Disclaimer: I do not own 21 Jump Street or its characters. They belong to Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh. I'm just borrowing them.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! Glad you're still enjoying it. There's a lot going on in this one too. So, I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 21

Hanson heard a noise that he couldn't place. He turned his head to Mack and put his index finger to his lips in a "shooshing" manner, before swatting his hand near his ear, towards his shoulder and stepping back. Mack took the hint and stepped back onto the ledge. They waited for the loud humming noise to stop. After a few minutes of silence, he peeked around the corner to see if there was any movement. He pulled his gun from his holster, slowly bending his arms, so the length of the barrel mirrored the length of his face. He still didn't see movement and the absence of shadows verified the lack of motion. He turned to a side profile and Mack noticed Hanson's perplexed expression. Hanson put his right index and middle fingers together and pointed forward. Mack crept up to the edge at the opening of the lighted room while still remaining in the dark. Hanson cautiously entered the lighted space once more and tilted his head toward the opposite end of the room insinuating that he was going to the other side. He held his fist near his ear telling Mack to hold his position. Hanson scurried over to the other side of the room with his gun in the ready position. "I don't see anyone." He whispered while shrugging and making eye contact with Mack who remained in place.

"Judy…Sal?" Mack whispered loudly as he peeked around the corner and pulled his gun out of his holster. "Did you see anyone come down here?"

"I've been watching that hole like a hawk and no one's been down there." Blowfish shrugged while continuing to stare at the manhole between the hub of passing traffic that came between him and the road block Mack and Hanson created. "What's going on? Do you see someone?"

Judy impatiently frowned while tapping her French manicured fingernails on the side of the laptop. "What's down there?"

Hanson peeked around the corner of the room and listened for a second. "We heard noises, but now it's silent."

"What do you see, man?" Penhall nervously clicked the end of the retractable ball point pen in his hand with rapid speed as his leg vibrated from the repetitive tapping of his heel to the floor.

"There's a room…Uuuuhhh…" Hanson rolled his head around and scanned the lighted space. "The room is maybe seven feet tall and…maybe nine feet wide." He walked deeper into the room. "I can't tell how deep it is, but….um…I can only walk maybe three feet in?" He looked at Mack for confirmation.

Mack counted his steps until he got closer to Hanson. "Yeah, and then…it's like a brick wall from wall to wall…ceiling to floor."

"But, it's not brick." Hanson ran his gloved hand over the tightly wrapped plastic. "It's packed so tight. I can't tell what's in it." He applied pressure to one of the bricks to see if it would move.

Mack slapped the hard plastic surface a few times. "It won't budge."

Hanson investigated the walls a little more looking for some give, somewhere along the man made steel walls. "Jackie actually came through on this one."

"Remind me to give her a cookie." Judy folded her arms over her chest in annoyance. "Laced with battery acid." She mumbled to herself….so, she thought.

"Judith Marie Hanson" Hanson pulled his black backpack off his back and knelt down. "Battery acid?"

"I'm sorry, baby." Judy snapped her head back before throwing her hand to the front of her head in a quick half-hearted salute. "I've had it up to forehead with her."

"She's still our God baby-mama." Hanson chuckled while pulling his miniature camera out and snapping several pictures of the evidence of the Senator's massive drug supply.

Judy shook her head and giggled. "You're right." She released her hands and placed them next to the laptop. "I guess I have a little XT in me too." She playfully added.

Hanson lifted a brow as a slow smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah" A seductive grin emerged on Judy's face.

Hanson allowed his arms to fall to his sides as his voice dropped into a sultry tone. "I have a cure for that."

"What is it?" Judy bit her lip in anticipation.

"You OD on me." Hanson dropped his camera back into his back pack and zipped it up before punching his arms through the straps and tossing it onto his back. "I'm thinking we go home and get into a steamy shower, I'll lather your body and then…"

"We act like other people can hear every word you're saying." Penhall quickly interjected while rolling his eyes in disgust.

"Sorry, there… Doug" Hanson cleared his throat, put his wrist to his nose and sniffled from inhaling the cold damp temperature of the tunnel. "Baby, how'd you determine which tunnel to take?"

Judy glanced at the blue prints on her screen. "The one you took isn't on the plans, so I figured he'd hide it there."

"You sent us in blind?" Hanson shrugged as a scowl developed.

Judy sensed the tinge of irritation in his voice. "I used my instincts." She clarified with a hint of attitude. "Don't start with me Hanson. I've been doing this longer than you have."

"So, you're trying to kill us." Hanson playfully added while cutting back some of the irritation in his voice when he heard the irritation in hers. "Remind me to change my insurance policies."

"Whatever, baby…I earned every dime and you know it." She chuckled.

"Yeah, well…being with you has been..." Tom sarcastically mumbled.

"Has been… what?" Judy paused while tilting her head to the side waiting for an answer.

Hanson smacked the back of his hand to Mack's arm and they chuckled. "The best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Uh..huh" Judy nodded knowing that what he said was far from his original thought. "Good save."

"Thank you." Hanson smirked. "Just see if you can find out where the power's coming from. There's some kind of machine they're using on the other side, and we never heard a word or footsteps…so, I don't think anyone's down here."

"I'm on it." Judy smiled as she pulled up additional plans.

"We know where it is now, just double back and we'll get it later tonight." Fuller instructed.

"Okay" Hanson nodded as he turned around to double back with Mack close behind.

"I'm a little lost on this." Kip lowered his brows as he pushed his back into the passenger side car seat. "Who's coming down here to get these packages to deliver to Hanson and Penhall, so they can deliver it to Clavo?"

Fuller placed his elbow on the top of the driver's side door at the base of the window and ran his index finger across his black mustache. "Why isn't that person supplying Clavo's team?"

"Be careful Mack…I don't trust this ledge." Hanson inched out onto the ledge with his backpack barely scraping the rock wall behind him before carefully turning forward. "That's what I'm going to ask Rico."

"If they're using a mechanical pulley, they'd have to have someone down here to load it…. right?" Mack asked while following Hanson and trying to avoid watching the small pieces of rubble that he felt break loose from underneath his boot before falling into the darkness. "Why don't we set up surveillance and wait for them to do their thing?"

Hanson lifted his hard hat making the spotlight built into the hat dance around in their pitch black surroundings. He swiftly pushed his fingers through his hair before placing the hat back in place and burrowing his brows. "Because we have to kill Booker tonight…. Besides, the question I want answered is… how they're getting to it? If the tunnels are frequented by the city workers, and why hasn't any of them said anything about the wall of dope down there?"

"Maybe they only go down to the two main tunnels that have always been there." Mack snapped his fingers. "They might be on the payroll." He quickly stated as Hanson threw his hand behind him, pushing Mack against the rock wall.

Hanson and Mack looked down at the falling rubble that came from the ledge beneath Mack's boots. They watched it silently disappear into the abyss of darkness below. "You wanna be careful there Sherlock?"

Mack exhaled into a short pant as he waited for the taste to come back into his mouth. "I don't wanna be Sherlock." He frowned while adjusting himself into a sturdier stance. "Watson's smarter….I wanna be him."

"Yeah, but Sherlock was way cooler." Penhall argued as he used his fingers to count. "He had the gadgets, the girl, the nifty magnifying glass, the stylish clothes…"

"Inspector Gadget had the magnifying glass." Kip scratched his head. "Didn't he?"

"Both of them did, but….Nah, I'm with Mack on this one." Ioki pulled out his mini-screw driver to start removing the vent to the Senator's office. "Watson was the one who solved the mysteries…Sherlock stole all of the credit." He carefully set down the first screw on its head. "Besides, his style was subtle." He shrugged. "I liked it."

"Says the man who dressed like Don Johnson meets Shorty the Pimp for a couple of years in the late eighties." Penhall quipped.

"Hey" Hanson tried to get their attention.

"Says the man who's going to kick your ass when I get back to the Chapel." Ioki frowned as he removed the next screw, setting it down beside the first one. "How many times did you wear the blue short sleeved shirt that Hanson bought you…I'm sorry, Jude bought you for Hanson to give to you…. before Rachel finally burned it?"

Hanson massaged his right temple while scrunching his face in frustration. "Hey!" He got louder.

"Harry, don't get all Bruce Lee on me." Penhall narrowed his brows while shrugging. "Geez…You used to be the nice one. What happened to you?"

"Five kids and a wife who went on strike after kid number five… happened to me." Harry flatly stated while hearing snickering in his earpiece as he lifted the opening to the vent and quietly placing it out of the way. "Even Fuller gets more quality time than I do."

Hanson narrowed his eyes and paused in disbelief while astonishment engulfed Fuller's face as they spoke in unison. "That's my mom!...What do you mean even I get…You don't talk about a person's mom like….I'll have you know that Margaret and I ….I can't believe you Harry!...Just because we're older doesn't mean…God, I don't even want to think…" They complained before their words finally synced. "Damn Harry!"

"I'm sorry!" Harry unintentionally bit back. "I didn't mean anything by it…I was just…"

"Well, Doug," Judy thought it'd be a good time to bail her partner out. "Not everyone has a wife who'll dress up in a short nurse's uniform and…"

"What's Rachel doing to me?" Penhall scowled in disbelief while spreading his hands apart. "Do you females just sit around and discuss our love lives when we're not around?"

Judy suppressed a laugh. "I-I just listen."

Doug rolled his eyes and growled. "Fabulous"

"Kip, I'm in position." Harry exhaled. "Tell me when you're ready for me."

"Give me a sec." Kip typed in a few codes to override the system. "I always wanted to be Columbo." He chuckled. "He was smart as hell….Harry you're clear."

"He was an idiot!" Penhall laughed.

"No, he had everyone fooled." Fuller threw his index finger up and smiled. "He was a genius who acted silly."

"HEY!" Hanson shouted.

"WHAT?" Harry, Kip and Doug yelled in unison.

"We're kind of on a schedule here." Hanson huffed while crawling in the narrow part of the tunnel as he barely prevented the thin stream of sewer water that flowed between his knees from getting on his hands and pants. He shook his head in amazement of how so many brilliant cops working one case could be so easily distracted. "We'll check out the other tunnel while we're down here."

Judy glanced at her watch. "No time. You're gonna be late as it is."

"It'll only take a second" Tom coughed as the smell began to worsen. "We'll be on time."

Harry slipped through the opening of the vent with ease. He looked down to spot his landing when he noticed the crisscrossed lasers underneath him. "The lasers are back on."

Kip lowered his brows as the codes he typed in rejected one after the other. "Give me a couple of seconds. I don't know what happened." The combination of codes that he continued to enter wasn't working and he struggled to find the right combination. "Harry, hold your position." Kip instructed as he revised the security code in the Senator's office to turn the lasers off while still making it look like the lasers were still on from the control room, so the security guards in the control room of the Federal Building wouldn't be suspicious.

"I'm slipping." Harry grunted as he hung from the ceiling of the Senator's office trying to find a laser free spot to land. "Ready now?" He could feel the sweat secreting from his white knuckled overworked hands.

"One….more…second." Kip's body temperature rose as he frantically typed.

"Kip" Harry adjusted his grip while his body slightly swung from left to right. "There's no traction."

"Hold on…" Kip left damp fingerprints on the keys as his fingers moved faster than they ever had. "I – I think….I might have it…just sit tight."

"I could if…if I was actually… I don't know…uh.." He grunted. "Sitting!" Sweat beads emerged from Harry's forehead as he grimaced from the burning sensation crawling down his overextended well defined arms. "Anytime now!"

"Hold on!" Kip's eyes widened as he continued to type with urgency.

"I….can't" Harry's eyes slammed shut as his head fell back.

"Harry, you're clear." Kip exhaled as Harry dropped to his feet and hunched over in relief as he caught his breath. Kip wiped the back of his hand across his moist forehead. "That was close."

"Too close." Harry wiped his forehead with the back of his gloved hand. "Do me a favor Kip and let's not do that again."

"That's cool with me." Kip got tickled as he ran his hand over his mouth in relief that he got the codes in time.

Booker placed the earpiece back into his ear as he watched Jackie finally disappear into the bathroom to get ready. "What's everyone's position?"

"Where've you been?" Harry frowned as he removed the large patriotic inspired painting hanging from the wall of the Senator's office to reveal the vault he was looking for.

Booker sighed deeply as he held his head back. He was guilty of doing a lot of things in his life, but lying to his friends and family was never one of them. "I was in the middle of something and…"

"We're getting ready to check out this other tunnel. Harry's in the Senator's office about to get into the vault." Hanson cut him off as he placed his hands at his hips, frowned, and looked off to the side as Mack pulled himself out of the narrow tunnel onto his feet. Hanson could feel his anger building, because he knew that Booker being in the middle of something at home was the same as he and Judy talking at home. He didn't want to call Booker out in front of everyone listening, so he decided to be cryptic when getting his point across to Booker. "We better not be doing all of this for nothing."

"We're not." Booker picked up on what Hanson was telling him and shamefully bowed his head. "Judy, are you still a couple of blocks away from the convention center?"

Hanson stopped in the middle of the tunnel and clinched his jaw as his scowl became more intense. "Why?"

"Relax, Tommy" Booker buttoned up his crisp white dress shirt. "I just need to talk to her."

"Talk to me when I get back." Hanson demanded through his tight jaw and gritted teeth as Mack stepped around him and started toward the next tunnel. "You don't need to keep running to Judy every time you and Jackie have problems."

"She's my friend too Hanson." Booker spoke with his hands as he tried to explain. "I need her advice."

"You want advice?" Hanson raised his voice as his patience wore so thin, it was transparent. "Stop using Judy to self-medicate."

Judy could tell where Hanson was headed, so she cleared her throat to cut him off. "Did you find a side entrance?"

Mack stood perpendicular to Hanson waiting for his cue to go inside. "Hanson" He coughed as he glanced back at an agitated Hanson. "We need to go."

Dennis scrunched is face confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Every time you and Jackie get into it, you think the problems between you two exist because Judy left you for me … what? ... seventeen … eighteen years ago?" Hanson briefly tapped his finger to his temple. "Somewhere in your warped little mind you feel like Judy would've been faithful to you if I never came back."

Dennis shook his head and scoffed. "I don't.."

"Well…Dennis, it's like I told you before…You never had Judy, and the only way I wasn't coming back for her is if I died. We've been together since forever now…Get over it!" Hanson shifted his weight and narrowed his brows. "You want a faithful woman?...Drop Jackie and stop running to my wife," He flung his hand. "Preying on her sympathies every time Jackie gets inside your head."

"I don't run to her every time Jackie and I have problems." Booker defended himself as he yanked his bow tie from the top of his dresser.

"Yeah …You do." Penhall mumbled as he rocked back and forth in Hanson's chair.

"You do Dennis." Ioki shrugged as he took numerous pictures of the evidence in the vault.

"He's right, Book" Fuller nodded in agreement as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"Thank you judge and jury." Dennis bounced his head in aggravation. "But, I think Judy would disagree." He lifted his thick black manicured brows. "Judy?"

"Um…Well" Judy rocked her head side to side and sheepishly raised her shoulders. "You kind of have a tendency to come to me as a friend and then it…"

"It what?" Hanson growled as he headed back to the metal steps.

"Hanson!" Mack shouted as he pointed to the next tunnel. "Where are you goin'? We're not done here."

"We're done." Hanson grabbed a step above his head as he looked back at Mack. "If it's just going to be the same thing over and over," He placed his left hand on his chest while his right hand remained on the cold metal bar step. "Then I'm not risking my life to clean up his shit! I can't be a friend to a…a…You can't replace Judy for Jackie!" He let go of the step and shouted toward the ceiling. "Get your house in order and stay the hell away from mine! I'm tired of fighting with Judy over you and your ….whatever she is!"

"You're overreacting, Hamburger…. I just want to talk to her for a minute." Booker put his hands up in defense as he glanced at the ceiling. "No hands required."

"That's very funny, Dennis." Hanson rapidly nodded. "I know what you want to talk to her about and its unnecessary bull that we don't have time for right now…We're on a case!"

Judy checked the time on her computer and then her watch. "Hanson, baby, come up here so we can head out….We're outta time."

"Whatever, man." Booker lightly scraped his front teeth over her bottom lip. "Judy? Are you still…"

"What'd I just say?" Hanson frowned. "If you're that hard up for some advice I'll tell you what." He grabbed the step above him again before placing his foot on the one below him while Mack moved his head side to side and waited for his turn to exit. "Stop screwing her!"

"Screwing who?" Kip kicked his head back in shock.

Blowfish whipped his body around to look at Judy with a mixed expression of puzzlement and shock. "You're sleeping with Booker?"

"NO!" Judy, Hanson, Booker and Penhall shouted in unison.

"Wait a minute" Judy threw her index finger up. "After all of this drama we're going through for you." She squinted through disappointment filled eyes. "You had sex with her!"

"You know, I don't understand you two." Booker flattened his right hand on his right thigh while shifting his weight to it. "You give me crap for bringing home girls from the club to get back at Jackie….Now you're giving me crap for sleeping with the woman I married!" He widened his arms while shrugging. "Everyone's marriage can't be as perfect as yours!….What the hell do you want from me?"

"I want you to get your shit together Booker!" Fresh air rushed up Hanson's nose and over his face as he emerged from underneath the street. "We're all putting our asses on the line for you and it's like you don't even care!"

"I do care!" Booker shouted as he bolted to his feet.

"You don't!" Hanson held his hand out to help Mack out as he watched his head pop out of the hole. "All you care about is yourself!"

"That's not fair Hanson!" Booker's heart was beating out of his chest as he teetered between guilt and frustration with Hanson telling him what he can't do. He jabbed his thumb into his chest. "I'm doing this for Evan!"

Hanson slid the manhole cover back into its original position. "Then tell me that you were thinking about Evan earlier when you…"

"He'd love to see his parents back together." Booker quickly answered.

"Not when they're serving more people than McDonald's!" Hanson sped walked across the busy street with the caution horses until he reached the van.

"Whatever Tommy….I don't need your shit right now." Booker yanked the earpiece out of his ear and threw it on the bed before quickly stripping back down and going into the shower to join Jackie.

Judy ran to the back of the van and opened it up when she heard Hanson banging on the back door. "Don't you think that was a little harsh?" She stepped back to allow them to put the caution horses back into the van.

"No" Hanson coldly replied as he met his eyes with hers. "If he gets back with her while she's still with the Senator…In a few months, we'll be back in the same situation we're in now." His tone softened. "Baby, the operation's different but the mission's the same." He pointed towards the floor. "History's repeating itself right now."

"Hey Sal," Mack hopped into the passenger side seat and waved his hand toward the windshield. "Drop me off at the house."

Sal and Mack talked about baseball until Sal dropped Mack at his house first. Tom and Judy sat in silence in the back of the van the entire ride home. "Thanks Blow" Hanson shook Blowfish's hand before opening the back of the van and jumping out.

"Thanks Sal" Judy smiled while handing her black leather laptop bag to Hanson.

"We're still on for poker this weekend right?" Sal's eyebrows peeked over the rim of his thin black frames.

"Yeah" Hanson smiled as he helped Judy out of the van. "Tell Rose 'hi' for us." Sal nodded before Hanson slammed the door shut. He tossed his arm over Judy's shoulder as he turned her around to walk to the front door of their house. "What's on your mind?"

"What do you mean?" She wrapped her arm around his lower back while watching the sidewalk disappear underneath their feet.

"You haven't said a word since Booker went radio silent." They stopped in front of the front door and he shoved his hand inside his jeans pocket and dug for his key. She pulled her earpiece out of her ear as he opened the door for her. She strolled into the living room and he followed her. "Jude, talk to me." He sat her bag and his backpack down on the floor next to the door.

She smiled as she sauntered over to him and slid her forearm over his collarbone until her fingers traced the outside of his ear. She gently pulled the earpiece from his ear and turned it off as she gazed into his beautiful chocolate eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too." He looked at her in bewilderment.

"I don't think this is the night for this." Judy honestly stated knowing he wouldn't agree.

He licked his lips and lowered his brows. "Why not?"

"Between Booker, Jackie, Rico and the Senator," She inhaled deeply before letting it out. "I don't think you're in the zone for this right now. You're too emotional."

His eyes swept over her face for a second before he scoffed. "I'm going to take a shower." He brushed by her on his way to the hallway leading to their bedroom. "You can join me or... you can shower in the other bathroom." He pulled his sweater off without breaking his stride.

She closed her eyes and sighed before following him into the hallway. "Tom!"

"I don't wanna talk about it." He glanced at her standing in the doorway as he pulled his belt out of the loops.

"Okay" Judy crossed her arms as she watched him strip down to his boxers.

He seductively sized her up and down. "Do you need me to help you get out of those?"

"Nope" She lifted a brow while tilting her head to the side.

He dropped his head and sighed before looking back at her. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I said okay" She nonchalantly shrugged while standing firm.

"Okay" He huffed as he dropped his boxers and walked into the bathroom alone. She pinched the bridge of her nose in thought.

"Jude!" He called out to her from the running shower.

A coy smile spread across her face as she entered the bathroom. "Yes?"

He jerked the shower curtain open. "Come here" He sweetly requested as she noticed the beads of water glistening off the defined muscle tone of his chest, his arms and the small ripples of his abs through the steam, his wet gold and brown hair was slicked back by the water that soaked it and that intoxicating, sexy smile made him harder to resist.

She placed her hands at the bottom of her sweater as if she were about to pull it over her head. "You ready to talk?"

He bit his bottom lip as his eyes roamed the curves of her body and the softness of her lips. "You know this is blackmail."

"Black woman" She smiled as she pulled her sweater over her head.

"Cute." He smirked as he stood at attention watching her strip. "Now, get in here."

She stepped into the shower and closed the curtain as he slipped his arm around her waist while walking her backwards into the water allowing it to rain over her from her head to her toes. She tilted her head back and let the water run down the length of her brown hair as his mouth seductively covered her chin. "Mmmm….You're not ready."

"Don't doubt me." He pulled her closer as he stepped back moving her away from the water raining down over her hair. He watched as she smoothed the water away from her face and over her hair. "I need you on my side." He kissed her full lips. "I need you to have faith in me." He kissed her a few seconds longer. "I need you to believe in me, like I believe in you."

"I believe in you, I have faith in you, and you know I always have your back no matter what." She massaged her fingers into his lower back as he combed his fingers through his hair. "I'm just worried that they're throwing you off your game."

"Baby, listen to me" He cupped her face as he looked into her eyes. "The fear of losing my life the way my father did… it's still there, so I'm careful…. It's not easy, but I'm focused….I gotta be…for you and for our children." He kissed her forehead before staring into her big brown eyes while his hand floated down her cheek, her neck, and then her chest. "My goals are to wrap this case as fast as possible, make it to the twin's birthday party in one piece, and then grow old and grey with you." A small grin spread across his face as his hand arrived at the small of her back. "Listen, I know I can't keep you from worrying about me any more than you can stop me from worrying about you, but I want you to know" He moved his thumb back and forth over her cheek so lightly that it felt like a feather. "You're going to be stuck with me for a long time."

A bright smile graced her face. "I hope so." She parted his lips with hers and kissed him like she'd never see him again.

Mack pulled his tuxedo jacket shut as he walked over to the passenger side door of the smoky grey four door luxury sedan. He opened the door and held his hand out for Felicia to take. Her foot, adorned in a silver high heeled shoe landed on the red carpet that led to the entry of the convention center's banquet hall before he completely helped her out of the car. She wore a long clingy shimmery silver evening gown that looked great against her sun kissed skin. She accessorized her gown with her small black clutch, the diamond tennis bracelet that Mack gave her for their anniversary and the diamond earrings she received from a previous relationship. Luckily, Mack never questioned the origin of them because they were spectacular and she would hate to retire them. Her short black hair was in a sophisticated blunt cut that complimented her face. "Miss Alexander." The night's security guard checking the invitations tipped his head to her before looking at Mack. "And?" He waited for Mack to answer.

"Plus one" Mack smiled.

"No, I meant your name sir?" He asked as he skimmed the list for Felicia's date's name.

"Yes, thank you." Mack smiled proudly as he linked his arm with Felicia and strolled past the security guard.

"Sweetie" Felicia smiled and nodded to each person they passed. "Please don't get me fired for this."

"Just trust me." He quietly reassured her as he placed his hand on the small of her back when she stopped to talk to a state representative.

They finally entered the lavish white and gold themed banquet hall. The large gold and crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the domed ball room immediately caught Mack's eye, but he tried not to seem too taken by it. He scanned the tables draped in white table clothes, gold table runners, and gold trimmed cracked glass hurricane vases filled with various white floral arrangements in the center of each table. The speaker's podium was set up on the stage overlooking the banquet tables and the dance floor was set up to the right of the speaker's area. The band was set up on a different stage overlooking the dance floor. They played a rendition of 'Moonlight Serenade' as people started mingling upon arrival. Mack continued to scan the room for exits with Felicia right by his side. "They placed name plates on the tables, sweetie….Help me look for my name…plus one." She giggled as she nudged Mack.

He spotted Jackie and Booker walking in to the room. "The couple of the evening has arrived." He mentioned in a soft tone.

Doug sat in the driver's side seat of Hanson's car in a parking lot a few blocks away from the convention center. "Roger that"

"Roger that?" Hanson smirked as he tied his bow tie. His freshly dyed golden blonde locks were brushed back into a ponytail that Judy braided for him. He sported a blonde mustache and black framed glasses.

"Ten four good buddy." Penhall laughed as he and Hanson traded amused expressions.

"Wait a minute." Mack stuck his hand inside the pockets of his tuxedo pants as he leaned over to speak next to Felicia's ear. "Rico's here."

Harry sat in the passenger side seat of Fuller's car which was parked several blocks away from the convention center. "Inside?"

Tom frowned in curiosity. "How the hell did he get inside?"

"Maybe Anthony hooked him up with an invite." Penhall shrugged. "You know…Keep your enemies close and your drug runners and assassins closer?"

"I see him." Fuller answered from his and Margaret's seat at the table on the opposite side of the room from where Mack and Felicia were. "McCann? Will he recognize you?"

"I honestly don't know. He had Hanson and Penhall followed for a couple of weeks when they started working for him again." Mack kissed Felicia's cheek when he spotted the Senator coming. "Stay here, sweetheart and I'll get us something to drink." He spun on his heels and went into the opposite direction.

"Be careful Mack," Fuller leaned in close to Margaret and spoke next to her ear. "I don't want you to burn your cover."

"Felicia!" The tall, brooding, handsome young Senator announced with a welcoming smile as he reached out to hold her hand. "So, nice to see you this evening."

"The feeling is mutual Senator." Felicia smiled back while peering into his bedroom eyes. "How are you?"

He lifted her hand and sweetly kissed the back of it. "Better now that I've seen how beautiful you look tonight." He was an attractive charming man on the outside, but his occasional lack of concern for the feelings of others made him a target of ridicule among his peers and most recently, his constituency.

"Thank you so much. You are too kind." Felicia's stomach churned in disgust from the moment his lips touched her hand, but she continued to smile, as if his flattery meant something to her.

"Who's the gentleman that you were with?" He glanced around in an attempt to spot Mack. "I only saw the back of his head when he left your side, and I want to know who I'm up against." He playfully teased.

It took every ounce of Mack's restraint to stay away from her. "If he tries anything, I'm going to kill him and make it look like an accident."

Felicia covered his mouth and coughed to mask her brief laugh. "Oh," She glanced around in sync with the Senator's movements. "His name is…" She flirtatiously placed her hand on his chest. "I'm glad you're here, because I've wanted to get a moment alone with you for quite some time now."

He eagerly raised a brow. "You have?"

"Of course," She linked her arm around his. "I wanted to talk to you about this proposal I'm pushing to advance our city's efforts for a cleaner environment."

"I'd rather talk about you and I." He touched her face.

"Wonderful," She placed her hand on top of his and brought it down. "So, I think you and I could work together on the environmental proposal…." She tucked her hair behind her ear letting Mack know the coast was clear as she walked the Senator to the dance floor.

"Alright, get out of here." Fuller smiled as he stared into Margret's eyes.

"I'm not leaving her with that parasite." Mack put the champagne glass to his lips. "Besides, too many people have seen us together, and Rico's babysitting the entrance."

"We knew Rico would be here, so what's the problem?" Judy asked as she strolled down the red carpet on Kip's arm. She wore a red gown that flowed down to her strappy red high heels. Red sequences lined the long slit that started mid-thigh and continued down to the end of the gown. The sequences also lined the creases that the dress created as it gathered at her bust line before thinning out into a rhinestone strap which circled her neck before spreading out down her back until it met the rest of the red fabric just above the small of her back. She donned an auburn wig that stopped at the middle of her neck. It was bone straight with subtle layers cut to frame her face while allowing her to hide under the bangs that swept over the side of her face.

"He wasn't supposed to be inside." Hanson poked the needle part of the syringe into a bottle of clear liquid. "I knew he'd show up outside,..But, I really didn't think they'd let him in." He shook his head as he filled the syringe. "Just be careful and I'll be in there in a minute." Tom placed the protected cap over the needle. "Mack, we gotta get you out of there. The Senator's hitting on your woman so, he's going to want to know who you are before the night's over. Rico's there and they all know each other…You cover's as good as blown, Mack. It's time to abort."

"How?" Mack placed a bacon and smoked mozzarella wrapped shrimp to his lips. "Judy just passed Rico at the entrance without him doing a double-take and he's not budging." He turned his attention to Felicia and the Senator waltzing on the dance floor. "The Senator's at the next possible exit that I could take for a quiet exit and the other exits are attached to alarms that are turned on."

"I'll take care of Rico." Hanson checked his clip. "He's waiting on me. The only reason he's there is to make sure Booker dies."

A thought occurred to Doug as his head snapped in Hanson's direction. "You don't think he'd…"

Hanson's eyes widened. "Awe sh…"

"Keep your eye on Booker." Penhall quickly started to the car and sped out of the parking lot.