Undercover
Disclaimer- I own nothing I wish I did but I just get to play with the characters
Chapter 8
"I could get use to waking up this way" Robert said kissing her bare shoulder.
"So could I" she sighed happily. "When we finally leave this wonderland I might just have to invite you over. After walking up this way for a whole week waking up alone will be depressing" she added.
"I am at your service Alice" he joked lightly.
"I'm going to take you up on that you know that right?" she asked him softly, very serious and a little nervous. She needed him to know that she wasn't really playing around, she was quite serious in her feelings for him. It had taken her a little while to figure them out but now that she had there were no doubts.
"I know and that makes me very happy" he assured her.
"Good" she replied moving around so she could kiss him. They lay there quietly in each other's arms enjoying the morning.
"Sandra can we talk about something serious for a moment?" Robert asked breaking the silence.
"Yes" she answered tentatively. She didn't understand what exactly he wanted to talk about but she feared she wouldn't like it.
"We can't risk a repeat of what happened Tuesday night" he told her.
"Which part?" she asked becoming very confused. Did he mean the sex part or the snogging in public aspect of the evening?
"The part where we were caught sneaking around by one of Bennett's men." He explained to her and part of her was relieved that he didn't mean their budding relationship. Even after the sex and their talk last night he could still have changed his mind about wanting to be in a relationship with her. Or at least it was her fear that any moment he would come to his sense and put an end to it all.
"We won't get caught" she promised him.
"No, no more sneaking around…please" he was begging not ordering her and yet that suddenly felt worse because she now felt the need to listen to him.
"But that is part of being undercover" she argued.
"It is too dangerous. Bennett was agitated yesterday. I wasn't going to say anything but it has me worried. He was upset by something I almost beat him." Robert tried to explain his rational to her.
"I thought you were going to take it easy with your shoulder?" she asked concerned about his well-being.
"I was and I still nearly won" he stressed his point to her.
"How do you know his agitation has anything to do with us?" she asked trying to find a way to refuse him.
"I don't but I don't want to take any unnecessary risks, hell I don't really want you taking any necessary risks either. Neither of us needs to try draw any more attention to ourselves as anything other than a recently reconciled couple." He replied, his voice was firm yet he continued to beg her at the same time and she had no choice but to give in to him.
"And I have no intention of taking any risks so stop worrying about it. We have two days left here and we are going to spend them the same way we spent all the others. Though hopefully more like yesterday." She assured him but added the last part playfully. She enjoyed their earlier conversation more and she was hoping they could return to it.
"Yes that would be preferable" he agree a smile returning to her face.
"How is your shoulder doing by the way? You have been giving it a rather strenuous work out." She inquired and as she did she climbed on top of him. Straddling him she leaned down and ran her hands over his shoulder rubbing it softly before she gave it several kisses.
"It will definitely be all healed if you keep doing that" he informed her, the sexual desire evident in his voice.
"I need to make sure it is being looked after" she teased him seductively as she lightly rubbed his shoulder once more.
"Oh trust me this massage is much nicer than the last one you gave me." He replied grabbing her tightly to him before rolling them over so that he was now on top of her.
"Looks to be fully functional" she joked.
"I don't care if my shoulder was broken I would still manage to force it to work so I could make love to you." He informed her his voice husky as he kissed her releasing a little of his sexual aggression.
"Yes but let's not go that far. I don't like the idea of you being hurt" she countered.
"Don't worry my shoulder is back to working order." He promised her but to his dismay his stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.
"Someone is hungry" she laughed.
"Hunger can wait" he objected.
"I'm not sure your stomach agrees" she teased him as it grumbled again. "We should get dressed and go get something to eat" she suggested.
"But I want to devour you instead" he pouted as his stomach argued with him.
"Needs must" she reminded him.
"Okay how about this, we dress and have a very quick breakfast and get back here as fast as possible. Then I can have my wicket way with you?" he proposed with a hungry grin.
"I'm more than happy with that but won't you end up being late?"
"I can be quick and I am more than willing to miss my warm up."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
sssSSsss
"I think you can get Anne to turn on her husband she has money of her own, she just wants to hurt him as much as possible. I floated the idea of her going to talk to the police yesterday and today she spoke about it unprompted plus she made it clear it was something she was seriously considering." Sandra told her three boys later that afternoon. She was reclining on the bed with her phone on speaker while Robert paced the floor in of her. He was agitated but he hadn't told her why.
"That's great to hear, we got the financial records for the resort. Brian has been going through them all morning" Jack informed her.
"I have found several irregularities but it is going to take me a little time, might need help from the special crimes guys." Brian explained to her sounding completely fascinated at the prospect.
"I'm not sure how much time we have Brian. Anne told me she thinks Charles and Samuel are plotting to skip the country and soon. We need to arrest them as soon as possible." She told them concerned. She didn't want this terrible man to get away.
"We have another concern" Robert said speaking for the first time and she looked over at him with a questioning look.
"Charles suspects there are undercover officers in the resort" he explained after a moment.
"Does he suspect you?" Jack asked.
"No he doesn't as of yet but he made it clear the harm he intends to inflict when he does find out."
"I can only imagine it is something horrible" Gerry sighed.
"Yes, I won't repeat it but he gave me cause for concern." He admitted looking directly at her, making it clear he was worried about her not himself.
"But if he doesn't suspect you then you're safe" Brian interjected.
"At the moment maybe but for how long? We found where they are hiding money, we have the wife ready to flip, is there any reason we need to continue with this ruse?" He asked pushing his concern.
"If you leave now he will know it is you two" Jack argued.
"So what if we are gone he can't hurt us?" Robert argued and Sandra could see him becoming frustrated.
"No once he is in jail he can't hurt you" Gerry corrected him.
"Tomorrow is Friday your last full day, you might get lucky and learn more" Jack suggested rather hopefully.
"Then Sandra should at least leave. I can take care of this myself, he considers me a friend. She is close to his wife, he is going to be suspicious as it is." He began turning to look directly at Sandra knowing she was the one he actually had to convince. "I can tell everyone that your mum is sick and you had to go take care of her and I didn't go because she doesn't like me. It will raise fewer suspicions than if we both leave." He told her laying out a plan that to Sandra did not appear to be suddenly improvised. His suggestion that she leave made her feel angry and she suspected he has been thinking about this for a while now which only caused the anger to grow to fury.
"You seem to have thought this all through" Jack commented.
"I have thought of nothing else for the last two hours since Charles told me his suspicions on the 11th hole. The less people in danger the better." He growled at the men on the other end of the phone call.
"I guess it could-" Gerry started but she cut him off.
"No I'm not going anywhere" she said loudly looking directly at Robert.
"It's dangerous" he told her softly.
"I don't care we are doing this together" she replied standing up and walking to him taking his hand in hers. "I couldn't come by myself you don't get to stay here alone. We are safer together." She told him firmly she was not going to leave him.
"She's right" Jack agree he sounded sad but she didn't care as she held Robert's gaze along with his hand.
"Fine but we are out of here first thing Saturday morning" he demanded.
"Agreed" the three men said at the same time and Sandra just rolled her eye at the protective men.
"I think we should stop with the wires" Robert added. "It is too dangerous, they can too easily be noticed especially under your dress." He continued giving her a pointed look.
"But it helps us know you are safe" Gerry argued.
"It is more of a liability and you won't be able to get to us in time if Charles decides to kill us. I haven't seen one but I'm sure he has a gun." Robert continued to argue and she had to admit she was not about to object to this idea, she hated wearing the wire to begin with.
"Then you're right the risk is too great, looks as though you two are on you own." Jack agreed very unhappy with the idea but forced into seeing things their way.
"We will be fine Jack stop worrying and find something to put this guy in jail" Sandra demanded getting tired of their paternalism.
"We will call as soon as we have something" Gerry assured her.
"Good" she nodded.
"Time you two dressed for dinner" Jack reminded them still grumpy.
"Talk to you later" she replied hanging up. She tossed the phone on the bed and turned all her attention to the man next to her. She pulled her hand away from his and fixed a glare on him.
"Together, we are doing this together. I am not leaving you here. We walked in her together we leave together." She told him firmly leaving no room for argument.
"If something happens to you I don't know what I would do and I would never forgive myself."
"You think I don't feel the exact same way? We take care of each other."
"Yes I know I'm sorry" he said finally giving in. He held out his hand to her and she happily accepted it again. Once he had her hand in his he pulled her close to him and kissed her. "Anyone every tell you you're pretty smart?" he asked gently caressing her cheek.
"Not sure if anyone has put it so nicely" she laughed.
"Please no unnecessary risks. No following Bennett around like you did two days ago. Just relax and enjoy the last day or so." He begged her once more as he had done earlier that morning.
"I promise if you make the same promise" she countered. He nodded in agreement before kissing her once more.
"I never get tired of you doing that" she replied with a smile as they pulled away.
"Me neither" he smiled.
"We better get dressed don't want to be late" she reminded him but she didn't make any attempt to leave his arms.
"Yes we should, we can't do anything to draw suspicion to us." He added giving her forehead a kiss before finally releasing her. She immediately missed his embrace but she knew he was right. With a sigh she began to put her dress on.
Sandra felt almost naked under her dress without the wire hidden beneath her clothes. It was amazing to realize that after only four days she had become accustom to having the listening device taped to her skin. She also missed Strickland's help putting the wire on, the feel of his hands on her back. Just the thought made her face flush and she quickly tried to push the images away, they could have fun once they returned from dinner.
"You okay?" Robert asked coming out of the bathroom trying to straighten his bow tie.
"Yes I'm fine" she assured him with a smile. "Here let me do that" she offered taking the bow tie in her hands.
"Thank you, you sure everything is alright, your face is red?" he asked concerned.
"Yes I was just remembering how you helped me put my wire on last night." She admitted with a grin stepping back to make sure the tie was straight. "There perfect" she added.
"Oh I remember, helping you it is one of my fondest memories of this trip" he replied pulling her close and kissing her. "We were late for dinner yesterday and I think most people knew why" he whispered seductively.
"Yes they did" she grinned in agreement.
"I would very much like to repeat that process tonight after dinner. Though since you are not wearing a wire I guess I can only offer to help you out of your dress. You do look very nice in it by the way." As he spoke he began to pepper her neck and shoulders with tiny kisses, it seemed to be his favorite way to torture her.
"Robert" she moaned in frustration and delight.
"Yes?" he asked wickedly.
"If you don't stop we won't make it to dinner" it was the last rational thought she had left in her head.
"True, I guess we are going to have postpone this until after dinner." He replied giving her one last kiss before letting her go and she had to hold back a moan of pure frustration.
"You are such a tease I am going to make you pay for that later" she warned him, her frown transformed into a wicked smile as she mentally planned her revenge.
"I hardly think I should be punished for my inability to keep my hands off you. It's not my fault you are irresistible" he argued playfully.
"Oh no I'm going to punish you for starting something you had no intention of finishing" she replied seductively. It was her turn to tease him and turnabout was defiantly fair play.
"You will be the death of me" he groaned happily.
"Just as long as Charles Bennett doesn't get the opportunity to try first" she answered him her tone no longer playful.
"He won't I promise" he assured her pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead once more. Part of her wished they had just left but that would not have guaranteed they were safe. She had heard the man threatened her team and she knew he would not hesitate to come after them if he found out what they were.
"I know, come on let's go eat" she sighed. He willingly let her go but she grabbed his hand with hers as they walked towards the door.
The evening was fairly subdued neither of them felt in the mood to celebrate as some people did. One table kept ordering shots while another kept breaking into drunken singing. Strickland was on edge the whole time. He kept checking their surroundings after Charles left halfway through dinner and never returned.
Once he was done with his own food he kept a protective arm on her back and she could feel the tension in his muscles. She has to work hard not to allow his anxiety to rub off on her, she needed to act normal so that Anne wouldn't notice.
"You would think those tables were filled with twenty something young kids not middle age parents" Anne said with a laugh.
"I know" Sandra agreed laughing along with the other woman. It was hard to ignore the intoxicated guests. "They are going to feel every one of those shots in the morning" she added with another laugh and Anne nodded emphatically with a smirk on her face.
"And dealing with a hangover is so much worse when you are no longer a kid" Anne whinged.
"I would not want a hangover for my last day here, I would end up spending the day in bed" she moaned.
"I know, I would have expected them to act this way tomorrow night after our last day."
"I can't believe tomorrow is out last day here, it went so fast. Soon it will be back to the real world" Sandra said with a sigh. While she was eager to get away from the resort and Charles Bennett. She wasn't sure what would happen to her new relationship once they were back in their own lives.
"I know but onward to divorce, for me that is. What I don't understand is why they are insisting on having this ball tomorrow night. We have come here many times before and they have never done this. Plus, I do not need to see some of these people trying to dance and I for one have no intention of dancing. I will be a permanent wallflower." Anne announced proudly and Sandra had to agree.
"I will be right there with you" she replied with a smile.
"Are you sure, Robert looks like he might want to dance with you. Isn't that right Robert?" Anne said with a grin trying to get his attention.
"I beg your pardon I didn't hear what you said" he admitted. He clearly hadn't been paying any attention to the women.
"I was asking if you wanted to dance with your wife tomorrow at this summer ball they insist on throwing." The older woman explained with a giant grin.
"Dance? Oh yes of course I would, who wouldn't want to dance with her" he replied looking over at her with adoration and possibly love. If Sandra had been standing she would have feared her knees might give out.
"Who indeed, you better be careful or someone might try" she teased him.
"They will quickly find I don't share well with others" he joked.
"I am sitting right here, an autonomous unit and if I say I don't want to dance I'm not dancing" she huffed though her smile severely weakened her argument.
"That's find I am sure we can find a dark corner somewhere instead" he offered teasing her.
"Now that idea I like much better" she agreed with a laugh. As she did she saw him check the door way and the clock once more clearly on the lookout for Charles Bennett.
"All right you need to take that man back to your bungalow right now" Anne ordered with a hearty chuckle.
"Why?" Sandra asked confused.
"Because he can't stop looking at you and then at the clock. You two go on and have some fun" she demanded.
"Oh no we wouldn't dream of leaving you on your own. Charles already has and we won't do the same" she replied firmly without looking at Robert.
"Don't you worry about me I think I will retire to my own room, I'm going to watch a film on my laptop. Much better entertainment than this lot or Charles." She answered them smiling happily. "Come let's leave those foolish people to their shots." She added standing up.
Sandra and Robert didn't need to be told twice, they were on their feet in a moment and followed her out of the room. They did insist on walking Anne back to her bungalow before silently returning to their own. Neither knew where Charles Bennett was or who might be listening.
"What did you see?" Sandra asked him the moment they were safely alone.
"When Ellis came to get Charles there was another man waiting for them in the doorway. I haven't seen the man around before, they left and didn't come back. I don't have a good feeling about them" he admitted. "I should have followed them" he growled violently removing his bow tie and throwing it across the room. His dinner jacket quickly followed. Sandra stood there silently waiting for him to calm down a little before she tried to talk to him.
"Whatever they are doing it will be…bad…people will get hurt and I can't do anything to stop it." He ranted as he began pacing the floor as she watched.
"I should be doing something" he yelled.
"Feel better?" she asked flatly when he finally stopped shouting.
"No" he growled still pacing.
"Well I can tell you we won't be letting you out in the field again. The office is definitely the best place for you." She told him without a hint of humor in her voice and he turned to face her fury in his eyes.
"And why is that?" he growled dangerously but she wasn't afraid of him.
"Because you look like you are about to hit someone and we can't afford to have you hitting the wrong man again. We don't have the patience to train a new DAC." She answered him and her lips curled into a smile as the end and to her relief his did as well.
"You have me trained?" he countered.
"Absolutely, you hardly bat an eye when those three do something stupid. Hell you barely put up a fight when I went diving last year." She reminded him but her choice of examples was miscalculated as his face tell to a frown once more.
"A choice I still regret, you could have been hurt" he replied softly.
"What happened then wasn't your fault and what happens now won't be your fault either." She tried to convince him to let it all go.
"You don't understand, I can't keep you safe right now. I have no idea what he is up to." He yelled practically pleading with her.
"It's okay" she informed him. She knew better at that moment to try and tell him he didn't have to protect her.
"No it's not, I am scared to death of what he could do, what he will do to you if he catches you."
"We have no reason to believe he suspects me or you" she countered.
"That won't stop him. I spent all week golfing with him, you have no idea what type of man he is" Robert argued.
"Is golf like therapy now?" she joked but he didn't laugh.
"I wish you had just agreed to leave. Why do you have to be so stubborn?" he cried.
"First let's get something straight right now. I have been with the police for over twenty years, I have been threatened, practically assaulted by drunken idiots, I have faced down murders, rapist and kidnappers and none of them have bested me. I am still here and I am damn good at my job. Plus, I have worked with these three pensioners for six years and not gone out of my mind. I am a detective superintendent, and a pretty good one I'd argue. You will have to ask my boss about that to know for sure. He is a great guy but he gets these really stupid ideas, like the idea that his life is less important than mine. He can't seem to fathom that I might feel exactly the same way." She took a deep breath before she continued to lecture him.
"Second I don't need to be protected by anyone. But that doesn't mean it isn't nice to have someone watching my back as long as I get to watch their back." She stood there in the middle of the room chastising him. She was not about to let him treat her like some princess or china doll who could easily be broken. She continues to stand there staring him down wondering how he would react.
Robert stood there looking at her before he surprised her by slowly moving towards her and then pulling her into an embrace. She didn't put up a fight, instead she rested her head on his shoulder relaxing in his arms.
"I know" he whispered softly, a statement that amazed her as well. She thought he would fight her a little. "I know how strong and smart and capable you are and I love that about you. I'm just scared" he admitted holding her tighter.
"Together, we are in this together, we will deal with this together. So what do you want to do that does not involve one or both of us leaving?" she asked him.
"I…I…I want to go for a walk…wearing far less noticeable clothes than we are wearing right now." He told her becoming confident of his decision as he spoke.
"Then let's do it" she agreed eagerly, she chose not to point out that he had been the one to argue that they shouldn't go sneaking around. Now did not seem the time to remind him of this fact. "Ah Robert" she said carefully when he didn't move.
"Yeah?"
"You need to let me go if we are going to do this" she pointed out to him.
"Yes, right, of course" he agreed slowly releasing her from his embrace.
"I'm going to change then" she told him slowly walking towards the wardrobe.
"Me too" he mumbled. He dug around in his clothes while she pulled out what she wanted to wear and headed to the bathroom.
"I'm just going to take some of this makeup off" she called closing the door.
Sandra walked out a few minutes later wearing black yoga leggings that stopped half way down her calf, a skin tight work out tank top also intended for yoga classes. She zipped up a formfitting gray hoodie, she had her hair pulled back in a messy bun on the top of her head that she could easily put her hood over if necessary. She found Robert dressed in workout clothes as well, she was pretty sure they were the same type of clothes he had worn when he went running earlier that week. He was pulling on a black hooded sweatshirt that fit looser than her own. She looked up to find him staring at her and she suddenly felt slightly self-conscious.
"I thought I might have to do yoga here and I wanted to look the part. Never really done yoga before, went to a Pilates class once" she felt the need to explain her appearance for some unknown reason as he just kept looking at her.
"You look prefect" he said when he finally found his voice.
"Perfect for yoga or perfect for sneaking around a resort at night?" she asked unsure what he meant.
"No, just perfect, amazing, god you are sexy" he explained further and he looked like he was about to devour her.
"Thank you but focus." She laughed as she put a pair of trainers on and thankfully he began to put his on as well.
"You sure about doing this?" he asked her before they left.
"Together" she replied putting her hand out taking his hand.
It took them a little while to find Charles, Ellis, and their gang of men. They were in one of the unoccupied bungalows on the other side of the resort. On the table inside the room where stacks of cash that one of the men appeared to be counting. On the nearby bed were several parcels wrapped in brown paper with wires and electrical components. The sight made Sandra's stomach drop and before they could see any more they were forced to duck and hide in the bushes under the open window to avoid being discovered.
"When will you leave?" a voice she didn't recognize asked from inside the room.
"Tomorrow night, thanks to the ball idea Ellis thought up, they will all be too busy to notice I'm gone until it's too late" Charles replied with a sick laugh that made her want to throw up. She looked over at Robert to see the look of fear and frustration on his face. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze hoping to prevent him from doing something rash and dangerous.
"What about your wife? Will she be going with you?" another voice asked.
"No let the bitch stay here it's what she deserves. She plans to divorce me and I think she said things she shouldn't have to that couple we sit with at dinner. He's been giving me strange looks during golf these last two days. Either way we can get rid of them all tomorrow." Charles explained and Sandra was sure she stopped breathing at that point.
"Is two million enough to get you to Brazil?" someone asked.
"That should be good" he confirmed.
"How will you get there if they are looking for you?" another voice questioned.
"Fake names and passports you idiots. We will take a flight out of Dublin and land in Rio before anyone knows what is going on." He informed them laughing once more.
"Are you sure this is all necessary, a lot of people will be hurt?" Samuel Ellis asked and he sounded nervous.
"We need a giant distraction and by the time they realize we were never here for the fireworks we will be in Brazil. Don't worry Ellis you will love Rio. Now get moving put those packages together." Bennett ordered them harshly.
Warning bells were going off in Sandra's head, they needed to get away before Charles left the bungalow. She gave Strickland's hand a quick squeeze and looked around before she looked over at him motioning for them to leave. He nodded and slowly they extracted themselves from the bushes. When they were a safe distance away they broke out into a fast jog still trying not to be noticed as they raced back into their room. As soon as they were inside Sandra ripped her hood off trying to catch her breath while she watched Robert bolt the door and put a chair under the knob. He then closed the curtains making sure no one could spy on them.
"Shit" he hissed when he was done and he stood there panting trying to catch his breath.
"We need to call Jack and Gerry" she told him looking at the clock. It was now nearly eleven at night but she hardly cared if she woke them.
"I don't know if we have enough to get a warrant" he growled.
"We will tell them everything we saw and they will figure out what can be done. If they have to they will call in an anonymous tip to the bomb squad. Trust me Gerry, Jack, and Brian will do something." She stressed to him that her team would find a way to get the bomb squad out to the resort.
"If we left now we could talk to a judge and maybe get a warrant" he suggested.
"We can't leave now. He suspects we know something and he wants to kills us" she reminded her.
"All the more reason we should leave" he argued.
"He will still kill as many people as he can here and then have his men come looking for us. We have a better chance of saving these people if we are here. If we can find out where the bombs are we can get the bomb guys to deactivate them before something happens. And then boarder control can grab Bennett before he gets on that plane to Brazil." She explained to him digging her phone out from where she had hidden it earlier.
"Yeah you're right it just doesn't feel safe for us here" he replied giving in and he pulled his hoodie off as she called Jack.
"Sandra do you know what time it is? Not all of us are on holiday" Jack groaned and whinged answering the call on the fourth ring.
"Listen Jack, Charles Bennett is planning on setting off a bomb here at the resort and skip the country with Ellis and two million pounds. He plans to fly out of Dublin tomorrow night." She explained to him quickly.
"Wait what? Did you say a bomb?" Jack replied trying to understand as he woke up.
"We saw the money and the explosives" she confirmed.
"With the amount of explosives they had it is likely they are making more than one bomb." Robert added and his words only made the hole in her stomach grow bigger.
"How did you find all this out?" Jack asked confused.
"We spied on them, they were in one of the empty bungalow" she admitted.
"I thought you two were just going to relax and blend in. We all agreed it was too dangerous." He yelled at them as if they were unruly children.
"Since when have any of us been good at sitting on the sidelines when criminals are at work" she countered. She was not interested in his lecture especially after everything he and the other men had pulled over the years.
"When you two get back we are going to have a long conversation about taking unnecessary risks, I am sure Gerry will have a few choice words." He continued to lecture her ignoring her objection.
"Well you should be glad we did or we all might have been blown up and Bennett would have gotten away." She yelled continuing to argue with him.
"What if you two had been caught? I would think your little acting stunt from two nights ago would have been enough to make you cautious. Don't think Gerry didn't tell me about that."
"I never thought he would keep it to himself. We are not children Jack and you are not my father so don't you dare treat us this way. If we got caught we would have dealt with it. I don't care how mad you might be about this, I wasn't looking for your permission. Now can we please focus on the explosives and the criminal who wants to flee the country after blowing this resort sky high?" It was her turn to lecture him, they didn't have time for his feelings of fatherly protectiveness.
"We are still going to talk about this" he grumbled.
"Fine, whatever, please just focus Jack" she sighed.
"Do you know where these bombs are going to be planted?" He asked finally getting back to the point at issue.
"No they didn't say anything about where they will be, they are making them right now" she replied tersely.
"From their conversation it seems they want to hurt and kill as many people as possible. So I would guess they will be placed all over the resort. And he wants it to look like he died along with his wife and us. So I bet he will put one in his own bungalow." Robert told the older man what he suspected would happen.
"Do you have any idea when or how these bombs will be deactivated?" Jack pushed.
"I would expect some time during the dinner and dancing tomorrow night or right after it is over. We saw the bomb components but I don't know how they plan to set them off. Could be a timer or a signals from a device including a mobile phone." Robert answered him once more and his answer didn't make any of them feel good.
"I will let the bomb squad know what you found and saw, hopefully they will have some ideas of what to do. At worst tomorrow night they might just have to come in and start searching with the dogs and ground sensors." Jack told them honestly.
"I will try and see if I can find anymore out tomorrow during our golf game" Robert added and Sandra's eyes shot up to meet his trying to communicate her fear at this idea but she remained silent.
"Be careful, I mean it when I say no more unnecessary risks, you don't want to tip him off that we know. He might feel cornered and he might just decide to detonate the bombs early which is the last thing we want. And that is the same reason I can't make you two leave right now. He would definitely get suspicious" he growled at them.
"Let it go Jack" she growled back. "We need a plan, stop wasting time on lamenting the situation and lecturing us." She hissed at the man tired of his comments.
"I just need to know you two will be as safe as you possibly can. I will give Gerry a call as soon as we get off. We are going to have to play it by ear. How are we going to get in touch with you two without arising suspicions?" Jack asked her and she thought about it for a moment.
"Call my phone leave a message we will think of reasons to keep coming back to the room, that is the best I can come up with right now." She told him with a sigh, she was too tired to come up with anything more complex.
"Okay, you know sending you undercover to a golf and spa resort was not actually supposed to be dangerous." Jack commented, she agreed with him on some level but she wondered if he was trying to start a fight.
"Yeah well undercover is usually dangerous and think about the man you wanted us to get close to. Deep down we all knew this could get serious." She reminded him, they were the police their job was a dangerous one.
"True just promise me you two will try to be safe" he begged them.
"We will Jack" Robert promised and she shot him a glare that confused him.
"We will Jack but remember the lives of everyone at the resort are in danger and we have to stop these bombs from going off." She told him sternly reminding him of the bigger picture and what was truly a risk.
"I know and we will find a way" Jack assured her.
"Don't let Bennett get away either" Robert ordered him.
"I won't if not for those bombs I would have him arrested right now." The older man grumbled angrily.
"I know but think how bad it would have been if we didn't know about these explosives, officers and guests would have died" she wisely pointed out.
"Very true and highlights the need to be careful. Let me call Gerry maybe he can come up with something. Keep your phone close if you can, we will get back to you." He tried to assure them but as she hung up she wasn't feeling very positive.
She looked up at Robert and saw the same look on his face. She let out a frustrated sigh and kicked off her shoes before dropping down on the bed. Things suddenly felt out of control and she didn't know how to sort it out. After a few moments Robert joined her on the bed and he gently pulled her into his arms. They sat there silently for a long time. How was it possible that only hours before they had been playfully flirting and teasing each other, it now seemed like a life time ago.
"We should have had sex before dinner" Sandra moaned aloud breaking the silence.
"I know" he sighed kissing her forehead.
"Charles Bennett is not going to get away with this we will stop him." She told him firmly though she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince more him or her.
"I know, maybe you're right it has been a number of years since I have been in the field, maybe I am best left in the office." He moaned pulling her a little closer to him.
"That isn't what I said, I said we won't be letting you out in the field again because you might attack the criminals. Your bosses will likely remind you that your place is in the office. Me personally, I like you right here next to me." She informed him and she couldn't prevent the smile that came to her face.
"Oh I am sure in private my bosses will have plenty of choice words for me, not that I care and there isn't much they can actually do. I prefer being right here next to you as well." He agreed kissing her.
"I think it's time to get out of these yoga clothes, would you like to help me?"
"I would love to" he happily replied.
The sex that followed was nothing like the frenzied sex or the playful sex of the previous days, this time it was slow and sensual, soft and caring. It was the sex of two people who had no idea what terror the following day would hold. Two people who wanted to enjoy the touch and feel of their partner and remember it all. Afterwards they lay there wrapped in each others arms, her head resting on his chest and she could hear his heart beating below as his chest rose and fell. She had drifted off into that place between sleep and awake when her phone rang jolting her back to consciousness.
"It's Gerry" she told him before answering the call. "Hi" she greeted him unsure what response she was about to get from the man.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking" he yelled through the phone answering her question. His loud yells broke through the silence of the room and made both of them jump.
"Our jobs" she replied flatly not really in the mood for his anger.
"Are you trying to get yourselves killed?" he continued ignoring her.
"You want an answer or would you just like to keep yelling?" she asked him flippantly.
"I would like to keep yelling" he growled back at her.
"Then please continue" she sighed pulling the blanket up around her and relaxing against the pillows.
"You two were supposed to enjoy the resort and keep up appearances because it was getting too dangerous there. And we agreed to no wires because they were too dangerous as well. Then you two stupidly go off and spy on them while they are building their bombs and planning their escape. What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" He continued on his rant clearly he was even more upset than Jack.
"Are you done?" she asked far from amused.
"No, are you two trying to get blown up because that is what will happen if you keep poking around the place. You two now really are in danger and we don't have much time to get it all fixed. Don't you two dare do anything else that will stupidly get you killed. And we will be talking about your clearly suicidal tendencies when you are safely back at the office. If I have my way you two would be safely locked in a jail cell right now. Don't think Jack and I didn't consider send uniforms in there to stage an arrest." His voice kept getting louder as he lectured them and now his ideas were starting to anger her.
"You're done Gerry" she growled shutting him up. "First off I am the one in charge of this unit not the other way around. I don't know where you get off treating me like a new recruit but it stops right now. I tell you what to do and you do not threaten to have me arrest for my own safety. Do I make myself clear?" she asked, but all she received was silence so she continued.
"Second I will tell you what I told Jack, we are police officers risk is part of the job. And it is also our job to discover plots that will kill people as this one will. If we didn't go sneaking around we all would have likely been killed here tomorrow night, did you even think of that? And I don't think you are one to get on me about sneaking around. How many times have you three done something like this when I told you not to?" She cried turning the tables on him. She was not going to sit there silently while he reprimanded her for doing the same thing they had done.
"When we go off it is different" he growled as serious as he could be.
"Excuse me how is this any bloody different?" she exclaimed, her anger only swelling.
"You're the guvnor, you both are and do you have any idea how important you are not just as the guvnor but as our friend, you can't go sticking your neck out especially when we aren't there to look after you." He argued back sending her temper through the roof.
"This is the job, I came in here undercover to bring down a terrible criminal who we all knew was dangerous. I do not need someone to look after me or to protect me or keep me from harm. I am a bloody police officer and I am sick and tired of this bloody male paternal bullshit." She yelled as him before she dropped the phone on the bed and stormed into the bathroom slamming the door. Thankfully the speaker phone was on and Robert didn't have to scramble to pick up before he began talking.
"Gerry I don't think that was the right thing to say" he informed the man. He took the phone off the bed, turned the speaker off and put her phone up to his ear.
"I have a long history of saying the wrong thing with women" the older man replied less than concerned.
"Well she is furious" he informed the older man.
"Where did she go?"
"Into the loo I can hear the shower running."
"Oh…she really is mad" Gerry commented.
"You may have been the third person today to suggest she needed to be protected…She clearly does not agree with that idea and honestly is it a moot issue. We are here, we can't leave, we need a solution to keep a lot of people from getting hurt." Strickland reminded him and they were running out of time.
"True both Jack and I agree the first step is to get the bomb squad involved first thing tomorrow morning and see how they want to handle the situation." Gerry explained finally getting down to the problem they now faced.
"That sounds good, please warn them not to raise suspicion if at all possible. I really don't want these innocent people hurt." He warned the other man, he wanted to save lives not endangering them further.
"We will get the bomb guys involved whether they want to or not and make sure the explosives are discovered without people getting hurt."
"What does that mean Gerry?" Robert asked suspicious.
"Oh come on sir you know we won't just sit by. If they don't do enough we will make sure you and all those people get out of there. I will pull the fire alarm if I have to." Gerry explained and he could only imagine the grin on the old copper's face.
"Or you might anonymously call in a bomb threat" the younger man replied trying not to laugh as he repeated Sandra's words.
"That is a very good idea see you've got the right idea."
"Did you really consider sending officers in to arrest us and force us to leave?" Robert asked remembering what the man had said minutes before.
"Ah yes we did, we were desperate to find a way to get you two out over your objections" Gerry admitted.
"Not a bad plan but Sandra would have killed you three."
"Yeah I know plus we were forced to agree that having you two there helps us."
"I am going to try and see if I can locate any of the bombs tomorrow" Strickland admitted keeping an eye on the bathroom so as not to get caught by Sandra.
"On your own?"
"Yes and before you ask no I am not going to tell Sandra about it and neither are you. The only way to keep her out of this is to keep her in the dark." Robert told him, he knew she would not be happy about this but he didn't care.
"True though you do know that when she finds out she is going to be so angry at all of us, you better be prepared for that" Gerry warned him.
"As long as we walk out of this alive I will gladly deal with it" he assured him. He knew she would be furious at him and it could do harm to their new relationship but at the moment her life was more important.
"I know let's just get through all of this, we'll be in touch" Gerry reminded him.
"Right good night Gerry."
"Night sir, tell her I'm sorry and both you two should get some sleep" Gerry told him before hanging up.
Sandra had been standing in the cold water for minutes and she still felt furious. Why did all the men in her life think she couldn't take care of herself. She wasn't the one who took stupid risks and unnecessary chances. It was infuriating to be treated this way. She understood that they cared but that didn't give them the right to keep her from doing her job. When would they learn she wasn't going to put up with it. She resisted the urge to punch the wall as she continued to think about the situation. She was the one in charge, she had worked hard to get where she was and she wasn't about to let them push her around just because they were men.
She made the water warmer and let it run over her tense muscles. Since the cold water wasn't helping she would at least enjoy the effects of the hot water. She wanted this all to be over, to walk out with Robert and spend actual time with him. Go to dinner, see a film, have sex in her own bed. She had lost all track of time when she heard a knock on the bathroom door. She knew it could only be Robert.
"Sandra" he called out.
"Yeah" she replied loud enough for him to hear.
"Can I come in?"
"I guess so."
"Gerry said he was sorry, he is just worried, we all are."
"I will not be treated this way it isn't right and it isn't fair."
"I know, none of us want anyone to get hurt. They are going to get the bomb squad involved first thing in the morning" he informed her.
"That's good…thank you for dealing with him" she said to him after a minute.
"You almost done in here?" he asked changing the subject.
"Yeah I think so" she replied turning the water off.
"Good let's go to bed and try to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long and eventful day."
"God don't I know it" she agreed climbing out of the shower and to her pleasant surprise he was standing there with a fluffy towel waiting for her. He wrapped it around her and walked her back out to their bed.
A/N Thank you for reading and I am so happy you are liking the story!
