Assigned to You (Completed)

Chapter Four: Evangeline

I shouldn’t have done that.

With a groan of irritation, I chucked my heels somewhere in the room, crashing on the velvety comfort of the couch that came with the apartment the FBI had placed me in. I stared at the high ceiling, at the gorgeous chandelier that was supposed to light the living room had I turned it on.

My eyes closed but I regretted the moment that it did, as Everett’s face came into focus. His hair was longer than I remembered, covering his forehead and nearly the pale blue eyes that haunted me in my sleep. He looked leaner and thin, but still, his eyes held the same worry that it did the night that I first talked to him.

“If you’re looking for a one-night stand or friends with benefits thing, I don’t really roll that way, Everett.”

I gritted my teeth as the words replayed in my mind. I just basically told him that I was a commitment kind of girl when that was far from the truth. I didn’t do commitments because I didn’t have the time to be committed to anything other than my work. But I just managed to blurt out those words to him and flirted with him and made him believe that he had a chance with me.

But then again, it was exactly what I was supposed to do, what my assignment was.

But then again, I wasn’t even supposed to see him until tomorrow morning, when he moves to the apartment right across from mine, making us the only two people living in this floor of the building. He might think its fate when it’s simply just the FBI doing their job well.

I sighed in annoyance and tied my hair back in a messy ponytail. I stripped off the dress that I chose to wear- the FBI has good taste and they’ve managed to fill my closet with amazing clothes- and padded around the apartment in my underwear. I threw the dress in the basket of used clothes that I’ll wash tomorrow. Heading to my room, I slipped on a nightgown and unhooked my bra, and then headed to thekitchen to pour myself a glass of wine.

My phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey, how are you settling in?” Justin’s voice filled my ear.

I nibbled on my bottom lip, wondering if I should tell Justin about the situation earlier but thought against it. I’d rather have this night as another personal memory for me, rather than a job that I was supposed to be doing. Besides, I wasn’t on duty until tomorrow.

“Good. I found a bar and had a few drinks, let myself loose. Had a taste of what life is in this place,” I responded instead, leaving the seeing Everett part unspoken.

“That’s good. There’s supposed to be a bracelet that you’re supposed to wear that’s bugged. I have no idea how they managed to do it but they did. It’ll let us listen to your conversations with Saunders.”

A bracelet? “They couldn’t have thought of using a necklace?”

“Nimri said it could’ve been obvious if you kept on wearing it. A bracelet’s not that suspicious.”

I rolled my eyes and sipped my glass of wine. I didn’t have much to drink at the bar but I wished I had. I could’ve blamed the boldness and stupidity I had done to alcohol. “I really don’t get why I’m the one assigned to this.”

Justin chuckled on the other line. “If it was up to me, I’m fine with cross-dressing and pretending to be smitten with Saunders.”

I faked a gasp. “I knew you were gay!”

“Oh, I could prove to you that I’m not. Don’t tempt me, Sterell, I have a key to your apartment,” Justin threatened playfully, “You should go to bed. I’ll text you when Saunders will leave his old apartment so you could be ready to ‘bump’ into him.”

“Hmm,” I mused, thinking about what could unfold tomorrow, “Goodnight, Justin.”

“Sweet dreams, Lin.”

I hanged up on Justin and headed wandered to the bedroom. The entire floor of this building was only meant for two tenants which meant that the other tenant was Everett. The place was huge, bigger than the beach house I’ve lived in and any other rooms I’ve stayed at. There was a room that I could hide most of my weapons, my daggers, and blades, some of my guns. It was locked and could pass as a broom closet or storage.

I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering how the hell I could accomplish this mission. I trained to kill. I never trained to be an undercover agent. This wasn’t a part of my job description nor was this included in my resume.

And of all people, it had to be Everett.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes and made myself remember one of the rules that Henry instilled in me.

Don’t fall in love with the enemy.

I twisted and turned on my bed, willing sleep to overcome me but miserably failing. I really needed a good night’s sleep if tomorrow meant facing Everett again and after meeting him again tonight, the memories of that fateful night at the beach surged to me without remorse. The broken boy, the one longing for a mother, and the anger that sang in his veins.

But earlier tonight…

There was hope in his eyes the moment I had told him that I remembered him. In truth, I remembered him the moment I saw him when I entered the club when he was perched on a barstool and talking to another guy. I wanted to flee the scene then, save myself from the encounter, but I didn’t. I let myself loose on that dancefloor and secretly hoped that he noticed me.

Because try as I may and deny as I might, there was something about Everett Saunders that drew me to him too and it could land me in dangerous waters.

The sharp ring of my phone woke me up at around 7 AM in the morning. I can’t even remember when I had fallen asleep because I felt like I was drowning in my thoughts and my brain wouldn’t simply shut up. But I had fallen asleep somehow and now it was 7 AM and that meant that I needed to think of a way to cross Everett’s path.

Justin texted me that Everett was on the move. A car had picked him up in his old apartment and was already headed here. I showered quickly and blow-dried my hair, changing into casual clothes and making sure I looked enticing for someone like Everett. I could bump into him when I leave my place and then, well, we’ll see where my mouth and flirtations could take me.

He’s in the building.

I don’t know how the hell Justin could monitor Everett but I grabbed my phone and wallet and keys and headed out. No one was in the hallway and I silently cursed my timing. I prayed that I could think of a way to linger in the hallway but as I tried to lock the apartment, the key suddenly became stuck in the lock.

My eyes widened. “Shit.”

I tried to pull it out, twisted and turned it and I was nearly ready to pry it with a knife I had hidden in my shoes when I heard someone speak. “Need some help?”

When I turned, Everett stood a few feet away from me, a backpack slung over his shoulder and his black hair in complete disarray. He didn’t look like the Everett I saw at the beach, his hair covered the pale blue eyes that haunted my dreams, but he was unmistakable to me.

“Evangeline,” he breathed and I watched a small grin paint his features as he walked closer to me. He motioned at the door, “Stuck?”

I merely nodded. “It’s jammed. I’m not even sure why. It was perfect last night.”

Everett furrowed his eyebrows and reached for the key, our hands brushing. A jolt made me drop my hands and I watched as he jostled it a little bit, grab the knob and pulled the door, did something with the key and it was out from the lock and the apartment was locked. He turned to me with a grin.

“Just needed a little bit of pull.”

“Hmm,” I mused, wondering if it was simply the universe conspiring to have me linger around so he could spot me.

“So…” Everett started and I could see the amusement dancing in his eyes. I remembered my words last night, telling him that the next time we meet, he better get my number. Now, why would he need my number when we live across each other?

He nodded at the apartment door. “It’s either you live there or someone else does but since you have the key, I’m guessing it’s the former.”

“Hmm-mmm,” I muttered, still not saying anything.

Everett tilted his head to the side, his eyes lighting up with delight, “About what you said last night…”

I rolled my eyes. If this was his way of asking a girl out, he took too long. I pointed at the bag slung over my shoulder. “If this is your idea of asking a girl out for a date, I can see why you’re still single.”

Everett’s eyes narrowed into slits and he moved his face closer to mine. “I’m not exactly used to asking a girl out. They’re usually the ones who come to me.”

I nodded but rolled my eyes. “Well, if that’s the case, forget ever landing a date with me.”

I pushed past him, ready to head to the elevator and to the basement, where the car the FBI gave me was. But before I could, I felt Everett grab my arm and drag me to his apartment. He shut the door behind us and pushed me against it. I was taken aback by the sudden shift of things. One moment, he was like a shy boy-next-door and the next, he was bold and confident…and it turned me on.

“You have no idea how much I’m trying to control myself here,” he whispered and then leaned his head on the door. I listened as he exhaled loudly before pulling away from me. I instantly felt the sudden absence of his warmth.

He looked at me with intent, pale blue eyes, and said, “Give me a few minutes and I’ll take you somewhere.”

He left me there without another word and I tried to calm my erratic heart. I didn’t expect the sudden twist of events, how he quickly shifted from being a shy boy and into a bolder man. The transition was so fast that I didn’t even have the time to grasp it.

When Everett came back, his black hair was wet, probably from a shower, and he was in faded jeans and a plain white shirt. He ran a hand through his wet hair and I was suddenly mesmerized by the action but quickly chided myself.

I was Evangeline Sterell. No man has ever caught my undivided attention and nor do they mesmerized me in any way. But Everett Saunders…

“You still hungry for breakfast?”

I wasn’t just hungry for breakfast.

I could only nod in response. Everett must’ve noted the sudden change in my demeanor because he smirked and grabbed my hand. He locked the door of his apartment and dragged me to the elevator, all the while my hand still in his.

“How long have you lived here?” Everett asked.

The question was a comfort. It was something that I’ve talked about with Justin and prepared. “Last week. I’m actually new here in Miami. I thought I needed a change of scenery.”

“Where did you come from?”

I shrugged, still aware of the warmth his hands radiated to mine. “North Carolina. I liked the small-town life for a while. But I spent most of my childhood in California.”

“So the beach was always home,” he commented with a knowing smile.

I felt my heart flopped when I realized he was pertaining to the time I told him that the waters comforted me. With a shy smile, I nodded. “Yea, the beach is home. What about you?”

“My family’s here. Born and bred in Florida. I moved out of our estate the moment I graduated from university. Moved in with a fraternity brother and I’ve lived there for almost a year and a half.”

“Change of heart?” I couldn’t help but ask but knew that the reason he moved out was that his family bought him his own apartment. It must be nice having a filthy rich family even if it came from dirty money.

I wondered for a moment if Everett would answer me honestly even if he was a stranger to me. But instead, he simply pressed a small remote in his hands and a luxury car beeped on our far right. I watched his face light up with amazement and I noted that he had no idea what car his family just gave him and it was his first time to see it. Well, boys and their toys.

“Wow,” I commented, looking at the matte black Audi R8 in front of us. Everett opened the door for me and I slid in, taking in the black leather seats and the new smell of the car. Everett settled beside me, his hands sliding to the wheel. He looked like a little boy who was thrilled by his Christmas present.

He didn’t say anything and I didn’t speak, letting him take in the car and I simply gauged his reaction, waiting for a smug smile or a glint in his eyes that will tell me that he savored the money their family had. But there was none. He simply looked like a giddy little boy thrilled on Christmas Eve.

“Have you ever tried the Cuban food around here?” he asked, breaking the silence that had filled us.

He glanced at me and I shook my head, my finger feeling the texture of the leathered seats. “Nope. Like I said, I’m new here.”

He grinned. “Then I’m sure Versailles’s going to rock your world.”

For a moment I wanted to comment that I’d rather it be him who would do so but quickly bit my tongue to stop myself from saying it. He finally parked in front of what must be the place we were to dine in.

We walked side by side to the front but he didn’t hold my hand anymore. He did open the door for me though, so it added him some points of being a gentleman. When we settled down for a seat, Everett turned to me. “Do you mind if I order for you?”

I simply nodded and listened to him order “Our Famous Cuban Sandwich” for the both of us and lemonade. I didn’t comment, I’m sure he knew what he was doing and I wasn’t exactly a picky eater. When he turned back to me, he still had that small smile on his face and I’m left to wonder if it was because of the new ride he had or because he has the chance to spend longer time with me since I now lived across from him.

I wished for the latter. Partly because of the mission, another is because I liked his attention.

“My family gave me the apartment,” he suddenly said as our order arrived and I watched as he practically salivated at the sight of our food. In all honesty, it did look appealing. He handed me mine and then grinned at me again, “Give it a try.”

I took a bite of the sandwich and then closed my eyes. It was tasteful, I had to hand him that. “I guess it does have the right to be called famous.”

He nodded, his eyes twinkling as he began to devour his food. I watched him eat, amazed by how he practically vacuumed his entire plate and downed his drink within ten minutes. I haven’t even eaten half of mine. When he looked at me and realized that I had simply been nibbling on my food and staring at him, he flushed.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t had breakfast either.”

“I could see that.”

He smiled sheepishly. “Where do you work?”

Justin and I had this covered too and it was an ounce of the truth of who I was. “I’m a freelance ghostwriter.”

“You write?”

I nodded with a smile. Finally, something that wasn’t faked. “Yes. I work for this magazine company and I’m the one that works on the advice pages. Or sometimes the entertainment one.”

Everett looked impressed. “That means you can stay at home as long as you like.”

“Or travel the world as long as I have my laptop with me,” I replied with a grin. It was the best thing about freelancing. I took a huge bite of my sandwich, swallowed and then gulped down my drink. It wasn’t a very feminine thing to do but Everett didn’t seem to mind, “What about you?”

“App developer,” he replied with ease, “I’m part of the development team in Omnisoft. I want to develop my own game but keep on getting rejected. Having my own game has always been my biggest dream ever since my father gave me my first PlayStation.”

I saw the sudden change in his demeanor, how his shoulders suddenly sagged and I felt a pang of pity for the blue-eyed boy in front of me. I reached for his hand and wrapped mine around it. “Hey, don’t worry, I didn’t become a top freelancer overnight. You’ll get there.”

“Funny how you always end up comforting me,” he said, interlacing our hands. He held my hand as I finished eating my sandwich and this time around, the silence that filled us wasn’t entirely that bad. It was actually comforting.

“Hey.”

I looked up and met his pale eyes. “Yes?”

“Are you doing something tonight?”

“Are you asking me out for a date during a ‘not-date’?”

He laughed. “I’m having dinner tonight with my family. I haven’t seen them for almost a year. I know this might sound forward, but you have a very comforting presence for me.”

I knew about the dinner he had with his family. It was another piece of information that the FBI managed to get. Justin had said that it would be a good thing if I somehow managed to come to the dinner. Here was my chance.

“Would you like to join me?”

I sipped my lemonade and then dried my lips with a napkin. I turned to look at Everett. He looked hopeful. His invitation was the opportunity that the FBI wanted.

“Of course.”