Jayne and Steelie - 01 - Freezing by Clea Koff

earlier. She’d still had a pair of well-used leather gloves sticking out of the back pocket of her cargo pants even though she and Steelie were leaving the mission in a matter of hours. He’d been wearing dusty boots, on his way to UN HQ, staying in the mission for another six months as he’d joined the team late, on loan from the FBI Lab. She belatedly wondered if she’d recognize him now and was glad he’d suggested the rear entrance of the hotel, which was quieter and he’d be easier to spot. Glancing at her watch, she picked up her bag and went out to her truck, making a mental note to stop by the Home Depot eventually to purchase new plants for her porch. She would have to do more than just sweep up the mess of broken pottery left by bumbling critters the night before.
    The traffic on Sunset was still heavy but the evening’s milder temperatures were layering in and Jayne drove with the windows down, listening to an Oscar Peterson compilation but not minding hearing music from nearby cars as they idled next to each other along the boulevard. Keeping to surface streets, she turned right on Grand, passed the new cathedral, and made her way to Olive, starting the descent toward the heart of Downtown.
    She pulled into the Omni Hotel’s curved driveway, its facade looming skyward, dwarfing the people gathered at the curb. A young valet made eye contact with her, raising his hand interrogatively but she shook her head as she drove past him slowly, scanning faces. When she had made the full circuit of the driveway, she pulled to the curb in front of a taxi and twisted in her seat to look for Gene out the back window. Just then, her passenger door swung open and a man dressed entirely in beige leapt in beside her as she pulled her bag to safety.
    â€˜Christ, Gene, you gave me a fright!’
    â€˜Sorry, I was afraid you were going to drive off without me.’
    He leaned over the bench seat and gave her an awkward sideways hug, the zipper of his windbreaker scraping against her cheek. When they released each other, she looked at him and was glad he’d spotted her because she might not have recognized him after all. His blond hair was turning white and his cheeks seemed to droop, which changed the shape of his face altogether. His long body was still lanky, which gave him a certain youthfulness but his pale eyes were as penetrating as ever, their dot-like pupils making it seem as though he were focused on and displeased with whatever he was looking at. But his smile transformed everything, as it always had.
    â€˜So, how the hell are ya, Jayne Hall?’
    His exuberance was infectious and she laughed. ‘Not bad, thanks. How was your flight?’
    â€˜Hey, when it’s business class, it’s always good.’
    She gave him an admiring glance. ‘Nice.’ She pulled away from the hotel and headed back the way she came, then turned right on Tom Bradley Boulevard toward Little Tokyo. ‘So, what brings you here in business class?’
    â€˜I’ve been working for an electronics company that’s now looking to open a West Coast office. Sent me out here to take a couple of meetings, get the lay of the land. I won’t bore you with the details.’
    â€˜But when did you leave the FBI Lab?’
    â€˜Years ago.’
    â€˜I didn’t know.’
    â€˜Hey, how much of your life do you want to spend dealing with crime and criminals?’
    She glanced at him with interest. ‘You miss anything from those days?’
    â€˜Nope! The job I have now is dull and that’s the way I like it. I can get my excitement elsewhere. Seeing you and Steelie is the highlight of this trip. Speaking of which, is she meeting us at the restaurant?’
    Jayne was parking at a meter. She raised her voice over the passing traffic as she got out of the truck. ‘She couldn’t come tonight. Pretty busy this week.’
    Gene waited until she’d joined him