This City Is On Fire
The next morning seems to come too quickly, and I can feel my muscles protest as I stretch in bed. There's sunlight streaming in through the window and I squint as I sit up and scrub my face with my hand. Across from me the couch is empty and for a moment I almost think Emma left but the hushed voices and the smell of food coming from the kitchen tells me she and Maddie must have woken up before me. I stand up, my mind still fogged with sleep, and walk to the kitchen. I smile at Maddie, whose seated at the island and watching Emma as she stirs something in a bowl before turning back to the stove. At first she avoids my gaze, but I don't make a big deal out of it.
"Everyone sleep well?" I ask, pouring a cup of coffee and taking a long sip of it black. Anything to ward off this exhaustion. Maddie nods and offers me a smile while Emma just stares at the bacon she has frying on the stove and gives a tiny nod. Although she's not ignoring me she doesn't exactly seemed thrilled by my presence. Shrugging off the silence I take my mug into the living room and turn on the TV.
The news is on and David's story is airing again so I quickly change it. I didn't want to upset Emma any more than we already had. Besides, the whole still makes me uncomfortable, I may not have been a fan of his but he was still human and he didn't deserve to die that way. I turn it on some sitcom instead but it immediately turns to background noise as I sit and drum my fingers on my leg. I'm trying to hear what they're talking about in the kitchen, but all I can hear is quiet chatter and the sizzle of food on the stove.
"Jesse," I hear Maddie call my name and I go to the kitchen, my mouth practically falling open when I see all the food on the table. I sit down and start eating almost immediately, remembering my last meal had been the night before and I was absolutely starving.
After everyone was settled and we had fallen into a comfortable silence I cleared my throat and spoke up.
"Uh, Michael wants us to meet at the Carlito around lunch.. He wants to discuss our plan; I think he and Sam figured out a way to get on the inside." Emma chews thoughtfully on her mouthful of food and nods, obviously eager to see what our next move is, but still she doesn't speak.
When everyone's done Maddie tells us not to worry about clean up and instead get cleaned up so we're not late to our meeting. We take my car because it's less discreet and Emma fidgets in her seat while I mess with the radio because I can't stand the awkward talk between us.
We were driving for a few minutes before we hit traffic and I cursed under my breath as I brought the car to a stop, leaning back in my seat. I send Mike a quick text telling him we might be a few minutes late although I hope we can get out of here before then. His patience is already running out and I know he's got to be as exhausted as I am with all the things we've been through in the matter of a few days.
Slowly traffic starts to inch forward before coming to a halt and I slam my hand on the steering wheel and notice out of the corner of my eye that Emma seems to be smiling at me. Drawing in a breath I look at her with eyebrows raised.
"What?" I try to keep my own amusement out of my voice but it doesn't work out and we both smile at each other. She shakes her head and looks out the window longingly before she asks me the question I wish I knew the answer to.
"What happened to us Jess? What was running through our minds that pissed us off so much we forgot everything we ever promised each other huh?" she shakes her head and sniffs, green eyes cast downward at her hands in her lap. I'm speechless, I don't know what to say event though I've been wondering the same damn thing since I walked out of her house that night.
But instead of answering her, because I don't know what to say, I sigh and shrug my shoulders gripping the steering wheel as we begin moving again. The rest of the ride is spent passing glances back and forth, wondering how we're eventually going to say what's on our minds but soon we're at the Carlito and we have to put that stuff behind us as Mike, Fi and Sam come into view, their forehead's creased in worry as they see our faces that are undoubtedly giving away the emotions we're feeling.
Sam stands up and claps me on the back before pulling me a little closer and whispering in my ear, "How you doing man? Mike told me it's been a rough few days?" the gesture is surprising but appreciated and I whisper back just as quiet, not letting alone else hear us.
"Uh, better. I'm doing better. Thanks Sam." He nods and offers me a smile releasing me form his grip before sitting down beside Michael and taking a sip from his mojito. Emma retreats to Fiona's side which is somewhat surprising but when I see the comforting hand Fi has on her shoulder I can tell she feels safe around her and for that I'm grateful.
Michael decides there's no time to waste and he dives right into the story, looking mostly at Emma to make sure she understands. i can tell she doesn't like the way Michael's talking to her, as if she doesn't have a clue what she's doing, but I can also tell that she understands. Realizing I've spent too much time watching Emma I go back to listening, only picking up the last bit of the conversation.
"… So after we get inside we wait for him to tell us where his next shipment will take place and we can inform the cops and create a distraction to keep them their long enough." Sam and Fi look happy with the arrangement and Emma nods thoughtfully although her eyes are questioning.
"I like the plan, but how are you going to get inside. After what happened the other night and two men short there's no way he's going to let some random guy into his inner circle." Her eyes are pointed narrowly at Michael who's smiling. I can tell he was waiting for the question, more than likely knowing she would ask because come on, she is a cop after all.
"But you see being two men short is all the more reason to take someone else on. He needs all the man power he can get to make a move of this magnitude." She seems to understand and Emma doesn't ask him anything else but I can't help but wonder one thing.
"So who's going in?" Fiona looks at me and then to Michael who puts a hand on her shoulder as he whispers in her ear, her eyes growing wide. He looks up at me and I can tell by the look in his eyes that I'm not going to like it.
"I was going to but I think it's best if I'm on the outside helping with the round up when it's time to call the police. And since Sam doesn't really look like an up and coming drug dealer looking for a way to the top, so that leaves you." I close my eyes and groan. I didn't like it.
Releasing a breath I nod although I'm still not pleased. "Alright man, I'm in." Michael smiles but he doesn't dive into the next part just yet, telling me there's more to this.
"Ok, word is Gomez is going to be at that new club's opening downtown tomorrow night which seems like the perfect place to make yourself known…" so far the idea doesn't seem so bad.
"But in order to look like you just happened to run into him there you need to bring a guest. Make it look like you were just there enjoying the atmosphere and hoping to get lucky when you see him." This time his blue eyes flick to Emma who leans back a little in surprise before pointing to herself and looking at Fi.
"Me?" she asks, watching as the three of them nod before looking at me. I want to say no, to keep her as far away from that bastard as I can but I know if I refuse her in front of everyone as if she's too fragile, she may never forgive me for that either. So I nod mutely and ignore the bile that rises in my throat as I picture her so close to someone like Gomez. When Michael sees me consent to the idea he looks at Emma again and waits, fingers tapping on the table.
"I uh… I'll do it." She stutters, looking at me questioningly. I nod, letting her know it's ok event though the idea sounds terrible to me. Soon the meeting comes to an end and we all stand up and prepare to leave, but not before Michael motions to the other side of the restaurant before walking away. I follow him to the bar inside, leaning against it and waving away the bartender as he comes to take my order.
"Jesse I just want to make sure you're ok with this set up. I know it's hard sending someone you love into the heart of a battle but I think she may be the only way. We both know Fi is the best shot and we need her on the outside in case something goes wrong." His argument is strong and the genuine conern on his face makes me smile.
"I know it is, but I think it may be the best way to go. She reminds me so much of Fi, if I were to tell her she couldn't go she might shoot me." Michael laughs, only because he knows the repercussions of telling Fiona no before he shudders at the thought.
"So it's settled then?" he asks. I nod and clap him on the back on my way out the door. Emma's leaning against my car waiting for me with her sunglasses resting on her face in an attempt at blocking the midday sun and when she sees me she offers a tiny smile.
Throwing myself into the driver's seat I turn on the air and let the car cool down, feeling seat begin to drip down my face. Emma's already tied her long hair on top of her head and she's looking at me when I turn to face her. She has one corner of her mouth tipped up and a mischievous look in her eyes.
"You know if I'm going to go with you I'll need something to wear right?" Damn. I hate shopping and I can tell just by the look in her eyes that she loves it as much as Fiona. But then again if this was going to work out she needed to look the part. I pull out of the parking lot and head in the direction of the nearest mall. It was going to be a long week.
First off I wanted to say sorry for not updating for so long again, I've been having computer trouble and had to buy a new battery for my laptop. Luckily it didn't take long for me to find one I could afford and I should start updating this regularly as I now know the direction I want to go in.
So thanks for being so patient and thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited, it means so much!
Next up: a shopping trip and the start of an undercover mission!