C3 Chapter Three

The entire journey is silent.

I plug in my headphones and put my music on full volume, drowning out the world around me. My head rests against the cool leather inside the car and I close my eyes, forgetting who I am for a few minutes.

All I can picture is Calvin Black's face.

The face that I would have to call my boyfriend.

I've never had a boyfriend before and the idea of making a criminal my first boyfriend caused me to grow angry. I knew it was just for a mission but to me, he'd still be my first. Every time I'd think back to my first boyfriend, I'd remember this mission. My fists tighten in my lap and I wrap the cord of my earphones around my wrist, pulling it tight.

I imagine it's Veronica's neck I'm strangling and a small part of me feels oddly better.

"Hunter?"

A hand on my arm causes me to jump and I turn to face Micah who looks equally as tired as I probably do. He gives me a small smile and I pull out my headphones to be able to hear him clearly.

"We're almost there. Did you read the rest of the file?" He asks me, his voice low. I nod my head reluctantly, letting out a deep sigh.

"Christopher Black, wanted by the FBI for several murder charges of federal agents. He's gone into hiding and no-one can find him." I say bluntly, sounding bored. Micah nods slowly, giving me an unreadable expression.

"Calvin Black, the son of Christopher Black. The FBI think he's the main lead in finding Christopher so that's where I come in." I say cheerfully, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

"I become the girlfriend of Calvin Black and get in his good books. Whilst doing this, find out where Christopher is and what his next steps are. Don't get caught, don't get killed, don't get exposed. Got it." I finish off, turning to face out of the window again.

"Good," Micah murmurs, his voice barely audible. He clears his throat, fiddling with his backpack that's set by his feet.

"I'll be looking into the whereabouts of Christopher Black. If I find any leads, I'll let you know immediately. In the meantime, it's just you and me sis." Micah jokes, elbowing me slightly. I turn and give him the smallest of smiles.

"You're going to hate being my brother." I tease him, feeling my mood lighten. Micah flashes me a rare toothy grin, the dimples in his cheeks appearing.

"I'll be the one to make that decision," he winks at me, brown eyes shining. I bite down on my lower lip, feeling a flutter inside my stomach as I turn away from him once again.

I don't want him to see the smile on my face.

*****

"Hunter and Micah! It's lovely to meet you."

I stretch my hand out and shake the older ladies first before shaking the man's hand standing next to her. Both of them appear to be in their late fifties, dressed in thick knitted jumpers and trousers.

"I'm Margaret and this is Ted but of course, you'll be calling us Mum and Dad." She smiles, ushering us both in out of the cold. She has a friendly face with large green eyes, the skin around her eyes creasing due to her age. Ted is almost the same size as her and when he smiles, his whole face lights up.

"It's nice to meet you," I say politely, keeping a hold of my suitcase. Micah stands beside me, eyeing up the house.

"Bullet proof windows and surveillance twenty four seven. No-one goes in and no-one gets out without us knowing about it. You're both safe in here." Ted says, surprising us both. I look at him with slight surprise in my eyes and chuckles as he notices my expression.

"We were both in the field once," he smiles softly, wrapping an arm around Margaret.

"Really?" Micah questions, sounding intrigued. Margaret and Ted nod, signalling for us to take a seat at the dining table. I sit myself down onto the closest chair, helping myself to a biscuit from the middle.

"We met in the field. Margaret was thirty and I was thirty five. Love at first sight, wasn't it honey?" Ted smiles, patting her arm. She looks up at him with love and adoration in her eyes and I have to tear my eyes away from them because it hurts too much. I mask over my face, making sure I'm unreadable.

All I can think about are my parents. When everything was good. They once looked at each other with the same love in their eyes, many years ago. I shake it off, pushing them to the back of my mind.

I don't have parents anymore.

I'm Hunter Ashley, FBI agent.

"What do you know about Christopher or Calvin Black?" I ask them, already aware that they would have been filled in on the mission at hand. Micah clears his throat next to me, shooting me a sideways glare for 1.2 seconds. I ignore him and wait for an answer. Ted is the first to speak up.

"All we know is that the FBI have been trying to track him down for years. We weren't even aware he had family in this area until we were approached by Veronica. We've been out of the field for years now Hunter."

I nod my head slowly, digesting the information.

"So, why did you agree to house me and Micah? Surely that's an inconvenience for you."

Margaret answers me this time, her voice firm.

"We agree to house the Agents because we don't want to cut all ties from the FBI. It was part of our contract when we left Hunter. We're obliged to do it." She smiles sadly, squeezing her husbands hand. I bite down on my lower lip, feeling bad for being so forward and demanding. Sometimes, I find it hard to switch off from FBI Mode. I'm afraid that I'll lose the real Hunter Ashley because I rarely see her.

"We'll make sure we don't cause you any further problems, right Hunter?" Micah asks me sternly, sounding like a father with his child. I roll my eyes quickly —

"Right."

Margaret waves her hand in the air, dismissing our words.

"Don't be silly. We enjoy the company, Ted and I never had any children so it's nice to have the house lively and full of youngsters."

I blink at her and give her a small smile which she returns. From the very few minutes of knowing her and Ted, I was growing to like them. I turn to Micah before glancing around at the room and back at my new 'parents.' The entire house had a very homely vibe to it, full of small knick knacks and colourful colours. It made a change to the grey and murky FBI headquarters for the Under 18's.

It was definitely a good change.

"Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought." I say quietly, reaching forward for another chocolate biscuit.