The Long Game
Part 6
Author's Note: This one is the longest chapter yet, because I basically need to work through a busy weekend for them. The last bit is, by far, my favorite because I can totally picture the ridiculousness of it in my head so I hope you can as well! Please leave a review.
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Don Ressler sat in the living room of their apartment and finalized the plans for a romantic weekend away that was going to be anything but romantic.
"Did you get the ticket I sent?" Don asked as soon as she picked up.
"Yeah," she said.
"I'll see you at the airport?" Don asked, half expecting that she was going to refuse.
After the incident with her husband, she'd taken a couple of days and told him she was not coming to the apartment for the rest of the week. He knew she was going through stuff with Tom and Reddington, but the professional in him wondered about her level of professionalism.
"Yeah," she said.
"Am I to expect one-word answers for the entire weekend?" Don asked.
She sighed.
"No," she said softly. "I'm sorry. I'm just…"
"I know," he said into the receiver.
"Look, you can relax by a pool, get some sunshine, get a lot of sleep, and come back in better form," Don said. "I'm looking forward to the R & R myself."
He could sense her smiling on the other side of the line.
"And about Tom…" Don said. "I'm glad you were wrong."
"I am too," she said softly.
He disconnected the call and grabbed his bag locking the apartment on his way out.
When he got in the elevator the woman with the baby in the stroller was there.
"Nice day for a walk," he said as he looked down at the baby.
"The fresh air tires her out," she smiled at Don.
"It tires us all out," Don chuckled.
"You and your wife? Are new in the building," she smiled at him.
"Yeah, I'm Don," he said as he held out a hand. "My wife is Liz."
"Katie," she smiled. "My partner is Mark. You like your place?"
"We do," Don smiled at her. "It's a nice neighborhood."
"Great for a family, if that's what your thinking," the woman smiled at him as they exited the elevator.
Don chuckled. "Maybe in a few years, right now we like the freedom to get away. This weekend we're down in Puerto Rico."
"Nice," she smiled at him.
"I thought I'd surprise her," Don said bashfully.
"My partner and I used to do things like that," she said wistfully as they walked from the building.
"Yeah, but this is also fun," Don said as he nodded toward the gurgling baby. "I hope we have that too."
She smiled at Don and they went in different directions.
"Have fun!" She called over her shoulder.
"Thanks, have a great weekend!" Don called back to her.
Six hours later Don and Liz were looking around the room that had been booked for them at a quaint boutique hotel in the historic district of San Juan.
"This is sweet," Liz said as she walked out onto the balcony and looked down at the small café across the street with soft music emanating from it.
"It's smaller than it looked online," Don said as he looked at the room. "There was supposed to be a sofa bed."
"Well unless that chair turns into one, there isn't," Liz said.
"I'll go to the front desk and…" Don said as he dropped his bag and started for the door.
"It's fine," Liz called over her shoulder. "How do you explain the need for a sofa bed on a romantic weekend away with your wife?"
Don stopped with his hand on the door knob. She was right.
"I could say I just expected there to be more seating…" Don said as he turned to look at her.
She shrugged.
He walked toward her on the balcony and leaned against the railing next to her looking out at the small cobblestone street and the couples walking past.
"One of the arms dealers frequents that café," Don said as he nodded toward it. "Reddington will…"
"Please don't say his name," Liz said as she dropped her head slightly.
"Liz, I know you don't like our working relationship with him, but he's vital to this undercover operation," Don said. "He's going to introduce us to…"
"Yeah, yeah," she said as she turned and kissed him suddenly.
It caught him off guard and it took him a moment to react to her passionate kiss, but when he finally did, Don leaned into the kiss and heard a cat call from down below, causing them to pull apart.
Don looked down, his face red, and waved at the man and Liz turned and walked inside their room.
"I'm thinking I want a dip in the pool before dinner, you?" Liz asked him.
Don cleared his throat and though about what was involuntarily happening below his waist.
"I'm going to shower and change while you swim," he said as he continued to lean on the railing and will everything to calm down.
Liz nodded and pulled out her bathing suit and went to the washroom to change while he continued to look at the happy couples on the street. It seemed like all of San Juan was in love this weekend and he was here faking it.
Two hours later, they were walking hand in hand toward a restaurant where they were meeting Reddington. Don could sense Liz getting more and more anxious as they walked and he tried to calm her nerves.
"Have you ever been to San Juan?" Don asked.
"I've never been to Puerto Rico," she admitted. "Tom and I went to St Thomas once…but that's it for anything Caribbean."
"I'll have to show you around," Don said.
"You've been here?" Liz asked.
"Audrey and I came twice," Don admitted. "The first time we did all the tourist stuff, the second we were more beach."
"You stayed at the same place?" Liz asked.
"No," Don said, thinking of the small hotel across the old town that they stayed at the first time and the beach resort the second. He had looked up the hotel he and Audrey had stayed at, it had switched hands and didn't look like it had been kept up anymore.
"How long were you two together?" Liz asked.
"Five years," Don said, not meeting her eyes. "We were engaged."
"I'm sorry," Liz said, knowing something had happened to break it off, because he was not engaged or married to Audrey.
"It's for the best," Don said solemnly.
"Did you choose San Juan as the spot we'd meet our first target?" Liz asked.
"No, Reddington did," Don said.
Liz nodded, in all likelihood the manipulative bastard had known Don's history and chosen this purposefully.
"Well, I'll play tourist tomorrow with you," Liz smiled at him. "You show me San Juan."
Don smiled at her effort to lighten the mood.
They arrived at The Parrot Club and were shown to a lovely table on the patio that was isolated from others.
"He's supposed to meet us here?" Liz asked Don.
Don pulled out her chair and tucked her in before he sat down as well.
"He is," Don said.
A waiter arrived with two drinks.
"We didn't order," Don said to him.
"The gentleman you are meeting will be a little late," he said as he put the drinks in front of them. "He has pre-ordered the menu and we will wait for him to arrive to serve but I will send out some appetizers."
Don and Liz nodded and looked at the cocktails in front of them.
"Leave it to him to be polite in his rudeness," Liz said.
Don placed his arm across the back of her chair and leaned into her. "Play nice with him."
Liz sighed and took a drink.
"How's Tom?" Don asked quietly.
"Amazingly, he's forgiven me," Liz said with a smile. "I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot," Don said. "You had a lot of evidence that clearly indicated that there was something wrong."
"And I also had two years of marriage to the man to tell me he couldn't be that person," Liz whispered as she met his eyes. "I didn't trust myself."
Don nodded and took her hand in his and played with her fingers, rolling them between his and looking at the wedding ring that he had chosen from lockup for her. It was very different from the one that she legitimately wore as someone else's wife. Tom's was a solitaire and a plain band. His was a ring of diamonds that wound around her finger.
"He has a way of getting under your skin," he said softly. "He studies people and looks for their weaknesses. He's a criminal Liz, and as much as he's working with us, he's also trying to manipulate us."
Liz nodded and met his eyes, her fingers wrapping around his and giving his a squeeze.
The waiter arrived with some appetizers and placed them on the table before them.
"What are those?" Liz asked.
"Pretty sure those are a plantain," Don said pointing to the flat pancake-like food. "And those are Railenos…like meat and potatoes but better."
Liz picked up the ball of potato and meat with a fork and placed it on her plate cutting into it.
Don picked up a plantain with his fingers and dipped it in the sauce before munching down.
"This is good!" Liz said.
"Yeah, the islands know how to play with flavor," Don said as he reached for his drink.
They happily ate and chatted about food until Reddington arrived.
"I apologize for my tardiness," Reddington said as he joined them at their table.
"Thanks for the drinks," Don said politely as he felt Liz stiffen next to him.
Reddington studied Liz and looked toward Don.
"It looks like I'll be relying on you Donald for the conversation this evening," he said as he reached for a plantain.
"How about you tell us when we are meeting the dealer," Liz said as she leaned forward.
"Lizzie, you are jumping to the main course prematurely," Reddington said. "How's your little hovel of a hotel?"
"It's lovely, actually," Liz said, some edge to her voice.
"The coastal hotels have more amenities, but Donald wouldn't allow me to make the arrangements," Reddington said as he eyed the man. "Wanted you all to himself, I think?"
"I knew we'd never get away from you if I agreed to those conditions," Don said annoyed.
"Whatever his reason, I am sure you don't have the view you could have had, or the Swedish massage that…"
"Get to the point," Liz said with a smile.
The waiter arrived with the main course.
"I took the liberty of ordering us Pernil," Reddington said as the small hams were placed in front of each of them. "So tender you can pull it apart with a fork."
Don reached for his fork, it was so tender it fell apart. He knew the fat on the ham was going to clog his arteries, but it was so delicious he didn't care.
"Puerto Rico has a beautiful history," Reddington said as he watched the two of them eat. "Donald, you've been here before?"
Don tried not to grind his teeth.
"Yeah, a couple of times," Don said.
Liz looked at his pained expression and knew that was exactly what Reddington was hoping to see.
"Have you spent a lot of time here?" She asked.
Reddington shifted his attention to her, surprised she had engaged him in conversation willingly.
"I spent six months here once," Reddington said. "Then hurricane season hit and I decided it was time to leave. It's no fun when the waves are crashing in and everyone is batting down the hatches. I went to Argentina for a while after that."
"I remember tracking you there," Don said. "We had lost you for a few months. You were here?"
Reddington nodded.
"Have you come back since?" Liz asked, trying to keep the focus off Don so Reddington didn't bait him with his failed engagement.
"For business," Reddington said as he ate. "Rarely for pleasure."
They ate in silence for another few minutes before Reddington spoke again.
"Your contact is Diego Jerkins," Reddington said.
"Odd name," Don said.
"Yes, his mother is Puerto Rican and his father a Brit," Reddington said.
"And we're meeting him?" Liz asked.
"You are going to his club tomorrow night so you can be assessed by him," Reddington said.
"Assessed?" Liz asked.
"He thinks, like all arms dealers, that he can read people," Reddington said. "He wants to read you two."
Don and Liz exchanged looks.
"I'm to invite you to join me there, and you're not supposed to know that he's going to be watching you carefully to see if you are the type of people he wants to do business with," Reddington said.
Don shifted in his seat.
"What will he be looking for?" Don asked.
"Like many Latinos, he'll be looking for a certain level of protectiveness for Lizzie, good manners, good dancing…which I think isn't a problem for you Donald, is it?" Reddington said.
Liz looked at Don confused.
"What else?" Don asked.
"Traditional behaviour," Reddington said. "Lizzie should pick your clothes for the night, she should order your food, make sure you are managed."
Liz took a deep breath, she felt like they were falling back into the 1950's. They continued to eat their lovely entrée while Reddington explained some more family history of this organization.
"Will he or his people speak with us?" Don asked as the entrée plates were being taken away.
"Unlikely," Reddington said. "This is just a look-see."
"When will we actually do business with them?" Don asked.
"When he has had enough of a look," Reddington said as the waiter arrived with the flan for dessert.
"This weekend?" Liz asked.
"Probably not," Reddington said. "But now we have a wonderful reason to vacation here again. You must agree to stay at the resort I am…"
"We're good," Liz said as he pushed away her flan.
Don sat back and joined her in protest. They were both done with Reddington tonight.
"The custard is something you don't want to miss," Reddington said as he dug into his.
"What's the name of the club?" Liz asked leaning in.
Reddington sighed, they were not making this enjoyable.
"If this is about Tom…" he started.
"I am not speaking with you about him," Liz said through gritted teeth.
"You can choose to believe the easier lie or…"
"We're done here," Don said as he stood and pulled Liz's chair back.
"Getting protective already, Donald?" Reddington asked as Liz stood and turned to Don.
"I just think the conversation has dried up," Don said as he grabbed Liz's sweater off her chair. "Text me the club name."
Don took her by the hand and walked with her from the restaurant.
They were half a block away before either spoke.
"You don't have to take his crap for a case," Don said. "Work is work but he's making it personal."
"He makes everything personal with me," Liz said her breath short to indicate her level of overwhelm.
"The Bureau is not going to pay for us to keep coming back here so this dude can check us out," Don said.
Liz nodded.
When they got back to the hotel, both of their moods had soured. Liz got a shower and got into bed and Don sat on the balcony until he was sure she was asleep before he pulled on some shorts and crawled into the bed as far away from her as possible.
In the morning she was up and out of the room before he woke up and returned with some pastries and coffees that they had for breakfast before he played tour guide for the day, taking her to all of the historic spots, walking along the waterfront, and all places in between. Both of their moods improved as the day progressed, and at 11pm that night they were walking into Bajo.
Liz was dressed in a fitted green dress with spaghetti straps and Don was wearing a jacket and pants with a shirt, but no tie and his suit was more casual than dressy. They were on the VIP list and immediately found table to sit at and chat. They knew the roles they needed to play so Don held chairs and doors for Liz, stood or sat protectively by her at all times, and Liz spent a lot of time whispering into his ear and touching his chest and laughing.
The music was loud and the place crowded so it was easy to pretend to talk, to be close to each other, and to look like they were happy. Don pulled Liz onto the dance floor for a few dances and she laughed and told him she had no idea he could dance. He told her that his aunt owned a dance studio and he'd worked for her for years. She followed his dance instruction well and pretty soon was salsa dancing with him with ease and enjoying herself. Don noted some security around the room with ear pieces and also saw a man upstairs in what appeared to be a lounge watching them as they danced. It was hard to tell with the strobe lights and the dark edges in the room, but he was probably Diego Jenkins.
By two am they were tired and had danced, drank, nuzzled, and handled each other enough to put on a good show. Don was just about to suggest they leave when he saw Reddington appear in the corner of his sight line as Liz was laughing about a joke he made.
Reddington nodded for them to come and Don kissed Liz on the forehead. "Showtime."
Liz nodded and he led her carefully through the crowd and toward Reddington who walked ahead of them up some stairs and into another area of the club.
"My all-American couple," Diego Jenkins said as he smiled at them in greeting.
Don nodded.
"Red says you are the perfect people to move my merchandise into the hands of some interested buyers?" Diego asked.
"We have a client list," Don said as he reached into his jacket. "Just paper." He said when he saw the body guards reach for their guns.
They relaxed and Don pulled out a paper and handed it to Diego. It had numbers of clients in major cities with their purchasing power but not names of specific clients.
"We can move 20 000 units the first six months and 35 000 the next six," Don said Diego looked at his numbers.
"And you have a reliable supply chain?" Diego asked.
Liz nodded. "We've been building it for years."
Diego dropped the paper on the desk in front of him and gestured for them to take a seat.
"How did you get into this business?" Diego asked.
"My family," Liz said. "You heard of the Kennsington Gang?"
Diego's brow furrowed. Everyone had heard of the gang that had been wiped out by a bomb strategically placed by another rival gang.
"You're the child?" Diego asked, knowing there were rumors that one child had survived.
Liz nodded.
Diego sat back, suddenly realizing that his all-American couple consisted of one well-hidden sole surviving member of a notorious gang.
"I was fourteen," Liz said.
Diego nodded.
"I like you both," he said concluding the meeting and standing. He had good instincts and his instincts were telling him they would make him a wealthy man. Now that he knew more of her history, he was sure of it.
"We're happy to do business with you," Don said with a smile as he also stood and pulled out Liz's chair for her to stand as well.
"Thank you for making this connection Reddington," Diego smiled at his friend.
"They have been good business partners for me, and I'm a firm believer in sharing," Reddington said as he eyed Don carefully. "Just like you Diego, I like to listen to my instincts."
Don knew Reddington was trying to tell him something, but he wasn't quite sure what.
Liz pulled a burner phone from her purse and handed it to Diego. "I will text you details for the drop and payment details so you can verify the money has been transferred."
Diego took the phone from her and smiled.
Don shook his hand and nodded.
He escorted Liz from the room, and they left the club taking a cab back to the hotel. The entire ride he turned what Reddington said over and over in his head. Then it came to him just as they pulled up out front.
Don whispered. "Bugs." In Liz's ear as they walked through the lobby and she knew they needed to keep up the act.
They got to their room and covertly looked around while they spoke about their plans for tomorrow, and she made a call to wire transfer money to the fake account the FBI had set up. He found no bugs on their bodies on their clothes but there was one that had been placed in their room while they were out.
Don found one bug in the bedroom and no cameras. He nodded to the location of the bug on their bedside table and shook his head in the negative that they couldn't let down their guard. He swirled his finger in a circular motion and shook his head, indicating there were no cameras, so that was one saving grace.
"The transfer is complete?" Don asked Liz as his mind worked, thinking they could possibly spill a drink on the bug, but that would look suspicious.
"Yes," Liz said as she watched him trying to figure out a way around the bug.
"Good," Don said as he looked toward the water glasses in the room trying to think of a plausible reason to take out the bug.
"I'll call him in the morning," Liz said, kicking off her heels and dropping them with a loud clunk on the floor. "The plane will be fueled and ready?"
"Of course," Don said as he watched Liz walk toward him trying not to laugh.
His brow furrowed and she leaned in and picked up his arm and started to kiss it loudly.
He realized what she was doing and took her arm as well and started to make sloppy kissing noises as she moaned and started to unzip her dress.
Don averted his eyes and let her climb into the bed and under the covers while he continued to make humming noises and heavy breathing sounds.
He dropped his pants to the floor loudly and put his knee on the bed making it creak as she took her own arm and started to kiss it. He squeaked the bed a few times and she gasped. He then stood at the end of the bed gently pushing it up against the wall slowly. She moaned. He could tell she was trying not to laugh but let out a squeak.
"I know you're ticklish, right there," Don said in a sultry voice and she was allowed to giggle for a couple of minutes before she got things back under control. He pushed the bed against the wall quicker and quicker until she let out a loud moan and then he gasped with her and then all the motion stopped.
Liz sat in the bed, the covers pulled up to cover her chest and looked at him wide eyed. They had successfully replicated sex, not the best sex, but sex nonetheless, without hardly touching each other beyond their arms.
"God, I love you," Don said, not meeting her eyes as he climbed up on the bed and settled into it away from her.
"I love you too babe," Liz said as she scooted down and laid her head on a pillow.
Don tried to calm his breathing; fake sex was almost as much work as real sex.
He lay on his back staring at the ceiling when he felt Liz's hand reach over and grab his and squeeze it reassuringly. He squeezed back and they fell both fell asleep just like that.
To be continued….