Tony opened the oven door and looked at the lasagna. It would be done in about ten minutes. She had gotten the recipe Sunday when she talked to her mother. Thinking about the conversation, she smiled. Her mother wanted to come and visit. Tony knew Megan liked her mother, and had repeated the question for her partner’s benefit. Megan had smiled and…well, she really didn’t need to say anything. The expression on her face was all Tony needed to see. Her mother had sounded so pleased when she told her she was more than welcome to visit. So many things had changed in such a short time, first meeting Megan, and then the reconciliation with her mother. Life was good.
Her thoughts turned briefly to the inexplicable accidents. The bruise on her leg was still painful, and probably would be for a while. At least it didn’t hurt to walk on it anymore. Tony still couldn’t make any sense of the bizarre events and just wanted to get their lives back to normal.
Last night, while on surveillance, she had decided to surprise Megan with the roses and a nice dinner, then spend a quiet evening together and maybe watch a movie or something. Lately it seemed like all they did was manage crisis after crisis and then the aftermath of each. She could do without all the excitement and knew Megan could too.
Once Tony had everything ready, she walked into the living room to check on the whereabouts of the rambunctious kittens. She spotted them curled up against each other sleeping in the recliner.
Megan had informed her that cats slept 20 hours a day. She wanted to know 20 hours of what day. The kittens seemed to have unlimited energy, and it was a job sometimes to keep them out of things. Not that she minded. Tony was actually quite taken with the kittens. It was really funny that each kitten had seemed to gravitate toward one of them. Velcro always sought out Tony. Huggy seemed to adore Megan, and you could tell she felt the same way..
Tony looked around the apartment once more after meeting with the insurance adjuster. She had spent the better part of the day kitten proofing the apartment, and Huggy and Velcro had been only too happy to help. For some reason cords seemed to hold a special interest for the kittens. Well, at least now they wouldn’t have to worry about them hurting themselves while they were at work.
Tony turned toward the door when she heard the key in the lock. Megan walked in carrying the vase of roses with a smile that lit up her whole face. Walking over to her partner she wrapped her arms around her still clutching the vase in one of her hands. "I missed you. I really love the roses," Megan said relaxing against the tall familiar body.
Tony returned the hug, enjoying the feel of her partner wrapped comfortably in her arms. Looking into the sparkling hazel eyes, she said, "I missed you, too." Lowering her head, she met her lover’s lips and enjoyed a sweet, very satisfying kiss.
Megan laid her head against Tony’s chest smiling contentedly. "I guess I should set the roses down."
Smiling Tony said, "That might be a good idea. They are kind of prickly."
"Oops. Didn’t think about that," Megan said, releasing her partner.
Noticing the dining room table was set, she raised her eyebrows and walked into the kitchen to set the vase down on the table in there. She and Tony usually ate in the kitchen and she was surprised to see the dining room table prepared for dinner.
Turning to face her partner, she asked, "What’s the occasion? Are we having company?"
Tony looked at the curious expression on Megan's face, and smiled. "No. I just thought it would be nice to eat in the dining room tonight. Just something a little different."
Tony was sure full of surprises today. "Umm…smells good in here. What did you make?" Megan said, her mouth watering.
"Mom’s lasagna," Tony said, her smile widening at the delighted look on Megan’s face. "I thought you really liked it."
"Oooh good! I loved it," Megan said, giving Tony a big hug.
Tony kissed Megan, then released her saying, "It should be ready by the time you change clothes."
A short time later, Megan sighed happily and sat back in her chair. Smiling at her partner, she said, "That was delicious."
A warm smile covered Tony's face and she said, "Thanks, Love. Ready for desert?"
Placing her hands over her stomach and widening her eyes, Megan said. "You're kidding, right? I'm stuffed!"
Tony laughed at the expression on her partner's face. "I am too. Want to watch a movie? We haven’t done that for a long time."
Megan grinned, and said, "Sounds good. Do you have one in mind?"
Tony smiled back at her partner. Megan looked relaxed and happy, the stress of the last few days gone from her face. A sudden thought occurred to her, It's a simple equation really. When Megan is happy, so am I.
With that thought in mind, she said, "Why don’t you pick one?
Megan's forehead creased momentarily and she turned her eyes upward as she feigned deep thought, "Hmm…a comedy, huh?"
Laughing at the amused look on Tony's face, she said, "How about Sister Act? I love that movie."
Teasingly, with her eyebrow raised, Tony said, "I'm so glad you could think of one."
Megan was sitting in her favorite position, relaxing on the couch against Tony with her lover’s arm resting on her shoulders. She could watch this movie a million times and never tire of it. And somehow it was even more enjoyable watching it with her partner.
She loved the rich sound of Tony’s laughter and she had been pleasantly surprised when Tony joined in with the songs. I just love her voice. Lately there had been so little time for the simple things in their life. She had really missed this part of their relationship, and it felt really good to have it back.
Tony wasn’t sure if she was laughing more at the movie or at Megan’s delighted laughter. This felt so right. All the tension of the last few days was finally gone. One of her most frequent thoughts made an appearance in her mind, how did I ever get so lucky?
When the movie ended, with a smile still etched on her face, Megan said, "I just love the first time she leads the choir in church. The look on the Mother Superior’s face is too much."
Tony grinned and said, "Yeah. And the part when they’re cleaning up the neighborhood is really funny, too."
Looking at the mellow, contented expression on her partner's face, Tony felt a sense of peace. Leaning over and kissing Megan, she said, "How about desert?"
"You mean that wasn’t desert?" Megan asked, grinning.
Tony quirked a half smile and drawled, "Well…"
Megan winked at her partner and said, "I think I want to save the best for last. So what desert did you have in mind?"
Tony shrugged nonchalantly, "Just something I thought you might like." Standing up, she said, "I’ll go get it."
"I’ll help. I want to see what it is anyway," Megan said, wondering what surprise her partner had planned.
Tony opened the refrigerator and took out two pieces of carrot cake specially made by the bakery at the Giant Eagle grocery store. Each piece was totally covered with the rich cream cheese frosting that so enhanced the taste of the moist cake.
"Ooh. My favorite. How did you know? I never told you," Megan said, surprised.
Tony winked and said, "I have my sources." Actually Ashley had told her last time she happened to answer the phone when her partner was out on a case.
Megan sat at the table and pulled the plate in front of her, taking a bite of the delicious cake. "Let eat in here."
Tony chuckled and joined her partner at the table.
Megan savored each bite of the rich cake. Finishing she asked, "Feel like some tea? It’ll only take a couple of minutes to make some."
Before Tony had a chance to answer, they heard a dull thud coming from the living room. Tony rolled her eyes and grinned, saying, "I’ll go see what they did now."
Megan chuckled at the expression on Tony’s face. The kittens were always in to something. "Ok. I'll put the tea on."
Huggy sat on the coffee table looking at the silk flower arrangement. A white paw hesitantly hit the green leaf before quickly pulling it back. The eyes watched the quivering leaf and the paw reached out, more confidently now, and batted the leaf harder. Her head tracked the movement of the leaf and when it slowed, she struck it again.
Velcro crouched on the floor, body motionless, watching the movement of the leaf, her tail twitching back and forth. Suddenly, the black and white fur ball streaked across the floor and leaped up onto the coffee table. Sliding across the smooth surface of the table unable to get purchase, she slid into the basket housing the silk flower arrangement propelling it across the table and onto the floor before following it with an ungraceful landing. Standing up, looking indignant, she batted the offending leaves.
The original culprit, startled by the unexpected arrival of her playmate, jumped straight up into the air before landing on her toes back on the table. Crabbing sideways, all the hair on her tail standing on end, she danced across the table, and looked over the edge. She watched Velcro playing with the leaves for only a moment before jumping to the floor and joining in the fun.
Tony walked into the living room and shook her head when she saw the two kittens happily playing with the leaves of the silk plant in the middle of the floor. Shooing them away, she picked up the basket and the plant, putting it back together in a semblance of the way it had been before the kittens had attacked it.
Setting in up on a shelf, she started to walk back to the kitchen when she stepped on something. Lifting her bare foot, she plucked the offending item off of it, smiling when she saw what it was. The arrangement was realistic, but she never realized it had a ladybug in it. Just as she was about to place it on one of the silk leaves, she stopped, all senses on alert.
Placing the ladybug in the palm of her hand, she looked at it closely. Something was odd about it. All of a sudden it hit her. There were three antennas protruding from it. The extra one was slightly longer and thinner than the other two. Narrowing her eyes, she placed it back in the basket, her thoughts turning dark.
Tony walked into the kitchen and raised a finger to the center of her pursed lips signaling for quiet. Looking at Megan, her eyes imploring her partner to play along with her, she said, "I’m going to take a shower now. The kittens trashed the silk flower planter but I’ve put it back together again. Why don’t you put the darlings into one of the bedrooms?"
Mouthing, "Come with me," she left the kitchen and walked into the bathroom, Megan right behind her. Closing the door, she pulled the shower curtain and turned on the water. Turning and looking at her puzzled partner, Tony said, "We’re being bugged."
"Bugged? You mean someone’s been listening to us? Why?" Megan asked perplexed. "Who would want to bug us?"
Tony’s brow creased in thought. "I don’t know. I’ve got a bug detector in my bag in the closet. I’ll check the apartment and find out if there are any more, and if there are, where they are. I don’t want to get rid of them yet because that’ll alert whoever put them here that we found them. Once I get done, let's go for a ride. Then we can try and figure it out."
Megan placed her hand on Tony’s arm, delaying her departure. "How did you find out?" Her knowledge of bugs was limited to what she saw on TV or in the movies, but she knew they were not easy to find. She was also angry at the invasion of their privacy.
Tony smiled for the first time since they entered the bathroom. "It turns out that noise we heard was Huggy and Velcro playing with the planter on the coffee table. They got a little rambunctious and knocked it to the floor."
The lines of her face-hardened, and she continued, "I stepped on something when I was picking it up. It was a little ladybug. Something about it seemed odd, and then I realized it had three antennas. The third antenna was a little longer and thinner than the other two."
The irony was not lost on Megan. She mused aloud, "Real clever. A bug in a bug." Glancing up at her partner, she asked, "How did you know?"
Tony shrugged. "I’ve used similar ones in some of my cases. I’ll double check it, but I am sure that’s what it is."
Megan looked off into space, and spoke her thoughts aloud, "Something is going on. I knew it."
Tony placed a hand on Megan's shoulder, the contact drawing her lover's eyes to hers. She smiled ruefully at Megan and said, "I hoped you were wrong."
Shaking her head, Megan said, "So did I."
"I put it back, so watch what you say in the living room. The running water will keep whoever is listening from hearing our conversation even if there is one in here," Tony explained. "The main thing right now is to act normally. Come on. I’ll show you how the bug detector works. The one I’ve got is nice because it has a setting on it that allows it to vibrate like a pager instead of beeping so if anyone is listening right now, they won’t know what we’re doing."
After turning off the water, Megan followed her partner into the bedroom. Opening the closet door, Tony pulled out one of her suitcases and took out a small accessory bag. Unzipping it, she removed various small devices. Settling on one that looked something like a remote control, but was smaller, she put the other items back in the bag.
Picking up the bug detector, she turned it on to the vibrate setting and watched the red light. It would begin flashing if it detected a bug. The closer it got to the bug the faster the light would flash.
Megan stood out of the way watching Tony. The planes of her face had sharpened and there was no wasted movement in her actions. The few times she had watched Tony at work, she was always struck that this warm loving woman was also a very competent, and when necessary, very deadly FBI agent. Certainly not someone anyone with any sense would antagonize.
A complete scan of the apartment only revealed two bugs, one in the kitchen and the one in the living room. Tony smiled grimly. They knew what they were doing. Not coincidentally, both rooms had phones and most of their conversation took place in one or the other.
Tony and Megan sat in a booth in the back of Diana’s. She was sure they had not been followed, and she was an expert at detecting tails. No one had ever succeeded in following the operative unless she wanted to be followed.
Ordering a Coke and Pepsi respectively, Tony said, "I don’t get it. I think it’s fairly safe to assume I am the target. Coroner’s apartments are not likely to get bugged." She said the last smiling at Megan.
Megan sighed. "Just when I thought everything was back to normal for a change. You know Tony, I could really do without all this excitement," Megan said in a bantering voice, but was actually very serious.
"You and me both. I was willing to write off the accidents even though that guy deliberately swerved into my car. I know you had a feeling about them and I thought it was one hell of a coincidence, too, but I was hoping he could’ve been a drunk or a weirdo of some kind."
"Do you have any idea why someone would want to," Megan paused, unable to bring herself to say kill, and finished with, "hurt you?"
"No. I have gone over everything I’ve done in the past several months, and I can’t think of any reason anyone would want to…bug our apartment." Tony pushed her hair away from her face, and continued, "It has to be a pro. The bugs are very cleverly disguised."
Megan spent each day sifting through evidence and finding clues that were almost nonexistent. Moving the straw around in her Pepsi, deep in thought, the analytical portion of her brain was sorting through everything Tony had done since she met her. An idea began forming in Megan’s mind.
Tony was watching her partner, worried. She was absently playing with the straw in her Pepsi, her eyes trained on the drink. Tony was just about to interrupt her thoughts, when the hazel eyes met her own.
"What about when we were in D.C. and you talked to Huey? Any possibility someone could have found out about that? You mentioned Huey said you might have to testify. Maybe someone doesn’t want you to."
Tony looked at Megan thoughtfully. Nothing she could come up with made any sense. That was a possibility, even though it was kind of far fetched.
"You might have something there. It’s worth a shot. I’ll call Huey tomorrow. It just seems so extreme." Sighing Tony added, "If it is related to that, they must know the chances of uncovering the perpetrator is very small, so why bother?"
"Maybe there's more to it than you think," Megan said. "I can’t think of any other reason someone would be after you unless it has to do with some case you did before we met."
Tony shook her head. "No. You could be right. On the few cases my cover was blown, we ended up busting all the leaders and they are still doing hard time."
Tony took a sip of her Coke and continued, "We have to remember to act normally when we are in the living room or kitchen. Since the rest of the apartment is not bugged we can talk behind closed doors in the bedroom or bathroom. Now that we know there is a bug, we can use it to our advantage to lure whoever it is in."
"You’re not going to do anything dangerous are you?" Megan asked, becoming even more worried than she was.
Tony saw the worry on Megan’s face and said, "No. I’m just going to talk to Huey first and then Brian. I know I can count on them. I’d like to set a trap with Brian’s help."
Smiling reassuringly at Megan, she continued, "I won’t do anything on my own. But I think we both need to be very careful."
"I’m not the target here, you are," Megan said, relaxing a little since her partner wasn't going to try to handle this herself.
"We don’t know that for sure. I just don’t want to take any chances, ok?" Tony asked, her concern reflected in her eyes.
"Does this mean you’re going to take me to work again?" Megan asked, a small smile forming on her face.
"Yes. If you don’t mind," Tony said, relieved that Megan had suggested this.
"Mind…not hardly. Well, in that case, ok," Megan said smiling, hoping to ease some of the worry from her partner’s face.
***
Tony dropped Megan off and headed home. She treated her surroundings with even more care than usual. She thought grimly, there will be no more accidents.
Arriving home, she exchanged the line from the jack to the phone with a 25 foot one and walked into the bedroom. Attaching a scrambling device to the phone, she made the first of two calls. Since phone monitoring was most often done remotely, she had no idea if the phone was tapped and wasn’t taking any chances.
Sitting on the bed, Tony said, "Hi Huey," when he answered the phone.
"Hi Tony. What’s on your mind?" Huey asked, surprised by the call. The phone was propped on his shoulder and he was looking at the messages that he had received.
Deciding to get right to the point, Tony asked, "How’s the investigation going?"
"I turned it over to Internal Affairs the same day you were here. Why?" Huey sat back in his chair, his full attention on the conversation now.
Tony stood up and began walking around the bedroom. "I have suddenly become accident prone and I found a bug in my apartment. Both of the accidents were a little too close for comfort. There is nothing I am involved in here that should elicit this kind of action. The only other thing I can think of is that it has something to do with your investigation."
"Anything is possible, but it doesn’t make sense. Internal Affairs runs a fairly tight operation and your current assignment is only available through your personnel file."
"Well how about humoring me and checking to see if my personnel file has been pulled?" Tony asked knowing the record could not be accessed unless a log was signed. Standing in front of the window, she continued, "I know it’s a long shot but I’d like to know so I can eliminate the possibility."
"Ok. I’ll check on it today."
***
Megan sat at her desk going through her inbox. She had already finished her only case for the day. Some of the results were back from the lab and she was pleased to see that her suspicion on the drowning victim had been right. He had been dead prior to entering the water.
David walked in and sat down, draping a leg over the arm of the chair. "Hi Boss," he said, grinning.
Megan chuckled. While it was true that she was his boss, their friendship extended to their work relationship.
"Hi. You want me to tell you what happened over the weekend, right?" she asked, smiling warmly at her friend.
"Well, it would be nice since we were too busy yesterday, and I did see Tony drop you off in that gorgeous Jeep, and you just happened to tell me enough yesterday to worry me." David said, settling back in the chair and crossing his arms.
"Yeah. Guess I did. Relax, it’s a long story," Megan smiled ruefully at her friend, and began relating the events of the weekend.
***
Tony dialed Brian’s number and waited for him to pick up. Wasting no time, she said, "I need to see you. When would be a good time?"
Brian listened to the terse statement and knew something must have happened. "Come on down now. I’ll make time."
"I’ll be there in twenty minutes." Tony said, relieved that he had time to see her so quickly.
Tony quickly walked across the squad room oblivious to the admiring looks from the occupants. Arriving at Brian’s desk, she said, "Hi," and sat down in the chair adjoining the desk, stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing them at the ankles.
Brian took in the controlled look on Tony’s face and leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He answered her greeting by asking, "What’s going on?"
Tony looked at Brian, and said, "I found a couple of bugs in the apartment last night. Apparently, someone is very interested in what I am doing. I’d like to set up a sting operation to lure this guy into the open. But I need some help."
"How do you know it’s a guy and how do you know there is only one person involved?" Brian asked, wanting to know how Tony had come to the conclusions she had.
"I don’t know if more than one person is involved, but I don’t think I’d be sitting here talking to you now if he had help." Tony paused, gathering her thoughts. Turning slightly in the chair, she rested her elbows on the desk. "Call it a gut feeling, but the type of incidents leads me to believe that he acted independently. I’m thinking it is the driver of the pick up that rammed me. I did get enough of a look to know it was a man."
Brian nodded his head. He had forgotten she had mentioned that in her report. He had also learned long ago to always trust your gut. "I take it you have something in mind?"
Tony smiled grimly. "Yeah, I do. I want to stage a meeting in my apartment where we set up a phony bust scenario for the surveillance case I’m working on. We can make it seem authentic by mentioning that some information has been leaked and that Braxton gave me the authority to call in you guys to prevent anyone from being tipped off about the bust. This guy obviously knows a lot about me and has to know I just finished working a case with you, so he should buy it."
Tony paused for a minute brushing the hair away from her face with her hand. She knew she needed help, but it seemed funny to be asking for it. She had always handled her own problems.
Brian waited quietly for her to continue. He knew her well enough to know that she was unaccustomed to asking for help and was pleased at the show of trust.
"The only way I can make this work is to have some of your people help. I want to set myself up as bait to draw him out. But I don’t want to be a sitting duck. I need to be covered by your guys," Tony said, watching Brian closely trying to gauge his reaction.
Brian was more than willing to help Tony out. He knew he’d have to call on his friends, since this was certainly an unofficial request. But he felt she was putting herself at too much risk.
"I don’t like the idea of you as bait. It’s too chancy. What if my guys don’t see him in time? I’d feel personally responsible if anything happened to you."
Tony sat up straight in the chair, and crossed her arms. "Whoever is doing this is definitely a pro. If I don’t set myself up, he’ll never show."
Brian still wasn't convinced this was the best plan and decided to try another tactic. "Does Megan know about this?" he asked, pointedly.
Biting off her initial retort, which was to tell him that was between her and Megan, she said, "Not yet." Meeting Brian's gaze, she continued, "There didn't seem much point in telling her until I knew if you were going to help."
Shaking his head, he said, "Tony, you've got someone else to think about. We’ll figure out something else."
Frowning, Tony looked pointedly at Brian, and said, "I know that. I’m worried about her. What if he gets frustrated and tries to get at me through her? I can’t take that chance. She’s too important to me. There isn't any other way. I have to do this."
Brian made a decision. "I’ll help you. But I got a feeling Megan is going to be pissed off at both of us."
Tony nodded her head in agreement. Explaining her plan to Megan was not something she was looking forward to.
Brian took a pen out of his pocket, and began jotting notes on it. "What’s the time line?"
"If you can get the others together in time, I’d like for everyone to come to my apartment this evening. I thought we could set up the sting for tomorrow night." Tony said, knowing what she was asking would be difficult to accomplish.
Brian looked up from the pad of paper and met Tony's eyes. "Moving kind of fast, aren’t you?"
Deep blue eyes met steel gray ones. "I have to. I have a feeling the attacks are going to intensify, and I don’t want Megan or anyone else I know jeopardized."
After a moment's thought, Brian said, "Ok. I’ll start notifying people. How about we show up at 7pm?"
Tony smiled, and said, "Sounds good. And Brian…thanks."
"No problem," Brian said, hoping he had made the right decision.
***
Huey hung up the phone and sat there thoughtfully, his elbows resting on the desk and his chin supported on a bridge formed with his hands. He had been concerned about Tony’s accusation and the ramifications of it since she had reported it to him. If her file had been pulled, then this was bigger than he had first thought.
Walking out of his office, he said to Jean, "I’m going over to Human Resources."
Arriving in the Records Room, he walked up to Sarah who was standing behind the sign-in desk.
Looking at the older woman fondly, he said, "Hi Sarah. I need the personnel record on Antonia Viglioni."
Pushing the login form across the desk, Sarah smiled and said, "Hi Huey. Just sign for it here. That record’s been kind of popular lately."
Huey looked up from the log. "What do you mean?"
"I just pulled it for someone else last week." Sarah said, a little puzzled by his reaction.
Taking the log back, she flipped a few pages back and began running her finger down the entries. Finding the one for Viglioni she murmured, "That’s strange."
"What’s strange?" Huey asked, trying to see what Sarah was pointing to on the log.
Looking up, Sarah said, "This isn’t the name of the agent who signed for the file. This has the Director of Quality Control’s name. The agent who signed for it was a young guy I’ve seen around. That’s why I didn’t question it. Can’t think of his name right now. Nice young man. I can’t believe I missed that. Oh, well. Maybe he was just signing the name of the person he was getting the information for."
"Let me see that," Huey said. Taking the log from Sarah and looking at the entry, he asked, "Did he remove the file?"
Frowning at Huey, she said, "No, of course not. You know that’s against our policy. I pulled it for him and he looked at it in the file room. He returned it within 15 minutes."
"If you remember who the agent was, call me," Huey said, before leaving. This was very odd. Regulations stipulated that the individual signing out the record sign the log no matter what the reason was for pulling it.
Walking back into his office, he said, "Jean, would you get Ed in Quality Control for me?"
Jean smiled, and said, "Sure." Once she got the Director on the phone, she put him on hold and dialed Huey. "He’s on three, Mr. Straton."
"Thanks." Huey said, before picking up the call. "Hey Ed, how’s it going?"
"Same as usual. What’s up?" he asked, knowing Huey did not make arbitrary phone calls.
Drumming his fingers on the desk, Huey asked, "Did you request the personnel record on Antonia Viglioni last week?"
Wondering what prompted the question, Ed said, "No. She’s not working covert anymore. I’d have no reason to."
"That’s what I thought, too. Thought you might like to know an agent signed out her file and used your name on the log."
"Do you know who?" Ed asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation.
Huey sighed. "No. But Sarah has worked in the Records Room forever and she said she’s seen him around. I may have her start looking through some pictures of the agents assigned here if she doesn’t remember who it was. She said he was young so that should cut down the list some."
"Keep me informed. I’d like a few words with whomever it was," Ed said, his voice hard.
"Will do." Huey said, before hanging up the phone. Settling back in his chair, he looked out the window. Sarah held the key to the investigation. He would go back to records and talk to her.
***
Megan walked to the waiting Jeep and opened the door and got in. Smiling at the woman she loved, she said, "Hi."
Tony looked at the bright warm smile lighting up her partner’s face and her heart sank. She knew her plan was going to upset Megan. If there was any other way, she would do it, rather than put Megan through the worry she knew this was going to cause her.
"Hi," Tony answered, unable to match the engaging smile with one of her own.
Looking at her lover, a feeling of trepidation came over Megan. Placing her hand on Tony’s thigh, she asked, "What’s wrong?"
Tony placed her hand over Megan’s and squeezed it, before shifting the car into drive and pulling out of the parking lot into the street.
"I need to discuss something with you. I figured we could stop at Friends, get something to eat, and talk there."
"Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this discussion?" Megan asked, her uneasiness growing.
Tony didn’t have an answer, and changed the subject. "How was work?"
Watching her partner’s face, Megan went along with the subject change. Alarm bells were going off and she wasn’t looking forward to the ‘discussion’ Tony wanted to have.
"Work was fine. I told David about the latest adventures of Huggy and Velcro. He wants to stop over and see the kittens. He and Mike are going to look at puppies this weekend."
"Did he mention what kind they were going to get?" Tony asked, happy Megan had gone along with her.
"He’s not sure. They’re thinking about a medium sized dog. Although, he did mention that they’re gong to check the Animal Protective League, and the City and County Kennels first, and see if they can find a puppy there."
Arriving at Friends, Tony pulled into the parking lot and they entered the restaurant. After being seated, they both ordered coffee and the sautéed seafood with linguini.
Megan looked at the serious expression on her partner’s face, and waited patiently for Tony to tell her what was on her mind. When it became apparent Tony was in no hurry to begin the conversation, she decided her partner needed a nudge and said, "So what’s going on?"
Sighing, Tony said, "I talked to Huey today. He’s going to check and see if my personnel file has been pulled."
"Ok," Megan said puzzled. They’d talked about this last night. "Did he say anything else?"
"No." Tony was still trying to figure out how to approach her role in the sting operation with her partner. Deciding to be blunt, she continued, "I went to see Brian today."
"What for?" Megan asked, sensing this meeting had something to do with whatever Tony was reluctant to tell her.
Looking at Megan, Tony said, "I suggested we set up a sting operation to draw this guy out."
Megan knew there had to be more to it than this, and asked, "How’s the sting going to work?
Her face expressionless, Tony said, "We decided to set it up at the Red Chimney. Brian said a lot of cops from fifth district go there to eat, and if we run into trouble we’d probably have extra help."
"Tony," Megan waited until her lover met her eyes. "How do you fit into this?" And why do I know I'm not going to like it?
Glancing away from the piercing hazel eyes, Tony said, "I’m going to be outside in a parking lot across the street covering the front door of the restaurant. I’ll be parked in the Shopper’s Mart. He should feel fairly secure because of the traffic from the store and make his move."
Megan’s eyes narrowed, and she said, "You’re purposely setting yourself up," already knowing the answer.
Tony looked at her partner earnestly. "I have to. If it’s not realistic, it’ll never work."
Megan sat back in her chair, and crossed her arms. Capturing her partner's deep blue eyes with her flashing hazel ones, she said, "No."
Tony sighed. There was no mistaking Megan's anger. She couldn’t blame her partner for not liking the idea, and it was nice to know how much she cared, but she was going to have to make her understand.
Tony leaned forward. "Megan, listen to me. I know it’s dangerous. But don’t forget, this is what I am trained for. It’ll be ok."
Megan looked at her partner sitting across the table. She knew Tony was highly trained and very capable, but this left too much to chance. "There has to be some other way. What if he tries to take you out from a distance? No one can protect you then because no one will see him," Megan said, voicing one of her biggest concerns about the plan.
That thought had occurred to Tony, but she really felt he would want to make sure she was the one in the car. She now believed he had been behind both accidents and would be much less willing to leave things to chance.
Trying to allay Megan's concern, Tony said, "I don't think he'll do that. It leaves too much to chance."
Megan glanced out the window. This was just too dangerous. "That’s not good enough. What if you're wrong?"
Megan captured her partner’s eyes with her own, before continuing, "I love you. Twice in the past week I could have lost you. I couldn’t do anything about those times, but I can about this. I don’t want you to do this."
"I love you, too. And that’s why I have to do this." Tony then voiced her worst fear, " What if he tries to get at me through you? I’m not willing to take that risk. If anything happened to you because of me I could never live with myself."
"What about how I would feel if something happened to you? Doesn’t that matter at all?" Megan asked, momentarily hurt until a thought pushed its way to the forefront of her mind. This doesn't make sense. We are sitting here arguing and the thing we are both trying to do is protect each other. We need to work together on this.
Tony saw the hurt expression flicker across her lover's face. That was the last thing she wanted to do. I am really blowing this. "Of course it does." Tony sighed, "I just want this to be over and our lives to get back to normal, and I don’t know any other way to do that."
The waitress removed the uneaten salads and served their dinner. Neither woman was hungry.
Megan pushed her food around on her plate trying to think of likely alternatives and not having any success. Would this dangerous plan really put an end to this nightmare? Or would she end up losing her partner?
Tony felt guilty because she knew she was asking more than was fair of her partner, but felt she had no choice. The last thing she had wanted to do was hurt Megan's feelings. She had to end this and the only way to do that was take the offensive.
Megan looked up from her food. "When is this supposed to happen?"
Relieved that Megan had broken the silence, Tony said, "Brian’s going to bring some of his friends over tonight and we’re planning to have a staged conversation."
"There’s no guarantee this will draw him out," Megan mused aloud. "You really think this will work?"
Tony breathed a silent sigh of relief. Megan didn't seem so upset. "I think there's a good possibility it could."
Making a decision and praying it was the right one, Megan said, "Ok. What time are we going?"
Tony met Megan's eyes, and said gently, "We aren’t going. I am."
"If you’re going, so am I," Megan said, emphatically.
"You’re not trained for this. I am," Tony said, her eyes imploring her partner to understand.
"I didn’t say I would participate. I said I was going. And you can just stop right now, because if you think there is any way I am letting you put yourself in danger without being there if you need me, you better think again."
Tony looked at her partner and raised an eyebrow. She ruefully thought, I guess I didn't convince her.
Megan never gave her lover a chance to respond and continued, "So when do we do this?" There was no way she was letting Tony do this by herself. It was bad enough she was going to do it at all.
Tony gazed at her partner silently. She captured the hazel eyes with her blue ones and watched the gold flecks whirling around angrily. How can I ask her to do something I would not? This might not be such a bad idea. There was always the possibility the sting would not work. If Megan went, at least she would know she was safe. She’d just have to do her best to make sure she was out of harm’s way. Maybe Brian could assign someone to her during the sting.
Tony rested her elbow on the table and supported her chin in her palm. Quirking a half smile, she said, "Tomorrow night."
***
Tony sat on the couch next to Megan and looked at Brian and the other four officers gathered in her living room. Brian had briefed the others back at the station, and each knew that this meeting was simply to set up the trap they had devised. Each of the officers present had worked with Tony on the Shadow case, and had volunteered to help out.
Tony began speaking, "We just got word that one of the big players in a money laundering operation we’ve been doing surveillance on is going to be meeting with the local head of the operation. The meet is at the Red Chimney."
"We’re meeting here to discuss a sting operation. The reason we are asking you to help is because some pertinent information has been leaked. To avoid any other leaks, my boss set it up with Brian."
Nodding her head at Brian, Tony turned the briefing over to him. She wanted to give the impression that the plan would be all his idea.
Brian said, "Ok guys, this is what we’re going to do…"
***
Sherman sat in his hotel room listening to the tape. Not expecting to hear anything useful, his ears perked up when the conversation turned to the sting operation. This had real potential. Sitting down, he rewound that part of the tape and replayed it.
This just might be the opportunity he was waiting for. Getting out the phone book, he looked up the Red Chimney. He located the street on his map and decided to check the area out the next morning. If the location fit his needs, he would take advantage of this unexpected break.
***
Megan looked at the ‘watch’ on her wrist that Tony had given her to wear before she went to work. It was really neat. Her partner had told her that if she pressed the stem, an alarm would go directly to Brian, who would have the receiver with him.
It did make her feel a little uneasy. She hadn’t really thought about any danger to herself, even though she knew Tony was worried about that. But somehow, wearing this little gadget made it very real. But it wouldn’t do any good to dwell on it.
Preparing for bed, she realized this would be the first time she had to spend the night alone. Even the night Tony was in the car accident, she hadn’t spent the entire night by herself. She chuckled to herself. Geez, it was only for the next two nights. I’ll sure be glad when that case she’s working on is over.
Megan’s thoughts turned to tomorrow. She hoped the guy never showed up. The idea of Tony setting herself up as a target was very scary. And one that literally scared the hell out of her. There had to be another way, but she didn’t know what it was.
Sighing, Megan got into bed. Huggy and Velcro soon joined her and she slept fitfully, waking several times, against the backdrop of loud purring.
Tony arrived home with her usual patrol car escort. Getting off the elevator, she walked into the apartment. Megan was sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee. Laying her gun down, she walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee.
Joining her partner at the table, she said, "You look tired."
"I didn’t get much sleep," Megan answered, smiling wanly.
Tony reached across the table and took hold of Megan’s hand and squeezed it. Ad-libbing for the sake of the bug, she said, "Is it because of the sting tonight?"
Megan sighed, "That’s part of it." All of a sudden she blurted out, "I hate sleeping alone."
Tony almost spewed coffee all over the table. She certainly hadn’t expected that comment, especially since her lover knew there was a bug in the kitchen.
Standing up, she walked around the table and leaned down, kissing her partner on the forehead. Holding out her hand to Megan to grasp, she led out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. Tony closed the door.
Placing her arms around Megan, she hugged her. "I hate sleeping alone too, Love. Hopefully this case will be over soon. We’ve got enough to move in on them anytime. It’s just a matter of waiting on Braxton to figure that out. He’s a little slow on the uptake."
After gently kissing her lover, she said, "If we’re really lucky, the sting will work tonight, and Braxton will order us to move in on the money launderers over the weekend."
Megan relaxed against her partner, the contact lifting her spirits. She smiled at Tony’s attempt to make her feel better. Looking up at her lover, she said, "You’re a real dreamer, too," in an attempt at levity.
"Me?" Tony said, winking at her partner, happy to see the smile on her face. "Not really."
Megan hugged Tony, and said, "Well, I hope you’re right." Reluctantly releasing the tall woman, she said, "You ready?"
"Yeah."
When Tony returned from taking Megan to work, the phone was ringing. Walking into the kitchen, she picked it up and said, "Hello."
A familiar voice asked, "Are you busy?"
Tony smiled grimly. This was a simple code they’d set up indicating she should go to a secure phone.
"Yes. Can I get back to you later?"
"Sure," Huey said, standing in his office looking out the window.
Hanging up, Tony carried the phone into the bedroom and attached the scrambling device. She knew it would be a lot easier to use the portable phone but they were notorious for being intercepted and the scrambler might not be totally effective.
After dialing Huey’s number, she waited patiently for him to come to the phone.
When he answered, she asked, "What’s up?"
"Your record has been accessed and it’s not clear who pulled it or why. It may just be a coincidence. I am still checking things out at this end," Huey said.
Tony's eyes narrowed and anger briefly flickered across her face. "I don’t think it’s a coincidence. So I’m going to go on the assumption that it’s another agent, or someone from the inside hired a mercenary."
There wasn’t much Huey could say. He happened to agree with her. "Be careful, Tony. I’ll call you when I know more."
Hanging up the phone, Tony was glad that she had decided not to include any of her FBI coworkers, because she had no way of knowing if they were connected to the attacks on her.
After taking a shower, Tony retrieved her gun and placed it on the night stand. Getting into bed, she fell into a light sleep, her subconscious mind tuned to wake her at any odd sound. Velcro and Huggy joined her a short time later.
***
Megan sat at her desk unable to concentrate on the lab reports she was looking at. Setting them down, her thoughts turned to the sting operation planned for that night. There was so much being left to chance and she was very worried about Tony’s safety.
When the phone rang, she welcomed the interruption.
"Dr. Donnovan."
"Hi. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. With the deadline for people who filed extensions drawing near, work has been unreal," Ashley said.
Megan smiled, glad to hear from her sister, "No problem. I figured you were just busy."
"Any chance you can get away for lunch today? Two appointments I had scheduled canceled and I’ve finally got a little free time." Ashley said, hoping Megan would be able to get away. It seemed like ages since she had seen her younger sister.
Glad for the diversion, and wanting to see Ashley, Megan smiled and said, "I’d love to. Where?"
"How about the Boarding House at 11:30?" Ashley chose a place close to where Megan worked figuring they would be able to take a little longer lunch that way.
"That’ll work. See you then," Megan said, looking forward to lunch
***
Tony set the bag of Chinese food on the table. Megan was changing clothes. Neither of them had wanted to cook tonight, so they had stopped at their favorite take out place.
Her thoughts turned briefly to their plans for tonight. She wasn’t supposed to make an appearance until 9pm even though Brian and the others would be there earlier to get in place.
Kris was going to pick up Megan at 8pm. Brian thought very highly of the policewoman, and she had not come to the apartment for the meeting, so her identity, if they had been observed, would be unknown to Tony’s antagonist.
Tony planned to leave around 8:30pm. She would be driving her Jeep, it would be easy to spot. Her thoughts turned dark and she smiled grimly, thinking, and then let the game begin.
***
John was casually leaning against the building near the mouth of the alley. He was hidden from the casual observer, but his position allowed him an unobstructed view of the sienna Jeep in the parking lot across the street. Should anyone see him, he looked every bit the part of someone waiting for a friend, and he added to the illusion by occasionally raising his wrist to peer at his watch.
All the volunteers knew that the chance of a successful conclusion to this operation was small. It had not deterred any of them, though. Every officer involved in the sting considered Tony one of their own. The fact that she was an FBI agent no longer mattered. She had earned her place among them and they would do their best to protect her. They had all been at their posts for over an hour and John knew that the likelihood of their target showing up now was slim.
John shifted his weight to his other foot and suddenly felt a blinding pain crash through his head before everything went dark.
Sherman put the blackjack back in his pocket and smiled, satisfied that his first objective had been reached. He pulled a roll of duct tape out of his cargo pocket. The cop shouldn't wake up for a couple of minutes and when he did, Sherman wanted to make sure he couldn't give an alarm. If everything went according to plan, he would be leaving the area by the time he woke up anyway, but he would leave no room for error.
Tearing off a strip of the duct tape, he laid the roll on the ground next to him and slapped the tape over the unconscious man's mouth, making sure it was tightly adhered to the skin. Rolling the cop over, he began securing the man's hands behind him by winding the tape around his wrists. Satisfied that he would not be able to get loose, he tore the tape and moved down to his feet, quickly and efficiently binding his ankles together in the same manner. Standing he put the duct tape back in one of his cargo pockets the whole procedure taking less than two minutes.
Grabbing a hold of the cop under his arms, Sherman dragged him further back into the alley behind a dumpster. He had already ascertained that they were on radio silence so he shouldn't be missed anytime soon. Completing his task, Sherman melted back into the shadows intent on seeking out his next target.
Sherman had been in place since early afternoon and had waited for the police to arrive. Their operation had been organized and planned well. The cops were strategically placed in and around the restaurant, and were well hidden. The officers inside the restaurant and the adjoining buildings would not hinder his effort. He would only concern himself with the cops stationed outside because of the potential for interference.
***
Tony sat in her car, all senses tuned to her surroundings. Brian and two other officers were in commandeered second floor locations on both sides of the street watching everyone who approached her car. If anyone got too close or looked suspicious, they were to key the radio once. There had already been three false alarms.
Sherman sauntered down the street toward the Shopper’s Mart with his hands in his pockets. Entering the parking lot from the street, he casually ambled across the blacktop in the general direction of the Jeep. Noting nothing out of the ordinary, he moved up to the blind spot on the vehicle, just standing there nonchalantly looking around. Satisfied that no one was watching him, Sherman began moving silently up the side of the vehicle. He was pleased to note that Viglioni had her eyes trained on the restaurant across the street.
Tony heard the radio key a moment before her acute hearing picked up the sounds of stealthy movement. Using her peripheral vision she saw a casually dressed man slowly moving forward from the rear of the Jeep. Watching his progress in the side mirror, she saw him pull a gun from his pocket and begin to raise it.
Waiting until precisely the right moment, Tony lifted the door handle and simultaneously slammed her weight against the door, hoping to dislodge the gun. She was rewarded with a grunt of pain and the dull thud of metal impacting against blacktop.
In one fluid motion, she grabbed her nine-millimeter and began exiting the car. The force of the blow had backed her assailant away, and she knew she would have to use the small advantage she had gained very quickly.
Sherman had just begun to turn toward Tony, when the door caught him squarely in the stomach and he doubled over in pain, muttering, "Fucking Bitch." At a distinct disadvantage, he knew he needed to get the gun from the ground, but she was getting out of the car way too quickly. Raising up from his bent over position, Sherman balled up his right fist and drove it upward into her chin.
Watching her stumble backward and hit her head against the door frame of the Jeep, he snarled, "You've met your match this time."
Bending over and reaching for the gun, he was startled to hear, "Stop. Police," accompanied by the sound of running footsteps. Growling a curse, escape foremost in his mind, he forgot about retrieving the gun and began running down the street with Brian and another officer close behind him.
Momentarily stunned by a combination of the vicious sucker punch and the impact of her head against the door frame, Tony saw an amazing multicolored light display in front of her eyes. Right after Sherman voiced his threat, she heard someone shout, "Stop. Police," and saw her assailant take off running, with Brian and one of the locals in hot pursuit.
Megan was inside the store furtively watching Tony. Her view blocked by the Jeep, all she could see was the top of her partner’s head when she began exiting the vehicle. When Tony fell back against the car, Megan bolted through the door of the store, any thought of danger to herself secondary to the automatic response to her lover’s distress.
Pushing off the car, Tony barely regained her balance before she was off and running. She heard the sound of shoes hitting pavement behind her and knew another officer had joined in the chase. Her long legs ate up the ground quickly, and within seconds she left the sound behind, steadily gaining on Brian and the other officer pounding down the street in Sherman's wake.
Megan got to the Jeep in time to see the back of her partner as she raced off down the street. She called out to her partner to stop but the plea met deaf ears, and Megan shook her head and leaned against the vehicle, thinking, at least she must not be hurt too bad. Did I really think I was going to stop her? Shaking her head at the silly notion, she walked to the door of the jeep that was still hanging ajar, and sat down in the front seat.
Tony lengthened her stride and her adrenaline filled body responded to her demands with a burst of speed. She drew even with Brian and the other cop and surged ahead closing the distance between her and her target. Dodging people walking down the sidewalk, and focused solely on the man in front of her, she could no longer hear the other pursuers.
Sherman had purposely stayed on the well traveled street darting around the people out for a stroll on the warm, humid night. He needed to increase his distance from his pursuers and knew they wouldn't take a chance of firing their weapons at him because of the civilians on the street.
Taking a quick look over his shoulder, he was startled to see the tall, dark woman closing the distance between them rapidly. The cops had been left far behind. Sherman thought quickly. She still had the gun in her hand, and while he was confident he could disarm her, he couldn't take the chance of locals catching up and overwhelming him by sheer numbers.
Seeing a group of civilians across the street oblivious to the ongoing chase, he ran out into the middle of the traffic dodging cars running directly into the group of people. Brutally shoving his way to the center of the group, he grabbed the arm of a young woman yanking her forward and then kicking her feet out from under her before forcefully shoving her to the ground. Savagely elbowing his way past the others, he broke into a dead run again, knowing that the chaos he had caused should slow the other operative down.
Tony followed close behind losing a couple steps while dodging cars in the busy street amidst the sound of squealing brakes and honking horns. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Sherman knock the woman down, but she was already being helped to her feet by one of the other women in the group. Dodging the innocent bystanders who had been drawn into the drama on the street, but losing a few precious feet in the process, she once again delved deeply within herself, demanding more from her body and began closing the distance that remained between her and the man she was chasing.
Sherman looked back over his shoulder and felt a brief flicker of concern. Raising his hand and wiping the sweat from his face, he thought, Damn woman just keeps coming. He suddenly smiled at a gift fate handed him. Two boys were riding their bicycles toward him. Running between them, he grabbed the smaller of the two, jerking him off his bike and kicking the bicycle into the other youth causing him to fall.
Sherman savagely smacked the kid hard across the face stunning him. With his large hand gripping the thin arm of the youngster, he half carried and half dragged him to the curb. Picking up the kid by his T-shirt and the waist band of his shorts, he heaved him into the street with enough force the boy stumbled, unable to get his balance and fell into the path of the oncoming traffic. The boy lay there frozen, his eyes wide with terror, as cars began slamming on their brakes, burning rubber into the road, attempting to avoid the living obstacle in their path. The angry honking of horns broke the silence of the evening and pedestrians began screaming and yelling when they realized the kid was petrified and unable to move.
Sherman faded behind the gathering group of civilians, too caught up in the terror in the street to notice him. Making sure he caught Tony's eye as she altered her path, he nodded, giving her a cocky two finger salute before turning and sprinting down the street.
Cursing silently at the ruthless maneuver, Tony reacted instantly and altered her path into the street. After several near misses while dodging the moving cars, she grabbed the kid by the arm and pulled him to his feet shielding him from the oncoming traffic with her body until they reached the safety of the sidewalk.
Leaning over, placing her hand on his shoulder, Tony asked, "You ok?" Sherman had slapped him pretty hard and there was a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. Shaking, the kid looked at her with awe filled eyes and shook his head up and down.
Satisfied that he was just scared and not hurt, she raced off down the street. Brian and the other two cops had caught up, but their target was gone. He could have turned down any one of a number of alleys or side streets. Not willing to give up, she began loping along at an easy pace, the locals joining her, as she ran up the street glancing down each opening she passed, hoping against hope to catch some glimpse of him. The few minutes it had taken her to rescue the child and make sure he was all right was all the head start her adversary had needed. Finally giving up the futile search, she slowed to a walk, the evening breeze cooling the thin sheen of sweat covering her body.
Sherman had reconnoitered the area earlier and planned several avenues of escape should they become necessary. When he finally succeeded in delaying Viglioni, he turned down the first alley he came to. Sherman ran across several backyards, vaulting several fences in the process until he came to the mouth of another alley. Running down the alley, he approached the rear of a three-story apartment building. With practiced ease, he jumped up and grabbed the bottom rung of the fire escape quickly making his way to the roof.
Sherman lay flat for a half hour to make sure he wasn’t being observed. When he was satisfied, he took off his jacket and then removed the thin surgical gloves he was wearing. Pulling a cap out of the jacket pocket, he put it on his head. After thoroughly checking the area again, he exited the roof.
Walking nonchalantly up the alley in his baseball cap and T-shirt, Sherman turned onto Fleet, walking some of the very same ground he had run down earlier, giving every indication of being one of the locals on his way to the bus stop.
Tony and Brian walked side by side back toward the Red Chimney restaurant. Brian was concerned about the whereabouts of two of his men that had not joined in the pursuit.
Taking his radio off his belt, he said, "Unit one to Unit three. Come in." He was relieved a moment later to hear, "Unit one, this is Unit three. Over."
The big man asked, "What's your 10-20?"
"Parking lot across from the Red Chimney. Units 5 and 6 are with me," the officer reported.
Brian said, "Unit One, out." He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the sweat from his face. Musing out loud, he said, "Doesn't make sense. What in the hell are they doing back there? Kris is the only one who was supposed to stay behind."
Tony had no idea and shrugged her shoulders. Her thoughts were on her assailant. Ruthless Bastard. What kind of lowlife places a child in jeopardy just to save their own ass? What if she hadn't got there in time? It was common practice to use diversionary tactics when being pursued, but there were certain lines a professional just did not cross and Tony knew she was dealing with a professional of some kind.. Her eyes narrowed, and she smiled grimly thinking about what she'd like to do when she got a hold of him.
Brian looked over at Tony and felt a chill. She had a professional aura that was frightening, even to him. But right now, she literally oozed danger. He had only seen this persona once before, and he still remembered the fear he'd felt when she had literally dragged him from his chair blaming him for placing Megan into the hands of a madman. Looking away, Brian almost felt sorry for Sherman. Almost, but not quite.
Megan, Kris and the other two officers saw Tony and Brian approaching. Megan left the group and quickly walked toward her partner, feeling a sense of relief. Tony appeared to be fine. But she was not prepared for the cold faraway look in her partner's eyes and felt a chill when she gazed into them.
Softly, she asked, "Tony, what's wrong?" and tentatively placed a hand on her forearm. She had been listening to the radio conversation between Kris and one of the other officers and knew Sherman had gotten away, but normally her partner would've just taken that in stride. Something must have happened to elicit this kind of reaction, and Megan found it frightening.
Tony shoved her dark thoughts aside and looked at her concerned lover. The dangerous glint began fading from Tony's eyes and she said, "The bastard tossed a kid into the middle of the street to get away." Tony looked away for a moment. "I expect that from the lowlife's I usually deal with, but he is supposed to be a professional."
No wonder her partner was angry. Worried, Megan asked, "Is the child ok?"
Tony placed her hand on Megan's shoulder needing the comfort the contact afforded her. Meeting her partner's worried eyes, she said, "Yes. He's ok. Two of Brian's guys are with him now getting a statement. They'll contact his mother and make sure he gets home ok."
Remembering Brian's comment about the officers that were left behind, she asked, "What's with Kevin and John? How come they stayed here? Kris was the only one that was supposed to stay behind."
Megan narrowed her eyes. She had her own suspicions about that. When she asked the officer why she wasn't joining in the chase, Kris had told her she wanted to make sure he didn't circle back to the restaurant. "She stayed behind because of me, didn't she?"
Tony looked at her lover, a small smile appearing on her face. "You didn't think I was going to leave you out here alone with this guy on the loose, did you?" she said, gently squeezing Megan's shoulder.
The irritation Megan had initially felt faded. She knew on occasion Tony could be overprotective, but it was so comforting to know she could always count on her partner. No, Tony wouldn't leave her alone if she thought there was any chance of danger and she loved that feeling.
Smiling wryly at her partner, she said, "No. Don't guess you would."
Tony grinned, and said, "Glad you see it my way. So, why did the other two stay behind?"
Megan looked at her partner, shaking her head. "You're not going to believe this. After you guys took off, Kris came over to the Jeep where I was sitting. She asked me if I'd seen John or Kevin. When I told her no, she tried to raise them on the radio and couldn't get an answer. So then we both went to their posts." Megan brushed a stray hair out of her face and continued, "We found both of them bound with duct tape. The last thing they remembered was being hit on the head. Neither one heard a thing. I checked them out and they're ok."
Tony listened silently. He had the advantage by knowing what they looked like. Had he been suspicious it was a setup or was he just being extremely cautious and not taking any chances? She didn't know, but then it really didn't matter any way. The operation had failed.
Just then Brian came stalking over, his face dark with anger. Looking at Tony, he said, "Do you know what that bastard did?"
Tony met his gaze, and said, "Yeah. Megan just told me. He had a trump card and he played it. He knows what we look like. That gave him an advantage."
Brian nodded, still angry. "Well, this was a total bust. Now what?"
Tony ran a hand through her hair, and looked off into the distance. Good Question. Now what was right? Turning back to face Brian, she said, "We wait for him to make the next move. The ball is in his court. Right now, we have no idea what he looks like or anything else about him except it's likely he is a professional, so we just wait."
Brian sighed. "All we can do really. Watch your ass," Brian said, and began to walk away. Turning around looking pointedly at Megan, he added, "Both of you."
Megan felt a chill. Lifting her head and meeting Tony's eyes, she said, "I really needed to hear that."
Tony felt a flicker of fear for her partner. After what she had witnessed tonight, she knew her pursuer would stop at nothing to get to her. It greatly distressed her that Megan had been inadvertently drawn into this mess.
Concerned she met her partner's gaze. "He’s right. Do you think you could stay at Ashley’s tonight? I don’t want you staying at the apartment all night by yourself."
"Probably. I’ll call her." Megan felt a sense of relief at the suggestion. The idea of spending another night in the apartment alone was not appealing at all.
Megan pulled the cellular phone out of her purse. After extending the antenna, she pushed the on button and dialed her sister’s number, relieved when she heard the familiar, "Hello."
"Hi, Ashley. Would you mind if I stayed there tonight?" Megan asked.
Ashley set down the glass she was holding, her attention completely on what her sister was saying. "You know you can stay here any time. What's wrong?"
Megan had never called at 10pm wanting to stay at her place. Something had to be going on.
"Remember what we were talking about at lunch Friday?" Megan didn't want to elaborate over the phone.
"You mean about Tony’s accidents?" Ashley asked, remembering how distraught her sister had been. "Are you both ok?"
Hearing the worry in her sister's voice, Megan said, reassuringly, "Yeah, we're fine and it’s about that. I’ll fill you in when I get there."
"Ok. See you in a few," Ashley said, before hanging up. At least they were both ok.
Megan turned off the phone, lowered the antenna and put it back in her purse. Looking up at Tony, she said, "I guess you're going to work."
Tony looked at her partner, puzzled. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I just thought with everything going on… you did get punched in the face…and let me see your head. You hit it pretty hard. From what I could see it looked like you almost got knocked out." Megan had reached up and was feeling the back of Tony's head. "Yeah, you got a welt back here, all right."
Tony grinned at her partner. "Nice try,
Love. But a little bump on the head isn't any reason for me to call off."
Megan had figured it might be worth a shot and smiled back at her partner. "Wait
until you look in the mirror and see that nice bruise on your jaw," Megan quipped,
exaggerating the injury.
Tony ran her fingers along her jaw. "It’s not very swollen. Can't be too bad."
Megan’s eyes were twinkling, and she said, "It's not. I was just kidding. I thought maybe I could get you to stay home."
Tony smiled, "Now there’s a thought. Wish I could, but you can bet I’ll be by to pick you up first thing in the morning." Tony paused and then added, "Unless you’d rather sleep in. Ashley could probably bring you home later."
"You better be there when you get off," Megan said, grinning, but only partially joking. Tony had to work evenings tomorrow and would have very little time to sleep, and Megan intended to keep an eye on things while she did.
Tony chuckled, and said, "Yes Ma'am. Let’s go see if Kris can take you to Ashley’s. I don’t want to take any chances just in case he’s still around and follows me when I leave."
"What about you? You still have to get to work," Megan said, worried.
Tony met Megan's eyes. "Don't worry. I’ll have my usual escort. I’ll be fine."
"There’s Kris," Tony said, spotting the policewoman. "Let’s see if she can take you over there now."
***
Sherman lay stretched out on his bed in the hotel room, his head resting on his hands. He felt invigorated. Damn that had been fun. It had been so long since any of his cases offered a challenge, they had become almost boring. But not tonight. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so alive. What a rush! He had been set up and they still couldn't catch him. He had to give Viglioni a little credit. She wasn't too bad after all. At least she offered up a challenge. But the local cops were so inept, and talk about out of shape. They had been left in the dust.
His thoughts turned to the tape he had listened to. He knew she was working second shift tomorrow, and she was still being escorted to and from the surveillance site by the local cops.
A plan began to form in his mind. The more he thought about it the more he liked it. Why shouldn't he have some fun with this case? He deserved it. Who knows how long it would be before he found another worthy adversary.
Sitting up, he played different scenarios through his mind. Yep. It was perfect. Chancy and bold, but plausible. This would definitely be a challenge to pull off, and it would make the thrill of the kill so much more satisfying.
***
Tony unlocked the apartment door and opened it. Once they were inside, she locked it and walked straight into the kitchen. Megan followed her. The kittens appeared from parts unknown meowing loudly.
Megan smiled at them. "Oh. Poor babies. You probably thought we deserted you. Are you hungry?" She took a can of cat food out of the cupboard and emptied it into their dish. Placing it on the floor, she chuckled when the kittens attacked the food with relish. She put fresh water in their dish and after placing it on the floor turned to watch Tony.
Pulling a chair away from the table Tony kneeled down looking under the table. She reached for the tiny bug that had been secured there. Once she had it, she stood up and walked into the living room and plucked the ladybug off the silk plant. Megan followed her into the bathroom and watched as she flushed them both down the toilet.
"I’m so glad those are gone," Megan said, relieved.
"So am I. I’m going to check and make sure he didn’t put any more in here," Tony said, walking out of the bathroom toward the bedroom. A thorough scan with the bug detector revealed no other bugs, much to Megan’s relief.
Megan walked over and hugged Tony. "You need to get some sleep."
"I will. I’m going to take a shower first," Tony said, meeting Megan’s lips for a fleeting kiss.
Megan made a pot of coffee. She would put off errands until tomorrow when Tony was off. She was not about to leave the apartment while her partner was sleeping.
Looking at her ‘watch,’ she felt better. One press of the small button and help would be on the way. Megan hoped he had been scared off after last night. She knew Tony didn’t think so, but she could hope couldn’t she?
The ringing of the phone surprised her. Who would be calling this early on Saturday? Picking up the phone, she said, "Hello."
Huey had expected to hear Tony’s voice and paused for a moment before speaking, prompting Megan to say, "Hello," again.
"Is Tony there?" Huey asked, enjoying the sound of the pleasant voice.
"She’s a little busy right now. May I take a message?" Megan asked, wondering who the caller was.
"Yes. Tell her to call the shop."
"Ok," Megan said, before hanging up the phone. Tony had explained the phone code to her and when he had mentioned the shop, she knew the caller was Huey.
When Tony got out of the shower, Megan said, "Huey called. Isn't it kind of unusual for him to be calling on a Saturday?"
"Yeah, it is. He must have found out something," Tony said, picking up the phone and attaching the scrambling device before dialing Huey’s number.
When he answered, she said, "Viglioni here. I’m secure."
Huey wasted no time filling Tony in. "All hell has broken loose here. Sarah remembered who pulled your record, and when we put the screws to him, he sang. You have a very deadly wet operative after you. His name is Jess Sherman and he is good. Thought you’d better know whom you’re dealing with. I'll fax his picture to you."
Tony digested the information. She wasn’t really surprised. She knew her assailant was professionally trained, even though he had ceased to be a professional in her mind. "Any idea what this is all about?"
"He doesn’t want you to testify. He has a personal stake in this case. That’s all I can tell you right now." Huey had full confidence in Tony's ability to take care of herself, and knew she would use this information to her advantage.
"Thanks Huey. I appreciate it," Tony said, before hanging up the phone. So it was another agent and not a mercenary. In Tony's mind, the worst thing an agent could do was to turn against one of their own. There was an unwritten code of honor among the operatives.
Megan looked at the far away expression in Tony's eyes, and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Leaving her thoughts behind, Tony said, "It seems our "friend" is a rogue agent. I had hoped I was wrong about that."
Megan looked at the pensive expression on Tony's face. "You seem…disappointed or something," Megan said, watching her partner closely.
"I am. Agents don't go after each other because of personal agendas," Tony said, before adding very quietly, "no matter what."
Megan didn't know what to say to that. "There's nothing you can do about it right now. Why don’t you go lay down? We can talk about it when you get up. I’ll get you up if anything unusual happens."
Tony knew there wasn’t anything she could do right now, but she had one more thing on her agenda for the day. "Would you mind calling Brian and getting the name of the best locksmith he knows? I want an electronic lock installed today. We also need to call the security company and see if they can upgrade our alarm and change the code. Tell them it's an emergency and it has to be done today."
Megan was once again hit with the seriousness of their situation. They had no idea when or how he might strike again. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it," she said, happy to have something to keep her busy so she wouldn't have as much time to worry.
Seeing the worried expression on Megan's face, she did not have the heart to tell her that it probably wouldn't do any good. With the right equipment, a lock or an alarm could be disabled in seconds. Her hope was that since Sherman was acting on his own, he might not have the latest equipment. Until Sherman was apprehended, she would just make sure Megan was never in the apartment by herself.
"Thanks, Love." Leaning over and softly kissing her partner, Tony said, "I'm going to bed now."
***