Chapter Seventeen

The next morning, she stretched and yawned, reveling in the feel of him snuggled up behind her.

It feels so natural being beside him, Leah realized. So perfect.

And she sensed he must have had the same thought, because Larry pulled her closer, turned her over, kissed her deeply, and murmured in her ear “I want you,” as he maneuvered her body onto his for a proper good morning ritual.

***

Later, after they’d showered and dressed, Larry said, “Which store did you want to hit first?”

“Well, I’m not sure, to be honest,” she said. “The furniture place, I guess? And then the grocery store for some things. But I can hold off on the perishable stuff until I’m moved back in over there.”

“Makes sense,” he said, even as he thought to himself although I think it would be awesome to have you here all the time.

***

They selected the couches and beds and arranged to have them delivered, then headed to the store to replenish the badly gutted kitchen.

It was almost seven p.m. before all the new dishes were washed and stored in the cabinets.

“Not bad, though,” Leah said appreciatively. “All that’s left is to restock the refrigerator stuff, basically. What time is it?”

“Seven,” Larry told her. “I’m thinking takeout. I don’t feel like cooking. Do you?”

“That would be nope, I don’t either.”

They talked out their options, then decided on Japanese cuisine, and Larry called and placed their order with the place he frequented that was close to his apartment.

***

“I have to warn you, I am not good with chopsticks, at all,” Larry told her as they drove to go pick up their food, and she giggled.

“I’m serious. It’s horrible. The last time I tried using the things in public I wound up flinging a huge piece of sushi halfway across the restaurant. They brought me a fork, and smiled, and they took away my chopsticks, Leah. Does that tell you anything?”

“They did not!”

“Did so. And they’ve called me ‘no-stick-man’ ever since. Just wait, you’ll see.”

They entered the establishment and almost every single employee in the place yelled “Hey, no-stick-man!” at the same time.

Leah thought she was going to cry from laughing so hard.

He shrugged, grinning.

“Like I said. Something of a legend here, just, not in a good way.”

“That’s…. hilarious….” She managed to get out between bouts of breathlessness.

They got their food, paid, waved goodbye, and returned to the truck. Larry opened her door for her and handed her the takeout bag once she was seated.

***

He had just closed Leah’s door when he heard his name called from behind and to the right of him.

I know that voice… You’ve got to be kidding me…

He turned slowly.

It was her.

“You followed me across the country?” he yelled as he took a step forward. “What part of ‘stay the hell away from me’ don’t you understand?

“Who’s the slut, Larry?” she hissed.

“That would be you,” he scoffed. “We proved that a long, long time ago.”

Neither of them noticed Leah climb over the console and quietly exit Larry’s truck from the driver’s side. She ducked down and crept silently along the length of the bed, working her way around past the tailgate.

“This has gone on long enough, Larry. You need to come home now.”

“My home stopped being with you the minute that kid’s blood test came back. Now, you can leave, or I can call the cops and make you leave.”

Her eyes were even crazier than he remembered, and a lead weight filled his stomach when he saw the knife in her hand.

Larry reached down to his hip and unbuckled the strap that held his firearm in place.

“Nancy, don’t do anything else stupid. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to.”

She took two menacing steps forward.

“Hey, you bitch!” Leah yelled.

When Nancy turned Leah’s direction, she was met with a roundhouse kick that sent the knife skittering across the pavement. Leah followed swiftly with a right cross and a left uppercut before another spinning kick caught Nancy squarely in the left side of her head and knocked her out cold. She slumped to the ground like a rag doll.

Leah stood, eyes blazing, chest heaving, glaring down at the crazy woman lying unconscious in a heap at her feet.

“Nobody messes with my man,” she growled.

***

“Where did you learn that?” Larry asked, watching as the paramedic who’d checked Nancy’s condition turned her over to the cops who’d arrived on the scene.

“After that guy tried to kidnap me, I started trying out different self-defense classes. I liked kickboxing the best,” Leah answered with a grin.

A detective walked over, took their statements, and wished them a pleasant evening.

“Don’t you need us to come to the station?” Leah asked.

“The restaurant owner’s cameras got the whole thing on tape,” the detective answered. “I’ll be taking a look at that, and if I have any more questions, I know where to reach you both.”

After the man walked away, Larry looked at her and said, “So… I’m your man, huh?”

“Caught that, did you? Well… I mean…if you,” was all she got out before he silenced her words by kissing her.

“You already have my heart, Leah,” he murmured against her lips. “You know that, right? For as long as you want it.”

“That sounds like a fair trade,” she whispered. “Because you have mine.”

***

True to his word, within twenty-four hours Bruce had confirmed that the contents of the microchip were priceless; just about everything the FBI would need to shut Creach & Langford down permanently had been saved on that tiny wafer. Warrants were being issued for individuals throughout the organization, based on what Robert had found and made copies of, with indictments soon to follow.

And there was one lone paragraph in a Word document, penned by Robert himself, explaining his panic at the sensation of being watched, and his decision to stash the microchip in the only safe place he could think of – the locket he’d bought to give to Shannon.

With luck, I’ll be able to get this back, with no one the wiser, the paragraph had ended, and Larry shook his head sadly as he read it.

***

Charles Allen Zavier was transported back to Chicago on Thursday afternoon, and Larry started the interview process Friday morning. Charlie, as he was known, had started off being extremely uncooperative – until he learned of the hit placed on him, that is.

C.W. Picking had been the recipient of Creach & Langford founding member Archibald Creach’s phone call requesting Charlie be ‘retired’. He’d mentioned the conversation during his interrogation. Larry, in turn, blindsided Charlie with it.

Then Larry got a surprise of his own.

Charles Allen Zavier, it seemed, wasn’t just another lackey – he was Archibald Creach’s illegitimate son.

When he realized his own father had ordered him killed, Charlie conferred with his lawyer for all of three seconds before he looked across the table at Larry.

“Make me a deal, and I’ll tell you everything I know,” he said quietly.

It was the final nail needed.

***

Nancy was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Given the documented history of stalking Larry Fuller, she was denied bail, and eventually sent to prison.

***

One Year Later…

Larry, Leah, Shannon and Pete were sitting around the fire pit at the farm outside Ravenna, Kentucky on a gorgeous October night. Pete stretched back, putting an arm around his wife.

Leah’s guess had been spot-on; it had been a May fifteenth wedding.

“I have to say, I like this trip to the farm much, much better,” Pete announced.

“Agreed. No bad guys coming down the road any minute,” Leah chimed in. “Plus, we made smores this time, so, that right there makes it automatically better.”

Larry grinned at her.

“Anybody want another beer?” he asked.

“I’ll take another one,” Pete replied.

“Be right back,” Larry said, and went into the cabin.

Shannon and Leah were talking back and forth, with Pete listening and occasionally jumping in.

“Larry’s been gone a while,” Leah noted at one point.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Pete told her.

Several minutes passed, and then a loud rustle behind Leah had her eyebrows raising quickly. She stood, turned, and began to laugh.

It was Larry, all right.

In a gorilla suit.

With a bright pink tutu around his waist.

“Dammit,” he said, and pulled the mask off. “Can’t breathe in that thing, and this is important.”

Suddenly he went to one knee and held up a tiny box, and she gasped.

He took her hand and looked into her eyes.

“Leah Culverton, my tiny pixie warrior, kicker of asses, my best friend. You are the love of my life. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes,” she whispered, trembling as he slid the ring on her finger.

He rose, took her in his arms and lifted her off her feet, kissing her as Shannon and Pete clapped and cheered.

When he set her down again, he said, “Now don’t forget, we have to make sure the Director makes the guest list.”

She stood, dumbstruck for a moment, and then swatted his arm.

“You’ve been holding out on me. You did hear him say that too!”

Larry laughed and kissed her again.