Witness Protection: Moving Target

by Jet MacLeod

  “No, ma’am, security will take care of everything. If you don’t want to press charges, we will just bar him for the rest of the night. If you do, then we will need statements.”

  “I don’t think that is necessary, officer. I think all he needs is a good night’s rest. Just as I do,” she said to him, winking and pulling Del across the casino floor.

  They got to the cash out station before they all started laughing. Del handed the cashier her chips and they waited. Cole’s smile was huge. He was proud of his “Girlies.” Sanchez was surprised that Del hadn’t already knocked the man out before Angie arrived on the scene. They were all sharing in the mirth of the situation when the cashier started putting bricks of cash in the window. Angie just stared at her in wonder as the cashier pushed a tax form through the slot for Del to sign and fill out.

  “How much is that?” Angie asked under her breath.

  Del pushed the form back through the slot. She received a complementary briefcase from the casino for her winnings and the situation, but mostly because they weren’t staying in the Inn. She then got a receipt for the total. She didn’t even look at it before she handed it to Angie.

  “That is half a million dollars, Liv.”

  “Okay,” Del said like it was nothing.

  “You won half a million dollars at blackjack,” Angie stated dumbly.

  “It would seem so, yes,” Del replied.

  “I punched a guy for touching you because you won half a million dollars.”

  “Is the money that important to you?” Del asked her.

  “No. I mean. You got some chips. You played some hands. You won half a million dollars. Who does that at a casino and cashes it out? No one, most people keep playing and lose it.”

  “I am not most people,” Del added.

  “Oh, don’t I know that. But, how? How did you do that?”

  “I am a woman of many skills, Alejandra,” Del told her mimicking Sanchez.

  “Did you really just do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Did you really just Xena me?”

  “Depends.”

  “On what?” Angie asked her.

  “A wager.”

  “A wager for what?”

  “Would you care to make a wager with me about it?”

  “To see if you are a woman with many skills?” Angie asked in response.

  “Yes,” Del said flatly.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I never try to walk into a losing bet.”

  “And, it would be a losing bet?” Del inquired.

  “Most certainly,” Angie told her.

  “And, why is that?”

  “Because I know that you have many skills, Miss Montgomery. I know that you are one of the best in your line of work. I have seen it firsthand. I also know that you could out chef many chefs,” Angie starting before leaning closer to Del’s ear. “And, I enjoy your prowess in the bedroom. I do believe that you owe me some dessert. And…I…am…famished.”

  Chapter 43

  Del woke up the most relaxed that she had been in years. It felt good to be able to go out like they did the night before and not really have to worry about who was trying to kill her. It was very refreshing. Then, it was made even better when she got back to the cabin with Angie. The woman still amazed her.

  She leaned over in the bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She watched as Angie stirred and then opened her bright cobalt eyes. The smile she gave Del was enough to brighten the world.

  “Morning, Beautiful,” Angie told her.

  “You’re the beautiful one.”

  “Not from where I lying, I am not.”

  “Anyway, how’s your hand?” Del asked her.

  Angie brought her hand up from under the covers. Del took it gently and looked at her knuckles. They were slightly bruised but they weren’t as bad as she thought they would be. She kissed each knuckle.

  “You’re my hero,” Del told her.

  Angie pulled her hand back and glared at her. She was still angry at herself for hitting the man. She wasn’t prone to violence and the fact that she hit him wasn’t sitting well with her. She was angrier with herself for allowing her jealousy for the man being so close to Del push her over the edge. She’d let the jealousy cloud her judgment, but then she realized and rationalized that it was because the man actually put his hand on her that she had reacted the way she had.

  “Angie?”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hit that man. It was just a reaction and one that I have never had before. I don’t know what came over me,” Angie told her.

  “I do.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes, I do. It was a perfectly natural response, Angie. Don’t over analyze it. It doesn’t make you violent. You felt threatened and you reacted. It’s fine and if you hadn’t hit him, I am sure that Cole, Sanchez or I would have. “

  “But, you didn’t,” Angie stated.

  “No, I didn’t because you beat me to the punch.”

  “Quit joking about this.”

  “I’m trying to lighten the mood, Angie. Don’t worry about it. I promise you that no one thinks less of you for it. I think you actually surprised the security guys. They were about to eject the guy anyway. From what Sanchez told me, the guy was a regular there and is a known pain in the ass for them. Cole and Sanchez have been researching him all night. It’s fine.”

  “But that doesn’t mean that it was okay for me to hit him,” Angie stated.

  “Has anyone ever laid hands on you like that?”

  “No, not that I can remember.”

  “That is a perfectly justifiable response.”

  “Not for me it isn’t,” Angie told her.

  “Look, your fight or flight response kicked in. There were a lot more factors surrounding you at the time. You knew that Cole, Sanchez or I would step in if needed, whether you want to admit that or not. You know that it’s true. You’ve never been in a situation like that before and you didn’t know how you react. Hitting him was the least of his worries. Sanchez would have drawn on him and that would have created a bigger stink. Another factor in reaction was your emotional connection to me. If it had been Cole, you wouldn’t have responded to begin with. You would have let him deal with it on his own.”

  “That much is true,” Angie replied.

  “So, there is nothing to worry. One punch defending me and yourself doesn’t make you violent. If anything it makes you more human. Your response to it, this feeling that you have about doing it, that is another human response. It is all perfectly natural. Do me a favor, though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Just let it go. Stop thinking about it. You didn’t break your hand. So, just let it go.”

  “Fine,” Angie huffed.

  “That’s my girl,” Del told as she kissed her hard.

  “Do we need to get up?”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “Do we need to do anything today?” Angie questioned.

  “Not really.”

  “Do you need to check in with Cole?”

  “Already did.”

  “Then, why did you wake me up?”

  “Because you looked too beautiful and I thought that eyes would be blinded if I didn’t get you out of the bed and looking so delectably delicious and edible.”

  “Did you not get enough last night?” Angie teased her.

  “With you?”

  “Who else?”

  “Oh, Angie, you might find me insatiable when it comes to you,” Del told her starting to tickle her ribs.

  Angie squealed. She shot Del a deathly glare. Del just smiled and kissed her again.

  “I have a serious question for you,” Del told her.

  “Do I even want to know?”

  “You told me in the beginning that you wanted to see the Pacific.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “We are near the ocean.”

  “Okay?” Angie as
ked.

  “And, you wanted to go to vineyard in Napa.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Well, I found a vineyard that we can go to.”

  “When were you planning on tell me this?”

  “Today?”

  “Delia…”

  “Look, Angie, I was heading towards Tahoe anyway. I didn’t tell you that because, well, I didn’t. It isn’t like I don’t want you to know where we are going, but to be honest, I don’t rightly know where we are going until we are almost there or after some extensive research. It is one of the reasons that I wanted to stay near the highways or interstates. It was an easy escape if needed.”

  “Okay?”

  “Well, I found this vineyard that has a B and B. We could stay there, take the tour, sip some wine, and be all touristy. I figured that you would like that. I haven’t made any plans or reservations. I didn’t know if you still wanted to do that. How long we stay there is up to you.”

  “Meaning?”

  “We could go for the weekend and continue our travels. Or, we could stay for a longer period and site see the entire valley. It is completely up to you. However long you want, Angie.”

  “A week or more?”

  “If you want, yes,” Del replied.

  “Then I want to go for at least a week,” Angie told her.

  “I’ll go make plans.”

  “You’re serious about this?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “And what about Cole and Sanchez?”

  “They will be monitoring us. Possibly do recon and the like, but they won’t be with us. Sanchez has agreed to do any recon I need. Cole is going to stay within distance to make sure that we don’t have to do anything drastic again. It will be like we are just two women on vacation again,” Del explained.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just tell me how long you want to be there,” Del told her.

  “As long as you are willing to stay,” Angie said.

  Del sat there on the edge of the bed and regarded her. Angie just smiled back at her. She wondered what Angie was thinking about. She was happy that Angie wanted to go and that she was okay with Sanchez and Cole following behind, but she wondered what was really going through her mind now that things could return to normal.

  “Stop thinking so hard, Del.”

  “What?”

  “What are you thinking about?” Angie asked her.

  “What are you thinking about, Angie?”

  “Lots of different things but that didn’t answer my question,” she answered.

  “No, that is what I was wondering.”

  “Why are you wondering what I am thinking about?”

  “I miss your fire sometimes.”

  “Did I not give you enough fire last night?”

  “That was a different type of fire. You aren’t fighting with me. You are acquiescing to everything that I ask you to do. There is no questioning, only yeses.”

  “Does it really bother you that much, Del?

  “I don’t know. I miss your fire. I like it when you fight with me. It makes things…”

  “Interesting?”

  “Yes!”

  “But, what’s the point, Delia? I have already gotten what I want. I am safe with you. I trust you. There is no reason to question your motives or your actions anymore. You have proven yourself to me and have proven to be most worthy in that,” Angie stated.

  “What the hell are you talking about woman?”

  “You saved me from Rudakov. You stopped at nothing until you got me away from Ivan. You moved heaven and earth, almost literally, to do it. I don’t want to know how many favors you actually called in to do it and frankly, I don’t care right now. That isn’t my business. As Sanchez told me last night at dinner, my job is to stay alive and deal with the criminals in court. Yours is to keep me alive and happy by any means necessary. You have done this for me. You make me happy. Is that not enough now?”

  “It is more than enough, but I don’t want you to change, Angie. I never did. I just want you to be careful. My entire job is to make sure that you arrive at court safely and happy. That is what I want for you. I want you to make it there and I want to be able to take you back to New York.”

  “And, to New York you will take me. I will be on your arm as we ascend the steps into the Federal Court House for the trial. You will escort me and you will stay with me during the trial. And, after…” Angie stated.

  “And, after?” Del asked.

  “I would hope that you would stay with me, but I know that you seek your retirement. Where would you go? What would you do? I could give you a place to stay. Would you stay with me? Could you do that?” Angie asked her.

  “Angie…”

  “No, Del, I understand. You need the quiet and it isn’t something that the City. Will you at least stay with me through to trial?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, I will respect you and your wishes.”

  “Angie, that isn’t what you need to do. I want to know you what you want. If you no longer want to go to the wineries, then we won’t go. If you do, we will. I want to know what you want, Angie, plain and simple. Can you tell me that?”

  “I want to be with you,” Angie stated. “Then be with me until we can no longer be together, Delia. Can you give me? Take me away. Make me yours and let us continue our travels. Forget about the trial for now. We don’t know when the trial date is anyway.”

  “Angie, do you think that we should just forget about why we are where we are?”

  “It will be for the best. How can we pretend to on vacation when we are both worried about what is going to happen? I don’t want to think about it until I have to. I don’t know if that makes me a bad person or not, but I don’t care. I want to be able enjoy my life again and if forgetting is the only way that I can do that, then I will happily do that,” Angie told her.

  “You want to really act like tourists?”

  “Yes, I want to pretend that this is a proper vacation. I don’t want to think about happened back in New York. I don’t want to think about what happened with Rudakov here in Tahoe. I just want to go to whatever winery that you deem safe enough. I don’t want to think about Sanchez and Cole following us to make us safe. I want to be blissfully ignorant to everything that could happen and I want to believe that you will keep me safe without me having to know about it. I want to be able to pretend that everything is normal in my life even though I know that it isn’t. I don’t think that it too much to ask,” Angie explained.

  “No, it isn’t,” Del said taking her into her into her arms and kissing her fiercely. “I don’t think a week would be too much. We could relax. Take in some sites and see the ocean. Plus we could visit different wineries, whichever ones that you want to go to. We’ll be tourists. This will be a vacation and then we will find somewhere permanent to stay until we have to go back.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  “When will we leave?” Angie asked her.

  “In the morning, so we’ll need to pack tonight. I’ll get on my laptop later and give the information to Sanchez and Cole. That way they can do what they need to do. I promise that you won’t even see them. And, if you do, you wouldn’t even know it.”

  “Sounds wonderful.”

  “Do you want to do anything else while we are in Tahoe?”

  “Besides you?” Angie questioned suggestively.

  “Yes, Angie, besides me,” Del replied, laughing slightly.

  “I can’t think of a thing. You’ve already taken me to a lake. You’ve taken me to a cabin. We’ve have a fabulous dinner and gambled. I’ve been rescued and punched a man. I think my ticket has been punched thoroughly. The only thing that I can think of that I want to do now is go dancing somewhere, but we can do that once we get to Napa. I am sure that there are plenty of places for us to indulge in some good wine and music. And, with both of those, we can dance.”

  “You want to go dancing?�
��

  “Is that a problem?” Angie asked cocking an eyebrow at her.

  “No, no problem at all. I’ll make some phone calls. I am sure that I can find something that will tickle your fancy. Is there something that you can do while I go see Cole and Sanchez?”

  “I am sure that I can come up with something. Will you leave your laptop? I want to do some searching. Is that okay?” Angie inquired.

  “No, no, that’s fine. I’ll be right back. Do try and stay out of trouble. I don’t want to have to punch anyone for you,” Del told her.

  They laughed. Del gave her the laptop and started for the cabin door. She stopped, turned around and faced Angie. It took her a few strides and she was beside Angie again. She looked down into her sapphire eyes. Her heart melted all over again. She grabbed Angie’s jaw and held it firmly. Angie stared back into her mahogany eyes and smiled. Del leaned over and kissed her sweetly and gently, not letting go of her chin.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  “Good, because when you kiss me like that, I want to do naughty things to you,” Angie said.

  Del flashed her smile and quickly cocked and lowered her eyebrow. Angie just smiled suggestively and wiggled away from Del. She pushed Del towards the door.

  “Go and finalize our plans. I’ll be here when you get back and I promise that I won’t get into any trouble. Besides, the sooner you go, the sooner you come back to me. So, go.”

  Chapter 44

  They entered the bed and breakfast and got settled. Angie went to the windows immediately. Del was about to scold her for doing it, when she saw the landscape before them. If she wanted, Del could pretend that she was in Italy. The rolling hills of vineyards and grape vines were relaxing.

  Angie turned around just in time to catch her watching. She smiled at Del and Del crossed the room to her. She couldn’t help herself. And, Angie wasn’t ever going to stop from wanting her. When she pulled her into her arms and held her around the waist, Angie leaned into her body and sighed. Del leaned over and kissed her just below her ear. Angie moaned softly.

  “What do you want to do first?” Del asked her.

  “I thought you would be good,” Angie replied.

  Del laughed. She was glad that they could joke and play with each other now. She gave Angie a smile and was rewarded with a bigger smile from Angie.