Codename: Kryptonite

Chapter Thirty

Agent Mission Log Entry:

Nathaniel MacAnally is here. He says that he was sent to help. I haven't seen him in about a year, not since our break up. It is simply my opinion but he never was a very good agent.

He better not get in my way.

The sounds of the city seemed somehow muffled by the walls of the two buildings that made up the alley. The smells of the dumpster filled the small area. Gabriella pulled away from Nate, and held a hand up to cover her nose. "There's a coffee shop two buildings down that way," she pointed to her left. "Meet me there in twenty minutes," she told him, "and we'll talk there."

He nodded. "Twenty minutes. Don't be late."

Gabby waited until Nate walked past her and out of the alley before she exited it as well and went back to Jon's penthouse. She wanted to check back in at the apartment before going to meet Nate.

She found Jon in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee. How could any man look so sexy first thing in the morning? His hair was barely tamed after obviously being finger combed before leaving his room. The black running shorts were baggy and barely clung to his hipbones, and his chest was left bare to her hungry gaze. A shadow of yesterday's whiskers covered his chin and jaw line, making him look scruffy and oh so very sexy.

He looked up when she entered the kitchen, flashing her a boyish grin. "Good morning, beautiful."

Heat flooded her face, and she didn't even try to hide the blush. "G'morning."

There must have been a mischievous little devil sitting on his shoulder that made him tease her. "Sleep well?"

"Like a baby," she responded quickly, looking away from his sculpted chest. "Look," she began, all business-like, "I've got to go out for a bit. I need you to stay in the apartment, and don't let anyone in. Got that?"

"I got it, Gabbs. I'm not a three-year-old," he grouched.

"Really?" she asked with a saucy grin, before turning on her heel and heading back out of the kitchen, tossing over her shoulder, "Try not to get dead, k?"

Jon ran after her. "Hey, wait! Where're you going?"

Continuing toward the front door, Gabby called back. "I could tell ya, but then I'd have to kill ya, and that would sorta defeat the purpose now wouldn't it?"

The door slammed behind her just before Jon reached it. "Fuck," he muttered to himself.

In the lobby, Gabriella stopped to tell Oscar she was going out and asked him to keep a close eye out for anything suspicious. She assured him that she wouldn't be long, and would only be at the coffee shop. As she made her way to meet Nate, Gabby continually looked back, watching the front of Jon's building as she made her way to the corner and then crossed the street. The coffee shop sat diagonal across the street from Jon's building, and she'd chosen it so she could keep a close eye on the front door.

She had scanned the place and already spotted Nate at a corner table before the door closed behind her. Obviously, he remembered her preferences in seating arrangements and had chosen a table where they could both sit with their backs to a wall and still be able to see the door, and apparently he'd done his research. The seat he'd left empty for her had a clear view of Jon's building through the front windows of the coffee shop.

"You're early," he told her, flashing a boyish grin, as she slid into her seat.

A cup with the shop's logo on it was waiting for her, steam slipping through the little hole in the lid. Nate's thoughtfulness surprised her. He'd always been a rather selfish man when they were a couple. He'd been vain too. It wasn't like he didn't have reason to be; he was a very good looking man, sandy brown curly hair, high cheekbones, square jaw, lovely sherry brown eyes, athletic build. He was a man that didn't have to wonder if women noticed him; it was a given. "I have to make this quick," she told him now.

"Understood." He nodded once in agreement. "Where are we? And what do you need?"

"Right now, everything is fine. POTUS is safe." She slipped the lid off her coffee as she spoke, then took a hesitant sip of the hot brew. Nate had even remembered her favorite flavor, hazelnut.

"Any leads on the un-sub?" Nate sipped his own coffee, while waiting for Gabby to answer him.

"Last night, he took a shot at POTUS," she began, then quickly relayed the details of the night before, leaving out only some of the facts. She wasn't sure why she didn't tell Nate everything, but her gut told her it wouldn't be a good idea. She finished the briefing with, "I found a bracelet on the rooftop. I think it may be a device to get him back home."

Nate nodded. "Could be. Do you have it with you?"

"No," Gabriella shook her head, "it's in a safe place though. I'm hoping that I, well...we can use it to get home instead."

He shared a smile with her. "That's good news. I thought I was stuck here."

Before Gabriella left the table, the two of them agreed to meet the next morning at the same place and time. Nate agreed to do a little investigating to see if he could find the assassin and Gabby intended to keep Jon safe while he did it.

Nate leaned back in his chair and watched as Gabby left the building then crossed the street. His eyes didn't leave her until she was safely inside Jon's apartment building. It had been easier than he thought to get her to trust him. Maybe she wasn't as good as everyone thought she was.

Smiling, he took another sip of his coffee. He'd found out exactly what he'd hoped to find out this morning. Gabby had the bracelet. Now, he just had to get it back from her, but he knew she wouldn't give it up without a very good reason.

And, he'd give her a good reason.