9

Very Lizzie and Dembe centric in this chapter. No Ray. Hope you guys like it anyway.

~*~ TBL ~*~

It had been about two months since Dembe had come for her. That someone had found out she was in a relationship with the fourth most wanted on the FBI's list. Dembe had told her to grab a small bag and a few things and then he had taken her away. Brought her straight to the airport and to Red's jet.

They were in the air within five minutes. She had fallen asleep on the jet and when Dembe had woken her, they were in Cuba. Cuba! She knew Cuba had an extradition treaty if they were ever to find her and Dembe, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that. She knew Ray wanted her and their little Nora safe.

So all she had been doing the past few weeks was walk on the beach. She loved it here, and it would be the perfect place to raise their baby. She would miss the Post Office and her job, but she would have Ray, she hoped, and their baby. She leans back in the beach chair, getting herself comfortable.

"Liz," Dembe comes out of the house. She turns to see him standing on the porch in a pair of khaki's and a flowered print button down shirt.

"That is a very becoming shirt Dembe," Liz jokes. The bodyguard flashes a smile at the agent. "What's going on?" Liz asks eyeing the burner phone he was holding. He only turned it on once a day in case anyone tried tracking it.

"Agent Ressler left a message," he explains.

"Ressler? What did he say?" Lizzie tries to pull herself out of the lounge chair, but had trouble with her growing belly. She swings her legs over and stands, pushing on the back of the chair.

"He just said to call him back when we got the message. It was time stamped last night."

"Did you try calling him back?" Lizzie questions. Dembe shakes his head, holding the phone out. Lizzie takes it and dials Ressler's number.

"Ressler," came her partner's voice.

"Ress, it's me. We just got your message. Everything okay?"

"I don't know Liz. The higher ups wanted Reddington moved to a more secure location. The caravan was ambushed. I was with him when it happened. They didn't want me coming. But Reddington refused to leave the box without someone he trusted. I offered to go."

"Is everyone okay?" Lizzie puts her hand onto Dembe's arm to steady herself. She didn't know when he had come off the porch.

"Yeah, I got a little banged up. Red suffered a blow to the head. He had a gash over his eye, but other than that, he seemed okay."

"What do you mean he seemed okay?" she asks. "They didn't extract him? Whoever led the ambush?"

"Apparently we had two cars with us. I had no idea we had anyone else with us. They were all plain clothed. We had to head to the hospital. Reddington needed stitches. I went to go talk to him and he had bolted out the window. Just like…"

"The Zamani case," Lizzie finishes. "So you don't know where he is?"

"He's in the wind. He was willing to cooperate with us again. But he wouldn't until he talked to you. The higher ups obviously didn't know where you were. Cooper is trying to smooth things over with them. He wants to continue with the blacklist, but they are playing hardball."

"And let me guess, you aren't supposed to be telling me any of this."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know how to get touch with you. I don't know where you are. I don't know anything," he jokes. "Try to check this phone tonight. I will leave you a message if we get anything new."

"Thanks Ress," she gets off the phone and hands it off to Dembe.

"Everything okay Liz?" he asks with concern. Her hand was still on his arm.

"Yes, no, I don't know. Someone wanted to move Ray to a secure location, but they were ambushed. Ressler said they had other people guarding them, other people he didn't know about. They managed to hold the ambushers off. Ray got a blow to the head and a cut over his eye. Ressler said he escaped when he was in the hospital. Right out the window."

"He hasn't got in touch with me," Dembe tells her.

"I know. You would have told me if he did. I trust you," Lizzie says. "Ressler says to check the phone tonight. He will leave a message if there is anything new."

"Okay. I am going to make some lunch, would you like anything?"

"Just a sandwich. Do we have any of that fruit salad left?"

"I think we might have a bowl left. That's all you've been eating."

"I know, it's so good," she says taking a seat back in the lounge chair. She thinks about the conversation she had with Ressler. She hoped they were all okay. She couldn't help but worry about Ray. She knew he could take care of himself. But as the father of her daughter, the love of her life, she still worried.

She should have asked more about her boss, her friends, but Ressler didn't want to reveal too much and she understood. If someone found out Ressler had talked to her, they were all in trouble. Dembe comes out of the house a few minutes later carrying a plate in one hand and a bottle of sunscreen in the other. He walks down the two steps and then hands Liz the plate.

Her eyes light up when she sees the small bowl of fruit on her plate. Her and these damn pregnancy cravings. She takes the plate from Dembe and immediately grabs a piece of fruit. "Thank you Dembe," she says between bites.

"You're welcome. I also brought you this," he holds out the bottle of sunscreen. "You are turning a little pink. Raymond would kill me if he found you in less than perfect condition. Would you like something to drink?"

"Water please," she says. Dembe nods and heads back into the house. He comes right back and hands Liz a bottle of water.

She takes it while eating her sandwich. "You know Dembe, you are going to make some woman a mighty fine husband one day."

He grins at her. "Why thank you Liz. We have to run to the market tomorrow. You are pretty much eating us out of house and home. Would you like to come?"

"Ooh, yes please." She felt like this is how they spend their days. Making idle talk about trips to the market and getting messages from Ressler, as few and far between as they were, and Kaplan. Dembe and Lizzie mainly keep to themselves. Dembe supplying Lizzie with books whenever she finished the ones she had. The house was small compared to what they were probably used to, but it was homely. She liked that about it. It didn't seem grand and cold compared to some of the places she witnessed Ray and Dembe staying at in the few years she knew them.

~*~ TBL ~*~

The next afternoon after an early lunch they decide to head to the market. They putter around trying to find things both Dembe and Lizzie liked. Her sundress was white and did nothing to hide her pregnant belly. She thought she was going to be one of those woman who tried to hide it behind bulky sweaters or sweatshirts, but she was surprised when she had no such urge. She liked showing off her baby. She could do without the complete strangers touching her belly though. It was like there was a sign on her forehead 'I'm pregnant, touch me!' But with Dembe around the touching didn't come as often. A few brave souls tried, but one look from the bodyguard and they retracted their hands quickly.

On their way home after the market Lizzie lays her head back against the headrest. She wanted a nap. She needed a nap. What she really wanted was Ray, but since he wasn't here, she would just have to make do. They pull up to the house and Lizzie helps Dembe with some of their groceries, but as soon as Dembe walks onto the front porch he pauses, taking a look around. He puts the bags down before withdrawing his gun.

"Get into the car," he tells Lizzie.

"What?" she asks also taking a look around. Nothing seemed out of place, but she knew Dembe well enough to know he thought there was something wrong. "Give me a gun," she remarks softly. Dembe looks at her sharply. "I may be pregnant, but that doesn't mean I can't fire a gun if need be."

Dembe rolls his eyes. "There is a backup piece underneath the driver's side." She puts her bags down and gets in the car grabbing the backup piece. She follows Dembe and they slowly walk through the house. They check each room, but don't find anything amiss. "Go through your things. Make sure nothing is missing."

Liz does what she's told and walks into the master bedroom. She looks through her stuff, but doesn't find anything missing. She walks back into the living room to find Dembe looking around. "Nothing is missing in my room. Is there anything missing here?" Dembe shakes his head. "What do you think about all this?"

"I don't know. I think we should change locations soon though. If someone found out that we are here, then it cannot be long until your government comes looking for you." Lizzie thinks about that for a moment and then turns walking to the front door. She grabs a few bags and brings them into the kitchen. Dembe follows suit, grabbing the rest of the bags. "I want you to be alert the next few days while I make arrangements to move to a new location. Don't let your guard down once."

"Alright," she says with a nod. Dembe knew how hard it was for Lizzie to relinquish control like she was doing. He also knew she was doing it for baby Nora. He had promised Raymond that he would protect them, and that's what he was doing. The two work in silence putting the groceries away, each lost in their own thoughts. "I'm going to go outside. Do you need any help with anything else?" she asks, grabbing a book she had been reading off the couch. She also grabs the bottle of sunscreen and a towel before walking out and down to the beach. She lays her towel on the lounge chair and pulls her dress off, revealing her white bikini. She lathers herself with sunscreen before taking a seat on the chair.

For all she tried she couldn't concentrate on her book. All she could think about was that someone could have been in their house. She liked this place. She didn't want to leave. She drops her book onto the sand, finally giving up. She looks out over the ocean. Only then does she feel the eyes on her. She looks around but finds no one. She could see a few beach goers down the beach some ways, but that was it.

She turns the other way only to see someone walking down the beach. She couldn't tell who it was, because the person was still too far away. She keeps an eye on the person, and as they got closer she could tell it was a man. A man who was wearing a suit? On the beach? She gasps before getting up slowly. "Dembe!"