What If? Part 5
Author's Note: So, I have been writing a Keenler fic for four chapters and they haven't even spoken to each other...Let me know what you think.
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Ressler had arrived in Canada with Shayla and a few others only a few hours ago and they were making their way across Nova Scotia to their destination; a destination he had not been made privy to. And, when he got the three texts from Reddington in the car, texts that looked like they were from his mother, he started to panic and wanted to be desperately back in the USA.
"Your mom get her cat back?" Shayla asked as she watched him check his phone again.
"No," Ressler said as he closed his phone.
"Don't worry Ethan," Shayla said as she placed a hand on his knee. "Cats take off all the time and come home. All of my cats growing up were outdoor cats."
"You lived on a farm," he smiled at her. "This is Chicago."
"More cars there," Hugh said in the back seat.
"Yeah," Ressler said as he looked out the passenger window of the truck.
The cat was Liz. She had somehow gone missing. But Ressler wasn't sure from Reddington's texts about a cat if she chose to go missing, if Tom was in the picture, or if she was taken. He wanted to call his 'mother' and find out but couldn't talk with Reddington on the phone with everyone in close quarters in the car. So instead, he asked if there were any signs of how the cat got out, if there was anyone who saw the cat in her neighborhood, if she had people looking for the cat...
"What was that stupid cat name again?" Mel asked.
"Cindy Clawford," Ressler said.
The two men in the back seat started to laugh.
"Ethan, it's just a cat," Shayla said, sounding a little annoyed he was so distracted.
"Yeah, but she was really lonely after my dad died and I bought Cindy for her to keep her company. She's really attached. I may need to go back and..." he said, thinking of an excuse to leave.
"Uh babe, that's not happening," she said clearly. "You wanted to come so you're here."
He nodded and gave her a small smile. "I know it's just a stupid cat. I just worry..."
She gave him a soft smile.
"You love your mom and I get it," she said quietly. "But this is your chance to show them what you're made of. You need your head in this game."
He nodded and swallowed hard. There was no way he was going to be able to leave to find Liz. He was stuck somewhere in Nova Scotia for how long, he wasn't sure. He had to trust that Reddington could figure out the Liz situation while he got closer and closer to Kirk to keep her safe. If anything, he may hear more here. Kirk was obsessed with her so, Ressler hoped, they would hear more about Liz.
Shayla's phone dinged and she picked it up. Ressler reached over and held the wheel while she checked her messages and smiled.
"We're good," she said, throwing her phone back down and taking the wheel again from him.
"Good for?" Ressler asked.
"The delivery has arrived and we're only 15 minutes out," Shayla said. "It's all gone as planned."
Ressler nodded. They had a load of guns hidden in the truck so there must have been some other delivery they were meeting up with. He knew not to ask too many questions; Shayla kept Kirk's cards close to her chest and was wary of anyone who asked too many questions and just didn't blindly follow orders.
They pulled onto a property with a long driveway, a barn in the distance, and a large house in the middle. There were a few foot soldiers standing around as guards, and a Mercedes parked in the driveway; a tell-tale sign Kirk was there. They pulled up to the barn and got their gear, taking it into a bunkhouse and dropping their bags on random wire cots. The accommodations looked sparse and not nearly as nice as the rooms they had at the compound.
Shayla picked up Ressler's bag, threw it over her shoulder and walked toward a door. He followed her, curious, and watched her open the door to what looked like a one-room apartment.
"Remember you are here for more than being a guard," Shayla smiled at him as she dropped his bag next to her bed.
"Your quarters are far nicer than out there," he said as he placed a hand on her hip and pulled her toward him.
"I spend a lot of time here," Shayla said as she tucked her hands into the back pockets of his jeans.
Ressler looked around the room. There was a double bed, dresser, small sink with coffee maker and toaster, a closet and a door which, he imagined, lead to a washroom.
"I like being the boss' bitch," he chuckled.
"Kirk's the boss and I'm his bitch so that makes you..."
"A guard," Ressler chuckled.
She laughed with him and leaned in and kissed him softly.
"Later tonight," she said as she pulled back. "Right now, there's work..."
He sighed and she pulled away from him and walked toward the door to go back through the bunkhouse.
"Should I stay here or...?"
"No, I think they need to sort out duty," Shayla said as she walked ahead of him.
They entered the main house and walked down several halls before they got to a large room. Mel was saying he'd take the first shift and that Ethan could have the second when Ressler noted Alexander Kirk walking out of a nearby room and shutting the door behind him.
Mel gestured for Ressler and Hugh to follow him and walked into the room Kirk had left. Shayla went with Kirk to another room and Ressler walked into the place they would be guarding wondering what merchandise had arrived that needed so much attention.
When he saw the dark hair on the pillow and the body frame he knew well, except this one was carrying a 6-month-old, he realized what the merchandise was and why his mom's cat was missing. He had to stop her name from passing over his lips when he realized who it was.
"She's on some drugs so I'll take her sleeping and you get her when she wakes up pissed," Mel chuckled. "Congratulations, you've been promoted!"
Mel laughed and Ressler tried to peel his eyes away from Liz so he didn't look like the man who was not only her partner but her friend and the man who had feelings for her that he liked to dismiss.
"See you in 6 hours," Mel said, waving the men off.
Ressler went back to his shared room with Shayla and tried not to look upset or pace. Kirk had kidnapped Liz and he needed to get word to Reddington without any message on his phone looking suspicious.
He texted: I bet Cindy is with the captain. You may want to check out his new place.
He threw his phone down on the bed and ran his hand through his hair. He finally laid down-it took him a couple of hours to fall asleep; his mind was reeling with ways he could get Liz out of this. Ressler was woken by Shayla looking for some action before he started his shift. An hour after that, he was arriving to his shift, freshly showered from his time with Shayla and thinking of ways he could get Liz to not act as if she knew him.
He walked into the room to relieve Mel to discover that Liz had woken up already and was standing across the room looking out a window with her back to him and Mel.
"I hope she's less crazy with you," Mel sighed as he slapped Ressler on the back.
Liz turned at the words spoken and a look of shock came across her face, then she went pale and grabbed onto the window edge.
"Hi ma'am I'm Ethan McGraw and I'll be keeping you safe for the next shift," Ressler said, stepping forward and seeing his friend, the woman he cared deeply about, discover that he was not only alive but had a different name and was part of the organization that kidnapped her.
To be continued...