The hotel restaurant had proved to be an easy place to exchange information even if Harry protested about the smell and at barely 6pm it was only occupied by the SI10 staff and one other. If Mac had been surprised when Dempsey had cut him off and called him an unspeakable murderer across the dining room at breakfast he certainly wasn't expecting Dempsey to pick him up by the collar and throw him against the wall accusing him of looking at his wife

"You don't need to…" Mac had spluttered for the first time really realising the force with which Dempsey hurled prisoners in the cells, no wonder they capitulated

"I need to tell you about stuff" Dempsey hissed "Brite might put a tail on you. If he questions you then you say you're being paid to watching us"

The poor waitress had called for the chef and he had come running into the dining room brandishing a frying pan and Dave witnessed to full extent of the southern drawl as Dempsey reassured him there was no problem and Harry coaxed Dempsey "Honey come back over here"

Dempsey however took the opportunity to suggest they ate after the theatre "Why that's a fabulous idea Honey" Harry drawled hooking her arm through Dempsey's as she repeatedly patted and stroked it leading him towards the exit "Sugar Pie this is a real sweet idea – the British theatre"

Wide eyed Dave puffed with surprise as Mac sat back down "blimey"

Mac stroked at his own neck "that was over stepping the mark"

"I know" Dave totally agreed "Tony will never believe it"

Mac took a few deep breaths

"Extreme"

"Extreme" they both agreed

"Do they keep that up all the time?" Dave asked

"Obviously not, well not up till now" Mac began to worry how much more he would suffer

"Awesome voices they sound just like the bible bashers on TV" Dave whispered mesmerised

Mac looked at him in staggered disbelief "for one moment there I thought you was worried about my well being" he massaged his neck again "Come on I need a beer"

"I know where the theatre is" Dave commented "and there's a pizza place not far away - we can watch out for them coming back"
A tall thin gentleman in his 50s followed the pair out; neither Mac, Dave or the unknown observer spotted the couple leave the theatre at the interval.


"You don't have to eat hot dogs every time we get out on the streets" Harry bemoaned as they walked towards the docks next morning.

"I do, I think these guys were taught how to roll a dog by the genuine article"

"And certainly not at 10 o'clock in the morning" Harry continued

"Not that I had much opportunity for breakfast"

"I told you that place smells"

"Of bacon 'n eggs" he looked at Harry waving the sausage in front of her face "you should try one being how you're from America "

"Alabama not Coney Island "

"They have dogs there" Dempsey munched another bite "and since you've started on the peanut butter and jelly…"

Harry grimaced, she had rather hoped he wouldn't have picked up on that; she glanced down at her tiny size 8 and Dempsey took the point, swallowing he surmised "I guess they have faddy eaters in Alabama too"

"Are you criticising my diet?" she enquired unsure as to whether she should be cross or not

"A bit more red meat…" Dempsey noticed some movement across the street and he wrapped his arm across Harry's neck and around her shoulder "you need to kiss me Harry" he whispered into her ear

"Kiss you?"

"Right now" Dempsey insisted

"At this time in the morning?" she expressed her pure disbelief

He pulled her round "We need cover"

Harry read the urgency in his voice and so she reluctantly slung her arms around his neck but glared at the item in his hand. Dempsey dropped his hotdog onto the pavement "and any way it wasn't too early before breakfast" he reminded her.

Harry brought her face closer to his but avoided direct contact

"Kiss I said" he moved his face across

"I'm not kissing a hotdog" she insisted through gritted teeth keeping her mouth firmly closed; Dempsey worked his hands over her back

"You smell disgusting" Harry continued to protest through her sealed lips

"It needs to look more real" Dempsey guided her around so he could study the approaching men, he was definitely right and Harry obliged by cupping his head in her hands

"Sorry babe you're gonna have to share my hotdog" Dempsey caught her lower lip

"Really?" she winced

"Really!" his tongue teased her lips "this has got to look very kosher" he did the tiny tiny nibble she liked on her bottom lip "we're under some intense scrutiny"

Harry opened her mouth, pulled him tight against her and stuck her tongue down his throat "Will that do?" she asked coming up for breath

"They're still watching" Dempsey cupped her face and then let one hand slide down as he felt a warmth start to permeate his partners lips, she was relaxing. Her right hand ran down his back as he started to edge towards more sensitive parts of her body. She inched herself forward, pressing her body into his, enjoying the playful fighting their tongues were now participating in but as his hand caught her breast the street noises impinged themselves and Harry drew up short.

"Have they gone?"

"Not yet I think they're here for the full works" Dempsey grinned and waved across the street to acknowledge their observers

"Well we've given Brite all we need" Harry declared "and you're not coming near me until…." As she had been talking Harry had extricated herself and glanced across the road. The silence that ensued was so loud that ripples of the explosion impacted not only the SI10 staff but the passers by as well.

"Wait" Dempsey shouted forgetting his southern drawl but Harry was yards ahead and marching defiantly "it was just a bit of fun" but Harry was now climbing into a taxi.

Dempsey turned to look back at the audience but Mac and Dave had legged it in the opposite direction.

Back at the hotel Dempsey met a frosty, minus 40 frosty, reception

"That was not funny Dempsey" was the icy greeting

"Oh come on Harry they want to know if we do it and they're watching us like a hawk and all we have to say is we're doin' the role and they can't pin a thing on us"

"I'm not performing for any audience" she started to pull her clothes out of the wardrobe "and I'm certainly not performing for you"

Dempsey held his hands up "Ok, ok I'm sorry," he ran his fingers through his hair; it was a subconscious act but it was one of those things that always weakened Harry "look I know there ain't so much for you to do with this cover but I still need your help Harry" he looked her in the eye "we're partners"

"This is the 20th century" Harry protested sitting down on the bed

"In Alabama they haven't discovered the 19th one yet Princess"

"Brite is from here"

"So there's a few dinosaurs left over here too"

Harry sighed

James sat next to her "Brite's an arsehole he treats women like dirt, gets angry when he can't put his point of view across and threatens to blow people up - he has no morals despite his pretence and I don't know why he uses such crap bombs that anyone can dismantle them. I can't get under his skin Harry."

Harry placed a comforting hand on his upper arm "You need to show your bad side and maybe he will show his"

Dempsey kissed her nose and with his best southern twang suggested "I think my wife deserves an afternoon in London shopping" and then dropping the twang added "see what extra stuff you can dig up hey?"