~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Fifty

Jack smiled. The conversation hadn’t been easy, but he was feeling even better about their relationship than he had before, and he hadn’t thought that was possible. Sue was folding the blanket, her back to him, and he watched the sun play off the bobbing ponytail. She’d just finished clipping it back up after he’d left in total disarray. But he wasn’t taking the blame for it. No, it was entirely her fault for grinning up at him like that, her eyes dancing and the look on her face telling him he was the only man she would let take advantage of the situation.

He hadn’t even meant to do more than kiss her lightly; a gentle “thank you” for being the woman she was. But the second their lips met, a longing for so much more began to build…

Her coat slipped down her arms, catching at her elbows, and Jack tugged it the rest of the way. Feeling her shiver slightly, he decided the best way to warm her was with another cover and his body was the only thing he had. He haphazardly pushed and coaxed her coat with one hand until it was spread flat on the blanket behind her, and then proceeded to lower her to it. When their lips parted and she breathed his name, he positioned himself over her, drinking in the beauty of her flushed face and the desire he saw simmering there. He held himself above her, supporting his upper body with a hand on either side of her shoulders, and then went slowly lower.

The first touch was that of her feminine curves brushing against his chest and he sucked in a breath; for some reason their outdoor hideaway heightening the sensation. Wanting more, he moved upward, sliding his chest along hers, creating the most torturous yet delightful tickle. He captured her mouth again, teasing it’s softness until she grabbed for his shirt collar, clearly dissatisfied with him holding back. But he resisted until he felt her arch her chest against his. An invitation so deliciously offered was not to be refused and he descended, molding his torso to hers. The whimpered moan she gave at the contact was the RSVP he hoped for and he deepened the kiss, taking everything she offered and giving as much of himself as was, if not entirely proper, then at least acceptable given their location. His hands, now freed of having to support his weight, began journeying to delectable destinations. One found and deftly removed the clip in her hair, spilling it across the collar of her coat beneath her and allowing him to slide his fingers along the back of her scalp and cradle her head as the kiss ended. She lay there for a few seconds, her chest heaving with her need for air, and then ran her hand around his neck, pulling him back to her.

This kiss slowed in pace. His other hand roamed down her side, curving inward and stalling for a bit at her waist. He would have stopped there, but she shifted her hips and the movement against the heel of his hand beckoned it down, slowly messaging it’s way to where the hem of her skirt skimmed over a finely muscled thigh. Skin tingled against skin and he moved his palm along the warm smoothness, sending tactile images to his brain, every chill bump emblazoned across his mind‘s eye. And then she bent her leg, bringing her knee up along side his hip. His hand hesitated only briefly as he fought against the desire burning deep in his gut and found himself grossly overmatched. It descended again, this time away from her knee and toward the delights he knew awaited him, but that he had no business exploring.

Approaching the rounded curve of her bottom, he flexed his fingers, digging them into the flesh and exulting in the firmness that greeted them. Sue groaned her pleasure, lost in his touch and very nearly at the point where it no longer mattered that she wanted to wait. All that mattered was the man lying with her; the desire low in her belly ruled her movements and she shifted her hips again, begging him silently and effectively to continue. He complied, sharply aware that he was entering into state where he would find it difficult, if not impossible to extricate himself if she asked. His hand skimmed silken fabric and came to rest there, heating her flesh quickly and sending her into a fit of shivers. When his fingers slipped beneath the lower band of elastic to caress the side of her hip, she nearly sent him tumbling to the blanket beside her, so strong was her reaction.

A crow called overhead, the strident cry piercing. Jack jerked upwards, ending their kiss and leaving them gasping. Slowly, their surroundings crept back into their consciousness, bringing back the reality of where they where and that anyone could enter their wooded lair at any moment.

“Oh Jack…” Sue buried her face in the crook of his shoulder before kissing the strong column of his neck.

He removed his hand and smoothed her skirt before running it up along the same curves he traversed in the opposite direction moments before. Tucking a crooked forefinger under her chin, he kissed a path along her jaw line and then turned her to face him. “Sweetheart, we need to go in, and take a cold shower.”

“We… shower?” Her senses on overload, she could envision the two of them standing beneath the streaming water, steam rising around them; never mind that cold showers produced no steam. She was sure they could manufacture their own.

He laughed, though it was a far cry from full hearted. “Me… I need to take a very long, very cold shower.

So now here he stood watching her do so mundane a thing as fold a blanket, but her swishing hips were anything from mundane and he crossed to the creek bubbling merrily down the hillside, scooped a handful of the cold water and got a head start on his much needed shower.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Fifty-one

The spray, fine and cold, peppered his back and shoulders, cooling heated flesh. He turned slowly and raised his face directly into the mist and then stepped back, allowing it to reach and cool from head to toe. Muscles bunched as he ran a hand through his hair, but instead of dissipating his thoughts of Sue, it only intensified the memory of his fingers running through her hair as he kissed her. Sighing, he turned the water off and stepped out, simultaneously reaching for the towel he had left hanging on the back of the door. Rubbing himself briskly, he allowed his mind to wander back to the wooded picnic area and immediately felt the familiar heat begin to rise again. He could physically feel the softness of her skin as in his mind his hand slid once more along her leg. Groaning, he reached in, turned the knob to restart the startling cold spray, and stepped back under. If they didn’t finish this case soon, he’d be a prune.

~~o~~

“Hee-hee! I love it when Italian mobsters croon such beautiful tunes.” Bobby fairly danced down the hallway leading from the tiny interrogation room of the local sheriff‘s office. He nudged Tara with an elbow as he moved into the outer office, grinning like a school boy who had just got out of class early.

“Crooning, huh?” Tara righted herself and looked up at him expectantly.

“At the top of his lungs. I do believe he sees this as his ticket to fame and fortune. Wants to write a book about his infamous family and make a mint in the process.”

“If he’s still alive to collect it.” Myles stirred from his lounging position on the aging vinyl settee.

“Yeah, well, he’s also asking for protection.”

“How’s he supposed to write an expose on his family if he’s tucked away in witness protection?”

“Haven’t the foggiest luv, but I’m not going to be the one to burst his bubble.”

“Jack still questioning him?” Sue stood, missing the creaking noises coming from the pleather armchair that was a match to Myles’ settee and whose missing leg had been replaced with a brick.

“Why? Afraid you’ll get used to the plush accommodations here?” Bobby was feeling good and the quips just couldn’t be held in.

“Well, where else can a girl get a fine fake leather chair and her own brick?”

“Good point.” He winked. “Jack and Jeff are just finishing up, they‘ll be out in a few.”

“So what did ol’ blue eyes sing for you?”

“Oh it was a lovely, but extremely sad ballad all about ‘Nonna Alessandra’ and her very loyal, very naughty relations. He gave us information not only about this case, but about things from five, six years ago.”

“Nonna?” Sue questioned.

“Italian for Grandmother.”

She nodded her understanding. “Is she really behind all this?”

“If you believe Arman… and I do… she’s the mastermind behind all the family’s business ventures. Apparently all the rumors the bureau was hearing back when her husband died were true. According to Arman, Antonio is just a figurehead.”

“Woman is the salvation or the destruction of the family. She carries its destiny in the folds of her mantle. It makes sense now; the quote Muriano used when answering Howard.”

Tara’s expression turned pensive. “I wonder which one he thinks she is? Salvation or destruction?”

“I think just the fact that he said it means he questions her leadership.”

Bobby leaned against the edge of the room’s lone desk and crossed his long legs at the ankles. “Well, I know my opinion.”

“And I’m pretty sure I’d agree with you.” Sue smiled. “But we don’t have the same point of view as Muriano. Speaking of whom, have we heard anything interesting out of his office?”

Tara waved a hand. “Absolutely nothing until early this morning. We heard his secretary confirming an appointment between him and Antonio day after tomorrow, but we’re not sure where it’s taking place. We assume the office, but she didn’t say, and so far Muriano hasn’t recorded it in his calendar program. But we’ll have it as soon as he does.”

“Never doubted it.” Sue caught movement to her right and turned to see Jeff and Jack enter the room, each with a satisfied smile on his face. “All done?”

Jack shook his head in wonder. “For now anyway, but this guy must have some sort of disease or something that doesn’t allow him to hold anything back. He’s been telling us about things we haven’t even asked about! He’s just volunteering it.”’

“That’s what Bobby was saying. Is he really planning on writing a book?”

“So he says. And from talking to him, I think Cooper had it all wrong about him not being too bright. I think he just didn’t want to be part of the family business and didn’t show an interest; they took it for being a bulb shy of a pack. He seemed to be actually happy that we arrested him.”

“A mobster with a conscience?” Sue quirked her brows at him.

“Miracles do happen.”

“So I’ve heard.” He smile was coy and he had to tear his gaze from her.

Bobby cleared his throat and broke the awkward silence. “So, when do we start making arrests?”

“Not yet. Let’s see what we get out of this meeting between Muriano and Antonio first. If we can get something incriminating from that, I think we’ll be ready.”

Tara started for the door. “I think that‘s my cue. I’ll see if Muriano’s recorded the meeting. It’d be nice to know for sure where it’s going to be.”

Jack clasped his hand in front of him and turned to Bobby and Jeff. “And I could use some help typing up the information Arman just gave us. Any volunteers?”

Jeff pointed to Myles, Myles pointed to Bobby, and Bobby ran for the door.

The next day had been spent preparing the evidence they had gathered up to that point, getting ready for the meeting, and then everyone had been given the rest of the day off to relax. Jack and Sue had returned to the ice rink and skated for the better part of two hours, this time surrounded by a dozen or so kids of all ages. Sue had soon been recognized by everyone watching as the “professional” in the small crowd and before long the majority of the kids were asking her to do different moves. She obliged for the most, only refusing when one little girl begged for a sit-spin. Jack laughed as she crinkled her nose and begged in return. “How about a regular spin? If I go down I don’t think I could get back up!”

The pixie in pig-tails who had made the request relented with a grin and watched, enthralled, as Sue spun faster and faster, bending her head back and sending her pony-tail flying out. But when the spinning stopped, the wobbling began, and Jack pushed forward to rescue her from a spill.

She held to his shoulders and buried her face in the softness of his quilted jacket, waiting for the room to stop moving in circles. At last she giggled and looked up to find him looking back in concern. “You OK?”

“I’m fine. Spinning always did throw my equilibrium off.”

He shook his head. “Then how on earth did you compete?”

“Practice mostly, and I just learned to adjust. But it’s been a long time, and I was never exactly Dorothy Hamel…”

He had laughed and pulled her close, eager to have her to himself again. They had skated together the rest of the time before returning to their suite, ordering room service, and settling in for an evening in each other‘s arms and turning in early. The meeting was to take place at Muriano’s office at nine and they wanted to be ready.

~~o~~

Sue watched the monitor intently, as eager as everyone else to see if the two men sipping an expensive Kentucky bourbon would say anything they could use. At first, they exchanged opinions about a controversial call in a football game from the weekend and never brought up ‘family business‘ at all. By the time they’d moved on to the horse races, Sue could feel herself beginning to drift off and had to shake herself to stimulate the blood flow. Jack rubbed her back, his touch more and more common and intimate as they worked together, though never inappropriate.

Tara shifted in her seat and rubbed her neck, and Sue turned her head just in time to see the look on Bobby’s face as he sat just behind Tara. Smiling, she thought back to just over a week and a half ago and the way she and Jack were always looking; never daring to actually put feelings into words. One of these days, she hoped Bobby would find his nerve and move toward something as wonderful as what she now shared with the man at her side. But, until then, she’d keep watching. With any luck some of Lucy’s matchmaking had influenced her enough that perhaps she’d be able to help things along. Filing away the look on Bobby’s face in the back of her mind, she turned to see what Tara was saying.

“…audio’s not picking up very well; there’s some interference. Sue, you getting what they’re saying?”

“Umm, most of it, but Antonio’s not facing the camera quite enough to get everything. And he keeps covering his mouth.”

She watched Tara’s attention turn from her to Jack and she turned as well. “Can you clean it up?”

“I’ve tried, but I‘ll keep trying. If not, I might be able to do more with it later.”

Sue moved closer to the computer monitor and studied the men closely. Muriano had switched subjects and was now talking about some traffic violations Antonio had acquired. “There must be a lot of them, apparently the fines add up to enough that Antonio’s worried about what his mother’s going to say about them.”

Jack looked at Bobby, an incredulous look flitting across his face. “When’s the last time you heard of a crime boss worried about what mommy was going to say about his traffic fines?”

“Antonio must really be under mummy’s thumb.” Bobby emphasized his statement by pushing the pad of one thumb into the palm of his other hand.

“Wait!” Sue’s hand flew up to point at the screen. “Muriano’s asking how thing’s are going with his mother…. Antonio says ‘She’s getting ant… see… antsy.’

“Muriano says ‘Everything will be fine, just stick to the plan.“

“Antonio says ‘We haven’t heard from Arman for two days’. Muriano wants to know why they didn’t call him.“

Antonio’s head shook from side to side, hiding his words from Sue. When he stopped, he rose from his chair and paced toward the window.

“Are you hearing him? I can’t see what he’s saying.”

Jack squinted, straining to hear the faint, garbled words, and shook his head. “Sounded like cursing... I think.”

Sue refocused on the screen just as Antonio turned away from the window and she could see him again. She translated for the group of FBI agents waiting impatiently for just the right words to be said. ‘This is all ma’s idea anyways. If she wants to you to check on him, she can tell you herself. I don’t know why we’re doin’ this in the first place. This kid’ll be nothin’ but trouble.”

“Muriano; ‘That’s not how you were taught to think of blood kin.”

“Antonio; ‘Blood kin raised by blood kin is one thing; blood kin raised by some rich snob is another.”

“Muriano; ‘That’s why she wants him young, so she can train him.”

“Antonio; ‘Like she ‘trained’ Arman?”

Jack could make out the derisive snort Antonio gave, despite the bad audio.

“Muriano; ‘You‘re selling Arman short. He just needs to find his niche.”

Antonio made a face and shrugged, obviously unimpressed with his nephew and uncaring whether he ever found a ‘niche‘ or not.

“Antonio; ‘If we ever hear from him again. He’s probably off joy riding with some girl, but that’s Ma’s problem, she’s the one that sent him down there. I told her it should have been Marco.’

“Muriano; ‘She needed Marco here. We’ll hear from Arman before long.”

“Boy, will they.” Bobby sniggered from his seat behind Tara.

“Antonio; ‘So you’re saying don’t do anything? Just wait for him to get back in touch?”

“Muriano; ‘You should concentrate on how to get Anderson to play along.”

“Antonio; ‘I can think of a few ways.”

“Muriano; ‘You know she doesn’t want him hurt.”

Antonio; ‘And taking his kid won’t hurt him? Ma’s lost it. He’ll never agree.”

“Muriano; ‘Well, if that‘s the way this goes down, you may have your chance to do this your way.”

“Antonio; ‘That slut Regina; if she hadn’t got herself knocked up, we wouldn’t be worryin’ about any of this. We’d have never heard of Harrison Armstrong, and we wouldn’t be wastin’ our time tryin’ to steal his kid.”

Sue swung to face Jack who was clinching a fist with a broad smile lighting his face. “Bingo! Ladies and gentlemen, we have our proof.”

“D!” Jack smiled into the phone and proceeded to fill his supervisor in on the latest developments. As he spoke, Matt and Myles were busy coordinating simultaneous raids of Muriano’s office and the Rossano’s private residence. SOG had followed Antonio from the meeting and was keeping a watch on his home to make sure of his whereabouts and that of Alessandra. She was rarely seen outside the home except, ironically, to attend mass at the church just two blocks from the house, but they didn’t want her or Antonio to surprise them by leaving unexpectedly. As soon as he filled D in, Jack and Sue would join Bobby and Tara to hook up with Matt, Myles, Jeff and Sarah; all anxious to be present for an arrest of this magnitude.

The drive into the city passed in a blur and before she knew it, Sue was hunkered behind Jack’s sedan and she offered up a silent prayer as she watched him suit up in the requisite bullet proof vest, and then cross the road with Bobby and Myles flanking him. Matt, Sarah, Jeff and Tara followed and they all formed an impressive show of force as Jack pressed the door bell. Their weapons remained holstered, but Sue could see the way their bodies tensed as they waited for someone to answer; one false move would set them into action. Still more agents lined the street on either side of her, watching for anything suspicious.

The door swung open and the face of a young woman appeared, her uniform indicating her position in the household. She backed away from the door, stunned at the sight before her, and allowed them to enter. When Jeff, bringing up the rear of the group, entered and his form disappeared from view, Sue felt her gut tighten and her breath catch in her throat. Seconds later, agents were rushing across the street and she struggled to catch what they were saying as they moved past. Her entire body chilled when she grabbed the arm of the last man that passed her and asked him what was happening. “Man down, ma’am. We’ve got an agent down.” He hurried off, leaving her to imagine the worst.

Time slowed as she gripped the trim around the window of the car and she had to force herself to swallow the fear that gurgled up, threatening to clog her airways. She wanted to move, to follow the agent who told her what was happening, but her feet wouldn’t move and all she could do was hold onto the car and watch for him. Jack would be coming out soon… Jack would be coming down those steps and taking her in his arms any second.

'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.' Her words from just two days ago filled her brain, forcing her to do as she had admonished Jack. Trust Him. Everything would go according to His plan for them. She strangled back a sob and offered up a prayer; everything in her asking that God’s plan for them didn’t include her losing him… not now, not yet.



Bobby was the first person to exit the house; his expression grim and his gait excruciatingly slow, though in retrospect she would realize he'd actually been running. His head was down and for the longest time he didn’t see her, concentrating instead on making his way across the street. Sue willed herself to stagger around the car and as she reached the other side he finally looked up.

“Sue.” His face was ashen and the dimples were nowhere to be seen.

“Bobby… Jack?” Her legs were beginning to weaken. If he didn’t say something soon…

“No!” His face registering his surprise at what was going through her mind. “No Sue, he’s fine. He can’t come out just yet, it’s a little crazy in there, but he’s just fine.”

In, out… in, out… she gulped air as if she hadn’t partaken of it’s life giving benefits for ages. Finding her voice again, she asked, “Who?”

“Matt.”



“No… Bobby.. is he alright?” Her thoughts going to his wife, about to give birth to their first child any day.

“He’ll be fine, a bullet grazed his arm, but he’ll be fine. I came to get Jack’s first aid kit.” He motioned toward the trunk of the car and started walking in that direction. He pushed the button on the key fob and the trunk popped up, waiting for him to rummage through it.

“You’re sure? One of the agents out here said an agent was down.”

“Positive, luv. He went down, but he was just trying to get out of the way. Right now he’s bleeding like a stuck pig all over some very expensive carpet, but that’s what they get for having men with guns pointing them at FBI agents, hmmm?”

“Is it safe? Can I come in?” He first instinct was to just march across the street and enter the house without asking anyone’s permission, but she knew it was time to start considering not only Jack’s professional reaction to her impulsiveness, but his personal one as well.

“Umm, I think you better wait Sue, I don’t want to have to fend off Spark if something happened to you. They’re still securing all the rooms, but they should be coming out soon. Keep your eye on that door, they’ll be bringing out a real live grandmother crime boss any minute now.” He grinned, gave her a wink and then sprinted back across the street clutching the first-aid kit in one hand.

True to his estimation, he had barely entered the house when a car sped up the street and stopped in front. Two agents got out and one opened the rear door nearest the curb. As soon as the car came to a halt, two agents came out of the house, the one in back leading a woman by the arm. Another agent followed them and Jack’s dark hair appeared behind him.

This was Alessandra? A graying woman of around seventy, she had the appearance of any grandmother in any ‘normal’ family across the country. Nothing about her bespoke a woman so bent on retrieving a lost family member that she would actually sacrifice innocent lives. But because of her, three people were now dead. Sue watched them place her in the car and drive away. Then she noticed Jack watching her as he stood on the sidewalk.

You OK? He signed

I am now. She returned.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Fifty-four

The New York office was infinitely more well appointed than the tiny sheriff’s office they’d commandeered for questioning in Vue de Lac. But the upgraded facilities did little to help pry information from their current subject. Nonna Rossano’s grandmotherly looks were proving to be the total opposite of her character, not that any of them was surprised. Her manner was condescending and she seemed to enjoy toying with Jack, Bobby and Jeff as they questioned her. She either refused to answer altogether, gave ones consisting of one syllable, or chatted away in mixed English and Italian about things of little importance until Bobby was ready to choke her and save the court system a lot of time and trouble.

Jack burst through the door, leaving it rattling behind him; his clasped fingers at the back of his head.

“Not going so well?” Sue appeared in a doorway a few feet along the hall.

Instead of answering, he held his arms wide and waited until she filled them. Once she did, he hugged her tight and then let her go, remembering that they were among a wealth of bureau personnel that might not be so understanding of their relationship. She stepped back, only leaving a hand on his arm to convey her sympathy to his situation. “I assume she’s not cooperating.”

“You assume correctly.”

“Give it time. You’ll find a way through to her.”

Cheeks puffed and eyes rolled. “Maybe, but I don’t have a clue what it will be. I think the phrase ‘tight lipped’ was invented just for her. I had to send Bobby out of the room twice before he throttled her.”

Sue smiled at the thought. “Alessandra has been ordering around grown men for some time now. She probably resents having to answer to one… or three.”

“You think she’d respond better to a woman?”

“Maybe. We know she isn’t old-fashioned when it comes to a woman being in charge. She might respect a woman more.”

He was nodding. “What about you and Sarah together? Tara’s busy down in evidence and I’m thinking Sarah might have a natural instinct for interrogation.”

“I’m willing. Let me find Sarah and get a game plan together… say in half an hour?”

“Take your time. I’m going to pull Bobby and Jeff out. I can’t believe I left Bobby in there with her anyway.”

“OK, you go rescue the suspect from Bobby and I’ll see you in a bit.”



Mrs. Rossano, my name is Sue and this is Sarah.”

Alessandra looked from one to the other and said nothing.

“We’d like to talk to you for a while.” Sue sat at the table across from the septuagenarian, smiling her most serene smile.

“I have no power over what you do.” The voice was low and carried a heavy Italian accent.

“That bother’s you doesn’t it? Not having the power in a situation.” Sarah moved to stand beside Alessandra, just beyond her peripheral vision. It had the desired effect; Sue noted how Alessandra slid her eyes to the side and shifted trying to get a look at Sarah. Jack was right, Sarah knew what she was doing.

But the question was still met with silence.

Sue shook her head. “No Sarah, I don’t believe power is what Mrs. Rossano cares about. I believe it’s her family. What’s power if you don’t have the support of those who love you?” The question was spoken sincerely; Sue putting her heart into her role.

“Family? That bunch of low-lifes? Doesn’t care what she calls family, does she?” Sarah tone was derisive.

“That’s hardly fair. No one can choose their relatives.”

“She chose her husband.”

“Yes, but you can hardly blame her for…”

“No I didn’t.” Alessandra’s voice was even lower and Sarah almost missed it.

Sue however, was watching and her eye’s flickered to Sarah’s. Though she knew exactly what the woman had said, she pretended otherwise. “I’m sorry Mrs. Rossano? I’m deaf and I need to be able to see your lips so that I can read them.”

Alessandra gave Sue a skeptical look, wondering if what she said was true. “You can’t hear at all?”

“No. but I can follow what you’re saying as long as I can see your lips. Did you say you didn’t choose your husband? That must have been difficult. But I’m sure your family helped you through it. I mean your mother and father, brothers, sisters…”

“I have no family.”

“Oh… I’m sorry. Have they all passed away?” She feigned ignorance.

For the first time, Alessandra’s face showed emotion. Anger.

“It’s none of your business.”

“Of course, I didn’t mean to pry.”

Sarah spoke up again, deciding Alessandra needed a bit more coaxing. “You believe her? She knew what she was getting into when she married into the Rossano family. You don’t just walk into something like that with blinders on. She had to know.”

Alessandra started to rise, her face contorted and grim. Sarah sat her back down with a hand pressed to her shoulder, but that didn’t stop her voice. “You know nothing of my family. Just like I knew nothing about them when I married my husband. I came here from Italy because my mother and father promised me to a man I’d never met, because they owed his family a debt. I was nothing more than payment to them. But my husband, he cherished me; took care of me. I didn‘t know it then, but they did me a great favor.”

Sarah snorted. “Sure. And you repay him by driving his business into the ground.”

“I did not. I would never disgrace my husband.”

“You should have let Antonio run things then. You’d still be at home playing the doting grandmother.”

“To whom?! My Antonio’s children? Hah! He’s spent his life with whores. Not once did he stop long enough to find a good Catholic girl and have a family. I gave up on him long ago. If it weren’t for Regina, God rest her soul, their would be no family to carry on the name. Her grandson will be my husband’s heir.”

“James Armstrong? He doesn’t belong to you. He never will.”

Despite the restraining hand on her shoulder, Alessandra tried to stand again, blood rushing to her face. “He is my great-grandchild! He will not be cast off as if he doesn’t matter!”

“But Howard will never give him up.”

“I don’t care… James will come home to his family!”

“His real family will never agree.”

“They are not his blood, If they don’t agree, then they’ll never see him again! It’s not what I wanted, but he will not keep my flesh and blood from me.”

Sue leaned forward. “But Howard is his blood; your flesh and blood too. You knew about him when he was young, didn’t you? Why didn’t you try to bring him back into the family?”

Alessandra stilled at the words, her breathing ragged from her outbursts. She stared at Sue, her features echoing her inner turmoil. A sob escaped, and her face crumpled. “My husband… he didn’t want a… a bastard…” The words came on a whisper, as if to say it aloud would blaspheme her late husband.

~~o~~

“I don’t believe she’s stable Jack. I think a good attorney will get her off.”

Jack rolled his shoulders and tilted his head to clear the kinks. Sue kissed his forehead and rose from her warm place in his lap to walk behind him and begin a thorough massage of the tight muscles.

After Alessandra had admitted that her husband was the one who hadn’t wanted Howard, her anger had faded, but along with a calmer head had come a request for her lawyer. Of course Sarah had delighted in informing her that Muriano was not available and was in fact facing charges himself. The older woman had shrugged and told them that their were others willing and eager to make a name for themselves. Unfortunately, she was right. Before five pm, another lawyer, every bit as slick and polished as Muriano, had shown up at the New York Office and demanded to see his new client.

Fortunately, Bobby and Jack had been luckier with Antonio than they had been with Alessandra. In order to shift blame from himself, he’d been only too happy to rat out his own mother; telling them the name of the sniper and that he’d been hired to simply terrorize the guests at first. Alessandra had only wanted to scare Howard. But hiring “little Roberto Grasini” from down the street and who’d seen combat in Iraq had proved to be a huge mistake. Instead of putting a bullet close to the first victim, he’d put one through them, and after that, things went downhill. Now, Roberto was a wanted man and he hadn’t even received payment for his trouble.

“I’m still can’t believe that the shootings were mistakes. I looks like anyone could miss a target if they wanted to.” Sue’s hands slackened their ministrations as she spoke.

Jack leaned his head back to see her. “Probably trying to make it look authentic and got too close. Then, once they’d killed someone, they couldn’t back down… it would be losing face.”

Sue frowned and her features screwed up. “Come here.” Jack pulled her by the wrist back to his lap. “Don’t try to make sense of a senseless situation. All we can do is catch the people responsible so that they can’t do it again.”

“But if she gets off…”

“She won’t. No entirely. She’s seventy-seven Sue, and it may not be the ideal way to keep her locked up, but the AUSA will keep her in litigation for years to come. She may never be free again.”

“And Antonio?”

“I think we have a strong case against him. Just because he didn’t give the orders, doesn’t mean he didn’t have a responsibility to turn her in.”

“He wouldn’t do that and you know it.”

“No, he wouldn’t, but in this case, the law doesn’t see the gray areas. Mother or not, he had that responsibility. Plus, we got some other information from that meeting between him and Muriano the other day. He‘ll go down.”

“And Muriano? Will he do time?”

Jack nodded and soothed his hand over her upper arm. “Let’s forget all about the Rossano family for the rest of the night, OK? We’ll finish up here tomorrow, maybe the day after, and then you, my dear, have a wedding to plan.” He finished with a finger pointed at her face and a brow hitched high.

Sue took a deep breath to wash all thought of Alessandra, Antonio, and Muriano from her mind. “Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, I stopped in a drug store while I was out to lunch with Tara today and picked up a magazine or two. Want to see what I like in the way of wedding dresses?”

A scared look came over him and he grimaced comically. “Oh, oh... here comes the fru-fru stuff. Sure you want my opinion? I’ll screw it up.”

“Ooooh, I won’t let you. And it’s for sure Lucy won’t let you. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve assigned her the role of wedding watch dog.”

“Shouldn’t that be Levi’s job?” Jack looked around for the sleeping canine. “Where is he anyway?”

“Well… since neither of us have been using the beds…”

Jack caught on and finished for her. “…he’s in your bed. Figures.”

“Well, actually, he’s in your bed.”

Closing his eyes briefly, he gave a look of resignation. “Oh well. As long as he realizes that once we’re married, there’s only going to be two in the bed…”

“Jack, that’s sweet. But where will you sleep?”

The words were scarcely past her lips before he pulled her down to his level and began kissing her into his way of thinking.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter Fifty-five

Standing in the hallway outside their apartment was getting her nowhere. Logically, she knew she had to insert her key into the lock and open the door at some point, but she was still going over in her head how she wanted the conversation to play out. She also knew Lucy would probably play havoc with that plan. Squaring her shoulders, she reached out to take the first step, but before the key touched the lock the door swung open and Lucy nearly walked straight into her.

“Sue! You’re home! Why didn’t you call? I thought you guys were coming in tomorrow! Jack said it would probably take that long to finish things up in New York…”

Laughing at the barrage of questions, Sue pulled Lucy into a hug and squeezed tight. “I’ve missed you Luce. Really missed you.”

Lucy chuckled and pulled back. “Well I’ve missed you too. But you sound like you’ve been gone a year and a half instead of a week and a half.” She reached for a suitcase and began pulling it through the door. As soon as it cleared the opening, Levi shot around Sue, through the door, down the hall and straight for his food dish.

“Good to see you too Levi!” Lucy called after him. “He’s going to be disappointed, I haven’t filled his dish yet.”

“I’ve got these; would you give him a half a bowl of dry food? He’s been starving ever since he ran out of dog biscuits a half hour into the drive back. Unless you‘re in a hurry to get somewhere?”

“Nah, I was just heading to the grocery; it can wait. It’s not everyday your roommate comes home after a year and a half.” Grinning, she followed Levi’s trail and Sue sat the rest of her luggage in the hallway and closed the door behind her. She pulled the small black book she’d worked on during their drive from her purse and walked into the living room. Lucy was just sitting Levi’s water dish in front of him.

“Thanks.”

No problem. “I‘ve missed having this guy around… I didn‘t know how to act without having someone staring at me through dinner.”

“And I’m sure he’s missed that too. We ate in the dining room most nights and he stayed in the room; it put a serious cramp in his begging.”

“Dining room, huh? I’m surprised Jack didn’t drag you to the nearest fast food joint for burgers and fries.”

Sue smiled, the image of Jack in the dining room the night he officially proposed floating through her mind. “Well, we did stop at a little place in town one day, and Jack ordered a burger, but he had a urge for onion rings instead of fries.”

Lucy nodded. “I knew he couldn’t go that long without some sort of junk food. But please tell me he and Bobby didn‘t get into a game of ring toss with the onion rings like the last time we went to Gonigan‘s.”

Sue remembered the impromptu competition using the left over onion rings and a bottle of catsup. “No, no ring toss this time, but Bobby wasn’t with us and I can think of better things to do with onion rings than toss them at a catsup bottle.”

Lucy propped herself against the back of the sofa and crossed her arms. “D gave me the scoop on the case. Good job. I‘m glad that it turned out that the sniper wasn‘t the one shooting at you… I wouldn’t want to lose my roommate. But since you didn‘t know that at the time, it was just as scary I guess.”

Wouldn’t want to lose my roommate… Sue shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat. “Thanks. I‘m just glad it‘s over and the Armstrong‘s don‘t have to worry about losing their son.”

“Well, time to shake it off and get back to normal. Tell me all about the hotel. You described the lobby, and obviously it had a dining room, but Tara made it sound like Cinderella‘s castle.”

“You‘re in luck, we found time yesterday to take some pictures.” She held out the book.

“Oh great! Come on, we’ll look at these and then if you’re up to it, we’ll go grab a bite to eat. The cupboards are bare I’m afraid.”

Sue raised her brows and gave a noncommittal shrug, waiting until after Lucy looked at the pictures to tell her Jack was coming to take them out for dinner. He’d been insistent, telling her that he knew she’d want to catch up with Lucy but that he wasn’t ready to end their nightly ritual of dining together. He also knew Lucy would want to congratulate them both and, with this being Friday, would likely burst before they made it back to work on Monday.

They sat on the sofa side by side, happy to be in each other’s company again. Lucy placed the book on a pillow in her lap and rubbed her hand over the cover. “Nice leather album, you must think a lot of this place.”

“It had it’s strong points.”

Lucy flipped from page to page with Sue explaining what she was seeing. The lobby was first up; Jack waving from one of it’s ornate sofas. It was followed by a shot of the tree covered walk; this time with Jack leaning against a tree trunk with his arms crossed and a devil-may-care look in his eyes. Shots of the picnic area, the hall outside their suite, even the elevator were included… each with Jack featured prominently.

“Girl, are these supposed to be photos of the hotel, or photos of Jack?” Lucy shot her a grin and waited for her to deny Jack’s importance as usual.

“Well…”

Lucy’s attention had started to swing back to the photographs, but she did a double take when Sue drew the word out longer than expected. There was a hesitant look in her friends eyes that had never been there before when giving her the run-a-round about her relationship with Jack.

“Are they of Jack? Not the hotel?”

“Did I say that? Just look at the rest of the pictures.” She strove for her best ‘he’s only a friend’ tone of voice and pointed toward the album.

Next up was a photograph of the skating rink at dusk; the camera's point of view being across the ice and toward the panorama of trees, sky, and mountains at it’s far side. “Is that ice?”

“Umm-hmmm. They had a rink, can you believe it?”

“Wow. Did you get to skate?”

“Yes, actually. A couple of times. Next picture…”

Lucy dutifully obeyed and squinted at the photo that followed. “What’s that?”

“Let me see.” Sue scooted closer and peered at the image. “Oh that. Luce, it was the sweetest thing. Jack had these three little crystal beads in a black velvet pouch… “

Lucy was watching her, her mouth slightly open and her brows knit together; trying to follow what Sue was talking about.

“…and when we fell on the ice we thought we’d lost them out of his pocket.”

Lucy blinked, not following at all. “Jack had beads?”

Sue nodded. “Then, when we pulled out the pouch he was looking in it and acting as if something was wrong; I figured they got broke or something, but then he turned the pouch upside down and you’ll never believe what had happened to them.”

Lucy just narrowed her eyes more, guessing that this was one of those stories where you just had to be there. “Got me. What?”

“They had turned into this.” Sue lifted her left hand and laid it on the pillow beside the album, spinning the band of her ring as she did.

Lucy’s eyes followed the path of her hand, seeing but not really focusing on the ring until the three sparkling stones pivoted into view. She stared for a second, then blinked, then clamped a hand to her mouth.

The only brown eyes that rivaled Jack’s in Sue’s estimation filled with tears and several slipped down each cheek before she brought her head up. Sue was ready.

“I’m sorry Luce. I wanted to tell you right away, but I just couldn’t over the phone. This had to be a face to face thing.”

The hug Sue found herself in was so quick and fierce it would have knocked her backwards if Lucy’s arms hadn’t caught her. Then just as quickly it was over and Lucy was reaching for her hand.

“I… I… I don’t believe it. When? I mean did all this just… happen? While you were gone?”

“Yes. Well, I knew Jack was acting… different, before we left, but I didn’t know why.”

“And he just asked you? While you were skating?”

“Well, yes, but we were really already engaged…”

“Already? Before you left DC?”

“No. No. Since the day of those men broke into our suite…”

“Suite!?” Lucy’s face wore what Sue feared might become a permanent shocked look that only intensified with each new bit of information, but she had it in her to widen her eyes more as she remembered a conversation with Jack before they left. “That’s why he wanted to handle the hotel accommodations! He just hedged when I asked him. That little…”

“Are you mad?”

Lucy stopped abruptly and turned back to Sue, her eyes wide. “Mad? Why would I be mad?”

“Well, we didn’t tell you… and Luce, everyone else knows…”

“No! Sue, no... I’m not mad. I know if it had happened to me I would have wanted to tell you in person. I’m thrilled for you, for both of you! I’m just, well... surprised at… at… everything!” She threw her hands up and then reached for Sue’s hand again. “I’m going to have to retire as head bureau snoop once the girls at work find out though. I can’t believe Jackson got this one past me.”

“He’s coming to take us to dinner. You can verbally abuse him then.”

“Darn right.” Lucy’s eyes brightened and another tear or two appeared. “Right after I hug him to death.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Ms. Thomas?”

Sue smiled at the woman through the mirror and reluctantly left the daydream she was having. “Yes, but not for long.”

“Yes, I know. I must say you look awfully calm for a girl about to be married.” The woman, Becky, sat about arranging the tools of her trade as she talked. Brushes, curling irons, hair pins joined Sue’s makeup on the small table.

“That’s just because you can’t see inside my stomach. It’s a whole different story in there.” She blew through her closed lips, fluttering them noisily and bringing a laugh from Becky.

“I’m a little early, I can come back in a bit if you want?”

“No, that’s alright; I’m just waiting for my nails to dry. Your timing is perfect.”

Becky picked up a brush and began brushing the long gold locks, making sure she could see Sue’s face in the mirror when she spoke as Lucy had asked her. “Ms Dotson tells me you’ve only been planning your wedding for a couple of months. Bet that was a challenge.”

“I suppose, but Lucy and another friend, Tara, helped a lot. I can’t imagine trying to do this by yourself. We’re only having a simple ceremony. Both Jack and I wanted something as stress free as possible.”

“The chapel looks beautiful; you and your friends did a good job. Your FBI agents, right? No wonder you didn’t want any more stress. I’d think the job would supply plenty of that.”

“At times. But we’re all good friends and that helps us all deal with it.”

“I met some of them outside. A tall gentleman with the cutest dimples, and another with the most gorgeous brown eyes…”

“Jack’s here already?”

Becky grinned at the soft excitement in the bride-to-be’s voice. “Which one, the dimples or the eyes?”

A serene smile graced her features as she looked away to the small photo of Jack she’d sat on the table so she could see him as she got ready. “The eyes.”

Touching her shoulder, Becky winked. “You know how to pick ‘em.”

Shaking her head, Sue denied any talent in that area. “It wasn’t me; God gave me Jack.”

~~o~~

Piano music and muted chatter filled the chapel and drifted through the large carved mahogany door that led to the antechamber. Lucy smiled as the songs she’d help Sue pick out were played, her breath catching as she recognized the last one before they were to start their march down the aisle. Turning to Sue she signed for her to get ready and gave Mr. Thomas a wide smile.

“Ready to give her away?”

“Guess I have to be, don’t I?” He looked at Sue, radiant in her strapless wedding dress of matte white satin. An elegant smattering of embroidery and beading on the bodice and at the bottom of the trumpet skirt gave the gown it’s only decoration, leaving the skirt smooth as it formed loosely to her hips and then flared softly out at the knees and formed a modest circular train in back. It’s crowning glory was an embroidered tulle bolero jacket with three-quarter length sleeves that gave the gown a regal air. Becky had done a magnificent job with her hair, arranging it so that much of it was elegantly tousled in an upsweep while long tendrils curled and floated about her shoulders. Instead of a veil, she’d asked Becky to tuck in tiny sprigs of variegated ivy leaves in her hair that matched the ones that surrounded three white tulips in her bouquet. Crystal and pearl drop earrings completed the look.

“You know, you’ve always been my beautiful little girl, but now… well, let’s just say that young man waiting for you at the end of the aisle is going to fall in love with you all over again in a few minutes.”

“Daddy… thank you.” Sue swallowed the lump in her throat to answer.

The song came to an end and Lucy touched Sue’s hand. “Here we go… Jack’s waiting.”

Tara smiled broadly as she tried her best not to move too fast down the aisle and Lucy followed, wishing she could see both Jack and Sue as they spotted each other for the first time that day. Instead, she focused on Jack. As she took her place to the side, the music faded and as planned, Sue and her father came down the aisle in silence. It had been Jack’s idea. He wanted Sue to experience the same thing that moment as he was, and since she wouldn’t be able to hear the wedding march, then they wouldn’t use it at all. Lucy had gone through half a dozen tissues when Sue told her what he’d said.

As she neared the pulpit, Lucy wasn‘t disappointed. Jack stepped forward with his heart in his eyes, signed You‘re beautiful, I love you, and claimed his bride.

Sue in her dress... sorry, didn't have time to work in the ivy in her hair and bouquet!

This time the drive had been long, but far from tedious. True, there had been clouds, and when they had let loose, they’d done so with a vengeance, only this time instead of a steady downpour, the sky was filled with large, lazy snowflakes that fell all during the drive. The day before, Jack had managed to remember to check the weather in the area despite his anxious state of mind, and knew what to expect, but he’d kept the information to himself. The first snowflakes had captured his bride’s interest immediately.

“Oh Jack! Snow! It’ll be beautiful up there with snow…” She had snuggled close and clasped her hands around his upper arm as he drove. Thank goodness he’d had the presence of mind to rent the large SUV, and gotten lucky enough that it boasted a large bench seat instead of buckets. They were almost a relic of the past, although Jack was certain the designers and engineers making the decision to deep-six the seats had never been in the enviable position of driving their new brides to their honeymoon and having her pressed to their sides as they did so.

“Maybe we can go skiing.” He covered her hands with his left one for a brief second before returning it to the steering wheel. No accidents today.

“Ski? That’s not what you’ve been promising for the last month.” She looked up at him as one hand danced along his arm, trailing fingers delicately to his wrist and then back up to the muscled bicep. They had changed clothes at her place after the reception and she had removed the tiny ivy leaves and brushed out her hair so that her bangs once again hung half covering her eyes and he could just make out the batting eyelashes when he peeked sideways. He was being teased again.

“Oh we don’t have to ski.” He assured her innocently and then waggled his brows. “I’ll be perfectly happy to lock the door and throw away the key for two weeks.”

Sue’s laughter was husky and he loved the sound of it. He’d learned that this particular sound was one reserved just for him; a new development as they’d drawn closer over the last two months while planning the wedding. Well… while Sue, Lucy and Tara had planned and he’d dutifully carried out tasks and made himself available for cake tasting, which had turned out to be his favorite, tux fittings and even a manicure. Lucy had cajoled him into the last one when he’d whined that Sue wasn’t available for lunch one day. She’d given him an evil eye and then shrugged. “Fine. Come with us then.”

He should have realized she’d given in too easily, but he’d been so excited at the prospect of actually getting to spend his lunch hour with Sue for the first time in four days that he’d let his guard down. Not that Sue was innocent in his emasculation; she’d known perfectly well where the two of them had been headed and never said a word. But no matter who had been to blame, he had eventually found himself sweet talked, bullied, pushed and wheedled into sitting in chair with one hand in a tiny bowl of who knows what, while his other hand was being ’tsk, tsked’ over by the ‘nail technician’ - he’d learned the hard way not to call them ‘nail heads’.

Lucy… “You want your wedding photos to look good, don’t you?”

Jack… “What’s that got to do with my hands?”

Lucy… “They take pictures of your hands together to show off the wedding rings.”

Jack… “But…”

Lucy…“Oh, cowboy up Jackson. She’s a nail tech, not a terrorist. What she gonna do? Stab you with a nail file?”

The last had come with a shove to his chest and the next thing he knew he was in the chair, his fingers were knuckle deep in goo, and Lucy had found her camera phone so fast he doubted Billy the Kid could have out-drawn her. Then he’d spent half the next day trying to track down every copy of the digital image, but he knew at least one had survived when it had showed up during Bobby’s ‘tribute’ to his best mate - part of his duties as best man - during the reception.

He shook his head at the memory and basked in the sound of the laughter meant just for him coming from the woman that made him want to do just as he’d threatened… lock the door and throw away the key.

But at that point in their journey, there had still been two and a half more hours of driving ahead of them so they had stopped for lunch at a small café in a no-name town. He wondered to himself if maybe he shouldn’t have booked a flight up after all. His reasoning had been that they would need to rent a car once they arrived anyway and this way, they’d both have time to wind down after the madhouse of the last week. They had even planned a morning wedding so that they’d have time for the drive. Watching Sue scoop up a handful of snow and begin packing it into a tight ball, laughing wildly as she eyed her target… him… he knew he’d been right. After a ten minute snowball fight, they’d sat dripping all over the floor of the café eating grilled cheese sandwiches and sipping hot chocolate and then were back on the road again.

Now, darkness was setting in as they wound their way slowly up the snow packed drive to ‘their’ hotel. Once they had started talking about where to spend their honeymoon, it had been their only choice. A call to Howard Armstrong had netted them prime accommodations.

“Absolutely. Stay as long as you want.” The grateful man had cheerfully offered their best honeymoon suite, but after considering it, Jack had made a special request - or two - and his original plan was set in motion.

“Jack, isn’t that the turn?” Sue leaned forward to watch the turn off to the main parking lot fade away past Jack‘s shoulder. She was nearly in his lap when she let the vision go and looked to see if he was answering her. He flipped on an overhead map light so that she could see him.

“I love your new position sweetheart, but it’s probably safer if your head isn’t blocking my view.”

“Oh! Sorry. Where are we going?” She sat back and focused on the small road gleaming white in the headlights ahead of them.

“We’re almost there.”

“Where?”

Giving her a mock frown, he didn’t bother to answer and just kept driving. Half a mile later he turned onto an even tinier road and it took his full concentration to negotiated the twisting, snow covered path. At last they rounded the last bend and drove past a grove of large evergreens, and his surprise came into view. The structure he’d noticed during their picture taking excursion on their last day two months ago was now covered in snow, but that only enhanced it’s charm. He could see it was working that charm on Sue as well. She sat with wide eyes and her mouth slightly parted, taking in the rustic building with it’s cedar shake roof, wrap around porch and small balcony opening off the second floor, all lit in the car‘s high beam lights. The porch light was on and the lights had been turned on inside as well, allowing the little cottage to spill it’s glow out each window onto the blanket of snow beyond.

Seizing the moment, Jack leaned in and kissed her parted mouth. “Like it?”

“We’re staying here? Just you and me?”

“There’d better not be anybody else in there. Not for the next two weeks.”

She laid her head on his shoulder and gazed at the quaint hideaway. “Two weeks. Alone. No interruptions, no wedding planning, no cases. Two weeks.”

He tipped her face to him. “But let’s not spend it sitting here, OK? Come on.”

She met him in front of the car, took the hand he held out, and they made their way through the mounting snow to the front door together. He fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, grinning the entire time.

“How’d you get the key?”

“Howard mailed it to me. I was kidding, sort of, but he took me serious when I told him I didn’t want to see anyone during our entire stay and he sent me these with a note saying that linens would be left on the porch in a bag each day and they’d pick up the dirty ones the same way.”

“What about food?”

“That was in the note too. There’s a kitchen and Howard promised it would be fully stocked. And if we wanted something from the menu, we should just call it in and they would deliver it.”

“Wow. They wouldn’t leave something like that in a bag on the porch too, would they?’

He frowned. “It didn’t say, but I guess we’d have to open the door for that.”

Sue reach up to smooth away the frown. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they wouldn’t stick around long.”

“I won’t give them the chance.” He smiled.

Stamping her boots on the mat, Sue started to move past him. “Whoa!” His arm shot in front of her. “Forgetting something aren’t you?”

“Wha…?”

“I believe this is a threshold and if memory serves, we just got married…” he checked his watch, “…seven hours, twelve minutes ago.”

“That long?”

He gave her a look and scooped her up. As she settled against his chest, he kissed her and tilted his head sideways. “What d’you mean ‘that long’? Tired of me already?”

“No-o-o-o-o-o-o.” she trailed the word dramatically. “Not for another…” she checked her own watch, “… four or five hours anyway.” She tipped her head back and waited for him to zing her back. Instead, she found herself unceremoniously dumped in front of the large wood stove.

He tapped her nose with a forefinger and pointed toward the stack of logs next to the stove. “Just for that, you get to start the fire while I go get the luggage.”

She wasn’t sure if he was expecting her to fail so that he could play ‘big strong husband’, but she didn’t give him the satisfaction if that was his plan. By the time he sat the last bag inside the door and pushed it shut against the cold, the kindling was blazing and the edges of the first large log were just catching.

Sue turned away from the stove and let her curiosity draw her into the next room. The kitchen Howard had promised was as rustic as the rest of the cottage, but it boasted shiny new stainless steel appliances and she couldn’t resist a peek inside the small refrigerator. True to his word, a week’s supply of items were stocked inside. The cabinets were the same story. They really wouldn’t have to leave if they didn’t want to. She turned to find Jack leaning a shoulder against the door frame.

“Nice fire.”

“Thanks. Three years of girl scouts.”

“I’m impressed. What else can you do?”

“I can type.” She smiled brightly.

“I already knew that. I’m looking for skills I not aware of… yet.”

She pursed her lips. “I make great French toast.”

“Really?”

She nodded yes.

“Maybe you’d like to demonstrate that skill.”

“Now?”

He shook his head. “No. I was thinking breakfast. Name some more skills, maybe we can find something to fill the time until then.”

She caught her tongue between her teeth and gave him her most innocent look. “Skiing?”

He left the doorway and walked toward her, arms crossed and watching her body shift under his stare as he closed in. He leaned close, arms still crossed. “It’s dark outside, I wouldn’t want to lose you in the woods. I think we need to concentrate on… indoor activities … for tonight.” He kissed her and she ached for him to hold her, but his arms stayed folded.

“Any suggestions?” He asked when he surrendered her lips and she was watching him again.

“Hmmmm?”

“An - y sug - ges - tions?” He enunciated.

Adopting his playful mood, she yawned loudly and patted her hand over her mouth. “Not a one. Besides, all this talk of exercise is making me tired. I think I’ll just have a shower and turn in.”

Shower? His mind filled with images of creamy peach shoulders and a circle in a fog filled mirror, and he could keep his hands off her no longer. Sliding his arms around her waist, he kissed her and began walking backwards toward the outer room and the staircase leading to the master bedroom, pulling her with him. “It has been a long day hasn’t it? And that snowball fight must have chilled you. It’s time you warmed up.”

“That was hours ago.”

“Still, you can’t be too careful. A hot shower will do you good. We wouldn’t want you to catch a cold.”

“Colds come from germs, not the cold.”

“Those were some of the germiest snowballs I’ve ever seen.”

“Germiest? Is that even a word?”

Snorting softly he cocked his head to one side. “Work with me here.”

She giggled and relented. “Germiest. Right. Absolutely. You’d think they’d do something about all this germy snow.”

“Well even if they did, it‘s too late for us. We’ll just have to deal with the consequences.” He deposited a kiss on the side of her neck, smiling when she tilted her head to give him better access.

“Consequences?” She was having trouble focusing between kisses.

“Umm. Dire consequences.” He moved to other side of her neck.

“And the only was to avoid them is with…

Leaving her neck, he leveled his gaze on her, not batting an eye. “… a nice, long, hot shower.”

She’d seen the look he was giving her quite a few times over the last two months, but tonight it’s intensity was unparalleled. The roughhewn staircase was right behind them now and they climbed and kissed their way to the second floor and the master bedroom.



Sue stood in the small but elegant bathroom and tried to bring her breathing under control. They had kissed their way to the door of the bath, where Jack had turned her and gave her a little shove into the room. She had thought he meant to come in with her, but when she turned it was to face a closed door; apparently he was going to give her some privacy. She adjusted the clip in her hair, bringing the tresses up higher so that they would remain dry as she showered, and then undressed. The large shower stall, the main feature of the bath, took up more than half the floor space and was a worthy of a first class spa. The walls were a smooth, natural stone and a bench made of the same ran along two sides. There were two hand held nozzles, one on either side, offering a dozen or so settings to soothe tired, knotted muscles. The water was soon steamy and she stepped in, reveling in the heat. Whatever his motive, Jack was right, this was heavenly. She closed her eyes and allowed the water to work it’s magic.



Jack stood back and smiled at his handiwork. Howard Armstrong was a very grateful man and had promised him he would make every effort to accommodate his requests when they’d spoke over the phone about a month ago, but when he’d brought out the items the hotel owner had left tucked away in the closet, he was amazed at the man’s thoroughness. The note in one of the bags had explained it all. “When I told Anna about your request, she insisted on helping out. I think you’ll be glad she did. She and I send our sincere congratulations, and we hope this sets the tone for a long and happy marriage.”

Placing the last item on the night stand, he sent a mental ‘Thank You’ to his capable helpers and then set his sights on the bathroom door.



The water cascaded over Sue’s shoulders and, little by little, she felt the stiffness and tension she hadn’t even realized was there slip away. If the house she and Jack were looking for didn’t happen to have one of these shower heads, she would have to remedy that as soon as possible. She turned, eyes still closed, and reached up to adjust the spray to a different setting, wanting to try them all. A hand closed over hers and she jumped, her eyes flying open and meeting with a solid wall of muscled chest. Her cheeks flamed and she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to cover herself and made a feeble attempt to do so, but he didn’t give her the chance. Stepping close, he took her in his arms and lowered his head for a mind drugging kiss, sapping her of any desire to do anything but accept the kiss and return it fully.

He raised his head and let his eyes roam her face, taking in each feature as if he hadn’t seen her in months.

“I thought you were..." she trailed off, forgetting what she was going to say when the sensation of their bodies pressed close together filtered past the numbness in her brain his kiss had induced. She licked her lips and tried again. “I thought you were going to stay in the other…” .

This time her words were cut short my his arm tightening around her. “We would have had to have an avalanche to keep me out of here.” He watched her mouth as he spoke and swooped in for another kiss as soon as he finished. He knew showing up in her shower wasn’t exactly subtle, and he hadn’t wanted to scare her or make her more nervous, but he’d been looking forward to this privilege since his peeping Tom incident. So far, he had forced himself to keep his hands from wandering to the places he’d been fantasizing about for so long, but the narcotic effect of her soft curves against him was taking hold and they began to slip lower and lower.

The small of her back was their first stop and he pressed his fingertips against her spine, rubbing up and down and assisting the heated spray as it massaged away the nervousness his presence had created. From there, he followed the curve of her back and encountered two small dimples; circling his middle finger around each in turn until she squirmed in reaction and nearly stopped his breathing at the feel of her body moving intimately. Dragging his lips from hers, he stood there with his chest heaving and totally intoxicated by the way her chest did the same, bringing it closer with every breath.

If there weren’t unexplored territory awaiting his touch, he could have happily stood there watching her breathe for the nest hundred years or more, but the memory of the two dimples called him back. He turned her and stepped back, delighting in each new curve laid bare for his perusal. Reaching out, he traced the curves he’d just been inspecting by touch alone until he arrived back at the dimples. He placed a thumb on each and let his fingers slide forward, grasping her hips and pulling toward him until her bottom met his hip bone. He reached up then, and tilted her head to one side so that he could place warm kisses along her neck, continuing down to her right shoulder blade. When he could no longer reach lower in a standing position, he crouched, a knee on either side of her calves, and let his lips and tongue slide the length of her spine. This time the dimples simply had to be tasted, and he lapped his tongue over each, feeling her quiver at his daring.

Rising, he turned her back to face him and staggered back when she suddenly came out of her dazed state and pushed softly against his chest. His bare skin came in contact with the cold glass shower door and he gasped, which she used to her full advantage and kissed him deeply. From that point, she was an engaged participant, giving him as much pleasure as he gave her. Each brush of skin inflamed them, creating a pattern of desire that demanded satisfaction. But still they tasted and touched, rubbed and soothed, teased and nipped until they could no longer bear it. Reaching a shaky hand up, Jack turned off the spray and then felt outside the stall for a towel. He dried each curve tenderly and allowed her to do the same for him, then tugged her after him back into the bedroom.

~~o~~
Chapter Fifty-six, Continued

Sue watched with fascination the movement of her husband’s body as he led her toward the bedroom, feeling the most delicious thrill at the play of muscles in his legs and back. She was still in awe that Jack was hers… solely hers.

He turned when her feet stalled as she continued her visual inspection. “Nervous?”

How could she not be? The man she had loved and had been sure would never return her feelings was standing before her wearing a gold band that matched her own. “A little.”

“Sue, you know we can stop at any time? I will never push you into anything.”

Of course his words only served to turn her bones to jelly and she took her next step half expecting to fall in a heap as he tugged on her hand again, beckoning her to follow him. But once the door opened and they stepped onto the carpeted floor of the room where they would spend their wedding night, she abandoned all other thought to gaze around the room. The lights had been dimmed, allowing the dozens of candles placed sporadically around the room to create a romantic, flickering glow. The bed had been turned down and a single rose lay across one pillow, it’s scarlet softness contrasting sharply with the white linens.

“Oh Jack.” Room… beautiful.

It is now… you’re in it. He ran a hand down her upper arm and then moved to a side table to pick up a bottle and two champagne flutes.

“Don’t worry, I’m not trying to get you drunk.” He turned the label so that she could read it… sparkling cider.

Smiling, she reached out to stroke his chest. “I wasn‘t worried, but I gotta tell you, I’ve been pretty well intoxicated for about twenty minutes now.”

Grinning, he held the bottle higher. “Want some?”

She shook her head. “Maybe later?”

Grateful for her lack of thirst, Jack placed the bottle and glasses back on the table and glanced toward the bed. Sue cast a nervous glance in the same direction and took a deep breath. There was nothing she wanted more than to follow him to that bed, but suddenly she was more jittery than she’d been all day. Until then, she had marveled that they were standing before one another in nothing more than a suit of chill bumps and yet she had felt extraordinarily at ease, with only the slightest rumbling of nerves in the pit of her stomach when Jack would drop his eyes and gaze lovingly over her body. But she was grateful for his unabashed admiration, it made it easier for her to appreciate the exquisite creation that was her husband. He was toned, firm, and every muscle begged for her to touch and explore. And now he was inviting her to do just that. Swallowing, she took the hand he offered.

His pace was unhurried, approaching the bed slowly. When they stood beside it, he sat and pulled her close, looking up into her eyes as he rested his chin against her abdomen. “I love you.” His admission, backed up by the sincerity she could see in his face, set free the butterflies and she felt herself relax into him.

“I love you too Jack. Completely.”

He hugged her close, his face buried against her stomach and his hair softly tickling the underside of her breasts. Half standing, he placed a knee toward the center of the bed and pulled her close until her feet left the carpet and she was supported by his arms alone. Then he kissed her. Slow and methodical, the heat of his mouth seduced her… invaded her body until it spread to her toes and she felt herself melt into him even more. He lowered her then, laying her reverently on the down comforter and stretching out beside her; never breaking the kiss. Now that his hands were liberated, he found even better things to do with them. They moved leisurely over her, following each curve and eagerly looking for the next. When one found the ridiculously sensitive spot behind her right knee, she broke the kiss on a giggle and started in his arms, pulling the appendage up and hopefully out of reach.

“Ah-ha! A ticklish spot!”

“No, your hands are cold…” She denied, unwillingly to give him ammunition for future use.

Rolling to his side he propped his head on the other hand in order to gain a better vantage point. “Really? Funny, they weren’t cold when they were here, were they?.” He trailed a forefinger over her collar bone; his knuckles brushing her chin.

“Umm, I don’t remember…”

“No? How ‘bout here?” They traveled down to the valley between the peaks that had teased his chest just a moment before , and then around to cup the heady weight and send her arching into him again.

“J-a-a-a-c-c-k… please…”

He brought his inquisition to a end; it was time to stop teasing.

“Ms. Hudson, I want desperately to make love to you. May I?”

Her heart in her throat, she was grateful her tears came after he’d spoke and his words would be etched in her memory for the rest of her life. She couldn’t find her voice; wouldn’t have trusted it if she had, so she reached for him and told him with her kiss how very much she wanted the same thing.



In her dream state, Sue hadn’t a clue why she felt so utterly content; it was one of those feelings you woke with and only after consciousness pulled the fog of sleep from your brain could you comprehend why it was there. The fog was still firmly entrenched as she stretched and felt a heavy weight on her stomach. Amazing how fast fog could dissipate. All of the evening’s activities came back to her in a rush and she smiled and looked down at ‘the weight’.

Jack had used her as a pillow and his face was delightfully smushed against her tummy; his right arm thrown across her hips in the most intimate way she could imagine. She tried to stay still; he deserved all the rest he could get. He’d had a busy day; first the wedding that morning - no, she glanced to the clock across the room… yesterday morning - then the drive here, and finally their enthusiastic union a little over an hour ago. Poor man must be exhausted. She was surprised she hadn’t slept longer; she wasn’t used to such… strenuous activity herself.

She flexed her back and hips slightly, trying not to disturb him and blushed to herself at the soreness she discovered in the movement. A hot shower would help, she thought, which just deepened the pink in her cheeks. She wasn’t sure she’d ever take another shower without thoughts of that one creeping in, and she knew she never wanted to take another one alone.

Jack moved his arm, bringing a flutter to her stomach without even being aware he was doing anything. His brow arched as he stretched and yawned; his eyes finally popping open. Though the candles still burned, the shadows across his face made it difficult to read his words, but she basked in the smile he gave her.

“Hi there. I couldn’t read what you just said.”

He raised his head and the shadows fell away. “I said you’re beautiful.”

“No smudged eye make-up?”

He laughed. “Wouldn’t matter. You’d still be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”

Rolling her eyes, she grinned back and reached up to run a finger or two through the dark curls she loved so much. “Well, maybe the most beautiful woman you’ve ever married.”

“Oh definitely. You’re much prettier than my other two wives.”

“Two? My, you’ve been busy. And you’re so young; I wouldn’t have thought you’d had time for two marriages and two divorces.”

“Who said anything about divorce?”

She gasped comically. “You mean… murdered?”

“No, no. What do you take me for? They’re alive. We’re just still married is all.”

She was giggling now, his smug grin doing it‘s intended job. “I knew I should have had you checked out. Bobby offered and I tuned him down, like a dummy.”

“Some FBI analyst. What about you? How do I know you don’t have a skeleton or two floating around in your closet?”

“Oh I do. Haven’t you seen it?”

“Do I dare ask what it is?”

“Not what… who. It’s David. When we broke up, I did him in.”

“So that’s where he went. I always wondered.”

“I guess I’ll have to get rid of him now. I wouldn‘t want you to think you had competition.”

“For me?” He folded his hands over his heart and fluttered his lashes.

Her grin faded. “Anything for you Jack. Anything.”

Propelling himself upward on his elbows, he craned his neck to kiss her and she met him half-way. The comforter was soon pushed aside in fevered movement; a casualty of their desire as they took full advantage of God’s precious gift to newlyweds.



They lay in each other’s arms again, their bodies glistening in the candlelight and their hands slowly touching and trailing…

“Ummm, well, I’m not sore anymore. Thank you.”

He raised his head, twisting it sideways so that she could read his words. “Why didn’t you say you were sore?”

She grinned up at him and shook her head. “It was nothing. And it’s all gone now.”

He rolled over and reached for the bag on the night table.

"I didn't notice that before. What's in it?" She asked as he rummaged amongst the tissue paper.

“Anna Armstrong left some things for us, I think I saw…” He extracted a bottle and held it triumphantly.

Wiggling the bottle between his fingers, he rolled back to her. “Massage oil. Sure you’re not still sore?”

Her eyes rounded and she twisted her mouth to the side. “Well, now that you mention it, I do feel a little twinge…”

He lost no time in raising to his knees and rolling her over. Straddling her legs he flipped the top open on the bottle, poured a handful of the scented oil into his palm and flicked it shut again. He attempted to warm the liquid by rubbing his palms together, but he had too much and it dripped onto Sue’s back, leaving gleaming circles dotted here and there. Apparently it wasn’t too cold, since she didn’t flinch. He held his hands up and let the oil dribble down, watching as it lazily meandered a path along her smooth skin. Deciding it wasn’t moving fast enough for his liking, Jack ran a finger through one drop, and then another. Once he touched her, he couldn’t pull back and he placed his palms between her shoulder blades and pulled back, rippling her skin beneath his hands. He rubbed every inch of her back and bottom, including the sweet dimples that had fascinated him in the shower, and then went exploring for more skin. She was using her hands as a pillow beneath her jaw, which left her sides conveniently exposed and he smoothed his fingers over her ribcage and up until his fingertips caressed the sides of each breast.

Sue moaned and squirmed sideways, unable to lie still under his touch and giving him the perfect opportunity to slide his hands between her and the sheet. He dug his fingers into the pliant mounds and felt her entire body contract in response. Leaning forward, he kissed the spot between her shoulder blades where the massage began. Taking him unawares, she flipped beneath him, knocking him sideways and right into her arms.

“Love me Jack.”

“I do sweetheart, I do.”



Epilogue to follow...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Epilogue

“Well, that’s the last box.” Jack leaned against the doorframe and lolled his tongue in a decent impression of Levi after a long walk.

Sue had just finished her last inspection of the apartment; making sure nothing had been left in a closet or drawer. She took up a similar stance to his on the opposite side of the door. “You ready to lock up your ‘bachelor pad’ for the last time?”

Pushing away from the wood frame, he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I did that three months ago. The only thing I regret about this move is that the first house fell through.”

She placed a gentle kiss on his chin and nodded. “I was disappointed too, but it worked out for the best. I like this place just as well, and being close to D will be nice.”

D had told them about seeing a sign for a house for sell in a subdivision just down the road from his when they were talking at work one day about losing out on the first house. When they drove by it that evening, Jack could see the spark in Sue’s eyes as she commented on the large front yard and the trees shading the house. There was even an attractive privacy fence surrounding the back yard - perfect for Levi. Jack had liked the fact that since it was one of the oldest homes in an older subdivision, it wasn’t crammed next to the houses on either side, but the cherry on top had been the refurbished master suite, complete with a shower that was even larger than the one at the cottage. They had made an offer that same day. The purchase had gone smoothly with only a couple of minor hiccups, and a little over three weeks ago, they’d signed the papers.

“He’s already asked if we want to carpool.”

“See? We’ll save a bundle on the cost of gas.”

“Only Monday through Thursday.”

“Pardon?”

“I told him we’d share rides Monday through Thursday. I kept Fridays for us.”

“Really? And why is that Mr. Hudson?”

“Well, Ms. Hudson, you never know when I might want to take my wife out to dinner on the way home. You know, to get a head start on the weekend.”

“Umm, I like the way you think. Any other plans?”

“Well, there is this fantasy I have about making mad, passionate love to you in the Hoover parking garage. Somehow I doubt D would lend us his car…”

Her shocked smile let him know that he probably wouldn’t be fulfilling that particular fantasy anytime soon. “You know, there are camera’s all over that place; not to mention the laws we’d be breaking…”

“I don’t know, a little jail time might be worth it…”

“Well don’t expect any conjugal visits from me, big boy. You’ll just have to find a girlfriend on the inside.”

He scrunched his nose in distaste. “On second thought, let’s just go home and pull the blinds.”

“Now you’re talking, but we have some work to do when we get there. We haven’t unpacked any of the kitchen boxes yet.”

“Spoil sport.”

“It’s either unpack or eat takeout pizza forever.”

“I think there’s a pizza place in the little shopping center where you saw that pet store. Come on.”

~~o~~

Jack brought the car to a stop and came around to the passenger side while Sue let Levi out of the back, keeping a firm hand on his leash. The large front yard looked suspiciously like a park to him and the dog still couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t allowed to chase squirrels the way he always did.

Sue shook her head at the wiggling golden body and looked to Jack as he came to stand beside her. “I wonder where he’d end up if I just let go of the leash? With one yard running into another and another, I’m not sure he’d ever come home.”

Roughing the fur on Levi’s head, Jack reassured her. “He’s just not sure where home is… yet. We’ll walk him tonight; start getting him used to the neighborhood and where he comes back to if he ever gets loose by mistake. Why don’t you put him in the back yard while we work?”

He waited while Sue urged the dog through the wood gate leading around the house, and then they walked together up the front steps to the carved front door. Jack unlocked it and caught her arm. “Allow me…”

“You know, you’ve done this once already.” She told him with a grin as he picked her up and pushed the door open with his foot.

“I know, but not at ‘our’ house. Besides, I like doing it.”

“You’re hopeless.”

“No… hopeful.” He leaned his head close with a quick lift of his brows.

She slid down to her feet once he’d crossed the threshold, keeping a hand at the back of his neck. “Feed me first… and help me unpack those boxes.”

“I will, but I have a surprise first. Come with me.”

He led her through the living and dining rooms until they came to the doorway to the den. There, he place a hand over her eyes and guided her the last few steps. Once he positioned her just so, he lowered his hand.

“Jack! Our sofa!” She leaned back into him and his arms came around automatically.

We can r-e-u-p-h-o-l-s-t-e-r it if you want, he signed in front of her. She shook her head, rolling the back of it against his chest.

“No, it’s perfect. I’ll just exchange the blue curtains for the tan ones. We haven’t bought anything else for this room, so we’ll just buy to match it.” She turned in his arms. “I can’t believe they sold it to you.”

“I have a feeling I could ask for a month’s stay at the hotel every year and Howard would make it happen. He knows how close he came to losing his son.”

Sue nodded and reflected back to the visit they had paid the family during their honeymoon. It had taken some persuading, but she had finally talked Jack into leaving the cottage for an hour or so and driving to Howard and Anna’s home. They had thanked them for their hospitality and watched young James playing on the floor as his parents gazed at him.

“He’s a lucky little boy. They love him so much.”

Her look turned wistful and Jack knew her thoughts had drifted to a child of their own. They’d decided to forego birth control and leave the timing up to God. So far, the timing hadn’t been right. He brought her chin up with a forefinger. “Your child will be just as lucky. And in the meantime, I‘m enjoying having his or her mother all to myself.”

She smiled brightly, not wanting him to get the impression that life with just the two of them in the family was anything less than a dream come true. “So… you want to get ‘reacquainted’?” she rolled her eyes toward the sofa.

“I thought we did that last night.”

“I meant with the sofa.”

“And what would you say to doing both?”

Walking backwards and pulling him after her, she led him to the sofa, collapsed onto it and opened her arms. “I’d say ‘welcome home Mr. Hudson‘.”

FIN

You can find this story, and all of kmt123's other stories here in her archive page. Comments are always welcome!