The Secret Analyst, Leaving the Team

Start Reading

The mission had just wrapped up, and I could hear the guys on the comms teasing Jake Foster.

Hey, Jake, take it easy on poor Brittany. Don't break the bed again.

I was just a little pent up, needed to blow off some steam, Jake chuckled, all casual. Just don't go running your mouths to the missus.

I heard him pull out his phone, and the team erupted in knowing laughter.

"Gotta keep the main squeeze happy before you feed the side piece, huh?"

Right on cue, my phone buzzed.

Hearing Jake's honeyed words about how much he missed me sent a chill right through me.

He had no idea that I was the team's anonymous intel analyst, the one who had his back on every single op.

The first time he slept with Brittany, I didn't sleep a wink all night.

After I hung up with Jake, I dialed another number. "I'm in. I'll quit the team and settle down."

A steady voice answered, "Good. Once Operation Decapitation is done, I'll personally see you get on that plane."

"That's three days from now."

...

Jake and Brittany were still at it on the team comms, carrying on like no one else was around.

The rest of the guys were calling her "sweetheart" and "babe," egging them on.

I felt numb, my heart sinking lower and lower.

Brittany had joined the team three months ago.

During a mission, she'd been drugged.

Jake, being the team leader, took her back to his room to "watch over her".

Three days and nights later, Jake finally emerged, looking satisfied.

Brittany followed, blushing like crazy.

Ever since, Jake always brought Brittany along on missions, sharing a room with her every night.

I knew all this, I really did, but it still stung like hell.

My hand trembled as I pulled up the feed from Jake's room cam.

The HD lens showed him pressing Brittany against the window, fogging up the glass.

They were all over each other for hours.

Finally, Jake pulled away, looking completely spent.

He headed for the shower, but Brittany tried to follow him. He shut her down hard.

"Stay away from me. I'm going home. Don't want my wife catching a whiff of you."

Brittany's voice was small, her face crumpled. "Am I not more important than that clueless housewife of yours? I risk my life for you!"

Jake tilted her chin, a possessive move, but the words that came out were cold.

"What are you? Just a tool for me to get off. Know your place."

Tears streamed down Brittany's face, but Jake didn't even flinch.

As he got dressed to leave, he softened his tone. "What's the rush? Another mission in three days. You'll be begging for mercy by then."

He stroked her cheek and walked out.

When Jake got home, I was sitting on the couch, pretending to read.

He smelled strongly of Drakkar Noir, the cologne I'd picked out for him.

Now, it was just helping him cover his tracks.

As he came closer, I caught a whiff of something else, something lingering from Brittany.

No matter how hard he scrubbed, he couldn't wash her away.

He wrapped an arm around my waist, his other hand sliding up my thigh, sending a clear message.

"Honey, let's have a baby."

His breath was warm on my neck, and I couldn't keep up the act any longer.

I pushed him away gently and bolted for the bathroom.

I scrubbed my skin raw where he'd touched me, then leaned against the wall, spent.

A baby?

I thought about the two pink lines from yesterday. I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

The baby Jake had wanted for five years was finally on its way.

Too bad it was after he'd cheated.

I plastered a smile on my face and walked out, acting concerned. "When do you leave?"

"Three days. Big op." He hesitated, a hint of guilt in his voice. "Honey, I'm sorry. It's our anniversary that day. I won't be there."

I put my hand on my still-flat stomach and said, "It's okay. Just try to get home early. I got you a present."

Jake's face lit up. "I'll be there as soon as I can! Can't wait to see what you got me!"

I smiled.

I hope you like it.

The next morning, Jake woke me up gently.

"Honey, the team's having a get-together at headquarters today. Come with me."

I passed through security as Jake's wife.

As soon as we walked in, I could hear them shooting the breeze:

"That intel analyst never shows, huh? She's such a mystery."

"Yeah, she's like a ghost. We've been working with her for years, and no one's ever seen her. All we know is she's a woman."

"I bet she's got a thing for the captain. She always sends him the intel first."

I lowered my head.

He was right. I was only involved in this whole thing for Jake.

The condition for joining the team was simple: all intel had to be sent to Jake's team first.

That's how I found out about his affair.

I must have looked a little off.

Jake must have thought I was getting mad, he quickly shouted at the team.

"What are you guys talking about?"

They jumped to their feet, looking nervous.

"Mrs. Foster! We're just messing around. Don't take it the wrong way."

"Yeah, we all know Jake only has eyes for you. He carries your picture on every mission."

"It's true. He calls you whenever he can. You're all he thinks about!"

Their faces looked so sincere.

If I didn't know about Jake and Brittany, I might have actually believed them.

Brittany stood up in the corner, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, Mrs. Foster, Jake only cares about you."

We locked eyes. Her hostility was clear.

If Jake wasn't here, she probably wouldn't even bother with the act.

At dinner, Jake played the perfect husband, peeling shrimp and piling food on my plate, sweet-talking me the whole time.

The rest of the team was eating it up.

Only Brittany seemed to get more and more sour, downing drink after drink.

After a few rounds, even I was starting to feel buzzed.

Brittany stumbled out.

A few minutes later, Jake got a text, his breath catching in his throat, and he jumped up.

Seeing my surprised look, he forced himself to calm down. "Honey, I hurt myself on the last op, and the doctor told me not to drink. I... I'm going to the infirmary. You hang out with the guys."

He rushed out of the room.

My phone vibrated. It was a text from Jake: Come to Room 302. I have a surprise for you.

That didn't sound like him.

Was this Brittany trying to provoke me?

I didn't respond. Instead, I pulled out my phone and connected to the internal surveillance system.

The scene on the monitor was explicit.

Brittany had changed into a bunny outfit and was on her knees on the bed.

Jake burst through the door, his eyes bloodshot, his breathing heavy.

He threw her down on the bed and pinned her.

He wasn't interested in foreplay.

He just wanted to release his pent-up desires and get back to me.

But when he saw the text Brittany had sent, he froze.

The lust in the room dissipated.

The look on Jake's face scared Brittany.

"You better hope my wife didn't see that, or I'll kill you!"

Jake turned and left.

He ran, his mind racing.

Did Chloe see the message? Did she go to 302?

He couldn't bear to imagine.

He pushed open the door to the dining room and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw me sitting there.

He hugged me tight.

"Honey, you didn't see that message, did you?"

I smiled and shook my head. "My phone died. What message? Is it important?"

Jake was relieved, his voice a caress. "Nothing. You're the only thing that matters."

The team started joking around again:

"Jake, you're so whipped!"

"You should see him when he's yelling at us. But he gets all soft when he's talking to Chloe!"

"Chloe, you should come around more often. We could use the break."

Brittany, who had come back late, also grinned:

"Yeah, Jake is so different when his wife is around."

She grabbed my hand. "You don't know how awful Jake is when you are not around! You have to stick up for me."

"Oh? How does he bully you?" I said.

"He tires me out so much in bed." Brittany says.

Jake's face changed instantly.

He forced a smile. "Don't mess around ... honey, what she means is, I was too tough on them when I was training, so everyone was too tired to get up."

After being glared at by Jake, Brittany reluctantly said: "Yeah, Chloe, that's what I meant. Don't misunderstand."

The tone clearly hoping I would.

Jake carried me away, away from Brittany.

Before leaving, I saw the resentment in Brittany's eyes.

On the way home, the atmosphere in the car was heavy.

No matter what Jake said, I just brushed it off.

Lying in bed, Jake got close to me, and I whispered: "Honey, why do you smell like someone else? Strangely, I think I've smelled it somewhere."

Jake ran to the bathroom and said: "That ... maybe it's the smell of disinfectant in the infirmary ... I'll take a bath, honey, you don't have to wait for me."

I breathed a sigh of relief and suppressed the nausea.

Does the baby in my stomach hate his father?

Every time Jake touched me, I couldn't help but feel like throwing up.

I closed my eyes and said: two more days, and I can leave.

The next day, when I woke up, it was noon.

The bed next to me was empty, as if no one had slept there all night.

Jake pushed the door open and walked in.

"Lazy bum, get up and eat."

The table was filled with food that made my mouth water, and Jake smiled as he watched me eat.

"Honey, I'm going to stay home with you today. I want to stay by your side for the rest of my life, and not be separated for a second."

He really did stay by my side all afternoon, never leaving.

Even though the phone rang over and over again, he didn't even look at it.

He took care of all the housework and watched boring idol dramas with me.

As night fell, the doorbell rang.

Jake went to open the door: "Who is it this late ... what are you doing here!"

He was talking to someone outside the door.

There was a moment of silence, and then Brittany's clear voice came: "Mrs. Foster, it's me! Please take me in."

Brittany ran into my house with red eyes, sat next to me, looking aggrieved: "Mrs. Foster, I had a fight with my parents, and they kicked me out. Please, let me stay for one night, okay, I'll go back to the team tomorrow."

I glanced at Jake, whose face was pale, and nodded.

Brittany and I sat on the sofa watching TV, and Jake, who was cooking in the kitchen, was visibly absent-minded, coming out every now and then to take a look.

He relaxed when he saw Brittany and I getting along.

I leaned close to Brittany's ear and whispered to her: "I'm pregnant, don't tell your captain. It's a surprise I prepared for him."

Brittany's face turned pale instantly.

She stood up, swaying: "Mrs. Foster, I suddenly have a headache, I'm going to sleep first..."

I made an excuse to find pajamas for Brittany and asked Jake to take her to the guest room.

Assuming I had returned to the bedroom on the second floor, Jake grabbed Brittany's arm.

"Are you crazy? What are you trying to do?"

Brittany leaned into Jake's arms. "I miss you, I want to have a baby for you..."

Jake snorted coldly: "My wife will have a baby for me in the future, why would I need you? I warn you, be honest!"

Brittany stood on tiptoe and kissed him, ignoring everything.

Perhaps stimulated by the news that I was pregnant, Brittany clung to Jake.

After ten minutes, Jake ripped himself away from Brittany: "No, I can't, my wife is upstairs..."

Brittany: "When she falls asleep, you can come to me ... the main bedroom is on the second floor, she can't hear the movement on the first floor..."

Hearing the guest room fall silent, I knocked on the door.

"Brittany, these are Jake's pajamas, I just bought them, he hasn't worn them yet, do you mind?"

Brittany smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Foster."

Her eyes were glued to Jake.

Jake pushed me out.

That night, Jake snuck out of the bedroom after making sure I was asleep.

He went anyway.

Right under my nose, in our home.

As soon as he closed the door, I opened my eyes.

The guest room went on until dawn.

I sat on the bed all night, throwing empty cigarette packs all over the floor.

I coughed until I was in tears.

I threw the cigarettes and my feelings into the trash can.

Tomorrow, or rather, today, everything will be over.

When it was time to go, Jake said goodbye to me reluctantly.

"Honey, after the mission, I will take care of you. Wait for me!"

He kissed my forehead.

His car sped away, and I turned and went to the roof.

Next to me, the person leaned over and was so close to me.

"It's not too late to regret it."

I leaned back and closed my eyes.

"Captain Sean, you're so wordy today."

He laughed.

Soon he got serious. "Operation Decapitation is very important. If it succeeds, it will destroy the underground forces in the southwest. The director asked you to take the lead, but you must be safe, okay?"

I nodded, put on my equipment, and jumped.

But as soon as I entered the pre-prepared field command, I noticed something was wrong.

The methods of the third operator at the door were wrong.

As I turned to escape, a dose of medicine had been injected into my neck.

Before losing consciousness, I heard someone say: "We finally waited for you, the almighty intelligence analyst. Go and inform the leader."

As the coordinates stopped moving, the team was ready.

Jake was confused: "The coordinates are so precise? Didn't all the informants we planted die?"

The Captain's voice was steady:

"It's the intelligence analyst. She broke in and sent the signal at the risk of her life."

"Today's mission is to destroy the enemy's nest and rescue the intelligence analyst. This is the director's order, and my own ... request."

Jake smiled: "It seems that this analyst and you, Captain, have a close relationship."

"Yes, she is very important to me. You must have someone important too."

Jake laughed, full of longing: "Yes, my wife is my only treasure."

Brittany sneered: "She used to be afraid of death and hid in the back, but this time the bonus is generous, so she came out to rob the credit, right?"

Before the captain could get angry, Jake spoke first: "Shut up! If it weren't for her, our missions wouldn't succeed. You wouldn't even be alive!"

Brittany closed her mouth.

The group began walking towards the target in the night.

The attacks on the perimeter went smoothly, and when Jake and his party broke into the warehouse, they saw the leader sitting on the second floor, with a long-haired woman tied up next to him.

The light was too dark to see the woman's face.

But strangely, he felt a sense of familiarity.

Before he could think about it, Brittany moaned.

"It hurts! My leg was injured, it hurts so much!"

Through the hail of bullets, Jake was holding Brittany, his expression gentle.

His voice was clear. "The bone is showing, the injury is very serious. It can't be delayed."

Brittany burst into tears: "Blow them all up. Jake, will I have to have my leg amputated ... I'm scared."

"No, Captain, we have to capture the leader alive. What's more, the intelligence officer is there!"

Brittany's painful moan drowned out the voices of the others.

"Jake, save me! Aren't I more important than the analyst?"

Jake looked at the direction of the leader.

The analyst had helped him make great contributions.

But, Brittany looked like she was in so much pain...

Outside the warehouse, gunfire was still sounding.

Brittany's intimate partnership outweighed the analyst's assistance.

What's more, if the intelligence officer survived, it would be her who got the most credit...

Jake made up his mind.

He grabbed his subordinate's collar and said, "Anyway, the perimeter has been resolved, so there's no need to waste time here. Just throw a bomb in and say the bandits detonated it themselves. Hurry up, don't waste time."

Jake bent down and picked up Brittany, turning to leave.

The moment the bomb was thrown, Jake turned back.

The light of the explosion illuminated the woman who was tied up.

I smiled sadly at Jake.

Jake's eyes widened.