Same kuddos and nods as the last chapters. Thanks.
Chapter 7:
Nikki walked into the coffee shop seeing Darius in the corner booth waiting for her and Nora. She frowned realizing that even though she was ten minutes late, Nora wasn't here yet either. She walked over and sat down across from Darius, seeing an expression on his face that she didn't like. "What's going on, Darius?" she asked.
Darius looked up at Nikki and shook his head somberly. "The time is not right yet for everything to be revealed, Nik. Meemaw said that it will all become clear in the next couple of days, and that I can't change the nature of things," he sighed. "Nik there is something... I just..."
"What's the matter, Darius? Rarely do I catch you tongue tied," Nikki tried to sooth her friend, the normally unflappable young man looking tense and worried.
"Yeah, well it's not often that you find out that a Delan..." Darius paused seeing a very angry Nora whip open the door. "Later," he said cocking his head as Nora strode towards them.
Nikki turned and saw where he was looking, frowning, able to read her lover, feeling the rage coming off of the blonde in waves. She looked back at Darius and he almost imperceptibly shrugged his shoulders. Nikki knew that he was fixing to tell her something about Nora... no, he would have said Nora's first name, he was going to say something about a Delaney.
She slid out a chair for her lover to sit down, and looked over as Nora sat, continuing to scowl. "Hey, Nora, how was your talk with Will..."
"Don't, Nikki. Not right now," Nora snapped out, then turned and looked at her lover, her eyes asking for the forgiveness that her mouth couldn't say at this moment; forgiveness not only for snapping, but for also not defending Nikki to her brother, for not protecting the brunette's honor. She had just stood there, silent, letting William call her lover a dyke, and she let cold fear out win her sense of decency. Did she truly deserve Nikki? After today, she would have to say no, she did not.
Nikki didn't say anything, keeping her gaze on her lover's eyes as she slipped her hand in Nora's, giving a small squeeze before looking up at Darius. He had closed off even more. ~What the hell is going on today?~ she mentally asked herself, glancing between Nora and Darius.
"Ok Gautreaux, made a bad mistake for a dealer," Darius said matter-of-factly. "He was picked up and pointed to Vincent Pignetti as his supplier. His father..."
"Owns a summerhouse three doors down from my Father's," Nikki supplied.
"Ok why do you need a summerhouse in the same town you live in?" Nora asked petulantly. "So is he filthy rich or obscenely rich? And just how many of his lawyers are going to try and bust our ass just because we are conducting an investigation."
Darius paused a moment and looked between Nora and Nikki, and seeing Nikki's almost imperceptible shrug, he went on. "Well yeah, not the brightest thing in the world to implicate Anthony Pignetti's son as your supplier, even if there is a good possibility that he is."
"Especially when Anthony is planning on running for office next spring," Nikki supplied. "At least that is what Daddy told me over dinner a couple months back."
"Figures. Guess this time we get a crooked politician to start with, instead of having to wait until after they are in office to go bad," Nora snarked, leaning back in her chair.
Nikki gritted her jaw but didn't say anything as she realized that Nora didn't even realize how things that came out of her mouth sounded sometime. "Anything else, Daruis?" she asked, her voice tight.
"About our vic, no," Darius said.
"Well then guess we are done," Nora said pushing her chair back and started walking away. "You coming?"
"Actually Nik, could you stay a moment longer. I need to talk to you about the money you gave me."
"Fine, meet you in the car," Nora said, stalking off.
"God, give me strength," Nikki said, taking a couple deep cleansing breaths. "What is it, Dar?"
"I got some information, about the cops," Darius said quietly. "A few names popped up, one of them that did was William Delaney. He is on their payroll. And now, from what you two said, he knows that you two are working the dead Cajun kid."
Nikki's eyes widened at the man's implication. "Are you sure?" she suddenly felt this day go from bad to worse.
"99%. What's more..." Darius paused torn between his loyalties. "I can't say more at the moment, but I will say this. Feds are watching this one, and if things go downriver, we are going to be up to our asses in Uncle Sam's boys."
Nikki groaned as she realized that the day had just passed worse and landed in the 5th layer of hell. "Please tell me that for now they are still in Washington."
"I know for a fact one Fed is already in town," Darius said.
"And you have ripped me out of the 5th and took me into the 8th layer of hell, Darius," Nikki complained.
"No, I just took you into the 9th. You just don't realize it yet," Darius said cryptically. "And no I am not going to quantify that statement."
Nikki gave him the look, and realized that when he gave her his own right back at her the he would not faultier on this one. "Fine, but you owe me a shopping trip for this, and I promise a day of boxes, Darius. A day of boxes," Nikki said to the man, and turned to walk out the door.
"Meet me here in four hours, Nik. Alone if at all possible," Darius said, turning around, seeing someone he knew. "Good afternoon, sweetness," he said walking away from the detective.
N&N&N&N&N&N&N&N
Nikki got out to the car and took a few calming breaths before she opened the door and slid inside, waiting a moment to see if Nora was going to say anything. When nothing was forthcoming she turned. "Ok, what the hell was that?" she asked, noting the white knuckles as her lover squeezed the steering wheel tighter.
"Not now, Nikki!" Nora snapped.
"Yes, now! Goddamn it, Nora Delaney. That was totally uncalled for, I know how you feel about 'my people'," Nikki did little quotes in the air. "I know that you automatically dislike everyone you feel was born with a silver spoon shoved so far down their throat that you can scoop gumbo up with their ass, but let me tell you something. I HAVE never disrespected or insulted any member of your family and called them dishonest. Yes, my father is a public official, but he has never once took a bribe, sold drugs, or bought votes!"
"Look, I didn't mean it that way!" Nora yelled back. "I just got some bad news and hearing all that shit," she paused, catching the terse sniff Nikki made, "stuff. I just, it gets to me all this running around and worrying what people think."
Nikki had no idea where this was coming from or why Nora was diverging in this direction, her frustration finally overcoming her normal controlled manner. "Maybe if someone stopped hiding in the closet and denying who they are and what they want. Or has that changed and you are rethinking what you want?"
"I," Nora's steamy look was doused by the chilling undertone of Nikki's last question. "Nevermind," she turned away from Nikki as she started the car, focused on assessing the traffic.
Nikki chewed on her lip as she contemplated her response; what Darius had told her won out, keeping her from replying, instead she turned to stare out the passenger window.
N&N&N&N&N&N
Darius pulled over on the dirt parking lot of Tulley's BBQ smoker, and sure enough Sydney was sitting there with a BBQ sandwich and an Orange soda in a glass bottle. Another sandwich was in front of her waiting. "Trying to gorge yourself on pig?" he asked, chuckling at the woman who's mouth was so full that she couldn't answer, and only nod.
Finally she could swallow her large bite. "Yes. I rarely get this type. It's my favorite, followed closely by Carolina, then possibly Memphis," Sydney answered and offered him her second sandwich.
"I am a bit hungry," Darius said, sitting down next to her and picking her the sandwich and taking a bite. It was good, as he also grabbed an orange soda to go with his meal. "I found out some information. William Delaney is dirty."
Sydney paused, then nodded her head. "Yeah, I know. I have known since I was in DC. Him, his partner, Officer Stoney Butler, Dectective Jacqueline Moore."
Darius looked over. "A female detective?"
"Why not, you don't need a penis to be crooked," Sydney said with a shrug and took another bite.
"True. I just... I guess I have just never heard of a dirty cop being female. Please don't get your feminine equality panties in a wad," Darius smirked.
"My feminine panties are wadless, Darius, but my boy shorts are very upset," Sydney teased back. "I am here trying to get William to make a deal and flip. Moore might be flippable as well. We'll see. I am his best chance at not spending a long time in prison," Sydney said referring to William.
"Add in that Nora Delaney is Nikki's partner both on the force AND between the sheets," the man looked over at his old friend.
Sydney winced slightly as she took another bite of the tasty meat. She chewed, swallowed and then looked over. "Yeah. There is that as well."
"Does that bother you? Are you still..." Darius asked.
"No, not sure either one of us ever was anything other than a comfort during a hard time in our lives," Sydney sighed deeply in her chest. "It just makes everything more difficult, and I hate it when things are difficult. No matter what people are going to hurt because of this, I just don't want Nikki to be one of them, but with Nikki and Nora as close as they are... then this is going to hurt her more because it will hurt Nora. William will go to jail no matter what; I can just probably get him less time if he helps me."
Darius nodded. "Well I am going to be getting some information in about an hour, so meet me at Marmalade coffee shop. Give me a couple of hours," he said then took another bite of the sandwich.
"Any hints?" she asked.
"No, not yet. But if my buddy comes through, it could answer a lot of questions you might have," Darius said.
"Alright, I guess I will just have to wait," Sydney said, fiddling with a potato chip.
Darius nodded and gave a sympathetic smile. "Sometimes people get hurt and there is nothing you can do about it. This hurt, it's not going to be your fault. You are just doing what you have to do, and I think they will recognize that."
