Code Name Ghost (Jameson Force Security 5)

Other days, it means buying party decorations.

I didn’t begrudge being a party planner today, because this is a well-deserved celebration.

Bebe Grimshaw got a pardon for her crimes, and her record has been officially expunged. If that’s not reason for a party, I don’t know what is.

It goes without saying Bebe is perhaps the most interesting woman I’ve ever known. She spent seven years of a thirty-five-year sentence in prison for a crime she absolutely committed. When I first came to work for Jameson, I was shocked to learn Bebe had conspired against the United States to hack our defense systems and steal nuclear launch codes, which were going to be sold to a foreign enemy.

Appalling, I know, but when I learned the story, it was totally understandable. Bebe is a brilliant tech genius. She had done some low-level black-hat hacking when she was in college to make ends meet when she’d gotten pregnant and promptly deserted by the baby daddy.

Then she got in too deep and couldn’t get out. A Russian mobster owned her—keeping the threat of killing her son, Aaron, and her mom, Gloria, hanging over her head so she’d do his dirty work. She was forced to do his bidding until he wanted her to steal the nuclear codes. It was then she knew she had a duty to not only protect her family, but her country as well.

Bebe intentionally got caught, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for the government to find her easily enough. It foiled the hacking plot, saved the country, and sent her to prison.

Of course, all’s well that ends well, because Kynan heard about her extraordinary talents and knew they could be used for good. He worked his contacts within the government to get her released from prison, and she’s been a happy and productive member of Jameson—fighting against the forces of evil—ever since.

Now, it was Bebe who earned the pardon and expungement, because, just last month, she worked with the government to bring down that same Russian mobster who was on the FBI’s most-wanted list.

Tonight… we party and celebrate her successes and heroism.

My mom is keeping Avery for the evening. I have Uber on my phone, so I’m going to drink, eat, and be merry with my Jameson teammates. It’s the first happy occasion we’ve had in a while to get most everyone here who isn’t off on an active mission together.

Kynan put me in charge of planning the party, telling me I had carte blanche to do whatever I wanted. The first thing I did was ask Bebe what she wanted, it being her party and all.

I suggested fancy restaurants in Pittsburgh or a shindig to be held at Kynan’s house, but Bebe wanted it here… at Jameson. It was symbolic to her of just how far she’d come and how devoted she was to the people here.

I decided the second floor was the best place to have it since most of the floor plan was open space with some scattered furniture between the desks on one end and the couches and chairs on the other. I’d rented some additional tables for seating and a caterer to provide food that wasn’t hoity-toity… but wasn’t meatballs and pigs in a blanket.

For a second, I wasn’t sure if I went too far, so I had to verify my plans with Kynan, but he eventually gave me the go-ahead and boom… we had a bartender with an open bar.

I spent today decorating, hanging Chinese lanterns and streamers from the industrial ductwork and pipes overhead, moving the ten-foot ladder among the desks and generally making a pain-in-the-ass of myself during the workday. After his meeting with Corinne, Malik came to my rescue and ordered me off the ladder.

I tried to argue with him, but it turns out he’s incredibly stubborn and a bit of a sexist by having the temerity to think I couldn’t hang decorations from a ladder, but I ultimately gave in to him. It was easier than arguing.

Everyone seems to be here now, and the festivities are lively. As the person in charge of managing all the employee files, I can affirm Jameson employs a total of sixty-eight people between the Vegas and Pittsburgh offices. Of course, the folks in Vegas couldn’t come for this party, and several of our agents are out on active assignments, but there are easily at least a hundred and fifty people here tonight as family members were invited to attend.

I see Kynan move through the crowd toward Bebe, who’s standing with her new beau, Griff, her son, Aaron, and her mom, Gloria. He says something to her, and she shakes her head adamantly. She even attempts to move closer to Griff, as if she needs his protection from the dastardly owner of Jameson.

Kynan smirks, takes her by the elbow, and leads her away right to the floating staircase leading upward through the rest of the four floors. He pulls her about halfway up until they can be seen by the crowd.