. He had contacts that could help her set up a practice in Dundee or outside of London. Kiera's head spun with the news. She could not believe they were planning a future when she knew the present is where she need to be.

'I'm deceiving him as we speak. He has no idea that I work for the CIA. I need to tell him, but how?' Kiera thought taking a sip of coffee lost in thought.

"Kiera," Kiera heard her name called.

"Yes," She replied looking up with a smile, "I was day dreaming."

"Well little miss daydreamer. I was saying your car will be here soon. You should get ready." Ryan replied.

Kiera saw that Ryan wanted to ask her what she was thinking, but he kept quiet.

"Well I better shower and get ready." Kiera stood up and walked around to sit in Ryan lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him deeply.

Kiera stepped out of the shower drying off her hair. She cleaned off the mirror. She gave herself a confused look. There was blood under her nose. She grabbed a tissue and held it to her nose to stop the bleeding. After she stopped the bleeding, Kiera walked into the bedroom and put on some undergarments.

Kiera thought she overhead Ryan talking in the other room as she put on her bra and panties. It was odd because his voice carried an angry tone. It was a very distinct tone. Quietly walking over to the bedroom door, which stood ajar, she definitely heard an angry tone.

"I know that the deadline is only a few days away." She heard Ryan say angrily.

There was a pause as she saw Ryan pace back and forth in the main room.

"It is taking a bit longer since your guys interfered yesterday."

'Who is he talking to?' Kiera thought as she listened.

"I don't care what Victor says he wants. I'm doing it my way and he will just have to wait."

Kiera's hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a gasp. Watching she thought she saw Ryan glance towards the bedroom. Kiera pressed her back against the bedroom wall and held her breath. There was a long silent pause.

'He did not see me, He did not see me.' Kiera thought keeping her hand over her mouth. Her heart was beating hard in her ears.

"I'm still listening." She heard Ryan speak up again. "I will have everything ready, when I feel the time is right."

There was another long pause and then Kiera felt the blood drain from her face.

"Tell Victor not to threaten Kiera. Do you understand me?"

Kiera jumped as she heard Ryan slam a fist on the table. Luckily, she had hand over her mouth.

"I'm not making threats, I'm promising. Lay one finger on her and Victor will wish he was never born. I know people."

'What did he mean by that?' Kiera thought feeling dizzy.

Kiera heard Ryan place the phone down and take a deep breath.

Kiera quickly walked over to the nightstand for her phone, but remembered that she had left it in the main room.

"Well that is one beautiful sight." She heard Ryan say from behind her.

Kiera jumped at his voice and turned around with a startled look. Ryan looked calm and in control. He had a smile on his face.

"Dear god Ryan," Kiera said placing a hand over her heart, "You scared me."

"Sorry about that Gazelle." He said and Kiera saw a small smile on his face. Suddenly the smile turned into a worried look. "Did you hurt yourself?" He walked up to her.

"What do you mean?" Kiera said feeling confused, but felt the blood on her upper lip again. "It was bleeding early, I can't figure why it is bleeding."

"Should we go see a doctor?" Kiera heard Ryan say as she walked into the bathroom to grab another tissue.

"No it is just a nose bleed." Kiera replied holding a tissue to her nose and wiping away the blood, "Is everything okay with you Fox?"

"Yes, why are you asking?"

"I heard shouting when I got out of the shower."

"Oh that," Ryan replied quietly. She observed Ryan masking his suspicion with a sheepish look, "You heard that?"

"Just your tone," Kiera replied throwing the tissue away, "You sounded mad."

"There was this person asking for funding." Ryan answered stepping close to Kiera and wrapping his arms around her. She felt him cup her bottom and squeeze it. "He is a demanding person with an alternative agenda."

"Would that person's name be Victor?" Kiera asked pressing herself against Ryan, but she felt him stiffen at the name.

"You heard that?" Ryan asked slowly as Kiera felt him relax his body.

"You did yell it out." Kiera reminded him, "It was not hard to miss."

"I believe I did, sorry about that," He signed and Kiera felt him slip his hands under her panties, "Yes the client's name is Victor, and I will not be doing business with him."

"Sounds like an awful man." Kiera rocked her hips against him. "Do you think we have time?" Kiera looked up at Ryan with a puppy-eyed look.

She saw Ryan smile at her, but there was a stressed look behind that smile.

Kiera sat in the car heading off towards her appointments still feeling the effects of their lovemaking. She had to take a second shower, but it was worth it. Kiera discovered that Ryan was not kidding about the appointments. During the drive, she texted Sandra about the discussion Ryan had with Victor's associate.

'Things are heating up.' Kiera typed to Sandra.

'What happened?' Sandra typed to Kiera.

'An associate of Victor wanted an update.' Kiera typed to Sandra.

'???' Sandra typed to Kiera.

'Fox said it was taking longer because Victor had messed up something.' Kiera typed to Sandra.

'Yesterday two LNF members were arrested in the Catacombs trying to impersonate G7 guards.' Sandra typed to Kiera.

'We were in the Catacombs yesterday. That is what he must have been talking about!' Kiera typed quickly to Sandra.

'Someone alerted the guards to the intrusion.' Sandra typed to Kiera.

'I believe Fox is up to something today and he wanted me out of the way.' Kiera typed to Sandra.

'We will tail him, have fun playing spa day.' Sandra typed to Kiera.

'I want this to all be over with.' Kiera typed to Sandra and sighed.

'Hang in there. Everyone will work out in the end.' Sandra typed to Kiera.

Kiera laid her phone down and sat back in the seat as the car took her to her first appointment.

Her first appointment was a local spa. There she received a massage. She suspected that Ryan just wanted to give her something special. She stripped out of her clothes and put on a robe. The person knew how to find the tense muscles and smooth them out. After the massage, they took her into a quiet room with some candles that smelled of lavender.

The team as she would call them that day, applied a mask to her face, explaining that it would leech out the toxics to make her skin glow. She went with the flow of things and enjoyed the experience. Before she knew it, one of the team members woke her up. The team removed the mask. Kiera tried to see what time it was, but there were no clocks in the spa. Next, she visited the nail salon in the spa building. The team when to work on her nails, they gave her disapproving looks at the state of her nails.

Kiera had found out a long time ago she really did not have to take care of her nails. She was a psychologist and the care of her nails was second to her career. To her utter amazement that did not stop the team from changing a lost cause into a work of art. She had no clue that her nails were in such a state of destruction. By time, they finished her nails. Kiera had to blink a few time holding her nails up to be sure they were hers. Shaking her head she smiled as the team beamed at her.

After a small lunch, Kiera visited the hair salon in the same building. There they worked at her hair. The hairstylist, Jacob, made disapproving sounds as he worked with her hair. Sometime calling it, a disgrace, or this is train wreck to treat such a lovely color this way.

"Your hair is a complete mess my dear." Jacob said with one hand on his hip frustrated.

"I have never really had to take care of it. I get it cut every now and then." Kiera blushed feeling embarrassed by his stern stares.

"Well when I'm done you will see what damage you have done to this marvelous hair." The hairstylist shook his head.

Kiera greatly doubted it, but as the day when on she was shocked as he worked on her hair. Even though it was a bit past her shoulders when he was done, she could not believe that this was her hair. He made the copper color of her red hair shine and flow like water. She ran her fingers though it only after he nodded. Her hair felt silky soft, which was a sharp contrast to her slightly dry hair. It always flowed naturally, but whatever he did made her hair luxurious.

Kiera dressed back in her clothes to head back to the hotel. The car was waiting to take her back to the hotel were a make-up and dress stylist were waiting for her. On the drive back to the hotel, she had time to look as the phone. She saw it was 1:00pm. Kiera discovered that she hand been at the spa for over four hours. She also noticed that she hand several messages on her secure text. Scrolling thought them they were all from Sandra.

'Ryan is on the move, just like you said.' Sandra typed to Kiera at 9:15am.

'Hope you are enjoying your spa, I could really use one myself.' Sandra typed to Kiera at 9:25am.

'Damn we just lost him. He was right there and now he's gone.' Sandra typed to Kiera at 10:30am.

'Where was he last sighted?' Kiera typed to Sandra.

She waited for a response. Then Sandra typed back, 'He was near the ruins of old Rome, Why?'

Kiera thought for a minute then it dawned on her, 'He might be using the catacombs to move around.' Kiera typed excitedly to Sandra.

'WHAT?' Sandra typed in all capitals to Kiera.

'When we were down in the catacombs yesterday, I was lost. He found me with ease.' Kiera typed to Sandra.

'Damn, damn, damn!' Sandra typed to Kiera.

'The Fox is using a fox hole.' Kiera typed to Sandra and chuckled a bit.

'Good call got to go.' Sandra typed to Kiera.

'I believe that the catacombs have something to do with this.' Kiera typed to Sandra.

'What do you mean?' Sandra typed to Kiera.

'A secured gate was open and Fox knew we were right under the G7 summit.' Kiera typed to Sandra.

'Do you remember the location?' Sandra typed to Sandra.

'I was lost, but the entrance to the Catacombs was across the street from where the summit will be.' Kiera typed to Sandra.

"I will get a team down there to look into it, thanks.' Sandra typed to Kiera.

'Welcome.' Kiera typed to Sandra.

'What are you up too Mr. Westbrook.' Kiera thought putting her phone away.

The car stopped in front of the hotel. Kiera stepped out and walked into the hotel lobby. She took the elevator up to her room thinking about the Catacombs and there importance. When she entered the room, another team was waiting for her. With a deep sigh, Kiera smiled and walked in.

Right away, they go to work. The make-up artist named Sally, looked over her face turning her face side to side. Satisfied with Kiera's slightly rounded face, soft cheekbones, and the light peppering of freckles over her nose and cheeks, Sally when to work with her make-up. To Kiera's amazement, the artist did not hide the freckles, but found a way to enhance them. Sally commented that they enhanced her beauty. The artist also found ways to tease out the green in her grey-green eyes.

For her evening gown, the dress stylist Jessica chose an A-line floor length princess style of a forest green color. The skirt had a split up the side to about mid-thigh and her back was bare. The upper half of the dress bared the tops of her shoulders and a modest amount of cleavage. By time everything was completed she looked in a mirror and could not believe who she was. After everyone left, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, she saw the Concierge standing at the door.

"Your car is waiting for you Doctor Reid." He announced with a bow.

"Where is Mister Westbrook?" Kiera asked a bit confused.

"Mister Westbrook is waiting for you in the lobby ma'am." The Concierge responded to the confused look on her face.

"Thank you." Kiera nodded smiling and departed the room as the Concierge stood aside.

The elevator was open and waiting for her. She noticed that the Bellhop stood here with his mouth hanging open. She heard the Concierge clear his throat and the Bellhop slammed his jaw shut blushing. Once downstairs she scanned the lobby for Ryan. Her eyes fell upon a handsomely dressed man in a formal black tuxedo. She saw a chestnut brown hair was styled to look a bit messy giving him a roguish handsome look. As she strolled up to him, she observed that his eyes when wide and a huge grin broke out across his face.

"Good evening James Bond." Kiera smiled brightly.

"Well you clean up nicely." Ryan said holding out his arm and looking her up and down.

"Is that the best you can say,' Kiera said arching her eyebrow and seeing him smirk. "I'm sure the Bellhop would be more than happy to take me to dinner and the opera."

"You are breathtaking my sweet Gazelle. Your beauty is causing every head to turn as we stand here." Ryan replied.

Kiera looked around and noticed every man that walked pass turned to look at her. One even tripped over some suitcases. She knew she was beautiful in a geeky sort of way, but never had she been the center of everyone's attention. Blushing she took Ryan's arm, adjusted her glasses and they walked out of the hotel towards the car waiting.

In the car, Ryan kissed Kiera's hand, "You are going to make quite the scene tonight."

"I think we both are going to make a scene," Kiera suggested kissing Ryan on the cheek, "What did you do today while I was treated like a lab animal."

"It was not that bad?" Ryan changed the subject and Kiera knew he did it.

"It was not, but you did not answer my question Mister Westbrook." Kiera probed arching her eyebrow.

"I was on a secret mission." Ryan whispered conspiratorially with a smile on his face.

"That is not fair." Kiera stuck out her lower lip knowing that Ryan could not refuse it. She watched him with a disinterested look hoping that it would get him to talk.

"You know me too well Kiera," Ryan shook his head, "I was searching for something special."

"Did you find that something special?"

"I'm not a liberty to say at this time." Ryan replied giving her a sidelong look, "Besides we are here, be prepared." Ryan took a deep breath as the car door opened.