by Jet MacLeod
“If you want, I don’t see why not. I’ll call Cole later and tell him that we are going to stay an extra day. This is it,” Del told her as they approached their door.
Del put the key card in the slot and opened the door. They hadn’t brought anything with them but Del’s day pack. She really didn’t go anywhere without it. She sat it on the table as she surveyed the room.
“Well this is interesting,” Angie stated.
“What?”
“There is only one bed.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll sleep on the couch. We’ll be fine. It was the last room they had before the weekend. There is some sort of convention in town. The clerk told me,” Del explained.
“It is a California king, Del. You could sleep in the bed. We wouldn’t even find each other.”
“I’ll stay on the couch. I’ll be fine. You take the bed. Besides, I don’t want to keep you up. I probably won’t be sleeping much anyway,” Del added.
“Why? Are you still worried about what happened in Paris? Or, is it something else?”
“I need to plan our route. Until that is done and other arrangements are made, I am not going to be comfortable sleeping. I need to make sure that everything is in place and ready for us before we get to Sioux Falls. This reminds me I need to call Cole and tell him to delay the shipment for a day or so. Everything will work out for us. I promise.”
Angie just watched her. It was like Del was on mission. She had already pulled out her laptop and set it on the table. She was fishing around in her day pack for a cell phone. Angie sat down on the end of the bed defeated, because she knew that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with Del until she was done.
“Cole, yeah, it’s me...No, I don’t need anything that I know of...Yeah, we’re fine...I am going to stay an extra day to get things in order....Yeah, I am sure...Just listen...Yeah, she’s fine...No, I haven’t said anything about that...No...No...Not right now...Would you just listen for a second? ...Damn it, Cole...Sergeant! ...Thank you...Listen, I am giving you another day for the package. We’ll be picking it up on Saturday, okay? ...Good...Yeah, I’ll send the payment tonight...Roger that, Sarge. Out.”
Del closed the cell phone and threw it back into her day pack. She turned and looked over at Angie. She could see the emotions crossing over Angie’s face, but she didn’t know what to say or do. She had to keep Angie sale. That was her first priority. She realized that she had shut down in Saint Louis and gone back into military mode. She knew that it alienated Angie and she shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” Del told her.
“For what now?”
“I don’t know how to explain it. I…I. don’t…I am just sorry. Are you hungry? We should eat.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“Did the lobby have any of the brochures on places to eat? Did you see something that you wanted? It doesn’t matter to me,” Del told her.
“There were two places, but only one of them is open now,” Angie told her.
“Okay, so we’ll go there. Again, I am sorry. I am trying, Angie. I really am.”
“I know and I appreciate it. I heard what you told Cole in the car earlier. It meant a lot to me.”
“What I said?” Del asked her confused.
“Yeah, about you being my bodyguard and not my jailer. You are doing what you have to do to keep me safe. I appreciate that, a lot. I might fight you on some things, but I know that you have my best interest in mind. I appreciate that you understand that is difficult for me as well. I know that you have been indulging me. Thank you for that, too. I know that you are trying to make this as painless as possible for me. I do,” Angie explained.
“Well, I’m glad then,” Del replied.
“We should eat,” Angie said.
She could tell that emotions were high and she knew that Del didn’t handle them well. They would go eat and talk. They would pretend to be friends for an hour. Then, they would come back to the hotel room. Del would plan the rest of their trip and Angie would sleep. They were able to keep up appearances, whatever they were, when needed, but it still didn’t feel right to Angie.
They went to a local favorite eatery. It was called the Bad Art Bistro. Angie had to admit that she liked the quirky interior covered in local artwork. The food was good and they actually had a good time.
She was just sorry that she knew as soon as they got back to the hotel room that Del would shut down again and turn back into Montgomery. That was how she thought of them. She was two different people. Del was her friend and Montgomery was her bodyguard. She just hoped that somewhere on this journey that the two met and merged into one. It would make things a little easier for them both emotionally.
Angie went to the bathroom to prepare for bed. It had been a long day and she was ready to relax completely. She had already taken a quick shower while they were still in Paris, but now she thought that the feel of the warm water running over her body would help her get ready for bed. She grabbed some clothes and disappeared into the bathroom while Del sat down at the table with her laptop.
Angie going to take a shower when they got back from dinner wasn’t lost on Del. She realized that she done something and closed herself off from her again. She had started to relax in Paris, but then she rescued the boy and put them both in jeopardy. It had been a Catch 22 situation and she hated it. She couldn’t believe how easily her training took over. She wondered if this was how it was always going to be. She didn’t want things to always dissolve back into a mission.
Del stared at the screen. She didn’t have to stay up tonight and make plans. She had tomorrow after she took Angie to the museum. She needed the rest, but her mind wouldn’t slow down enough to let her. She was so strung out about keeping Angie safe that she hadn’t heard her come back into the room after her shower. She looked up over her laptop screen just in time to see Angie toweling her hair.
Angie gave her a smile as she came further into the shared room of their suite. She was glad for the black wife beater and the navy blue boxers. She was comfortable, but she knew that the dark colors set off her skin. She watched Del stare at her for a few seconds. Her cobalt eyes burned into Del’s chestnut and the other woman looked back at her screen. Angie smirked.
“I think I am going to take a shower. Please stay away from the door and windows. I shouldn’t be long but just a few minutes. Go on to bed, if you’d like. I don’t want keep you up,” Del told her as she disappeared into the bathroom.
It wasn’t until she was in the bathroom that she realized that she had forgotten to get any clothes. She stared at herself in the mirror. The weariness of their early departure was catching up to her. She was worried for Angie and hoped that the DNR officers didn’t really remember what they looked like or had snuck a picture of them. They didn’t have time to explain to anyone what was going on and still stay under the radar. She was still amazed at how quickly Angie acquiesced to leaving.
Del sighed and continued to stare into the mirror as she got undressed. She slowly peeled off her shirt and bra. She stood there and looked at her scars. They had only been marks of pain and suffering before today. She didn’t know why but with Angie seeing them, they didn’t any more. They seemed more like marks of heroism, like ribbons that couldn’t be given because of the secretive nature of their missions.
She slowly touched them as she tried to push the memory of Yulia standing there in her father’s house, in his hardwood paneled study, holding that old model AK47 with a full clip and shooting her. Some days it was all she saw when she closed her eyes. She had never admitted that to anyone, not even Cole, and definitely not the “shrinks” that they made her see. Her fingers glided over the bumpy and odd feeling flesh. She took in a quick breath and let it out slowly.
Finally when she couldn’t take the sight of herself any more, she turned around and started the shower. She didn’t wait for it to get to temperature before she got in. She let the water sluice over her body and wash away the da
y. Tonight was a first for her as she stood under the spray, though. Tonight when she closed her eyes, she didn’t see Yulia standing there with the rifle. Now, she saw Angie standing there in that red bikini beckoning her over. She had to put a hand out to hold herself up as her knees went weak.
She didn’t need this. She definitely didn’t need this now. She pushed off the tile wall and straightened her stance. She tried to shake the thought from her head. Del felt her body betray her and she was grateful for the water spraying down on her as it covered up the moan that escaped from her mouth.
Del finally got out of the shower. Her skin was pink and raw. She didn’t care. She needed it to get her emotions back into check. She couldn’t be all emotional around Angie. It would prove to be fatal if she was. She needed to remain calm and collected. She needed to stay grounded and be aware of everything that was going on around her. She didn’t need to be worried about what her head was telling her about Angie. It was dangerous and she knew it.
She’d let her guard down in Paris and now she was suffering because of it. Nothing good would come of it. She would return Angie back to New York and that would be the end of it. There would be nothing for her after. She knew that. This was just another mission.
She grabbed two towels off the shelf. She wrapped one around her body. She used the other one to dry her shaggy hair. She caught a glimpse of it in the mirror. She would need a haircut soon, she thought to herself. It was then that she remembered that she hadn’t brought any clothes into the bathroom with her. She sighed.
She decided that she would have to bite the bullet. She couldn’t stay in the bathroom all night. Hopefully, Angie had already gone to bed and the lights were off. She would be able to dress without any worries from Angie bothering her while she did so. She decided that she had to tempt fate more than once with her. She swallowed hard and opened the door.
The door swung open with more force than she wanted, but she stopped it from hitting the wall right before it would have. She took two steps out the in suite bathroom in the darkened bedroom area. Angie was in the bed, facing away from the bathroom. She let out a pent up sigh.
Carrying both towels, she made her way to the table where her bags were. She began to rifle through them. She grabbed the Glock 40 sidearm and set it on the table. She wanted it close to her. She didn’t care about clothes as long as she had a weapon. She knew that it was a fucked up mentality, but it had kept her alive for many years and many missions.
Angie heard her come out of the bathroom. She’d rolled over to pretend that she was sleeping. She knew that Del was searching through her brain, trying to find something to hold on to while she processed whatever information that Cole had given her. She hated to see that she had shut down, but she wouldn’t force her to open up.
She rolled back over just in time to catch Del setting the pistol on the table. She sighed quietly. She stared at Del, who had her back to her. She couldn’t believe the resolve and poise that Del had. Even battered and broken, she imagined that Del would stay upright with a slight cock of her chin, defying whoever questioned her, a fire in her eyes, and a smirk on her lips, daring someone to test her further. Angie shook her head against the pillow. She knew that it wouldn’t do any good for her to think about Del in that manner.
It was then that she saw the way the thin sliver of silver moonlight came in through the curtains and painted itself across Del’s marred flesh. Angie breath quickened and she fought the urge to sit up. She moved just enough so that she could watch Del without her realizing it too much.
Del heard the bed creak. She turned and looked over her shoulder to see Angie watching her. She didn’t know if Angie knew that she knew that Angie was watching or not. Frankly, in that moment, she didn’t care. Del could barely make out Angie’s sapphire eyes, but she could tell that they were appraising her body.
She wanted to test her theory, but she didn’t want to turn around to fully confront Angie either. She flexed her ass just enough for it to clench and move. She heard the slight gasp that Angie made and she smiled. She thought about turning around, but thought better of it. She quickly dug into her bag and pulled out some cotton briefs, putting them on, before she went in search of a shirt or wife beater to wear. When she found one, she pulled it over her head and made like she was going to sit down at the table and make more plans for their adventure.
“Del?”
“Yes?” she replied.
“Come to bed.”
Del turned to face her. There was a look on Angie’s face that Del didn’t recognize. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t worry. It looked more like lust.
As if on autopilot and not of her own volition, she found herself on the other side of the bed. She quickly climbed under the sheets and settled in as far away from Angie as she could. It didn’t matter though. She could still every bit of warmth that Angie gave off between them. It was burning Del’s skin and they weren’t even touching.
Angie rolled over closer to her and faced her. Del stared at the ceiling. She didn’t know what to do or say, so she did neither. Angie must have sensed her shyness of the situation. She reached out and brushed some hair out of Del’s face.
Del did her best not to lean into the gesture, but she failed. She heard Angie’s sharp intake of breath. She tried to look away from the blonde, but found that she couldn’t. She turned her head to stare directly into her fiery cobalt eyes.
“Del?”
“Yes?”
“Are you cold?”
“No, why?” she replied.
“You’re shivering,” Angie told her, reaching down and pulling up the blankets further.
“I am not cold,” Del stated matter-of-factly.
“You’re sure? I can turn down the air. I like it cold when I sleep.”
“I am fine, Angie,” she lied.
“Okay,” Angie stated, turning back onto her back.
Angie wasn’t sure what to do. She wanted to touch her but she didn’t want to scare her. She knew what Del’s bodily reactions to her meant, but she was afraid of what the deadly woman would do. When she was about to roll over and touch her again, Del got out of the bed.
“Del?” she questioned.
“I’ll be right back. I forgot something. Just go back to sleep. I’m okay. We’re okay,” Del told her as she walked over to the table.
Angie watched her pick up the pistol. She checked it, making sure that it was loaded and ready if necessary. She stalked over to the door, silently. If Angie hadn’t watched her move, she wouldn’t have known that Del was moving at all. She watched as checked, double checked and then triple checked the door locks. Then, Del glided across the room and checked the windows as well. When it seemed that she finally happy with the security of the room, she came back to bed. She placed the pistol under her pillow with the barrel facing the wall away from Angie.
“Do you always sleep with that there?”
“For the most part, yes,” Del answered.
“And, if you don’t have it?”
“I have a knife there instead.”
“Every time you sleep, you are armed.”
“It’s habit.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“I know they are there. I’m not going to hurt myself, nor am I going to let anyone hurt you either. I have done this for years without any mishaps. We’ll be fine,” Del assured her.
Angie rolled over again to face her. She could see the wonder this time in Del’s eyes and she knew that Del could see the emotions in her eyes. She desperately wanted to kiss her, but she didn’t move. She was too afraid that Del would leave the bed again.
“The scar on your back,” Angie started.
“Which one?”
“The one that looks like a knife wound.”
“Again, which one?”
“The one just above your hip,” Angie said.
“Why, Miss March, are you taking stock of all my former wounds?” Del teased her.
“I am just curious.
”
“Curious, eh?”
“Yes, how did you get that one?” Angie asked her.
“From a knife.”
“I gathered that much.”
“How so?”
“I prosecute criminals for a living. I know the difference between a knife wound and a gun shot. It was too precise to have been otherwise. It didn’t have a jagged edge and it was almost straight. Can you tell me how you got that one?”
“What is this some sort of bedtime story for you?” Del quipped.
“It will get both of our minds off today.”
“Fine, it was from a knife of a very bad man in Colombia. Evidently he didn’t like the fact that we burnt his fields and stopped his shipments to Mexico of his product. He thought it would be a good idea to cut my flesh in front on my team while I dangled in a makeshift barn. Little did he know that I carried a knife blade in my boot,” Del told her.
“You stabbed him?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes, I did.”
“How?”
“I had to wait until he lowered the rope enough. He was a cocky sonuvabitch. He kissed me hard and made his perversion evident. In that moment, I thought that Sanchez and Cole would implode. I managed to move my foot back just enough to catch the hidden trigger for the blade tip to poke out the toe of my boot. He never saw the movement.”
“What happened?”
“A miscalculation on my part.”
“How so?”
“I leaned into the rope as he pulled me up. It caught me off balance just enough that when I kicked out to hit him with the blade tip, I barely scratched him. He had been teasing my skin with his Bowie style knife. He was off balance from my kick. He leaned towards me, angrily that I had cut him, while I was trying to free my hands. Unfortunately for me, his knife skidded across my back just as I got free.”
“He cut you while he was trying to regain his footing.”
“Yep.”
“Was it deep?”
“Nope, but it hurt like a mother fucker.”
“I am sure,” Angie replied, once again reaching out to Del.