Beneath the Layers

by Caitlyn Willows

  “No, Daddy, please don’t come up here. I’m fine… I swear.” She blew out a hard breath. “Daddy, stop. Listen. I’ve met someone… Two months ago…”

  He glanced back to find her rolling her eyes and starting to pace.

  “Yes, I’m with him now… And last night, too… All night, Daddy… Yes, his place… Hades loves him… Kurt Davidson… NCIS Special Agent. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon… I’ll call her right now… I promise. I’ll talk to you later. Love to Dee and the kids.”

  She ended the call, scowled at the phone and punched in another number. Judging from the anger in her eyes, Kurt suspected this conversation wouldn’t be pleasant. He gave her privacy and walked on to the kitchen. It wasn’t far enough to mask her mother’s screeched, “How dare you ignore my calls.”

  Midge followed with a rebuttal that silenced the woman, even hinting that Bernadette might still be alive if her mother hadn’t asked her to snoop. He heard the phone thunk to one of the tables. Midge didn’t join him. He guessed she was taking a moment to calm down. But when the minutes ticked by and she still hadn’t come into the kitchen, he decided to go to her. He found her sitting on the foot of his bed, head buried in her hands.

  Kurt leaned against the doorjamb. He wanted to say he’d never been this unsure of himself but that would have been a lie. He’d been off-kilter since the day he’d met Midge, more so when she’d rejected his sorry attempts at getting her attention. Now he’d laid his heart bare. Reminding himself that she was only three days into their relationship while he was two months involved didn’t help, nor did his pathetic excuse that he’d been worried sick about this plan and the words had spilled out before he could stop them. Kurt refused to take them back. He’d meant every word. But he also didn’t think it was wise to bring further attention to them.

  “Family dynamics,” he offered in sympathy.

  “I’ve been the prize in an emotional tug-of-the-war since I was three. I wish to hell my dad had gotten physical custody of me from the beginning. He was trying to keep peace between them.” She raked her fingers through her hair as she raised her head. “I can’t even call his wife ‘Mom’. If my mother caught wind of it, Armageddon would pale in comparison. I call her Dee to avoid slip-ups. I love her and my half brother and sister.”

  “I know she’s your mother, but sometimes you have to save yourself and cut negative people from your life for your own peace of mind.”

  “She’d only take it out on Dad and Dee, like she did tonight. I can’t put them through that.”

  “Then it’s time to lay down the law with her and stand by your convictions.” Kurt pushed away from the door and squatted down before her. “If it helps, think about your future children.” Our children. “You’re the one who needs to take a stand. Otherwise, she’ll find someone else to attack like she has your father and Dee. Everyone else is at fault but her. That’s her view of the world and I can’t see her changing, not if she convinced Bernadette to spy on you. You have to change your interactions with her in a firm, noncombative manner.”

  “Wise and handsome. Do you know what that does to a woman’s heart?”

  She cupped his face and kissed him. If someone had told him a week ago that a simple brush of her lips would set his soul on fire, Kurt would have laughed them off. Now he lived for her touch, for that glimmer in her eyes when she looked at him, for the joy of being near her that an hour away from her felt like an eternity. He loved her, pure and simple, and he longed to tell her the right way this time.

  “Midge, I—”

  She pressed her index finger over his lips, silencing him. “I love you, too. It doesn’t make sense that I’d feel this way so soon, but there it is.”

  Relief demolished his tense muscles.

  She laughed. “In essence, I’ve been sleeping with you for two months.”

  “Man, the images you just put in my head.”

  More laughter. “I’m all yours.”

  She cupped his face and kissed him lightly. “Exhaustion is etched in your face. I’ll get the lights, check on the cats and make sure the house is secure. Crawl into bed and let me be the hero right now.”

  He wouldn’t argue. “Thank you.”

  Kurt undressed and crawled under the covers as she walked off. Sleep slithered over him. He was conscious of only two things—the minute Midge spooned her naked body against him and the cats joining them seconds later.

  Chapter Eleven

  Midge put the finishing touch on her mascara, then double-checked her appearance, liking what she saw—the real her, the person her family and close friends knew. Her coworkers were in for a surprise. Gone was her mousy façade. There might be a few who would attribute the change to Kurt. She didn’t give a damn what they thought or said behind her back. He loved her. She loved him. Her feelings were real and not the result of some killer sex and the rush of returning to the real world.

  Kurt ducked his head into the bathroom. “How the hell can you make cammies look so fucking hot? First wearing the contacts and now this. I think I liked it better the other way. I don’t want everyone to know how hot you really are.”

  Midge tried not to laugh and failed. “Don’t worry, big guy. I’m all yours.”

  He grunted. “Could you at least lose the French braid and go back to the bun?”

  She patted her hair. “After all your hard work putting it in?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Why do I have the feeling that’s going to come back to haunt me?”

  Her cell phone vibrated on the sink vanity, setting her heart racing. It could be Susan finally returning the phone messages I left last night and again this morning. They glanced at the caller ID—her mother.

  “Can I answer it?” He pleaded like a kid wanting a new toy.

  “Knock yourself out. Put it on speaker.”

  He tapped the button. “Midge’s phone. Kurt speaking.”

  “Who the hell are you?” Her mother’s haughty tone demanded answers.

  “As I just said… I’m Kurt. Who the hell are you?”

  Midge smothered laughter under her hand.

  “I’m Michelle’s mother. Don’t get smart with me, young man. I’ve heard about the shenanigans going on with my daughter. Bernadette McFee was very informative.”

  “I bet the thieving old biddy was. Did she also tell you she violated several California State laws regarding her tenant?”

  “Let me speak to Michelle right now.”

  Midge shook her head. His smile broadened.

  “She can’t come to the phone right now. It’s not convenient…for either of us.”

  Her mother sucked in an outraged gasp. “How dare you engage in intercourse while you speak to me!”

  “Intercourse?” His light-blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “Oh…you mean sex. No, we’re done with that for now. You just missed it, though. Made us run a little late. But I could go for a nooner. Why don’t you call back at lunch?”

  That left her mother sputtering. Before she could recover, Kurt jumped in again.

  “Is there a message I can give to Midge when she gets done washing sweat and other various bodily fluids from her body?”

  Midge bit back a shriek of laughter.

  “Tell her to call me.” Then she was gone.

  Midge released her pent-up laughter. “Well, what do you know, Kurt Orin Davidson? You do have your uses.”

  He winked. “And I kill spiders, too.”

  “What more could a woman ask for?” She batted her eyes.

  “Whatever it is, I’d find a way to deliver.” He kissed her quick. “Come on. Breakfast is ready, as per your specifications.”

  Peanut butter on toast—something they had in common for workdays. “Be right there.”

  He kissed her again then left. Midge stuffed her makeup into its little bag and followed. When she walked into the kitchen, he picked up a piece of toast and handed it to her. His expression turned solemn as he poured coffee into travel mugs for them. He han
ded Midge one, then reached up and wiped his index finger over the corner of her mouth.

  “Peanut butter.” He licked it off.

  Midge’s heart tumbled. How could such an innocent gesture feel so intimate?

  She stretched on tiptoe, he bent closer and their lips met somewhere in-between. He tasted of peanut butter and coffee. Or was that her? It didn’t matter. They were one.

  “We need to get going or we’ll both be late for work,” he said.

  “I didn’t realize there were could be so many pluses to cohabitation. You braided my hair, made breakfast and now you’re chauffeuring me. It’s a rare treat to actually be able to eat and enjoy my coffee rather than gulp it down or do without. Tell me, hot stuff, what do I have to do to get you to iron my cammies?”

  “Don’t push it, baby.” He squeezed her ass as he walked by. “Come on. We have to be in the SJA’s office by seven-thirty.”

  “You know Jess called him last night.” She snagged her duffel bag of workout gear and followed.

  “I know.” Hand on the doorknob, he shrugged. “That ought to save some time this morning. He would have made up his mind, but he’s still going to make us work for it.”

  That much was true. Colonel Scott would want to hear all arguments pro and con, despite his decision. He’d weigh all sides carefully before rendering a verdict. He’d make a hell of a judge one day.

  They gave the cats goodbye ear rubs before heading to Kurt’s car parked in the garage. Midge would have felt better if she had her vehicle, but local law enforcement had yet to release the scene, though they’d promised to do so sometime today. Jess had snagged the wig from the day before and secreted it out of her house. The plan was to drive her as far as the strip mall outside the base where an NCIS vehicle—another white sedan—awaited her use. On the off-chance Susan was at Midge’s office, Midge would tell her it was a rental. She would also explain the meeting with SJA and NCIS personnel was to lodge a formal complaint against Kurt.

  They ran a small risk that Susan might see them driving toward base. The only other choice would have been for her to call a cab. But it would have been out of character for Susan to be here since she was mad and not returning her calls. Plus, if she suspected a net was closing around her, Susan would be cautious. She might even have the license plate numbers from the vehicles Kurt had driven—his own and the agency’s vehicle he’d used their first night together. The white sedan might be camouflaged in a sea of other white cars, but the license plates would give them away every time. Whoever they were after wasn’t stupid or they would have been caught long before now.

  “You were researching Stanford?” she asked as Kurt backed into the street.

  “Damn straight I was. The level of destruction in your place was off the charts. It was either personal or someone so desperate and stupid they weren’t thinking straight. I can’t connect the latter to a criminal who’s evaded authorities this long. And since the only other stupid person I would suspect is dead…” He flipped up his palms in a semblance of a shrug.

  She clutched the travel mug between her hands and stared ahead. She’d despised Bernadette but hated that this had happened to her.

  Kurt rubbed her thigh. “Try not to be scared, honey.”

  She glanced at him. “Because you’re scared enough for both of us?”

  “Nailed it. I don’t fuck around with anyone’s life, and when it’s someone I—”

  He clamped his mouth shut on the rest of the sentence. Midge scuffed her hand over his thigh. All too soon they were pulling into the strip mall. Her assigned vehicle waited. The key was in a magnetic box in the wheel well.

  She opened the door when he came to a stop. “I’m kissing you goodbye in my head.”

  “And I’m kissing you back. See you in a few.”

  To the outside world and whoever might be watching, they were nothing more than friends. Fifteen minutes later, Midge was seated in Colonel Scott’s office on the rose-colored love seat with Kurt by her side and Jess and Vic occupying matching chairs across from them. Everest wasn’t present, since her working with NCIS wasn’t his business, and that was fine with her. It was going to take her a long time to forgive DEA for stepping all over NCIS.

  She didn’t have too much interaction with the Staff Judge Advocate, but she sure did like him. He had a compassion for his people, combined with a toughness no one could doubt. He laced his fingers before him while Jess and Vic laid out the plan to which Kurt still vehemently objected. Midge remained silent. When the last word died, Colonel Scott pursed his lips and nodded.

  “Agent Davidson, I understand that a relationship has developed between you and Staff Sergeant Ellis?”

  “It has, sir.” Kurt’s tone defied him to say something against it. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re sending in an untrained—”

  Colonel Scott raised his palm. “I get it. You’ve made your feelings very clear.” He focused on Midge. “You know the risks. I’m sure NCIS briefed you thoroughly. Is there anything I can say to make you change your mind?”

  She kept her chin level. “Sir, my home was violated and my household goods destroyed. I feel strongly that someone is trying to frame me. It surely can’t be a coincidence that I’ve been made the center of all this. Only a direct order from you would stop me from going under.”

  He leaned back in his big chair and drummed his fingers on the armrests. “All this planning and you’ve yet to make contact with your target. Aren’t you concerned about playing your hand too early?”

  “I’ve left messages for her, sir.” Midge folded her hands in her lap. “It’s unlike her to leave them unanswered. She and I had a bit of a falling out recently and she might still be mad about that. I’ve apologized and told her she was right. She might not be answering, but she wouldn’t miss the chance to rub this in my face.”

  “In this falling out, was she right?” he asked.

  “No, sir. She was dead wrong.”

  “Did you try her at work?”

  “Not yet,” she replied. “She would have arrived at the same time we were due in your office.”

  “Call her.”

  Midge looked to Jess for confirmation and received a slight nod. She pulled her flip phone from her trouser pocket and dialed Susan’s office. Someone else picked up.

  “I was trying to reach Petty Officer Bolotnik,” she said.

  “Called in sick this morning,” the woman replied. “Sounded bad. I hope it’s not that damn flu. People are toppling right and left. I sure don’t want—”

  “Thank you. I’ll try her at home.” A glance at Jess gave her the okay, so she tried Susan’s cell for the third time. “Me again. Heard you were sick. Call me if you need anything. I’m still going out tonight. I hope you don’t mind that I’m using the wig. As you’d probably say, ‘time to get back on the horse.’ There are certainly a lot of stallions to choose from.”

  “Really?” Kurt said once she’d put the phone away.

  Midge shrugged. “Just trying to play the game the way she would.”

  “I’m sure you’re the only stud in Staff Sergeant Ellis’s corral right now, Agent Davidson,” Colonel Scott said.

  She tried not to giggle but the red flush crawling over Kurt’s face was too much. They all had a light laugh at his expense.

  “Glad I could break the tension for all of you,” he muttered.

  Colonel Scott rested his forearms on his desk, looking resigned. “Why should I be one to stand in the way of justice and a strong-willed woman? Just try to keep her safe and in one piece, gentlemen. I don’t want anything to happen to one of my best Marines.”

  Dismissed, Midge filed out with the men and ran right into Zach. He clutched leave papers in one hand and a bag of Godiva dark chocolate in the other. His smile faded to a frown.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Telling him would involve him. Midge refused to let that happen. She pointed to the chocolates.

  “Are you
going to pass those out or hoard them for yourself?”

  Zach grinned and opened the bag. “For the newly designated Aunt Midge? You may have two.”

  “Good. I’m taking three.” She shoved her hand in the bag and took four.

  “Major Taylor, come in and tell me all.” Colonel Scott waved him in.

  “On my way, sir,” he called out. “I’m going with full disclosure, Midge.”

  “Do it.” She added a sharp nod.

  “And I expect full disclosure from one of you at some point.” He passed a slow gaze over each of them. “I suspect something’s going on that I’m probably not going to like, and it’s well beyond the fact that someone broke into her home.”

  She held her breath waiting for Kurt to spill everything. He was sure to have Zach on his side. United, they’d be a formidable force, especially when Zach tattled to Claudia and the extended friend-family.

  Kurt clapped Zach’s shoulder. “Go be a dad. It’s just another day in the life here.”

  Zach’s narrowed gaze called him a liar, but he walked away and stepped into Colonel Scott’s office.

  “Don’t the rest of us get candy?” Vic asked.

  “I’m pretty sure she took four. Share.” Zach winked and closed the door.

  Three palms shot out in front of her. Midge reluctantly put a chocolate in each hand.

  “Go, Team NCIS,” Vic said, and the men exchanged high-fives.

  * * * *

  Kurt stood in front of his bathroom mirror and made the final adjustments to his gray-streaked beard. A similarly colored shaggy wig and nondescript clothing completed the over-the-hill look. He’d fit in well with the stool-hugging old-timers who always lined the far side of most of the bars in the area—even ones with loud, obnoxious music. They’d watch young people from the shadows, perhaps a little envious of what they were missing, nursing their drinks in silence while they longed for days gone by. It would be the perfect vantage point to keep an eye on Midge.

  His final appeal had failed, as Kurt had suspected it would. Kurt had no choice but to agree. Midge would do what she wanted to do. Nothing and no one would stand in her way. He’d learned that fast from working with Claudia.