Again, I know it's been way too long since my last update. I got really stuck on the story, so I started a new post-finale story (which I may or may not post after I finished this one, not sure if it has potential yet), until the ideas for this one came flowing again.
Thank you for bearing with me!
These people had seen too many spy movies. They had transported Andy in the back of a van with blinded windows, and brought her to a warehouse.
Luckily, it was one of the locations she had studied in preparation for this op, and she knew exactly where she was. Hopefully Wesley and the rest of the group (she wasn't too sure about Donaldson, did she want him there?) knew too, and were right outside. But she had no way of knowing that for sure.
Somehow, the knowledge that Sam knew (more or less) what she was doing tonight, reassured her. It was stupid, but it kinda felt like she had his support tonight, like he was here with her.
If she pulled this off tonight, they gained an in to the organisation and that meant she could start gathering information so she could get home to Sam sooner.
Home. She loved her place, even more when Sam started to stay over almost every night. How long would it take for Sam and her to move in together? Somehow she really wanted that, it would be so great to wake up next to him every day, but she had moved in with Luke way too soon and she wasn't sure yet if it would be a good idea. Look where it brought her with Luke; she had experienced that breaking up was way more difficult when you lived together.
"Hey Leila, you asleep?" Jinx stood in the doorstep with a young dark-haired girl who looked like she just came of a photo-shoot. Not a strain of her hair was out of place, and her nails seemed perfectly manicured.
She had to pay more attention. This operation was going nowhere if she kept her mind occupied with Sam all the time.
"Sorry, I dreamed away a little."
Jinx shot her a little smile. "Let me guess; a guy?"
Was there an appropiate response to this? Anyway, it was always better to keep close to the truth when possible, or say nothing at all.
Andy just chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.
"Boyfriend?"
"Ex."
Leila did not have a boyfriend; that was not in the character guidelines.
"Boys are nothing but trouble, don't you know that? Anyway, I wanted you to meet Raven. She's going to take you out tommorrow, show you the ropes."
Oh, so this fragile little girl was like her new training officer? Funny. Andy wondered what Sam would have to say about that.
She was safe, she was safe for now. Sam hated not knowing what was about to happen. When would the bom burst? He just had to hope that when it did, Andy would be nowhere near the blast, or he would never forgive himself. Why couldn't he just have said no when Andy had asked him if she should go ahead with the undercover operation? They would have avoided this whole mess.
After hours pacing around in his empty apartment with no diversion to be found, she had called him, saying she was alright. They had introduced her to a few members, she would start 'work' today.
Sam was no closer to the truth about Boyd or his connection with Donaldson. All his contacts had called back with nothing he didn't already know. This was getting more than frustrating.
But hey, he had a whole day of cruising the streets to look forward to, alone with his thoughts.
He had just retrieved his gun from the locker and was about to go out, when he saw a familiar face at reception.
Donaldson was staring right at him trough the glass, so Sam had no choice but to have him buzzed in and face him. He did not look happy.
"Swarek. Got a minute, in private?", he said brusquely.
Sam smiled at him. "Sure." He ushered him to an empty viewing room and closed the door behind them.
"Listen, if you have anything you'd like to know about me, ask me directly. I don't appreciate being investigated, especially by a fellow copper."
Right to the point, Sam could respect that. So his investigation hadn't been as careful as he might have thought.
"Do you know where Donovan Boyd is?"
Donaldson looked genuinly shocked. "Boyd? That is what this is all about?"
"Well, do you? He's gone missing."
"I haven't seen or spoken to Boyd in months. Not since shortly after you threw him under a bus."
"I didn't throw him under anything, he buried himself with his actions."
Sam was getting sick and tired of defending his actions. Boyd had screwed up his own career.
"But you made damn sure he would never crawl out, you and that girl."
Okay, now he was getting pissed. That girl?
"If you dislike officer McNally that much, why did you handpick her for your op?"
Sam had chosen the wrong room, the other side of the glass, the interrogation room, would have been more appropiate; the look right now on Donaldson's face assured him something was going on. He would love to be able to drill him for real, until he got some answers.
"Unlike you, I can seperate personal feelings from my professional opinion, ever thought of that?"
Thought of it, and dismissed it. If that were true, he had refrained from voicing his opinion to all of his colleagues, and kept it at home.
"What's your motive for choosing her specifically then?"
"She was referred to me. By the way, I thought you'd be glad I gave her a chance to advance in her career, or are you one of those guys that want a docile housewife?"
Andy as a housewife? No way, they would strarve first and then get lost forever in the messes she would leave in the home. Plus, he liked working with her.
"Referred by whom?"
"None of your business."
Donaldson moved closer until they were face to face.
"The real question is, why do you know so much about the classified op your girlfriend is on? Haven't you learned your lesson, to stay out of each others undercover lives?"
"If you've got something planned, forget it. I'm on to you, and I will find out."
Donaldson backed up a step. "Is that a threat?"
Sam looked him straight in the eye. "Yes, it is. Any funny business, and I'll be knocking on your door. So you better keep her safe out there."
He made a hasty retreat out of the viewing room. This was going to get him nowhere, and he had to process the conversation.
He hated to even think it, but he believed Donaldson had no idea where Boyd was; you couldn't fake surprise like that.
His resentment against him and Andy was definitely genuine though. But was he mad enough to really plan something, and whas he truthful about Andy being refered to him? If so, who came up with the idea, someone on his team? That agressive boy Wesley, perhaps?
This was getting to be to much to handle on his own, he needed help. He didn't even know what Andy was working on, exactly.
Sam knocked on the open door of the detectives' office, to get Jerry's attention.
"Hey buddy, got a sec?"
Jerry looked up at him. "Anything for my best man."
Jerry had asked him to be his best man a few days ago, and of course Sam had said yes. Now he was just hoping Jerry and Traci would reconsider and get married on this continent, so he wouldn't have to confess his dislike of flying to Andy.
Sam went straight to the laminated map on the opposite wall, and circled a point with a red marker.
"I need everything you know about gang activity in these few blocks, as soon as possible."
Even though Andy was early, Raven was already there. She was sitting on a bench, next to a purple stroller; definitely the last thing Andy had expected to see. The opening was covered by a thin flowery cloth; she couldn't see inside.
"You've got a baby?"
Raven gave her the slightest smile, without even looking at her. "Yeah, her name is Mary-Jane."
Andy sat down next to her. "So, what's the plan?" This situation was getting weirder by the minute. Weren't they supposed to be working, whatever that meant?
"Just wait." Raven was not a talker, that was for sure.
Wait, for what? And why was a baby involved? She wanted to ask, but decided against it. Don't ask too many questions, that was the credo of criminals, right?
Andy joined Raven in staring ahead, getting more inpatient by the minute. This was almost as boring as a stakeout.
After a while Raven focused on a car, which had already passed them three times now, before it parked across the street. She grabbed a bundle wrapped in a diaper from the stroller, which Andy realised now was most definetly not carrying a baby.
"Bring this to the car, and exchange it for their package. Swift and silent."
She handed Andy the package, who had no choice but to do as she was told. She brought the package to the vehicle (three passengers, white males in their thirties), and exchanged it for a smaller package, which she brought back to Raven to put back in the stroller.
After the car had left, she whispered to Raven. "What was in the package?" She had an idea, but she needed to hear or see it, for it to stand up in court.
Raven showed no emotion as she seemed to look right through her. "Candy." She started to gently rock the stroller back and forth, as if there was a real baby in there.
They stayed silent, until another car stopped in front of them, and Andy repeated the cycle (one male one female in their early twenties, college sticker on the car).
"So, this is it? This is all I have to do?"
"For today, this is it. Just don't screw up or get caught, and you'll be moving on to better things soon", Raven answered as she started to softly hum a lullaby.
