Caught Unaware

Chapter 38

AMELIA CERSHAW/ MORGAN GRIMES

LOCATION: CIA BASE OF OPERATIONS LOCATED UNDER ORANGE ORANGE YOGURT SHOP

CODE NAME: CASTLE

Amelia opened the glass doors where Morgan was waiting, seated at the steel table in the conference room. He rose as she walked in, the chair screeching its protest as it slid behind Morgan across the floor.

"Wow... You look..you look.." Morgan stammered as he looked at Amelia appreciatively.

"How's Alex been, Morgan?" Amelia said, looking dead-pan into his face as he nodded and sat back down.

"She's doing wonderful, she is. Alex, the love of my life, couldn't be better, thank you for asking," Morgan said quickly. Amelia couldn't stop a small smile from forming on her face.

"Have you contacted John yet?" Amelia asked Morgan as she settled in a seat across the table from him.

"No, I figured I would let you situate yourself before we go and meet up with him. I'm thinking a romantic dinner, some candles, you tell him all about your-"

"Morgan, I need to be at his home. Do you hear me?" Amelia spoke sharply, causing Morgan to snap out of his romantic revere and look at her in surprise. Amelia raised her shirt to her rib cage and showed him the wire, shaking her head and silently begging him to be quiet about it.

Morgan was silent for a moment as she put her shirt back into place as carefully as she could, hoping the rustling sound caught on the mike would be easily explained away by anyone listening in.

"What happened?" Morgan asked.

"I was kidnapped in the middle of the night in the bedroom that was yours. They roughed me up a little, took me to Venezuela and discovered that my... My father wasn't my father after all."

"Wait, what?!"

Amelia looked at him with wide eyes so Morgan changed his tone and continued.

"What...uh...they knew that and they just let you go? Just like that?"

"Yes," Amelia said, shaking her head "no" to Morgan. This was so complicated but she needed him to be up to speed to talk to John, to make the plan work.

"They didn't need me anymore and honestly the guy in charge didn't want the innocent blood on his hands so he drugged me, dropped me off and now... I think he's given up."

She shook her head again to him to indicate that it wasn't exactly like that. Morgan nodded and walked out of the room, raising his first finger to her questioned face as he walked away. She sat and waited until he returned with a notebook and pen.

Amelia sighed with relief as she wrote a brief summary of her last few days.

"I lost time, though. I don't know what happened between me going from the secret lab to me waking up this afternoon."

Morgan glanced over her words on paper and nodded.

"So you really don't want to do a dramatic reunion or anything like that? Hey! I can get you strapped in a helicopter and--"

"Morgan. Please. I think it's best if I see him immediately. It's been so-" Amelia's voice cracked and she swallowed hard against the threat of tears that stood just behind her eyelids.

"When was the last time you ate?" Morgan asked. Amelia wasn't thinking about food at the moment but at his words her belly gave the very audible answer.

"I'll take you to see Casey. On the way there's a Subway and they just came out with some flat-bread sandwiches that are healthier for you than their regular subs. You can fill them with any of the usual meat, cheese and veggies... All the taste, none of the guilt."