The Nomination: There are so many wonderful stories on RFF. My nomination is Falling Fast by kmt123. It was well written and had amazing twists and turns throughout the story. The case is well developed and any time romance blossoms between our favorite couple, it is a bonus. This story is full of bonuses!

The drive had been long and tedious. Thunderclouds threatened for the first two hours, followed by almost two more hours of pouring rain. By the time it cleared for the last hour of the trip, Jack was officially wiped out. He switched off the ignition and sat staring at the drenched landscaping in front of the hotel, feeling his eyes beginning to cross. Yawning wearily and rubbing his free hand over his face, he considered just letting Sue continue her nap in the passenger seat while he checked in. She’d tried to stay awake in order to keep him awake, but after their last rest stop the lull of rain drops rolling down the passenger window, and the steady back and forth of the windshield wipers had faded her resolve and her head begin to dip.

Shifting ever so slightly so that he didn’t dislodge the cheek that rested against his shoulder, he softly brushed her hair away from her face and allowed his fingertips to graze her jaw line. When she drew in a sudden deep breath, he lowered his hand and smiled as she looked up at him, eyes slightly crossed and her brows disappearing beneath her bangs.

“Wake up Sleeping Beauty. We’re here.”

“Here? At the hotel? Jack….” Stopping to clear her mind of the sleepy fog, she realized how she was leaning on him and pulled herself up, straightening her sweater and smoothing her hair. Covering a yawn, she looked at him and frowned. “You should have woke me… I was supposed to be keeping you awake.”

You looked so peaceful and I liked having your head on my shoulder, he thought, but answered with only a shrug. Actually, other than dealing with the downpour, the last couple of hours had been very enjoyable. He was glad for the chance to put the case out of his mind and concentrate on nothing but the woman by his side. Since learning of this assignment four days ago, he’d been indulging in daydreams that had his heart racing and his pulse doing crazy leaps at inappropriate times.

Yesterday he’d been hard pressed to keep himself on track as he and D went over the final details of their trip and their role in the case. D, ever the diplomat, had at first ignored the fact that several of his questions had gone unanswered until he’d repeated them. He'd studied the younger agent carefully as Jack cleared his throat and pulled his concentration back to the subject at hand; how to go about catching a sniper.

"Jack… you OK? You seem out of it today.”

“What? Oh. Sorry D. Yeah, I’m fine. Just preoccupied with this case.”

D didn’t look convinced. “You sure that’s all it is? ‘Cause we were talking about the case, but that’s not where your mind seemed to be.”

D knew Jack was the man for the job when the AD had approached him with the case, but that same AD remembered Jack’s actions when trying to catch another gunman some three years prior. He had been successful, but the methods had been the topic of much discussion not only by his team members, but the top brass as well. And Jack's un-characteristic lack of attention was also beginning to worry him.

“I’m sure. What else would it be?”

“I don’t know.” D hesitated before divulging information he knew had been meant for his ears only, “Look, the AD and several others have expressed… some concern… about you handling this. I just want to…”

“Concern?” Jack’s brow’s drew inward and his lips set themselves in a thin line.

“Yes Jack, concern. Remember the last sniper case you handled?”

“Yeah. I got the guy didn’t I?”

“Yes, but I was with you the day he almost got you before you had a chance to get him. And by the way, I thought ‘we’ got him.”

Jack had the good grace to look ashamed, closing his eyes briefly and holding up a hand in surrender. “I’m sorry. Yes, we got him. I didn’t mean…”

“I know Jack… I know.” D puffed out a frustrated breath. “But this ‘distraction’, whatever it is… it’s got me wondering if maybe their concern isn’t justified. Maybe these sniper cases hit a little close to home.”

Frowning at the suggestion that his having been a sniper might make him somehow careless in handling the case, Jack began to shake his head. “D, listen, I want to catch this guy… make no mistake about that, but I learned a lot from that last case. I won’t get myself, or anyone else in that situation again. Besides, if I start thinking crazy, I’ll have my conscience with me.”

D grinned. “Yes, but you didn’t listen to her last time.”

“Well, let’s just say she’s grown on me since then. I’ve learned when to listen.”

His friend‘s admission surprised him a little, but D let it go. “Look, I know you can do the job, and really, so does the AD or he wouldn’t have tapped you for the assignment, but if you have any doubts… anything going on in your life that would jeopardize it, I need to know.”

“No doubts D. I‘m fine, really.”

The hotel was enormous. It sat atop a cliff overlooking a pristine lake, with trees and beautiful gardens at every turn. Sue stood transfixed when she climbed out of the car, her mouth gaping.

“Jack… I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s…” She gave up trying to find words and simply lifted her hands and let them fall back to her side. Jack rounded the car and stood by her side, looking out over the landscape. The trees were at their height of color and the rain clouds had cleared completely now, leaving an October sky as blue as any he’d ever seen. DC had it’s highlights; from the majesty of the monuments to the spring cherry blossoms, but it couldn’t compare to this place for pure natural beauty.

“D said it was a famous resort, but I didn’t picture… this.”

“Me either.” Looking to the elegant entrance of the towering hotel, Sue looked to Levi still waiting to make his escape from the back seat. “Are you sure it’s OK for me to have Levi?”

Nodding, Jack opened the back door and caught the dog’s collar before he could make a beeline for the manicured flower beds. “I explained to the girl I made the arrangements with; she said it was no problem to have service animals.”

“OK, but my first problem is where to exercise him.”

Spotting an attendant, Jack caught his attention and soon they were pointed to a side yard while their luggage was brought inside. It was waiting for them in the lobby when they walked up to the front desk a short time later. Jack let his eyes wonder around the spacious lobby and whistled under his breath at the turn of the century architecture. Wood gleamed everywhere and tall windows framed by velvet draperies invited the autumn views inside.

“Jack Hudson.” He told the young man at the desk.

“Well, with a name like that, you’re in the right place.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hudson.” The clerk looked to Jack, clearly expecting him to catch on to his meaning. Jack shook his head and presented a confused look back to the young man.

“Ummm, you’re in the Hudson Valley…”

“Oh. Sorry… long trip.” So much for his mental faculties this afternoon, what was left of it. Until he rested and revived from the drive, the case would have to wait. He didn’t want to fumble things due to exhaustion after he’d assured D there was no problem.

“Here are your room keys, and this pamphlet will explain all about our dining facilities and there’s also information on all of our activities and local attractions. If you and the lady wish to go on up to your rooms, I’ll have your luggage brought up momentarily.”

“Sounds like a plan. Which way?”

The clerk gave quick instructions on how to get to the rooms, and after grabbing two small overnight bags, they set off to find them. The small elevator was, like the rest of the hotel, a step back in time. Rich wood paneling and deep red floral carpeting glowed in the light cast by antique light fixtures.

“If the elevator looks like this, makes you wonder what the rooms are like.” Sue smiled up at him.

Nodding with an incredulous look on his face, Jack thought of the penny pinchers at the Bureau who’d had to approve their stay. “Randy’ll have a heart attack when he sees the bill.”

Sue giggled, imagining the fastidious man’s reaction to their expense report. “Maybe we should have Luce call an ambulance before he gets it. Might as well be prepared.”

“I’ll call D, tell him to get him into counseling now, so he can be prepared.” A wrinkle of his nose accompanied his grin.

The elevator doors slid open and they stepped into a thickly carpeted hallway on the second floor. The wood paneling gave way to wallpaper with an elaborate but subtle pattern that spoke of by-gone parlors and sitting rooms. Jack led the way through a maze of short passages, finally stopping at a door tucked into an alcove and fishing into his pocket for a key.

Sue waited, perplexed, as he entered and took both overnight bags with him, expecting him to make a reappearance when he realized that he’d taken hers along with his. She shifted on her feet and looked up and down the hall wondering which room was hers. When he didn’t come back, she ventured in, looking around the well-appointed room that contained only a comfortable looking sofa and several chairs but no bed, no overnight case, and no Jack.

“Jack?”

His head poked through a door to her right, eyebrows raised. “Something wrong?”

“Which is my room?”

“Right through here.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder indicating the room he’d just exited. “I put your bag on the bed.”

She stared over his shoulder toward the room, but stood rooted to her spot just inside the main door. Seeing her hesitation, Jack came to stand in front of her, still holding his bag and waving a hand to get her to focus on him. “You didn’t realize we’d be sharing a suite? I‘m pretty sure I told you.”

“Sharing…” her mouth formed an “O” when the words sunk in. “I must have missed that.”

“Is it OK? I can see if we can switch to two single rooms. They’ve got plenty; this sniper’s keeping people away in droves. I just reserved this ‘cause it was less expensive. Plus we’ve got this room to relax or have meetings in…”

“It’s fine Jack. I just…” She let it drop. “It’s no big deal, and you’re right, this room will be nice to have. We can talk over the case without anyone overhearing.”

He nodded in agreement, but his eyes still watched her for signs that the situation bothered her. Searching for some way to put her at ease, he lifted a hand and gestured toward her bedroom. “I gave you the larger room; thought it might come in handy with Levi.”

Taking a breath, Sue pushed aside the flutter she felt at the prospect of spending time, both day and night, in such close proximity to Jack. “Thanks. He does tend to spread out.”

Jack gave her a lopsided grin and stood for a few seconds longer than necessary just looking at her. At last, he ran a hand through his hair and pointed toward his room. “Well I guess I better put my things away, and the rest of our luggage should be here soon. I’ll check and see what time they start serving supper. You hungry?”

“Starved. I didn’t realize how much until you mentioned supper.”

“OK then, sounds like food is first on the agenda. Meet back out here in ten?”

“Make it fifteen and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“Fifteen it is.”

The polished wood floor of the dining hall reflected the soft light of dozens of wall sconces, giving the large room a warm amber glow. White linen table clothes graced each table and contrasted with the floor and the dark wood chairs surrounding them. Polished silverware glinted in the light and tried it’s best to keep up with the sparkle of the stem ware. Sue stopped just inside the entrance and let her gaze sweep around the beautiful room, her hand going to Jack’s forearm without her thinking about it.

“You approve?”

“I’m deaf, not blind. It’s gorgeous.”

He watched her as they walked behind the hostess to a table situated beside a window looking out over the gardens, now twinkling with a multitude of path lights. Large potted palms gave the table some privacy, not that it was needed. The dining room played host to only a smattering of occupants. After meeting back in the suite’s sitting room, Jack’s phone had rung and the phone call with D and the AD had taken nearly an hour, but the case took precedence over their empty stomachs and by the time they walked into the dining hall, only a few couples remained. They nodded in greeting to one seated two tables from them as Jack held Sue’s chair.

The meal was served by a young woman who cast furtive glances toward Jack as she worked. When she found Sue’s eyes on her after one such look she blushed and ducked her head. Smiling, Sue leaned toward her as she set a bowl of soup in front of her. “It’s OK. You’re only human… and female.” she whispered. The waitress flashed a look of surprise her way, but then grinned, blushed again and moved away.

“What are you conspiring with the waitress about?”

“Conspiring? Nothing. I just made a comment about the view.”

“What view? It’s dark.”

“Well, something that wonderful stays with you…”

He lifted his chin and gave her a curious gaze that made her think he’d like to ask another question, but he must have changed his mind. Instead, he turned back to his salad and finished off the last bite. “That was good, but I hope there’s a lot more to come. The brochure talked about how good the chef’s are here and I don’t know about you but all that salad did was push me from hungry to starved.”

“I’m sure Levi would have shared a dog biscuit if he’d known how desperate you were.” she grinned sweetly his way and took a sip of tea.

“I appreciate Levi‘s generosity, but I’ll manage. You sure he’s OK by himself in the room?”

“He’ll be fine. Sleeping all day in the backseat of a car can really tire a dog out. He‘ll sleep ‘til I take him out before bedtime.”

“I feel for him.” One brow hitched upward in sarcasm as he remembered the number of times Sue had checked on the dog. He‘d finally stopped her during the second half hour of the trip, as she turned yet again toward the back seat, and told her that if he heard Levi stop snoring, he‘d be sure to tell her.

“And by the way, we’ll take him out. I don’t want you wandering around alone with this guy on the loose.”

“And what are you going to do? Protect me with your invisible shield?”

“Mock all you want, but just humor me, OK?

“Fine, but I don’t see what good it’ll do.”

He reached a hand over to trail his fingers down the back of her upper arm. “Like I said, just humor me; it’ll make me feel better.”

She nodded, considering the look on his face, further argument wouldn’t have been wise. “OK Jack, no walking Levi without you. Promise.”

“Not just walking Levi. We stick together while we’re here. There are a million vantage points for this guy to work from. That’s one reason why we’re going after him this way. They’ve brought in the usual slew of officers and squad cars after each shooting, but they’re nothing against a well placed man with a gun. That’s why you and I won‘t be working with them, at least not in public. We want to blend in and do our own investigation as quietly as possible… see if we can‘t sneak up from behind, so to speak”

“So who else will be working on this with us?” She knew Bobby and Myles would be joining them as soon as they wrapped up testimony in a trial from another case, and Tara would be providing research backup from DC unless it proved necessary to have her on site.

“That was one of the things D wanted to tell me. The Agent with the New York office that was supposed to meet us here had an emergency to deal with. He won’t make it until day after tomorrow. His name’s Matt Whitehouse.”

“Ever met him?”

He shook his head. “Bobby has. He said he’s good to work with… that‘s about all I know about him other than D said his supervisor was really high on him.”

“No one else?”

Matt’ll have a couple of people with him. A Sarah Bruner and Jeff somebody… White, no Wright.”, he corrected.

“Well, it’s about time.” She forked in another bite of salad with a flourish.

Totally clueless, he took the bait. “About time? For what?”

“I finally get to meet Mr. Right.”

Lips pursed in a smirk and he rolled his eyes. “Funny. What am I, chopped liver?” If he could have taken it back, he wasn’t sure he would. He’d let too many opportunities pass without pushing the envelope a little. It was time to see where he stood.

She looked at him carefully and then took a sip of tea and set it down slowly. “I’m not sure, why don’t you tell me?”

Nervous eyes met his and waited. He was caught in their gentle grip and he opened his mouth to speak… just as the waitress arrived with their entrees. The moment broken and laying shattered on the floor at their feet, he smiled weakly and straightened to allow the plate to be set before him. When they were alone again, Sue was different. Her smile was still there, but her willingness to broach the subject had dissipated and she turned back to the case to fill the conversation.

“What else did D want on the phone?”

“Just being politically courteous. The AD wanted to go over things D and I had already settled.” He lifted a hand, “Sue… I…”

“It’s OK Jack. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“I thought I started it.”

“Maybe so, but we’re both tired and maybe we should let it go. At least for now.”

“Let it go…”, he repeated to himself. That’s what he’d done for so long that he wasn’t sure if anything else were possible. But her last four words made him hope… at least for now.

The dining room...

Sue sighed and looked out the front windows at the portion of the building she could see. Flood lights bathed it in brilliance and the tops of the trees caught the overcast and glowed orange and red against the night sky. This side of the hotel overlooked the lake and it caught her attention next; reflections shimmered on it's surface and she found herself hypnotized at the sight.

Jack finished supplying their room number to the hostess for their meal and wandered out of the dining room, his eyes scanning the lobby for Sue. She stood leaning against the back of a sofa with a faraway look playing across her features. Almost sad he thought. Circling around and raising a hand so that he didn’t startle her, he dipped his head to the side and signed… You OK?

“Fine.”

“That face didn’t look fine. Sure everything’s OK?”

“I’m sure.”, she assured him. “I was just thinking it would be a nice night for a walk, but I don’t suppose it would be safe.”

He considered the way she looked longingly to the windows and made up his mind. “Give me a minute… I’ll be right back.”

Sue turned to watch him walk to the main desk where he bent his head in guarded conversation with the concierge before returning to her side. Catching her hand in his, he pulled her after him, quickly moving through a series of short hallways just like the ones that lead to their suite two flights above. When they came to an exterior door at the end of one of the halls, Jack opened it and grinned. “This is it, come on.”

He was pulling her again and she found herself on a walkway leading away from the hotel, the multicolored umbrella of leaves overhead illuminated by a series of lamp posts.

“According to the concierge, this path is mostly tree covered. Even if this creep’s out there right now, he wouldn’t pick a path where he can’t see his prey.”

Accepting him at his word, Sue followed along as he started meandering down the path, his hands now plunged in his pants pockets. She reached out and flipped at the elbow of his suit coat. “Thanks.”

You’re welcome.

They walked silently for a while, inhaling the crisp air; Jack listening to the crickets and sundry other creatures creating a cacophony that he was sure was louder than the DC street sounds. But at the same time there was a silence that reminded him of his childhood in Wisconsin. He glanced sideways to see Sue looking up into the leaves overhead, smiling wistfully.

“Penny for them.” He said when she looked at him after he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Big spender.”

“I’m a government worker remember? I can’t afford more.”

“It’s enough.” But she didn’t say more.

“So? What were you thinking about?”

How did she answer that? Gee Jack, it would be ever so nice if you just kiss me silly right about now… tempting, but no.

“Oh… just how this place is so beautiful and yet we’re here trying to stop something so ugly.”

“We’ll get him.”

“Him? Are snipers like serial killers? Almost always a man?”

“I’m not sure of the statistics, but I’d be willing to bet they lean strongly to the male gender. But, women snipers are common in some parts of the world.”

“Doesn’t make me feel any better. Women can be pretty calculating.”

“Anyone particular in mind?”

Jessica… the thought came unbidden, but undeniable.

“No, no one. Just a general observation.”, she hesitated a second too long and lied with a cough.

He wasn’t convinced and stepped ahead and in front of her, spinning and placing a hand on her forearm, bringing them to a stop. “General observation? Just how many calculating women have you known?”

She stared back at him, unable to give a believable answer since she hadn’t been expecting him to call her bluff. Her mouth opened, sure she’d think of something last minute, but clamped shut when nothing came to her.

“See?” His eyes took on a gleam. “You were thinking of someone specific. Spill… who was it?”

“Jessica.” She regretted it the moment the word hit the cool night air. His face froze and he didn’t move for a good five seconds. Finally he nodded slightly and took a step back.

“She changed Sue. She was… she always had a ton of self-confidence, but she wasn’t always the person you met. Or if she was, I didn’t see it.” He finished, staring at the walk beneath their feet.

“I’m sorry Jack.”

He looked up at her then, and shook his head before staring out at the darkness. “Nobody’s fault… except hers. She knew what she was doing.”

“I mean for bringing her up. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

A half smile appeared and he turned back to give her a long pensive look, “No… I asked. I should know by now that when I ask you a question, I‘d better be ready for the answer.”

“That bad?” she grimaced.

“No, not bad at all. Just keeps me on my toes.” The grin was back in full force now as he began to walk farther down the path. Sue followed slowly, considering his statements about Jessica as she walked. Not entirely sure where her bravado was coming from, she decided to go all in and ask what she’d always wanted to know.

“Did you love her?”

The question brought him to a standstill and for a moment she feared she’d crossed a line she’d never be able to step back across. Then he began to shake his head and turned slowly.

“No. I was infatuated with her… flattered by her. But no, I never loved her. I didn‘t even know what that meant until…” He caught his words and stood looking at her with his lips compressed into a thin line, his eyes brimming over with the unsaid.

Swallowing thickly, Sue’s eyes darted away from him, finally focusing on a small bush near the path. Latching onto it as if it could somehow tell her what to say, she licked her lips and stammered out an apology. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that either. This is none of my business…”

He spoke without thinking, forgetting to get her attention, “You have every right…”

But she didn’t see his words and began backing toward the hotel. “It’s late; and I’m tired… you must be too after driving all day. We should go in.”

She was practically running when she finally turned away and fled back along the carefully laid stepping-stones. He watched her for a split second and then followed; his sigh dispersing into the mist that had crept in around them.


The hotel at twilight...

The noise was muffled and he knew it wasn’t his alarm clock, but at the same time he could sense the earliness of the hour and in his half awake state, he couldn’t reason what else it might be. He had managed to fall into a deep sleep only a couple of hours before, the first hours being filled with their conversation replayed time and again in his head. He’d volunteered to walk Levi when they returned to the suite, and when he got back she’d hustled the dog into her room , murmured ‘goodnight’ and closed the door before he could protest, leaving him to wonder what was going through her mind. If her thoughts were as chaotic as his, no doubt she’d had a restless night as well.

The noise continued and he forced his eyes open a slit to glare at the alarm, as if it was at fault. Six-thirty. As his mind began to push aside the sleepiness, he realized what had awakened him. Levi.

But he wasn’t barking. Not really. More of a moan. Followed by shushing sounds.

Flipping back the covers, he scooted out of bed and pushed the switch at the base of the bedside lamp once, illuminating the room dimly. He made his way to the door, rubbing his eyes as he went and narrowly missing the foot of a chair with his big toe. The lights blazed bright in the sitting room, causing him to narrow his eyes even further as he searched the room for Levi. Sue was stooped in front of the dog, ineffectively coaxing him to be quiet by offering him a bone and ‘shushing’ after every third word, a soft pink robe pooled around her feet.

“Levi.” Jack commanded, gaining the attention of the dog and therefore his owner. Sue bit her lip in a grimace and started apologizing before she’d even lifted her head to look in his direction. When she did, her words stopped mid-sentence and she blinked at the site before her.

Jack stood, braced in his bedroom door, wearing only boxers and a grumpy look.

Sue closed her eyes and tried to put the image out of her mind with little success. “I’m sorry Jack.”, she squeezed them even tighter, “He drank an entire pan of water while we were at supper and another during the night. I was going to take him out, but you made me promise…”

Now she starts paying attention to me… he pushed away from the door frame and walked toward her.

A touch to her arm put a stop to her apology and her eyes flew open as she rose. Now the chest was hovering so close she could reach out and touch it if she dared; and she was sorely tempted, but she kept her hands to her side and gave him a look of such dramatic effect that he couldn’t keep the grin from his face. “It’s OK. I think I hear Mother Nature calling as well. Put his leash on and I’ll take him out as soon as I… umm… take care of business.”

He turned and went back into his bedroom, the view from behind only slightly less disturbing than the one from the front. She pulled her robe closer to her body and tried to remember where she had laid Levi’s leash.



The room was quiet when he returned, and there was no sign of Sue. Unclipping Levi, he wandered over to the sofa and the sheet of paper he spied laying on the coffee table in front of it. ‘Back in a few… gone for coffee.’

Bless her, he thought and scribbled a reply at the bottom of the paper. ‘Showering… done in twenty.’, and then headed to his bedroom. Ten minutes later he stood beside his bed, towel tucked around his waist and another draped over his wet hair, searching for his razor.

“I know I packed it…” he muttered to himself, but he dug to the bottom of the suitcase and came up empty handed. ‘Great, if this case goes the way last night and this morning have, we might as well head back to DC now.’

Flopping the suitcase closed, he considered getting dressed and going downstairs to the gift shop to purchase a razor, but then had a thought. Sue might have an extra, right? He hitched the towel tighter and headed for the sitting room, drying his hair as he went. The room was empty now; Levi nowhere in site, but a cup of coffee sat steaming on the table beside the notepaper. Resisting the urge to grab it, he continued on to Sue’s door and hesitated for only a second before rapping softly. A soft ‘woof’ greeted the knock.

“Levi”, he called, “… get Sue.” Another ‘woof’, then a few faint rustling sounds before the door cracked open and two sets of curious eyes appeared; hazel ones at his eye level, and soft brown ones about three foot below.

“Something wrong?” she queried, trying to keep her eyes from taking a downward path.

“Not wrong… missing.”

The curious look on her face intensified. “Missing?”

“My razor. I thought I packed it, but now I can’t find it. Would you happen to have an extra I could use this morning? I’ll buy a pack later...”

“Oh.”, she turned to look toward her bathroom, “I think so, let me check.”

She bustled off, pink robe billowing out behind her. He had thought she would already be dressed, but she must have pulled on something quick for her coffee run, and decided to shower afterward. She had barely floated through the bathroom door when a cry of pain reached his ears. Forgetting his state of undress and the fact that Sue was in nearly the same condition, he crossed the room in a jog and pushed into the small bath. She stood holding and squeezing her forefinger on her right hand, blood oozing from a small cut on the tip.

Thankful it wasn’t anything more serious, he puffed out a breath and went to her side, startling her slightly.

Sorry. “I heard you cry out. You have some band-aids?”

“Ummm, in my case… there.” She pointed behind him to a small case on the floor. Turning, he squatted and began to rummage through it, casting aside make-up and various bottles in his search.

“I grabbed onto the wrong end of the razor… silly.“ Sue explained, feeling childish. Looking down, the breadth of his back tapering to a narrow waist greeted her and she found herself forgetting completely about the cut or why she‘d looked down in the first place. Pulling her eyes away, she strained to see his progress, but not having luck from one direction, switched to the other side and felt the air rush from her lungs. Jack’s towel had only so much give and his squatting position meant that it’s ends could no longer stay met and fell to either side of a bent, muscled leg. Knowing she should stop looking, but unable to drag her eyes away this time, she felt the heat of a blush creep up her cheeks.

When he at last found the plastic baggy containing several bandages tucked in a pocket of the case, he rose, turned and swung round with the bag held high. “Found it!”

But then his smile turned to a look akin to terror as he thrust the bag at her and turned away again. Seeing him fumble at his waist, she correctly guessed that the towel had chose that moment to come loose, and felt her cheeks flame to new degrees. When he turned back, relief flooded through her to see his cheeks also flagged with color. At least she wasn’t alone in her reactions. She bit her lip, trying to keep the grin at bay, but when he suddenly clutched at the towel again, she burst out laughing.

He looked up from under his brows and gave her an incredulous look before catching her amusement and his own grin appeared.

“I think I better go.” He told her sheepishly and was about to turn away when she thrust a razor in front of him.

“Don’t forget this.”

Thank you. He signed with one hand and accepted the razor with the other without thinking, and then had to grab for the wayward towel again. He beat a hasty exit from the bath and scowled at Levi who sat grinning from ear to ear as Jack padded through her bedroom to the safety of the sitting room. “Don’t you grin at me. If you had hands you could have helped her and none of this would have happened.” And if you hadn’t pushed the boundaries by going to her room dressed in a towel, it wouldn’t have either, his conscience shot back. But somehow his conscience took a back seat as barely registered memories of her room and her appearance came to him. She’d smelled of soap, and her hair had been wrapped in a towel, leaving her neck bare. Her clothes had been laid out on the bed and baby pink satin he’d spotted was now quickly becoming a very real curiosity to him. Shaking the thoughts away, he entered his room and then his bath, intent on finally completing his morning shave. Running water into the sink and shooting some shaving lotion into his palm, he smoothed it onto his face and raised the razor. He stared at it and couldn’t for the sake of his own soul keep the image of her running it up a curved calf and then the underside of a knee from his vivid imagination.

“Jack,” he told himself, “… get a grip. You have a job to do and you’re going to blow it if you keep daydreaming.”

But instead of case notes and strategies, his mind followed the razor up her leg along the back of her thigh and then he squeezed his eyes shut and splashed water on his face to relieve the heat building there; rinsing away his shaving lotion in the process and having to begin again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Six

Three shootings in the last month had taken their toll on the hotel’s business; they passed only a few brave souls in the hallways as they made their way down for breakfast. Brave, or ignorant of the events that had taken place, Jack mused. The press had been ‘managed’ during the first two shootings, with a scant few media outlets picking up the story. Most of those had been local TV stations and were reporting the incidents as possible hunting accidents. Although there was no hunting allowed on the extensive grounds, or the lands that bordered them, it wasn’t unknown for a hunter to become lost or disoriented, or simple ignore the postings, and make their way onto the property.

The second shooting had made the hunting theory implausible, and the third had shot it out of the water, resulting in a local reporter contacting the national outlets; from which point the story had taken on a life of it own. Nightly reports on most cable news networks speculated on the possible identity of the shooter, his background, his childhood, even his love life… or lack thereof. Jack had watched a few of the reports and laughed sarcastically at the hair brained theories of some of the ‘analysts‘. Emphasis on ‘anal’ he’d thought, jabbing the off button on the remote to put an end to the drivel.

Now that he was tasked with catching the culprit, he was working on theories of his own that would aid in the investigation. Looking to the woman riding quietly down in the elevator with him, he knew he needed her input, but was loathe to begin a conversation after the embarrassing fiasco with the razor. She had scarcely looked his way as they settled Levi to stay in the room during breakfast and left the suite The slight ‘ping’ of the elevator arriving at the ground floor brought Jack from his thoughts and he followed her across the lobby to the dining room.

This room, at least, was alive with activity. Even at a fraction of it’s capacity, the hotel had a few hundred guests and from the look of it, most had decided to eat breakfast at the same time as Jack and Sue. The hostess from the night before was replaced by a host; a young man with the height and build of Bobby, if not the accent. His N’Yawk way of speech was lost on Sue, but Jack kept envisioning all manner of mob stereotypes as the young man, Dwayne, regaled them with the mornings specials on the way to the table. Had he been dressed in a pin-striped suit and carrying a violin case, he would have been a perfect fit in any gangster movie.

Jack’s grin was only partially hidden by the twist of his mouth and the twinkle in his eye was there for all to see. Seeing his expression, Sue frowned, connecting his amusement with the mornings events, and turned away, huffing slightly. Hearing the soft snort as she exhaled, Jack studied her face as she studied the menu. He hadn’t said anything, so he could only come up with one reason that would cause the ridges creasing her forehead.

“Sue?” He reached over and laid a hand on her menu, pushing it gently to the table. “What’s wrong? If it’s about this morning, I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”

“No, apparently not.” She raised the menu again.

His fingers curled around her wrist this time and squeezed ever so slightly. She looked down at them laying against the inside of her wrist and breathed in and out deeply. “What were you thinking Jack? A towel?”

Squeezing a bit harder brought her eyes up to meet his, and he sent a look that had her regretting her words. After all, she wasn’t really mad, just exasperated.

“I didn’t intend to come in your room, I was just going to see if you had a razor and leave. But then you cried out and…I thought you were hurt.. How‘s your finger?”

“It’s fine Jack. But the next time use a robe, a girl can only take so much.” she finished on a whisper and fumbled with the napkin wrapped around her silverware.

In a rush of movement, he was suddenly pulling her up and out of the dining room, holding onto her wrist as he propelled them quickly through the hallways they’d traversed the night before until he pushed through the exit that brought them back to the tree covered path. Sue careened into him when he stopped and turned; his arms wrapping around her to steady them both.

“Jack, what on earth…?” Her confusion at his actions had her frowning while her heart beat crazily in her chest. She knew Jack well, and she knew something had been different in the last few days; his moods mysterious and difficult to read. Their trip north had come about just as she’d made up her mind to find a time to talk to him, and it had them both in meetings or trying to finish up last minute details on other cases ever since, delaying her intentions.

Now he stood before her with a worried look on his face, seemingly in silent conflict with himself. Glancing at her and then back to the walk at his feet, he started to speak but then clamped his mouth in a grim line. Eyes closed , brows drawn, and his hands thrust in his pockets with shoulders slumped, he was starting to worry her, and instinctively she went to him. Laying a hand on his upper arm she called his name softly and waited for him to look up.

The war in his brain was reaching a point were he either surrendered and dealt with the consequences, or retreated and risked letting the one thing he knew to be worth fighting for slip out of his life; maybe not now, but some day. When she called his name, he was still listening to the voices that had nagged at his heart and mind for nearly three and a half years; every day getting louder. Some days he pushed them away; ignoring them as best he could, but other days…

And now he’d just made an idiot of himself by pulling her out here with no real plan of what he wanted to accomplish once they arrived. Nothing but that he had to somehow let her know… she had a right to know, didn’t she?

No doubt she was thinking he had lost his mind. His name on her lips sounded so right… sounded as if it belonged there, but he couldn’t let go of the voices that asked ‘what if’ until he felt himself being drawn into her arms. For once, he didn’t question why; just accepted her warmth and security. Burying his face in her hair at her neck, he inhaled and let himself get lost in the comfort and acceptance she offered. Pulling his hands from his pockets, he found her waist and pulled her closer, hugging her for a long moment until he felt her start to pull away. Not yet, his mind pleaded and he pulled her back, staring into her eyes and silently asking permission to do his heart’s bidding. He lowered his head, hesitating a second before brushing his lips over hers, breathing her name into her mouth and bringing his hands up her back so he could pull her closer still.

He heard voices, but didn’t care until a few of their words registered and he pulled back to apologize with his eyes, then shifted them toward the two men coming toward them up the path.

“Read them.” he mouthed, his expression serious.

Sue turned and laid her head on his chest and focused on the men while pretending, though it wasn’t such a far cry from the truth, to be totally engrossed in the man with his arms around her.

High caliber…. Corydon would approve if…. Untraceable… the men halted their conversation as they drew closer, nodding in a friendly manner to Jack as they caught his eye in passing. When they were through the door into the hotel, Sue quickly related what she’d been able to read.

“I couldn’t get more; they kept turning their heads.”

Jack wasn’t listening to her explanation though. For the second time that morning he was pulling her through the hotel door and down the hallways. He slowed his pace when they came to each corner, slipping cautiously around them and then speeding along again until they came to the next. When they came to a juncture where there were two directions to choose from, he stopped completely and held up a hand to her as he listened intently to the noises that floated to him. Pointing to his right, he tugged on her wrist and they were off again; darting first down one hall, then another until they rounded a corner and saw the two men disappearing through a door. Jack waited for a moment before creeping toward the door, motioning for Sue to stay put.

He was back almost before she had a chance to agree, this time pulling her in the opposite direction, down the hall until he found the elevator and jabbed at the button. It opened almost immediately and he rushed her inside. “Sorry, I didn’t want to take the chance they’d come out and see us.”

“You think they have something to do with the shootings…” It wasn’t a question.

“It‘s possible. Especially when you combine what you read with what I overheard.” Waiting a breath for her curiosity to be peaked, he raised his brows and repeated the men’s words that had been enough to pull him from their kiss, “Targets of opportunity. It’s a military term used for sniper targets that aren’t specified beforehand… someone who just presents themselves as a target while you’re on a mission.”

Her brows rose to match his, “Then we need to find out who those men are.”

“That’s where we’re headed.”

“Room 108.” Jack confirmed to the balding man scanning over the information on his computer screen. As General Manager of the hotel, Mr. Cummins was one of only two people who knew Jack and Sue’s true identities, the other being the owner. But, from the information Jack had received prior to their arrival, Mr. Howard Armstrong would not be likely to be on the premises. Luckily, a short conversation with Mr. Cummins had proved to be more than enough to gain them access to his office and more importantly, his computer.

“Well, the room is under the name Gerald Weber. There’s no record of him having another person staying in the room.”

“Do you have his credit card information?”

Frank Cummins gave Jack a wary stare, unused to handing over such information. “I suppose it’s necessary.”

“Yes Mr. Cummins, it is if you want to catch whoever’s doing this.” Jack’s sincerity shone through his eyes. “If this man turns out to be a law abiding citizen, he’ll have nothing to worry about. His information will go no farther than our computer analyst. Besides, my next request is for you to grant her access to all your records. At this point that would be voluntary on your part, but we can get a warrant.”

“No, no, I knew this whole affair would mean some sacrifices on the part of the hotel. And Mr. Armstrong was adamant that we cooperate fully.”

“Good. I’ll have Agent Williams contact you. She’ll want to get started as soon as possible; are you going to be here all morning?”

“Yes, I have some work to do that will keep me in the office until at least noon. After that, I’m not sure.”

“She won’t make you wait that long… and thank you for the information you’ve already given us, and for your cooperation in the investigation. We’ll be in touch.”

The second Mr. Cummins’ door clicked shut, Jack was dialing Tara, filling her in on the men they’d followed and the information they’d just received. “… yeah Tara, I’m thinking ex-military. He was spouting the right terminology. Cross reference the name with military records starting in the sixties; our guy looked to be only about fifty, but let’s go back a bit farther just to be sure. He mentioned the name ‘Corydon’, but we have no idea who that is. Yeah. Oh, are Myles and Bobby heading up here soon?”

Grinning into the phone after Tara’s reply, he flipped it closed and slipped into it’s case on his belt.

“What’s so funny?”

Shaking his head he stopped walking and let his laughter overtake him for a moment. “Myles and Bobby. Neither of them wanted to put mileage on their bureau cars so they requested a rental, but when they went to pick it up…” his nose wrinkled in laughter and it took him a few seconds to spurt out the rest, “… it was a Cooper Mini!” He gave up trying then and bent over, clutching his knees as he fought for breath.

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. And Randy won’t let them upgrade.”

“Why not?”

“Cause… he’s Randy?”

“Guess that’s enough reason. Poor Myles and Bobby.”

“OK, you feel sorry for them…” Jack thrust a thumb to his chest, “… I’m just going to make sure I’m around when they pull up out front.” He motioned toward the lobby and the dining room beyond. “Come on, for some reason, we missed breakfast and I’m starving.”

“Tell you what, why don’t you go grab us something to go while I go get Levi and meet you back here? He’s bound to have to go out by now.”

“Deal. I’ll be waiting in the lobby.”

D-E-A-L.

In an effort to influence Levi toward sleeping while they were out of the room, she’d confined him to her bedroom only, but when she entered the suite, that door stood wide open and there was no sign of the Golden.

“Levi? Where are you?” She moved through her room, stooping to look under the bed, but there wasn’t space for him there even if he’d been so inclined. A check of her bathroom netted no dog and she called his name again as she went back into the sitting room. Spying Jack’s door sitting open a fraction, she closed her eyes and began imagining the damage Levi could have caused if he was in the mood. Normally well behaved, he had a tendency to get a little crazy when left to his own devices. She pushed against the door and stuck her head in, spying the wayward dog immediately. Curled up in the middle of Jack’s bed, he was snoozing soundly and didn’t move even when she crept in to stand over him, arms akimbo. While the object of her search continued his nap, she looked around the room, searching for damage. Nothing seemed out of place, except maybe the pile of clothes laying scattered haphazardly over a suitcase. Crossing over, she started to fold them but noticed the shirt Jack wore yesterday laying on top, and then a pair of socks tossed to one side. These were his dirty clothes. Deciding she shouldn’t give him evidence that she’d been in his room in his absence, she let them lay as they were and turned to rouse Levi.

Jack’s travel alarm lay on his bedside table, it’s folding design showing the clock on one side and a picture frame on the other. Moving closer, she studied the photo it held. It was familiar somehow and when she neared it she realized it was a shot taken of her and Jack during a recent birthday celebration for Tara. His arm rested around her shoulders and an easy smile lit his face. They looked at each other with expressions that anyone would interpret as loving and brought Sue’s thoughts back to Jack’s kiss just an hour or so before. She’d wanted a deeper relationship with him for so long, but seeing him so torn beforehand, she wasn’t sure now how to take his actions.

She set the alarm down in it’s original position, her finger lingering a moment on the top corner, and jostled Levi. “Wake up Levi, we need to get out of Jack’s room.”

Levi stretched out to his full length, giving her a look that said he’d really rather order room service if she didn’t mind. Laughing, she tugged on his collar and pulled him off the bed, smoothing the spread once he was on the floor. With a sidelong look back at the photo, she shooed the dog into the sitting room and followed him out.



Jack sat waiting patiently in the lobby; looking completely out of place on a Victorian style sofa with a scrolled back resembling two hearts entwined. He gave her a smile when she walked in and pulled a face at the picture he presented.

“Victorian’s not your era.” She told him, pointing at the pale green sofa. “I see you as more of a over-stuffed sofa kind of guy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time I remodel.” He deadpanned. “I got you a turkey and swiss… if you don’t want it we can switch.”

“Turkey’s fine. Where do you want to go to walk Levi?”

“I asked the concierge while you were gone. He gave me directions to a place… come on.”

They walked out the front doors for a change and stayed under the cover of the tree canopy until they came to a trail leading into the woods . Jack looked back to make sure Sue was keeping up and then plunged through the tree line. Falling leaves had almost covered the path and he found he had to pay close attention in order to follow it. Under the circumstances, he didn’t want to lead them literally ‘off the beaten path’.

After walking for maybe a half a mile, and waiting on Levi to inspect every other tree on their journey, they stumbled upon their destination. A small clearing containing three picnic tables and having the added bonus of a small brook winding it’s way through the trees at one edge. They gravitated toward the table nearest the water, Sue tying Levi’s leash to one table leg. Jack handed her a sandwich from across the table and then swung a leg over and straddled the seat, laying his sandwich on the seat in front of him. Considering him for a second, Sue decided to risk the tenuous ease they’d developed since this morning. She rounded the table and lifted her leg over the same seat, facing him as she sat and laid her sandwich next to his.

Jack watched her, wondering what he was going to say once she was seated, but she simply broke her sandwich in half and began to eat, chewing slowly and looking around at the autumn color pushing in at every turn. Sighing, he realized it was up to him to say something, do something. She wouldn’t push him. Reaching into the paper bag that had held their sandwiches, he pulled out two sodas, handing one to her. When she reached for it however, he held on tight, forcing her to look at him.

“Did I screw things up?”

She didn’t respond at first, just met his gaze squarely; her eyes calm but expectant simultaneously. Dropping her hand from the soda, she continued to look at him, sweeping her eyes over his face as if trying to read his expression. When she spoke, her voice was softer than he’d ever heard it, telling him of the emotions that lay hidden just beneath the surface. “I guess I’m trying to figure out… what ‘things’ you mean. I’m not sure where I… we… stand. Not after this morning.”

Her eyes left his then, falling to look at the sandwiches laying between them.

A finger caught her chin, raising it. Not sure. I’m trying to understand too, he signed. I want… pause… more. You?

Her hand lifted hesitantly and she held it over her heart for a second before answering. Yes.

He breathed a shaky sigh; relief flooding through him. He grimaced with a grin and admitted, Bad timing. Here. The case.

She smiled then, Could be better.

He caught her hand. “I’m sorry about this morning. All of it… well, almost all of it. There’s one part that was nice. Short, but nice.”

“Yeah, breakfast was kind of short.”

Closing his eyes and shaking his head, he resigned himself to always being the butt of her jokes, but at least she wasn’t angry at him. He opened his eyes to see her looking at him with a mixture of laughter, and what he hoped was longing, in hers. Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed the knuckles and tugged it upward and around his neck as he leaned in. “Think we could see if we can’t finish what we started this morning?”

She nodded and his breath warmed her mouth. When his lips touched hers, they stayed for only the briefest time. But they returned. Again. And again. Tiny touches that teased her until she gave a small cry of frustration. Grinning he scooted closer, sending half eaten sandwiches and the unopened soda tumbling to the ground. He threaded his arms beneath hers and pulled her close, turning his head to fit his mouth over hers. Chaste at first, the kiss grew and deepened until he pulled back for air and looked at her. Her eyes were closed and she breathed heavily. Blowing gently over her face, he waited. Blinking, she at last focused on him, her lids heavy and her brows set in a curious line. “Jack?” she breathed.

“Open your mouth?” he barely heard his own words, thankful she could understand. When he lowered his head again, his request was granted and his tongue dipped to run lightly over her teeth and then further, seeking hers. She offered it shyly, only a touch that had him scooting closer, delving deeper. At last they met, curling together intimately, seeking the warm and silky sensations that each had experienced before, but seemed so very new.

Sue clung close, depending upon him to keep her from slipping to the ground. His tongue was an intoxication she’d never expected… other men had kissed her, but this was devastation. His hands gripped her sweater, pulling it upwards until she felt the cool October air on her back, but the coolness was soon replaced with heat. Both of his hands spanned it and heated the skin until she thought it might actually burn. He eased the kiss, moving his mouth to the corner of hers and lapping softly. Grinning as she sighed with contentment, he pulled back and told her matter-of-factly, “You taste good.”

“So do you.” She answered, lowering her forehead to his chest. He held her for a moment, then nudged her with his shoulder. Looking up she saw his lips purse, then ask, “Can I have another taste?”

“Absolu….” And he delved once again.

Opening the doors of the large armoire and sliding them back into the sides of the cabinet, Jack snatched the remote from the top of the TV and brought the box to life. Whether he set any store in them or not, he needed to catch up on the latest reports on the sniper; it was best for him to have the same information as his quarry. The media’s rants could influence the sniper’s actions. Four different channels produced four different talking heads with four different theories on the case and the perpetrator. The last report ended with a panoramic view of the hotel and Jack felt a pang of sympathy for Mr. Cummins. The hotel would suffer from this, at least until the public’s short attention span was captured by the next sensation.

He pushed the button and silenced the swelling music, tossing the remote onto the coffee table.

“Nothing on?” Sue’s voice came from behind him.

“Is there ever?” He rolled his head back to rest against the back of the sofa, straining to see her.

She came around the sofa and stood, her right hand wrapped around one of the generic white coffee mugs provided with the coffee maker in each bathroom. “Guess not.”

He found himself concentrating on her hand, her pinky tapping against the mug as she held it close to her. Raising his gaze, he saw she was looking at him with an unsure expression in her eyes. He patted the seat next to him and tilted his head toward it. “Sit with me?”

She took a breath and held it for a second before nodding and moving to sit a foot or so away. Frowning, he tapped a knee to get her to look up. “I said sit with me. Why so far away?”

“Oh, well, I didn’t…”

“Takes some getting used to, doesn’t it?

Her chin moved up and down again in a single nod of agreement, but sat the coffee cup on the table and scooted next to him when he crooked his fingers a couple of times. She settled with her head on his shoulder, her hand over his heart.

Tired?

Yes.

Sleep.

You?

Yes.

When he stirred next, the room was almost dark and Levi was sitting staring at them, grinning. Jack was sprawled back, his feet propped on the coffee table and his arm around Sue, who was still sleeping soundly, and he felt a sense of well being spread through him. Knowing Sue was as ready as he for whatever this next phase of their relationship held was a relief that reached deeper than he would have thought possible.

Watching her sleep peacefully against him, he thought back to their kiss at the picnic tables early that afternoon. Her passion had been predictably understated at first, but as the kiss had deepened, so had her willingness to commit herself fully to his caresses. He remembered the feel of her skin as he ran his fingers and palms over her back and how she had reciprocated by slipping her hand beneath the collar of his shirt and explored the column of his neck, and his collarbone and chin. His thoughts moved on to the taste of her as they kissed and the warmth of her mouth, until he felt a heat begin to build at the memories.

No longer content to simply watch her, he slid his hand up and down her upper arm to bring her from her slumber.

“Sue, come on… wake up.”, his words automatic but unnecessary.

She stirred, but her eyes remained closed. Bringing his free hand up, he ran his forefinger along her jaw and tipped her face up, then indulged in the fantasy he’d carried around for some time… kissing her awake.

Instantly aware of what was happening, Sue inhaled his warm breath and tilted her head up to meet him more fully. Her hand slid naturally to his neck and tugged downward until she could cup the back of his head, holding him in place, though he put up no resistance. When the kiss slowed and he went on a lazy exploration of her cheek and jaw, she grinned and pushed him back so that she could see his face the best she could in the dimly lit room.

“I’ve always wanted an alarm clock like that. Levi tries but it’s not quite the same.”

His teeth flashed white in the dimness, “Glad I’ve got something he doesn’t.”

“I’m sorry Jack, I couldn’t make that out. Too dark.”

He pulled away to lean back and switch on a lamp. “Sorry, I should have turned it on before I woke you up.”

“It’s OK…. By the way, why did you wake me?

Embarrassed to admit his real reason, he pointed at Levi, “I think he needs to go out.”

“Oh, and here I was hoping you couldn’t restrain yourself any longer.”

Catching the grin about to break through, Jack leered at her and kissed her long and hard. “How’s that for restraint?”

“Restraint?”, she croaked. “If that’s restrained, what happens when you let yourself go?”

His grin grew mischievous and he leered once again, “I don’t think we’re ready for that just yet.”



Levi took his sweet time finding just the right spot and then spent plenty of time afterwards smelling through a particularly interesting patch of tall grass. The bright afternoon had been overtaken by a foggy evening and the cool, crisp air was now damp and cold. Shivering, Sue pulled at the leash she held for the third time, getting as much result as she had the first. Jack suspected Levi was getting his revenge for taking the blame for Sue’s shortened nap and felt a bit guilty for taking the easy way out. The least he could do was come to the dog’s defense.

“He’s been cooped up all the time we slept. He just needs to stretch his legs.”

“All he’s stretching is his nose. What could possibly be so interesting about one little patch of grass?”

“Well, you know how we are when we discover something interesting. We examine it twelve ways from Sunday to make sure we haven’t missed anything.”

“So you’re telling me he’s just being a thorough investigator?”

“Yeah… “

“OK… I guess I can appreciate that. But I’m cold.”

“C’mere.” He slid his arm around her. “Better?”

“Much.”

His lips had just touched hers when a rapport had him pushing her away from the light of the lamp posts and to the ground where he covered her body with his own. He heard Levi yelp, and then all was silent.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Ten

The next few minutes seemed hours long; Jack lay motionless and pressed his hand and shoulder into Sue’s back, asking her to stay still. After a moment he risked raising his head a scant inch to look for Levi. The dog lay still only a few inches from Sue’s elbow, his head tucked between his paws and his eyebrows shifting first left, then right, and back. He appeared uninjured, the yelp probably the result of his leash being yanked downward when they hit the ground.

His mind whirled with questions. Why would a sniper be stalking anyone at night in this weather? The fog was thick enough to mean that he would have to have been extremely close in order to even see them. And why them? Coincidence?

They lay there for several more minutes before he at last felt comfortable making a run for the hotel. Turning to Sue, he signed Hotel… stay low, and then rose slowly and gave her time to do the same. Sprinting the short distance to the side door, they slipped inside and stood just inside the door gathering their breath. Still confused as to the turn of events, Jack’s logical brain couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation. Sue’s hand on his chest brought his attention back to her and he could have shook himself for not checking how she was fairing before then. Obviously upset, her hand was shaking where it lay against him and her face was filled with concern. Tugging her close, he wrapped both arms around her and buried his face in her hair.

Pulling back, he apologized, “I’m sorry, are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” She looked him over and then gave him a weak smile, “You? No new holes I should know about?”

He couldn’t quite muster a smile, but her attempt to lighten their worry was welcome. “No, nothing bleeding. Check Levi over. He yelped when we went down, but I think we just scared him.”

Immediately she began a thorough check over Levi’s body, running her hands over his fur and pulling them away to check for blood. For his part, Levi simply wagged and gave her face a bath when she bent to check his chest and front legs. Jack at last let a thin smile show through, but his mind was on other concerns.

When she straightened and pronounced Levi in good shape, he pointed toward the interior of the hotel, “Come on, let’s report this.”



Bobby shifted in his seat for the fifth time in two minutes and screwed his face into a grimace. The pain in his lower back was getting unbearable and if they didn’t arrive soon he wondered if he’d even be able climb out of what the rental agency clerk had laughingly called a “classic”. Classic torture chamber maybe; he had his own thoughts as to it’s merits as an automobile. Casting a look at Myles behind the wheel, he frowned at the man’s look of contentment.

“Are you nuts? How can you sit there looking like the cat that ate the canary? Aren’t your bones aching?”

“My bones are fine, as is the rest of my anatomy. I told you to do isometrics.”

“No amount of iso-whosits is gonna do any good. The only thing that will help is getting out of this midget car, and possibly pushing it off a steep cliff.”

“Well, if you’re willing to foot the bill when the rental agency comes knocking on Randy’s door, I hear there are plenty of cliffs in this area. As soon as we’re safely at the hotel, you can start pushing. Of course you may have to contend with a few of the car’s enthusiasts. They’re very popular you know.”

Bobby answered with a huffed breath and shifted yet again. His only relief had come in the form of a sign a couple of miles back that told them the hotel was just ahead. He scanned the road in front of them for the turn; heaven forbid Myles should miss it and force him to endure even more time in this contraption. Enthusiasts indeed. What kind of warped mind would willingly purchase a car smaller than his refrigerator? A sharp corner of white caught his eye, peeking from between orange leaves on his right. He came the closest to a grin he had since settling his frame into the miniscule motor vehicle and punched Myles in the shoulder to make sure he didn‘t miss the road half hidden among the trees. “There’s the sign… turn here!”

“Ow! Stop that! How am I supposed to drive with you hitting me?”

“Stop being a little girl and put your foot on the gas. I want out of this thing.”

“Little girl? Like I’m the one who’s whined for five hours about the car. Actually, it’s kind of growing on me; it’s got plenty of power, it’s economical, and I hear women are crazy about them.”

“Yeah, the way my Aunt Pru’s crazy about miniature houses. I may send her this thing; let her set it on her mantle. And it’s not growing on you mate, its growing to you. I think my hip’s already attached.” He grumbled, looking down to make sure his hip would actually separate from the seat.

“Look, I see the roof over those trees, we’re almost there. You can stop complaining now.”

The car zipped along the drive, sending leaves scurrying in it’s wake. Topping a hill, the hotel was laid out before them with it’s peaked roofs piercing the sky and the cliff face below it glowing white in the sun. Twin whistles emanated from the two men,

“Whoa.” Bobby found his voice. “Reckon I forgot to pack my slippers. Hope Cinderella’s got extras.”

“The web site called it a castle, they weren’t kidding.”

“You already knew what it looked like?”

“I checked it out. Why? Didn’t you?”

“Nah. Just figured it was an ordinary hotel. Why didn’t you warn me?”

Myles right brow dipped and he threw the Australian a look that would have withered most men. “Warn you? So you could do what… pack those slippers? What were you going to do different if you knew what the place looked like?”

“I dunno know… somethin’. Ironed m’ pants maybe?”

Rolling his eyes Myles pulled into the parking lot and found the first available spot closest to the entrance. They could have used a longer walk from the car to stretch their legs, but he didn’t intend to listen to Bobby’s complaints a minute longer; they had grown old after the first five minutes, not to mention five hours. At least he could be grateful Howie wasn’t along for the ride. Hopping out as if he were exiting the largest luxury car, he turned to watch Bobby extricate himself.

Bobby pulled a knee up as far as he could and twisted in his seat, but no matter how he tried, his foot refused to clear the opening. Snorting out a frustrated breath, he fumbled for the seat back release and lowered it as far as it would go. Scooting his bottom up the back of the seat, he leaned sideways and bent his right knee again. He felt his heel push past the frame, but his toe caught on the rubber molding and stuck there. Giving a push, he shoved it free and sighed in relief as his leg straightened for the first time in much too long. Another twist and his left leg followed the right and he lay there staring at the roof of the car before sitting up and hitting his head on the top of the door frame. Rubbing the spot, he tipped his head sideways and dipped under the frame. He figured he was at least two thirds out and had only his middle portion to deal with. What he didn’t take into account was his stiffened back which refused to cooperate. He hooked his elbows on the outside of the frame and pulled; slowly coming to a bent and crooked upright position, and looking squarely into brown eyes scrunched in silent laughter.

“Not one word.” he leveled a stare at Jack.

“Wouldn’t think of it.” The grin threatened to split his face.

The stare grew lethal.

Jack looked down and studied the area around Bobby’s feet and then around him into the car.

“What are you looking for?”

“Shoes.”

“Shoes?”

“Yeah, those big, red, floppy ones you guys always wear.”

“Oh, you are soooo funny…”

“Now, now… no need to get snippy. Look at Myles; he seems to have taken the circumstances in stride.”

“I’m not snippy. I’m tired, and I’m sore, and I’m hungry.”

“Well then, you’re in the right place. The food here is great. We’ll get you taken care of, pronto.” Jack clapped his friend on the back. “Come on… Bozo.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Eleven

A sandwich and a half, two sodas, a bag of chips and an ice cream sundae later, Bobby belched and declared himself human again.

“You have a disturbing idea of what being human entails, but at least you’ve stopped complaining.” Myles had been leaning his arm on the edge of the table and resting his back against a window frame; enjoying the sunlight streaming in as he watched Bobby polish off the rest of his meal. He’d finished his at least ten minutes ago and found he couldn’t keep his eye away from the carnage next to him, feeling like a motorist straining to see a wreck as they passed by.

“Mate, if I have to ride back in that car…”

“No! There’s no way I’m enduring another five hours of… of… that! I’ll pay the extra money for an upgrade myself if I have to.”

“I wasn’t that bad.”

“You were worse.”

“Guys… can we talk about the case?” Jack’s ears had grown numb from listening to their bickering before the meal, and now that they were finished he moved to put an end to the encore before it was too far underway.

Bobby spooned in the last bite of ice cream and let the spoon drop into the dish with a clatter. “Absolutely mate. But first, how’s Sue? D said she was kind of shaken up last night.”

“She’s OK now; she‘s resting, but she had a rough night. I thought she was gonna’ wear the carpet out pacing around the suite.”

“Whoa, hold on… suite? You and Sue staying together?”

“Well… yeah. But we’ve got separate rooms… plus there’s a room for meetings. Besides, it was cheaper.” He ticked off the same reasons he’d come up with for Sue.

Bobby tilted his head to the side and rolled his eyes to look at Myles, wanting to see his take on this bit of information. The schooled features might have fooled someone less familiar with him, but Bobby could see the carefully concealed grin. Since Myles' declaration of their “chemistry” when Sue accepted that promotion in the New York office, Bobby had begun to take notice of the little things that they both said and did that, over time, had him agreeing with the assessment. They both passed Chemistry 101 with excellent marks. But not much else had happened since, at least not that he knew about. This was the first bit of interesting information to arise and he was all ears.

“Right, then. I’m sure the Bureau appreciates your money saving efforts.”

“Yeah… well, I’m glad we were together last night…”

“Together?…” Bobby couldn’t resist.

“I mean, I’m glad we were in the same suite… Sue was pretty shaken up. She handled it fine when it was happening, but after it settled in a bit...”

“The reality of what could have happened hit her.” Myles spoke from experience, and he remembered the advice Sue had given him at the time. He made up his mind to talk to her as soon as possible.

“So, what have you found out?” Bobby sat up straighter in his chair.

“Not much. We reported it last night; gave our statement to a state trooper… but they don’t know any more than we do; probably less. I went over it again and again in my head last night…” he fought to keep the blush from rising as he remembered lying on the sofa in his boxers with Sue tucked against his side. They’d each retired to their bedrooms not long after getting back to the suite, but around 1:00 am she’d woken him as she paced the sitting room; talking to Levi as she walked back and forth. They’d cuddled on the sofa until she fell back to sleep in his arms. Unfortunately, he’d been left wide awake and his thoughts had drifted to the night’s events.

“No sniper would have been after anyone last night. It was dark except for the lamp posts along the path and there was a pretty heavy fog; visibility had to be down to a few dozen yards. The guy had to be right on top of us and at that range he missed? Plus… why us? He just happened to fire at FBI agents? Granted, we were the only ones out there, but that just goes back to the question of why he would have been out there last night at all; none of the other guests would have been out roaming around that late, in that weather. We were only out there because of Levi.”

“So you’re thinking they targeted you because you’re FBI?” Myles asked.

“Yeah, I think someone knew we walked Levi at night before bed and they were waiting. But they weren’t trying to kill us; just scare us off.”

Bobby leaned back again and considered Jack‘s theory. “Sounds plausible… any idea who?”

“No, but only two people are supposed to know who we really are, so we start there.”



Sue’s right hand tingled and her neck was stiff as she slowly joined the land of the living. She and Jack had gone to breakfast around eight and then walked Levi out to the picnic spot they’d visited yesterday, her eyes feeling heavy the entire time. Jack’s efforts to re-enact the previous day’s activities had been met with approval; but the drugging effect of his kisses had her wanting to simply curl up in his arms and snooze the morning away. In fact, that’s the way her nap had started out, but now he was gone and she missed his being near, his arm holding her snugly against his side. She looked for a note and frowned when she saw none, but as Levi stretched and pushed his paws toward her from his place on the floor near the sofa, he revealed a slip of white sticking out from beneath his bottom. She grabbed and tugged.

“What are you, keeper of the note?” She gave him a dubious look.

The note was crumpled, but legible. Meeting Myles and Bobby, check your Blackberry.

Leaving her shoes laying beside the sofa, she padded into the bedroom barefooted and pulled her Blackberry from her coat pocket and smiled as she read his message… Hi sleepyhead. Bozo - formerly Bobby - and I have gone to talk to Mr. Cummins. Should be back to the suite around one. I‘ll bring you back a sandwich, call if you want something else. Can‘t wait to see you.

Bozo? No doubt he would explain later, besides, her thoughts lingered on his last sentence. Extraordinary what that little personal touch in his message could do to her insides. Her watch read just after noon, plenty of time to freshen up and then check in with Lucy before he returned. In the bathroom, she brushed her hair and was about to put the clip that held it up in a loose ponytail back in place when Levi appeared beside her and pawed her leg. “Jack back already Levi?”

She followed the dog out to the main door and checked the peep hole. “Nobody there, buddy. Did you hear something?”

Levi turned with a jump and pulled at the end of his leash hanging off a small table by the door, rolling his eyes her way as he did. It had been only two and a half hours since his last walk, he didn’t normally need to go so often. Telling him to wait until Jack returned, she walked back into the bathroom and finished her hair, then pulled a face when she noticed Levi’s empty water bowl. “You emptied that since we got back? Levi.”

A paw over his nose served as apology, but her stern look didn’t deter him from pacing back to the suite door, pleading with rolled eyes for her to pick up the leash and put him out of his misery.

“Jack will shoot me.” She told the golden, grimacing at her choice of words. “But if it’s an hour before he gets back… you won’t last that long. Promising herself to only take as long as was absolutely necessary, she padded back to the sofa, slipped into her shoes, and grabbed the leash from the table.



Jack balanced the soda and sandwich in one hand, a bag of chips in his mouth, and used the other hand to open the door to the suite. Dumping his treasures onto the door side table, he called for Levi. Sue wouldn’t be expecting him yet and he knew better than to venture into her room without warning. He pocketed the key before picking up his load again and starting for the coffee table. Wondering what was taking Levi so long, he turned instead and paused outside Sue’s open bedroom door. Seeing no one, he dared to go further, toward the bathroom. With the embarrassment of yesterday morning in mind, he pushed the door open slowly, but only a dripping tap greeted him. The unease that began when Levi didn’t answer his call now grew rapidly and he moved quickly back into the sitting room. Looking back toward the door, he noticed what he hadn’t when he came in moments before; Levi’s leash was missing from the table. He dropped the food in his hands and raced to his bedroom to make sure she wasn’t there before quickly dialing Bobby.

“Crash? Sue’s gone. Meet me in the lobby now.”

Cursing the slow elevator, Jack opted for the stairs and took them two at a time until he burst through the door on the first floor. Finding Bobby and Myles in the Lobby, he told them what he’d found between heavy breaths.

“She’s probably walking Levi.” Bobby offered.

“I hope so, but I made her promise not to leave the hotel without me.”

“Where do want us to look?”

He directed Bobby to the tree covered walk, “But that’s where we were last night, I don’t think she’d go back alone. Myles, you come with me.”

The path to the picnic area was covered in leaves again and Jack was forced to slow his pace to keep them on track. They’d covered about half the distance when once again a shot rang out and a panicked Jack covered the rest in a dead run.

The EMT climbed into the ambulance and pulled the door closed behind him, leaving Jack to watch as the flashing lights wound down the drive and disappeared over the hill. His expression reflected his mood and neither Bobby or Myles attempted to talk to him. Flipping Myles on the shoulder with the back of his fingers, Bobby inclined his head toward the hotel and motioned for him to follow. Jack glanced over his shoulder toward them as they left and waited until they were out of earshot before turning toward the woman standing off to one side, Levi sitting patiently by her side.

He took a deep breath, once again saying his thanks that she was safe, even though he was furious with her, and walked to her slowly. Rationally he knew she hadn’t meant any harm and that she felt she hadn’t any choice when she’d left with Levi, but that hadn’t helped with the fear that had gripped him and was only now beginning to ebb. He stopped a few steps away, but didn’t try to get her attention; he knew she was aware of his presence.

Sue tried to calm her anger, knowing his anger was due in part to the scare she’d give him, but every time Jack’s words came back to her she could feel it rising again. “What were you thinking? No, never mind… you weren’t thinking. I told you not to go anywhere alone didn’t I? It could have been you laying in a pool of blood!” She’d tried to explain, but if he was listening, he gave no indication, striding off in a huff toward the ambulance.

When he’d ran into the clearing and found her sitting at the same picnic table they had shared the day before, trying to calm Levi, he had run to her side and enveloped her in a hug so fierce she thought he might cut off her blood flow. He had told her about the gun shot, which had explained Levi’s agitation and then hugged her again. He hadn’t said more, only pulled her after him back to the hotel, Myles bringing up the rear. The lobby was in a state of confusion, worried guests looking to the hotel staff to tell them what was going on, and the hotel staff looking just as worried as the guests. The crowd was small, only consisting of people who had been outside when the shot was heard and had hurried in to safety; the rest of the guests blissfully unaware of the trouble. Jack had taken control, shouting to the crowd to listen up and asking them to return to their rooms and, if possible, contact anyone who was staying with them but who was unaccounted for; then to contact the main desk if they were unable to reach them.

As the guest had started to file out, a worried looking middle aged woman made her way to Jack and pointed to the parking lot. “My husband… he went out to the car to get his shaving kit. He left it…” she turned back to Jack. “He hasn’t come back.”

Jim Hoffman’s body was found laying between his car and the next, his stillness telling Jack that the sniper’s bullet had, tragically, done it’s job. Calls were made, and the wait for the authorities was a short one, but all the while Jack had kept his distance, avoiding even looking at her. When the EMT examining Mr. Hoffman had raised his head and give it a shake indicating that there was nothing they could do, Jack had nodded quietly and just stood there. She’d laid a hand on his arm to offer her support and that’s when he’d pulled away and turned on her, pouring out his tirade at a volume she could only guess was a shout judging by the contortions of his face and the way Myles and Bobby looked at him. And then he turned away and hadn’t spoke to her or even looked her way again until now.

At first she kept her head down; she knew the minute she looked at him she would dissolve into tears and she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing what his words had done to her. Instead she signed; her movements jerky and fueled by her anger.

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you or put myself in danger. Levi had to go out and you weren’t due back for an hour. I didn’t have a choice.

You could have called me.

You were talking to C-U-M-M-I-N-S. I couldn’t make you leave that to walk a dog.

Not to walk a dog. To protect you. He was standing right in front of her now and jabbed the last word into her chest. She stumbled backward a step at the pressure and looked at his face at last.

“Protect me how Jack? You’re the best agent I know, but you’re not Superman. You can’t deflect bullets. If this bullet had been meant for me, I’d be dead, whether you were there or not.”

His face twisted at the thought and he fought back the urge to shout at her again, to make her see his reasoning. He started to speak, but then decided her language would say it better. Maybe I can’t save you. But I still want to be there for you.

Her face softened a bit and he continued with his voice, “If he had missed, maybe I could have warned you. Or if he hit you, but you were still alive, I could get help. I didn’t ask you not to go out without me for no reason.”

Her face began to crumple and she looked down to Levi. Taking a step closer, Jack signed low so she would see. I want to be there for you. I love you.

Her arms were around his waist in an instant and her tears wet the front of his shirt as she buried her face in his chest. Rubbing his hands over her back, Jack pressed a kiss to the top of her head and allowed a tear or two of his own to slip free. They needed to catch this jerk before another person lost someone they loved. He thought of the look on Mrs. Hoffman’s face when her husband was found, and he tightened his hold on Sue.

“So… you believe Mr. Cummins?” Sue looked from Jack to Bobby.

“I don’t know. He seemed sincere. But something about his manner bugged me. He seemed to care less about the people affected than how it was going to hurt business.” Bobby settled deeper into the armchair and propped both feet on the suite’s coffee table. “You get that feelin’ Jack?”

“Yeah, and he didn’t seem too eager to contact Armstrong.”

“Have you met him yet?”

Levi’s head popped up before Jack could answer. Instead he signed door to Sue who was standing nearest it. She checked the peep hole, missing the small smile Jack gave at her caution. She opened the door once she saw Myles’ lanky form on the other side.

Jack shook his head to Bobby‘s question and elaborated, “D told me he probably wouldn’t be around, but he’s just going to have to make himself available.”

“Who’ll have to make themselves available?” Myles asked as he settled himself into an armchair opposite Bobby.

Sue sank into the cushions of the sofa next to Jack and watched as he and Bobby brought Myles up to date.

“What I can’t figure out is why Cummins didn’t want to contact Armstrong. He told Sue and I that Armstrong wanted the hotel to cooperate fully.”

“Perhaps he’s afraid for his job. If Armstrong isn’t the supportive type, he could see the downswing in business as being Cummin’s fault.”

“But the lack of business is due to the sniper, not anything Mr. Cummins has done.” Sue frowned at the suggestion.

“That may be evident to you and me, but to an owner, and more importantly to his investors, Cummins is the one in charge and therefore the one responsible.”

“That’s not fair…”

“No, that’s business.”

They grew quiet, each going over the little bits of information they possessed, until Myles raised his head with a quizzical look. “You k-n-o-o-o-o-w, that could be at the heart of our little mystery here. If there’s one thing that’s suffering, besides the families, due to this situation, it’s the hotel. Occupancy is down and so are future reservations. If the sniper hangs around much longer, the business could suffer irreparable damage. That would create the perfect opportunity for someone to step in and ‘save’ the day by making an offer that the investors couldn’t refuse… and with the property devalued by bad press, that price would be far less than when business was booming.”

“But why would anyone who wanted to buy the place want to ruin it’s reputation? It would take them just as long to get the place back in the black as it would the present owners.” Jack’s forefinger ran along his jaw as he pondered the scenario.

“True, but maybe simply owning the hotel isn’t the end goal. I think we should have Tara check to see if there have been any recent offers made on the hotel or any of it’s property, as well as any development plans on record that depend upon acquiring either of them.”

“Someone would kill innocent people just to get their hands on this property…” Sue wasn’t really asking a question, but decrying the fact that the world contained people so cruel.

“Unfortunately, if the gain, whether measured in money, or position, or power, is significant, then the answer is ‘yes‘.”

Drawing in a shaky breath that indicated his feelings on the subject, Jack ran a hand along the back of his neck and looked to Myles. “OK… Tara’s due to call in an hour or so with an update on Gerald Weber, I’ll get her working on this information as well. In the meantime, you two check in with local law enforcement. See if they’ve turned up anything new and clue them in on what we’re thinking. Sue and I are going to meet with Matt Whitehouse. He called just before you got here; he and his team just arrived.”

“Guess they missed all the day’s ‘activities’ then?” Bobby surmised.

Jack nodded grimly, “Lucky them.”

“Well, say hello to Matt for me.”

“Sure… and we’ll meet back here about seven?”

Draining his can of soda that he‘d been nursing through the meeting, Bobby stood and headed toward the door. “Seven it is. Just in time for supper, and I, for one, can’t wait, my stomach is already growling.”

Myles stared after him with a look of stupifaction and turned to Jack and Sue for enlightenment, “Does he have a hollow leg of which I’m not aware? All that food has to go somewhere.”

Jack gave a smirk, “Clown pants. They’ll hold all kinds of things.”, and ducked as an empty soda can sailed past his head.



Matt Whitehouse was barely five and half feet tall and nearly muscle bound beneath his ill-fitting gray suit. Short, spiky blond hair gave him another half inch of height, but added little to the cause of allowing him to project a traditional FBI image. He pumped Jack’s hand enthusiastically and reached for Sue’s hand as she was introduced to him.

“Pleased to meet you Ms. Thomas. You’ve got quite a reputation in our division.”

Sue managed to pull her hand from his grasp and smile while flexing her fingers. “Thank you. I hope that’s a good thing.”

“Oh absolutely. I spoke to Mr. Hackford just the day before yesterday and he let me know in no uncertain terms that I’d be working with the best.”

Sue thanked him again and introduced him to Levi while sliding her gaze to the man beside her, wondering if he would recognize the name of the man who’d offered her the position in New York. Jack’s jaw worked against itself a little too tightly, giving away his opinion of the man he’d only heard about. Sue sent him a wink when he finally met her gaze, and saw his face relax a bit in return.

Once Agent Whitehouse had given Levi just as enthusiastic a greeting as he had Jack and Sue, leaving the fur around his head and neck standing up in haphazard puffs, he apologized for not being able to arrive the day before. “My wife and I are expecting our first child in about a month and she was having a few problems. I started to pull out of the assignment completely, but her mom volunteered to stay with her, so… here I am. Plus, agents Bruner and Wright were caught up in a stake out that went a little screwy. They needed some time to unwind before heading up here and right back into it again.”

“We’ve all been in situations that didn’t exactly go as planned. Are they OK now?” Jack asked out of concern both for the two agents, and the safety of his own team.

“They and the docs have all assured me they’re coping great. No one was killed or anything, but it was touch and go with a hostage for about a day and a half.”

“I’m sure your wife is anxious about you being away…” Sue could only imagine herself as an ‘about to be new mother’ being separated from her husband at such an emotional time. Her husband. She stole a look at Jack and could feel a strange little shiver run up her spine as she imagined him as her baby’s father. She shook off the dream and turned her attention back to catch Matt’s answer.

“… about to kick me out anyway.” He laughed when he said it, but Sue could tell there was a grain of truth running through the statement. “I tend to get a little… overbearing… and excitable..” he gave them a comical worried look and blew out a breath between pursed lips. “I was getting on her nerves. And she doesn’t have many of those left.”

“Well,” Jack tried for a diplomatic response, “maybe this will just the thing you need. A little time to reflect…”

“Maybe. My minister keeps telling me God has a plan even when we can’t recognize it. I’m hoping this is all part of it.”

Sue smiled at Matt, warming to him even more. They were going to work together well. When they finally got down to business, they talked of the roles their respective teams would play in the investigation and whose leadership the combined teams would be under when and if they were called upon to act as one. Matt deferred to Jack’s experience in dealing with snipers, insisting he take the lead in those instances. And after learning what they’d overheard from Gerald Weber, Matt agreed to have an SOG team from his office do some covert observations of the man, and hopefully his companion of two nights ago, if Tara‘s digging revealed anything remotely suspicious.

They agreed to get together again in Jack and Sue’s suite after the evening meal so that the two teams could meet, and they left him pulling his air-constricting tie loose; breathing a sigh of relief when it slid free. Sue smiled at the picture he made tugging the offending bit of fabric from around his neck. If anyone was less suited for a suit, she hadn’t met him. She gave him a wave goodbye as he shut the door behind them and kept her grin in place as she walked down the hall, considering the differences between Agents Whitehouse and Hudson.

What’s so funny? He brought them to a stop in front of the elevator.

Nothing.

His head tilted to one side and she was treated to his best skeptical ‘Dr. Spock’ brow arch. “Right… and Bobby’s not tall.”

“Speaking of Bobby, you never told me why you called him Bozo. And why the ‘clown pants’ comment to Myles?”

“Little car, big Australian. Add floppy shoes and clown pants and you might as well be at a Ringling Brothers show.” He chuckled and then took a deep breath and refocused his attention. “And stop trying to change the subject. Why were you laughing just now?”

“I wasn’t laughing.”

“Ok-a-a-a-y… grinning then. Why were you grinning just now?”

She reached over and pushed the button in front of Levi’s nose. “If you must know, I was just thinking about the differences between you and Matt.”

His face scrunched. “What brought on that comparison? And why was it so funny?”

“I guess since he’s their team leader, I automatically pictured another you. Not someone who looks like you, but with the same behavior traits that make you good at your job. Then when I saw him, and you were so physically different, and saw how… ‘excitable’ he was… it just struck me as funny.” She finished with a shrug.

“I can be excitable.” He shrugged back.

“Oh, I know. Most of the time though you’re…” She stepped into the waiting elevator and looked back at him, considering him with narrowed eyes and a sly grin.

“What?” He stepped forward quickly, just making it inside before the door slid closed. “Most of the time I’m what?”

“Sure you can handle it?” She took a step closer, looking him in the eye with a challenging glint. He swallowed and nodded once.

“OK, but don’t blame me if your male ego suffers.”

He crooked a brow and stepped forward as well, bringing them toe to toe. “I think I can take it.”

“ OK… well for starters there’s 'steady'…”, she placed her hand over his heart and felt for the reassuring beat, “and of course 'dependable'…” her heart fluttered when he pursed his lips and frowned at the picture she painted, “… and 'stable'. Oh, and 'charming'… very charming” She finished with a half grin.

“Well, thank goodness for that last one. I was sounding pretty boring.”

“Oh no Jack, never boring.” Her finger rolled off her nose with the last word and he caught it in his hand.

“Good. But I guess I know how to fix it if I ever do get boring… “ he pulled the hand up and caught the tip of her finger between his teeth.

Her mouth opened as if she too were about to nip on a finger as she watched the play of white teeth against pink flesh, and she cleared her throat before asking, “And how’s that?”

“More play. ‘Cause it’s all work that makes Jack a dull boy.” He pulled the finger away as he spoke, but returned it once he was finished, drawing it in an inch or so and swirling his tongue around it.

“Are you playing now?”

He withdrew the finger and placed a kiss on the palm of her hand. “Now? Nah. I’m talking in the future… if I get dull. Right now I’m very…” another kiss on her palm, “… very…”, then a lap of his tongue to the same spot, “… serious.” His head moved swiftly, catching her off guard and allowing him to cover her mouth in a kiss that immediately plundered the sweet depths of hers. Depths he hadn’t tasted in over nine hours. Nine hours filled with pretty much every emotion on the scale. When he’d found her at the picnic area, he couldn’t decide whether to kiss her or throttle her, settling on a hug that had ground her body into his, thinking maybe he could absorb her into his being… keep her with him and out of harms way at all times. The anger that had followed had consumed him so that he didn’t dare speak to her, knowing he would say things that would hurt her. But he had spoke, and he had hurt her. Part of him wanted to hurt her; she’d scared him silly and he wanted to make her realize how he’d felt. Now, deep down, he was beginning to admit that she’d had a valid reason to leave the hotel, but from now on he intended to see to it that she knew she was his first priority and could call on him anytime. Danger to her well being, physical or mental, had to be addressed before anything else.

The ping of the elevator arriving at a floor meant that impressing her with his desire to care for her would unfortunately have to wait. He pulled back and brushed a stray hair from her face, taking the opportunity to run his fingers across her swollen lips as well. Sighing, he realized that supper and the meeting afterwards would eat well into the evening and that she was no doubt tired after all that had happened during the day. He only hoped that she would be willing to repeat last night’s sleeping arrangements, then he could tell her how he felt and she could drift off to sleep once more in his arms; right where she belonged.

“Tara! Give me good news.” Jack relaxed against the back of the sofa and waited for his dependable source of information to impart her latest findings. When the word “nada” floated back to him across the miles, he had to ask her to repeat herself.

“Nada. Nothing. I’ve come up blank. There’s no Gerald Weber that matches your description with a criminal record. I’m still going through military records, but so far, another goose egg. The closest I’ve come is a Gerard, not Gerald, Webber, and that’s spelled with two ‘b’s’… age 52, who was training to become an army sniper at the time of his discharge for disorderly conduct in ‘76. Apparently Gerard like the local strip joints and applied his talents there more than to his training. There was an accusation by a local girl… which he disputed… but several of his fellow soldiers testified on the girl’s behalf and the Army sent him packing.”

“Where did all this happen?”

“Fort Benning, Georgia.”

A frustrated sigh expressed his disappointment at not knowing more about Weber, “OK, keep looking, and keep an eye out for the name Corydon while your at it. In the meantime, we’re going to try to keep tabs on Weber and see if we can’t send you a photo, maybe even some DNA.”

“That would help. And maybe I’ll get lucky with the military angle, but it’s not looking promising.”

“Well if it’s there, you’ll find it. I’ll check in tomorrow around ten. If you find anything before then…”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

“Oh, Tara, I almost forgot…“ He told her of the business angle they were considering and asked her to make the appropriate inquiries.

“I’m adding it to my list right now. I’ll have to take a scenic route since it’s all based in New York, but I should be able to get the information.”

“Thanks Tara, bye.” He flipped the phone closed and rested his pursed lips against it. Gerald, or perhaps Gerard, was their only real lead so far, and he could only hope Matt Whitehouse’s superiors would see fit to grant his request for SOG based on the one part of a conversation they’d overheard.

“How’s Tara?” Sue’s voice startled him. Looking over his shoulder, he wondered how long she’d been standing there, casually leaning against the door frame of her bedroom.

“She’s fine, but no information on Weber.”

“I gathered as much. Your shoulder’s slumped.” Coming up behind him, she slipped her hands over them and began kneading the taut muscles leading to his neck. “She’s still looking I suppose?”

Her gentle motions lulled him and it took a moment before he lifted a hand and signed Yes.

“She’ll come up with something then, just give her time.”

Don’t know how much time we have.

“I know…” Her voice echoed his slumped shoulders. Shaking off the negative vibes, she pushed her thoughts toward the bright side, “But, it’s time to think about other things for a while. Bobby and Myles will be here soon and we can go get something to eat and relax for an hour or so before meeting with Matt’s team.”

“You like him don’t you?” He twisted his neck, trying to see her.

“Hang on, I didn’t quite get that.” She came around the sofa and climbed onto the seat next to him, knees first, and rested her hip into the back, her right arm running along behind his head. “Now, say it again?”

“Matt… you like him don’t you?”

“Not as much as I like you.” She grinned and toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck.

“You’d better not.” He leered at her. “But you know what I mean.”

The look in his eyes all but drove the question from her brain and she struggled to remember what her answer should be. “Y-yes. But I don’t want to talk about Matt.”

“No?”

“No.” She shifted upward, placing one foot on the floor so that she could position a knee on the couch near his and then straddle his legs. Everything from surprise, to elation, to full tilt ‘want’ flickered across his face as she settled on his lap and leaned forward to place a hand on either shoulder. “Before the guys get here, I want to tell you something.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed and his eyes couldn’t drink in enough of her. “What?” he managed to whisper.

She bent her elbows and lowered herself until her lips were inches from his. “It’s just that… I love you too.”

He’d wanted her to say the words back to him that morning, but then he’d never planned on telling her in the middle of a crime scene, and afterwards they’d had no time really alone. Even now Bobby and Myles would be outside their door soon. But the morning was past, and a possible interruption in the very near future wasn’t going to stop him from concentrating fully on the fact that the woman he loved was telling him she loved him too. Not to mention that she had suddenly turned into a bit of a vamp, sitting on his knees and watching his reactions as she lowered her head. Her kiss was slow and sultry; her tongue moving seductively along his upper lip and her lips opening and closing slightly, slowly drawing his between them, letting go and then coming back for more. When she settled them fully onto his, asking to escalate the kiss, he obliged and brought his hands up to grasp her upper arms and pull her close until she was lying on top of him, their bodies matched perfectly, curves to angles. He gave a groan at the sensations her curves were creating, and he snuggled down into the cushions more, angling his shoulders sideways until he was stretched out fully on what had now become his favorite piece of furniture. Gasping against her lips as she wiggled down with him, he felt her body rise and then return to him, this time laying fully on top of him, one of her legs parting his and her foot absently rubbing along his calf. Her kisses left his mouth to move slowly along his jaw, her tongue tasting the beard stubbled skin. When she reached his neck and ran into his shirt collar, she gave a whimper of frustration and reached for the top button, sliding it out nimbly and parting the fabric so that she could continue her taste test. His breathing now ragged and his pulse doing double time, he licked his lips and fought for control, but it was fading quickly. In her attempts to explore his collarbone, she raised one knee until it brushed innocently but to great affect against him, sending lightning bolts of pleasure and alarm screaming through his being.

He shifted away from her slightly and rolled her backwards into the sofa back until he could take charge of the kissing. He sought her mouth and drank freely before slowing the kiss and pulling back. Her eyes opened immediately, if only halfway, to look at him curiously. Her breath came in great gasps and he very nearly gave in to the desire to continue their lovemaking, but he knew that at the rate they were traveling they would likely be at the point of no return in a matter of moments, perhaps seconds, and they had yet to discuss matters of this nature. He knew her opinion of intimacy before marriage, but just how far they could go and not fall off the edge was still unknown territory. Not that he would mind doing some exploring, but the thought of Bobby or Myles barging in on them tore into the pleasant meanderings of his mind and gave him strength to bring them up until they sat looking at each other, his hands brushing back wayward wisps of blonde.

She spoke first, repeating her declaration, “I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this afternoon. I was just so…”

“It’s OK. I think I like this setting better.” He brushed a thumb across her swollen lips and tilted his head toward her with a brow cocked, “I know I really like how you emphasize a point…”, he sobered, “… and I love you too.”

Another long lazy kiss later, he reluctantly looked at his watch and turned it so that she could see the time, “It’s almost time for Bobby and Myles to arrive, and as much as I like your hair the way it is, I have a feeling you might want to run a brush through it, and umm, fix your lipstick.”

A slow grin crept into place and she reached across to the coffee table to pull a tissue from the box. “You might think about some lipstick damage control yourself.”

Instead of accepting the tissue, he stuck his chin toward her and waited for her to do his bidding. Arching her brow, she doubled the tissue over a forefinger and rubbed the peachy smudges from his lips. And then deliberately deposited another in their place.



By the time Bobby thumped out a “shave and a hair cut… two bits” rhythm on the suite door precisely seven minutes later, Sue’s hair had been brushed, mussed, and brushed again. She greeted him and Myles and then busied herself straightening the coffee table, still remembering her and Jack’s activities in the bathroom and wondering if anyone else noticed that the air in the suite seemed to be heated. Jack’s teasing comments while she fixed her hair and reapplied her lipstick had infused a blush into her cheeks that refused to leave, and she was sure if she looked directly at either Bobby or Myles, they would guess their secret.

Jack noticed her avoidance tactics and planted his tongue firmly in cheek to keep a knowing smile from his face. “So, you guys hungry? Don’t answer that Crash.”

“Why? For you information, I think I’ll just get a salad.”

“That’s because he had me stop at a café he spotted in town. Took him fifteen minutes to get out of the car and two minutes to swallow two chili-dogs… whole.” Myles shook his head at the memory.

“You exaggerate. It only took me a minute and a half to eat the dogs.” Bobby grinned and pointed at Sue. “She gonna clean all night, or are we going to supper?”

“Thought you weren’t hungry.” Jack flashed him a sardonic look as he bent to wave a hand in Sue’s line of sight.



“So, were the local PD or state boys able to give you any new information?” Jack leaned his chair back on two legs and laced his fingers behind his head.

The two teams were in the second ten minutes of their meeting in the suite’s sitting room; the first filled with introductions and small talk. With seven of them, seating had become scarce and they’d pulled out two straight chairs from the desks in the bedrooms. Jack had taken one while Bobby had flipped the other around and straddled it, his arms propped on the back.

“Well, they have no physical evidence other than the bullets taken from the victims. They‘re still looking for the possible sites the sniper used, but with the wilderness that surrounds this place, it’s slow going. They’ve not found anything even for the first two shootings that they’ve been investigating for nearly three weeks . But they were able to fill us in on some gossip concerning the hotel and Mr. Armstrong.” Myles supplied.

Jack‘s interest was peaked, “Really? Does it tie in with our theory on the shootings?”

Bobby took up the story, “It could. Seems Mr. Armstrong is relatively new to the ownership of this old girl.” He gestured around him at the walls of the hotel, “And he’s been talking about making some changes that have the local’s a bit concerned.”

“Really?” Matt spoke up. He explained that his family lived in a small town not far from the hotel, and this was the first he’d heard of possible changes.

“Yep. The rumor is that he’d like to clear a considerable amount of land for an entertainment complex… build a small concert hall, a separate restaurant, and here’s where the controversy ramps up a notch… an amusement park.”

“An amusement park? Here?” Sue wasn’t sure she’d read him right. “But this place is too… “

“Serene.” Myles supplied the word.

“Exactly. It would be like…”

“Taking Bobby to the Opera.” He struck again. Laughter jostled around the room and Bobby took revenge with a pillow to Myles head.

Jeff Wright stuck a hand into the air and reluctantly brought the conversation back to the case. “I can understand that the people around here might be upset over the new owner’s plans, if they really are his plans and not just rumors… but enough to start killing people?”

“It does seem unlikely, but I think we should do some more checking. Who knows what else he’s planning or what sort of deals might be in the works.” Matt mused.

Jack tipped the chair back onto all fours and leaned forward, elbows on his knees and told them he’d already asked Tara to start looking. “By ten tomorrow, we should have enough to get us started.”

“Maybe even enough to get us finished, if Tara’s on top her game… which she always is.”

Bobby’s comment brought Jack’s thoughts back to Tara’s inability to find any information on Gerald Weber, which he related to the agents around him.

“Weber? You didn’t tell me his name.” Myles accused.

“Sorry.” Jack looked confused.

“He shares the name of my neighborhood nemesis! He’s got to be guilty.”

“Well, as damning as his name may be, I think we still need to gather a little more information on the man.” Jack turned to Matt. “You think you can persuade your supervisor to authorize SOG on what we’ve got?” He relayed the Gerard Webber vs. Gerald Weber scenario and looked to the younger agent expectantly.

“I think so. Actually I think he’ll do it based just on what you overheard the other night.”

“Good.”

The meeting eventually slowed and yawns started appearing between spurts of conversation. Sarah Bruner, an agent in her mid-forties and possessing the most no-nonsense approach to the business Jack had ever encountered, men and women included, stood abruptly and announced to the room that she was too darned tired to think anymore and was headed to her room, daring anyone to come knocking before eight o’clock. She then turned to Jack and Sue and thanked them for sharing their suite for the evening, then concluded by looking around her at the lingering agents and clapping her hands loudly, bringing Levi to full alert. “OK people… let’s move out and give these lovebirds their privacy! Move it!”

Matt and Jeff grinned, but did her bidding, waving goodnight as they departed and giving no mind to the protestations about to burst forth from both Jack and Sue. Standing there with a “but..” on her lips, Sue watched as Bobby’s dimples doubled, and then tripled in depth, and Myles found himself suddenly engulfed in a coughing fit. They ducked toward the door and closed it behind them, leaving the ‘lovebirds’ to stare at each other, dumbfounded.

They stood transfixed, five… ten…. fifteen seconds before Jack managed to stumble out a question “Did… have you… I mean, did you say… anything?”

“N-n-oooo… I thought you must have.”

“Not a word.” His eyes were round and he couldn’t seem to close his mouth fully.

“Sarah must have just assumed… I mean, because of the suite and all…”

“You think?”

“Well if neither of us told anyone, then…”

“You’re right. That must be why.” A realization hit. “Sue, I’m sorry. I never thought when I reserved the suite that…”

“You never thought… what?” Doubt flashed in her eyes and Jack, hearing the hurt in her voice, rushed forward and caught her hands in his.

“No Sue, I didn’t mean whatever it is you’re thinking. I’m not upset about anything that‘s happened between us, or that they know … or, think they know. I just don’t want them to get the wrong idea about you. I wouldn’t want them to think that you, that we…that…”

“That we’re sleeping together.” The hurt was gone, but her words were too quiet and her forehead creased with the thoughts he’d put in her head.

“I’m sorry.” It was all he could think of. His brilliant idea of reserving a suite had gone better than he could have imagined, and he’d known Bobby and Myles wouldn’t really question it, but he’d never given a moment’s thought to how other team would view the arrangement. Arrangement… the word itself had a distasteful ring to it.

Bringing her hands up, he clasped one of his around them both and used the other to turn her face to his. “I’ll talk to them, tomorrow. I won’t have them thinking that about you.”

“What about you? Don’t you care if they think it about you?”

“Right or wrong, it’s not quite the same for a man. And I’ve heard rumors about myself before… but you…”

“I’ll be fine. You and I know the truth. God knows the truth. That’s all I really care about.”

“But it’s not all I care about. I created this… misunderstanding, I’ll talk to them.”

“Jack, it’s not necessa…”

“But I want to.”

“I know you do, and I love that you do,” she stepped closer, “… but what are you going to do? Call a meeting and announce it to everyone? ‘I’d like your attention everyone… Agent Thomas and I are not having sex.” She rolled her eyes heavenward, “ I can see their faces now, and I can imagine the rumors that will be flying five minutes after your finished. Just let it go. If you and I are going to be together, then…”

“We are going to be together… eventually.”

“That’s not the kind of together I meant.”

“Well… the whole situation sorta got me thinking...”

“Well stop. We‘ve got a lot of territory to map out before we arrive at the destination you‘re imagining.”

He heaved in a sigh and pursed his lips before dropping his chin to his chest, duly chastised. “Yes ma’am. I promise to take it one step at a time and I promise not to say anything about whether we are, or are not, having sex... to anyone… ever.”

“That’s better, but you can drop the ‘ma’am’… makes me sound like your mother.” Her nose crinkled.

Laughing outright, he caught her closer still. “No, no, no… you’re definitely not my mother. You do remember what we were doing on the sofa before Bobby and Myles got here? What kind of pervert do you think I am?”

“You’re my pervert. And I love you. And how could I forget the sofa? Not to mention the bathroom…”

“Bathroom?“ He feigned ignorance, “Bathroom… Nope, don’t seem to recall anything happening in the bathroom…”

Indignation shot across her face and the hazel slits glared at him, “You know perfectly well what happened.”

“I must be having short term memory problems, why don’t you help me out?”

The hint of a grin passed over her lips before she set them in a stern line. “As I recall, I was trying to brush my hair and someone started kissing my neck…”

“Really?” The exaggerated look of shock that contorted his face had a giggle escaping her before she could help herself and she watched helplessly as he began to move in a small hovering circle around her.

“What kind of person would do such a thing?” was the last thing she saw before he disappeared behind her and she felt her ponytail being swept aside. His lips danced across her neck, down to the neckline of her sweater, and up to catch an earlobe between his teeth, pulling gently then tracing the tip of his tongue along the shell. He stepped close to her and the heat of his body warmed her back as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her to him.

What then?

“I… I don’t think there was anything else…”

Sure?

“Pretty sure…”

P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E?

“W-e-e-e-l-l-l… there may have been something to do with my swea… uumm, Jack…” Her train of thought side tracked as one of his hands skimmed downward.

Sorry, you were going to say S-W-E-A-T-E-R ?

“Um-humm.”

His arms loosened and his hands trailed over her shoulders and down her back, never losing contact with her body. When they arrived at the hem of her sweater, they traced it around to her stomach, flaring open and pressing her back into him again. Her breathing was reduced to shallow attempts to fill her lungs, but every touch forced the breath out again, and when his thumbs slid under the soft blue knit, she grasped his forearms and held to him to keep herself upright. He pushed the fabric up until it rested just beneath the matching blue lace beneath it, and he began a slow, excruciatingly wonderful massage of her stomach muscles. Only his fingertips came into play at first, but before long his palms left heated trails. When his thumbs brushed against the lace, she arched and moaned his name. Turning in his arms, she sought out his lips and nearly knocked him backwards with the force of her kiss.

Accepting it with matching ardor, he absent-mindedly resumed his explorations beneath the baby blue sweater, encountering soft skin that heated beneath his touch. When they reached the lace on this excursion, they also encountered a clasp. He hesitated, knowing he should stop, but the kiss in which they were engaged drove rational thought to the furthest recesses of his brain and he flicked apart first one hook, then the second. Now that the path was cleared, new horizons lay ahead, beckoning him. He sent out a scout… moving one hand slowly up her back until it lay between her shoulder blades. Seeing that it’s counterpart hadn’t met with resistance, the other hand joined it and together they massaged the pliant skin until Sue could no longer stand independently. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung desperately, asking him with everything she had not to let go.

He didn’t. He walked them slowly the short distance to the sofa and lowered her to it, breaking his hold on her only long enough to make them comfortable. Now that his wish from earlier in the day was coming true… that she would allow him to hold her through another night, he began to tell her in voice and sign that from that moment forward, his first priority was her. No matter where he was, or what he was doing, if she needed him he would be there. He punctuated his promise with kisses and hugs, convincing her by every means he had at his disposal that he meant his words. When he finished, she was crying softly and shook her head when he asked in sign what was wrong.

“Nothing Jack, nothing is wrong. Everything is so very right, it hurts.” She laid a hand on her chest. “I love you. And everything you just told me is true for me too. No matter what you need, no matter what I have to do to be there for you, I will.”

“I know that, I‘ve always known that.” He smoothed her mussed hair and pulled a pillow into a more comfortable position, then settled back and pulled her to him. Her hand settled over his heart and he covered it with his.



When Jack’s phone woke him at 7:00, he was still holding Sue, but instead of laying on her side with her cheek resting on his shoulder, she was on her stomach and laying three fourths on top of him. Her face was turned into his, her nose nuzzled his cheek, and one leg draped across both of his. The phone lay on the coffee table where he’d given it a toss as they settled in the night before, and he knew that there was no way he could reach it without disturbing her. Deciding that wasn’t something he was ready or willing to do, he let the device vibrate off the table and heard it hit with a soft thud on the carpet below. Once it’s shrill cadence quieted, Jack relaxed into the cushions once more and let his gaze travel over their bodies, delighting in the way they ‘fit’ one another. With her face as close as it was, all he had to do was turn his head to kiss her into consciousness, and he didn’t hesitate to do just that. When her lips began to move under his, he smiled into the kiss and pulled back, only to have her strain to follow, unwilling for the unexpected wake up call to end.

Smiling, she raised her head and placed a hand behind his, pulling him back into a dizzy kiss. “Good morning.” she murmured as she let his head down gently.

“I’ll say. Sleep well?” he grinned smugly.

“Well… the mattress was kinda lumpy, but other than that…” her serious tone and laughing expression vying for believability.

“Lumpy, huh? I’ll show you lumpy.” he snuck a hand toward her waistline as he answered and attacked without warning. Her shriek was loud enough to wake people in the next room and he quickly pulled his hand away to ‘shush’ her with a finger to his mouth, grinning like they were teenagers about to get caught by their parents. “Shhhh…”

“Oh, don’t you shush me… if you hadn’t tickled, I wouldn’t have screamed!”

“And let you get away with that ‘lumpy’ comment? I don’t think so.”

“Then you’ll just have to get used to the screaming.”

“Why? Are you always a screamer?” the question was out, and it’s unintended double entendre along with it, before he could snatch it back. Eyeing her warily and hoping she’d missed his words, he unconsciously held his breath .

“S’cuse me?” She sat up straighter and looked at him a little harder. “Did you just ask what I thought you did?”

“Maybe.” he shrugged, wanting to crawl into a hole and have Levi bury him.

“I think you did. And the answer is… ‘I have no idea.’ And there’s only one way to find out.” She stated as a matter of fact.

Jack’s eye’s had drifted down to stare idly at his hands while she spoke, but they snapped to hers at her last sentence. “What!? What do yo…”, then his eyes narrowed as he registered the smirk on her face and suspected he was being set up. “OK, let me have it. How exactly do we find that out?”

Sue snuggled closer and entwined her arms around his neck, bringing her lips close to his ear. “Exactly how every other couple finds out, but first, you have to ask me a different question.”

She slipped away from him in one fluid motion and was half way to her bedroom before her meaning hit home and he sat up straight to look at her over the back of the sofa. All he managed to catch was her door closing as Levi’s tail cleared it just in time. But first, you have to ask me a different question. That question had been niggling at the back of his mind for some time, but you didn’t ask it of someone who didn’t even know your true affections. Now... that was no longer an issue. She knew exactly how he felt and had apparently decided to let him know that there were no more obstacles. He rose from the sofa and absent-mindedly adjusted the cushions before sauntering to his own bedroom, deep in thought.

Tara wasn’t one to come up empty handed for long. By the time Jack phoned her at precisely 10:00 am, she had three other names on which she was running checks.

“The first two have names similar to Weber’s… Jerry Wilbur was a sniper and did two tours of duty in Vietnam. He’s a bit older than your estimate of Weber’s age, sixty-two, but I thought it was worth a shot. Uh, no pun intended. The second guy’s name is Gerald Weaver; he’s another sniper drop-out. Is it me, or is the completion rate for sniper school like, really low?”

Jack grinned and conceded the point, “Yeah, it’s not for everybody. So what’s Weaver been up to since then?”

“Pretty average life if the records tell the tale. Married, two kids, lives in North Carolina and owns a tire business.”

“Sounds normal enough. What about the third guy?”

“Well, this one didn’t raise any flags at first, but stick with me. His name is Pete Caldwell, served as a sniper, also in Vietnam, also for two tours, and had an exemplary record for most of that time. Then two months before his last tour was up, he disappeared. The army investigated, but the situation at the time was so volatile, they weren’t able to find out much. It was assumed he was taken captive and his name was added to the list of POWs.”

“Why do I think you’re not buying that?”

“Because when I took a closer look at his records, I discovered a name… one Matthew Corydon.”

Letting out a low whistle, Jack ran a hand through his hair and sat back against the pillow he’d propped up against the bed’s headboard. “Corydon. Now isn’t that a coincidence?”

“Um-hum. Apparently they were high school buddies who enlisted together, did their basic training together, and even shipped out within a month of each other to Saigon. They did serve with different units, but not far apart.”

“Have you run a check on Corydon?”

“It’s in progress. All I’ve got so far is an address, but it’s from ten years ago, I should get a more current one before I’m finished.”

Jack nodded into the phone. “Yeah, keep looking. I don’t suppose you’ve had time to find anything on any offers being made for the hotel, have you?”

“Not much yet. I’ve got feelers out though and I’ll let you know what they come in contact with. I’m also looking into development plans filed for the property, but that could take a while. The red tape involved with development is unbelievable and it takes some time to cut through it.”

“Lucy helping you?”

“Yep, and I’m thinking about requesting D’s help as well.”

“Ouch. D and computers don’t mix well, you sure you want to turn him loose with your baby?”

“Oh, he’s not getting his hand on my computer. His will do the job just fine.”

“If you say so. Just let me know if he blows a mother board.”

“I will. Oh, and Lucy says to say ‘hi’ to Sue. Me too.”

“I’ll tell her as soon as she wakes up.”

“She’s napping? It’s only a little after ten.”

“Ummm, I think she had a restless night. She’s fine though. Listen, I’ll call a little before five and check in. Bye Tara.” Jack hung up quickly. He knew if Lucy got on the line, she’d have him confessing things he wasn’t ready to talk about. Sliding the cell phone across the surface of his night stand, he checked his watch; ten after ten. He’d promised to let Sue sleep until ten thirty. She’d yawned all the way through breakfast, and as soon as they got back to the suite, he’d urged her to go take a nap; feeling guilty about her spending the last two nights on a couch too small for two people to get a comfortable night’s rest. He had to admit he was feeling the effects too and reached for his travel alarm. It wouldn’t be a long nap, but it might revive him. Quickly setting the alarm for 10:30, he grabbed the extra pillow, rolled over and closed his eyes.



As his eyes slowly opened, he became aware of a muffled noise. Levi again? He was going to have to have a serious talk with wonder dog about draining his water bowl every time they left the room without him. Hearing nothing else, Jack closed his eyes again and tried to imagine the pillow in his arms was Sue. It was a poor substitution however, and he let his mind wander once again to moments they had shared over the last two days, marveling at the fact that so much had changed it such a short time. His mind’s eye was traveling over the site of Sue draped over him on the couch just this morning when the noise came again. Giving up on the idea of completing his nap, he sighed and rolled to his feet just as a low but very distinct, and very un-feminine, voice drifted in from the sitting room. Instantly alert, Jack reached for his gun laying on the night stand and crept softly in his sock feet to a position just inside the door to the other room. Flattening himself against the wall, he waited for another noise to help him gauge their position. There must be at least two of them, why else would they have spoke? He inched forward cautiously; if he could sneak a quick peek into the room …

Bleep! Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!

His travel alarm sounded sharply, and loudly enough to be heard throughout the suite. Suddenly there was a muffled explosion of noise from the other room, and Jack quickly gathered his wits after being startled by the alarm, bolting through the door in time to see the door leading to the hall closing swiftly. He crossed to it and slipped it open, carefully sticking his head through and glancing first one direction and then the other. The alcove in which their door was located offered protection as he searched the hall, but the short maze-like passages meant that the intruders were lost from his view in short order. Under other circumstances, he would have picked a direction and attempted to follow them, but he didn’t want to leave Sue alone in her room; unaware of what had happened. Besides, if there was one way to arouse suspicion that you weren’t actually a vacationing city dweller simply looking for a bit of relaxation, it was running through the halls in your sock feet with a gun drawn.

Instead, he went back into the room and closed and locked the door, thinking it was apparently an exercise in futility since he remembered Sue doing the same after they come back to the room after breakfast. He flipped the slide lock closed for extra measure, but he knew if anyone really wanted in, it was little protection. Crossing back to his bedroom, he retrieved his cell phone from the night stand and dialed Bobby.

“Jack?”

“Bobby, get up here quick.” He was crossing the sitting room towards Sue’s door as he spoke.

“What’s wrong?”

“We just had some unexpected visitors.”

“We’re on our way. Myles! Jack needs us… now. Jack? You OK? Sue?”

Jack eased her door open and let out a long relieved breath at the sight of her curled up on her bed, sleeping soundly. “Yeah Crash, we’re both fine.”

Flipping the phone closed, he padded across the carpet to stand over her, hesitating only briefly before running his hand softly down her upper arm. She stirred and stretched in her sleep, a sweet smile gracing her mouth. When her eyes opened and blinked up at him, the smile grew and she reached for his hand, drawing him down until he sat and leaned over her.

“Ten-thirty already?” She searched his face, growing anxious at the troubled look lurking behind his smile.

“Good morning… again.” His grin was genuine and she momentarily forgot everything except greeting him properly. Reaching up, she trailed a hand up his arm, and then sank her fingers into the dark curls above his ear, curling her fingers around the shell and pulling gently.

“Good morning.” Sue closed her eyes as his head descended, and awaited his kiss. The velvet softness that covered her lips was exquisite, warming her instantly and gone too soon. She frowned and opened her eyes to find him waiting to talk to her. He had briefly considered not telling her, not wanting to worry or scare her, but she would be furious when she found out, and she needed to know for her own protection.

“Bobby and Myles are on their way, and I need to tell you something.”

The troubled look had returned to his eyes and she pushed up, watching his mouth intently as he explained. “They’re gone now, and as far as I can tell, they didn’t even come in this room. Levi never made a sound.”

Sue glanced to the dog laying on the floor at Jack’s feet and then back. “Why were they here at all? What were they looking for?”

“I’m not sure, but we’ll find out.”

She wondered how, but didn’t ask the question as Jack glanced toward the door. “Bobby and Myles are here. You ready to get back to work?”

Nodding, she scooted toward the edge of the bed as Jack stood, helping her to her feet. He tugged her close and gave her a quick kiss. ‘Til later’ he mouthed and reluctantly left her to freshen up while he answered the door.

“Any idea who it was? Myles asked as he lowered himself onto the arm of the couch.

“None. All I saw was the door closing behind them.”

“How come you didn’t hear them come in?” Bobby turned from his leaning stance at the window and cocked his head at Jack.

“I did hear them. But I thought it was just Levi again and….”

“You thought Levi was breaking in?” Myles face was a study in concentration as he tried to piece together the information coming to light.

“No, I just thought it was Levi begging to go out again, but then I heard a man’s voice and realized what was going on… Look, it doesn’t matter at this point. I didn’t see them, but they didn’t see me either. They don’t know that I knew they were in here and I think that might work in our favor.”

“How so?”

“The only reasons to break in was to do us harm or to get information. I don’t think it was the former, or they wouldn’t have taken off so quickly, alarm or no alarm. And since they failed to get any information, they might try again if they think we’re none the wiser to them being in here. But they’ll be more careful next time and not break in while we’re actually in the room.”

“And why exactly did they do that today?” Bobby wondered aloud.

“Sue and I have been out of the room at this time of day since we got here… until today. I think they saw us go down for breakfast and didn’t realize we had come back to the room.”

“So it would have been someone familiar with your routine.”

“Yeah. Or they were getting their information from someone who was. Bobby, give Matt a call and see if their SOG guys can tell us where Weber was a half hour ago.”

“Already talked to him. He should be here any minute with a report.”

“Thanks.”

“In the meantime, what did Tara have to say?” Myles asked as he greeted Sue with a wave as she came out of her bedroom. Jack waited until she was close enough to follow the conversation before relating the information Tara had been able to give him.

“She’s still checking, but finding someone named Corydon who’s been associated with a known sniper in the past sure sounds promising.”

“Yes, but a missing sniper. He was never found was he.?”

“Not that we know of, but anything’s possible.” A knock on the door halted their conversation and Jack opened it to find Matt standing on the other side, loosening his tie. It was only a little after eleven, but the man’s suit looked as if it had put in a full day, plus overtime.

“Hi Matt, come on in.” The younger agent moved past Jack, followed by Sarah and Jeff. The group settled themselves and listened as Matt relayed SOG’s report of Weber’s activity, or inactivity, since they’d started keeping tabs on him the previous evening. According to them, it was unlikely he’d had anything to do with the break-in. He was seen entering his room at 10:17 pm and various strategically placed listening devices had relayed his position in the suite throughout the night. He hadn’t left the room until that morning at 8:32, when he went straight to the dining room for breakfast and then headed into town where he’d been in a local attorney’s office until the time when Matt had called for an update.

“What’s the lawyer’s name?” Jack inquired.

Matt checked the notes he carried and finally found the information, “Thomas E. Grayson… and son.”

Bobby looked at Jack closely, correctly assuming he had a specific reason for asking the lawyers name. “What are you thinking?”



Bobby looked at Jack closely, correctly assuming he had a specific reason for asking the lawyers name. “What are you thinking?”

“Well, we don’t seem to be getting anywhere hanging around here, so I’m thinking we should head into town and hit the streets. Blend in as best you can and start finding out if the locals know anything about what’s going on. Sue and I will check out this lawyer and some of the real estate agencies, the rest of you pair up and see what you can find out.”

Bobby grinned and turned to flip Myles on the knee, pointing a long finger at him, “You ready for lunch?”

Mouth agape, Myles stared at his partner. Then checked his watch to confirm his suspicions, “You had a ‘mid-morning snack’ not twenty minutes ago! You can’t possibly be hungry again!”

“Right. But by the time we get into town, it’ll be 12 o’clock and I’m thinkin’ the noon lunch crowd at that diner we found yesterday could be a very good source of information.”

Blond brows raised in appreciation of Bobby’s plan and Myles rose to his full height. “Well, it seems a blue plate special is in my immediate future.” He looked to Jack. “What time shall we meet back here?”

“Let’s say… four o’clock. That should give everyone plenty of time to snoop around, but if you need longer, just give me a call.”

Sarah stood and gave Jeff an unreadable look.

“What?” he questioned, shifting beneath her stare.

“Think you can team up with Matt this afternoon?”

“I guess.” Jeff looked to Matt to get his reaction to her request.

Matt shrugged and nodded. “Fine by me, but where are you going?”

“Somewhere men aren’t welcome, least ways not the ones who dream about girls.” She answered and was out the door with a “See you later.” slung over her shoulder before any more questions could come her way.

Five sets of male eyes stared after her, narrowed in complete confusion. Only Sue had a small grin on her face and a good idea of where Sarah was headed for the afternoon. Matt turned first and noticed her knowing expression. “You know where she’s going, don’t you?”

“I think so. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine on her own, and she’ll probably show up tonight with a new hair-do, maybe even a new color.”

Her meaning hit him then and he smiled his approval. “Perfect. I’ve always heard those places were gossip central.”

Sue shot him an indignant look. “No more so than a barber shop.”

Matt shrugged, “True, if you could even find a barber shop these days.”

“I bet this town’s got one. It’s pretty old fashioned.” Jeff joined in the conversation.

Sue‘s expression turned thoughtful. “One person’s old fashioned can be another person’s perfection.”

Matt slapped his knees and stood, “Well Jeff, I guess you and I should go check out the local barber shop and whatever else we can come up with.”

Jack held up a hand, halting Matt before he took a step. “Actually, Jeff will have to cover those places on his own, I’ve got another job for you.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Eighteen - Part One

Vue de Lac was a quiet, quaint community of some 15,000 souls. It boasted 17 churches, 2 grocery stores, 7 gas stations, 1 car wash, 2 beauty shops, 1 very old fashioned barber shop, 3 attorneys, and 4 realtor offices. Having decided to leave the attorneys for last in order not to run into Weber and raise more suspicion, it was the realtors that Jack and Sue headed for first. They sat in office after office, pretending to be interested in relocating to the area. Jack played the role of a disenchanted corporate lawyer who, along with his lovely wife of a year and a half, was ready to start a family and wanted to do so away from the hustle, bustle, and crime of the city. Sue sat and smiled adoringly at her ‘husband’, blushing prettily each time the subject of babies was brought up. She would then dutifully remind him that they’d agreed to wait another couple of years once they made the move, and then ask about employment opportunities in the area… particularly any new businesses planning to open in the near future… businesses that just might have an interest in building on what was now property belonging to the hotel.

By the time they took the stage in the fourth and last realtor’s office, they were anticipating each other’s statements and filling in their story with ad-libs about imaginary relatives and events that led to them to this particular small town. When they felt they’d gleaned every bit of information with which the balding, be-speckled man was willing to part, they left the office hand in hand, still somewhat lost in the alternate reality they’d been living for the afternoon.

Jack raised Sue’s hand to place a kiss on her knuckles, drawing it out leisurely and ending it with a swirl of his tongue and then ‘drying’ the dampened skin with his lips.

“Jack… we’re in public you know. You ready to deal with the consequences if another agent sees us?”

“Consequences for what?” He eyed her mischievously, “I’m simply paying my lovely ‘wife’ the attention she deserves. We have to make this believable, don’t we?”

Pulling her close, he gave in to the desire to kiss her at last in a public setting. He felt her smile into the kiss and reveled in her pleasure. A voice in his ear brought his head up with a jerk.

“Careful there Spark, this is a small town and I think you might be very close to breaking several town ordinances. You know… lewd acts in public, that sort of thing.”

Bobby sauntered past without a backward glance; anyone watching would have assumed he was talking to Myles who threw them the briefest grin before quickening his step to catch up to the taller Australian. Sue read enough of Bobby’s comment to send heat coursing through her cheeks and she lowered her head until her forehead rested on Jack’s shoulder. He nudged her head up again and stuck his tongue in his cheek with a grin.

“Serves you right.” Pink lips flew open and hazel eyes widened at his implication, but Jack would have none of it. “Oh no you don’t. You knew they were behind me and you never said a word. Don’t go playing Miss Innocent.”

She formed the beginnings of a denial in her head, but swallowed the words as she lost her concentration in his teasing look. “Maybe.” She said instead.

Laughing, he pulled her close again and finished what had been so rudely interrupted. Bobby and Myles were gone from sight, having turned the corner just seconds before, but even had they been standing right beside them, he doubted he could have stopped himself.

This time the kiss was slow and deliberate, the perfect assurance to anyone watching that this was a couple deeply in love. Jack knew Sue might be thinking the same thing and held her close after he raised his head. He pressed the ‘I love you’ sign into her chest between them and told her “No matter who’s watching.”

His reward was the shy smile that transformed her features from beautiful to radiant. “Me too.”







The office of Thomas E. Grayson and Son was elaborate by comparison to the other offices they’d been in and out of all day. Leather chairs grouped around small tables dotted the rather large lobby and a receptionist with carefully styled hair and make-up spoke in soft tones when Jack inquired if Mr. Grayson might have a moment to spare. Keeping with the story they’d used all day, Jack asked the young woman to let Mr. Grayson know that he was very interested in joining a local practice and had heard this was the best in town. The girl found herself under the Hudson spell and eagerly hurried through the frosted glass doors behind her to relay the message. She returned a moment later with a well-dressed man on her heels, and smiled at Jack as if Sue were nowhere in sight.

“Mr. Hanson? This is Thomas Grayson.” She introduced them.

“Mr. Grayson, a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking time from your day.”

“Oh it’s nothing. Luckily, you caught me on a day when I don’t have to be in court. And who is this lovely lady?” He looked appreciatively toward Sue.

“This is my wife, Sue.”

“Nice to meet you Mr. Grayson.” Sue smiled warmly at the man and resisted the urge to pull her hand from his grip when it lasted a second too long.

“The pleasure is mine Ms. Hanson, I assure you. Your husband is a very lucky man.”

“I keep telling her that.” Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulders and Sue sank gratefully into his embrace.

Grayson straightened and cleared his throat, drawing the niceties to a close. “Sherrie here tells me you’re looking to bring your skills to our little town. Where do you practice now?”

“DC. But, we’re looking to start a family soon and we’ve been talking about relocating for a while now. Then when we drove through your town, it was like we stumbled into exactly the sort of place we’d been talking about.”

“Well it’s nice to know that visitors recognize the charm of our little community. And I welcome the competition. You’ll be starting your own practice, I assume?”

“Actually, as I told your receptionist, that’s why I wanted to speak to you. With starting a family and all, I’d feel a little more comfortable if I joined an established practice and I was wondering if you’d ever thought of having someone join your firm.”

Grayson gave Sherrie the receptionist a brief hard glare as Jack mentioned that he’d told her what he wanted to talk to him about. Obviously the girl hadn’t explained fully and though the look didn’t last long, Sue saw it and made note of it.

“I see. Honestly, I never given it much thought…”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just barged in here and sprung this on you. I, er, we, just got so excited at the prospect of actually making this little dream of ours come true… we got carried away. Obviously you and your son like your business the way it is. I’m sorry to have taken up your time.”

“My son died three years ago, it’s just me now.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.”

“No, no… no need for apologies, you couldn’t have known. Look, why don’t we go across the street and grab a cup of coffee? The least I can do is hear you out.”

~~o~~

“I give up, how did you know his son had died?” Sue waited until Tom Grayson was back across the street and entering his office once again before asking the question.

“Who says I knew?”

“I do. You wouldn’t have been so ready to leave his office unless you knew the reaction you’d get to your suggestion that he and his son were happy with their practice.”

Jack shrugged. “Well, I didn’t know exactly how he’d react, but I had a feeling.”

“Then you did know his son was…”

“I thought you were the observant one in this duo.” He interrupted, moving a forefinger back and forth between them.

“You’re not going to tell me are you?”

“Maybe.”

“When?”

“When you make it in my best interest to do so.”

“That sounds suspiciously like blackmail.”

“All‘s fair in love...” He trailed off with a smile.

“You forgot war.”

“I have no intentions of warring with you.”

Sue stopped, her hand gripping his and bringing him to a halt just ahead of her. He turned, curious as to why she pulled up, to find her regarding him intently. “What’s wrong? Tired?”

Sighing, she took the two steps between them to stand close, wanting to make sure she could see his face when she asked the question. “I guess you could put it that way… Jack, can I ask you a question?”

“Anything.”

‘Hope you mean that.’ she thought and then forged ahead before she lost her courage. “I don’t want to rush things, but… just what are your intentions… for us?”

Her voice was soft, but Jack could hear the intensity in it all the same. Looking around, he inclined his head toward his car parked a few spaces ahead of them. “Tell you what, let‘s go back to the hotel. Then you can make it worth my while to tell you how I knew Grayson’s son was deceased, and I’ll throw in the answer to that last question for free.”

His fingers lightly traced her jaw line as he spoke, slowly drawing her face closer and closer until his breath warmed her temple. The kiss at her hairline promised much and Sue leaned into him, wanting nothing more than to be back in their suite where he could fulfill the promise.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Nineteen - Part One

The hotel was quiet when they entered the lobby fifteen minutes later, and Frank Cummins feet moved double time as he hurried across the room to stop their progress to the elevator. “I need to speak to you… now.”

“Has there been another shooting?” Sue took his nervousness as a sign of the worst.

“No! No, not yet anyway.” He glanced nervously around the lobby and then turned toward his office, leaving them to follow.

Jack shot an apologetic look at Sue; their plans would have to wait, and motioned her ahead of him. Entering Mr. Cummin’s office, they were ushered into the chairs they’d occupied the first time they had talked to him on their second day at the hotel. The door closed firmly behind him, Cummins walked to his side of the desk and removed a key from the breast pocket of his suit coat. He unlocked a drawer in his desk, briefly fingering the envelope he drew out before pushing it toward Jack across the slick desktop.

“This was in my mail here at work this morning.”

The plain white envelope bore no markings; no name or address. Jack opened it and pulled out a single sheet of letter sized paper. Generic, computer printed type clustered together to form a short paragraph in the center of the page… ‘CONTINUED FEDERAL ENVOLVEMENT WILL RESULT IN INCREASED ATTACKS. PERSUADE THEM TO LEAVE OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.’

Jack turned incredulous eyes toward Cummins and then released the paper to Sue when she pulled at it gently.

“Who handles your mail?” He asked the worried looking man in front of him.

“My secretary brings it to me each morning. Before that, pretty much anyone in the mail room would have access to it.”

“We need to speak to those people.”

Cummins raised his arm, checking his wristwatch, “They’ve all gone home now. Is tomorrow morning soon enough or do you need their names and addresses?”

Jack checked his own watch. Nearly four-thirty. “How many people are we talking about?”

“Let me check…” Frank Cummins swiveled his chair toward his computer and started hitting keys with efficiency. “Fifteen. They’ll all be back here in the morning at 7:00.”

“Tomorrow morning will be fine then; it would take us all evening to visit them individually. In the meantime, I need you to set up a meeting between myself, Ms. Thomas, and Mr. Armstrong.”

Shifting slightly in his seat, Cummins cleared his throat and licked his lips. “Is that really necessary? Mr Armstrong isn’t here on a daily basis… he’d know nothing of this.”

“Mr. Cummins, our cover has been compromised and the two of you are the only ones who were supposed to know who we really were. It’s time I had a face to face chat with your boss.”

A resigned sigh split the air, and Cummins finally agreed. “I’ll arrange it then, But I feel I must warn you, Mr. Armstrong is very busy. I’m not sure when he’ll have time.”

Jack rose and leaned over the desk, making eye contact with the fidgety man a scant six inches in front of him. “Then you’ll just have to impress upon him the urgency of his making time, won’t you Mr. Cummins?”

“I - I - I suppose.”

“Well then, it’s all settled. Sue and I will meet you here at seven tomorrow morning and we can talk to your mailroom employees before they get started with their day. Wouldn’t want to interfere with the flow of things around here. You can tell us then what time you’ve arranged for our appointment with Mr. Armstrong.”

Holding up the letter, Sue joined the conversation. “We’ll hold onto this for you Mr. Cummins. And thank you for letting us know about it.”

“Certainly.” The answer was fairly calm sounding, but Cummins looked anything but. Beads of sweat had popped out along his upper lip and he dabbed a folded handkerchief across his brow.

Jack gave Sue a look as they left the office and stopped to stare at the door after Cummins had closed it behind them. “Sure seems nervous doesn’t he?”

“Ummm, especially about Mr. Armstrong.” Sue bit her lip and gave Jack a perplexed look. “Any idea why?”

“None. Maybe Myles is right and it’s all about his job. With any luck we’ll have a better idea after we talk to Armstrong.” Jack caught Sue’s elbow and began to steer her toward the elevator. “We were supposed to meet the others at four, but that’s come and gone. Let me make a call or two and then you can start persuading me.”

“Excuse me? Persuading you of what?”

“That I should tell you how I knew Grayson’s son was dead. And I think there was another question too, now what was it…?”

Stepping into the elevator, Sue turned and leaned against the dark wood paneling, her hair a perfect compliment to it’s rich tones. The door had no sooner slid shut before she began her assault on Jack’s senses… ‘persuading’ him with her every touch. By the time the doors opened again, his hair had acquired several sexy new spikes and the phone calls he’d planned on making were still waiting to be dialed.

~~o~~
Chapter Nineteen - Continued

“Bobby?” Jack’s voice hit a higher note than usual as Sue bit down lightly on his earlobe. “H-hey. Did you guys, ummm, did you have the meeting at four?”

“Yeah, figured you got tied up, so we went ahead. You need a recap?”

“No, no… I mean… I’m sure you handled everything just fine. I’ll catch up in the morning.” Jack tried to get his voice under control. “Listen Sue and I are pretty tired. We’re just going to order some room service and then get in bed, I mean… make an early night of it… you know, catch up on some rest.”

“Jack, you OK? You sound funny. You’re not in trouble are you?’

Sue chose that exact moment to slip a hand through the opening she’d created at the front of his shirt, her nails raking softly across his stomach. “Me?” A still higher note was reached. “Nah… I’m just fine. Never better. Listen I’ve got to go, I think our food’s here.”

Sue grinned at him as he flipped the phone shut and gave it a wild pitch toward the coffee table, missing it completely and landing instead on the carpet below, bouncing a couple of times before coming to rest three feet beyond the table.

“Ooops.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not interested in you for your aim.” Sue assured him with smug grin.

Raising his brows, Jack hesitated an instant before asking her, “And which of my skills are you interested in? I‘ll see if I can‘t give you a demonstration.”

She had been intent on getting them to the sofa, but stopped and wagged finger at his boldness. “Behave yourself Jack.”

“I thought we came up here so that we didn’t have to behave.”

“Well, maybe not as much as we do in public…” she conceded as she fingered another button, “…but there are boundaries.”

“Does that mean you’re interested in things I can do for you, but just can’t do… yet?” he locked his eyes on hers and pulled her with him the short distance to the sofa, landing on it with a plop as he finished the question. Sue landed on top of him and struggled to push herself up so that she could gather her wits without her face being buried in Jack’s chest.

“I don’t think I should answer that.”

“Why not?”

“Because, I don’t want you to take it as a challenge to show me what I’m missing.”

“Then your interests do lie in that direction.” He grinned and ran the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip. “That’s OK, I’ll just try things until I find the one that you’re interested in.”

No matter how hard she tried, Sue couldn’t move away as he raised his head, finding her lips and taking her breath away with the softest of kisses that grew quickly in intensity. When he at last broke the contact, she could only lowered her forehead until it rested in the crook of his shoulder and rolled her head from side to side. “I guess I should just be grateful no one was watching that time.”

Feeling him stiffen, Sue brought her head up again. “What’s wrong?” The look of panic in his eyes made her scramble up, ending up sitting on the edge of the sofa. “Did you hear something?”

“No… I need my phone!” He rolled toward the edge as well, with the end result being Sue landing none too gracefully on the floor.

“Ow!”

He signed sorry as he picked up the phone and flipped it open, dialing as fast as his nervous fingers allowed him. “Matt… hey listen, that job I gave you this morning, did you get that done? Right. And just where…” he turned then, blocking Sue’s vision of his conversation. She watched as he talked for a moment longer, then flipped the phone shut and gave it a pitch in the air and catching it easily as he turned; his mouth once again curved in a smile.

“Jack, what on earth is wrong.”

“I had Matt install a couple of security cameras…”

“Cameras!?“ Her eyes widened and her face immediately flushed bright scarlet. “You mean…?”

“Relax.“ Jack held out a hand to help her up. “He put one over the front door and one in my bedroom. I just didn’t know whe… Ooof!”

Landing in a heap beside her when Sue pulled on the offered hand, he turned confused eyes to see her laughing. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she pushed backward until his back rested against the sofa. She took the phone from his hand and tossed it blindly over her shoulder, then slowly crawled toward him and straddled a leg across his, feeling increasingly more bold as his face sobered and he fixed his eyes on her lips. “Well, then, as long as I was right and no one is watching, you owe me an answer.”

She kissed him then; a slow, methodical, pulse-pounding kiss that had him pulling her head back down when she came up for air. His hand caressed the back of her neck and the other moved to the large clip holding her hair, releasing it and luxuriating in the feel of the soft, heavy strands falling against the back of his fingers. Those same fingers began a slow massage of her scalp, reducing her to a puddle that threatened to slither off his lap and soak into the carpet. Smiling at the way she melted limply to him; her every curve forming itself perfectly to his frame, Jack leaned sideways, depositing her molten form on the floor and followed her down, squeezing himself between her and the sofa. When her eyes opened and he could tell she was once again focusing clearly, he propped his head on the heel of his palm and brushed aside a wayward stand or two of blonde hair.

“And what question would you like me to answer? How I knew that Grayson’s son was dead?”

Drawing a shaky breath, she managed to follow his words. “Umm, yes…for starters.”

“The son’s picture on the wall in the reception area… it had a plaque under it that gave his date of birth and death.”

“I didn’t see it.”

“Obviously. Do we need to brush up on our observation skills?”

She lifted one brow in ire. “No. I was being plenty observant, thank you. But, maybe, I was watching other things.” Her head bent and her voice was barely a whisper as she finished.

“Like?” He lifted her chin with a finger.

Her eyes danced for a second before his nearness and playful curiosity made her blush at what she had been about to admit.

Jack‘s brows lifted and his mouth dropped open. “Miss Thomas! Do you mean to tell me…?”

“Well I didn’t mean to tell you…”

“But you did. And I think I need specifics. Exactly what were you watching?”

Sue let her eyes travel over his body, ending in the general location of his rounded bottom.

“Oh… I see. And just what do you think I am, a piece of meat?”

She giggled. “I didn’t say that.”

“No, but that look said a lot.”

“It should say that I like what I see.”

His smile warmed her from the inside out. He took a deep breath and brought his hand up to caress her jaw. “I like what I see too.”

“Enough to answer my other question?”

Grinning, he placed a kiss on the corner of her lips. “I wondered when you’d remember that.”

She hadn’t forgot, but appearing over anxious about his answer wasn’t what she wanted either. Now she looked at him, trying not to let her nervousness show. She reached for his hand, gripping it more tightly than she realized, waiting for him to say something. When he did, her life would never be the same, one way or the other.

“Jack?” Bobby stopped pounding on the door long enough to call out.

“Jack! Come on mate, wake up!“ He tried again, while simultaneously pounding, before backing away from the door and muttering to himself. “I know you’re tired, but you’d have to be dead to the world not to hear this.”

Dead to the world… Bobby thought back to their phone conversation a little over two hours ago. Jack had sounded odd; what if he and Sue were in trouble and Jack couldn’t clue him in? Hesitating only briefly, he removed the small leather pouch from his pocket and withdrew a tiny tool, and then bent and inserted it into the antique lock. Twisting and turning it this way and that, he was just feeling the lock give way when the door opened abruptly and the sight of the warm reddish wood was replaced with a pair of wrinkled gray slacks inches from his face.

“Jack!” Bobby straightened quickly, shoving the lock picking tools back in his pocket.

“What?” The word ended on a hard, sharp “t” and reverberated around the small alcove, stopping the tease that came to mind as Bobby took in Jack’s state of undress and wild hair. Shirtless and scowling, he waited for Bobby to say something.

“Sorry Jack, but it’s important.”

Drawing a deep breath, Jack tried to control the anger that had began as a spark when Bobby’s first knock interrupted a rather intimate and promising moment, and built to a rolling boil when he refused to leave and started calling his name.

“What is it Crash?” He couldn’t keep all of his annoyance from his voice.

“Tara called; she’s found some information and I didn’t think you’d want to wait ‘til morning for this”

“Why didn’t Tara call me?”

“She did, or she tried. When she kept getting your voice mail, she rang me.”

He remembered retrieving his cell phone from the floor when he and Sue had finally gotten hungry enough that their growling stomachs demanded attention. He’d turned it off and pitched it through his bedroom door and onto his bed, never giving it another thought. “The battery must be low,” he mumbled, “What did Tara find out?”

“Mind if we get comfy first?” Bobby motioned toward the suite.

“Umm, actually, Sue’s asleep on the sofa.” Jack lied. Not that she wasn’t on the sofa, but she was very much awake and watching his every movement as he stood trying to get rid of his best friend. “She drifted off after eating dinner… didn’t want to disturb her…” Sighing, Jack hung his head briefly and acknowledged the fact that his alone time with Sue was at an end. “If it’s that important though, she needs to know too. Give us twenty minutes and come back?”

Bobby’s mouth formed an “O” but he didn’t get the chance to respond; the door was already closing in his face. He raised his brows and allowed a goofy grin to overtake his features as he thought about the sight of a very feminine pair of feet propped on the sofa arm visible just over Jack’s shoulder. His height was almost always an advantage that more vertically challenged men seemed to never take into account. It had given him a wonderful view of the shapely legs attached to the feet when Jack had lowered his head a few seconds before. Poor Spark, sometimes being an FBI agent had very definite drawbacks.



“Sorry.” He reinforced with sign as he spoke. “Bobby’ll be back in twenty minutes. He says it’s important and it can’t wait ‘til morning.”

Jack sat beside Sue on the edge of the sofa, leaning toward the back where he placed a hand to steady himself as he let the other do as it wished, which was tunneling it’s fingers into the hair at her temple and following it to the ends as it splayed out over the floral sofa pillow.

“Obviously Bobby doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” She grinned, but sat up, bringing her face close to Jack’s. If the look in his eyes wasn’t enough to make her want to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him back down to the cushions, the proximity of his bare chest when she lowered her head was.

“You should get dressed.” She instructed, but her hand floated up to trace the line of his sternum up until she encountered the well defined collar bone, delaying his obedience. Spreading her fingers, she let them glide over the warm, firm muscles and down to tickle his ribs. “Ja-a-ack” she half breathed, half moaned and was immediately rewarded.

Her sultry voice tore velvet fingers through the haze enveloping his brain and he reached for her, crushing her to his chest and nearly losing control at the feel of her curves pressed against him. He’d struggled all evening to restrain himself from going too far, only to have her take the initiative and tug his shirt tail from his pants; the garment ending up draped over the back of the sofa before he knew it, and just as Bobby began his assault on their door. He hated to admit it, but he supposed the interruption had come just in time, seeing as how he had already fisted the back of her blouse in his hand and was intent on returning the favor.

Now, his hand once again gravitated to the small of her back and he tugged quickly, before the warning lights flashing in his brain could do their job. He was determined to feel the warm swath of skin he knew lay just beneath the thin, silky fabric.

His fingers touched first, sending tingles coursing through them and causing him to clinch his fist before flattening his palm into the curve of her spine. When she arched into him, he tightened his hold, keeping her molded there and positioning her perfectly for the kiss for which they were both aching. Drawing his hand forward, he spanned her rib cage and drew his fingertips around until he reached her stomach and then flattened his palm to her again and let it rest there, both giving warmth and gaining it as he plundered her mouth.

Sue gasped at the feel of his hand lying against her, and Jack took advantage of it to deepen the kiss until she began to see tiny flashes of light from lack of air and closing her eyes so tightly, for so long. Pulling back, she opened them and gasped again as she saw the emotion on his face. She wouldn’t have traded the sight for anything. Jack’s eyes, normally her favorite feature, were closed and his lashes sparkled with she could only assume were tears. His brows furrowed inward and caused tiny grooves to form in the center of his forehead, and his mouth was parted with the tip of his tongue touching the back of his teeth momentarily until he smiled lazily and opened his eyes.

They held perfectly still in their embrace, each reflecting on the fact that they were here like this, together, until Jack breathed a sigh and began to speak. “I still haven’t answered your other question.”

She smiled shyly and lowered her gaze, “I was under the impression you’d been answering me all night long. I tend to judge a man by his actions more than his words.”

“Maybe so, but I think I need to say them anyway.”

Sue didn’t move… barely breathed as he brushed her hair back from her face, lingering over her cheekbone.

“I’ve loved you Sue, for a long time… longer than I should have ever waited to tell you.”

“I loved you too.”

He smiled and kissed her nose. “I’m not tryin’ to be smug, but I knew. Even before you told me… I knew. “

She nodded slowly, her eyes apologizing, “I was too scared to say anything, too afraid of messing things up.”

“Me too. Guess we’ve got some work to do on our communication skills.” He grinned.

“We seem to be doing better at that.” Her forefinger traced his bottom lip until he stopped her, covering her hand with his own and kissing her knuckles as they wrapped around his thumb.

“Much better. But I still haven’t answered your question… you asked me my intentions,” he held her gaze steadily, rock solid assurance in the form of unwavering warm brown eyes and a fringe of dark lashes, “I intend to be part of your life for as long as you’ll let me. I intend to grow old with you. I intend… to marry you.”

Bobby approached the door slowly, stopping to consider the wisdom of just turning around and heading back to his room, but unfortunately it wasn’t a valid choice. Jack would have a coronary if he were kept out of the loop, and they didn’t need to go through that again. Gathering himself, he raised his hand and rapped on the door with a silent apology to the couple within.

Stepping through into the suite a moment later, Bobby saw the door to Sue’s bedroom closed and no sign of woman or dog in the sitting room. “Where’s Sue? Thought you wanted her to hear this too.”

Jack settled his gaze thoughtfully on the closed bedroom door, a smile lifting one corner of his mouth. “She’ll be out in a sec. She just wanted to freshen up a bit.”

“Oh. OK… “ Bobby draped himself across half the sofa and turned his full attention on Jack in order to see the reaction to his next question. “So… you get any rest?”

“Rest?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Wha…?”

“You said, and I quote, that you and Sue were going to order room service and then get into bed.” Dimples deepened though he fought to keep a straight face.

Jack swallowed and opened his mouth, but he was saved from having to come up with an answer when Sue’s door swung open and Levi shot through, only stopping when his front half was happily covering Bobby’s torso and his tongue had slobbered it’s way up his cheek.

“Levi!” Sue pulled him off and ordered him to sit. “I’m sorry Bobby, he’s been cooped up in here so much, I think he’s feeling a little neglected. I’ll get you a wash cloth.”

“Don’t bother. Living with Myles for the past few days has given new meaning to the word fastidious. I was beginning to smell disinfectant in my sleep. A little dog drool should go a long way toward getting me back to my normal, grimy self.”

“He carries disinfectant with him when he travels?”

“You’d be amazed….” Bobby leaned forward, eager to share his knowledge of Myles idiosyncrasies.

“I hate to interrupt, but I thought you had information we needed to hear?” Jack dropped into a chair and watched Sue sit beside Bobby on the sofa. ‘Our sofa’ he thought, feeling a insane stab of jealously flit through his heart at her sharing it, albeit innocently, with another man. Even Bobby. Heck, especially Bobby.

“What’s so interesting it couldn’t wait?”

“All right, all right… and I never said it couldn’t wait, just that you wouldn’t want to.”

“Fine line… what is it?” Jack’s patience spread a little thinner with each passing moment.

“Well, seems Tara’s background checks finally paid off, and it seems that our Mr. Armstrong himself has been under some scrutiny by none other than… us.”

Sue looked from Bobby to Jack. “Howard Armstrong… the owner of the hotel? The bureau has him under investigation?”

“One and the same. And that was my reaction too. But Tara assured me that she hit a nerve if the number of big wigs that called her to see why she accessed his file was any indication.”

“So why are we looking at him?” Jack prompted.

“Well, for starters, he’s not the flesh and blood son of Papa and Mama Armstrong. He was adopted.”

Sue shrugged. “Since when is that a grounds for investigation?”

“By itself, it isn’t. But when you couple that with the fact that your birth mother was the sister of a now very well known crime boss, it gets a little more interesting. Then there’s the suspicion that you’ve been dealing surreptitiously with several companies that have been on a watch list of possible supporters of terrorism, and you go right to the top of the list.”

“What crime boss?” Jack stared at him with wide eyes

“Antonio Rossano”

Jack eyes got bigger. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Armstrong’s birth mother was Regina Rossano, kid sister to Antonio. Seems Regina rebelled from the family in the late sixties and lived overseas for awhile. That’s where Armstrong was born. She gave him up to some friends of a friend; apparently afraid of her father finding out about him… she wanted her son to have no part of the family business.” Bobby paused and took a breath, this being the third time he’d gone through the story; once to Myles and once to Matt and his team, and now Jack and Sue.

“Anyway, Regina died two years later and we’re not sure exactly who told them, but somehow the family learned of Armstrong’s existence. Speculation is that it was the friend whose friends adopted the boy. Anyway, it looks like they got their hooks into him and he’s now under investigation for various ‘less than legal activities.”

Jack stared at the carpet, digesting the information. Sue did much the same, and then turned to Bobby. “But… how does that tie into a sniper killing innocent people here at the hotel? What’s the connection?”

“We haven’t got that far, I’m afraid. Tara is, as usual, working on getting some more information. She said she’d call back in the morning.”

“What time?” Jack asked.

“Nine or so, why?”

“We’ve got an appointment with Cummins and the hotel mail room staff at seven. And he’s supposed to have set up an appointment for Sue and I to meet with Armstrong; he’ll let us know when in the morning. I’d like to have whatever information Tara can get her hands on before that meeting.”

“Well, I can call her and have her be available earlier, but she didn‘t really hold out a lot of hope that she have much more… even if you give her ‘til nine.”

Jack frowned, shaking his head. “I’ve kept her hopping with all this, let her rest. If the meeting with Armstrong is before ten or so, I’ll have Cummins change it. Hopefully she‘ll find something.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. Anything else we need to know from your meeting this afternoon?”

“Nah. No revelations from the townspeople, but Sarah got herself a spiffy new ‘do.”

“Cut and color?” Sue asked, grinning.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Intuition.”

Bobby narrowed his eyes and looked to Jack for a better explanation.

“Don’t look at me, I can’t explain it.” He switched subjects, “I think it’s time we get all this information on the board. Did you bring that portable one? We can get started tonight.”

“Nah mate, no room.”

Frowning again, Jack looked at Bobby with exasperation written across his face. “Great. We’ve got enough players to start a poker tournament and no way to keep track of them.” He pointed a finger at his friend. “You’re in charge of getting something we can use for a board.”

“Why me? Let Myles find something, he‘s the one who likes to shop!”

“Well, if you’d brought it with you like I asked…”

“Wait, wait, wait… you did see that doll’s car we drove up here, didn’t you?” There was no way to fit another thing in that… that…” He gave up trying to put yet another derogatory name to it. “Look, I‘ll go out first thing in the morning and see what I can find. But I’m borrowing your car and you‘ll just have to cool your heels until then. I‘m sure you‘ll think of some way to pass the time.” Bobby let his statement lay cryptically as he hauled himself off the sofa and made for the door. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…”






“It's an envelope; we got all kinds of 'em. But I didn't see any plain ones come thru, and if I had, I sure wouldn’t have put it in the bosses mail.” Clara Underwood glared at the good looking young man holding the plain envelope. Brown eyes ran in her family and over the years she’d become immune to them; their powers useless against her. How dare some upstart come waltzing in and question her about how she did her job? The sixty-four year old mail clerk flipped a switch that started the conveyor belt in front of her moving again, letter after letter making it’s way toward her, waiting to be sorted.

“Are you sure?” The brown eyes were trying again, attempting to use their normally potent appeal to get her to warm up to their owner and his blonde companion.

“Young man, I may be old enough to remember a few things I’d rather forget, but I do remember them. There’s nothing wrong with my memory, and I didn’t see a plain envelope come through this place. Not yesterday or any other day, and if I had, I would have put it in that bin with the unreadable addresses. Now, you through slowin‘ me down?”

“Yes ma’am.“ Jack thanked Clara for her time and motioned for Sue to head for the door. Cummins had met them right on time in his office at seven, and had taken them directly to the mail room where they’d questioned all fifteen employees, ending with Clara. As it turned out, they could have slept in and saved their time. No one remembered any blank envelope, although only Clara had taken it as a personal insult that they would even ask. Shuffling down the hall toward the elevator that would transport them from the basement back to the main lobby, Jack scratched his head and frowned; something he was getting used to doing of late.

“What is it?” Sue caught him by the elbow and stopped him from pushing the elevator button. “You look like Myles when his mother calls and wants him to come visit.”

“That bad?” His mouth smirked at one corner.

“Well… maybe not that bad. But close.”

Pushing his hands, fingers first, back along the sides of his head, Jack leaned his back against the wall and puffed his cheeks with exasperation. “We’ve got a sniper on the loose, two men under surveillance that have given us no clues at all to their involvement, a break-in in our very own suite, an anonymous letter, a hotel manager that seems to want to help but is reluctant to have us talk to the owner… who just happens to be the nephew of one of the most notorious men in the country…” He pulled one hand back down over his face, contorting his features until Sue laughed.

“Don’t laugh. All that, and we can’t tie any of it together.”

“Not yet.”

He snorted. “Thank you Miss Optimistic.”

“Make fun if you want, but have I ever been wrong?”

A dark brow shot up.

“Well OK, maybe once or twice, but overall I think I’ve got a pretty good track record.”

She stepped in front of him, facing him and sliding her arms around his mid-section. When her face was inches from his, she smiled her most beguiling and stretched up to kiss his chin. “We’ll get a break, and then another, and before you know it, we’ll be heading home and another bad guy or two will be in custody. Just wait and see.”

Jack closed his eyes and sighed. Whether she was right or wrong; and she was probably right, she brought his rising blood pressure down and gave him a new perspective on the situation. But as right as she may be, and as good as she made him feel, he couldn’t resist teasing her. “Yes Pollyanna, I’m sure we’ll get the break we’ve been waiting for this very afternoon. Heck, maybe it’s waiting for us back at the suite.”

A swat to his arm was followed by a hand gripping his jaws, forcing them into a pucker. His eyes flew open to see hers flashing at him. “Your lucky it’s not in vogue to give petulant children spankings these days, or you’d be in such trouble…” Swinging away from him, she punched the elevator button and gave Levi’s leash a tug to draw him away from Jack’s side.

Considering her ramrod straight back, underscored by the full curve of her hip that bounced just a bit due to her foot tapping out a rhythm as she waited, he didn’t doubt the validity of her statement. He was sure she could deliver a very thorough spanking right about now, but as to whether he was lucky that she wouldn’t, he had some doubts. Pushing away from the wall, he stepped in behind her and took his turn to slid a hand to either side of her waist. Pulling back, he absorbed the full impact of her warmth and curves matching up to the angles of his body and kissed her neck, adding a nip of his teeth to get her attention.

“Ouch!” She turned fiery eyes to him.

“Mad?”

“You were making fun.”

“Yes, but I only did it because I’m jealous.”

“Jealous? Of whom?”

“Not who… what.”

“OK, what then?”

He exerted pressure on her waist and turned her to face him, ignoring the open and empty elevator. “Your ability to look at the bright side. Your never flagging optimism. The way you look at a situation and just know everything is going to be OK.”

“Jack, you know good and well that there have been plenty of times when I’ve let myself believe that things wouldn’t be OK. That there was no hope.”

“Name just one.”

She knew her answer, but hesitated to say it. Their time at the hotel had been eye opening, to say the least, and they’d cleared the air between them to arrive at a point she’d never thought she’d experience. She had no desire to delve into the past; some part of her afraid of resurrecting it.

“I can see your mind working. Go on, say whatever it is you‘re thinking.”

She fingered his shirt buttons, giving her nervous fingers something on which to concentrate. Then, with a brief look up before lowing her eyes, she spoke. “There were times… lots of times, when I gave up on us. I didn’t think we’d ever be anything more than good friends.”

She risked a look back up. He gave her a little shake and injected, “Best friends.”

“OK, best friends. But nothing more. I kept thinking it wasn’t what God wanted for me… for us.”

“But He had other ideas, and here we are.”

“Yes. Here we are.”

“Look Sue, I know the past wasn’t easy at times, but we got through it and, in ways, we got to know each other better than most married couples do after a year or two of marriage. And, we did finally find our way to each other, so what do you say we put all that behind us? Or at least the part where I was an idiot and didn’t let you know how I felt.”

“And the part where I did the same.”

“That too. From now on, we look ahead.”

She smiled and hugged him close, grateful for his understanding of the past and thankful he was looking ahead. She felt him lean forward and turned to see him pushing the elevator button again, then followed the hand as it tucked two fingers beneath her chin and brought her face back to his for a quick kiss. “I think it’s time we get back to our rooms… after all, we wouldn’t want to miss that break we’ve been waiting for.”

“Pollyanna couldn’t agree more.” She dead-panned and followed him into the waiting elevator.

“Jack!“ Myles’ face was flushed and he was doing his best impression of an Olympic speed walker as he moved down the hall toward them as they left the suite to go check in with Matt. He didn’t mince words once he was close enough that he didn’t have to shout to make himself heard. “We’ve got something going on with Weber.” Knowing Jack and Sue would be following at his heels, he turned and swiftly retraced his steps to the elevator.

The van situated along the edge of the east parking lot proclaimed itself to be that of a plumbing chain, but inside was the usual array of surveillance equipment that Sue was used to seeing in her many stints with Tara and Jack, watching one nefarious goon or the other. The men inside eyed her and Jack as they crept in and made themselves as small as possible in one corner. Myles and Matt were already there, detracting from the available space and pushing the van quickly toward overcrowded. Jack tucked himself as much as possible into a nook between some equipment and snaked an arm around Sue’s waist to allow her to lean a hip against him, giving her no choice but to accept the silent invitation. Once settled however, she found she had nowhere to put her hands except to position one discreetly beneath her bottom and directly on Jack’s upper thigh. When he flexed a muscle in reaction, she felt heat climb up her neck and make its way to her cheeks, but she couldn’t drop her head to hide for fear of missing the information they’d come her to learn.

Matt seemed oblivious however, and pointed to the man next to him. “Doug here has an update on Weber’s activities.”

'Doug' nodded toward a photo of Gerald Weber taped in front of him and looked at Jack and Sue. “There hasn’t been much to tell you until now, Weber’s been very low key… too low key if you ask me. He’s barely been out of the room except for that trip into town to the lawyer. Other than that, it’s breakfast trips only. He didn’t even leave for dinner last night.”

“What time did he return from town yesterday?” Jack asked.

“A little after one thirty. He stayed in the lawyer’s office until ten after and came straight back here. We didn’t see him for the rest of the day and the listening devices indicated he was in the room as well. Then, about twenty minutes ago he received a phone call. Listen.”

Flipping a switch and rotating a couple of knobs to control the volume and clarity, Doug brought to life the one sided phone conversation.

‘Jimmy? Where are you?’ …pause... ‘You could have at least let me know’ …pause… ‘look, never mind, just get back here as fast as you can. We’ve got a meeting.’ …pause… ‘No, I’ll take care of that. You just show up. How soon can you be here?’ …pause… ‘What?!’ A heavy sigh preceeded the next sentence. “I don’t care about your excuses. Just be here and be ready. And if you show up any later, I’m calling someone else.’ …pause… “Right. 0-nine hundred. Man, you’d better be here on time this time.”

The voice stopped and Matt looked at Jack who was signing the initial gist of the conversation to Sue, ending with ‘I’ll have them transcribe it for you’, before looking at Matt and Doug. "Was he on his cell or the house phone?"

"Cell."

“Has he left the room since that call?”

“Not yet, but I’m not finished. A few minutes after that call ended, Weber called someone. You got that tape cued Eddie?”

‘Eddie’ gave a nod, pushed another button and again Gerald Weber’s gravelly voice filled the van. This time however, his tone was much more respectful.

‘Sir, it’s Pete. Yes sir, I’m doing fine. I just wanted let you know I heard from my associate, Jimmy.’ … pause… “No sir, he‘s fine. He’s supposed to be here in time for the next meeting.’ … pause… ‘I will sir, thank you.’

“That’s it.” Eddie pushed the button again and swiveled back to his left.

“Sounds like Tara’s looking at the right man. Let‘s get this to a judge and get a search warrant for his room… I want some DNA to Tara as quick as possible, Matt, you wanna handle that?” Jack’s question wasn’t really a question and Matt nodded quickly before reaching for his cell phone and heading for the door.

Myles stepped forward as Matt squeezed past him to exit the van. “If we can find out who he was talking to on that last call…”

“I know, we could blow this thing open. Listen, check in with Tara for me, I still haven’t heard from her. Let her and D know what’s going on and get their heads working on it too. And tell her we need Weber’s cell phone records. I want to know who he was talking to. Sue and I have the meeting with Armstrong. I’ll call you when it’s over.”

Stepping down from the van, Myles looked left and right before slipping through the neighboring cars and then making his way to the hotel. Jack watched him from the door of the van and then turned to Sue. “You ready to go?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Twenty-three

Howard Armstrong made a note at the bottom of the legal pad in front of him and pushed it aside. Checking his calendar for his next appointment, he repeated the names to himself and wondered about the wisdom of talking to them. Cummins had been adamant that it was the only way, but he wasn’t quite convinced. He could have gone out of town, but he knew it was only delaying the inevitable and he wasn’t a man that ran from his problems. Lately he wasn’t a man who solved them either, but he was trying… he was trying.

~~o~~

“Mr. Armstrong, thank you for seeing us, we appreciate it.”

Indicating two off white upholstered chairs situated in front of a glass topped desk across the room, Howard urged them to sit. “No Agent Hudson, it’s I who should be thanking you. After all, you’re the one out there trying to bring this nightmare to an end. Frank has told me you’ve had several conversations… I hope he’s helped you with what ever you need.”

“He has. And I just wanted you to know that I insisted on this meeting; Mr. Cummins emphasized how busy your schedule is, but it’s really very important.”

“True, my time is rationed down to the minute these days, but some things just have to take priority.” He seated himself in the larger white leather executive chair on the opposite side of the desk and leaned his elbows on the glass top. “But, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take care of this as quickly as possible. I have another meeting shortly.”

“Of course, we‘ll be as brief as possible. Sir, have you told anyone of our presence at the hotel… that we‘re with the FBI?”

Seemingly astonished at the question, Armstrong never the less looked Jack unblinkingly in the eye. “Absolutely not. That would jeopardize your work, and our chances to catch this guy.”

“Are you sure? Not your wife or someone else close to you?”

“No, I’ve told no one. My wife is out of town; I sent her to stay with her parents when all this started. She and our son left just after the first shooting.”

“That soon?” Sue cocked her head sideways at the man who presented such a calm front except for the jittery pants leg she’d been watching on and off. There was no perceptible leg movement, but the fabric of his pants leg picked up and magnified what the eye could not. “You didn’t know that it wasn’t anything more than a hunting accident at the time.”

Grey eyes flickered ever so slightly, but Armstrong recovered quickly and smiled at the lovely woman who looked at him so closely it made him slightly nervous. Why did she watch him so intently? “True, but she was due to visit them anyway, I just thought it was wise if she went a day or so ahead of time. There are a lot of crazy people in this world and someone in my position has to be careful.”

Clearing his throat, Jack spoke again, “Back to my question… do you know of anyway someone could have found out about us? Do you keep a journal or perhaps you recorded the information in your PDA?”

“No, I didn’t record it anywhere. I assure you, if someone knows who you are, it didn’t come from me.”

“That leaves Mr. Cummins. How well do you know him?”

“Frank?” Shaking his head, Armstrong looked perplexed. “He’s been with the hotel for more than ten years, but I’ve known him for nearly twenty, we became friends in college. We kept in touch and when my father was looking for a manager, I recommended him for the job. You can’t seriously think Frank would tell anyone? What possible reason would he have?”

“We were hoping you could help us with that; for all we know it may have been just a slip of the tongue. What we do know is that since coming to the hotel, we been shot at and someone has broken into our suite. Both times, those people could have done us harm, but fortunately it seems their intent was to scare us off. And then there’s the note.”

“What note?”

Jack paused. “Cummins didn’t tell you?”

“Obviously not. What note?”

“He received an unmarked envelope in yesterday morning’s mail.”

His jaw tightening, Armstrong looked at his clasped hands and Sue noticed his nostrils flare slightly before he spoke. “Unmarked. But you’re certain it was meant for Frank?”

“Fairly certain. It was in his mail.”

“And what did it say?”

Explaining the anonymous note and their questioning of the mail room staff that morning, Jack narrowed his eyes and tried to read the expressions flitting across the other man’s face. If he knew of the note, he was a good actor, but why wouldn’t Cummins have told him?

“May I see it?”

“It’s on it’s way to the lab, but trust me, it said exactly what I told you.”

A small smile broke through at last and Armstrong had the presence of mind to look chagrined. “Of course it did Agent Hudson. I didn’t mean to infer you weren’t telling the truth. I just like seeing things for myself. It’s the way I do business… ‘hands on’”

“Well, it’s my turn to apologize I suppose, but I didn’t get that impression. We were told to expect you not to be on hand during our stay, and I did have to insist on this meeting.”

“Yes, well, I’m afraid Frank was just trying to save me from having to deal with anymore than I had to. Things have been… hectic lately. More so than usual.”

“Would that have anything to do with the fact that you yourself have been under investigation?”

Armstrong’s eyes closed and he snorted out a breath, “I wondered how long it would be until you brought that up.”

“It’s hardly something we can ignore.” Sue’s soft voice interjected.

The eyes opened again, but he looked beyond them, staring at an invisible point. “No… I suppose not. But one thing has nothing to do with the other.”

“Are you certain? I’ve read over your files and you seem to have quite a few issues with your family.”

The cautious friendliness in the gray eyes turned cold and he fixed a level stare at the brown ones watching him. “They’re not my family.”

Jack’s considered the vehement next question. “I know you’ve answered these questions before Mr. Armstrong, but we have to ask… have you been receiving any threats, either to your family or to the business?”

Exasperation was bleeding into his tone as he responded. “You’re right, I went through all these kinds of questions with both the local police and then again with agents from your bureau. There was nothing I could tell either of them and nothing’s changed.”

Sue glanced at Jack. Nothing he could tell… not necessarily the same as nothing to tell. Jack’s brows gathered ever so slightly at the center; he’d picked up on it too. “Then we can take that as a ‘no’?”

Armstrong smiled tightly and heaved a breath. “No. I haven’t been threatened. Nor has my family, or the business.”

“Mr. Armstrong,” Jack held up a hand. “Do you know anyone named Pete?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Twenty-four

“You believe him?”

“Do you?”

“I asked you first.” Sue settled into the passenger seat and pulled the seatbelt around her before watching for Jack answer.

Funny he signed and leaned his head back against the headrest. “Something tells me he’s hiding something, but he didn’t strike me as malicious. More like a victim.”

“He seemed nervous.”

“How so?”

“I could almost feel the breeze from his pant leg shaking, and there was something in his expression when I asked about why his wife left so soon.”

Jack reached out and ran his fingers down the sleeve of her sweater. “Maybe he just misses her.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think he was being straight with us about why she left.” Sue caught his hand as it came within reach, squeezing it and pulling it into her lap. Jack leaned close, bringing his face close enough that his breath warmed her lips.

“I’ll see if Matt can dig up his wife’s parents names and location, and then get someone to go question her… see if her story matches his.” He closed the distance between them and grinned when she chose to end the game with a soft but passionate kiss that left him wishing they were back on the sofa. That she seemed to recover quickly enough to fix him with a businesslike gaze and push him back into his seat unnerved him a bit, but he supposed one of them needed to keep their mind on business.

“He seemed angry when you told him about the note too.“

Jack nodded. “Yeah, I noticed. I got the impression he was upset with Cummins for keeping him in the dark about it, but I don‘t know what to think about his reaction to the name Pete. He sure seemed stumped.“ He straightened and started the car. “Let’s get back and see if Myles got in contact with Tara.”






“Can we please just go get some lunch?” Bobby groaned as he waited for Myles to tuck the bedspread in ‘just so’ and fluff the pillows back to their previous poofy glory. “Why do you have to do that anyway? They’ve got maids to take care of that sort of thing.”

His plaintive tone did little deter Myles, who tucked a corner in snugly and stood back to admire his work. “If you had just laid on the couch instead of the bed while you watched TV, the bed would still be in pristine condition and no one would have had to do this.”

“No one has to do it now.” He fell back against the door, convinced his partner was trying to drive him crazy with fastidiousness. In the time they’d been in the room, Myles had straightened up behind him countless times, picked up his pajamas and folded them every morning; putting them under his pillow and then making the bed,. He’d even put the cap back on Bobby’s toothpaste every single time he’d used it and wiped up every spill that had puddled around the sink. By day two, Bobby had taken to being extra messy just to see if he‘d work himself silly or wise up to what he was doing. Apparently, it was to be the former.

“That’s it, I’m leaving. If you get hungry, you know where I am.” Bobby turned, opened the door and sidestepped the hand poised ready to knock on the other side.

“Jack! What are you doing lurking around?”

“Wasn’t aware I was lurking.” The lop-sided grin buying quickly into the teasing camaraderie. Jack leaned sideways to look for the other half of the room mates. “Myles here?”

“Yeah. But if you can get him to change out of his maid’s uniform, you’re a better man than I am.”

Jack’s face screwed up at the image. “Thanks for the visual. What are you talking about?”

“Never mind.” Bobby stepped back and opened the door wider. “Come on in, just don’t spill anything or we’re here for another hour.”

Jack decided it was safer to wait at the door and when Myles had plumped the last pillow and smoothed the last pleat the three men made their way to the dining room; sitting in the warm sunshine pouring through the windows. Myles stared out at the fall foliage, shaking his head at the ugliness hovering over the scene in the form of a crazed gunman. Normally the peak of Autumn was one of the hotel’s busiest times of the year, but this afternoon no one was willing to risk their life for the sake of an afternoon under bright blue skies viewing the color explosion surrounding them.

“So, where’s Sue?” Bobby put down the menu and took a drink of water after asking the question.

“She’ll be down in a second, she went to get Levi.”

“Poor guy, he’s been left alone more in the last few days than in the last few years. You sure it‘s safe for Sue though?”

“I didn’t like the idea, but the camera‘s are keeping an eye out; I think she needed some alone time. And maybe we should have left Levi with Lucy, but it’s so much easier for Sue when he’s around.”

“We?” Myles lifted a brow.

“Huh?”

“You said ‘we’ should have left him. Didn‘t know Sue consulted you on all matters Levi”

“I said she.”

“Nooooo, you said we.” Myles lowered his head and looked at Jack from under the lifted brow, biting the inside of his jaw to keep from grinning.

Jack stared at first Myles, then Bobby, feeling suddenly dry mouthed. Bobby chuckled and shook his head. “Give it up Jack, you can’t keep it a secret forever… not that that’s what you’ve been doing.”

“What’s that s’pposed to mean?” Jack‘s stare was quickly becoming a glare.

“Aw, come on mate, it’s pretty obvious.” Bobby elbowed Jack’s arm. “But it’s cool with us… no worries.”

Looking from one team mate to the other, Jack frowned, but then his face softened and his cheeks puffed as he blew out a breath. “OK… it’s true. But if one word of this goes any farther than this table…”

“Relax. We know you’ve got to handle the situation carefully, but you know D will go to bat for you.” Bobby shrugged and took another swig of water.

Jack winced. “Yeah, but I don’t want him risking his job for us.”

“They’re not going to fire him for something like that.”

“No, but you know how he had to fight for his promotion. They’ll be keeping track of what he does and why he does it for a long time. I’m not going to be a nail in his coffin.”

Myles propped his elbows on the table and fisted his hand beneath his chin, bringing his face directly in line with Jack’s. “The only way this could backfire on him is if you and Sue let it come between you and the job. You’re not planning on doing that are you?”

“Planning? No…. but I know how nuts I get if I think she’s in danger. If a situation arose where I was certain of it…” he lowered his gaze to the silverware resting beneath his hands, “I don’t how I‘d handle it.”

Bobby turned in his seat to face his friend, “Jack, I’ve known you a long time. I can’t imagine you doing something to risk a case or someone’s life, but if you need time to figure out what’s next for you and Sue, you’ve got it. Myles and I won’t say a word. Right Myles?”

“Of course not. Not even to Tara and Luce. Well… especially not Luce.” His mouth twisted up to one side as he considered their rotor’s reaction to the news. “But I do want to be there when she finds out.”

Clearing his throat, Jack looked down at his hands. “Thanks, it means a lot… to both of us.”

Bobby clapped him on the back, forcing the air from Jack’s lungs. “No problem Spark, you’d do the same for us.”

Sucking in air, Jack could only nod. When his cell phone rang, he passed to Bobby, motioning for him to answer it.

“Jack’s phone, Bobby speaking. How can we help?” He paused listening for a moment before glancing back toward Jack with a worried expression. “Get somebody up there Matt, we’re on our way. And Matt? Sue‘s in there.”

He shoved the phone in Jack’s hands. “Someone’s in your suite.”

Hurrying along the hallway, guns drawn and hearts pounding, Jack, Bobby, and Myles were joined by Matt and Sarah. Sarah tapped her earpiece, indicating she and Matt were receiving information from the van. She held up an open hand and pumped it, palm down, several times to slow them to a walk as they neared the suite.

“They’re still in there, but they haven’t seen any sign of Sue yet.”

“They?”

“Yeah… two of them.”

“Can they tell their position in the suite?” Jack whispered, his heart beating double time. For one of the few times he could remember, he wished Sue could hear… that they might be able to warn her.

“No, with the camera’s being fixed, there’s no way to follow them. They just know they haven’t left, at least not through the front door, and they don’t seem to be in the room where the second camera is located. They’ve got a pretty good view of it.”

“That’s my bedroom, which means they could be in Sue’s room.” Jack closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing. If he couldn’t hold himself together, he couldn’t help her.

“They don’t know we’re here… they’re trapped.” Bobby thought out loud.

Jack swallowed, “Yeah, but they’re trapped with Sue. Sarah, are they armed?”

“Doug didn’t see any weapons, but...”

Bobby shook his head. “No way they’re breaking into someone’s room without arming themselves. We have to assume they’ve got something.”

Jack crept forward against the hallway wall until he could see the alcove where their door was situated. Considering his options for a second, he turned back toward the agents crouching in the hall behind him. “I’ve got an idea.”

~~o~~
Chapter Twenty-five, Continued

Two very small beads of sweat popped up on Bobby’s forehead and he willed them, unsuccessfully, to evaporate. Gathering himself, he forced the annoyance to the back of his mind and watched his best friend move down the hall. His plan was as solid as they were likely to come up with, but not foolproof, and that had him worried. Jack had insisted it would work, only Bobby knew him well enough to catch the doubt manifesting itself as a slight twitch in his left thumb as he explained what he was about to do. Nerves aside, the bottom line was that Sue was in the same room with two unknown intruders who were likely armed and whom they had to assume were dangerous as well. To wait could be deadly.

So, he watched as Jack used his key to enter the suite, trying to appear as if he didn’t already know there was an unwelcome welcoming party waiting within.

Pushing the door open Jack tossed the key onto the small table along side Levi’s leash as he would any other time. He had no idea where the men were in the suite and he needed to convince them that he was unaware of their presence. He cast a glance around the room and seeing nothing out of place moved cautiously toward Sue’s bedroom. By the time he was three or four paces from the door, he could hear muffled voices, including Sue’s. Knowing Levi would detect his presence any second, he took a deep breath and put his plan into irrevocable action.

“Levi? Here boy!”

The voices stopped and a furry blur shot through the door and circled his legs before coming to a halt and pointing his nose back toward the bedroom. His fur bristled at the neck and Jack saw his teeth bare as a low rumbling growl rose. “It’s OK buddy.” He whispered, bolstering his confidence as well as the dog’s.

“Come on Buddy,” he said aloud and as nonchalantly as possible, “Let’s go find Sue.”

Pushing the bedroom door open with a flourish, Jack walked halfway toward the bed before the two men reacted. He heard the metallic click of the gun being cocked near his left ear and stopped in his tracks, allowing a look of synthetic shock to cross his features. He fixed his eyes on Sue first, gauging if she was hurt in any way before proceeding with his ploy. She sat, worried and ramrod straight on the bed with one hand resting in her lap and the other clutching at Levi’s fur. The dog had now positioned himself directly in front of her and was keeping a wary eye on first one man and then the other.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Not only did it sound like the first thing a tourist in this position would say, it was what he really wanted to know… ‘nice if they’d actually tell us’, he thought with sarcasm.

“Just sit down and shut up.”

‘Thank you,’ Jack sighed to himself; his first goal was to get near enough to Sue to somehow let her know what was going on outside the suite. He crawled over Levi’s rump and sat beside her, sliding his arm around her waist and reaching down to rub Levi with the other.

“You OK?” he asked and received a quick nod in answer. “How ‘bout Levi?” Jack inclined his head toward the dog and did an internal jump for joy when she too turned to look at her furry protector. As she did, Jack slid his hand between Levi’s shoulder and her leg, finger spelling as quick as he could, ‘HELP IN HALL’.

Sue nodded and gave him a small smile, “Levi’s fine too.”

He turned his attention to the two men then. The one who had ordered him to sit also held the gun and he brandished it now. “Just keep still and maybe we’ll let you live.”

Jack licked his lips and let every bit of nervousness he’d felt when Bobby told him of the situation come creeping back. He needed to keep their attention and for them to believe, at least in the short term, that he had no idea why they were there.

“What do you want? You don’t need that gun, we’ll cooperate.” He assured them.

“Shut-up.” The gunman sidestepped toward the other man and jerked his head toward the door. The unarmed one stepped through it and waited as the gunman kept Jack and Sue in his aim and walked backward to join him. Jack could see but not hear the whispered, but animated conversation that was taking place and turned to look at Sue, unable to keep the smile from his face when he saw her concentrating intently on the men’s lips.

“The one without the gun wants to leave.” She whispered. “The other one says they need to ‘take care of things’ first.”

“Shut up!” the gunman bellowed. “I’m not gonna’ tell you again.”

Jack placed a forefinger to Sue’s lips and gave her a sad smile. “It’s OK.” He mouthed while rubbing his hand gently against her waist.

The gunman looked away, gestured toward the Jack’s bedroom and told the other man something in a low mumble. Immediately the second man was across the room and cautiously pushing the door open to Jack’s bedroom. Jack thought of the PDA laying on his nightstand; his case notes were filed in it but seeing as how Tara had instructed him on how to hide them from the casual viewer, it would take someone with equal genius to find them. That meant they would need his help… and he might have a bargaining chip if he needed one, and somehow after seeing the intensity on the gunman’s face, he had a feeling he would.

The second man appeared in his bedroom doorway again and gestured inside “I think I got something.”

Snorting his displeasure, the gunman snarled and half shouted, “Well bring it here, idiot!” When his counter-part appeared next, he was holding the PDA.

~~o~~
Chapter 26, Continued

“Give it to me...” The men still stood just beyond the doorway and Jack could only hear snatches of what they said, but he knew they were experiencing technical difficulties with the tiny device. Bless Tara; she had been thorough in her efforts to secure sensitive data. He watched them toy with it a moment longer and then heard a curse from the gunman. When the man turned angrily toward him and began a slow walk his way, Jack placed an arm in front of Sue and pushed her back slightly, leaning to cover her body partially with his.

The gunman pitched the PDA at him; Jack catching it neatly in his free hand. “Show me where it is.” His voice was barely more than a whisper, and was all the more threatening because of it.

Jack sat straighter and looked back without blinking into cool gray eyes. “Show you where what is? It’s just my PDA; I use it for work.”

“I know what it is, and I know what you use it for… now show me.”

“There’s nothing on it tha…”

The gun was thrust in Sue’s face. “If you want your pretty wife to stay that way, you’ll stop trying to con me and show me the files I need.”

For a few seconds, all he could do was breathe nervously, but at last Jack found his voice. “If you harm her, you might as well kill me, and then you never get what you want.”

The man raised a cruel brow and sneered. “I think we both know that you’re not going to make it out of this alive. If you show me those files, I promise she’ll never feel a thing. You have my word on it.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Twenty-seven

Myles adjusted the earphones and glanced at Bobby. “Sounds like we’re going to have to move.”

“He hasn’t give the signal.”

“No, but things are getting intense, he may not have the chance.”

“I know, but give him just a little longer.”

Frowning, the aristocrat shook his head slightly and watched Bobby’s face as they, along with Sarah and Matt, listened to the demands being made inside the suite.

“Your word?” Jack incredulous voice sang thru the air waves from the tiny device taped to his chest. “Forgive me if I don’t put a lot of faith in that.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice. It all comes down to being able to live with the consequences.”

“Well take a look at her face and make up your mind if you’re ready to die with the consequences; knowing you could have prevented her from going through a whole lot of pain before she leaves this world.”

Jack’s lips curled at the way the man looked at Sue; to him she was of no importance except as a means to an end. He would kill them both. “Well, buddy, when it comes to being cold hearted, you get the gold medal.”

“There it is, let’s move.” Bobby stood to his full height and wasted no time moving into position at the door of the suite. Jack had done his job, leaving it not quite latched, and the four of them were inside in a matter of seconds. Following Bobby’s lead, they crept toward the next door to be breached.



“Times running out, get to work.”

The man who spoke wasn’t visible through the door, but Myles could just see the shoulder of the second man from his position beside the armoire. Signaling to Bobby, he slowly squatted and fixed his gun on the man. Bobby was currently working his way around the sofa, heading toward a position on the other side of the door; Sarah and Matt hung back, providing secondary support. Myles could feel his legs growing stiff and he flicked a quick look to see how far Bobby had to cover. Just a few more feet…

“Fine.” Jack’s voice hardened. “Give me a few minutes, it’s complicated.”

“And now, we both know you’re stalling. Get… on… with… it.”

Sighing, Jack turned the PDA over in his hand and pushed the power button.

“It was already on…” The gunman was losing his patience.

“It has to go through a certain sequence.” He pushed the button twice, paused and pushed three more times. The screen blinked to life and the FBI seal appeared, followed by a menu screen. Pausing Jack looked to the man towering over him and then back to the screen. He pushed a series of buttons that changed the screen entirely and scrolled down to the third item from the bottom. Selecting it, he pushed still more buttons until a red screen popped up, followed by a white and then a blue.

“How patriotic.” The gunman actually smiled, but there was little mirth behind it.

Jack held up the PDA and shrugged. “You should be able to find what ever you want now.”

Taking the device with his free hand and still pointing the gun at Sue, he looked over the choices on the screen and smiled again.

“Congratulations.” He moved the gun toward Jack’s head. “You get to die first.”

For the second time in ten minutes, Jack heard the click of a gun being readied for fire. This time it was pointed, point blank range, straight at his forehead. He felt Sue squirm next to him and squeezed the hand that had found it’s way into his. “Not in front of her. Please?”

“You over estimate my empathy.” He slipped the PDA into his pocket and stepped closer, reaching out to tip Sue’s face up with a forefinger. She pulled away, shrinking closer to Jack as the gunman snickered. “I’ll make you another promise; she’ll go out with a smile on her face.”

Jack’s expression grew cold and his nostril’s flared. His clinched fist itching to make contact with the man’s face. Shifting his eye’s from the sight of him leering at Sue, he caught sight of a shadow as it fell against the side of the trash can beside the door. When he saw it grow larger, he shifted and grabbed Sue. The door crashed back, smacking into the wall and immediately the room was rushed by Bobby and Myles, their weapons drawn.

“Get down on the floor! Get down on the floor! FBI! FBI!!” Bobby screamed as Jack lunged to the side, taking Sue with him. They fell to the floor as the gunman swung around, bringing his gun to bear on the men who now stood behind him, his finger already on the trigger.

“Drop…!” Bobby’s demand was cut short when the man’s finger twitched and Myles took the decision to surrender out of his hands with a single shot.



“They’re moving us to another suite, unless you want me to tell them you’d rather be in a room by yourself? I kind of bypassed asking you last time.”

Sue moved into the circle of Jack’s arms and slid her arms around his neck. His teasing was meant to lighten the somberness that remained after the frightening situation finally came to a climax, but it only served to remind her what she almost lost. The image of the gun being held against his forehead came crashing in on her and she could no longer hold back the tears, professional or not. They slipped furiously past her lower lids and soaked the shoulder of his shirt, the feel of them getting his attention even before her hiccupped breath. He pulled back, cupping a hand to either side of her face, “Don’t cry Sue, it’s all over. We’re fine. You did great.”

“I don’t care how I did. He… he came so close to shooting you…” Her voice became garbled with the onslaught of more tears. “Hold me Jack. Don’t let go.”

He gathered her close again. “I’m right here sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere.”

Rocking her gently, he let his gaze move around the room. Myles was standing off to one side, taking in the comings and goings of paramedics and officers. He would have to give endless statements to various entities, but Jack sucked in a deep breath and considered the alternative if he hadn’t taken the shot. He doubted Bobby would still be with them. And fortunately for Myles, he hadn’t killed the man. He was in critical condition, but the paramedic that examined him was confident he would live. He probably wouldn’t be able to give them information any time soon, but Myles didn’t have to live with the doubts and guilt that came with taking a man’s life, no matter how justified.

The gunman’s companion however, was alive and well and promised to be a wealth of information. He had been armed after all, but the rush on the room had taken him by surprise; never giving him the opportunity to draw his weapon. Matt had covered him from the door, and once his accomplice was on the floor, he’d simply turned and put his hands behind his back, obviously familiar with the procedure. He was now on his way to county lock-up until he could be transferred to an FBI holding facility for questioning.

Jack buried his nose in Sue’s hair, thanking God she was unharmed, when Bobby appeared in his peripheral vision and propped a hip on the back of the couch. “She OK?”

Jack just nodded, emotion choking the words back.

“Well then, we’re about finished here and I reckon they’ll be moving you to your new suite pretty soon. There was a pretty young thing in here a minute ago wanting to talk to you about your preference in rooms; and since I think we should stick together as much as possible from now on, I had her move all of us. We’ll all be on the fifth floor in a block of rooms. And no worries mate, you’ll still be in a suite.”

Jack nodded again, closed his eyes and thought about Bobby’s words, ‘I think we should stick together as much as possible’… if he had only followed his instincts and not given in to her request to fetch Levi alone…

“Right. Listen Jack, I’d like to have everyone clear out and give you two a chance to catch your breath, but under the circumstances, I think it’s best someone stuck around and kept an eye out until they move you.

“That’s fine Crash.” Jack managed to whisper. “I’m going to take Sue in there,” he inclined his head toward his bedroom, thinking about the blood stains that now marred the carpet in her own bedroom, “…maybe she can get some rest.”

“Stay with her Jack, I’ll hold down the fort out here and let you know when the new rooms are ready.”

“Thanks.“ He breathed on a sigh. Pulling away slightly and preparing to stand, he found himself bound to Sue with deceptively strong arms that clung to his neck. He them pulled down and lifted her face with a gentle hand, seeing in his mind’s eye the gunman’s hand doing the same thing earlier. “It’s OK, let’s just go in there…” he gestured with his eyes toward his bedroom, “…you can lie down for awhile.”

“I’m not tired..”

“Well I am. C’mon.” they walked together to his bedroom, his arm at her waist, supporting her when she swayed toward him. At the door, Jack turned slightly and looked back over his shoulder. “Bobby, have Matt turn off the camera in my bedroom, will you?”

“Sure thing mate.” Bobby grinned a small satisfied grin and reached for his phone.

Jack led her to the bed and tugged downward on her hands to make her sit, then knelt and slipped her shoes off. Rising, he pushed backwards on her shoulders until she gave in and sank into the covers, reaching for his hand as she did. He started to walk around the bed so that he could climb in from the other side, but she wouldn’t relinquish her hold so he sat down beside her, his hip resting just below hers.

“I wasn’t leaving; just going to the other side.”

“Too far away.” Was all she said, and then reached up to fist the sleeve of his shirt in her hand and pull as she scooted her hips to the middle of the bed. He followed, crawling on his knees until he could lay on his side, facing her. Sue wiggled close and tucked her head beneath his chin, allowing the tears to come full force as she held him tight.

“Sorry.” She managed after a moment and brought her gaze up to look at him with a mixture of thankfulness and fear. “I keep seeing…” Her face scrunched as the tears welled up again.

“Shhhhh. We‘re OK, we‘re OK…” Jack’s fingertips brushed away tears and skimmed along her cheeks, brushing back imaginary wisps of hair and securing them behind her ears. Her ears; he ran the tip of his forefinger around one and thought about his wish that she could hear so that they might be able to warn her somehow. She was fiercely independent, and brave, and there were so many things that she could do that he could not, and never would be able, to do. But he found himself wanting more than ever to help her overcome the vulnerability that her not being able to hear created. He grinned as he imagined her reaction to his longing. “I’m not a child Jack, I‘m perfectly capable of living my own life…” It was something he’d heard her tell her mother more than once, and he had no doubt it was true, but maybe, if he were lucky, she’d allow him to make that life just a bit easier.

She had grown still and he was about to draw back to see if she was sleeping when she spoke again, her jaw moving against his chest and creating a spiral of desire low within him. Her voice was husky and soft, and held more than a bit of doubt in it’s depths. “Jack, do you think we could get married soon?”

His heart caught and he pulled back to nudge her chin up. “Is that a proposal?”

She blushed, suddenly aware of how forward her mother would have thought her question. Jack grinned and raised a brow. “Can’t live without me?”

He waited for her to smile back at him, but her expression remained serious and she reached a hand up to place her fingers on his lips. “That’s exactly it. I can’t imagine loving you like this and maybe losing you without having the chance to ‘be’ with you. To love you the way God intended for a husband and wife. I want to get married… soon.”

Jack’s grin died away, replaced by a look that showed her how her plea had touched him. He kissed her, pouring everything he was feeling into the caress. “I want to be with you too Sue, very much, but I want you to think about this for a few days. The last hour’s been pretty emotional. Are you sure this isn’t just a reaction to that?”

“I know it is. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. I love you. I want to be your wife and build a life with you. I want your children growing… here.” She placed his hand on her stomach, his fingers curling at the contact. “I can’t wait to see their brown eyes and crooked grins. I want to grow old with you too Jack, but if I can’t, I want to experience all I can before God takes one of us to be with him.”

He watched her as she spoke, her eyes shining and her hands occasionally signing a word; second nature to her as she communicated. Everything she said was echoed in his heart; he could imagine coming home to her each evening, watching their children grow, falling more in love with her as time brought gray hairs and lined their faces.

“When?”

Her brows inched upward. “When?” She repeated.

He kissed her. “Yes, ‘when’. When do you want to do it?”

Her grin started in her eyes and traveled to her lips. “By ‘do it’, I’m assuming you mean get married?”

“Well, that too.” He kissed her again quickly and pulled back to see her reaction.

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. How long does it take to plan a wed….”

Long slim fingers slid into his hair and pulled his face to her, her lips covered his and her tongue sought the warm, curling connection that she’d become so enamored of over the last few days. When it was granted without hesitation, she brought one hand down and under his arm, curving it around his shoulder. She pulled closer, aligning every single curve with it’s corresponding angle, sending shivers down his body and further awakening the longings she’d spoke of satisfying after they were man and wife.

His arms encircled her shoulders and he deepened the kiss, inhaling her every breath. Running his hand up to her neck, he followed the neckline of her knit top to the zipper in front. His hands stalled, warring silently with his mind as to where the line should be drawn that would help ease their desires without compromising the beliefs they both held.

Desire won for the time being, and the zipper glided downward seemingly under it’s own power. The skin it revealed drew his fingers like a magnet and he gasped into the kiss as he gave into the pull. Softness beyond his comprehension made his fingertips tingle and drew them farther into the recesses. He skimmed them over her shoulder and back to her collarbone and then downward. A satin barrier stopped his foray, sending another warning signal blaring through his brain.

She took the decision from him, arching slightly and grasping the hand that hovered hesitantly, pushing it under the satin almost roughly. The mound that filled his hand seemed to be made for just that purpose and he curled his fingers slightly, digging the tips into her flesh, sending his breathing into ever increasing raggedness. Sue broke the kiss on a gasp, her own breathing labored and causing her breasts to brush his chest with each intake of air. “I love you Jack. I love you, I love you, I love you.


He ached at the look in her eyes, wanting nothing more than to push her back into the covers and grant every fantasy she’d ever dared to have. But the fact that they did indeed love each other was the reason he gave one last rub of his thumb over the swell of delicious flesh and removed his hand, smoothing the satin back into place. He reached for the zipper and pulled it upward until it rested safely under her chin.

“I love you too. Forever. On this earth or in heaven, I love you. Please tell me you want to elope.”

She giggled. “I do, but that one I don’t think I could explain to my mother. Daddy maybe… but not my mother.”

“I’m pretty sure I’d be in deep trouble with my mom too. So… how long?”

“Normally, weddings take a year or more to plan, but I don’t want anything fancy. You?”

“I’m still wondering how we could get away with the eloping option.”

Giggling again, she snuggled into him and sighed as his arms closed around her. “In that case, I think I can pull something together in a couple of months. That sound OK?”

“Two months too long, but it’ll do. I’ll help all I can, but you know me and fru-fru things.”

“Don’t worry, I think I know where I can recruit some help.”

Jack kissed the tip of her nose and then pulled back to look at her for a long moment. “So… we’re engaged. How about we go jewelry shopping? I think I‘d like to see a diamond on your finger as soon as possible.”

“Ooooh, diamonds. I like the way you think.”

“Diamonds? With an ‘s’?” he signed the letter and his face blanched a bit.

“You’re going to get cheap on me aren’t you?”

“I’ve always been cheap, and proud of it.”

“OK then, one diamond.”

He relaxed and smiled.

“But a big one.” She winked.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Thirty, Part One

The new suite was much like the first, but Jack looked in despair at the two love seats that occupied the sitting room instead of a full length sofa. He was seriously considering requesting another change of rooms, but he could imagine the reaction he’d get; if not from the hotel personnel, then from Bobby & Myles. Frowning, he headed for the bedroom to the right and gave it a swift perusal, then made his way to the one on the opposite side of the suite. He deposited Sue’s suitcase in the last one; the larger of the two, and returned to the sitting room just as Sue, followed by Bobby, walked in. He stopped and covered his grin with his hand as Sue stood staring at the love seats as Bobby brushed past. The disappointed expression she wore would have melted his heart if it weren’t so comical in it’s resemblance to his own just minutes before. He waved and she looked at him; her look dissolving into a grin when she realized he was reading her thoughts.

‘We’re bad.’ She signed.

He shrugged and grinned more. ‘I can only hope.’

Bobby turned after dropping Jack’s luggage by the loveseats. “Well, now that I’m finished playing bellboy, I’m going to go see if our suspect’s nice and comfy in lock-up and get him transferred ASAP. Oh, and I’ve got something for you Jack…” He disappeared out the door and was gone for a few minutes before reappearing, holding a large white pad of paper propped on a tall easel in front of him.

“Your white board.” He bowed his head in Jack’s direction and pointed his fore and middle finger toward his find. “And just so you know, Sadie Matson at the local office supply store is man crazy. Stay clear.”

“Thanks for the advice.” Jack replied with his lips pursed; his grin trying hard to resurface. Stepping forward, he extended his hand. Bobby took it reflexively and then looked curiously at his best mate when he hung on and squeezed tightly; his eyes turning serious. “Thanks Crash.”

“It’s nothing’, it’s not like the sheila chased me down the sidewalk.”

“Not that, thanks… for today.”

Comprehension dawned and his dimples appeared briefly. “Just doing m’ job. Besides, I could have never put up with one of you if something happened to the other.” His throat closed as he finished; ‘today’ had been too close, and even though he joked, he knew it could have all gone very wrong.

Sue smiled at the two of them and cleared her throat. “Mind if I join the party?” She held out her arms to Bobby and stretched up to hug him close. "Thank you, you and Myles; you both saved us.”

“What are you hugging him for?” The question came from the door; Jack pointed to it, bringing Sue’s attention to Myles standing just inside it as he held his hands in the air and continued. “All he did was nearly get himself shot. I’m the one who ended the whole thing.”

“You’re right of course, Myles. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Shooting a grin at Bobby, she crossed the room to bestow a hug on the other half of their rescuing duo. “Thank you.” She murmured in his ear.

‘You’re welcome.’ He signed back.

“Myles! You signed!” Jack was shocked.

“Well I’m not a Neanderthal. If Koala Boy can do it, it must not be that hard.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Thirty, Continued

“Alone at last.” Jack closed the door behind Myles and Bobby and reached out to halt Sue’s progress toward her bedroom.

“I need to unpack. Again.”

“It can wait.”

“Not unless I want to go around looking like a rumpled old woman. I just threw things in my suitcase.”

He snorted. “Not possible.”

“I was in a hurry.”

H grinned and shook his head. “No, not the packing thing… the rumpled thing.”

“Oh. You’re sweet, but really, everything I have is going to need ironing. I won’t have anything to wear…”

“And that information’s supposed to convince me to let you go?”

“J-a-a-a-c-k…”

Kissing her nose, he released his hold but followed her into her bedroom. Not realizing he was hot on her heels, she started when he came even with her at her bed. “You going to help?”

“Unless there’s a chance I can talk you into doing something else.”

“Nice try. It won’t take long you know, and if you help, I can get a better idea of your husband skills.”

“Sweetheart, you don‘t have to worry about my husband skills.” He picked up a bit of silky pink from her open suitcase and let it dangle from a forefinger, watching the pink in her cheeks darken to match.

Although she felt her heartbeat quicken at the handsome features now forming a smug look, she also felt the need to put a clamp on the ego she could see inflating before her very eyes. She reached nonchalantly for the pink, tucking it and it's companions into a drawer before he could lay his hand on them as well, then picked up a sweater and began to fold as she spoke, “That’s not what the girls in the secretarial pool have to say on the matter; none of them seemed overly impressed.”

A hand on her arm halted the folding and he turned her to face him. “That’s what you get for eavesdropping, girlfriend. If you want the truth, you need to go straight to the source. There’s no woman I’ve ever felt close enough to, that I wanted to try out my husband skills with her… until now.”

The packing was forgotten as she moved into his arms and the evening passed in easy banter, stolen kisses, payback passes, and ended with Jack pulling her without protest onto one of the loveseats. Their talk then turned to wedding plans, living arrangements and how many children was the ’perfect’ number, surprised to find how close their thoughts were on each subject. As conversation dwindled and Sue‘s speech was interspersed with frequent yawns, he allowed her to leave his arms to change into a pair of fuzzy fleece pajamas. He used the time to change into a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants and grab a blanket from his bed. When she returned, he was waiting, blanket in hand, back in his original position. She settled next to him and snuggled close, her head on his shoulder as he covered them. When he reached up to turn off the lamp, his subconscious suddenly became cruel and brought a flash of images of the afternoon back, all too clear, to his mind’s eye. Once the light went off, he knew they would only intensify. So the light stayed on and they slept, uncomfortably on the abbreviated sofa, but satisfied to be safely in each other’s arms.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Thirty-one

They woke early, each with an ache or pain that hadn’t been there the night before. Obviously other sleeping arrangements would have to be devised or they wouldn’t survive their stay. Warm showers erased most of the stiffness and by eight they had made positive in-roads on their make-shift white board. By eight-thirty the first page was nearing overload status and they tore it off, taped it to the wall, and started on the second. Several photos were taped up, courtesy of Matt, who had his office fax them to the surveillance van, after which he, Sarah, and Jeff had joined Jack, Sue, and Myles to help create a visual of a case becoming more and more complex.

If no photo was available, the spot was filled with a circle and a name; or a question mark, along with a line or two explaining the person’s possible involvement. Gerald Weber took a prize position, but even Frank Cummins and Howard Armstrong were present; they weren’t ruling out anyone. Once the second sheet was nearly as full as the first, it took it’s place on the wall and the six of them sat studying it, discussing it, going over every tidbit in their minds. The clarity Jack hoped for by displaying all their information at a glance wasn’t forthcoming and he pounded the arm of the chair he slouched in out of frustration.

“My thoughts exactly.” Myles drawled as his phone rang. “Leland.”

Snapping the phone shut seconds later, he pulled himself up from the loveseat and headed for the door. “Bobby says Dumber is ready for questioning.”

“Dumber?” Matt looked confused.

“Hmmm, well, actually he said the suspect was ready… the name ‘Dumber’ was my contribution. As in Dumb and Dumber. The one in the hospital is Dumb, the sidekick is Dumber.”

Matt still looked confused, and Jack just shook his head and rubbed his temples.

“I’ll call as soon as he talks.” The breeze from the door ruffled the papers taped to the wall and as they settled Jack stood and retrieved his phone from the low coffee table between the loveseats.

“I’m calling Tara.” Myles had finally updated him the night before that he had reached her and that she was attempting to lay her hands on Weber’s cell phone records. Matt had also procured a DNA sample and sent it overnight to Tara. Surely she’d come up with something by now. His phone rang before he could dial.

“Jack! I was just about to call you. I’ve got something.” Tara’s excited voice came to him. He pulled the phone away and grinned at it. “…got a lot of somethings.”, she was saying as he brought it back to his ear.

“Sorry Tara, repeat that last bit?”

“I said, actually, I’ve got a lot of somethings.”

“Great, I can use a lead… any lead…”

~~o~~
Chapter Thirty-one, Continued

She had found Corydon. Fort Jackson, South Carolina was his current home and there were agents en route to question him. “Apparently he re-enlisted just after 9/11.” Tara told him, surprise evident in her tone. “I had him figured for some sort of soldier-for-hire.”

“He still could be.” Military personnel didn’t pull in a huge salary and Corydon wouldn’t be the first to contradict his service to his country by lending his experience to illegal activities.

“Well, we should have some answers on that front soon. They‘re due to report back by the end of the day.”

“Good. Hey, do we know what he did before he re-enlisted?”

“Several jobs, the last was as a security consultant to several large companies. That lasted for ten years, almost eleven.”

“Security consultant…” He mulled it over for a second before Tara moved on.

“Also, I’ve got some information on Weber, or whoever he is. I’ve checked every data base I can and I think I’ve latched on to the right guy, but he doesn’t have any record dating back farther than 1976, which makes sense if he’s really Pete Caldwell.”

“I think we can be pretty sure he is. He did identify himself to whoever he was talking to yesterday as Pete.”

“And speaking of who he was talking to, I saved the best for last.”

Jack’s eyes brightened and he straightened in his seat, “What?”

“I got his phone records and the number traces back to none other than one Harrison Armstrong.”

“Harrison Armstrong? Howard‘s father?” He’d read Armstrong’s dossier; the father had been questioned in the organized crime investigation, but nothing had raised any flags in connection to the shootings.

“Yep.”

Jack sat stunned. Their possible sniper was in communication with the father of the owner of the hotel? “Well, this is a turn I wasn’t expecting, though I’m not sure what I was expecting. “

“You and me both.“

“Listen Tara, what about the real estate angle? Is someone trying to get their hands on the hotel or the property?”

“If they are, they haven’t filed any development plans. I came up with absolutely nothing.”

Jack sighed, “OK… great job anyway. This gives us our next move.”

“Right. Hey Jack, how are you and Sue? She dealing with everything OK?”

Yesterday’s situation should have come to mind, but his mind went instead to their personal relationship. “Me and Sue?”

“Yeah, Myles called and told us about yesterday. She must have been scared to death.”

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. That everything. “Yeah Tara, she’s doing great. We were shaken up, but Sue recovered pretty quick, she’s made of some sturdy stuff. I‘ll tell her you asked.”

“Thanks, and Lucy says to tell her she’ll call a little later.”

“I’ll let her know. Talk to you this afternoon?”

“Absolutely, bye.”

“Bye.” Jack flipped the phone shut and sat tapping it against his chin as he slouched back in his chair. Tara’s information put a new light on things, but he was having trouble telling exactly what it illuminated.

Harrison Armstrong was a tall man and age had not stooped him in the slightest. He was gracious as Jack and Sue entered his study; shown there by a real live butler, and invited them to sit and have coffee.

“That’s not necessary sir, we won’t take up too much of your time.”

“Nonsense, I insist. I imagine you’re keeping pretty busy these days and you could use a short break. You’re here investigating the horrible situation at the hotel, I assume?”

“Yes sir.” Jack paused as their host instructed the butler to have coffee brought. “We’ve been staying at the hotel and we have some questions as to how you know one of the guests… Pete Caldwell.”

Armstrong paused a second, but his face gave little away. He looked at Jack, apparently considering his response carefully. When he gave it, Jack was not as skilled at hiding his surprise.

“He’s a sniper. And I hired him.”

Jack glanced at Sue, who was staring at Armstrong as if he’d just sprouted another head. “Excuse me, did you just say he’s a sniper, and you hired him?”

“You didn’t hear me?” The man looked carefully at Sue.

“No… I’m deaf. I read lips, but I thought I must have been mistaken.”

“Care to explain your answer?” Jack was impatient. This entire development had come from left field and he couldn’t wait to hear what else the senior Armstrong had to say.

“I will. But you may not have a very favorable opinion of my reasons.”

“Regardless, I’m all ears….”



Sitting watching a roaring fire, Harrison Armstrong led them on an slightly abbreviated journey of his life. Born in Great Britain, he had moved to Sweden as a young man when he took a job with a bank headquartered there. He met and married his first wife, Karin some eight months later and they set about making a home and hopefully a large family like the one in which his wife was raised. Sadly, that was not to be the way things worked out. So, when they met Regina Rossano at a party given by a mutual friend and learned of her predicament, they were only too eager to help. Regina had been careful not to reveal the name of the father of her baby, but she was frank with them about her family and their “business”. Regina gave up her baby in order to protect him from the life her family would have insisted he lead.

They hadn’t been worried about the baby’s birth family finding him; they had no plans to live anywhere other than Sweden, and Regina closed all ties, never contacting them again. Life was ideal until Karin was killed in an automobile accident four years later. Father and son mourned their loss, but gradually began socializing again. Enter Maria. She was young, headstrong, and totally captivating. She and Harrison were married inside of three months. Only then had she told him that under no circumstance could she live anywhere other than the United States. Women were “on the move” there, she said, and if he didn’t come with her so that she could pursue a career on stage, she’d go alone.

Worried, but in love and unwilling to break up his young and fragile family, Harrison capitulated and they were soon settled in New Jersey. Years passed and they built a very successful life. Maria never fulfilled her desires to become an actress, but she gave it a worthy effort. Harrison stopped talking for a moment, fingering the ring on his left hand. She had died only last year, but for the man sitting in front of them, her memory was still very much alive. Sighing, he began again, “I fear I’ve lead you to believe my wife was… self absorbed, and in the beginning I suppose she was. But she came to love me, and she and Howard became very close after she gave up on acting and started staying at home more. In fact, I believe they shared an even closer relationship than he and I. She was very proud of him; she even approved of his fiancee when he became engaged. And, thank God, she lived long enough to see her grandson.”

Harrison’s expression hardened and he set the cup in his hand down with a crash. “But a year after my grandson was born, a man knocked on my son’s door and everything changed…”

~~o~~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Thirty-two - Continued

“Bobby!“

“Tara luv! Nice to hear your chipper voice! How’s things in the city?“

“Informative. I just received the report from the agents who interviewed Corydon.”

“Awwww… I sense a breakthrough! What did he have to say?”

“Well he wasn’t surprised to hear that his old pal Weber, or Caldwell rather, was alive and well. He admitted that Caldwell contacted him a few years after the war; seems he wanted Corydon to join forces with him in a new venture.”

“That being?”

“Becoming mercenaries.”

~~o~~

Sue grabbed Jack’s hand as soon as they left Harrison Armstrong’s study, tugging it to her tummy and squeezing hard. The story of the man’s life had touched both of them, but Sue seemed particularly affected. They followed the butler who showed them to the door and bowed slightly as they walked out into the October sunshine; closing the door and giving them the opportunity to stop and consider the tale that left them rather stunned. Sue shivered, shaking off the chill that had settled over her as Harrison spoke.

The man who had shown up on the Howard’s doorstep had said he was a lawyer, but his threats were very unlawful. He told them of a very powerful family whom he represented. A family that had taken a keen interest in the Armstrong family over the years. A family that had watched as Maria had went to auditions; had taken note of every job she’d been given and every producer that had fallen under her spell. They had taken particular interest in one such man, powerful in his own right but very much in dept to members of that same family. He had offered the young actress everything she’d dreamed of and more. Of course, there had been… stipulations. For a while, Maria had allowed her dream to become the all-important aspect of her life and had gone along, and every move was recorded for the time when it would be needed. That time came when Howard and Anna Armstrong welcomed James Harrison Armstrong into the world.

“Can we help them?” Sue turned a worried countenance to Jack as he drove. Harrison Armstrong family had been surviving for nearly two years under the threat of Maria Armstrong’s reputation being destroyed. And if that weren’t enough, the demands they made weren’t for money; they were for a life. Regina’s family had learned of her son’s existence years before, but she’d been wrong about them wanting him. For reasons only they knew, they hadn’t been interested in Howard being part of the Rossano family. That privilege had been reserved for young James. They wanted the child.

Harrison had sneered as he told them that the lawyer had been careful to emphasize that his clients weren’t barbarians. They weren’t asking for the child to live with them, at least not yet. Instead, he was to come for ‘visits’; become familiar with his cousins, aunt, uncles. Then, when he came of age, he would be given a position within the family business. It was then that the lawyer had revealed the true threat. If they didn’t cooperate, the boy would simply disappear.

So they did as they were told. James went two, sometimes three times a week to spend time with the people who professed to love him, yet were willing to tear him from the only family he‘d ever known. Each time, the lawyer would pick up the child, returning with him late in the day. As James grew and learned to speak, he would return talking of ‘Nona’, and asking for her. They could only assume it was his biological grandmother. Hearing James refer to another woman besides Maria as his grandmother was what finally enraged Howard enough that he began to arrange for James and Anna to be out of the house when the lawyer came to pick him up. He had done so twice before the first shooting occurred. Knowing in his gut the two events were connected, he’d sent his wife and son away. Harrison was sure Howard had lied to Jack and Sue about them being at Anna’s parents; they would be easily found there, but he had no idea where he‘d actually sent them.

When the second shooting took place, Harrison Armstrong decided to take matters into his own hands. Taking advantage of the numerous acquaintances he’d met over the course of a lengthy banking career, he was soon in contact with Pete Caldwell, and had hired him to find whoever was doing this to his family.

Gripping the wheel tightly, Jack drew a long breath and glanced at Sue. “The best way to help them is to solve the case. We can bring in Caldwell now, and we need to go back to Howard and get him to cooperate.”

~~o~~
Chapter Thirty-three, Part Two

Nearing their suite, Jack pointed to the door and gave Sue an apologetic look. “Everyone’s inside, I can already hear them.”

Sue stopped and he did as well, turning to see why she no longer followed. Lifting her shoulders, Sue screwed her mouth sideways and sighed. “Well, there go my plans for lunch.”

“I’m sorry, did you want to do something special?”

She shook her head. “I was just looking forward to staying in.”

“Well, we can still order room service, what did you want?”

“You.”

Jack’s lips curled in a smile and he pressed his lips together, looking like a man about to burst. “Oh, well… I think that might have to wait a while, but I promise we’ll see what we can cook up for this evening.”

Stepping closer, Sue ran a hand up through his dark curls. “I’ll be awfully hungry by then.”

Knowing with his luck the suite door would open any second, Jack grabbed her by the waist and hurried her down the hall until he found a nook beneath the stairs to the sixth floor. Pulling her in, he quickly spun them until she was backed against the wall, her eyes bright with excitement and a conspiratorial grin lifting her lips.

He groaned and lowered his head, seeking first the outer edges of those lips, but moving quickly to cover her mouth, sighing in utter enjoyment at the taste of her. His hands roamed from her arms to her shoulders and up to cup her face and turn her head just so, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Sue shuddered when one knee pressed between hers and he slipped his hands beneath her arms to gather her within the circle of his. His tongue swirled deliriously with hers and when he ended the kiss, she felt as if he took some physical part of her with him.

Sighing, she didn’t move for a long moment as they both gathered themselves. His face was next to hers; his nose nuzzled at her cheek. She turned her head bringing her mouth next to his and murmured, “I thought I had to wait ‘til later to eat.”

She felt his cheeks lift in a grin and then his hand sliding between their bodies until she could see it against his chest where he slowly spelled... A-P-P-E-T-I-Z-E-R.






When they finally entered the suite a few minutes later, the paper whiteboard was in use again, this time Bobby was scrawling his particular brand of penmanship across the surface. Myles scrunched his eyes together and turned his head sideways in a futile attempt to decipher the script. “Is that a ‘p’ or a ‘q’? He finally questioned.

“R” Bobby shot back at him and went back to writing.

“R?!? How on earth can you call that an ‘r’?”

“Simple. Like this… “A-a-a-r-r-r-r” Bobby’s mouth spread wide, sounding pirate-like in his enunciation.

Jack stepped forward, interceding between the two. “Alright children, let’s play nice. We’ve got some important things to discuss. The meeting with Harrison Armstrong was enlightening, to say the least, and it looks like maybe we’re finally getting somewhere with this mess.”

“Does that say masonry?” Sue pointed to the board.

Bobby glared at her. “You too?“ Stepping to the board, he underlined each syllable as he pronounced it. “MER…SA…NARE…EE”

“Sorry.” Sue shrugged. “But I’ve got to go with Myles on this one. Maybe you should take a penmanship course.”

“I already know how to write.”

“More like you know how to wrong.” Matt piped up from his seat in the corner, grinning broadly and then sinking down in his seat, the grin disappearing when Bobby turned a threatening gaze his way.

“OK, OK, let’s just concentrate.” Pushing Bobby backwards with one hand until he sat with a bounce onto a loveseat beside Sarah, Jack pointed at the word in question with the other. “Mercenary? Who?”

“Weber, or Caldwell I should say. Tara called with the intel from Corydon.” He filled Jack and Sue in on all Tara had told him.

“That just backs up what Mr. Armstrong told us.” Jack and Sue took turns regurgitating the story they’d been told and watched the team's eyes widen in response.

Bobby stared at the patterns in the carpet and shook his head. “So what… this whole thing is a tactic by ‘da family’ to get the kid?”

“Maybe. At least that’s what Harrison and Howard Armstrong are thinking.”

“And I don’t get it; after going to all the trouble of hiring Caldwell, why did old man Armstrong give up that information so easily? I mean, I know Sue‘s charming and all, but I would have thought it would take more to make him talk.”

Smiling at Bobby‘s comment, Jack quirked his brow at her before answering. “I asked the same question. Short answer is, he’s tired. He wants his family safe and he knows that Caldwell hasn’t been successful, so… he’s trying a different tactic. I just wish they’d come to us first.”

“Fear can make you do funny things mate.”

Jack made a face and looked to where the woman whose absence could have easily been his biggest regret in life sat on a chair arm next to Myles, scratching Levi’s ear. Yes, fear could make you do, or not do, very funny things. “Don’t I know it.” he answered, “but let‘s not dwell on what might have been. We know Caldwell's role in all this, so we can at least bring him in and see what he can tell us.”

“I can take care of that.” Matt volunteered.

“Great.” Jack jotted Matt’s name next to Caldwell’s on one of the sheets of paper taped to the wall. “Now… ‘Dumber’… what’d he have to say?”

Bobby’s head tilted sideways, “Did you just call me Dumber?” He missed Myles broad grin.

Jack glanced to Myles with an incredulous look, “You mean you didn’t tell him?”

“He’s talking about Raeburn.” Jeff filled in.

“That your idea?” Bobby turned to Myles.

Myles’ grin grew to a smug smile, answering his teammate’s question. “Well, given the fact that they broke in twice while someone was in the suite, I thought it was apropos. I named his gun toting cohort ‘Dumb‘, so it follows that he’s ‘Dumber‘.”

Giving Jack a ‘why don’t you do something with him’ look, Bobby reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a folded paper. He taped it onto the corner of the next sheet of paper in the pad propped on the easel and tapped it with a knuckle. “Well until this recent name change to ‘Dumber‘, he went by Doug Raeburn and he’s got a couple of outstanding warrants that we can hold him on. And while he wasn’t exactly what you’d call cooperative, but he did give me a name on… uh, "Dumb". He’s a small time, but nasty tempered hood by the name of Floyd Cooper. I’ve got Tara pulling information on him and Raeburn. And I checked with the hospital; Cooper’s still unconscious, but the doctors expect him to come out of it as soon as the blood they’re giving him has time to do it’s job.”

Jack listened intently, making a decision as Bobby spoke. “Let’s double the security on Cooper. If these two are associated with the Rossano family, they’ll try to make sure he doesn’t talk, and the hospital‘s their best chance to get to him. And you and Myles keep on Raeburn, maybe you can convince him it’s in his best interest to tell you who hired him and Cooper.”

“You’re thinking it was the Rossano’s.” Myles extrapolated.

“I‘m betting on it.”

“He’s not a brave man Jack. He’ll be scared they’ll kill him if he talks.”

“Then it’s up to you two to make him understand that we’ll make sure the family knows we have him in custody and that we’ll also make sure they know when we turn him loose… and that if they happen to think he talked, we’ll be neither confirming or denying that assumption.”

Myles looked at Jack with admiration. “I think we can handle that.”

“Good. Let him know that the more help he gives us, the easier we go on him. Attempted murder of two federal agents carries a pretty stiff penalty, a-n-n-n-d you might want to give him the impression that we‘ll be charging them in two separate attempts.”

“The shots fired at you on the walk that night?”

“Yep.”

“True, that could have been Dumb and Dumber, but why? As far as we can tell, they were after your case notes. Killing you would have just brought in more agents and they would have lost any opportunity to learn which direction the case was taking. The only reason things turned so ugly in the suite yesterday is because they were caught in the act and had no choice, but that wasn‘t the case earlier.”

“I don‘t know if it was them or not, but if Dumber thinks he‘s looking at more charges, it might just be enough to loosen his tongue about what he really knows. And don’t forget to question him about the anonymous letter. I don’t see either of them as the letter writing types, but you never know. In the meantime, Sue and I are going to revisit Howard Armstrong. Now that his father’s admitted all this, I don’t think there’s any reason for him not to cooperate.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Thirty-four, Part One

“Yes, he called me.” Howard Armstrong was not pleased with his father. Pacing as he spoke, he rubbed his hand at the back of his neck and then around over his mouth, finally throwing both of them into the air in a gesture of exasperation. “He should have told me what he was planning to do!”

“So you didn’t know he’d hired anyone?” Sue stepped in front of him and forced him to address their questions.

“NO! I wouldn’t have allowed it! I took a big enough risk sending Anna and James away… if they find out about this…” He swallowed painfully and looked to the photo of his son and wife displayed prominently on his desk.

“We can protect them.”

“For how long? Forever? The Rossano’s are a big family... a powerful family, and they have a long memory. Look how long they waited to get back at my birth mother.”

Jack stepped closer. “You think that’s what this is all about? Payback for your mother giving you up?”

Howard turned a haunted expression toward Jack, worry in every line of his body. “These people are obsessed with keeping what they think belongs to them, whether that’s land, or money, or family. I think they couldn’t stand letting a blood relative escape their clutches and yes, they wanted to exact revenge on Regina.”

“Then why didn’t they come after you when you were a child? Why wait and come after your son?”

Howard looked at them helplessly and shook his head. “I don’t know. I asked, in so many words, but I never got an answer. Not a satisfactory one anyway.”

“You asked who, the attorney?“ Sue asked; Howard nodded. “What did he say?”

“I asked him ’Why James’, and he just quoted something. I can’t remember all of it. Something about women being the salvation or the destruction of a family.”

Sue looked to Jack, who shrugged and motioned to the photo. “Where are your wife and son Mr. Armstrong? We’ll have them brought in and put into protective custody.”

“If the Rossano’s find out you‘re involved with this…”

Sue laid a hand on Armstrong‘s forearm and began to speak while Jack smiled softly, knowing the man didn‘t stand a chance. “People are dead, and you obviously think it’s linked to the situation with your family. You need to cooperate Mr. Armstrong, or this is going to go on until either they have James, or you’re ruined. Maybe both. And who knows how many innocent people will be sacrificed before that happens? You need to trust us.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

“Then what? You don’t think we can’t protect them? Who’s doing that now? Are they on their own?”

Armstrong shot a guilty glance at each of them. “No.”

“Who’s with them?” Jack didn’t like the man’s body language.

“I hired a guy.”

Sighing, Jack closed his eyes and wondered what happened to people’s judgment when faced with trying situations.

“How have you been contacting him?”

“I bought a prepaid cell.”

At least the man had made one good decision. “Good, give him a call and let him know we’re sending agents. We don’t want him thinking we’re the people he’s supposed to be protecting your family from. And give me exact directions, I want them under our watch as soon as possible.”

~~o~~
Chapter Thirty-four, continued

Jack laid his cell phone on the coffee table between the two love seats and looked at the offending overstuffed pair that faced each other in the middle of the room with a scowl. If anyone had been in the room, they would have thought he was watching a tennis match the way his head went first to one, then to the other and back, and forth, and back, and forth. He saw no practical way to scoot the two together and create a workable space for he and the woman currently puttering in her bedroom, getting ready for bed.

After the meeting with Howard Armstrong, both teams had met for dinner in the dining room, no longer really concerned about being found out as FBI agents. That secret was well out of the bag and there was no forcing it back in. They sat at one of the round tables and went over the day and all it had revealed, and making plans. Matt had phoned his home office and had four agents dispatched to pick up Anna and James Armstrong. They would be in protective custody before the evening was old.

Bobby and Myles had left the table first; Bobby to watch a football game, and Myles to visit the spa. Jack had sat watching the two leave side by side, grumbling good naturedly about the merits of sport over art. He knew Myles liked football as well as any American male, but if it meant he could get in a jab at Bobby, he was willing to play the antagonist.

When Matt stretched and yawned, Jack seized the opportunity to make excuses for himself and Sue and they’d beat a hasty retreat to the fifth floor and their waiting suite. He checked the rooms thoroughly for any sign of anything out of the ordinary, but found nothing. The cameras had been moved to this suite and now kept sentry on both the inside and outside of the main door and there were identical ones in each of the rooms occupied by the other agents.

“What about Sarah?” Sue’s voice broke into his musings on how to arrange the small sofas. “She’s all by herself.”

Looking over his shoulder, he broke into a grin despite her worried query. She stood covered neck to ankle with the soft pink robe and he’d never seen anything quite as sexy in his life. “She’s fine. Matt and Jeff will be checking on her, and she’s as capable an agent as I’ve met. She’s safe.”

“You’re sure?”

He crossed his heart with a finger and then stood watching her; his lips pursed thoughtfully. He stayed that way long enough that Sue began to shift under his gaze.

“What? Is something wrong?”

His expression didn’t change, but he moved his head in the negative slowly. She was beginning to catch on to his thinking, and she gave a half grin.

“I made a promise.” His grin matched hers.

Sue remembered. She bit her bottom lip and slid her eyes to the loveseats. “Yes, I remember something about ‘cooking’ this evening.” She motioned to each sofa. “But, I think our kitchen leaves something to be desired.”

She raised her hand then and he noticed for the first time the bit of lace and satin she held in it. “I was going to take a shower… think you can remodel by the time I get out?”

She spun and made her get away before he could respond. The teasing side she’d revealed to him in the past few days was a welcome surprise and he could foresee very interesting times in their future. But tonight he had a dilemma.

He turned back to the loveseats and remembered longingly the nights spent holding one another on the full length sofa in their first suite before his thoughts veered toward the queen size beds in each of their bedrooms. Would Sue consent to them sleeping in one of them?

‘I promise we’ll see what we can cook up for this evening…’ his words came back to both excite and haunt him. Those words, combined with a request for her to spend the night in his bed, seemed a bit on the ‘deliberate’ side. He would just have to improvise…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Thirty-five, Part One

Sue spent a good ten minutes letting the beads of warm water take away all thoughts of intruders, snipers, crime bosses, and separated families. Left in their wake was an overwhelming desire to be held by the man that made her feel safe and loved. She toweled dry and smoothed a citrus scented lotion over her body, imagining Jack hands as she rubbed. From nearly the first time she’d set eyes on him, she could imagine what it would be like to have him hold her; turn that warm, intoxicating gaze fully on her… drawing her in and doing away with every vestige of self restraint. When he’d brushed his lips across hers that morning on the path, she’d very nearly lost herself in just that brief caress and had difficulty focusing on the two men he’d asked her to read. Since then, she’d been more bold with him than with any other man she’d ever known; the challenge becoming how to keep herself from simply throwing herself into his arms and allowing him anything. But he’d been an almost perfect gentleman, giving her little tastes of what an intimate relationship with him could be like, yet never pushing for more than she was willing to give. The nights spent in his arms had been a bit of heaven and she found herself hoping very hard that he’d come up with an acceptable solution to the unacceptable and uncomfortable loveseats so that she could spend the next few hours snuggled next to him.



Jack shooed Levi out of the way and gave one final shove to the back of one of the loveseats. His plan was close to completion and he hurried to finish once he heard the water stop running in the shower. Her door was open slightly and he pushed through, risking a quick peak toward the bathroom where the door stood open about a foot, cascading light across the darkened room. He could hear muffled, undistinguishable sounds and quickly crossed to her bed, tossing back the spread and gathering the two king size pillows. He turned to hurry from the room with his bounty, but the sight that greeted him as he once again looked to the bathroom door slammed into him and stopped him in his tracks.

The wall mirror in the bathroom was just beyond the opening of the door and in it was a vision that elicited a reaction throughout his body like none he’d experienced before. The fog from her shower covering the large glass had been wiped away in a circle in the middle. Within the circle was reflected an expanse of pale peach skin that he ached immediately to touch. Her back was to the mirror and she was bent slightly; her shoulders moving up and down in a slow steady rhythm. Somewhere in his brain he realized she was applying lotion and, without realizing he was moving, he took a step closer, raising up on his toes and straining for a closer look. The more angular curve of her shoulder gave way to a gentle slope toward a curvaceous waist and then migrated to the swell of her hips. He caught himself then and stepped back again. This was wrong… but he was hypnotized.

She straightened and busied herself for a moment, her hands in front of her and out of Jack’s site. When she moved next, he felt his heart catch and his breath leave his lungs in a rush. She turned slightly to one side, the lotion bottle in her hand as she set it on the counter in front of the mirror. The view it afforded the man riveted to her bedroom floor had him clutching at the pillows in his hand, but he was powerless to move away even though his conscience was screaming at him to do so. The sweet curve of a breast peeked just above the filmy haze outside the circle on the mirror and he made a mental note of how close the soft flesh was in hue to the bit of lace she’d held in her hand earlier. Then the forbidden fruit was gone, hidden again by her arm as she turned to pick up her robe and drape it around her shoulders.

The barrier of the pink terry cloth broke the daze he found himself in and Jack blinked twice before he came to the intelligent conclusion that he was in a very precarious position. He hadn’t meant to play voyeur, and if she caught him he wouldn’t blame her if she tossed him out on his rear and never spoke to him again. Not willing to let that happen, he moved as if his life depended upon it and very nearly tripped over Levi in his retreat.

He pulled the door to her bedroom back to the position he’d found it and backed away, trying to catch his breath. He had always known she was a beautiful woman, and holding her close as he’d been privileged to do the past few nights had give him new insight into the pleasures her physical being could offer, but the delicate beauty of the body just revealed to him made him actually quiver inside. He made a stumbling dash to deposit the pillows in the middle of his creation and then into his bedroom to retrieve the pillows from his own bed; the image of soft peach skin still playing across his mind‘s eye.

~~o~~
Chapter Thirty-five, Continued

Flipping on the light switch beside her bathroom door, Sue waved a hand to disperse the steam that followed her out of the bathroom. Beyond her hand she could swear she saw movement and lowered her arm. The only thing that could move was the door to her bedroom, but it stood perfectly still. Then Levi moved from the shadows and she smiled. “Oh, it’s you. How did you get in here? I thought you were helping Jack.“ She turned her attention to finding a new pair of navy silk pajamas in the drawer of the dresser beside the bed and it was then she noticed the bedspread flung back; both pillows missing in action.

She pulled on the pajamas and quickly laid out her clothes for the next day before giving in to the curiosity that had built steadily during her shower and was now increasing by the moment. Opening the bedroom door a bit wider, she saw the loveseats had been moved, but from her vantage point she could only see the back of one, so she ventured out, tiptoeing toward the short sofa and peaking over. Cushions from the loveseats and a couple of armchairs now lay in a makeshift pallet on the floor between them; her missing pillows piled in the middle. She was still taking it all in when movement beyond the loveseats caught her eye and she looked up to find Jack standing in his bedroom door holding two more pillows and a sheepish look on his face.

He stood frozen in place, seeing the carefully placed cushions through Sue’s eyes for the first time. Suddenly, his thoughts about sharing her bed seeming ‘too deliberate’ paled in comparison to the nest he’d built. Dropping the pillows to his sides, he shrugged in answer to the questioning look she sent his way. “I got carried away. This isn‘t…” He trailed off, not knowing how to explain himself.

Sue slowly circled the result of his efforts and bent to take the pillows from his hands. She deposited them beside the two from her bed and stepped into the center of the cushions, arranging them as a cushion against the front of a loveseat on either side of the pallet. Then she returned for Jack, who followed her numbly when she took his hand and pulled him after her. Lowering herself and tugging him down too, she let her gaze touch tenderly upon every feature she’d come to love as he knelt before her. She kissed him then, starting at his chin and working her way up to just below his lips. When he would have taken control, she caught his hands and held them at his sides.

“I love it when you get carried away,“ her eyes fixed on his lips, “and I really think I should return the favor.” Her kiss drove all thoughts but those of her from his mind, and once his eyes closed, the image in the bathroom mirror floated back to him, displayed in living color across the back of his lids and making him ache to hold her. But he reluctantly obeyed her silent demand that he leave his hands at his sides when she held them firmly in place as he tried once again to reach for her. Soft, warm lips moved deliberately to his throat, parting to allow her to nip gently at the undulating curve of his Adam’s apple before she soothed the spot by sucking gently and then lapping at it with her tongue. When she let go of his hands, it was to deftly slip one button, and then a second from it’s hole. Jack felt a familiar and intoxicating heat building low, and it only intensified as her breath heated the skin left bare by her finger; spiraling deliriously when the rest of the buttons quickly followed their predecessors. He took advantage of her hands being otherwise occupied to at last pull her roughly against him, losing what was left of his control when the silky coolness of her pajamas met with the over heated skin of his chest and stomach. The slippery fabric did little to disguise the feel of the curves it covered and encouraged his hands to begin a thorough examination . They slid up her ribcage and hovered nervously just under her arms, their shaking mirroring the erratic measure of his breaths, but then were emboldened by the look she cast his way from beneath half closed lids. He watched the hazel depths turn dark as he spread his fingers to span her upper torso, sliding forward until his thumbs brushed the underside of each breast, and then flash briefly before she gasped and closed her eyes when he cupped the firm swells and then swirled his fingers up and around until his palms lay flat against her breast bone. The sensation, coupled with the vision of her in the steam laden bathroom mirror, was too much. Groaning with the effort to hold himself back from going over the edge where they found themselves teetering, he snapped when the tip of her tongue peeked out and she caught it sensuously between her teeth. Pushing her backwards, he covered her body as it nestled into the pillows at her back and slipped a hand behind her waist to ensure that the full warmth of her stayed in close contact. His kiss was hot and deep; Sue accepting it as a natural progression to their ever growing need to become one with one another. Her heart swelled with love and she arched instinctively when Jack pulled back and cast his eyes over her face and down to see the curves he’d just caressed straining against the navy silk. Lowering his head slowly, he hovered over one, his breath warming it and finally bestowed a open mouthed kiss there. Breathing came in fevered gasps when the kiss ended and he buried his face in the valley, his arms crushing her to him as desire racked his body. They lay locked in the embrace until, slowly, their breaths slowed and his hold slackendd so that he could draw his head back and look once more into her eyes. Desire was evident there, but so was trust and, above all, love. He inhaled raggedly and rolled back against the pillows on his side of the nest, pulling her with him until her head rested on his shoulder and her silken curves lay pressed against his side.

Feeling her looking at him, he turned his head and kissed her softly. “I love you Sue, but we need to solve this case and get out of here. I don’t know how much longer I can wait… I want you.”

“Jack, if you really…”

He kissed her quickly. “No. Thank you for saying what you’re about to… but don’t. If you do, I can’t promise anything. As long as I know you want to wait, I can do it… for you. But if I thought that wasn‘t true, I know I’m not strong enough to stop. You’re beautiful and you make me ache to love you.”

A tear slipped soundlessly down one cheek and she brushed it away against his shirt. “I won’t say it Jack, but I want you to know I’m counting the days until you’re my husband and you never stop. I love you too.”

She snuggled close, causing Jack’s breathing to quicken again, but he made no move to distance himself, preferring instead to endure the onslaught to his senses. Sue smiled into his shoulder and reached for the blanket he’d left folded on the loveseat behind him. He helped spread it over them and sighed as he drew her close again once it was in place. No matter how great the temptation, even if he had to take cold showers three times a day until they were married, this was were he wanted them; safe, sound, and happily back in the warmth of each other’s arms for another night. He drifted to sleep with images of water droplets following a twisting, curving course over pale peach skin…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Thirty-six, Part One

An hour after they had fallen asleep, Jack’s phone rang and Matt’s hyper voice informed him that Anna and James Armstrong were now in FBI protective custody. Thanking him, Jack pushed the phone closed with a forefinger and lay thinking about the case. Now that the wife and son were safe, they could start pushing harder to prove that the Rossano family was behind the shootings. He thought back to the look on Howard Armstrong’s face when the truth was finally out. Carrying the burden of trying to protect his family had taken a toll on the man and when the realization that he no longer had to bear it alone hit him, he knees had buckled and he sank into the plush white leather of his chair. Sitting there, the image of the professional businessman had melted into a scared man whose financial holdings were nothing compared to his family. He had cooperated fully after that, writing down Anna and James’ location and phoning the hired gun staying with them.

Their next step would be put into action in two days time if Howard’s information held true; the lawyer who had collected James on each of his ‘visits’ to the Rossanos, and had been the only liaison for the two families, was due back then. He had threatened Howard when the boy wasn’t waiting for him on his last trip, telling him exactly when he would be back. “I suggest you rethink this ploy of yours Mr. Armstrong and have the boy ready and waiting. After all, you have the rest of your family to consider.”

As a veiled threat, it wasn’t particularly veiled.

Sue stirred and stretched, her body coming into even closer contact with his in the snug space. Snuggling in again, she tucked her head beneath his chin, her nose cold against his chest. Grinning, he pulled her close and tugged the blanket higher around her shoulders. Their lovemaking of earlier in the evening had left him rather desperate to bring the case to a close and return to DC where she could get on with planning the wedding. He thought back to the day before. As a marriage proposal, it lacked something. No getting down on one knee, no romantic dinner. Heck, he hadn’t even been the one to do the asking; neither of them had, not really. He certainly hadn’t been prepared enough to have a ring to give her, but he would rectify that soon… as soon as this case gave him a chance to sneak away for an hour or so. He’d spotted a small jewelry shop in town, the front window showcasing a few simple designs and knowing Sue, a simple, elegant ring would be her choice. And he’d spotted the perfect spot to give it to her in one of the brochures for the hotel.

Closing his eyes, he forced his mind to return to the case. He found himself identifying with Armstrong, having arrived at this point in his relationship with Sue. He would do anything to protect her and that’s all Howard had been trying to do for his family. Unfortunately, he’d chosen the wrong way to do it. Details of the information they had gathered floated in and out of his mind, pieces of the jigsaw puzzle not quite fitting together just yet, but at least they were beginning to see which pieces went with others. Sleep’s foggy fingers invaded once again and Jack yawned, laid the phone aside and adjusted his pillow. Holding Sue, he soon drifted off.

~~o~~
Chapter Thirty-six, Continued

The black car slipped effortlessly along the Armstrong’s drive; darkened windows hiding it’s impatient driver from the eyes of the world. When it purred up the last twenty feet of smooth, black asphalt and came to a stop in front of the steps leading to the main entrance to the house, Jack ducked behind the curtains at the window. Keeping carefully out of sight, he snapped a photo of the man that climbed from behind the wheel of the luxury automobile and then turned away and gave Armstrong an encouraging, but questioning look, receiving a small nod of assurance in return. Howard had been nervous all morning; afraid something would go wrong and make the Rossanos even more upset with him than they were already. Jack and Sue had stared at him incredulously. When Sue asked how much worse it could get than innocent people losing their lives, he had dropped his head guiltily and apologized, then gathered himself and made a concerted effort to pay attention to the advice he was being fed on how to interact with his pending visitor.

Jack hurried through a door to the right and joined Matt and Sue in the adjoining dining room, sliding the pocket doors closed a breath before an agent dressed as a maid ushered the attorney in to see Armstrong.

Howard stood, staring out the window at the colors that normally signaled his favorite time of year. His visitor cleared his throat and he closed his eyes for a second before turning. When he did, the too sophisticated man watching him breathed deeply and without preamble questioned, “He’s not here, is he?”

A small smile, mirthless and sad, gently lifted the corners of Howard’s mouth. “No, but you knew he wouldn’t be.”

“Unfortunate.” His head bent, slicked hair gleaming in the light from the window. “Mr. Armstrong… I don’t want to see you get hurt. You know they’ll stop at nothing? Your life, your families lives… they’ll ruin them all to get him.”

“I know,” Howard nodded and closed his eyes, “but he’s my son.”

“He belongs to my client.”

“There’s more to family than blood.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Thirty-seven, Part One

He’d left quietly, no grand threats, no evil leers. He simply told Howard he would be in touch and slid back under the wheel of his sleek black car. Howard couldn’t help but wonder how someone who was tearing your life apart could do it with so little fanfare. No sinister music played when the attorney told him the Rossano’s would stop at nothing. The scene didn’t fade to black when he left the room or when he drove off down the sun dappled driveway. Birds still sang and the colors outside the windows were as bright as any other year. But if he’d made the wrong decision by placing his trust in the man coming toward him from his dining room, the outcome would be the same as if all those things had been in place. He and his wife would lose their son, and life would never be the same.

“We’ve got a name,” Jack was saying. “Robert Muriano. He’s an attorney in New York City, and he’s represented several members of the Rossano family over the last nine years.”

“How… how do you know already?”

“I may have failed to mention this before Mr. Armstrong, but my team is the best there is. Our resident computer expert is just that… an expert. She’d already come up with a list of possible matches and once she had a photo of him, it was a matter of minutes until we had a positive ID.”

“I’m impressed.”

“Maybe now you‘ll believe me when I tell you, you‘re doing the right thing. Now, we have to get back to the hotel, but Agents Whitehouse and Wright are going to stay here in case anyone contacts you. They’ll explain the procedure for answering the phone. Follow their instructions to the letter, understand?”

Armstrong nodded solemnly and answered Matt’s beckoning gesture into the dining room. Jack watched him leave and reached for his phone. Bobby’s voice on the other end told him pretty much what he expected to hear.

“Yeah mate, I followed him to the interstate and switched off with the next tail as planned. He’s nearing the city now and we’re maybe ten minutes behind. I’ll head back as soon as we see where he ends up.”

“Right. Thanks Bobby.”

~~o~~

Bobby came back to the hotel an hour later and handed over Jack’s car keys along with an address and a name… Antonio Rossano.

“He went to see him?”

Nope. The address is Muriano’s office. He went straight there… where Rossano came to see him.”

“Whoa. From what I’ve heard Antonio Rossano summons people and they come, not the other way ‘round.”

“Yep. There must be something a bit off about this whole thing if they’re not meeting at Rossano’s house.”

“Which means we need to get some ears inside Muriano’s office.”

“Think we’ve got enough for a surreptitious warrant?”

“Maybe. I’ll get Matt on it; he’s more familiar with the judges up here. And we’ll need to take a look at Muriano’s computer while we’re in there, but I bet Muriano isn‘t stupid enough to keep incriminating records without protecting them. We need to get someone who knows what they‘re doing.”

“Would her name start with ‘T‘, end with ‘a‘ and have an ‘a-r‘ in the middle?”

Jack grinned and walked to the window, watching the tree limbs bob up and down with the increasing winds. A storm was brewing and the darkening skies lent a visual somberness to the situation at hand. What he had in mind required someone who wouldn’t have been seen by anyone watching the comings and goings at the hotel over the past few days. It also required a knowledge not possessed by anyone he knew, save one. From that moment, Tara Williams was indeed destined for New York.

~~o~~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Thirty-eight, Part One

Myles threw his hands in the air and clenched his fists. “Eureka!”

Sue, who missed the exultant cry but couldn‘t mistake the triumphant pose, smiled broadly. “You found the quote!”

“Finally. Our lawyer boy must be an extensive reader if he actually read a book by this author.” Myles beckoned Sue over and when she leaned over the back of the loveseat and propped her elbows on the cushions behind him, he pointed to the information highlighted on the screen.

“Woman is the salvation or the destruction of the family. She carries its destiny in the folds of her mantle, by Henri-Frederic Amiel, Swiss philosopher.” Sue read aloud. “Never heard of him.”

“Nor I, and I am an extensive reader.”

Sue couldn’t read him from behind, but it didn’t matter, her mind was occupied with trying to figure out why Muriano had answered Armstrong with the quote. She was still pondering the puzzle when Jack blew into the room followed by Bobby.

“Jack, Myles found the quote!”

“Great. That’ll save Tara from having to research it while she travels.”

“Tara’s going somewhere?” Sue asked for both herself and Myles.

“She’s coming here.”

Myles closed his laptop and laid it aside. “How come?”

“Muriano and Antonio Rossano met at Muriano’s office when he returned to the city. We’re going to see if we can’t get some information out of his computer and install some bugs. She's flying in tonight.”

“When does her plane land?”

“Not until nine; Sue and I will pick her up. In the meantime, Matt’s picked up Caldwell and we need to question him.”

~~o~~

The tiny holding cell at the local jail wasn’t big enough for pacing and Bobby found himself twitching to do so. Caldwell was being smug and uncooperative, making both Jack and him fume in frustration.

“We’ve got a pretty good idea of what you’ve been up to since coming home from Vietnam, Pete. Pretty sure that if we look hard enough we’ll find some unsavory stuff there.”

“My name’s Gerald.”

“And mine’s Bruce Wayne. Mind if we skip all the smoke and mirrors? I need to wash the bat-mobile.” Bobby flipped the only chair available around backwards and swung a leg over. He pushed the back forward and leaned close to Caldwell’s face. “The more you stonewall, the harder it’s going to go on you mate. If you just cooperate, we’re willing to negotiate.” The last came out in a sing-song “Johnny Cochran" imitation.

Sure that Caldwell wasn’t impressed with Bobby’s impressionist skills, Jack rolled his eyes and opened his eyes wide, trying to clear his mind. They’d been impressing upon Caldwell the wisdom of cooperating with them for the last two hours and were having no luck. He tapped Bobby on the shoulder and crooked a finger to get him to follow him from the room.

“This isn’t working.” Bobby leaned with a thud against the door as it closed behind him.

“Yeah, I got that.” Jack frowned.

“He hasn’t bit at anything we‘ve offered, nothing we say makes any impression on him.”

“Yes, Bobby, I get it.” Pacing in the small hallway, Jack crossed his arms and puffed out his breaths impatiently. Apparently the man had built up a very thick skin over the years; he knew first hand that the rigors and emotional complexities of being a sniper could do that to a man. It was the reason he’d opted out after only a couple of years. Thinking back to the day he and Sue had seen Caldwell and the other man on the walk at the hotel, Jack searched his mind for some way to get through. They still didn’t know who the other man was, and Caldwell had simply clamped his mouth shut when they asked, just like he had at every other question they’d thrown at him. Harrison Armstong had indicated that Caldwell had someone helping him, but beyond knowing the man’s name was Jimmy, he couldn’t help. They'd been prepared to watch and listen in on the meeting they’d overheard Caldwell talking about over the phone that day, but it had never materialized. Perhaps because “Jimmy” had never shown. Maybe Corydon could help shed some light on his identity. Corydon. Jack shook his head, wondering why he hadn’t thought of him sooner. They’d been best friends at one time; it was very likely that he could provide them with a way to reach his old friend.

Grinning , Jack shot a sideways look at Bobby who slumped against the wall, considering his next interrogation move. “Whadya say we talk to somebody who knows this guy a little better?”

Bobby pushed himself upright and followed Jack down the hall. “Beats talking to the wall.”

~~o~~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Thirty-nine

The phone call didn’t last long, but the information they gleaned about Caldwell would have made it worth it if it had taken all afternoon. They were back in the interrogation room as soon as Jack hung up, and it took all of three minutes for them to have the man singing like he was training for the opera. For all his bravado, Caldwell still held a soft spot in his heart for his dear old mother who was now an eighty-three year old widow still living in Caldwell’s hometown of Canton Ohio. ‘Mama’ didn’t know what her son did for a living… Petey-boy was adamant that it remain that way… and so they had their bargaining chip. A heartbeat after Caldwell gave them the answer to the last question Jack fired at him, that particular agent was on his way to Harrison Armstrong’s house.

~~o~~

“You had him shoot at us?!” The butler stood at the door to Harrison‘s office, mouth agape in his normally placid face as he looked from the ill-tempered man who‘d just forced his way in, to his employer, who seemed unruffled by the turn of events.

“You can leave us Miller, this young man is an officer of the law… I’m perfectly safe.” Though if looks could kill...

Miller nodded slightly and backed out of the room with a concerned glance back toward Jack. “Yes sir.”

Jack stood, as he had when he first pushed past Miller to confront the elder Armstrong, with his hands on his hips and his eyes flashing. The drive over had done little to appease his anger and now that he was facing the man that had apparently put his life, and more importantly that of Sue, in danger, he was having to remind himself that Harrison was in his seventies; he wanted to throttle him and then ask questions.

“You failed to mention this little detail when you were telling us your story the other evening; think we wouldn’t find out?”

“Oh, I supposed you would eventually. But I didn’t see how it would help you to know just yet. Evidently Caldwell isn’t as discreet as I was promised.”

Spreading his hands and jutting them outward from his sides, Jack spoke with them as much as his voice. “And what? You actually thought the FBI would be frightened away… just give up?”

Harrison settled against the edge of his heavy mahogany desk, his long legs stretched in front of him and his hands gripping the intricate trim and looked at Jack with a mixture of regret and resignation. “No, I don’t suppose I really thought it would work.” He moved around the desk and slumped into the large wing back chair, staring off toward the window. “But I’d put my little plan into motion. Foolishly perhaps, but still… I had to give it a chance. Funny how all the things you‘ve learned by the time you reach my age just sort of slip away when it‘s your family you‘re trying to protect.”

Jack moved forward then, some of the anger beginning to ebb away. “If you’d only come to us in the first place…”

“Yes, I know. I should have, or Howard should have. But they knew… know… everything about us, and they threatened to take James. I couldn’t let that happen. I‘m sorry Agent Hudson. Caldwell was under strict orders not to harm you, or that beautiful young woman who was with you here the other day. He told me you were… in the middle of something… when he fired. She means a great deal to you?”

“As much as your Maria meant to you.”

At the mention of his late wife’s name, Harrison’s face fell. “Maria. Yes, well, then she means everything to you.” He fell silent for a few seconds before continuing, “She would have thought nothing of giving up her reputation to protect James and the family; I told Howard as much. That’s what made him decide to send Anna and James away, hoping they would make good on their threat to smear my wife’s good name and forget about James. He knew she would have forgiven him.”

Jack swallowed hard. “Then your wife and Sue have something in common. They’d sacrifice anything to protect the people they love. And she was trying to help your family when you decided to have someone fire on her!”

“And you blame me for possibly putting her in danger.”

Jack held his gaze steady, his mouth set in a grim line. If he spoke more, he would face disciplinary actions for sure, but it might be worth it.

“I understand, and I’d feel the same way. You have my apologies, for what they’re worth. I had Caldwell fire into the air. You… she… was never in any danger.”

Sighing, Jack bit back the anger that had coursed through him for the last half hour; pity for the man in front of him that had begun to show his age just a little was inching it‘s way in. “You and Caldwell will face charges, I can’t stop that; shots were fired on Federal agents. But I’ll testify to all you’ve told me; I think they’ll take that to bear.”

“Thank you. But if you can just protect my son and his family… “

“I’m trying my best, but complete honesty on your part would help.”

“I understand.”

Jack thought back to his abrupt departure from the interrogation of Caldwell. He had been incensed when the man had admitted firing that night at Harrison’s command, and he’d bolted from the room leaving Bobby to finish. He hadn‘t been around to hear the rest. “The other day you told us you hired Caldwell through business acquaintances, but you never said who.”

“You’ve already talked to him.”

Brown eyes narrowed. “Who?”

“Tom Grayson.”

The lawyer Caldwell had visited in town. Jack had planned on asking Caldwell what his business with the attorney was, but he hadn’t dreamed that Grayson had been the conduit between him and Harrison. “How does he have connections like that?”

“Through his son Rick. I didn’t ask for details.”

Jack turned immediately and showed himself to the door, muttering under his breath. “Well I will.”

“Mr. Hudson…”

"Agent Hudson.”

“Ummm, of course… Agent Hudson, I understand your… annoyance with me. But when I found out who Harrison and Howard were dealing with, I knew it would take rather… ‘unconventional’ methods to solve their dilemma.”

Jack drew his brows together, his eyes closing tight as he attempted to assimilate what Grayson was telling him. “Harrison told me you knew Caldwell through your son?”

“Knew of. I’d never actually met the man.”

“He paid you a rather lengthy visit a few days ago.”

Tom Grayson nodded in understanding, “And you assumed we were more closely acquainted… maybe even partners?”

“You tell me.”

“I’m afraid your mistaken son.”

Jack stiffened at the familiar term.

“That was the first time I’d laid eyes on him. My son Rick,” he pointed to a photo of him with his son. Both were decked out in full fishing regalia and his son held a line of fish high as they both smiled broadly into the camera. “… was in the service with a man named Bradford; his last name. He was the shifty sort; always shirking duty. Rick never particularly liked him, but when you serve, you serve with whom you’re told. Anyway, Rick told me about a plan Bradford had to go into ‘business’ with this man Caldwell when he got out, and what the business entailed. I stored away the information… kind of hard to forget a story like that.”

“How did you get in contact with Caldwell?”

“Called my son’s old unit commander. He was able to get me Bradford’s number.”

Jack cocked his head sideways. “This Bradford, what’s his first name?”

“Jameson.”

Jack sighed… Jimmy. “I’ll need that number, and any other information on either Bradford or Caldwell. And then, if I were you, I’d be lining up one of your attorney friends, you’re going to need them.”



Jack left the man sitting, staring dumbfounded into the unlit gas fireplace, wondering how a recommendation to an old friend had left him defending himself to an FBI agent and possibly facing criminal charges.

From Jack’s perspective, the meeting had been enormously satisfying. He’d come away with a name for Caldwell’s partner and a way to contact him. And on a personal level, it did his heart good to make the last two men he‘d spoke to feel just a little of the fear they‘d been responsible for inflicting on him and Sue that night.

Passing a small park, he meandered through it on his way back to the car. Suddenly realizing that he could now take care of another very important matter, he began jogging along the brick path, heading for the small row of shops across the street.






Frank Cummins sat at his desk, reviewing the numbers from the last month. They were down, as he expected, and he wished for the hundredth time that all this unpleasant business would end. Unfortuantely, it might be too late for the hotel by the time it did. Howard kept telling him not to worry, but the red ink on the page in front of him made it hard. He’d just hung up from speaking to his friend and employer, and had been taken to task for taking things into his own hands. Howard somehow had known…

“It’s not your problem Frank. You don’t owe me anything.” But Howard was wrong about that, he owed him his lively-hood and most definitely his undying friendship. So he would do as Howard asked… the very next time he saw Agent Hudson.

A brief knock precipitated the door being flung wide and that very man stood before him.

“Agent Hudson! I… I was just thinking about you. I wanted… needed, to talk to you.”

Jack stepped into the office and closed the door. “Must be your lucky day.”

“Ummm, well, maybe not. You see, I’m afraid I need to make a confession.” Frank’s nose twitched a bit and his eyes were guarded beneath scowling brows.

“Really? About what?” Jack suspected he already knew, but confession was good for the soul, right? Far be it from him to deny a man the chance to do good for his soul.

“That letter…” he trailed off nervously.

“Yes?”

“I’m… I… “

“Go on Mr. Cummins.”

The confession, when it finally came, spilled out in a rush of words, Cummin‘s tongue fairly tripping over them in his haste to get everything out before he lost his nerve. “I sent it, or rather I wrote it, and told you someone had left it. I did it to try to dissuade you from investigating this whole ugly matter. Mr. Armstrong was trying so hard to deal with it, but your presence was making it difficult. Not that you were doing that on purpose, but all the same… He told me that you were only doing your job and that he would just have to deal with the consequences, but I couldn’t stand by and let him lose everything. He’s a good friend, a good man…”

He stopped abruptly and shook his head, looking at his hands clasped on the desk in front of him. “I understand you have to… to… deal with me… I understand you have to do your job…”

Jack took a seat, leaning back in the chair and propping his elbows on the armrests so that he could bring his fingers into a ‘steeple’ in front of his chin. Cummins was contrite, he could tell, and other than questioning the mail room staff that morning, they hadn’t spent much time investigating the letter, and it hadn't done anyone any harm. At times, his job gave him the latitude to follow his own discretion, and he figured this was a good time to do it. It was only a letter; a threatening one, but ultimately, just words on a sheet of paper. Cummins transgression paled in comparison to those of Harrison Armstrong and Tom Grayson.

“Mr. Cummins… Frank… I think you were so concerned about a friend being in trouble that you had a brief, but serious lapse in judgment. Not your best moment, but I don’t believe you meant any harm, did you?”

Frank’s head shook slowly side to side.

“Well then, I think, since you don’t have any prior criminal record, I can overlook this. But if you ever do anything…”

“I won’t! I assure you. I’ve learned my lesson, truly.” For the first time since Jack came through his door, Frank smiled wanly and allowed himself to breath again. “Thank you Agent Hudson. If I can do anything for you… Oh, what did you come in for? I completely forgot it was you that came to see me.”

Jack sat up straight and smiled, “Well, Frank, this should be a piece of cake after all that. I need to arrange to use one of your facilities… privately.”

LaGuardia was busy, but when wasn’t it? Jack mused as he negotiated the twisting, snarled traffic and more than once bit back words that he didn’t want Sue reading on his lips. Living in a metropolis was something he was used to, though it took awhile after he’d moved to DC to get his bearings, but jumping from one city to another and trying to figure out it’s particular set of do’s and don’ts was never his favorite pastime. He finally found a parking place and expertly slid the car into it. Hopefully, Tara’s plane would be on time and they wouldn’t have to sit waiting in uncomfortable plastic chairs for eons with thousands of others. The crowds of people in large airports never failed to remind him of cattle being herded to and fro, though the cows back home in Wisconsin might take offense to being compared to the horde rushing past when they stepped off the escalator.

Frowning, he tugged at Sue’s elbow and pointed toward the cluster of screens giving the flight arrival times. “Let’s see if her plane’s still on time.”

They had checked online before they left the hotel, but anything could have happened in the meantime. Flight 2683... Arriving from Washington DC… on time The miniscule white words against a bright blue background made him sigh in relief. He didn’t realize it had been so strong a sigh that Sue could actually see his chest heave until she laid a had on his arm and gave it a squeeze.

“Relax Jack, traffic must have made you tense.”

“Sorry, I’m not an airport person.” He grinned half heartedly, and I’ve got other things on my mind , he finished the thought without voicing it.

“Who is? Pity we don‘t travel by train anymore. It always seemed to be a more dignified way to get where you need to be.”

They started meandering down the wide corridor, not really heading anywhere. “Visions of the Orient Express dancing around up there.?” He tapped her temple.

“Ummm. Old fashioned dining cars and those cute little bunks…”

He laughed and grimaced. “I think I feel my bones crunching together just at the thought of those tiny compartments.”

Sue gave him a soft, backhanded swat in the stomach. “Spoil sport.”

“Ow. Stop beating me woman.” He turned and stopped, she followed suit. “Actually, the thought of a cozy compartment just big enough for two sounds like it could have it‘s advantages.”

The smug grin should have made her want to swat him again, but instead it stirred feelings she could do little about in their present location. Not for the first time, she wondered what they would tell Tara about ‘them’. She had a feeling it wouldn't take long for her friend to notice the difference in their relationship.

“So, I’ve been wondering, when Tara gets here, she’s probably going to notice…”

A tap on her shoulder brought the question to an end as she looked up into twinkling green eyes. “I’m going to notice what?”

“Tara!” Sue moved immediately to hug her. “We’ve missed you. It seems like forever since we saw everyone.”

“Tell me. If I’ve looked at your desk once to get your attention, I’ve done it a thousand times… D and Lucy send their best and Jack, D says that if you need his help just say the word. I think Tanya’s going through some teenage dilemma or the other and he’s looking for an escape.”

“Well bailing on Donna’s not the way to a long and happy life.” Jack grinned and enveloped their petite co-worker in a hug of his own. “Welcome to New York. Ready to catch a crime boss?”

“Absolutely. When do we go in anyway?”

“If you can get everything ready, tomorrow night.”

Tara cocked her head sideways and considered the work ahead of her for a second. “Shouldn’t be a problem. Especially if I can get some help from one or two of you guys. I took care of as much as I could before I shipped the equipment to you. And it should be here tomorrow morning, first delivery. I’ve got some of it in my suitcase, but I have to be careful what I travel with. Don’t want to get put on somebody’s watch list.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll come visit in jail.”

“Funny.”

Bending over to pick up her carry-on computer bag, Jack turned them toward the luggage carousels. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Amen, I didn’t even cross time zones and I’m soooo ready to crawl into bed.”

Sue leaned in and nudged Tara’s upper arm with hers. “Wait ‘til you see the hotel, sleep might be the last thing on your mind.”

“Ooooh, Bobby said it was something. That good, huh?”

Jack nodded. “Oh yeah. I highly recommend staying in a joint like this. Everything’s first rate… especially the sofa’s.” He spurted ahead of them to weave his way to the front of the crowd surrounding the carousels.

Tara stopped and looked at Sue, “Did he say sofas?”

Sue frowned and licked her lips. “Sorry, I didn’t catch what he said.” She told the white lie with her fingers crossed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Forty-two, Part One

The hour was very late and the dining room was looking much like it did the evening they arrived, with only a smattering of couples seated near the entrance. Jack had insisted that they wait until they got back from picking up Tara before they ate, and it seemed important, so she’d gone along without a fuss, even though her stomach was protesting loudly by the time they started the return trip from the airport. Then he’d suggested, a little too casually, that she change for supper.

“Jack, I’m starving, can’t we just go like this?”

“We could, but I’ve been dying to see you all dressed up since we got here. Please?”

Her eyes narrowed and she started to ask what he was up to, but when he hurried into his bedroom she let it go and changed into a red street length dress that Lucy had insisted she bring along. It wasn’t really all that fancy, but the fabric draped perfectly and the flared hem swished about her knees when she walked. The scooped neckline had a smattering of tucks sewn in that made it fit perfectly and then blouse out a bit before nipping in at the waist under a self fabric belt. The long sleeve would feel good as the nights were getting even chiller than when they arrived. They were fitted, flaring from elbow to wrist, mimicking the skirt. Jack had never seen her in it and she felt goose bumps rise along her arms as she opened the door of her bedroom and stepped into the sitting room.

“Jack?” His head was bent over some papers Tara had brought for him, but at the sound of his name, he dropped them and stood to greet her. His smile when he saw her had her mentally thanking Lucy for practically forcing the dress into her suitcase.

“You’re… stunning.” He came forward, handsome in his dark suit and white shirt which was left open at the collar, no tie in sight. He kissed her lips lightly. “Thanks for changing. Ready?”

“Like I said, I’m starving. If I eat as much as I want, I’m going to have to let out this belt.”

“No problem, I’ll still love you when you’re chubby.”



Jack asked that they be seated on the opposite side of the room, away from the few couples present. The young hostess thought back to her earlier conversation with the handsome young man and had trouble keeping a conspiratorial grin from her face.

“Certainly sir, follow me?” She fairly bounced her way to a table partially hidden from view by a square wooden column and a strategically placed potted palm. “Will this do?”

Sue gaped at the table. Normally meant to seat four people, two of the place settings were missing and had been replaced by a dozen or so candles of various heights and sizes, all in a sage green color. The candles were interspersed with pale pinkish peach rose buds and petals. Feeling tears well to her eyes, Sue turned quickly and reached for the man she knew was responsible, hugging him with all her might.

“How did you manage this? It’s absolutely beautiful!” Swiping a tear away that had escaped, Sue looked again at the table. This time she noticed the single rose lying at one place setting. Swallowing hard she moved to sit in front of the rose when Jack pulled the chair out for her. She picked it up and sniffed it’s fragrant aroma.

“What’s this all about Jack?” She reached for his hand once he was scooted close to the table. He brought it to his lips and kissed the knuckles, then turned it and covered it with his other hand. When he pulled it back, a small clear crystal lay in her palm. Her brows rose, both with surprise and wonder. She hunched down over her hand and took a closer look, seeing that the crystal was actually a bead with a small hole running neatly through it’s center.

“You’ve taken up jewelry making?” She looked up to him curiously from her bent position over the bead.

“Ahhh… no.”

“I give. It’s beautiful, but am I not sure… am I supposed to do something with it?”

Jack reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a small black pouch with a ribbon drawstring at it’s opening. “For now, you can just put it in here. We’ll figure out what to do with it later.”

She obliged, dropping the tiny bead into the pouch as he held it open. He then pulled the end of the ribbon, closing the velvet bag, and laid it on the table in front of her plate.

“Dinner will be here in a moment, I hope you like what I ordered. I would have let you choose, but that would spoil the… Surprise.” His eyes widened as his thumb and forefinger separated from each other at the outer corner of each eye.

“Oh, no need to worry, I’m surprised.”

“There’s more to come,” he looked over her shoulder and inclined his head in that direction. “but first, dinner‘s here.”

~~o~~
Chapter Forty-two, Continued

They dined leisurely on rosemary roasted chicken and creamy polenta, followed by a delicate white chocolate mousse topped with fresh berries and a drizzle of dark chocolate. Sue savored the last bite and leaned back in her chair, completely full and more than a little drowsy. She watched the flickering candles for a while before closing her eyes and replaying in her head the dinner Jack had lovingly planned. They had talked of how they would tell everyone about the ‘developments’ since they’d arrived, and Jack confessed that Bobby and Myles were already wise to them. She wasn’t surprised, after everything that had happened. She’d have wondered about their capabilities as FBI agents if they hadn’t known. They agreed to tell Tara if the need arose, but otherwise to keep mum and tell her along with D and Luce.

A tickle on her knee brought her back to the present. Jack was sitting sideways in his chair, leaning his elbows on his knees and one hand trailed it’s fingers over the fabric of her dress. He watched the light of the candles flicker in her eyes and caught his breath at her beauty. “Candlelight becomes you. You should carry one with you at all times.”

She could say the same of him. The warm light glinted in his dark hair and gave his complexion a glow that made the white of his teeth stand out even more than usual. And his eyes… she couldn’t help herself and leaned toward him, meeting him in a kiss behind the square pillar.

“This has been a wonderful way to end the day, thank you.” She trailed a forefinger down his cheek as she spoke.

He caught her hand and gave her palm a quick kiss before dropping another bead into it.

"Another?"

Nodding, he straightened and reached for the velvet bag, pulled it open and held it out. She dropped it in with a flourish, grinning at him.

“Come on.” He stood and tugged her to her feet. “There’s more remember?”

“Jack, it’s got to be eleven thirty at least. You don’t have to do anyth…”

A hand clamped over her mouth. “Stop putting a damper on my thunder will you?”

“Putting a… huh?”

His head cocked sideways and he gave her a rueful look. “Just follow me? I promise you’ll love it.”

Not giving her a chance to answer, he turned and pulled her after him out of the dining room and through yet another maze of hallways. It was easy to get turned around in the passages, but she was certain she hadn’t been down these particular halls. At last they came to a set of double doors; the lettering on them telling her what his next surprise was to be. This time, there was no keeping the delight, and the tears, at bay.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Forty-three

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words found their way past the lump in her throat. Standing in the open double doors, Jack held his hand out to her, just waiting until she gathered herself enough to move. When she did, it was into a cavernous outdoor pavilion; it’s huge overhead lights turned low so that it was lit softly. They reflected off the icy surface of a large skating rink. Sue walked toward it, shivering in the cool air. A soft weight settled around her shoulders and she looked down to see a warm blanket being wrapped around her. His arms followed and he pulled her backwards against him, hugging her close.

S-K-A-T-E…pause…Y-O-U?

She smiled. O-N-L-Y…pause…W-I-T-H…pause…Y-O-U.

His answer was a kiss against her cheek. He let her go, and she turned to see him hurrying off towards a bench with several pairs of skates laid out. She followed as he picked up a pair in the middle and looked inside. “These are eights, what size do you need?”

“They’ll do.” She sat on the end of the bench and reached for them, but Jack brushed her hand aside and knelt down, his right hand going to the back of her left calf. He skimmed his fingers down over the muscle, making her shiver again.

“Cold?”

“Not exactly.”

He grinned and slipped off her black high heel. By the time he had the skates on and tied tightly, Sue wasn’t sure if she’d be able to stand, much less skate. Thankfully, she was given a respite, and a chance to let the nerves settle that insisted on fluttering away in her stomach, when Jack sat beside her and proceeded to don the pair of black skates that occupied the far end of the bench. Then he stood and once again he was holding out a hand, beckoning her to him.

She didn’t hesitate, allowing him to lead her to the ice. They stepped gingerly onto the glistening surface and slid forward a few feet, getting their balance. Jack pushed past her and turned quickly, sending up a small spray of ice, and then just as quickly was back in front of her, skating backwards as they glided toward the far end of the rink.

Sue felt the old thrill take root deep inside; the feel of the ice slipping away behind her and the cool air on her cheeks; even the ruffling tickle of her dress against her legs was all so familiar. If Jack weren’t right in front of her, watching every move she made, she could have easily been on the rink back in Ohio. Deciding it was dangerous to look at him much longer, she took in her surroundings; wooden rafters framed what she was sure was a spectacular view in the daylight. Their shape reminded her of a church. “I didn’t even know they had a rink.” She whispered.

“I was hoping you didn’t, it would have spoiled my surprise.”

You could have taken me to the city dump and held me in your arms under the stars… No. No, it wouldn’t do to tell him that, his cockiness would reach new heights. Instead she shook her head. “I’m sure you would have found something just as nice.”

He shrugged and led them to the edge of the ice looking out over the landscape. They could make out the outline of tall evergreens against a star filled sky, but little else. He kissed her, and then tugged the ends of the blanket close when she shivered. “You are cold. Do you want to go inside?” Hoping she would say no, he watched her face closely.

“Really Jack, I’m not cold. In fact, if we stay in one spot for long, the ice might melt under me.” Intrigued with her assessment of the ice’s eminent danger, he decided to put it to the test. This time the kiss was longer, and deeper, fending off any stray chill that might threaten her, and making the coils under the ice work extra hard to do their job.

“I love you.” He breathed against her mouth.

Knowing exactly what he had said, Sue sighed, “I love you too”, and then found herself bereft of his warmth as he fished one hand into his inside breast pocket and took out the little velvet bag again. His hip pocket produced another crystal bead. Now understanding the rules, if not the goal of the game, Sue held out her hand and the bead was placed softly in the center of her palm. Once again, she dropped it into the bag when he held it open and watched as it was tucked safely back into his pocket.

“You’re not going to tell me what they’re for, are you?”

“All in good time.”

“I think this is a very good time.”

“Hmmm, well, I can‘t disagree. After all it’s a beautiful night, the stars are shining and I’m with the most gorgeous woman I‘ve ever set eyes on. And if I’m very lucky, the cool air will have her seeking warmth in my arms before long, and then…”

Sue swayed in his direction, but managed to stay put. “And then?”

There was that smug grin again. As if his thoughts were just too delicious to keep from showing on his face. “And then… I can show her how the sight of her in that dress is making me wish she’d taken me up on that offer to elope.”

Ducking her head to hide her grin as well as her blush, Sue smoothed her hands over the skirt of the dress. She gave a push and then let the skates bring her to him; in a heartbeat she was standing close, watching the increasing rise and fall of his chest. He reached out and nudged one arm away from her body so that he could run a hand around, under the blanket, to her back and pull her slowly to him. He hesitated then, waiting for her to look up. When she did, his lips slowly descended, bringing her breathing to the same hurried pace as his. He moved from her mouth down to her chin and along her jaw line, bending her backwards over his arm in order to bestow hot, open mouthed caresses down the column of her neck.

Sue was sure she had bones when they left the suite, but now she wasn’t certain. She clung to him limply and when her skates began to move forward, she could not immediately bring herself out of the stupor in which he’d managed to place her. By the time she realized what was happening, her feet were a good eight inches beyond the point where she could have righted herself, and all she could do was react. She tightened her arms around Jack and held on… all the way down to the ice.

He managed to lesson their fall with a hand to the ice beneath her, but they still landed with her beneath him and his face buried in her bosom. When he raised his head, he panicked at the look on her face, her eyes wide and her brow creased deeply in what surely must be excruciating pain. “Sue! You’re hurt? Where?”

She read his words, barely. Hurt? She shook her head and tried her best to remedy the problem, but his weight made it impossible. Finally, she managed to get enough breath to croak out “Cold!”

One, two, three seconds passed while he processed her one word explanation, then his brows shot up in understanding. He scrambled to sit up and then pull her up as well. The look on her face hadn’t changed though, and she pulled her hands from his to place them on the ice at her sides and push her body upwards, raising her bottom from the ice. Jack scooted forward and grabbed her waist, pulling until her backside rested warmly in his lap. Her eyes closed in relief for a moment, but the longer she sat there, the more she became aware of how their intimate position was and the fact that she could feel every muscle in his legs through her pantyhose. And when it became apparent that it was having an effect on Jack as well she opened her eyes and shot him a wide eyed look. “I’m sorry Jack. I… I‘m… heavy and now you‘re probably cold...”

He caught her as she attempted to stand. “Wait.” But she wasn’t looking.

W-A-I-T He risked loosening one hand to fingerspell. She stopped squirming and sat still, her bottom now balanced precariously on one bent knee. Jack reached over to rescue the blanket that had covered her shoulders and now lay warming the ice instead, nearly toppling her as he rolled toward it. Sitting up again, he folded it and placed it on the ice between his legs and then twisted the leg she sat perched on until she slid backwards, landing on the blanket with her legs draped over his right, and his left knee at her back.

“Comfy?” He wanted to grin; assure her everything was fine, but he was having trouble concentrating. He saw her shiver as she nodded and slipped off his coat to drape around her shoulders in place of the blanket. “There, that should help.”

She knew she should speak, but all she could do was nod inanely. She just sat there looking at his mouth, trying to read him without looking in his eyes. That would never do. One look and she’d be lost, her heart swirling down into some bottomless vortex from which she knew full well she didn‘t really want to escape. In fact, she was fairly certain that she was hanging over the edge even now. He was speaking again… concentrate.

“I think we should check on those crystals, see if they survived the fall.”

She nodded.

“The pouch is...” He pointed toward the garment covering her and paused. Suddenly realizing he was waiting on her to retrieve it, she fumbled inside the jacket until she felt the bulge of the pouch and then managed to extract it from the pocket. He took the bit of velvet from her nerveless fingers and held it up to his ear and shook. Brows creased and his beautiful eyes looked worried as he shook his head. “I don’t hear anything.”

At last she found her voice and it echoed his worried look when she whispered. “Open it.”

He obeyed, and peered down into the opening with one eye. “Something’s different. Hold out your hand.”

He held the pouch over her palm and tipped it’s bottom into the air, shaking it gently. No tiny beads bounced into her hand.

“We didn‘t lose them…?” She was certain she’d be missing out on something important if they’d escaped their tiny pouch. He shook it again and it relinquished it’s contents at last. Into her palm fell three sparkling stones, only now they were bound together forever within the white gold band that captured them and gleamed as brightly.

Sue gasped. Tearing her eyes away from it, she looked at Jack with tears glistening on her lower lashes. His smile was back in place, but it held none of the smugness from earlier. Instead it was warm and he struggled to contain tears as well. Deciding that if there was ever a time to cry, this was it, he let them slip down his cheeks as he reached for her left hand.

“Well, this night has been kind of magical, I guess it had an effect on the beads too.” He pushed her ring finger up with his fingertips. “Marry me Sue? Please?

She smiled, leaned into his chest and whispered, “Yes.”

Sitting there on the ice with the trees swaying in the night breeze that made the stars twinkle overhead, he slid the ring home. The kiss they shared warmed the air around them. Desire that lay always ready just beneath the surface added it’s own spark, and suddenly the chill in the air was forgotten, along with the rest of the world. All that was real, all that was important, they were holding onto tightly for fear it would dissipate into the atmosphere like their heavy breaths. The first kiss led to a second, which led to a third, and they later suspected that the morning sun would have been the only thing that could have interrupted, if only the ice hadn’t begun to melt…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

By 1 pm, Tara made good on her word. With the help of Bobby, they had all the hardware ready for their little foray into the good attorney’s office that night. Matt’s people had supplied them with schematics of the building, thanks to the good folks at city planning and zoning, and he’d even managed to lay his hands on some night vision goggles.

“Think we’ll need them?” Jack looked to Bobby. The Australian was the expert when it came to breaking and entering, though he preferred not to call it that. ‘Just using my God given talents for the greater good‘, he’d grin back whenever anyone teased him about his skills.

“Probably not, but I always take every opportunity to play with these things.” He let the goggles swing from a forefinger.

“OK, we’ll take them.“ Jack pointed toward the roll of papers laying on the desk. “You go over the schematics?”

“Yep.” He shot Jack a slightly irritated look. “While someone was sleeping in this morning, Myles and I went over every detail. We marked the routes in and out.”

“A half hour is not sleeping in. Why different routes in and out?”.

“Forty-five minutes, followed by an hour long breakfast. And not different… alternate.”

“And we’ll need alternate routes because…?”

“May… we may need an alternate route. We may need them because SOG delivered an interesting tidbit of information about Muriano’s office this morning. Seems he enlists the services of two armed night watchmen.”

Jack hissed a breath. “Great. Do we know their routine?”

Tara chimed in. “They don’t seem to have much of one. They only made rounds a couple of times last night and sat glued to a TV the rest of the time.”

Which made them unpredictable. They may, or may not, make rounds any time they decided to.

“We’ll have to have someone watching them then.”

Bobby swung the goggles around in a circle on his finger. “Already on it. We’ve decided that’s Sue’s responsibility, she might even be able to tell us ahead of time if they’re planning to leave the TV. That is if they’re the chatty types and announce their intentions.”

“You decided that did you?” Jack risked a glance at Sue, who sat trying to follow the conversation from a arm chair. She’d managed to get enough that she knew her services were going to be need that evening. Oh well, she sighed, she supposed she couldn’t hope to spend every evening the way she had the last.

“Yep.”

“And how’s she supposed to do that? We don’t have a camera on their desk… do we?” He figured he’d better not assume anything, Bobby seemed to be on a roll.

“No, no camera. But we do have a nifty spot all picked out for a surveillance van, and her very own pair of high powered binoculars. She’ll be just across the street with a prime view of the security desk.”

Not being able to come up with any other questions, Jack nodded as he smiled slightly. “OK then, we meet back here at 8pm campers, and be ready for a field trip into the city.”

“Jack, you’re up!” Myles greeted him sarcastically from the doorway.

“Don’t you knock?” Jack threw a brow at him and then turned away.

“It’s MY room. Why should I knock?” He moved into the room and stood looking over the array of equipment ready for their evening’s activities. “If you’re not nice to me, I won’t tell you my news.”

Tara’s ears pricked. “News?”

“Um-hum.” Myles’ grin grew and he turned to face the rest. “I’ve made extremely good use of my time the past couple of hours and visited Dumber. You know he was just wasting away in that holding cell without anyone to pop in and say ‘hi’.”

“So you thought you’d do your bit for a shut-in and brighten his day?” Bobby grinned.

“Exactly. You know, it’s amazing what a little bit of good will, and a jelly donut or two, will do to loosen a man’s tongue. “

“Meaning he talked.”

“Meaning he sang.”

Bobby slapped Myles on the shoulder, causing him to roll the offended body part in protest. “I appreciate your show of enthusiasm, but do you mind?”.

“Well, I would kiss you, but I’ll leave that for Tara or Sue. No point in starting rumors.”

“Oh!” Tara’s mouth rounded around the word and her eyes lit. “Speaking of rumors… when I went down for coffee this morning, I overheard one of the waitresses talking about ‘a couple of those FBI people’ getting pret-teee seeer-i-ous in the dining room last night. Are Jeff and Sarah a couple?”

Bobby coughed and made a show out of looking for a tissue, while Myles busied himself inspecting a small electronic microphone. Jack’s face went blank and his eyes darted to Sue. She’d caught Tara’s question and swallowed as she sought out Jack as well.

Finally, Jack shrugged exaggeratedly and forced out an answer. “Ahhh, Jeff and Sarah? I don’t think so. They... probably had the wrong people.”

“They sounded pretty sure. The one doing the telling was practically swooning all over the pastries; I barely came away with a muffin before she flattened them.”

“Maybe they just got the wrong idea.” Sue offered . “You know how people jump to the wrong conclusion.”

“Maybe,” Tara conceded, “But this girl must have a really active imagination if that‘s the case. I should have an evening like she was describing.”

Jack gathered himself and managed a grin, “Well, if it’s true, I’m sure it won’t be long until everyone knows. They’ll share their secret with their friends when they’re ready.”

“Ummm, not to mention they have to be careful because of them being in the same unit.” Tara shook her head. “Bummer.”

Finally able to come up with a legitimate diversion from the topic of conversation, he cleared his throat. “What do you say we get back to business? Myles, what tune was Dumber singing?”

“Ah, yes… Dumber. He began with a little ditty about he and Dumb being hired to simply keep an eye on you two.” He motioned a finger from Sue to Jack.

“You don’t carry a gun to keep an eye on someone.” Jack’s sarcasm dripped over the words.

“I pointed that out to him. That’s when he changed tunes to one about Dumb being the one who had the bright idea of bringing guns. I think I may have indicated that it didn’t matter whose idea it was and suggested that we were really after the person who hired him, and since he never drew his weapon we just might be able to find a little forgiveness in our hearts if he’d be willing to help us out.That and the fact that he'd be facing substantial prison time as an accomplice to attempted murder of two FBI agents.”

“And?” Bobby urged.

“He gave me a name.”

“Whose?!” Jack and Bobby fumed in unison.

“You don’t have to yell.”

Bobby started for him.

“Rossano.”

“I knew it! Now we’re getting somewhere.” Jack rubbed the palms of his hands together.

“Ummm….”

Bobby nodded in agreement. “And if we can get something good out of Muriano’s office to add to this….”

“But you…”

“Yeah, if we’re gonna’ make anything stick against Antonio, we need as much as we ca…”

“It wasn’t Antonio.”

Jack lifted questioning eyes toward Myles and Bobby followed suit. “But you just said…”

“I said Rossano hired them, but I didn’t say it was Antonio.”

Bobby narrowed his eyes and straightened to his full height. “Myles so help me…”

“Alessandra… they were hired by Alessandra Rossano.”

~~o~~

Jack stared at his colleague for a moment, mentally reviewing the information he’d reviewed about the Rossano family. “That’s Antonio’s mo…”

“Mother. You got it.” Myles affirmed.

“So?” Bobby looked from Jack to Myles and shrugged. “She’s still a Rossano.”

Jack furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. “True, and I don’t think it changes anything for the time being, but I didn’t expect this to lead to anyone other than Antonio. Tara? Do we have much information on Alessandra?”

Her finger were already producing a staccato rhythm from her keyboard and she shook her head as soon as the question was asked. “Not getting a lot right away. Just some statistics. She married Antonio’s father, Franco in Italy in August of fifty-six. She was born in Italy…“ Tara quirked her head to the side as she scanned the flickering screen. “The only bit of personal information I have is that the marriage was arranged.”

Sue frowned at the information. “Arranged?”

Tara’s head bobbed. “That what it says.”

“I wonder if she knew what kind of man she was marrying… that she was marrying into a crime family.”

“I doubt it would have mattered; she would have still been expected to marry him. And she probably always knew she was to marry for the good of the family and even though it might not sound like a good thing to us, the marriage probably put her birth family in a better financial position. From what I’ve heard, it wasn’t an uncommon practice.”

“Yes, but what does all that have to do with the current situation? That was fifty years ago.” Myles scowled at their conversation and lowered himself onto the arm of the nearest chair.

“Maybe nothing,” Sue conceded and then smiled sweetly, “but my job title is ‘analyst’, and the more information I have to analyze, the better.”

Jack broke in and turned everyone‘s attention back to Tara. “Well, since you’ve got everything ready for tonight, how about you see what else you can find on Alessandra?”

“I’ve already started a couple of searches, and I’ll call the New York office to see what they’ve got.”

~~o~~
Chapter Forty-five, Part Two

The office building across from the surveillance van was dark except for the window that Sue sat watching intently through the high powered binoculars Bobby had supplied. For tonight, she was in the company of Doug and Eddie and separated from the team, but if it meant keeping Jack and the others safe, so be it.

She could just see the tops of the two guard’s heads from a point just below the bridge of their noses when they sat behind the high counter ten foot past the front door of the building. ‘So much for reading lips unless they like to talk standing up‘. Sue shook her head to herself and sighed, then suppressed a giggle, thinking the two men looked like they were getting ready to do a puppet show.

Eddie raised a hand and then jotted quickly on the pad between them… they were in; Bobby’s extra planning in order to enter without tripping the alarm had paid off. A service door at the rear of the building was the point of entry, and from there they would travel a series of back stairs to the third floor and Muriano’s office. Eddie, who was proving to be very adept at listening to the quiet conversation flowing into his headset and boiling it down to it’s essentials so that he could convey it to her, scribbled once again to let her know that Tara had managed to trip over a broom handle left laying half in - half out of a closet, but she had been rescued promptly by Bobby who was directly behind her. Grinning, Eddie assured Sue all was fine and she double checked to see that the guards were still in place behind the counter.



“Tara luv, if you’re going to do gymnastics, could you wait until we’re back at the hotel? Kind of hard to hold up those score cards right now.”

Tara rolled her eyes and pulled her black sweatshirt down from where it was stuck midway up her midriff. “Just trying to be entertaining.”

“That you were. But Sparky seems to be getting ahead of us.”

Tara turned in the direction Bobby’s finger was pointing and saw Jack’s backside disappear through a doorway. She hurried off, this time nimbly hopping over the broom handle. Grinning, Bobby picked it up and tucked it inside the closet before following. He quickly caught up halfway down the next hall and was right behind them as they entered the large reception area just outside the main office. Two desks and the usual office furniture inhabited the room and Tara ignored everything to slip into the office beyond. Pushing the start button on Muriano‘s computer, she left it to go through it’s start up and began installing the listening devices and two small cameras that would let them monitor the attorney, while Jack and Bobby made themselves useful by looking through appointment books and taking photos of anything they found interesting. They were in the process of hooking up the last microphone when Sue voice crackled into their ears. “Jack… guys… we may have trouble. One of the security guards looks like he‘s leaving.”

“No clue where he’s headed?” Jack touched his ear piece and waited during the delay while Eddie asked the question of Sue.

“No Jack, he’s not talking, just stretching right now. Wait… he’s moving away…”

Tara quickly cleaned up the few tell-tale signs of their being in the office and dropped them in the black bag at her side, ready to move if need be. Jack sprinted back into the reception area and crossed quickly to the door, listening for anyone coming.

“False alarm! He just went into the restroom, but stay alert until he comes back.”

“Will do.” Jack remained at the door, listening for anyone heading their way.

Tara took a seat in front of the computer she’d started earlier and spoke quietly as she started to sift through the various screens. “Eddie? Tell Sue I think it’s time to put her plan into motion as soon as that guard comes out of the can.”

“Plan?” Three voices echoed back.

Tara giggled. “You’ll find out.”

Eddie’s curious expression mirrored those of Jack and Bobby, though they never knew it. He relayed the message and Sue simply grinned.

“He’s out.” She informed the three clandestine coworkers. A second later they were startled by a whooping sound from the first floor followed by Sue‘s voice again. “He’s back at the desk. I think it worked Tara.”

“What worked?” Jack was more perplexed than ever.

Tara grinned. “I’m not telling. It was Sue’s idea, I’ll let her fill you in. Let’s just finish and get out of here.”







“Come on, you can’t just dangle partial information in front of us and then not let us in on the secret!” Bobby was protesting yet again. Sue had simply grinned and blushed when Jack asked her about her plan once they rendezvoused and climbed into the van for the ride back to the hotel.

“What difference does it make? All that matters is that the guards were preoccupied and you made it out safe and sound. End of story.”

You…Chicken, Tara signed. “It was brilliant! Tell them!”

“It embarrassing.”

Tara’s “Pfffft” sent Bobby ducking out of the way of the spray. “It’s not like you were watching it.”

“Watching what?” Bobby pounced, and Jack perked up as well. Beyond asking the initial question, he’d declined to badger Sue on the subject, thinking instead he preferred questioning her in private and began thinking up various ‘interrogation methods‘ as they rode along.

“Oooops.” Tara eyes squinched tight and she quickly signed Sorry.

“Tara!” Sue huffed and glared. Bobby was leaning toward her expectantly… if they had hit a bump in the road, he would have spilled out of his seat. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Tell us and I won’t look at you again until we get back to the hotel.” He promised.

She puffed her bangs upward and looked from one eager face to the next. Even Eddie’s. All he’d seen was the reaction from the two guards and now he cocked his head sideways waiting for her explanation.

Closing her eyes to block out their curious grins, she began. “This afternoon, Tara found out that Muriano’s office has cable internet, so it was a pretty easy guess that the TV the guards were watching was on cable as well…” She hesitated and felt a hand on her knee. Jack’s grinning eyes met hers when she opened them.

“And?”

“And I… figured Tara knew how to… tinker with their programming…”

“Which was a cake walk. If it weren’t illegal I could have you guys watching the NFL channel like that.” Tara snapped her fingers and grinned at Bobby.

Frowning, Bobby leaned back in his seat a bit. “Aw luv, don’t tell me that. Do you know how much I’d love to have that?”

Jack cleared his throat and shot them a mock serious look. “Ahem… people, keep focus here. We still have details missing.”

She’d been hoping they would get completely off track and forget about her, but since that wasn’t to be, Sue bit her lip and plunged deeper. “It was really Tara. She’s the one who fixed it so that all I had to do was flip a switch so the guard's TV suddenly got a new channel.”

“But it was your idea.” Tara insisted.

Jack narrowed his gaze and tilted his head, sneaking suspicion beginning to take hold. “Which new channel? “

She frowned and squeezed her eyes tight again. “Playboy?”

She missed Bobby’s mouth dropping open and Jack’s brows bouncing off the roof of the van. All she saw when she looked next was three admiring male gazes focused on her.

“Told you she was brilliant.” Tara crowed.

Sue swatted her arm. “And you’re lousy at keeping secrets.”

“Am not. Have I told anyone about your ri..?” she clamped her mouth shut, but not before Bobby caught enough to cause him to swing his eyes to Sue’s left hand.

“Awwwww, Spark… you didn’t?”

Jack stayed silent, screwing his mouth sideways and sighing at the teasing he was sure to take.

“You knew?” Sue asked Tara.

“Like I could miss that! I’d have to be blind.”

“I thought about not wearing it yet, but…” a wistful look came over her features and she shared a softly intimate look with Jack. She pulled her eyes away and returned her attention to Tara. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“And ruin your surprise? I figured you were waiting so you could tell Lucy along with the rest of us.”

“But for all you knew, it could have been part of our cover.” Jack reasoned.

“Could have. But when I put that together with the description of the couple the waitress was talking about this morning…”

“You never said she gave a description.” Sue’s grin was growing.

“Didn’t I mention that? Very forgetful of me…” Her grin and shrug not fooling anyone, Tara reached for Sue’s hand. “Now let me look at this rock. Strike that… rocks. Three of them. Wow Jack, you went all out; it’s beautiful.”

“Well, I had it on good authority that she likes diamonds.” Jack’s hand ran up Sue’s arm, the look in his eyes telling her that he was happy he had splurged.

“Congratulations. Lucy will be over the moon…. Ummmm, when are you going to tell her?”

Sue breathed deep, regretting that her best friend wasn’t here to share the news. “When we get back, I guess. I can’t tell her this over the phone.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll all act surprised.”

Bobby winked. “Our lives may depend upon it.”

Sue smiled, but then grew somber. “She’ll understand.” She said it almost to herself, hoping her words were prophetic.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Forty-six

“Dumb is now wide awake.” Myles announced without preamble and slid into the empty chair between Matt and Bobby at the large round dining table. “I just spoke with the hospital. And not only is he awake, but Jeff has already paid him a visit and it seems that when he heard that Dumber had lived up to his nickname and ratted him out, well he couldn’t wait to do the same to pay him back.”

“Wow.” Jack spoke around the bite of omelet he’d just taken. “Hope the rest of the day goes this well. It’s not even nine o’clock and we’ve got good news.”

Smiling broadly, Myles reached for the carafe of coffee sitting in the center of the table. “Does start the day out better, doesn’t it?”

“I’ll say.”

“Well, as long as we’re onto business, I can tell you that my trusty computer finished it’s search for information on Alessandra Rossano and I heard back from New York.” Tara took a sip of orange juice as she finished and snatched a piece of bacon off Bobby’s plate.

“Hey!”

“Bacon’s bad for you.”

“Then it’s bad for you too!”

“See what I’m willing to sacrifice for your well being?” Her Cheshire cat grin had him grinning back. A sharp whistle rent the air, bringing the exchange to an end.

“Alessandra?” Jack prodded.

“Oh, yeah… well, you all know that her husband died about six years ago, leaving the family business to Antonio. But I found case notes indicating that the bureau had got wind of some ‘upheaval’ in the family and apparently it all centered around Alessandra. “We” were keeping tabs on several meetings that took place between Antonio and some of his cousins that are in charge of various areas within the business, and we had a agent undercover in the family for awhile that had overheard some talk that Alessandra wanted to be in charge.”

“She wanted to be crime boss?” Sue asked, trying to fathom a woman wanting the role.

“That was the theory anyway.”

“Who was the undercover agent? We should talk to him.” Myles spoke up.

“An agent Barrelli. But he went missing several weeks later; he’s never been found.”

The table of agents fell silent at the news, a grim reminder of the dangers they usually forced to the back of their minds and a fresh incentive to solve the case at hand. Jack was the one to break the silence. “But Antonio’s in charge now, right?”

“So it appears. We haven’t been able to get another man inside since then, so our information is gained strictly through surveillance and the few members we’ve been able to put away that were willing to talk in order to reduce their jail time, and there are very few of those. The Rossano family is very protective of the business. Only blood kin is allowed to be in charge. They have to go outside the family for ‘lower level personnel’, so to speak, but over the years it’s started to backfire on them.”

“Who wants to join the business if they can’t advance in the ranks?” Myles put forth his theory.

“Exactly. All the best and brightest crooks steer clear of them, preferring to create their own opportunities. The family has definitely dwindled.”

Myles snorted. “Best and brightest crooks; now there’s an oxymoron.”

“That would be one explanation of why they’re so desperate to get their claws on James, but it still makes no sense why they didn’t come after Howard when he was a child.” Sue looked around the table, willing to accept any thoughts on the subject. Equally bemused expressions met hers. A moment passed before Jack dropped his napkin onto his empty plate and pushed his chair back.

“Well, instead of just sitting here contemplating what it all means, let’s see if we can’t get some more information. Bobby, why don’t you and I head over and see if we can’t get something else out of ‘Dumb’.”

Sue watched them stand and prepare to leave, her ire rising. “I can come.”

Pausing as he pushed his chair under the table, his eyes traveled around the group before coming back to settle on her face. “I know, but I thought a man to man conversation might be more successful.”

“Then we can all three go and whatever seems to work best is what we‘ll go with.” She rose and met him eye to eye.

Glancing at the agents around them again, Jack took her by the arm and pulled her away from the group. “Sue, are you sure? This guy almost…”

“I know what he did, that’s why I want to go.”

“You don’t have anything to prove.” They hadn’t talked about that day in their suite, but he’d been watching and listening for any sign that it was eating at her.

Sue swallowed and moved so that Jack’s body blocked her from the others. “I know Jack. But I want to face him. He almost took something precious from me, and I’m not talking about my life or my body. He had a gun pointed at your forehead and I need to make sure he knows he didn’t win. Not in any way.” She thought she might cry before she got it all out, but her voice only grew stronger as she finished, and she could see the admiration in Jack’s eyes.

“No, he didn’t win.” He took her hand and squeezed before placing a kiss on her fingers. “OK, come with us, but if you change your mind…”

“I won’t”

~~o~~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Forty-seven

The man lying in the hospital bed didn’t look threatening, not even intimidating. Rationally, Sue had known he wouldn’t, but it still surprised her to feel no apprehension when she finally stood before him. He was asleep, his face relaxed and unmarred by the evil he’d displayed in the hotel suite.

Jack hovered nearby, a hand at her back until she took it in her own and gave it a squeeze. “I’m fine Jack, do what you came here to do.” He heaved a small sigh and watched her for a second longer, then gave her hand a return squeeze and let go.

Floyd Cooper woke slowly and Bobby grinned inwardly at the slight blip on the monitor at his bedside when he recognized Jack. He didn’t move, but his eyes darted from Jack to Bobby and finally to Sue; the trio sensing his inner squirming.

“We thought we’d come by and see how you were doing.” Jack’s smile could have fooled most into thinking he was actually exchanging pleasantries with the man who’d almost killed him days before, but his next words would have brought the illusion to an end. “Wanted to make sure you were strong enough to stand trial.”

Cooper swallowed, but still said nothing.

“What’s the matter Floyd, can’t talk without your gun?” Bobby quipped. “I seem to remember you being positively chatty while you were waving it around.”

“I think he’s just all choked up at our show of concern, right Floyd?”

“What do you want?”

“He speaks!” Bobby threw his hands into the air in mock surprise and settled onto the arm of the chair next to the bed. “That’s a good thing mate, ‘cause we want to hear you do a lot more. Speaking, that is.”

Cooper clamped his mouth shut and stared straight ahead. Jack and Bobby exchanged glances, knowing that the man in front of them had obviously had a change of heart since talking to Jeff that morning. Jack was considering his first question when Sue stepped up to the foot of the bed.

“How much did they pay you to shoot those people?”

Cooper’s eyes flew up, his mouth flew open. “Me? I didn’t shoot anybody.”

“There hasn’t been a sniper attempt since you’ve been in the hospital…”

“That doesn’t prove anything.”

“It certainly doesn’t disprove it either. You’ve already admitted the Rossano’s hired you, it’s only logical to assume…”

“Well you assume wrong. All she wanted me to do was find out how much you guys knew.”

Jack flashed a look at Cooper. “She?”

Once again, the occupant of the hospital bed clamped his mouth shut, and this time his eyes squeezed shut as well, regretting his rush of words.

“Who’s ‘she’?

“I meant he, I, I just made a mistake.”

Bobby leaned close. “Oh I’m sure you’ve made a bunch of mistakes, but that wasn’t one of them.”

Jack “The more cooperative you are, the easier it will go on you. You may even be able to persuade us you had nothing to do with the sniper shootings.”

“I didn’t”

“Well, the way I see it, there’s only one person who can back you up on that, and that’s the person who hired you.”

Cooper, clearly conflicted, seemed to consider his options. “It doesn’t matter. If I tell you, I’m as good as dead.”

“But if you tell us, we’ll be much more inclined to protect you.” Jack pointed out with another insincere smile.

Bobby picked up where Jack left off. “You’ve probably already given us enough to make them want to get back at you; might as well give us enough to make you important to our case. Play your cards right and you might walk out of this with a life to go back to once you’re out of prison.”

“Like you’re going to go easy on me.”

“Well, let’s just say that it’s for sure we’re not going to go out of our way for someone who withholds information. It’s up to you.”

Cooper clenched his jaw and his nose flared. “Fine. But you guys have to protect me, that’s the only way I’m talking.”

“We’ll make the necessary phone calls as soon as we leave here.”

He hesitated again, unsure of whether he was making the right decision, but at last he spoke. “Alessandra. She’s the one who hired me, but I kept in contact with Antonio. She said she couldn’t be bothered with talking to me everyday. Crazy broad.”

“Alessandra Rossano? She personally hired you?”

“Yeah. I’ve done work for her before; she ‘s always wanting me to clean up after Antonio.”

“Clean up? Bobby wanted clarification.

“You know… Antonio likes to think of himself as a ladies man and… well, he’s always draggin’ some bimbo in and then when he’s tired of her, he gets mean… starts beatin’ up on her. Alessandra has me take them away, give ‘em some money to keep quiet and not go to the cops… that sort of thing.”

“These girls… they all go away alive?”

“Yeah. They might be bimbos, but they all know a good deal when they see it. They know it’s over with Antonio and figure they might as well make some easy money off the whole thing. I might have had to threaten one or two of them, but I never hurt any of ‘em. That was Antonio’s thing.”

“Lovely family.” Sue muttered, cringing at the idea of what Cooper considered easy money. “How did she and Antonio know about us? That we were FBI?”

“All I know is they had someone working in the hotel, watching things. I never knew who it was.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. I’m just hired help to them, why should they tell me something like that?”

Jack bent closer to the bed. “Maybe they don’t tell you things, but I bet you overhear things sometimes, right?”

Cooper shifted his face away from Jack, trying to avoid saying more.

“Don’t get quiet on us now, mate.” Bobby closed in from the other side. “We might forget the phone number for that call we have to make.”

“Fine, fine. He goes by Dwayne, but that ain‘t his real name.”

A heavy New York accent replayed itself through Jack memory… the host in the dining room on the morning he and Sue had first seen Caldwell and Jimmy... the boy he’d thought would make a perfect mobster… was a mobster.

“But you know his real name.” Sue correctly guessed.

"Yeah… Arman… Arman Rossano.”

~~o~~

~~o~~
Chapter Forty-seven, Part Two

“Can‘t wait to see what young Mr. Rossano can give us.” Bobby wondered as they made their way through the parking lot. “He may be easier to get information out of than one of his more hardened family members.”

Jack grimaced. “Maybe, but this kid’s been raised on lies and evasive tactics.”

“From what Cooper said though, he’s not the brightest bulb in the pack. Maybe that’ll work in our favor.”

“Which makes me wonder how much information he’s been trusted with.“

Bobby grimaced as well and fell silent as they continued their walk. When they were closing in on the car, he motioned toward the woman walking five feet ahead of them. “Sue OK?”

He knew Jack hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of her going to see Cooper, but he also knew Sue most definitely had a mind of her own when it came to what she perceived as her capability to handle what any other woman would. On more than a few occasions, he wished she could understand that they weren’t questioning her ability, but wanting to protect her from things no woman should have to go through. Still, it made for some interesting times in the bullpen, and he supposed it would lead to even more fireworks in the future now that she and Spark were a couple.

“She says she is, I just have to take her word for it for now.” Jack squinted against the late morning sun and watched her open the car door for Levi. “Why? She say something to you?”

“Not a word. It’s just, well… it’s not every day you face a man who tried to kill you and she hasn‘t been dealing with things like that as long as we have.”

Jack nodded and shuffled to a stop. Hands in his pockets, he examined the asphalt beneath his feet as he considered his next words. “Think I should talk to her about it? We talked a little the day of the break-in; that’s what led to our getting engaged, really, but she hasn’t said a word about it since then.”

“And you haven’t either.”

“No.”

Bobby straightened a little and looked toward Sue who was already in the car and busy fastening her seatbelt. “Figuring out the female mind has never been my strong point, but whenever my mum was facing some problem or the other… you know, before she met pop… she’d put on a brave face and never let me know how much it was getting to her. But at night, after she thought I was asleep, I’d hear her crying. Then after Pop came along, she’d still have those nights occasionally, but then I’d hear Pop talking to her real calm; he made a difference just by being there; letting her know she wasn’t alone anymore.”

Watching the memories wash over Bobby’s face as he spoke, Jack could tell the difference his adopted father made in his life as well. “Thanks Bobby. I’ll remember that.”

“Well, just as long as you don’t blame me if it blows up in your face and she kicks you out on your hinders.”

Jack laughed and punched him in the arm. “I promise. Besides, if she did, I’d claw my way back in. She‘s not getting rid of me.”

~~o~~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Forty-eight

“Can I help you sir?” The young man, completely unaware of what was about to befall him, smiled down at Jack and waited for an answer.

Jack smiled back and looked over his shoulder toward the lobby. “Ummm, yes, I think so. I have a problem, but it’s a little difficult to explain; it’s easier just to show you. Just out here, it won’t take a minute.”

The second Arman cleared the doorway of the dining room in Jack‘s wake, Matt pinned him against the wall and Bobby moved in to cuff him. “You have the right…” Matt went through the mechanics of making the arrest and they walked him toward the main door; anxious to get him out of public view.

Jack watched them move away and allowed himself a smug grin.

“You’re looking pretty pleased with yourself.” Sue sidled up beside him and poked a playful finger at his stomach. Grabbing at the finger and bending to avoid it’s path, he grinned and pulled her to his side when her hand was securely in his.

“Not with me, with the way the case is progressing. We’re getting somewhere now; it’s just a matter of time.”

“A-hem… told you so.”

“Yes Pollyanna, I remember. And if [you remember, I didn‘t doubt you.”

He was right, he hadn‘t. “Fair enough.”

Jack kissed her forehead and pulled back to scrutinize her for a long second. There was no time like the present, he decided. You hungry?

“It’s a little early isn’t it?”

“What if we, ummm… work up an appetite first?” Brows waggled and his eyes danced in anticipation.

Sue raised her chin and narrowed her eyes. “And just what did you have in mind?” When he got in this mood, things usually turned heated before she could catch her breath.

“Well, how about another picnic? We can walk out to the tables in the woods; by the time we get there, I’m sure we’ll be hungry.”

“Oh.” She couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“If you don’t want…”

“No, I do. I just thought you were going to suggest something else.”

An arm slid around her waist and he hauled her close, barely leaving ‘reading’ room. “I didn’t say what we’d be hungry for.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

~~o~~

The chilly weather that had moved in over the last two days now seemed to be a pattern that would last until winter’s cold moved in, but the sun was bright and the trees glowed in the autumn rays. They made their way along the path that was now hopelessly covered in fallen leaves; Jack’s hand clasped tightly in Sue’s and the other swinging a picnic basket. Levi stretched his lead as far as possible, pulling Sue off the path more than once. She’d laugh and yank him back, trying all the while to issue commands that the dog completely ignored.

“I think it’s this way.” Jack stopped and turned to tell her, lifting the basket ahead of him to the left. The leaves made it impossible to be sure, but a minute later, they broke into the small clearing.

Sue tied Levi to the leg of a picnic table, giving him access to a patch of undergrowth to explore and set about unpacking their meal. “How’d you manage to get this basket? We didn’t have anything like this the last time we were he…” She stopped abruptly. The last time they were here, Jack was furious with her. The memory of that afternoon washed over her and before she could move past it to what followed, Jack was at her side. He took the container she was holding and sat it on the table, pulling her hands to his chest.

“The last time we were here I was scared out of my mind and I let that talk for me. I’m sorry.”

Sue just looked at him, her face mirroring her emotion. Sadness tinged with frustration flooded through her at the thought of how angry he’d been. But, he’d just admitted to being frightened, and couldn’t the two be confused?

“Was that really it Jack? Fear?”

“Mostly. I was angry too, but I was wrong.”

She smiled, letting go of any lingering feelings other than love for a man who could admit something like that. “I was wrong too. Somehow, I should have at least let you know where I was going.”

Jack smoothed her hair back at her temples and cupped her face between his hands. “Fair enough. We both could have handled that a little better. Let’s move on to more recent events.”

“Like?”

“Like this morning.”

“What did I do this morning?” Her puzzled look made him laugh.

“Nothing. Well, nothing wrong. I was just… curious. You seemed to take seeing Cooper in stride, just like the break-in. After the initial shock, you never mentioned it again. You sure you’re OK?”

“You never talk about it either.”

“We’re not the same person, I’ve been at this a while.”

“And I’m a greenhorn.”

“No. But your not a field agent either. It’s OK to vent; if not to me then Lucy, or maybe a bureau phycologist.”

“I don’t need…”

“No, you don’t need a shrink, that’s not what I’m suggesting. But they’re trained to listen and make suggestions no matter how big or small the need. They could…”

“I’m fine Jack. All I need, I have right here, standing in front of me.”

He sighed, this was even harder than he expected. “And I’m here for you, tell me anything. But if you need someone more professional… less emotionally involved, I understand.”

Sue was nodding quickly, too quickly. Her mouth was clamped tightly and the longer Jack spoke, the closer her brows knit together, pain filling her eyes. As long as no one talked to her about that day, she’d been able to push the horrible possibilities from her mind. Not even facing the man who had threatened them had caused a break in her armor. But Jack…that was different. The love she knew was behind the curiosity immediately pierced through, causing a sharp, almost physical pain.

Jack stopped talking as she nodded, seeing the tears that were so close. He berated himself for causing her to go through this, but at the same time if the emotions were this close to the surface, then surely it would do her good to talk? “Cry Sue. Scream if you want to… something. Or just talk to me. Tell me anything, everything.”

She burrowed into his chest and breathed deep of his scent. He smelled clean, and so very ‘right’. She didn’t know how to put into words the thoughts that screamed through her brain when that day came to mind. She’d spent more than three years trying to come to terms with her feelings for Jack, and had finally come to the conclusion that he was to be a very good friend, but nothing more. Then this trip came along, and for reasons she still didn’t quite fathom, he changed. She’d seen glimpses of this version of Jack in the past, but he’d always slipped away, taking her hopes with him. Now… here… ’new’ Jack had taken over, making the old one seem a distant memory. Seeing the gun against his forehead had nearly made her heart stop. If Myles and Bobby’s timing had been off by a second that day, she’d be mourning him now instead of standing in his embrace. She kept her head against his chest when she spoke; the words easier somehow than if she looked into his eyes.

“There are some lyrics to a song that I’ve always remembered … If I could save time in a bottle the first thing that I’d like to do is to save every day till eternity passes away, just to spend them with you. If I could make days last forever, if words could make wishes come true, I’d save every day like a treasure and then, again, I would spend them with you.”

“But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them.” Jack sang the words softly, hesitantly, and more than a little off key, but even though the tune went unheard, she knew and reached up to caress his cheek.

“I’ve looked around enough to know that you’re the one I want to go through time with.” She finished the lyrics and lowered her head again. “Cooper almost took that from us, the opportunity to spend the rest of our lives together. He didn’t succeed, but I know that sooner or later, some other insane person with a gun will come along and test us all over again.”

Her voice broke, her next words muffled, strangled, and soft. “And they might succeed in taking you away from me.”

He held her close; the only thing he could do at the moment. They hugged each other for a long time, each taking strength from the other.

Finally, Sue pulled back and spoke again, staring at his chest as she did. “I know I have to live with that fear Jack, and I will. The only other options are for you to stop doing what you love, or for us not to be together. I don’t accept either of those.”

“I can leave…”

“No. Not for me.”

“I’d do anything for you.”

“And that’s enough Jack. That’s more than enough.”

“I love you.” They echoed the words to each other. He pulled her to him and sought her mouth with his, but he held back for a few seconds, letting his breath mingle with hers. When his father had pulled him aside after an episode in his youth he’d rather forget, he’d told him that if he would not be too quick and settle for the first girlfriend, the first woman who swept him off his feet, then he would realize the difference between those relationships and the one that would last a lifetime. The words came back to him in that instant, and as he kissed the one his father had been talking about, he was very grateful he’d taken them to heart.

His hands slipped beneath her coat, and then beneath her sweater, finding the warm, pliant skin and sending wondrous shivers down his body and hers. Pulling her closer still, he left her mouth to venture downward, frowning at the fabric that brought his travels to a halt much quicker than he wished.

“Whose idea was it to come out here anyway?” He growled his frustration at her heavy sweater.

Smiling, Sue kissed his chin and rocked gently back and forth in his arms. “I seem to remember that suggestion coming from you, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart. He couldn’t remember her calling him that before, or if she had he’d been too besotted to notice. It seemed the most beautiful word he’d ever heard her say… other than I love you.

“Well then, let’s eat and get back to our room before I get carried away and shock the squirrels.”

Sue glanced toward the tree tops. “They won’t tell anyone. And if they do, I’ll sick Levi on them.”

Grinning he pulled a blanket out of basket and held it up for her inspection. “OK, but if we get a nut thrown through our window tonight, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Sometime later, their lunch devoured and forgotten, they snuggled together as a scandalized squirrel scampered out of Levi’s reach.

Lyrics from 'Time in a Bottle' by Jim Croce

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Forty-nine

A cool breeze had begun and Sue shivered, even with Jack’s arms wrapped around her. For a time, their activities had kept the chill at bay, but now as they sat quietly watching the stream gurgle past, it insisted on making itself felt.

Jack felt the shiver and tipped her chin up. “Ready to head back?”

“I guess we should, but I don‘t want to.” She sat up straight, leaving the warmth of Jack’s chest and immediately regretting it. Their talk, and it’s aftermath, had left Sue in a pleasant haze and she’d been more than willing to simply sit with him, enjoying the afternoon. But now she realizes she hadn’t yet returned the favor Jack had paid her. She reached for his hand as he began to stand, keeping him by her side.

“Wait Jack… you know, I’m not the only one who hadn’t talked about what happened to us...”

His chest heaved in a sigh. He should have known she’d turn the tables on him. “I’m fi…”

“Fine? That seems familiar.” Scooting closer, she pivoted so she could face him. “I’m pretty sure I said the same thing a few minutes ago... And you didn‘t buy it.”

Jack grinned and leaned forward to kiss her nose. “Baby, that was more than a few minutes ago… am I going to have to give you an instant replay?”

“Nice evasive tactic Agent Hudson. But if I have to face up to my fears, then so do you. What‘s good for the goose…”

“It’s different Sue.”

“How so?”

“I’ve been doing this a long time, an…”

“And you‘ve just got used to people shoving a gun in your face…. right.”

He frowned, his mouth clamped tightly shut; now he knew what Bobby meant when he’d talked about this blowing up in his face. Looking away, he let his gaze focus on the stream, still not knowing what to say. A hand squeezed his forearm and her other one claimed his chin, turning his face back to her. When he faced her fully, she placed the tip of a finger on his forehead.

“Right here. There was a gun barrel resting right here Jack. Don’t tell me you just shake that off and go back to crime fighting. I may have mentioned this already, but you’re not Superman.”

His eyes crossed a little as he looked at the finger and watched it lower to her lap. Superman. He’d never said he was anything of the sort, had he? “I know that.” He mumbled.

“It‘s your turn to talk. Tell me what you were thinking when he pointed that gun at you.”

That was easy, though not easy to say. Choking back the tears that threatened at the thought, he managed to force the words out. “That I had to get you out of there… I couldn‘t let him hurt you.”

Her own eyes brightened at his admission. Goodness, maybe the man was Superman after all.

“No thought for your own life?”

Pulling her roughly by the shoulders to look deep into brown eyes swirling with emotion, he ground out what she wanted to know. “That I wouldn’t get to spend it with you. That I wouldn’t know what it was like to love you completely, to see you pregnant with my child or grow old with you. He had no right to try and take that from me… from us.”

The tears slipped down his cheeks and she took his face in her hands, kissing away the tracks. “I know. I know Jack.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him as he had held her, allowing the pain to be washed away with the tears.

“I’m sorry.”

She pulled back. “What?”

“I’m sorry. I should have been in the room, he should have never got to you…”

She should have known. Guilt… guilt was eating at him for not being with her that day.

“Stop it Jack. We’re right back to you being Superman. You can’t protect me all the time. I don’t want you to. I’d suffocate, and you’d be exhausted. You talk about having kids; it’s going to be the same way with them. Do you realize how many times you‘re just going to have to watch them get hurt or fail and then help them pick up the pieces afterward? But you have to trust God and know that no matter what happens, it will all be alright. And I’m not saying everything will go the way you want it to, but it will go according to His plan for us; fighting it is useless and foolish. And you’re not a foolish man Jack.”

“I’m not sure I can do what you’re asking. I can’t just stand by and watch you get hurt.”

“No, I suppose not. And the truth is, I was so relieved to see you walk through that bedroom door the other day. But that was an extraordinary circumstance and I guess I’m really talking about the smaller things. I’m talking about you trusting me enough to know that I’m not making rash decisions designed to torture you or hurt myself, like walking Levi that day. I knew not to walk out in the open. I knew not to be gone long. Heck, I even figured out I needed to wear a sweater… all by myself! You didn‘t fall in love with a dummy.”

Hurt flashed across his face. “Have I made you feel that way?”

“Not on purpose, I know that. But sometimes you get so caught up in not letting me get hurt, that I don’t feel like I’m doing my job. Sometimes I just need you to take a deep breath, step back, and let me succeed or fail on my own… “

“And then be there to pick up the pieces.”

She grinned. “Or celebrate with me… whichever. But no guilt. You‘re not responsible for everything that happens.”

“Good or bad.” He breathed deep. “OK, you made your point. But I can’t promise miracles.”

“All I ask is good faith effort. I’ve already got my miracle.” She wiggled her left hand in the sunlight, sending sparks of light reflecting in every direction from the three stones on her ring finger.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~