7X5X15 - Book 1

By AJB

Chapter Ten

Late Monday Morning, Denver, Colorado

Chris entered the bullpen after speaking with Ella, brain elsewhere, when he saw Buck twisting his chair back and forth all vim and grins and zeroed in on Chris' hot cheeks.

"I don't think Agent Badass here's gonna be too much help today, boys," Buck stated cheerily, leaning back, hands behind head.

"Buck," Chris warned. His longtime friend ignored the low snarl.

"Really?" Josiah bravely questioned. "A bit distracted, is he?"

"Yup. Not only will he be constantly checkin' Vin's flight status, he'll be considerin' Ella's offer, too, I'm thinkin'."

"Offer?" Nathan said, perking up when Chris' cheeks flushed darker.

"Offers, more 'n likely, am I right, buddy?" Buck waggled his eyebrows, Chris reciprocating with a burning glare. "Boy, she can make ol' Chris fidget like a cricket on a hot plate!"

"It's okay, Chris," Josiah eased into the exchange. "We're just a little jealous, that's all. What time's your flight?"

Larabee allowed his glare to ease and he almost offered a tiny smile to his profiler. "Around 1:30, so I don't have a lot of time. Ezra check in yet?"

Nathan glanced at the wall clock. "No, but it's still a bit early. Don't worry none, I'll call ya as soon as I hear from him. No new information came in over the weekend, either." He sat down and leaned back in his chair. "Raine was happy that I finally had a quiet on-call weekend."

"Speakin' of getting' together, when are you and Raine naming a date?"

"We're just waitin' for you, Buck, so we can have a double wedding." Nathan's smart-ass smile made everyone chuckle.

"You just may be doing that sooner than you think," Chris said before turning to his office.

"Really, Buck?" Josiah and Nathan turned to the now frozen Wilmington, who stuttered as he replied.

"Well, maybe, yeah, probably . . . I still get a tad shaky when I think about it but I can't imagine being without sweet Louisa." His goofy smile made the others laugh. "I'm serious! It's scary, the power of love!"

"Let's get to work, boys." When he sat at his desk, Chris looked at his desk clock and calculated the time until he heard from Vin.

Early Monday Afternoon, Malibu, California

Ella regarded her slim wrist and the jeweled watch that rested there, pleased that her plan was falling into place. Once Charlotte confirmed her arrival and room number, Ella would get the documents moving. "Sure is convenient having my own jets," she thought happily. Everything would be in motion before Chris even arrived in California; all there was to do now was live their life together.

"Chris, honey, soon you'll be mine," she said to her reflection. The gilded, oval mirror encompassed her entire body and the luxurious bed behind her. Her eyes took in the silk brocade bed covers and a shiver raced up her spine at the idea of rolling with Chris Larabee in the satin sheets underneath. "We'll finally be together, forever."

Breathing an impatient sigh, she wrapped her gossamer robe around her naked body, tying it closed as she left the bedroom and walked down the hall. Ella stopped in front of a locked door at the end farthest from the front door and reached up enough to rise up on her toes to retrieve the door's key from the frame edge. She unlocked the door, leaving the key in the lock, and stepped inside, stopping just beyond the threshold.

As she scanned the room in the near darkness, Ella lifted a necklace from her neck, gripping the locket in her hand. Once removed, she spread her fingers and allowed the fine, gold chain to drape across them like spider's silk. She looked at it a moment, then popped the locket open and hung the chain on a corner of an 8 by 10 silver-framed photograph perched on the top of a long, low table.

Her eyes trailed the chain then drifted to the framed photo where Chris, looking so handsome in a tuxedo, stood next to his bride. The gown and veil were beautiful, but Sarah's face was scratched to oblivion. Ella pursed her lips.

"You'll soon be holding me close again, lover. I had you first, after all."

Ella then shifted her attention to the dangling locket. what appeared to be a child's face obliterated by an X carved raggedly over the image. The other side held a tiny oval of Chris' smiling face.

"And I'll soon be in your place, you little runt," she whispered at the defaced image.

Then, humming the Wedding March, she stepped back and then out of the room. With the door locked and the key replaced, Ella's thoughts turned to what she should wear to the airport.

Late Monday Afternoon, Arlington, Virginia

Vin, somewhat surprised that they were landing already, leaned over his seat mate to look out of the window. Washington was a lot greener than he expected and there were splashes of color in the canopy of trees below. Mrs. Richmond said there were lots of dogwood and cherry trees in D.C. and they had very colorful blossoms, so he wondered if that was what he was seeing. Since he didn't remember any of those trees around Denver or in Texas, Vin looked forward to seeing them.

With a couple dozen classmates aboard, the chaperons were busy keeping the noise level down. Once Vin explored the bathroom and the in-flight movie began, he found the only reason to leave his seat on the aisle was to let his row-mates in and out. Time passed more quickly than he expected.

As the plane touched down, Vin looked across the aisle and smiled at Mrs. Richmond.

"Excited?" she asked, reflecting the smile.

Vin nodded. "Yeah," he answered truthfully.

Disembarking tweaked his nerves a little when the passengers pressed close in the aisles and the cabin became warm. Before departing Denver, they received instructions to stay seated until the rest of the passengers left so they could all leave in one group. Mrs. Richmond must have noticed his distress at the crowded condition because she gave him an understanding look and said, "It will be over soon. Just shut your eyes and think of horses."

Vin put the suggestion into action and felt his body relax. When it was their turn, things moved quickly and soon he plucked his suitcase from the baggage area and their group boarded a waiting bus. Mrs. Richmond dropped in beside him.

"Whew!" she said. "We're here!"

During the trip to the hotel, she pointed out a few sights and Vin was drawn in to the history and the excitement.

Their group didn't linger long in the hotel lobby and soon they were divided into groups and heading to their rooms. Mrs. Richmond was two doors down and he knew liked the three other boys sharing his room. They ran track together. He looked at the room clock. An hour until dinner; he had time to call Chris.

Leaving the boys in the process of unpacking and throwing clothes, Vin entered the bathroom and pulled out his new cell phone. Chris picked up on the second ring.

"Vin?"

"Hi Dad!"

"You get there okay? No lost luggage?"

Vin giggled at the question, knowing his voice probably sounded as relieved as his Dad's. "I got everything. It's nice here."

"Glad to hear it, Cowboy. I just got off the plane myself."

It did wonders to hear Chris' voice and they exchanged flight stories for a few minutes before someone pounded on the bathroom door.

"Shit or get off the pot!" Brendan Fischer, by the sound of it, shouted causing the other two to screech in laughter.

"Sounds like you gotta go," Chris chuckled. "Give me a ring tomorrow night when you're in for the night, okay? And you can text me anytime. Just be sure no one sees you because I might get in trouble."

Vin grinned at the mental vision of the portly Mrs. Abernathy chastising his dad, head tipped back and finger poking. "Okay. I love you."

"Love you too, Cowboy. Have fun!"

After hanging up, Vin tucked his phone away in his jeans pocket and realized he was hungry.

"Hurry up! I gotta pee!"

Vin unlocked the door an allowed Brendan to take his place. In the room, clothes were scattered everywhere, the television blasted Phineas and Ferb and his remaining two roommates shared Sour Patches and Twizzlers. He smiled. Maybe this was going to be fun.

Mid Afternoon, Los Angeles, California

Chris disconnected from Vin and felt a stab of loneliness as he strode down the hallway to the baggage area. He'd expected a voice mail, so the sound of his voice - live - lifted his mood. Vin sounded good and relief eased his mind. He slipped the cell into his pocket.

"Hey, Bareback." Ella's low, sultry voice caused a bubble of lava heat to burst low in his gut.

Chris turned and there she was at his elbow. When she took his arm, he caught the scent of her and he face slid into a wolfish leer.

"Hey, yourself," he growled as his gaze rose from her dazzling display of cleavage, over her broad, hungry smile and stopped at her smoldering eyes. He pulled her aside, out of the mill of bodies and turned her to him, and pulled her into a deceptively chaste kiss.

"That's all you got?" She purred, running her nails up and down his back.

"For now," he replied, drinking her in. "We don't need to be arrested in Baggage Claim."

Ella chuckled, thrilling Chris again, and clasped her hands behind his neck as she looked up at him. He rested his hands on her hips and held her at arms' length, appraising her outfit. He scanned her bare, tanned legs and impressive white stiletto heels upward over the short, white skirt that hugged her curves in all the right places to the clingy, sleeveless blouse curved around the edges of her impressive rack. He barely noticed the muted floral print of the blouse.

"Hey. Eyes up here, buster," she laughed. Then she leaned in so he had to duck his head to place his ear next to her red lips. "Plenty of time for that later, Stud." He gasped at her quick nip to his ear lobe and his jeans tightened in response.

He straightened and groaned, eyes cast upward. "Gimme a minute. Don't think I can walk quite yet."

Ella sultry laugh didn't help very much but Chris managed to shuffle his way to the carousel while keeping an arm around her. Something in his eyes cleared a path through the crowd and in a matter of minutes, he had his bag and they were out the door. He squinted in the abrupt brightness.

"Damn," he breathed when he realized where she was leading him. A white town car with tinted windows sat curbside as a uniformed driver trotted up and took his suitcase.

"And there's a soundproof window between us an' him," Ella whispered in his ear. "And I seem to have forgotten to wear any underwear."

Chris groaned as she darted away and ducked into the back seat, glad that the driver's dark glasses hid his eyes and gave Chris the ever-so-slight hope that he was clueless.

Then he snorted, remembering Ella's less-than-shy ways in high school. "Fat chance," he muttered as she pulled him inside.

Late Afternoon, Denver, Colorado

When the dummy phone line rang, Nathan's shoulders slumped in relief. Ezra was a few minutes late.

"Pizza Palace," he answered, trying to sound bored. The others in the office turned his way.

"I w…w…ould like to order, p…p…lease."

The words and the stutter told JD that the undercover agent was not alone. "Hold on a sec," Nate replied, looking to Josiah to make sure the call was recording. When the profiler nodded, Nathan continued. "Okay, go ahead."

"Two m…m…edium number f…f…our p…p…pizzas."

"Large!" a man's close by voice barked in the background.

"M…m…make that l…l…large," Ezra corrected, but Nathan the code word "medium" already told them that there were two men in the room with the undercover agent. Number four meant an untapped line.

"Esteban and Bain?" Nathan guessed.

"Yes, th...that's right," Ezra continued. "Delivery." That meant the address given would be the location of Bain's work space, not his living address. Nate jotted it down.

"Pepperoni, s…sausage, mushrooms," Ezra said. Three toppings meant he was in place and hired. "Extra cheese." He hadn't seen the guns. "Onions, b…b…lack olives." Nathan wrinkled his nose. Those last two meant Ezra's partners in crime had no taste when it came to pizza.

"Got it." Nathan waited for Ezra to hang up first, which he did after rather abrupt thanks.

"Now we're gettin' somewhere," Buck said moving to a big map posted on the wall. He stuck a red pin in the address Ezra gave. Black and yellow pins already showed the location of Bain's competitors. "He's well to the east. That puts him closer to the industrial area. What's at that address, Josiah?"

"Looks like a business - a bar, I believe, called the Black Serpent."

"That's a dive neighborhood," Buck chuckled. "I'm sure old Ez is havin' the time of his life."

"I'll let you know," Nathan said brightly, calling in the pizza order. "I'm outta here. By the time I get the Pizza Palace hat and pizza boxes, the order should be done."

"Don't forget the magnetic sign," Buck said, laughing.

"It's me, remember?" Nathan chuckled, remembering the time Ezra refused to attach a Pizza Palace sign to his Jag when an unmarked pool car wasn't available. It had become a team joke.

Nathan trotted out the door feeling, his mind on the delivery and the job. Chris' obvious absence failed to dampen the undeniable trust that tied this team together, and there was no sign of the upcoming trouble that would push their bond to unwelcome extremes.

TBC