A/N: Thank you, thank you to Caranath, zenfrodo, max2013, ILoveMom, Stork Hardy, BurnedSpy, Leya, Jackie, Future Animator, Vinsmouse and bhar for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Thanks also to those reading!
Chapter 28
Joe entered the living room of the suite and caught Emily's gaze. He made a slight gesture toward her room with his head.
She gave a tiny nod, moved away from the other girls, and hurried down the hallway.
Joe came up behind her just as she reached her door.
"Can you go down to the hotel library and wait there for me?" he asked. "I need to make sure Kathy is kept busy and then I'll follow you."
"There's a library here?"
"Yeah, on the first floor. Down the hall from the restaurant. I don't know if many people are even aware of it. It has large wooden double doors."
"Sure."
"And while you're waiting, could you check and see if they have some maps of Europe? With the latitude and longitude designations labeled on them?"
Emily raised her eyebrows. "Will you be explaining all of this to me?"
"When I get there." He winked. "After I kiss you senseless."
Emily smiled. "I'm on my way."
Joe waited in the hallway as she brushed past him and headed toward the front door, slipping out quietly before anyone noticed she'd gone.
He hoped the library had the maps, because he wanted to get both of these cases wrapped up as soon as possible.
After the week he'd spent with Kathy, he needed a vacation.
Desperately.
OOOoooOOO
"Nan and I are going out for a walk around town," Frank announced to Bess, Lauren and Tammy, who were gathered around the television watching an American movie.
"Have fun." Bess smiled. "St. Sylvie is a very romantic place."
"Especially with the right guy." Lauren gave a dreamy sigh as she looked at Frank.
Frank chuckled. Lauren still seemed to be harboring a bit of a crush on him.
"Hey Nan, maybe you two should hit that fondue restaurant we went to with Lars and his friends," Bess called out. "That was so good."
Frank turned to Nancy. "When did you go to a restaurant with those guys?"
If he recalled, they were the ones who escorted Nancy and Emily to the winter ball. The ones who looked like models. Body building models. With Olympic gold medals.
Nancy glared at Bess who was obviously trying not to laugh. "Oh, right after we got here. We needed them for cover."
So right after Nancy got here, she went on a date. With an Olympic skier who moonlighted as a model. He didn't like that. At all.
Frank cocked an eyebrow at Nancy and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I don't think you have room to talk, Mr. 'I took two teeny boppers to the prom for cover,'" Nancy whispered. "Especially when one of them is clearly in love with you."
Two giggly, gangly, teenagers were not in the same league as one overly muscular, overly pretty Olympian, with an Italian accent, in Frank's book. Not even close.
"That's hardly the same thing."
Nancy rolled her eyes and pushed him gently toward the door.
"Come on honey, we have a lot to see and not much daylight left. We'll argue about this later."
OOOoooOOO
Joe approached Simone as she left Kathy's bedroom. "How is she?"
"She's asleep right now. The drugs have finally hit her, I think."
Joe nodded. "Good. I'm going to leave for a little while. I need to try and work on some leads on this stalker. Go interview some people downstairs."
Simone looked at her watch. "Fine. She asked me to tell you to please be here when she wakes up. She says her head hurts less when you're around."
"And mine hurts more," he muttered.
"I'll be in my room if you need me," Simone announced as she walked past him.
Joe turned slightly to watch her.
What on earth are you hiding behind that cold, efficient mask you've always got on?
OOOoooOOO
Kathy peered through a crack in her doorway to observe what was going on in the suite. She'd pocketed the pain pill Simone had given her, knowing she'd never learn anything Joe didn't want her to know without doing some investigating of her own.
She'd seen Joe follow Emily down the hallway to her bedroom door. And then Emily left the suite in an awful big hurry.
Why was he talking to her and not me? I'm hurt as badly as she is. What is it about her?
Kathy leaned her ear against the door as she heard Joe announce that he was leaving to do some investigating. Maybe Emily was helping him, and she was just pretending to work with Nancy to throw off suspicion. Kathy had to find out.
She fumed as she heard Bess and her friends still chatting around the television. Why wouldn't they leave?
She glanced around her room and her gaze landed on the private line phone she'd requested in her bedroom. She didn't want that pain in the ass, Louis, listening in on any of her conversations and reporting them back to her father. Imagine if he'd heard her arranging for someone to bonk her on the head.
She walked over to the phone and hastily dialed the other extension in the living room. Tammy answered.
"Yes, this is the front desk," Kathy said in a disguised voice with a well-practiced French accent. "I have a message for the young American mademoiselles.
"Oh?" Tammy replied.
"Another of our guests, Matteo D'Amico, has requested that you meet him downstairs in the lobby. He tried to get through to you from his room, but we've been having some trouble with the phones."
"Really? When does he want to meet us?"
"Right away, I believe. He is waiting in the lounge."
"Tell him we'll be down there in two minutes." Tammy hung up the phone.
Kathy smiled as she heard the excited squeals emanating from the living room.
"I need to get ready," Lauren called out.
Kathy panicked for a moment and rushed to jump back in bed.
"No, don't go in there," Tammy spoke up. "You might wake her up."
"We can use my room," Bess said. "I have enough hair products and makeup for ten people."
Kathy sighed with relief as she heard the girls voices fade. She quickly slipped out of her bedroom, shutting the door tightly behind her, and exited the suite.
OOOoooOOO
Emily found the hotel library easily and stepped inside. It was wood paneled and cozy. Bookshelves jutted out in a perpendicular fashion from the walls for the entire length of the space, with a break in the middle of the room for lots of upholstered chairs and couches to sit on. A large stone fireplace burned brightly against one wall, and Emily thought the whole place looked very inviting.
It was also deserted.
She began browsing through the bookshelves, finding mostly popular novels and some reference books on the area. Finally, on a large table under an equally large window, at the far end of the library, she found the maps. She opened a drawer and pulled out several of Europe and one of Switzerland, France, and Germany.
She spread them on the table and waited there for Joe.
OOOoooOOO
Kathy hurried down to the lobby hoping to locate Joe somewhere in the building.
She took the stairs for speed, and in order to avoid detection. Ignoring the pounding in her head, she exited the stairwell in a rear hallway.
Quietly moving forward, she realized she was by the restaurant. She went to turn the corner, but saw Joe and jumped back.
He was headed in her direction, but he paused in front of a large set of double doors.
Looking both ways, he quickly opened one of the doors and disappeared inside.
OOOoooOOO
Joe found Emily standing in front of a long table covered with maps. He rushed over to her, drawing her up against his chest.
"I've missed you so much."
She giggled. "Joe, you've seen me every day this week."
"Not the same thing."
She slipped her arms around his neck as he buried his face in her hair, inhaling the fresh scent of her shampoo.
"It's killing me to be in the same room with you and not touch you. Especially when you're hurting so badly." He kissed her along her jaw. "I'm sorry, baby."
"Don't apologize, Joe. You were just doing your job. I understand."
Emily tilted her head, allowing him easier access to her neck. He took full advantage. He smiled when she shivered as his mouth moved over her skin, warm and tender.
"But I did miss this," she murmured. "How close are you to solving your case?"
He chuckled and raised his head. "Very. We think we can have it wrapped up in a day or two."
"Do you still need me to help? You mentioned that before."
He shook his head. "Things have changed. I don't want to do that anymore. It might be dangerous."
Emily's eyes clouded. "I don't like that word."
He bent his forehead so that it was touching hers.
"I'll be fine. Besides, I don't want to talk about the case right now. In fact, I don't want to talk at all."
He brought his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly, gently coaxing her mouth open so he could deepen the kiss. He groaned as he tasted her, tightening his hold around her waist, pulling her close until she melted against him.
His world shrank down to just the two of them.
OOOoooOOO
Kathy approached the now closed doors she'd seen Joe enter just moments ago. She opened one very slowly, careful not to make a sound.
Slipping inside, she moved behind a set of bookshelves.
She heard nothing.
Kathy continued to walk further into the room, pausing between each stack to see if she could spot Joe.
As she neared the other side of the room, she saw him.
And in his arms, kissing him passionately, was Emily Clark.
