Chapter Six

Whew, that was close, Pete thought to himself as he watched the fascinating woman before him dig into an oversized sandwich.

I almost kissed her right here in front of everybody… if I do that, I say ‘goodbye’ to any professional credibility at all.

Yeah… but did you notice she looked kind of let down that you didn’t kiss her? his inner voice pointed out. Because I sure noticed. And I think you ought to remedy that the first chance you get.

“Hey, Larry,” Pete managed, in an effort to quell his internal struggle. “Step outside with me for a minute?”

“Sure,” Larry answered, giving him a strange look before leading the way out onto the front porch.

“What’s with you?” Larry asked, as they walked out into the front yard for a bit more privacy. “You seem… off.”

“Yeah. I am,” Pete admitted. “Um… Shannon… she’s…” his voice trailed off.

“Just between you and me? I feel that way about the other one. Leah’s feisty as hell, and I don’t think she likes me very much. But I’m just… fascinated by her, is a good word for it,” Larry confessed. “She’s tiny, and fearless, and I’m in awe of her. Not that I’ll do anything at all about it until all this is over.”

“Yeah,” Pete agreed. “Yeah. Gotta focus on keeping them both safe. Once this is over, then maybe.”

He shrugged.

“Or maybe not. You know how it is in our line of work, man. Relationships don’t last a lot of the time.”

“The right ones can,” Larry pointed out. “But for the moment, let’s get back to business. You asked me why I didn’t go through the marshals in Chicago. We have a leak somewhere, Pete. I don’t know how far-reaching it is, and I just couldn’t take that chance with these two. You and I have known each other for what, ten years now?”

Pete nodded.

“Almost eleven, actually.”

Larry grinned.

“Yeah. So, I know I can trust you with all this. With them.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“I’m gonna go back to Chicago and keep digging. I’m not working with a team on this one, Pete, so nobody but me should be contacting you, at all.”

“And if someone else reaches out?”

“Then get Shannon and Leah out of here, as fast as you can,” Larry urged.

“What’s our code sequence? The usual?

Larry pondered, then nodded.

“And the old place as the fallback?”

“Sounds good to me.”

They shook on it, then went back inside.

***

Shannon had managed to finish half the sandwich but was yawning.

“Come on,” Pete said, and motioned to her.

She nodded, stood, and followed him out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

He opened the second door on the left, then stood to one side to let her through.

This okay? he mimed to her and got a thumbs-up in reply after she’d surveyed the bedroom.

He held up a finger to indicate he’d be right back and moved quickly downstairs to retrieve her suitcase.

“May I borrow a piece of paper?” he asked Leah.

“Sure,” she said, and tore a clean page from her notebook for him.

“Thanks,” Pete answered, and returned upstairs.

He entered her room, holding her suitcase up with a questioning look. She pointed at the dresser, and he set her luggage down gently on it.

Then Pete fished a pen out of his back pocket and wrote, you’ve been through a lot, and you look like you could really use some rest.

She read it and nodded.

Next, he wrote I will be downstairs, if you need me.

Shannon smiled and walked over to him. Before Pete could react, she’d wrapped her arms around his waist and tiptoed to kiss his cheek.

“Thank you,” she said simply, then moved to the bed to lie down.

He set the paper and pen down next to the bed and was almost back to the door when she said, “Will you stay with me?”

Pete went still, his heart somersaulting in his chest. He turned slowly and walked back across the room, gazing at her, before he picked up the pen again.

I don’t know if that’s a good idea, he finally wrote.

Shannon read it, then turned crimson when she glanced up at his face again and saw the unmasked desire he couldn’t hide quickly enough.

“I didn’t mean… I just meant sit with me until I’m asleep.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, and then it was Pete’s turn to blush as he wrote Oh. Sure.

Feeling awkward, Pete sat on the edge of her bed as she took off her shoes and crawled under the covers. Shannon turned on her side so she could see him.

“Sorry I embarrassed you,” she whispered, smiling back at him when he began to grin.

Hardly anyone I know manages to do that to me, he wrote, and showed her.

“Really?”

He nodded, then scribbled, Get some sleep. You’re safe here.

She yawned, nodded, and blinked slowly twice, her lids heavier with each attempt to keep them open. On the third blink, she was out.

He stayed a few minutes longer, watching her breathing become deep and even, a sure sign she was heading into restful sleep. As he lingered, he fought and conquered a sudden, powerful impulse to gently stroke her hair.

Time to go, he told himself, and reluctantly crept out of her room, pulling the door closed behind him.

***

“How is she?” Larry asked when Pete stepped back into the kitchen.

“Out like a light,” he revealed. “Where’s Duffy?”

“He stepped outside a bit ago,” Leah said.

“Probably radioing in. Any more sandwich stuff? The one you made her looked really good.”

Leah smiled and pointed, then swiveled her head back to Larry as Pete went to help himself to food.

“So, what’s next, Agent Fuller?”

“Can you just call me Larry? Please? No need to be formal.”

“Fine. What’s next, Larry? We just… camp out here forever?”

“Well, hopefully not forever,” he told her. “That’s why I’ve got to go back. By now, the techs that pulled evidence from the scenes have at least something I can chase. I hope they do, anyway,” he finished, running his hands over his face and then through his hair.

“What if they don’t?” Leah pressed.

Larry looked at her and could only shrug.

“Seriously? We’re just in some big random holding pattern, with no guarantee we ever get to have our lives back?” she fumed, rising from her seat. “Great. That’s just great.”

Pete and Larry exchanged raised eyebrow glances across the room, and Larry stood and approached her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.

“Hey,” he said softly. “I am gonna do everything in my power to solve this as soon as possible so you and Shannon can be out of danger, okay? Please trust me.”

“I do trust you, oddly enough,” she replied. “I’m just frustrated. I hate not being in control of my situation.”

That earned her an ear-to-ear grin from him.

“Oh, Leah. You and I have more in common than you know,” he said. “I can be a major control freak.”

“I can attest to that,” Pete said, after he swallowed the huge bite he’d just taken. “I just knew he was gonna get tossed out because of it.”

“Tossed out of what?”

Leah’s confused eyes traveled from Pete to Larry.

“You guys go further back than today?”

“Yep. We met the first day of basic training,” Larry confirmed. “Did our whole stint together in the same platoon.”

He looked over at Pete.

“I’ve been looking at your hideous face for what, eleven years now?”

“You’re no prize either, sunshine,” Pete retorted, making Leah snicker while he took another bite.

Duffy strolled in a few minutes later and told Larry, “I’m ready to leave when you are, just say the word.”

“Let’s get moving, then,” Larry said. “The sooner I get back the faster I can work this case.”

Pete had just finished his last bite of sandwich and was standing up to see Larry out when a blood-curdling scream barreled down to them from Shannon’s room.