by Jet MacLeod
“You know that isn’t what I meant,” Del told her.
“You made the plans, Del. I believe that I am really at your mercy. So, what are we going to do first?” Angie asked her.
“You’re the one that wanted to come to wine country. We are in wine country. There are plenty of wineries for us to visit. That is why I hose this b and b. So, I can make a reservation for us to visit a winery or we can just go for a drive and look at the rolling hills. The choice is yours.”
“You really don’t care do you?”
“As long as we are safe, no, I really don’t.”
“Do you mind if we drive?”
“Not at all. I am just surprised is all. We were in the Suburban for over three hours. But, if your butt isn’t numb, then mine isn’t either. We can go exploring and see what wineries you want to visit. I already have a reservation for us tomorrow at three at Goose Creek.”
“Goose Creek? Hmm…any special reserves? Did you have to pick a type?”
“No, Angie, I didn’t have to pick. I did ask for the reserve tour. I know good wine and I know that you can appreciate good wine, too. I figured that you would like better. Was I wrong?”
“No, no, that sounds wonderful. It is just that forget that you are worldly educated and a trained chef. I just didn’t think that wine would be something that you want to deal with, but I am glad that you like wine. It makes me happy.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want you to be upset.”
Angie laughed. She grabbed Del’s hand and kissed it. As she was pulling back, Del grabbed Angie’s hand. She looked over her knuckles and kissed them.
“I still can’t believe you hit him.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For hitting him?” Del asked.
“For putting us in danger,” Angie replied.
“I would have knocked him out if our rolls had been reversed. You don’t have to apologize for it. The look on Sanchez and Cole’s face was priceless. I really wish that you could have seen them. Do they hurt?” Del questioned, still holding her hand.
“No, they don’t.”
“Good, but promise me next time you decide to hit someone for my honor that you don’t. I am capable of taking care of myself. I appreciate it, but it isn’t necessary.”
“I’ll try my best. I was just as surprised as you were when I hit him,” Angie told her, flexing her fingers. “I have never been jealous like that…for anyone. But, you can do me a favor in return.”
“What?”
“Don’t get in a position like that again and I won’t have to hit anyone else,” Angie told her.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Del?” Angie asked.
“What is it?”
“You asked me before where I wanted to end up on this trip.”
“I did.”
“And now, you’ve brought me here,” Angie replied.
“I did. I knew that this would be something that we could both enjoy and that I wouldn’t have to have that much security around you. Well, at least that was until we got to Tahoe. Now, I am not really sure that anywhere is safe when your there.”
“Thanks.”
“I am just saying, Angie. It really looks like trouble like to find you. I don’t mind. I’ve been looking for trouble my whole life. It was kinda what I did. I looked for trouble and made it safe again. But, you are a completely different kind of trouble, Angie. You are a kind of trouble that I can live with. You don’t scare me. Other people scare me.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, but you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Which was?” Del asked, not sure that she had actually voiced a question.
“You’ve brought me here, but I can tell that we aren’t staying here long. I am just wondering what the end game is. I know that you are trying to make this enjoyable for me, but I just don’t get it. Why the winery and why now? What’s the point?” Angie asked.
“Well, that is more than one question, but I will answer them all for you.”
“I would hope so, because you must understand that I am completely at your mercy and have been since we left New York. I don’t like that feeling. I don’t like not knowing where we are going and when we are going to get there. I’ve gone along willingly because I knew that you were protecting me, but now that Sanchez and Cole are following us, I was hoping for a little more transparency in our strange relationship.”
“Angie, all you ever had to do was ask and I would have told you. I would never have kept anything from you. Yes, I like to plan ahead and I am grateful for Cole for that, but if you wanted to see something besides what we have, we could have done that as well. I’ve told you countless time that I am trying to make this more like an extended vacation than what it really is. I know that this must be hard for you. I expect it to be. That is why I’m trying to give you peace and places that you want to visit.”
“But…”
“No, buts. When I asked you where you wanted to go while we were in Anita, I was planning the end game, as you call it. I needed a destination, somewhere that I knew we could blend in and somewhere that I could have scouted before we got there. I knew that it would take some time to get the reports that I wanted, so I had to pick somewhere that you would like that was far away. You gave me two options, Napa or Seattle. Both of which are good choices.”
“So the entire time that we’ve been on the road, Sanchez and Cole have been scouting for you.”
“Since we were in Anita, yes, they have. It is one of the reasons that I chose not to go to Chicago to see Sanchez. He was already on the move for me. I wanted to make sure that I could something for you. I know that you have hard a life for the last few years and I figured that after what happened in New York that I would convince you to behave better and not fight me like you did the others,” Del answered.
“What do you mean what happened in New York?” Angie asked, backing away from Liv.
Del looked at her. She’d put her foot in her mouth and now she was going to have to deal with the consequences. She should have told her earlier, but it didn’t seem like it mattered. Angie stood there waiting for an answer and she realized that Del was trying to think one up.
“Oh no, you don’t. Delia Montgomery, what did you do in New York? What haven’t you told me?”
Del chewed on her bottom lip for a second and decided to fall on her sword. There was no nice way to tell her that she had tricked Angie into leaving. All she could hope for now, was that Angie would forgive her.
“There was no attack.”
“What do you mean there was no attack?” Angie asked her.
“There was no threat.”
“There was no threat? Do you care to explain that statement further? Or, I am going to have to guess at what you mean by that?” Angie questioned.
“There was no threat on your life besides the threats that were already made. It was a test based on the information that the Marshalls and the FBI had given me. It was a test I expected you to fail, but you didn’t. You passed,” Del told her.
“Keep going,” Angie stated, her anger evident.
“I knew that I could protect you better if we weren’t in New York. There were too many variables there. Too many things that I couldn’t protect you from, I had to get you out of the City. I had a feeling that you weren’t going to listen to me and do what I asked you to do. I figured that I had to scare you into leaving,” Del stated.
“So, the laser light was you?”
“Yes.”
“That’s all you have to say to me about that?”
“Yes.”
“You aren’t going to apologize for it, are you?” Angie asked her.
“No, I’m not. I was right in my assessment. I knew that you would difficult and you were in the beginning. I had to make you see that you needed to cooperate with me so that I could protect you. Am I sorry for deceiving you? Yes, I am, now. At the time, I wasn’t. It was needed.”
“I should be s
o angry with you.”
“You’re not?” Del asked her.
“No, Del, I am not. I know why you called me Princess at Cole’s farm. He warned me about you, but he was wrong. I think that we have grown and actually gotten to know each other past what is in our folders. Cole told me enough to worry about your sanity, but you proved that you really were worried about my safety. I’ve pushed you at every possible turn and you’ve taken it all in stride.”
“But, I lied to you. I scared you for my own purposes. There was never any danger.”
“But, there was.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rudakov was still dangerous. He was still plotting against you. And because of his plotting, he put me danger. You’ve done everything that you can to keep me safe, up to and including killing. You rescued me from Rudakov when all he wanted was you dead and out of the way. Even Ivan couldn’t stand up to you. I’ve never felt safer with anyone else like I have been when I’ve been with you, Del. You keep me safe. You are always worried about what will happen to us. You have contingency plans that have contingency plans. I know that you aren’t going to hurt me. I don’t care that you scared me. You saw me as a job and you didn’t care about my feelings then. I understand that. I am the only thing that is standing between you and your retirement. I know that,” Angie explained.
“Why are you so forgiving?”
“Why aren’t you?”
“I can’t be in my line of work. It tends to cause bad things to happen when you do. I think my marred skin is proof enough of that,” Del told her.
“Delia…do you want me to be mad at you?”
“No, not really.”
“Then, shut up about it. Let it go,” Angie demanded. “Come here.”
Angie held her arms out wide. Del walked into them and let Angie envelope her in a warm hug. It was different now between them and they both saw that. They couldn’t fault each other with how they treated each other weeks ago. That was then and this was now. They had spent time together. They had bled together. They learned to love together.
“We will get through this,” Angie told her before she kissed her.
“I am not doubting that.”
“Then what are you doubting?”
“That, I be able to let you go.”
“Who is asking you to?” Angie asked her and kissed her more thoroughly this time.
“Angie…”
“What, Del?”
“You wanted to know what my end game was?”
“I do.”
“Seattle.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“We’re heading there after our time here in Napa?” Angie asked.
“We will be. It will still be a journey, with stops and the like. It won’t be a straight shot. I don’t know that Rudakov didn’t alert the cartels to your whereabouts. We still have to be careful.”
“I understand that. Is that why Cole and Sanchez are going with us? Are they scouting ahead?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“Meaning?”
“I might have found a place to retire in Seattle.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry. Cole has found us a house to stay in. He and Sanchez are leaving in a few days to make sure all the arrangements that I have asked for are put into place. I think that you’ll like it. It is a peaceful part of town, but it will still give you enough City feel to make you happy, I think. Well, at least I hope you like it.”
“Calm down, Del. I am sure that it is fine. I am just glad that you are getting something out of this too. So, you plan on retiring in Seattle when this is all over?”
“Not directly in Seattle, but just outside.”
“Will you take me to see it?”
“It is just land right now, Angie. There is nothing there. I plan on building myself a small modest place and living in the quiet aspects of the Pacific Northwest. But, if you wish to the land, then I will take you once we get up there,” Del told her, unsure of why Angie would want to see it.
“Is Cole near here?”
“Not really. They scoped out the place and headed north. They are an hour away. Why?”
“If we are going to Seattle, then we need to work on my cover story. I just figured that I could talk to him about that so he could get the appropriate paperwork done for us. But, I guess that it can wait. When will we be meeting up with them again?” Angie asked.
“In a few days.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to him then,” Angie replied.
She let go of Del and went to her suitcase. She began unpacking and putting her clothes up in the modest closet and dresser. Del watched her. She could see the angst and wariness flowing off of her, but she couldn’t figure out why Angie was so upset so quickly.
“What are we doing for dinner?” Angie suddenly asked realizing the time.
“We could go out?”
“Do they offer dinner here?” she asked.
“They do.”
“I’d rather eat in, then,” Angie replied.
“As you wish,” Del responded, still unsure of what she might have said to upset Angie so.
“Has there been any word from Gregor on a court date?”
“Not yet, but I need to call in to him soon,” Del answered.
“Mmm-hmm, I wonder what is for dinner. Did they give us a menu for today? I’m starved.”
“Yeah, the owner gave me a menu. We can eat out on the back deck. It is a nice enough night. Plus, I think that there a wine selection from some of the smaller local wineries. Here,” Del told her as she handed her the printed information.
“Thank you. I am just going to freshen up a little in the bathroom. Then, we can head down for dinner. I think you were right. We’ve been moving so much, I didn’t really realize how tired I actually am. I’ll be just a minute,” Angie stated walking away into their in suite bathroom.
Del sat down on the edge of the bed and wondered. She wondered what she had done or said in the last thirty minutes that would have alienated Angie so much. She’d told her the truth. She’d confessed about what happened in New York, but Angie didn’t seem that mad about it. She agreed that had she known earlier in their adventures she would have been furious. But, now, after everything that they had been through together, she couldn’t be angry. She actually understood why Del did it. Everything seemed fine until she brought the house in Seattle.
“What’s wrong with Seattle all of the sudden?” Del asked herself.
It wasn’t until she brought Seattle that Angie actually got upset. It was in that moment that Del could have smacked herself. She talked about her retirement plans as if Angie wasn’t going to be there. She’d made plans for that house weeks ago. But, now that she and Angie were an item, she hadn’t stopped and she hadn’t thought about what that might mean for Angie.
“I am such a dumb ass. How could I not see that? I have to fix this and I have to fix this now.”
Chapter 45
Dinner had been pleasant enough. Del tried several times to interact with Angie only to be shut down quickly. She would answer with a short terse answer and then resume her conversation with one of the other guests that was staying there. Del realized that she’d screwed up, but she didn’t think that Angie would hold it against her that bad.
She decided to wait until they got back to their room to say something to her. She figured it was safer for everyone if they did. She knew that Angie had a temper, she wasn’t afraid of it, but she didn’t want to unleash it on the other guests if she didn’t have to. She’d hoped that after dinner Angie would be a little more accommodating. She sat on the end of the bed that they would have to share and waited for Angie to say anything to her.
When she didn’t say anything to Del at all, Del actually got worried. Angie walked back into the room and made her way to her belongings. She gathered up some sleep attire and went into the bathroom to change. When she got into the bathroom, Del realized she’d reall
y, really screwed up this time.
Del hung her head. She didn’t want to change. She wanted to talk to Angie. But, it was becoming very obvious that Angie didn’t want to talk. Del sighed and took off her shirt. She threw it a chair. She stood up to take off her pants when Angie came back into the room.
“The bathroom is free is want to finish changing,” Angie said dismissingly.
“I don’t want to change, Angie. I want to talk to you. We need to talk.”
“I have no idea why.”
“I am sure that you do,” Del replied.
“No, I am sure that I am tired and I want to go to sleep,” Angie said moving towards the bed.
Del decided that she needed to stop her. She moved in front of Angie and blocked her path to the bed. Angie didn’t seem too happy with this and was about to push Del out of her way, when Del caught her arm. The movement between them caused Del to lose her balance. She was still holding on to Angie as she fell onto the bed. She made sure that Angie fell on top of her.
The fall caused Del to lose her breath. She held onto Angie though, not willing to let her go. She wanted to talk, but there was something more primal than that. She could feel her heat on her uncovered skin and she was doing her best not to flip them over and kiss Angie.
“Let me go.”
“Not until you agree to talk to me,” Del told her.
“Delia, let me go,” Angie warned.
“Talk to me and I will.”
“There is nothing to talk about.”
“There is plenty to talk about.”
“I don’t believe there is. I am think that you said enough earlier. I don’t feel like playing any more, Del. Just let me go,” Angie replied.
“I don’t think that I will,” Del said.
Angie started fighting her, but Del wouldn’t release her. Angie tried to roll them over so that she could work her way out of her grasp, but she failed to gain enough momentum or ground to sufficiently work herself free. All she managed on doing was allowing Del to roll them over so she was pinned underneath her. Normally, Angie wouldn’t have minded, but she was angry and the new position on fueled her anger further.