I Wish

Meeting Olivia James

I steal away from the studio and make my way to the cafe to meet my contact/new boss. I find him pacing in wait near a table.

"You are late," he chastises me.

I cringe, "I am aware. I'm very sorry, sir."

He invites me to sit down. I oblige and order myself a coffee.

"Don't be so nervous, Olivia. I won't bite, I promise," he comforts me.

"I'm sorry, sir," I repeat as I try to relax.

"Please call me Miguel."

"Of course, si- Miguel."

I have crazy jitters, but I take another breath. A waiter brings out my coffee just before Miguel hands me a file. He wants me to survey products for him to trade. In other words, he wants me to test out high tech weapons to see how strong they are. Yay.

"Olivia, I need you to test this weapon. It's an easily concealed handgun, but I want you to check that the bullets fire precisely." I scan the file for details. "And if you do a good job, you will be rewarded."

I manage to keep my cool as I stand up and take my leave.

"I will have results for you by tomorrow, Miguel," I inform him with a glance over my shoulder.

"I look forward to seeing the results, Olivia," he calls after me.

I approach the recording studio and hear my friends singing I Knew You Were Trouble. I try to stay quiet, but I must me humming because Mac turns a full circle to walk towards me. I laugh a little and join in for the second verse.

"No apologies

He'll never see you cry

Pretend he doesn't know

That he's the reason why

You're drowning, you're drowning, you're drowning

And I heard you moved on

From whispers on the street

A new notch in your belt

Is all I'll ever be

And now I see, now I see, now I see

He was long gone

When he met me

And I realize the joke is on me," I catch Mac's eye causing him to falter and cast his eyes downwards.

I feel a little guilty, but I wasn't necessarily directing it at him. At the end of the song, I ask Taylor if she wants me to record anything for her before I left town. She says no, and the team and I go back to my house. When I walk through the door, I swing my bag onto the floor and lock myself in my bedroom.

"Izzy. Izzy, it's Mac. Please, let me in. Please, Izzy, what's going on?" I hear Mac through the door.

I shake my head and call back, "I'm fine, Mac. Just leave me alone."

I want anything else but that, yet I can't accept Mac's help. I have to be able to do this mission on my own. I start when I hear the door open, and I am about to yell at Mac when it turns out to be Riley.

"Izzy, you have to talk to him," she demands.

"No, I actually need to talk to Jack because I need to learn how to shoot a gun before the end of the day," I correct her.

She looks at me in shock, and I have to remind her that we're on a mission.

Eventually Jack and I end up at a firing range. I am not a great shot but the new weapon was so easy to use that I seem like a professional. These weapons are dangerous.

"You actually aren't a bad shot, Izzy," Jack compliments me, "you just need to keep your eyes open. Both of them."

"These are hard to aim," I whine.

"All you have to do is support it." He fixes my position. "Now hold it steady, and aim for your target. What are you aiming for?"

I cock the gun.

"The heart," I reply as I pull the trigger.

I hate the feeling. The recoil in my hand, the sound of the bullet firing, the sight of the bullet tearing through the target. I hate all of it. I am not someone who likes violence. Mac and I were close in that way.

"Good job, Izzy," Jack calls when I take off my hearing protection.

I nod although I feel numb all the way through my body. I scurry out of the range and through the doors that lead outside. I'm running laps around the building, running as fast as I can. All of the sudden I run into something... no, it's a person. I run into someone, and they pull me in close. I can feel their body heat; I let them hold me tight against them.

"Iz, are you okay?"

I look up to see Mac gazing down at me with a look of concern across his face. I nod my head to answer his question.

"Are you sure? You're trembling."

I mentally curse myself for being such a sucker for hugs.

"It's from running," I lie, "I was doing laps before I ran into you."

He pulls me in again and presses his lips to the top of my head, "Liar."

I relax some and listen to his heartbeat. I'm happy that he's letting this go.

"How did it go?" He asks to change the subject.

"It's dangerous. And incredibly easy to use not to mention crazy accurate. I never missed, and you know that I've never shot before in my life," I answer honestly.

He holds me out in front of him and studies me.

"You need a break," he decides, "How about frozen yogurt?"

I gasp in mock surprise, "You know me so well."

We both laugh and head out of the parking lot.