Bobby POV
It was after ten when we finally got back home.
It had been a long day, much longer than I'd anticipated when we left the house this morning, but in our line of work that was often the case.
Our trip to Hemmings' apartment had proved fruitless.
No one was home.
We'd sat on it for an hour before I convinced Alex that since we'd already been accused of B&E what would one more hurt?
So she'd picked the lock in astonishingly little time and we'd gone inside.
But we'd found essentially nothing.
We found no proof of who lived in the apartment.
No personal effects.
There was no mail lying around, no identifying papers or documents.
It almost seemed like an apartment model, one that would be used for showing to potential renters.
Except that there were clothes in the closets. Women's clothes in one room and men's clothes in the other.
And food in the kitchen.
Although, most of the provisions were in the freezer or in the cabinet, which might indicate that someone didn't spend a lot of time in the apartment. There was no fresh fruit or vegetables, no milk or bread. Nothing with an impending expiration date.
"It's almost like a safe house," Alex commented as we prowled through the darkness.
And that was an interesting thought.
It made me think that maybe we ought to call Mary to gain some insight.
Tomorrow.
For tonight, I was just ready to turn off my brain.
Nothing was vital.
Nothing was pressing.
Mike and Carolyn were home.
Lupo and Bernard had made contact with the CCPD and were planning a trip to Maryland tomorrow.
So for now, it was time to relax.
"Cathy should be home soon," Alex said when we entered our dark, quiet apartment.
"She was getting off at ten?"
"That's what she said," she replied with a shrug.
And I knew what she was thinking. It was a good thing that Travis was still behind bars. Otherwise the whole shift might have been a ruse.
But since we knew for a fact that he was, we hadn't felt the need to follow up.
We were trying to trust her to do what she was supposed to do and then come home.
"So," I said as I took off my coat and hung it on the rack. "How long do you think we have before she gets here?"
"I don't know," she replied with a grin. "At least thirty minutes. Why? What did you have in mind?"
"It would be nice to not have to worry about how much noise I'm making," I said as I continued toward her. "Besides, you owe me."
"Really?" she teased as she backed into the wall between the kitchen and the hall. "Are you sure?"
"Oh, I'm sure," I said. I put my hands on the wall, one on either side of her head, and then I leaned down and captured her lips.
It was strangely arousing to have the place to ourselves again, even though Cathy had really only been staying with us for about forty-eight hours.
Of course, it could just be Alex herself who was getting me hot and bothered. I guess that is what happened the other three hundred and sixty-three days out of the year.
"What do I owe you?" she asked huskily when I released her lips and reached for the hem of her sweater.
"I believe the terms were the sexual favor of my choice," I reminded her. I pulled the sweater off of her, along with the shirt she'd been wearing underneath.
"And your choice would be…" she offered coyly.
Ah, decisions, decisions.
And it was tough to think when she was unbuckling my belt, but I forced my brain into action.
"You know what I'd really like?" I asked her.
"Tell me," she said as she whipped the belt from the loops and then went to work on the zipper.
But the words froze on my lips at the sound of a knock on the door.
"Are you kidding me?" she muttered as she bent down to retrieve her sweater.
My belt was halfway down the hall, so I ignored it and headed for the door. I glanced back to make sure that she was dressed again, and then I looked through the peephole.
And then I stepped back as though I'd been burned.
"It's your dad," I whispered harshly.
And for some reason, I felt like I was about sixteen and I'd been busted with my girlfriend at her parents' house.
"Bobby, relax," she told me as she crossed the room and met me at the door. "We're married. You're allowed to be here."
"I know," I insisted, although I could feel the heat in my face and a stutter coming on.
I did not need to be off my game around Johnny.
Not only that, but why was he here?
And what would happen if Cathy came home while he was still here?
"Alex," I said, putting my hand on her arm as she unlocked the deadbolt.
"Relax," she said again.
Then she opened the door.
"Hi, Dad," she said cheerfully. "This is unexpected. Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine, sweetheart. Can't I visit my daughter from time to time without needing a reason?"
"Of course," she said, opening the door further to let him in.
"Hello, Mr. Eames," I said, holding out my hand to him.
"Are we backtracking, Bobby? Didn't you call me Johnny last week at the poker game when you swindled me out of all of my money?"
How in the world was I supposed to respond to that? It was a compliment and a shot all in one.
"Um…no. I think I called you sir."
Johnny barked out a laugh and nodded his head.
"That you did," he conceded. "You always did have good manners."
I decided to just keep my mouth shut and wait to see what this visit was all about.
We'd been planning to invite him over, but we hadn't yet. This was the first time he'd seen our place since he'd picked it out for us. And yet it was after ten on a Saturday night.
Something was definitely up.
"Have a seat, Dad," Alex said, waving him into the living room.
He walked past me, and I don't know if he actually did or not, but I would swear that he took note of my missing belt.
I needed to get to it before he asked to use the bathroom or something because if he saw it lying in the hallway, then he would know.
And while he probably had a good idea that I was having sex with his daughter, I really didn't want him to have that kind of proof that he'd nearly caught us in the act.
"So what's going on? How's Mom?" Alex asked when the three of us sat down in the living room.
The two of them were on the couch and I was in the recliner.
"She's fine. She misses you. She told me to ask if you two could come to dinner next weekend."
"We'll see what we can do," Alex agreed. "Right, Bobby?"
"Of course," I said.
"Good," Johnny said, nodding his head. I held my breath and waited for the low blow that was sure to come.
I mean, I liked the man.
I did.
He had raised Alex to be a strong, independent woman who didn't have to rely on anyone but herself.
The fact that she enjoyed being with me was a matter of choice rather than the idea that she felt like she needed a man in her life.
It made our relationship all that much more gratifying to me and for that, to him I was appreciative.
But still…the man did not care for me.
He felt adversarial toward me for some reason, and it didn't seem to matter what I said or did, I was just never quite up to snuff.
"So," Johnny said loudly. "Bobby. What's going on with Cathy?"
"Sir?" I asked after an extended pause.
"Dad," Alex began.
"No, Alex. I asked Bobby," he said, turning his gaze back to me. "A friend of mine saw the two of you today. You were driving, which I know you never do, and Cathy was in the car with you, and my friend said that the conversation looked very…personal. So I want you to tell me right now, in front of Alex. What's going on with you and Cathy?"
Oh my God.
This was worse than I thought.
He really thought that I was cheating on Alex with her sister? He was insane.
"Nothing," I said lamely.
How in the world was I going to explain this without spilling the beans?
To say I was in a full-on panic would be a complete understatement.
"Nothing? That's it?"
"Dad," Alex said again.
"No, Alex," Johnny said, getting up from the couch. "This man has charmed you into marrying him, he's derailed your career, he keeps you in danger on a daily basis, so much so that your mother and I hardly ever get to see you, and now he's going to disrespect you by carrying on with your sister? No. Absolutely not. It ends right here, right now. Bobby, you need to be a man and admit to what you've done."
"Dad!" Alex yelled as she jumped to her feet. She was livid and I was more than halfway there myself. The only thing keeping me from being completely enraged was shock and disbelief. He really thought so little of me?
"Alex, I'm not messing around here. I want you to sit down and…"
I'd heard enough when I realized where he was going. I got to my feet and jabbed my finger in his direction.
"Mr. Eames!" I said loudly, interrupting his directive to Alex. "With all due respect sir, you don't know what in the hell you're talking about. I drove Cathy to work today because she needed a ride."
"Why in the world would she ask you?" he yelled back.
"Because I'm staying with them, Dad. Leave Bobby alone."
I looked over Johnny's shoulder and saw Cathy standing in the doorway.
"Cathy?"
"You knew I left Steve," she said as she walked into the room. "And well, I left Travis, too. I came here Thursday night. Alex and Bobby are letting me stay here until I get my life in order."
"You're…you're…living here?"
"Temporarily," she said as she gave him a rough kiss on the cheek. Then she looked at me, her eyes filled with apology. "Ignore him, Bobby."
"I don't understand," Johnny mumbled.
"Well, let me lay it out for you, Dad," Alex said. And boy, was she hot. "You just accused my husband of cheating on me with my own sister simply because he gave her a ride to work. God, Dad, really? You think Joe walked on water, and he was the cheater. Bobby would never do anything like that, but yet you're quick to throw him to the wolves. What is wrong with you? Why can't you see that he's good for me, and that he loves me?"
"She's right, Dad," Cathy added.
I felt a surge of emotion at the idea that she was going to stand up for me.
"You don't know what goes on behind closed doors," Cathy continued. "No one does. If Alex says that Joe was a jerk, well…she would know. And really, why would she speak ill of the dead unless it was true? Have you ever known Alex to mince words about anyone?"
"Ah…no," Johnny admitted slowly.
"I'm not now, either," Alex said. "Bobby didn't have to charm me into marrying him. I wanted to. Even before he wanted to. And as for our jobs…we each made our own decision. We just happened to make the same one.
"And maybe I don't spend as much time with my family as I should, but you make it pretty hard for me to want to, don't you think? When every time I come to see you, you put the man I love through the wringer? What kind of incentive is that for me to come to family dinners, huh? I even told him not to invite you to the poker games, because that's a rare chance for him to relax and enjoy himself with friends. But he insisted. And do you know why? Because it's important for him to get you to like him. But not for him. For me. Because he loves me that much."
I watched as Johnny stood with his mouth open and his eyes wide, the assault coming from both of his daughters.
"I'm…I…I don't know what to say."
"Start with I'm sorry and work from there," Cathy said smartly. "In fact, I'll do it, too. Alex, I'm sorry," she said. "You, too, Bobby. I'm sorry."
She stepped up next to Alex and gave her a hug and then walked over to me. I wrapped my arms around her, still mindful of her bruised ribs, and whispered quietly into her ear.
"Thank you," I told her.
For apologizing to Alex.
For standing up to Johnny.
For apparently accepting responsibility.
It was a breakthrough night.
Almost.
I let go of Cathy, and the three of us looked expectantly at Johnny.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Bobby," he said after what felt like an eternity. I held out my hand to him, and he shook it stiffly. "I'm sorry I rushed to judgment about you," he added.
And there it was. An apology from Johnny Eames.
And here was my whole breakthrough night.
It was one for the record books.
And after the overly sentimental moment was over, we all looked at each other, and I offered to go into the kitchen to get everyone a drink.
The others sat down on the couch, and as I left the room, I heard Johnny ask Cathy a question.
"So, why are you living here?
I didn't wait to hear her response. Instead, I slipped down the hall and grabbed my belt. I tossed it into the bedroom and then went back to the kitchen for the drinks.
I'm much rather have been collecting on my bet right about now, but otherwise, as evenings went, this one was shaping up to be pretty good.
And I'd catch Alex on that bet later.
TBC...
