Part 2...
1835 EDT
Outside Victor's Apartment...
"So you'll wait up for me?" Victor asked with a smile as he cupped
Austin's face in his hand. She'd pulled on one of his USMC sweatshirts over her
denim overall shorts and washed off the light makeup she'd been wearing. She
looked sweet and young, much younger than 32. The last thing he wanted to do
was leave right now.
"When are you planning on coming home Gunnery Sergeant?" Austin
demanded in a mock angry tone.
"I'm thinking I don't want to leave," Victor answered his voice a low
rumble in his throat.
"I'll be here when you get home silly man...now go," Austin giggled
pushing him away just as he ducked his head to kiss her neck.
"Man, and I thought the Admiral was a hard ass," Victor chuckled as
he walked to his car.
Austin leaned in the open door watching as Victor slid into his car smiling as
he waved at her before pulling out into the light traffic. She stood for
several more seconds in the humid air watching as his tail lights
disappeared before turning to go back inside.
She pulled the door shut and secured the lock, being sure the deadbolt was
engaged as well. Austin had forgotten that one evening when she was cooking
dinner for Victor at his place before he came home from work and he'd given her
a vehement lecture on safety. She still thought he was being paranoid, but
Austin turned the deadbolt anyway. It wasn't worth an argument.
Wandering into the living room Austin flopped on the sofa lifting the remote
just as another current stories report came on ZNN.
"Driving on the Beltway is becoming hazardous for good samaritans. There
have been a rash of muggings lately-"
"Oh goody...more doom and gloom," Austin groaned flipping through to
CMT.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1840 EDT
McMurphy's
Clayton Webb opened the door to the popular hangout surprised not to see one
face he recognized. Not that it bothered him, he wasn't here for companionship.
His only interest was to meet with Galindez and go home.
He ordered a seltzer and carried it with him to a corner table far from
the door, but with a good view of it. He'd be able to see anyone who came in
long before they saw him, an old force of habit though this assignment was
hardly something someone would want to kill him over. Webb mused over the case
as he sipped the seltzer, something more had to be up with the assignment than
he'd been told if the CIA was looking into muggings. That was more of a DC
police or FBI problem as far as he was concerned.
And working with Galindez...he'd seen the Gunny at JAG Ops enough, he seemed
efficient as hell. Efficient was good, but Webb could have done without the
snarling and belligerence from the Marine. The Gunnery Sergeant would never
have treated Chegwidden like that...or Mac or Rabb either for that matter. If
his sources of information were correct though Galindez was going to be good on
this one: once he got over being dragged away from his girlfriend that was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1845 EDT
On the Beltway
"Should've said no," Victor grumbled to himself
for the thousandth time since he had driven away watching Austin standing in
the doorway.
She's good for you Vic, He could hear his sister Maria's voice echoing
in his head. His mother had been amazed and pleased at how happy he'd looked
when he'd come home. She'd urged him to get Austin to come for a visit, and
Victor had asked, but he'd not forced the issue when she'd said no. He didn't
know if he was quite ready for that next step either.
Bringing Austin home to meet his family was as good as an admission that she
was the one for him. After a month's time he certainly felt that was true, but
the relationship was still new, Austin was still pretty much a mystery to him.
There was no sense in rushing into anything.
Realizing his thoughts had strayed far from the road in front of him, Victor
firmly brought his attention back to the present. He noticed flashing tail
lights in the breakdown lane about a hundred yards ahead and turned on his
directional light. Nothing worse than being stuck on the Beltway with car
trouble, you could stand for hours without having anyone stop and offer to
help.
Not that it was safe to stop and help people, but Victor was pretty confident
in his ability to protect himself. If Austin ever did something like this he'd
probably wring her neck, but she was a woman and not trained in hand-to-hand
combat like he was.
"Need some help?" He called opening his door and standing behind it
while he waited for a response.
"God yeah...damn thing just started losing power when I pulled on here. I
got it into the breakdown lane and then it died completely. I've been here for
like an hour or more," A flustered looking man commented coming around
from the front of the car.
"Let me take a look for you...it could be something simple," Victor
offered. The guy looked harmless. If anything he looked like he was on the
verge of tears.
"I'd really like that. It's creepy out here at night."
"Guess so," Victor looked around himself and shrugged. It wasn't
creepy...just dark. He walked around to the guy's side peering under the hood
touching wires and connections to see if any felt loose.
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