Free Falling

Leather & Lace

Somewhere, his phone was going off. Ugh. Jamien pulled a pillow off of his head and groaned when the light hit his face. It was morning. He reached across the bed, remembering that someone was supposed to be there, and found it cold and empty. "Fuck." At the same time, his phone stopped ringing. He sighed and sat up, running a hand through his hair to finger comb it. He'd underestimated how tired he'd been. He could hear one of the TVs downstairs tuned to some random channel, and also the clinking of dishes. His phone began vibrating and ringing again, slowly moving towards the edge of the end table. He snatched it up, pressed the answer button, and pressed the cool plastic to his ear. "What?"

"I've been trying to reach you all morning! Where the hell have you been?" Jamien never pegged Kinzie to be a morning person anyway.

"It's called sleeping. Perhaps you haven't heard of it yet?" Jamien fell back onto the bed. "What's wrong, Kinzie?"

"Normally, I don't spend too much time listening in the Steelport police radio conversations, but I figured after yesterday I might be able to pick up something about STAG."

"Did you?"

"Yes," She hesitated before continuing, "but it wasn't what I thought it would be about. STAG's commander has issued an Amber Alert for a Denitra Fuller. He believes she's being held against her will by the Saints. The police have orders from the Chief to stop any car with Saints colors then search and question all members of the gang."

"Wow. All of that just for one girl?"

"She's important to somebody. I was able to hack into their system and pull a picture of her." Jamien's phone gave a quiet ding, an alert to a new picture message. He didn't bother to look at it. "Right now, I'm using the FBI's database to pull background information, to see who she is and what she's involved in. One question, do we have her?"

Jamien sighed. "Yes. She's here with me now."

"Why is she with you? Is she a friend of yours?"

"Not exactly. It's a long story, Kinzie, but she's gonna be with us for a bit longer."

"How much longer?"

"A week at the most."

"Well, if that's the case, then I have to keep an eye on the police and STAG as well as the Syndicate gangs."

"Unless you have nothing else to do, don't bother. We all will have to wear different clothes and drive different cars for a while. It isn't a big deal. If nothing else, it gives us an advantage over our enemies by suddenly adopting a new look. You stay focused on the Deckers."

"If you're sure..."

"I am. Trust me. This makes things more interesting."

"Well, make it more interesting. Take Denitra somewhere and give her a makeover, so she's not recognizable by anyone looking for her."

"Good idea. Thanks, Kinzie." He hung up without warning and got out of the bed, going over to the railing to look down into the kitchen. "Good morning, sunshine."

Denitra looked up at him from her bowl of cereal and rolled her eyes.

Jamien laughed and went to the bathroom, taking time to bathe, change his clothes, comb his hair, and shave. When he came downstairs, Denitra was still at the kitchen island, watching some silly game show. "How did you sleep last night? I thought you'd sleep a little longer. It's only," he looked at his watch, "10:15."

She didn't answer, instead filling her mouth with another spoonful of cinnamon sugar squares. Jamien shrugged it off and got a bowl of cereal for himself, taking the time to think about his moves and options. "So, I realize that if you're gonna be here for a week, you'll need clothes to wear."