Dating for Keeps

by Rachel Hogan

  Michael finally realized that it would be better to concede to her wishes than to have her start questioning things. "Alright," he said. "I'll allow you to stay. But only if you promise to stay out of the way and run or hide if there is any danger."

  Tessa's grin lit up her face. "I promise," she said. "Don't worry about me."

  Chapter 9

  What on earth did I get myself into? Tessa questioned as she sat in the dark later that evening She was camped out next to Michael on the floor of the back office. The doors were locked, lights turned off, and the two were forced to sit on the floor, so that any passerby glancing through the windows of the antique store wouldn't be able to detect the human eyeballs looking back from within. Tessa decided that Michael was probably used to such situations since he was an FBI, but inwardly she was terrified. What had seemed like a good idea earlier in the day now was extremely frightening.

  "Hungry?" Michael unwrapped a granola bar and handed it to her.

  "Thanks," she smiled back, taking the bar from his hands. Although they had been sitting together for at least an hour, neither one had had the gumption to make small talk yet. Michael viewed the granola bar as a good ice breaker.

  "So, I never asked you. How did it go this evening when you talked to Lucas?"

  "Oh, pretty good. I just told him that I was tired and didn't want to hang out. He actually seemed pretty relieved when I said that. He told me he had a lot of 'work stuff' to do."

  "Ah, yes, work stuff." Michael commented. "Hopefully that 'work stuff' will occur sooner rather than later. I don't really want to be sitting here all night."

  "Are you sure he is going to turn up?" Tessa was dubious. "Why wouldn't he just wait for me to hand the violin over to him?"

  "Because, there is a big deal that is supposed to go down in two days. Lucas needs the diamond that is inside the violin to complete a transaction. If he doesn't have it, his world as he knows it falls apart. This violin means everything to him, and he isn't going to let a locked door get in his way. Trust me."

  Although she was determined not to show her fear, Tessa began to question her decision to stay in the office overnight with Michael. Things could get dangerous, but she tried to use Michael's presence to reassure herself of her safety.

  The fact that they were sitting in the same room together gave Tessa a chance to get a good look at Michael, and she was thankful that the ever-increasing darkness made her staring less than obvious. Michael was tall - over six feet - and he had an imposing, muscular build. Rather than feeling comforted by his imposing build, Tessa couldn't help but feel a little threatened. She chided herself at trusting this stranger so completely. She briefly questioned what would happen if he tried to turn on her and harm her, but quickly dismissed the thought. Filling her mind with worst-case scenarios certainly wouldn't help her in her quest to remain calm.

  Sensing Tessa's uneasiness, Michael decided to make small talk in order to distract her. "So I have to ask," he began. "What is it about Lucas that made you decide to be with him? Was it the money? The gifts? You know I'm pretty good at profiling people and having run a lot of background on you, your dating Lucas just doesn't add up."

  Tessa began to laugh, "Well, you don't need to worry about your profiling streak being tarnished, because in fact you are right. I've never dated anyone like Lucas before. I'm not easily swayed by money, although getting the royal treatment was nice, of course. To be perfectly honest with you, the reason I started dating Lucas was because of a bet."

  "A bet?" Michael raised an eyebrow.

  "Yes, that's right. My roommate Becky put me up to a challenge. She bet that I wouldn't be able to date the same guy for one month consecutively. I don't have a very good track record with men, you know. I don't know why, but I've never found anyone who I was interested in enough. Anyway, she inferred that there must be something wrong with me since it has been so long since I've had a boyfriend, and she bet me that I couldn't keep dating the same guy for a month."

  "Geez, she sounds like a great friend," Michael quipped. "Okay, so she makes a dumb bet. What on earth compelled you to take her up on that?"

  Tessa blushed, "Well, I guess I'm just very competitive, and I have a hard time passing up bets. Its a weakness of mine. We agreed that the winner of the bet would get the master bedroom of our apartment." She paused to think for a moment. "Plus, I think that she struck a nerve. I really began to question if maybe there is something wrong with me. Like maybe I set my standards for me too high or something. I guess I wanted to prove to myself as much as her that I'm not hardwired to drive men away."

  "So that's it," Michael wondered aloud. "So you could have been dating any Tom, Dick, or Harry, but instead you ended up with Lucas. What a strange twist of fate."

  "What are you going to do if Lucas breaks in?" Tessa wondered aloud, suddenly wanting to turn the conversation away from herself.

  Micheal's blue eyes smiled at her, and despite the darkness Tessa noticed a sinister look cross his face. "Well, I'm going to use these handcuffs here and arrest him."

  "You said he was a dangerous criminal. Don't you think he will put up a fight?"

  "Yes, I am prepared for that." Michael's eyes darkened as he spoke. "Things might get violent, it's just part of the job. That is why I want you to stay out of the way when he arrives. I'm prepared for anything, and I'm not afraid to use this baby if I need to," he lifted his shirt and patted a gun which was concealed in his belt. Tessa shifted uneasily. The gun only heightened her sense of fear, and the passe manner in which Michael spoke of the use of it made her incredibly uneasy.

  Her attention was suddenly interrupted by a large sound coming from the alley behind the store. It immediately commanded the attention of both Tessa and Michael, and they froze in their spots. Tessa could feel her pulse beating through her chest.

  "Stay here," Michael ordered. "I'm going to check it out."

  Tessa gathered her arms around her knees and huddled together while she waited for the next thing to happen. After Michael moved away, she noticed his badge sitting on the ground. Picking it up, she scooted into the corner of the room where she could examine the badge by the sliver of streetlight that was shining through the window.

  What she saw horrified her. The badge, the same one Michael had flashed to her earlier as his official FBI insignia, was nothing more than a piece of plastic, probably taken from a child's costume bin. The fear that she had been struggling to keep under wraps suddenly consumed her wholeheartedly. Who was this man, and what had she gotten herself into?

  Hearing movement, Tessa shoved the badge in her back pocket and quickly scurried back to her spot on the floor, just as Michael reentered the office.

  "It was nothing, just some racoons," he announced. He found Tessa huddled in fright and realized that maybe she wasn't quite up to the challenge she had been so willing to volunteer for.

  "Oh yes, I always see that they've gotten into the trash when I come in in the morning." Tessa tried to think of a more intelligent follow-up, but her mind was completely muddled by the fact that the man sitting next to her was not who she thought he was. She was so uneasy that being in such close proximity with him made her so nervous she thought she might throw up.

  "I have to use the restroom," she said, suddenly rising.

  Michael looked around uncomfortably. "Ok," he conceded. "But please be quiet and careful."

  "Don't worry about me," Tessa said giving a weak smile. "I won't make a peep and I'll be back in a flash."

  Tessa stole quickly away to the bathroom, and she didn't feel at easy until she had shut and locked the door behind her. She then placed an ear to the locked door in an effort to ascertain if Michael had followed her. Once she was confident that he had not, she pulled out her cell phone, aware that she had a crucial call to make. Lucas must be told of the danger they were both in; if anyone could save her it would be him.

  She dialed his number, silently praying that he would pick up. Instead of the sound of
his deep voice, she instead heard something much, much worse. From somewhere outside the locked bathroom door Tessa could hear the familiar jingle of Lucas's cell phone ring.

  Lucas was inside the building.

  Chapter 10

  Tessa froze in horror when she heard the cell phone ringing. She quickly slammed her cell phone shut to end the call, but the damage was done. From her perch in the bathroom, she could hear Michael moving from his post in the office. It was only a matter of minutes until he found Lucas.

  Quietly and carefully Tessa unlocked the bathroom door and peaked out. She crept down the small hallway where she could peer around the corner for a look at the showroom. She couldn't see Lucas, but guessed that he must be hiding somewhere near the entrance. From across the room she could see the silhouette of Michael with his gun drawn, carefully advancing towards the front door.

  "Lucas! I know you're here Lucas. You may as well give it up now. The violin is mine, I wouldn't waste my time if I were you. Your beautiful girlfriend was very helpful today, and she was more than happy to hand over the instrument without batting an eye. She obviously cares for you very much." At this statement Michael couldn't resist laughing. As he spoke he continued to advance slowly and carefully with his gun drawn.

  Tessa decided that she needed to do something. She didn't know where Lucas was, but Michael's boasting statements only reaffirmed the fear she had just realized that Michael had lied to her and he was a fraud. Getting down on her hands and knees, she began to crawl gingerly on the floor, taking great care not to bump into anything. She didn't exactly have a plan, but she wanted to get behind Michael. She knew there were some fairly large and heavy items on the other side of the store, and she had the crazy idea that maybe she could sneak behind him and hit him on the head, knocking him out cold. The adrenaline she felt combined with the fear at what might happen if she failed was enough to propel her forward on her mission.

  Unbeknownst to her, Lucas wasn't far from where Tessa was located. He spotted her as she crawled out from the bathroom hallway and he could see the wheels turn as she decided what to do. As soon as he saw her heading towards the heavy objects, he was terrified. The last thing he wanted was for Tessa to be in danger. Suddenly to his horror, Tessa bumped into a shelf, causing some books to fall on the floor. The noise aroused Michael who immediately turned his sights to Tessa's direction.

  "I hear you," he sneered. "You think you can hide from me? Not likely."

  Realizing that he had to do something to save Tessa, Lucas immediately sprang from his hiding spot.

  "I'll admit it Michael, I never thought it would come to this day," he said calmly, walking out the dark shadow he had been hiding in with his hands in the air.

  At the sight of Lucas, Michael stopped walking towards Tessa and immediately turned his attention towards his desired prize.

  "Lucas, Lucas, I don't know why you thought that. I knew I would get you in the end."

  Tessa, still frozen on the floor from the distress she had felt when the books fell, listened intently to their conversation. She immediately noticed that Lucas was speaking without an English accent. She gathered there was a lot more to the whole story than she had been led to believe.

  As Michael advanced towards Lucas, he kept his gun drawn but his manner was much more relaxed. He seemed to forget that Tessa was somewhere in the building, or at least he didn't feel threatened by her. Tessa looked at Lucas, who caught her eye at that moment. With a slight nod of his head she could tell that he knew what she was trying to do, and he wanted her to continue on her path. It was their only hope.

  In an effort to buy them time and keep Michael diverted, Lucas encouraged him in more conversation.

  "I'm still confused Michael. How did you manage to pull this one off?"

  Michael scoffed, "It was easy. You know we tracked the violin to this shop, so all I had to do was explain to your little girlfriend here what was going on. She was more than happy to help me."

  "Oh?" Lucas appeared surprised, and the tone in his voice encouraged Michael to continue talking.

  "Well of course I had to twist things around a little bit. I simply told her that I was the FBI agent and you were the drug smuggling criminal. She's a simple girl, it didn't really take much to convince her. It was very helpful that you never reveled your status as an FBI agent to her. She doesn't love you anyway, you know. She was only dating you because of a bet."

  This news seemed to take Lucas by surprise. "A bet?" he said stunned.

  "Oh, you mean she didn't mention that to you? How funny," Michael sneered.

  Lucas was perturbed but determined not to let his emotions get in the way of what was important. "I have to ask you, Michael," Lucas prodded. "Why not take the violin when you had the chance? Why set up here at all?"

  "Because, I knew you were following me, and I've been dying for a chance to get my hands on you. My operations would be running so much smoother if you weren't always screwing things up for us."

  "It's not just me, you know. The whole FBI is after you. Get rid of me and they'll just have someone else on your trail."

  "Not likely," Michael mused. "I've been doing this a long time and I've never met an agent quite as smart as you, I'll hand you that. I have men on the inside, and it's been made quite clear to me that you are the top investigator on the case. If something happens to you, we'll be free to continue our operations as we intend. No, you're the only one who's been able to slow us down, and I fully intend to make sure you never slow us down again."

  By this time Tessa had successfully snuck across the entire showroom floor until she was positioned right behind Michael. As he continued to talk she glanced around and spotted a large porcelain vase standing a few feet away. She grimaced a little as her mind thought of the worth of the object, but she immediately determined that that was nothing compared to the worth of their lives.

  Getting up into a crouch she snuck over and picked up the vase. It was extremely heavy and normally would have been difficult for her to carry even in a standing position, but the adrenaline she felt gave her the strength to carry the item in her hunched position.

  Realizing that she had only one shot and that time was of the essence, Tessa determined to act swiftly. In one swoop, she stood quickly upright and lurching forward, swung the vase as hard as she could, smacking Michael directly in the back of the head. At the same moment Lucas ducked down in case Michael's gun went off accidentally. The move was unnecessary, because Tessa was successful in her attempt. With a unnerving grunt, he fell over and his body smacked the cold concrete floor. He lay motionless, completely unconscious from the effect of Tessa's blow.

  As soon as he saw this, Lucas ran over to Michael and quickly slapped some handcuffs on him.

  "Are you okay?" he asked, rushing to Tessa.

  Still shaking from the effect of everything that had taken place, all Tessa could manage was a nod of the head.

  "I'm so, so sorry Lucas. This is all my fault," she finally managed.

  "No," he said, "It's not, and I don't want you to think that. All that matters now is that you are safe, and I have apprehended Michael. Do you have the violin?"

  "Yes, I do, but I saw him take the diamond out of it. He put it in his pocket."

  Lucas ran over to Michael with alarm and began checking his pockets. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled out the small pouch containing the diamond.

  "Looks like he got a little too eager, and it cost him in the end."

  "Lucas, I have a lot of questions," Tessa said.

  "I know sweetheart, I know. We'll talk about everything and I explain, I promise. Right now we just need to get out of here." He went over and kissed her on the forehead, and then pulled out his cell phone.

  "What's going to happen with Michael?" she asked him.

  "I'm calling a colleague about that right now. They'll come down here and have him arrested."

  "Is he going to be ok?" Tessa asked.

  Luc
as went over and took Michael's pulse.

  "Yes, he's fine. Just a concussion. They'll probably bring him down to the hospital to get checked out."

  The pair waited for about several minutes for the authorities to come, and then Lucas led Tessa out of the building.

  "Want to get a bite to eat?" he asked her.

  "Will you explain to me what just happened?" she asked with a laugh.

  "Yes, I promise." He led her to a red sedan parked a little ways down the road.

  "Who's car is this?" she asked when he stopped in front of it.

  "Mine. It's a rental." he said.

  "And your driver...?"

  "Like I said," he said smiling as he opened the door for her. "I've got a lot of explaining to do."

  Chapter 11

  "Well," Lucas began, looking down at the hamburger on his plate as if it could help him. "I know you've probably got a lot of questions and you certainly deserve a lot of answers, but before I go any further I first need to tell you that I'm sorry. I had no idea that you were in that building this evening; if I had I most certainly wouldn't have ventured in there. It was incredibly dangerous Tessa, what were you thinking?"

  "Well, I wasn't thinking that Michael was the bad guy, obviously," Tessa said a little stung at Lucas's stern reprimand. She saw the pain on his face and then softened her tone. "I'm so sorry Lucas. I believed him when he told me he was an FBI agent and that he needed my help to apprehend you. It was only later that I began to doubt him and it was too late. Honestly, this whole day has been so confusing that I didn't know what to think. I thought that if I was there then maybe some of my questions would be answered. Which it seems that they are, so in fact I don't regret my decision one bit."

  "Well, I guess I just have to be thankful that you are safe and sound. And this all does give me an excuse to fill you in, which really takes a load off of my mind. I didn't know how I was going to handle things."