Bobby POV

Tuesday night was a repeat of Monday night with a few notable exceptions.

We weren't overly exhausted, which was a nice change. We had all gotten good sleep the previous night, so we felt more on our game.

We didn't go to McNally's because I was afraid that if Ross knew enough about us to track us down there then possibly Frankie could, too. So instead we went to a similar place about ten blocks over.

And we found a table for six instead of a booth for four. Ross and Rodgers wanted to join us for the update-slash-brainstorm session. And considering that it was Alex's life on the line, I was more than happy to have two more brains in the mix.

Right now, no one liked the way things were progressing. Or rather, not progressing.

We had spent all of Tuesday trying to track down Frankie Moretti. It was frustrating that we couldn't find him because I knew he wasn't that damn smart.

"So any luck with your Irish mob pals?" I asked Mike after the waitress took our orders. Rodgers' eyebrows shot up, but she kept her mouth shut. I guess Ross hadn't filled her in on everything that had happened in Boston.

"No. And I talked to the big man himself. No one's heard from the little bastard. He's keeping a low profile."

"And the rooftop was clean, too," Carolyn added. "CSU told us where he would've been sitting, but there was nothing left behind."

"I don't remember him being this good," I commented. "I wonder who his cell mate was at Sussex."

"You think he picked up some tips?" Ross asked.

"Maybe."

"I'll check it out in the morning," he promised.

"What about the money trail?" Alex asked him. He shook his head.

"I can't find any sign of money being moved around. Candi has none to speak of and Stoat's accounts were frozen when he went to prison. Of course, there's always the club money."

"I'm sure that will be harder to track," Carolyn commented. "There's a lot of cash floating around in a place like that."

"Alex and I went to Sing Sing today, but we struck out with Frankie's old carjacking buddy," I told them. "He didn't have any idea where Frankie would hide out. And I got the feeling that he'd really like to know. I sensed a little bitterness about the fact that he was still behind bars while Frankie was free to commit more crimes."

We were all quiet for a minute while the waitress set down our drinks.

"How'd your check-up go this morning?" Alex asked Mike.

"He was late," Liz spoke up. "But he'll live."

"I said I was sorry for that," Mike told her sheepishly. "We overslept."

"I can't imagine why," Liz said sarcastically. "You guys probably haven't had a full night's sleep in a week, have you?"

"Sounds about right," Carolyn said. "Anyway, Mike has to take it easy for a few more days. Rodgers says no excessive physical activity."

"I'm fine," he insisted. He leaned in and whispered in her ear something that sounded like, you didn't mind the physical activity last night.

"We hadn't talked to Liz then," she replied, although she didn't seem worried about keeping her voice down. And then she pinned him with a look.

"No chasing suspects," she told him. She looked around the table at the rest of us. "He's not getting as much oxygen as he should. So if Frankie takes off running, then one of us has to catch him."

Mike leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes. I knew he was frustrated with the limited-duty diagnosis, but it was understandable. And I didn't think for a second it would stop him from doing whatever needed to be done.

"So this thing is going to be in the paper tomorrow, right?" I asked Ross.

"Front page news," he replied. "I called in a favor from a friend at the Post. He's running a big article on it."

"Oh, that's just great," Alex muttered. "I need to call my parents before that thing hits the stands."

"I would tell them to stay away," I suggested. "I know they'll want to be there, but…"

"I know. They'll be fine with it once I tell them it's just a set-up."

"Alex, we're using this as a set-up because it's convenient, but you earned that medal. It doesn't have an asterisk beside it," Ross said. She just shrugged and took a drink. I knew it still embarrassed her to be recognized for what she'd done.

"Hey, did you guys try texting Candi from Stoat's cell?" Mike asked suddenly.

"She didn't reply. She must have figured that we had it. I tried texting dirty to her and everything," Alex said.

"You were sexting?" Mike asked, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"I was trying to get her to respond," she countered. "Oh, and don't even try to pretend that you've never done it."

Alex had just been teasing him, so I was really surprised to see Carolyn blush at the mention of the sexting.

"Anything you want to share?" I asked her, taking the opportunity to keep things light.

We were hitting dead end after dead end, and it was obvious that this thing was going to come to a head on Thursday. It wasn't going to do any of us any good if we were on pins and needles until then.

We could afford to relax a little. We hadn't been followed today. We were in a restaurant that we hadn't been to in months. There was no way Frankie was on our tail right now, so we had to get rid of some of the tension.

"I'll share my phone if you'll share yours," she countered smartly.

And she got me with that one. My mind flashed to any one of dozens of dirty messages I had sent to Alex recently.

I was saved from formulating a reply by Mike's ringing phone. He pulled it out and gave it a quick glance.

"It's Shane O'Connor."

"The Shane O'Connor?" Liz asked with surprise. "The Irish mob boss out of Boston?"

I nodded and then watched Mike intently while he spoke with O'Connor.

"Should I ask why he has Mike's cell phone number?" she whispered. Ross patted her on the arm and shook his head.

"It's a long story," he told her.

"What is it?" I asked when Mike hung up.

"Frankie's asking for help. It seems he's frustrated that he can't find his target," he told us with a wry grin. "He's been propositioning some of the Westies. He wants them to help him find you," he added with a nod to Alex. "They reported it back to O'Connor."

"Propositioning with what?" Ross asked.

"Twenty percent of the contract, which is apparently going to be twenty grand."

"Stoat is willing to pay a hundred grand to have me killed?" Alex asked in surprise, and I was right there with her on that. That was a lot of damn money.

She got quiet after Mike's answering nod. See, this was why I didn't like sitting in chairs instead of a booth. I couldn't get as close to Alex as I would've liked. In a booth, I could feel her leg pressed against mine. I liked how I could feel her muscles tighten or relax based on the topic of conversation. I missed that link with her. I wanted to know what was going through her mind at a time like this.

So instead, I put my hand on the table, palm up. She looked at me and I could see the worry in her eyes, but she put her hand in mine. And our connection was back.

"A hundred grand is a lot to pay for a hit," Ross said. His gaze was focused on our clasped hands for a moment, but then he brought his eyes up to mine. He seemed to be finally coming around to the idea that our relationship wasn't a shot at him.

"The stripping business must pay well," Liz commented calmly.

"Stripping and drugs," Carolyn remarked. "Never discount the value of a nice little side business of coke dealing."

"So what did O'Connor say?" I asked Mike.

"He's ordered everyone to stay clear of it."

"So if Frankie's getting desperate enough to call his former enemies…" I began.

"Then it sounds like the article in the paper is going to be perfect timing," Alex finished.

---------

Two hours later, we left the restaurant and headed for the hotel. Alex decided to call her dad on the way, so she actually handed me the keys.

She put him on speaker phone, but didn't mention it to him and I just kept quiet.

"Alex, I'm glad you called," he said. "I've been wanting to talk to you, but I know how busy you are."

"What's going on?" she asked him. As she talked to him, she scooted across the seat and snuggled up against me.

"Your mother and I felt bad about dinner the other night."

"Dad," she interrupted. "It's fine. Really."

"No, we shouldn't have brought up Joe in front of Bobby. That was rude."

She sighed heavily and ran her free hand along my thigh.

"It's not that it was rude," she countered quietly. "It's that you had misinformation."

"Honey, I understand that you don't want Bobby to feel threatened by Joe's memory. It's only natural that you would downplay the feelings that you had for him."

She sat up quickly at that remark, and I knew she was getting mad. This conversation was going out of control in a hurry. I reached across and grabbed her hand.

It's okay, I mouthed. I held her gaze for as long as I dared while driving. I didn't want her to think his comment had bothered me.

"Dad, I called to tell you that there's going to be an article in tomorrow's paper about me. I'm going to be receiving a medal on Thursday."

"Honey, that's great!"

"It's not a big deal. Really. We're using it as a set-up to catch this guy…"

"It's not for real?"

"It is," she admitted. "But it would probably be a good idea if you don't come."

"You don't want me there?"

And the conversation went downhill from there. Her dad was a nice guy, really. But he didn't understand Alex. Maybe he had at one time. Maybe that was what was frustrating for both of them. But somewhere along the line, she had changed.

"You okay?" I asked her as we walked through the lobby of the hotel. Their conversation had lasted the entire drive.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry for the things that he said. You know it's not true."

"About Joe?"

"Yeah. I'm not downplaying my feelings. I've been honest with you."

"I never doubted you for a second," I assured her as we got on the elevator.

"Really?" she asked in surprise. And I didn't blame her. I was a little surprised myself.

"Really," I replied as I pulled her up against me. She leaned into me, resting fully against my chest.

"Are you sure? Because I thought maybe I should show you exactly how it is that I feel about you," she said quietly as she ran her hands across my backside. "You know, just so there was no question."

"Are you coming on to me?" I asked her innocently. She gave me a beautiful smile, and I was glad that she had relaxed.

The elevator opened at our floor. She backed away from me slowly, keeping her hands in mine, and I followed her off the elevator.

"Maybe," she replied coyly. "Is it working?"

"Always."

I quickly swiped the keycard and let us into the room before locking up behind us. Because I'm a little bit paranoid, I made a quick check of the suite just to be sure that we were alone, but then I shook off detective-mode.

"I was thinking about making use of the tub," Alex told me.

She said this in a casual tone, as though her words weren't going to send me into overdrive.

She wandered in the direction of the bathroom, shedding clothes as she went. I heard the water turn on, and then she came back into the main room.

I was rooted to the spot. It didn't seem to matter how many times I had seen her naked. I always wanted to take a moment to appreciate the sight.

"It looks plenty big enough for two," she offered.

"Are you coming?" she asked when I still didn't move.

"I'm trying to make sure I'm not dreaming," I admitted with a smile. "This is straight out of one of my favorite fantasies."

She approached me and slowly began removing my clothes. I shut my eyes and stood still, enjoying her seduction.

"You're not dreaming. But tell me about your fantasy. I'll make it come true."

TBC...