Wouldn't You Know It
Chapter 4
Thankfully, it didn't take long for Ressler to figure it out. He quickly shed his white t-shirt, tossing it carelessly upon the bed, and after a quick nod at Liz, he opened the door of the motel room. He didn't say a word to the two men behind the door, and as they stepped into the room, it was as if they brought in the eerie silence from the darkness outside.
The men spotted Liz instantly, sitting upright against the headboard with a pillow propped underneath her arm. She was barely covering her breasts with the white sheets, and she was sure the men's eyes outlined the contours of her black bra transparent against the thinness of the motel fabric. With a slow wave of the hand, along with half of a lazy smile, she mumbled, "Hello, boys."
"Busy?" The slightly built man wearing a baseball cap growled at Ressler, just as the other man smiled at Liz while scratching his musky blond beard.
"Yeah, we were both… very busy." Liz could do coy when the situation called upon it.
"Didn't know you had company." The baseball cap man sounded more suspicious than curious, and that was more of a question than a statement. Then he turned to Liz with a bit of a sneer, "You must be from out of town, don't think I've seen you in these parts…"
"Yup, here visiting my man."
"Been wondering if he liked women." The beard man snorted loudly, laughing at his own amusement while none other joined in. "I could personally attest he's had no other woman in here but you, sweetheart."
"You two fellas have names?" She sat up bit more upright, revealing the black bra in plain sight. That seemed to hold their attention, rapt and ready. "I like to get to know his…friends."
"This here is Victor. I'm Anton." The baseball cap man answered swiftly, but he was the tough one. His scowl didn't fade, but Victor was more willing to suspend suspicion and trust in her pretty face, "What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Lily."
"And where you from?"
"Minnesota."
"You got something for me?" Ressler interrupted with apparent gruff, and stepped in front of the men, demanding their attention from their view of the bed. It was then that Liz was afforded a good look of the tattoo on his right arm, a black diagram of an eagle with its wings spread perched upon a cross. From what she's studied of tattoos in previous cases, she was sure what she was seeing was an insignia of some sort of Russian connection. What she also noticed, and admittedly surprised, was that Ressler was quite…well, nicely muscular. She hadn't known what lied underneath the harsh stodgy suits he's worn, and the sight of the mystery revealed was pleasant, indeed.
"Can we talk business?" Anton threw a glance at Liz, and Ressler turned his eyes upon her as well. As their eyes met, it looked as though Ressler himself didn't know what to do with Liz. She decided to save him the trouble.
She got out of the bed slowly and languidly, all for the benefit of the boys watching, and walked over to Ressler and draped her arms around his bare chest. He was good at this, as expected. He did not flinch at her bold touch, nor give even a hint of surprise. And not only that, Ressler played along quite nicely by caressing her waist with his hand, and pulling her tightly against his chest.
And of course she had to comply; anything less would compromise the operation, needless to say. She readily pressed her body onto his, immediately feeling the heat of his sweat-damp chest while being keenly aware of every muscle of his arm secure against her back. Her hand ran across his chest, outlining every lines and ripples, and he held her strong and steady. Damn, he was good at this.
"Don't worry, boys. Your secrets are safe with me." Liz mumbled against Ressler's neck, all the while keeping her playful eyes upon Anton. Without a second thought, she held Ressler's cheek, and kissed him behind his ear with a soft tease. "Just get it done quickly. I'm getting bored here."
The two men didn't say a word, but Victor appeared to be enjoying the full view of Liz and her black lace lingerie. Ressler noticed it, too, and pulled her arms off his chest, "Put on a shirt, babe."
"Oh, come on…" She coyly protested, and leaned into him and was about to kiss his lips when he pulled back.
"I'm working here."
"Fine." She grabbed his white t-shirt off the bed and threw it over her head quickly. She wasn't about to go for her silk teal blouse. She turned to Victor who hasn't stopped watching her, "Got a smoke?"
"Sure, sweetheart." He happily obliged her with a cigarette and lit it for her, and she took a long puff as she sat back on the bed. Victor lit one for himself, and sat on the edge of the bed, facing Anton who looked to be the one who will be handling business with Ressler.
Liz watched Anton as his skeptical eyes surveyed the surroundings, and although scrutiny never left his demeanor, he reluctantly turned to Ressler standing in front of him. And before a word was uttered, he reached into his pant pocket, and pulled out a lumpy envelope and handed it to Ressler.
"Just as agreed."
Ressler took the envelope and opened it a peek, and closed it quickly. "They're on the move."
"We're taking care of it. Lay low for now."
"And then?"
"Something's coming up next week. We need you to be ready."
"That's not a problem."
"No distractions." Anton was referring to Liz, she was sure of it.
"Not a problem."
"Gotta say, boss is real pleased with your work. He appreciates your…efficiency. After next job, I see a good promotion for you, kid. You might even get a real cut." Anton then turned to Victor, and as on cue, he stood up from the bed and headed for the door.
"Call this number tomorrow morning." Anton handed Ressler a small slip of paper, and before he walked out of the motel room, he turned around for one last time, "You're close, kid. No distractions."
"Not a problem."
Victor followed Anton out the door, but before the last step, he threw Ressler a smile and a wink, "Take it easy, Jakey."
The door closed with a loud thud, and Ressler immediately went to peek out of the curtains, to make sure the company had indeed left them, along with all their suspicions. After thorough scanning, he turned from the curtains with a deep heave, and faced Liz with tightened jaw and expectant eyes.
"What? It got the job done, didn't it?" She picked up her pants off the floor and pulled them up her legs. "And…Jakey?"
"It's supposed to be… Jake. Liz, if this…"
"No, this didn't bust the case. In fact, my being here may have helped your…credibility."
"Helped my credibility? Liz, what you did was completely reckless and…out of control. You have no idea what you've done."
"If you're talking about Anton, he wasn't suspicious as much as being weary of his asset being distracted. You have to admit…we played it right."
Ressler took three steps to close in the distance between them, all the while hissing with fiery glare in his eyes, "Liz, I don't need you to help my credibility, let's just get that straight. I don't know what you're playing at, but one mistake…it only takes one mistake…to put a bullet to my head."
His nose flared a slight with visible anger, and he clenched his teeth tightly, perhaps to quell the maddening words he wanted to unleash. Liz had never seen him at this heightened anger, and she felt loss for words. "Ress…"
"Are you here because you're angry that I didn't tell you what was going on before I left?"
"No…"
"Are you here because…you're curious?"
"No, I mean…I suppose…"
"Why are you here, Liz? Why does any of this matter to you, huh? Just the fact that you clearly defied Cooper's orders…I can't understand what's going on in your head."
"Ress…"
"Why are you here, Liz? Answer me, damn it."
"Look, I'm not here to pick a fight, alright? I didn't fly out here…and yes, against superior orders…to put up a fight because you've neglected to inform your partner of your whereabouts." Liz was stammering for reasons unknown to her, and she couldn't explain even to herself why she showed up at Ressler's motel room. "Did it…did it occur to you that what happens to you…matters to me?"
"So, you put career on the line because…what happens to me matters to you?" He wasn't making this any easier for her.
"My instinct was to cover your back. And you had no back-up."
"Oh, that back-up issue again." Ressler shook his head in a condescending sneer, "So you show up here, pretend to be my…lover…and prance around in your…skivvies. Is that your idea of back-up?"
Now it was her turn to be angry, "Yes, and if you could suspend being an ass about it, you know it worked. I was a credible back-up, whether you'd like to admit it or not."
"Unbelievable."
"If you weren't so stubborn, you'll see that I am all you have."
"Anton would like me to get rid of you, remember? You're my distraction."
"Well, unfortunately, that's not up to him. He doesn't get to control what goes on in your bed."
Ressler shook his head again, and this time was in disbelief. "Whatever you're thinking, you're not staying. You are going back, tonight."
That much, she knew. Liz realized she was wearing Ressler's shirt, and was about to take it off to give it to him when he held out his hand.
"No, you keep it." He reached for a shirt from a small dresser by the bed, "Plus you should wear that when you walk out of here."
Agreeing with him, Liz picked up her blouse and suit jacket off the floor and folded them upon her arm. "By the way, I recognize your tattoo, it's of Russian descent. Are you gonna to tell me what's going on here? Or should I just guess?"
"Unbelievable. I should've known you wouldn't leave quietly." Ressler opened a bottle of water and poured some into a plastic cup, and offered it to Liz. "Yes, it is of Russian descent. I'm in the process of…being initiated into the Russian mobster. They're responsible for major arms dealings in the country. That much, I could tell you."
She took the cup from his hand, and readily gulped down the entire content of water. The unfolded scenes and the stifling heat had left her desperately parched. "So, how are you being initiated? You killing people?"
"Yes, that's what they believe I'm doing."
"But how are you going to…"
"That's it, you're done. I'm not saying anything further." Ressler took the empty cup from her hand, and peeked through the curtains to the outside darkness. "It's time for you to leave."
With a sigh of final surrender and acceptance of the firm sentiment, Liz put her feet into her black pumps and grudgingly walked to the door. She would've liked to know more about this case, but she knew Ressler had more than enough of her inquisition.
"Watch your grounds. Be careful out there. Watch your back." He whispered to her just as he opened the door for her. She stepped outside to the heat and the eerie stillness, but turned to face him before another step.
"You be careful, too."
"I will." He offered her a small smile, but it only brought distant pain in her heart.
"Now, kiss me."
"What?"
"Just do it, Ress." Liz grabbed the nape of his neck and pulled him to her lips, firmly and resolutely. She captured his stiff lips and forced them to open, and soon enough, he was kissing her back with considerable ardor that took her by surprise. His soft lips teased and suckled on her lips, with a tinge of need and desire, and she could've sworn she felt a growl from deep within him. Never mind that this was all for show to whoever was watching…this wasn't bad at all for a…pretend kiss. In fact, she could've caressed his soft blond hair above his neck a bit longer if it was left entirely up to her.
They broke apart, with both in breathless bewilderment, and before Ressler could say anything, Liz left him at the door and walked quickly down the street toward her car.
. . . . . . . .
Liz returned to the black site the next day with trepidation and unease, for she had neglected to communicate to Cooper about her absence the day before. She still hadn't decided whether she should just come clean and fess up, if he didn't know already. She was ready and willing to accept the consequences, however severe, but it still didn't make her regret any of her actions. No, she would've done it again in a heartbeat if it meant she had seen Ressler with her own eyes.
Just as she stepped off the elevator, Aram intercepted Liz as she headed toward Cooper's office. He motioned her to follow to her office.
"Agent Keen, so did you make it to…"
"Yeah. I saw him. He's safe."
"Oh good, that's a relief. So what happened out there?"
"We just…talked a bit. That's all." That is all anyone needed to know, "I have to go talk to Cooper. Wish me luck."
"Oh, don't worry about Director Cooper. Mr. Reddington called in and said you were with him all day on a case."
. . . . . . . .
"Thanks for covering for me, I appreciate it."
Reddington didn't say a word in response, and by the tight smirk of his lips she was sure he was harboring…certain unpleasant feelings towards her, to say the least. She did steal his cell phone after all. And lied to him. And basically did everything against his wishes of the matter.
"Are you…upset at me?"
"Upset isn't the word for it…it's more like annoyed. Lizzie, you managed to do everything I've told you not to do."
"Red…I'm sorry. But I had to go see him for myself."
"Yeah, I got that. It still doesn't make it a smart move."
"I know." She was afraid to ask, "Is the operation still intact? Have you heard anything?"
"Haven't heard anything yet, but I wouldn't breathe a sigh of relief just yet, if I were you. This could still blow up in your face."
"Great."
"I hope it was worth it."
Liz wasn't about to tell him that there was no doubt it was worth it. She had to admit, this wasn't like her at all. Even to her own assessment, her attitude seemed incredibly flippant, that she was more than willing to disregard the operation, in favor of…one person. But not just any person…it was Ressler. And it was as if she was almost…blinded in her pursuit to see him. And there was nothing she wouldn't do to ensure that he was safe…and alive.
"Have you heard from Ressler?"
"No."
"Will you please tell me if he calls you?"
"Lizzie, I could no longer guarantee you that." Reddington seemed absolutely firm on that stance. It was clear he was more than annoyed.
"Will you at least tell me if the operation is compromised? Please, Red…I need to know." If the operation is compromised, that would mean something had happened with Ressler.
"Lizzie, you need to just drop this. And that is my last warning to you. The operation…is intact for now, and we are doing everything we can, on our end, to ensure that it completes as we have planned."
"Who is 'we'?"
"Just drop it, it's for your own good. The more you meddle with Ressler, you are putting him in danger."
. . . . . . .
It's been nearly three months since Liz had seen Ressler, and she hadn't heard a word about him. Cooper was utterly silent on the matter, and she wasn't about to inquire since his last warning to her. Reddington was also true to his word, that he would no longer supply Liz with information that does not apply to her. And as expected, Reddington was determined and resilient, and she didn't stand a chance no matter how much she persisted.
It was at the end of the fourth month that Cooper had called her into his office.
"Agent Keen, you've been assigned to field operation."
"Yes, sir."
"The operation will take one week. And it is level-three confidentiality."
"Understood, sir."
"Agent Ressler will debrief you, once you arrive at the location."
"Sir?"
"He called for back-up. And he requested you."
. . . . . . .
A/N: Thanks for reading the story! And who else is as EXCITED as me for the return of The Blacklist on Sept. 22? It's about a month away! Some pictures and spoilers have started to leak, and I AM SO COMPLETELY EXCITED!