Codename: Kryptonite

Chapter Twenty-six

Agent Mission Log Entry:

Jon is a stubborn fucking jackass.

Just throwing that out there.

"I know," Jon sighed into the phone, "I'll be there." He shook his head as he disconnected the call. As bad as he'd like to skip tonight's charity gala, he had committed himself months ago. Now, he turned his chair to face the window behind his desk. He loved this view, but Gabby would completely lose it if she walked in right now and saw the heavy drapes open making him a target to the assassin. A small smile that didn't even crinkle the corners of his eyes danced on his lips. If the killer wanted him, now would be a good time to do it, but at this point he couldn't even rake up a desire to care.

He knew when he told Gabby that he was going out tonight, there would be fireworks, of the worst kind, but he wasn't the kind to hide in his cave while the world passed him by, and he wasn't going to start doing it now. To be honest, he was hoping to convince Gabby to use him as bait to catch the killer, so that this could finally all be over.

And he could get down to some serious Gabby hunting.

It had been three days since the explosion in the den. A three day game of cat and mouse. He spent almost every waking moment trying to get her alone so they could talk, but she was an expert at dodging him or creating a buffer between them. And not only had she used Richie in her plot to never be alone with him, but Janet had been drafted as well.

There had been a time in his life when sex had been about nothing more than a piece of ass, but he was too old for that shit now. He had long out-grown the adolescent keeping score mentality, and now preferred a much more adult relationship. However, he wasn't even sure he could have that with Gabby; their situation was anything but normal. But, he sure would like to try.

Gabby was strong, stubborn and independent. There wasn't anything about her that was shy or demure. She was sassy, sexy and interesting.

In short, she intrigued him.

It was time they had a chat. He had given Janet the day off, and Richie wasn't even awake yet. A predatory smile stretched his full lips, as he stood up. He was going searching for his little mouse.

Gabriella smiled to herself as she poured herself another cup of coffee. It had been rather easy to avoid Jon these past three days. Easier than she had originally thought. Richie had made a great buffer, and she was even starting to suspect that he knew what she was up to and was even helping her, probably in an effort to annoy his friend. The only problem had been that the guitarist was a late riser, so she'd had to enlist Janet's unknowing aid in the hours between her rising and Richie's.

She glanced at her watch, wondering where Janet was. The older woman should have been there by now. Gabriella had already made sure the penthouse was secure, and had two cups of coffee. Usually the housekeeper arrived either while she was making her first perimeter check of the morning, or immediately after.

Turning to leave the kitchen, she stopped so quickly that coffee sloshed out of her cup onto the gray stone floor. Jon stood in the doorway, casually leaning against the frame. Why hadn't she heard him approach? She wanted to kick herself in the ass - she was slipping.

With a predatory smirk on his full lips and no shirt on that sculpted chest, he was one big piece of eye candy. But, as sweet as her tooth had suddenly gotten, she couldn't afford to have another taste.

His voice was low and inviting, just a hint of a growl. "You've been avoiding me," he accused, the smirk growing just a little.

The man/woman game of saying one thing but meaning another had never been Gabby's forte. She wanted to stall, to play off his statement with 'What do you mean?', but that just wasn't her. So, as blunt and straight to the point as always, she looked him straight in the eye. "Yeah. And?"