Duty With Honor Book Five: An Unexpected Pause

by Jordan Bollinger

  Andrew looked at her, but didn't say anything.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Finally, they'd made it through Richmond and its surrounding suburbs, and began the last leg of the trek. She managed to stay alert around the city and its bedroom communities. But, once she was beyond civilization again, her attention started to wane.

  She fumbled for the last energy drink, only this time she tried to sip it down slowly, hoping this would make its effects last longer. However, it seemed that as soon as she'd swallowed the last drop, she was even more tired.

  Just another hour or so, she kept telling herself. She only needed to make it through one more hour.

  So, she kept on driving -- exhausted, blurry-eyed, and extremely concerned about Andrew's rapidly deteriorating condition. And behind everything else in her mind, was the continually echoing and unanswered questions: Who wanted her dead? And why?

  At long last, she exited the interstate, and made her way into Georgetown. Now she worried if she could even remember how to get to Jack's house. She hadn't driven around Georgetown, but only ridden along as Drew or Jack drove.

  Washington, D.C., in general, was difficult to maneuver, with its traffic circles and one-way streets, but Georgetown -- with its charming shops, bistros, and townhouses -- was its own driving nightmare. And, the constant influx of often lost and confused tourists didn't make things any easier.

  "Drew," she said. When she didn't get a response, she called out, in a louder voice, "Andrew!"

  "I hear you, Beth."

  "I need you to awake, Drew."

  "I'm awake, Sweetheart."

  "Splash some water on your face or nibble on some cookies. I need you to stay awake."

  "Why? Are you all right? Or is there something wrong with the car?"

  "No, but I am very tired, and I'm not at all sure where Jack actually lives."

  Andrew stared out windshield, and then out his window. Once they'd passed a street sign, he told her, "We're nearly there, Bethy. Just another two blocks, and then turn right. I don't remember the exact address, but I'm sure you'll recognize the house." Then he kind of sank back in the seat.

  "Okay, Drew. Hang on. We're very nearly there." But, she had been worried about something else ever since as she'd exited the beltway.

  What if Jack wasn't at home? Then where would they go? What would they do?"

  It was completely dark now, and only the street lights illuminated the residential neighborhood. But Beth did know Jack's house once she saw it. And, there were lights on inside.

  She pulled up in front, parked, and jumped out. When she'd run around and opened Drew's door, she knew he couldn't get up. She kissed his check and whispered, "It's all right. We're here. I'll go get Jack. Okay." Then, kissing him again, she added, "Just hang on."

  She stumbled up the half-flight of stairs to the front door, leaned on the bell, and prayed.

  A few moments later, she heard footsteps approaching, an interior light switched on, the door opened to reveal Jack. And, standing behind him, silhouetted in the light from the living room, was Fitz.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Jack Lloyd's House

  Georgetown, Washington, D.C., United States

  "Jack," Beth gasped, as she slumped against the doorway. "Andrew's in the car. He's been shot. The bullet...the bullet's still in his arm. He can't get out of the car."

  "Liz," Jack said, as he caught hold of her and helped her inside and over to a couch. "It's all right. We'll take care of him." He looked over to Ruth, and gestured for her to come help him. "Just sit down, everything's going to be fine. You sit tight, and we'll go get Andrew."

  "Ruth," Beth choked out, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But..."

  "It's all right, Elizabeth."

  "No, you don't understand. He doesn't...doesn't know -- about you. And I'm...I'm afraid he's going to be unreasonable about things...when he finds out."

  "We'll take care of that, if and when the need arises," she assured Beth, and then she followed Jack outside.

  But Beth was not sitting when they returned, with Andrew sagging between them. She was pacing the length of the living room. Back and forth, and back again.

  They moved through the living room, and on to a bedroom. After a few minutes Jack came out.

  "I've called a doctor, and he's on his way. He doesn't live far from here, so he'll be here very soon. Ruth is helping Drew get more comfortable, so he can lie down.

  "Now, can you give me a brief rundown of what happened?"

  "We were just enjoying the city -- being tourists. And...and we did work...through some things." She flushed, and added, "I guess we worked...through everything. And, we...that is Drew...woke up and shot a woman who was aiming a gun at me. He killed her, but her bullet caught him in the arm -- because of the way he had pushed me down in the bed."

  "But, you're all right? You weren't injured?"

  "I'm fine, Jack. But...I'm sorry...I did all that I could."

  "What are you talking about, Liz?"

  "The body. There was no exit wound, and I did drag her outside on the gallery. But, I couldn't have gotten her downstairs. We...I just left her there."

  "When did this happen?"

  "Last night. Maybe twenty-four hours ago -- give or take."

  "I didn't leave her in the house, Jack..."

  "What?"

  "I didn't want to leave her in the house. Maybe, if you got someone over there tonight, she won't have started to...you know. I didn't want to leave her in that apartment. It's practically a museum and..."

  "It's all right, Liz. Just try and relax."

  "I can't relax. I need to know if Drew's all right. And..."

  "Just calm down. I'll make a call when I get back from dumping the car."

  Ruth entered the living room carrying a cup of tea. "Elizabeth, sit down, and drink your tea. The doctor will be along in a few minutes, and Andrew is as comfortable as he can be with the bullet still in him. Just drink your tea, Beth. You've had a long, hard drive, and you need to rest."

  "But, we don't know why."

  "What?" Jack asked.

  "We don't know why she tried to kill me. Or any of those other women that Andrew told me about. We've gone over and over things. But we can't figure out why."

  "We'll work it out together. Tomorrow, after you've rested and Andrew's feeling better. Just drink your tea."

  Jack pulled Ruth aside, and in a low voice, asked, "How is he? Really?"

  "He isn't well, but I think that's because the bullet is still in him. He has a fever and there's swelling around the wound. But, it was well-bandaged and looks clean."

  "I'm going to get rid of the car, just in case they're still being followed. I'll leave their suitcases at the top of the step and bring them in when I get back."

  "Don't be foolish, Dear, I'll bring them in."

  "Here's a picture of the doctor," he said as he opened a drawer and pulled out a photo. "Anyone else, and you hit the panic button on the security alarm and call Richard. All right?"

  "Yes, Jack."

  "I'll be as fast as I can," he told Fitz. Then he gave her a soft kiss before he went out the front door. He set the suitcases, and the tote bags at the top of the stairs. And, as Ruth came out to bring them into the house, he gestured to her and whispered, "Honey, forget the tea. Fix her a scotch and add a drop of chloral hydrate."

  "But why?"

  "Because I've found half a dozen of these empty energy shot bottles. And I'm willing to bet she’s been drinking them the entire trip."

  "But," Ruth argued, "won't it be bad for her? I mean, drugging her?"

  "She's wired. She doesn't need any more caffeine. What she needs is rest. Just a regular scotch with a tiny bit of the chloral hydrate. It should let her sleep -- and once she's asleep, her body will keep her asleep for a good long time."

  "All right, Jack."

  "And Ruth, as long as she is awake, get her to tell you what happened again. Maybe even take a few notes. All right, Ho
ney?"

  "Yes. Go on. We'll be fine here."

  *****

  Jack drove the car several blocks away. He went back through for anything he might have missed at the house, and then wiped his handkerchief all over the interior, and then on the door handles and trunk. Then, he left the keys in the ignition, the door ajar, and just walked away.

  He slipped up an alley and moved quietly through it, and out onto another residential street, and then sauntered around the corner to his own block, nonchalantly down the street, up the steps, and into his own front door.

  Ruth greeted him in the foyer. "The doctor is in with Andrew. He's afraid there might be something on the bullet, but will have to have it analyzed before he can be sure. The wound itself isn't serious. And, Beth said that he was naked, so she's sure no fibers were driven in with it."

  "Is she asleep?"

  "Yes. It was just as you said. I fixed her a weak scotch with a little of the chloral hydrate and convinced her to go into your room to relax. She was out in seconds. I'm just thankful she was sitting on the bed when she drank it down. Now that you're back, I'll help you get her lying on the bed properly."

  He followed her into his bedroom, where Beth was lying back on the bed, her feet still on the floor. He lifted her up, allowing Ruth to yank back the covers, and slip off her shoes. Then they placed her in the bed, covered her and left.

  Back in the living room, he said, "I need you to pack up your things. Then I'll call a taxi and send you to the airport."

  "I'm not leaving."

  "Now, Honey, don't argue with me. I don't want you involved in this. Just fly home and leave everything to me."

  "Absolutely not," Ruth told him, emphatically. "I'm staying here and helping you do whatever it is you're going to do." She looked at him, and with a little smile, asked, "What are you going to do?"

  "That all depends on how Andrew is. I can't leave you here with the two of them out of commission."

  "You aren't leaving me here, at all. I've watched Beth over this last year. And, I see that Beth was right -- from the very beginning. If she's with Drew, she might as well work, because things were going to happen anyway. Well, the same is true for me. You say you love me. Then accept that I'm in this with you."

  He looked at her, nodded, and then added, "Okay, for now. But don't think this conversation is over." Then he leaned in and kissed her -- just once.

  "All right. But still gather up your things. And, I'll throw some things in a small bag. I don't know if we'll need to leave. I don't even know if Andy's in shape for it. But, we need to be ready to bug out on a moment's notice. Okay?"

  "Yes. And, I'll take care of your things. Go see if you can be of any help to the doctor."

  And as Jack left the bedroom, Ruth was already gathering things from drawers, and laying them on the far side of the bed.

  *****

  As soon as Jack stepped into the other bedroom, Andrew lurched forward and asked, "Is Beth all right?"

  "Lie back, Mr. Oliver, please," the doctor chastised.

  "How is he, Tim?"

  "He'll be fine after a series of antibiotics and some rest. Something hitched a ride along the bullet, and that's what made him ill. But, it doesn't seem to be anything applied to the bullet, so I don't think we need to worry.

  "I've given him a mega dose of antibiotics, and will leave a bottle of pills. But he has to finish out the prescription until it's gone -- no matter how good he feels before they're gone."

  "Thanks Tim. Before you go, could you take a quick look at his wife? She's in my room, unconscious. I found a sack full of empty energy shots, so I had Ruth give her a scotch with a bit of chloral hydrate in it. Seems to have knocked her right off her feet.

  "I'm sure she's okay. But I would appreciate if you'd just double check for me. You know, blood pressure, heart rate and pulse. Once we reassure him," he said pointing at Andrew, "he'll be a good little patient and get some sleep himself." Then he gave meaningful stare at Drew, and added, in an overly loud voice, "Won't he!"

  "Sure, Jack. I'll take a look at her." The doctor turned to Drew and in a stern voice said, "Sleep. That's the best medicine for you right now. The infection will clear up very quickly, and you didn't even need stitches. There's just a couple butterfly bandages covering it."

  "But you'll make sure Beth's all right, won't you, doctor?"

  "I just said I would. Go to sleep. Everyone will feel better after a good night's rest."

  The two men left Ruth alone in the room with Drew.

  "Fitz, I don't understand. What are you doing here? How did you know we'd come here?"

  "Andrew," she said, calmly. "I'm here with Jack -- because of Jack. We've been seeing each other for nearly a year now -- ever since your wedding. I thought you knew -- that you understood."

  She picked up some used cotton balls, and discarded packaging and threw them all away. Then she sat on the edge of the bed and said, "I thought you realized how close Jack and I had become. Beth insisted you didn't. She warned me you'd be upset. But none of us understand why."

  "You're damned right I'm upset!"

  "But, why? Really Andrew, why?"

  "Because," he said, then he stopped speaking and just looked at her.

  "You made it clear to me, long before you ever met Beth, you weren't interested in me. You adore Beth, and she loves you. You all have been together a year now. And, if what I understood from her, earlier, are completely reconciled. I believe you love me like a brother. Just as you love Jack. Why is it wrong for us to try and get the happiness you and Elizabeth have?"

  "Because..." he said, "Because it just is..." But even he looked confused by his words. "I don't know."

  Ruth reached out and wiped his forehead with a wet wash cloth, as she said, in a most soothing, and un-Fitz-like voice, "Please, Andrew. Be happy for us. We were -- are -- happy for you two."

  "I'm sorry, Fitz. I don't quite understand why, but I have been upset about you two. And, I have done my best to ignore the relationship. I think it's because I do love you both. So, what will happen to my relationship with you and Jack, if this relationship fails?"

  "We'll find out if and when that happens. Why worry about it until it does?"

  She pulled a blanket up over him, switched off the lamp and said, "Don't worry about it until then. Now, just rest. I promise you, Beth is sleeping."

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Beth woke with a start, bolted upright, and looked around. She didn't recognize where she was, but she felt safe. After a minute she remembered she'd made it to Jack's. He'd called a doctor. He'd promised to take of Andrew. Ruth had talked to her while she sipped her scotch.

  The scotch glass sat on the night stand, still half full. She tried to stand up, but felt kind of woozy. And she still felt so very tired. It was easier to just lie back down and go to sleep.

  No! She needed to get up. She had to check on Drew. And then, she needed to know what they were going to do. They might have made it to Jack's -- which had been their short-term goal, but someone was still after them. And they still didn't know who they were. Or why they were after them.

  She spotted an open door to the bathroom. Struggling to her feet, she made her way to it, shutting the door behind her. It must have made more noise than she thought, because when she came out a few minutes later, Ruth was standing in the doorway, with a tray.

  "Good morning, Elizabeth. Did you sleep well?"

  "Yes...I guess so. Where's Drew? Is he all right?"

  "He's fine. He's been up for a while now. He and Jack are in the middle of a conference call to your father and Sir Anthony, in London."

  "No! Why did they call them? What can they do? I'm not at all sure I even want Sir Anthony to know where I am."

  "Have some coffee. They'll be off the phone in a few minutes. Why don't you drink your coffee and then take a quick shower? And I'll go start making some breakfast for all of us."

  Beth fixed her coffee, and carried it with her into the ba
throom. After a good, hot shower, she did feel better. When she came back to the bedroom, she found her suitcase open on the bed. She dressed, but shut the case again.

  She wanted to be ready to bolt.

  *****

  Soon the four of them were grouped around the small, round dining table at one end of the townhouse living room. It was in a large bay, but the windows had heavy draperies, which were pulled tight against the daylight.

  Platters of crispy bacon and buttered toast filled the center of the table, while the men passed a large serving bowl, piled high with fluffy scrambled eggs between them, and Ruth poured coffee. Elizabeth had grabbed a piece of the toast and was slathering orange marmalade over it, listening to the conversation.

  "First off," Jack said, as he reached across the table for the bacon, "is that the little mess you left, has been all cleaned up. Luckily, the people who live in the apartments on either side, were away. And, it had been raining pretty hard since just after you all ditched. Which kept the smell down.

  "And, because of Beth's quick thinking, nothing was stained or damaged, so my friend doesn't ever have to know about 'anything'. Which is good, because he is one superstitious bastard. He's also extremely pragmatic. Which means if he could no longer live comfortably in that apartment, he'd expect me to find him another one -- a comparable one. And, since those apartments are rather limited, I'd have a real problem on my hands."

  Andrew just grinned at Beth and crunched into his own bacon. "I just couldn't let anything happen to that apartment," she insisted, as she helped herself to some of the eggs.

  "Well, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, even if Andy doesn't. Now, I've sent the gun and the extra clip to...ah...some friends, and they're hoping to find fingerprints on the bullet casings. So, maybe we'll find out something about the woman -- at least."

  "Yes," Beth said. Then frowning, she asked, "But why did you have to call Father and Sir Anthony?"

  "Because, Elizabeth," Andrew said, "it isn't normal -- even for us -- for someone to follow us around the world, trying to kill us for no apparent reason. There has to be something behind it. And, that's our first order of business. To find out why."