Shay neared the driveway of her father's home in time to see a vehicle she did not recognize pull away. He had begun dating his next-door neighbor a few months prior, a charming widowed woman with a loving disposition. However, the vehicle did not belong to her. The occupant of the vehicle was a woman, or a man with long blonde hair. She was too far away and at such an angle that Shay could not get a clear look at her.
Shay pulled up to the house and was immediately met by Thomas Renquist opening her car door. "Hey Dad," she greeted. "Wanna help me un-strap the munchkins and get them inside? I'm running late."
Thomas laughed and opened the back door and helped LJ out of his car seat. After LJ was safely out of the Blazer he removed Ariel from hers and held her in his arms. Shay cradled Zack tenderly and flung his diaper bag over her shoulder. "Dad...who was that I saw leaving a few minutes ago?" she asked as they walked toward the house.
"No one important, kiddo. Just an old friend," he replied elusively.
Shay frowned, but did not press. As the former Director of the CIA, her father had more secrets than she cared to count. She was positive she did not want to know them, either. She felt much the same with her husband's past. If he chose to share it with her, so be it, but she never pried.
--
Two hours of waiting in traffic or waiting at the lawyer's had Donovan's mood foul. The only good thing that happened was the lawyer giving him the papers acknowledging that the annulment had gone through and his marriage to Shay was legal. That would be a load off both of them. It had been a constant strain from the moment Daphne had strode into the nest.
He was still about twenty minutes away from the nest. Deciding to check in, he flipped open his cell phone and speed dialed the office.
"Yo!"
"Yo? What the hell kind of way is that to answer the phone?"
"Hey Boss. You're the one who told me no more quips when answering the phone."
Donovan groaned audibly. Cody would never grow up. "Got held up in traffic. I should be there in about twenty."
"That's cool. Jake and Alex are shootin' hoops waiting on you."
"Is Shay nearby?"
"Ummm...she's not with you?" Cody asked worriedly.
Frank's brow rose in surprise. "No, we took separate cars. She took the kids to her dad's and then was coming in to work."
"Maybe she had a doctor's appointment or something."
"No. No...I'll call Thomas to make sure she dropped the kids off. Call her cell, find out where she is."
"I'm on it."
Frank speed dialed his father-in-law and received the answering machine. He left a message for Thomas to call him. He snapped the phone shut and took the next turn and slammed the brakes on just before hitting the barricade that lined the street.
"What the..." There was no indication of work being done on the streets or sewers. Cars lined either side of the street, the drivers honking their horns and cussing at the nonexistent hold up of their busy day.
His worry for his missing wife spurred his impatience. He unfastened his seatbelt, pushed the door open and slid out of the car. Just as he exited, he heard the windshield crack and something thud into the headrest of the driver's seat. Without hesitation he dropped to the ground and drew both guns from his shoulder holster. Closing the car door, he inched forward far enough to peer over the hood and with his eyes, he followed the path the bullet would have taken and inspected the rooftops intently. Nothing.
He heard sirens closing in and knew the police were on their way. Donovan waited, deciding it would be smarter to play it safe rather than go searching for the shooter without backup.
--
"Thought you said twenty minutes?" Cody quipped when Donovan finally arrived at the nest.
Donovan sat down heavily in the chair at the briefing table. "Well, sorry. I hadn't planned on being shot at."
"WHAT!?" Cody, Alex and Jake all exclaimed in unison.
He ignored their outcry. "Cody...where's Shay?"
Cody bit his lip. "I....don't know. She didn't answer her phone."
The outside door opening and closing brought their attention to Shay who had just entered.
"Hey!" She greeted. When no one responded, but just stared at her, she said, "What?"
"You're late," Frank stated harshly. He had been worried out of his mind. "Where the hell have you been?"
Shay blinked hard and glanced around the room. "Well, excuse me, Mister Short Term Memory. Your Blazer needed a tune-up...remember? I took it in to the shop...ring a bell?"
Frank searched his memory. For the life of him he could not remember her making an appointment to take his car into the dealership. He did remember them talking about needing to get it done. "No, I don't remember."
Shay shrugged and slapped down the copy of the bill and receipt from the dealership. "Well, that's where I was."
Frank frowned and rubbed his forehead. He was getting one hell of a full-blown headache. "I really don't remember, Shay. Did you write the appointment down?"
"Did I miss something? What's with the third degree?" She asked while walking to her desk and tossing her purse down.
"Maybe in all the excitement, you just lost that piece of information," Jake suggested.
"What excitement?" Shay asked, returning to the table.
Frank opened his mouth to respond but it was not his voice that answered.
"Someone was using the Boss for target practice this morning," Cody quipped.
Frank stood as Shay approached him and caught her hands when she started to inspect him for wounds. "I'm fine. The only damage was done to the windshield and headrest of your car. I had to get a rental while the police have it impounded for evidence."
"Screw the damn car, Donovan!" she cried and hugged him fiercely. She knew he was uncomfortable with showing affection in front of co-workers, but, under the circumstances, she did not give a damn. She kissed his neck and ear softly and whispered, "You could have been killed." Her breath caught in her throat as the tears welled in her eyes. "I...can't breathe."
"Shhhhh," he shushed her and stroked her hair softly. He nodded to the others when they moved toward the break room to give Frank a moment with his wife. He pressed his lips to her forehead in a tender kiss. "Well, we're just full of frights this morning, aren't we?"
"This isn't funny," she snapped. "I'm sorry...just the thought of something happening to you..."
"Hmmm...seems I was thinking the same thing when I couldn't find you. Why didn't you answer your phone?"
Shay dug into the pocket of her green suit dress and pulled out her phone. "Forgot to charge the battery," she said sheepishly.
"Way to go, Donovan," he replied and kissed the tip of her nose. "Well, I'm glad you're okay."
"Sorry for the scare, Tiger." She pulled away from him and gave his hand one last squeeze.
"Okay, so what's the scoop, Frank?" Alex said when Frank and Shay entered the break room.
"What can I tell you? No evidence was found on the rooftops. The slug removed from the headrest was from a high caliber rifle. They're trying to ID the slug and doing the routine check of the local gun shops. Cody, you can do some checking on that."
"Who's got it in for you enough to take a shot at you," Jake questioned. When Frank shot him a 'you've got to be kidding me' look, he said. "It was rhetorical."
"Sounds like we've got our work cut out for us," Alex commented.
"More than you know," Frank replied under his breath. If they had been able to hack into his files, they would know just how impossible it was going to be to narrow down the number of people who might want him dead.
Shay stood with Jake, leaning against the counter. She accepted the cup of coffee he handed her as she watched Frank intently. His face was a mask of utter blankness, uncaring and unfeeling. Only when his eyes locked onto hers could she read his fear. A fear that ran far deeper than the fear of losing one's life.
"No!" Shay shouted suddenly.
All eyes turned in her direction. No one had been speaking. "No what, Shay?" Jake asked, frowning.
Frank sighed and lowered his eyes slightly. She was getting far too good at reading his thoughts. "It's for the best, Shay."
She sat her cup in the sink and moved to the seat next to him, gently covering his hand with hers. "Don't say it. I won't do it."
He turned his hand over and grasped hers firmly but lovingly. "The children, Mrs. Donovan. You and the children are worth more than my life. If someone is after me, and we don't know that for sure, then there is no way I will allow my family to be in the line of fire."
Jake almost smirked when Shay's brow arched. It was the patented Donovan brow lift. With Frank it was a 'you dare to question me' kind of thing. With Shay it was more of a 'you talkin' to me?' attitude. If it were not for the seriousness of the situation, he might find himself laughing out loud. But this was serious and he waited for Shay's response and hoped Frank did not wind up needing an ambulance by the time she was finished with him.
"YOU won't allow?! YOU! For the love of Pete..." She was so angry she could barely form a sentence.
"Don't get all defensive, Agent Donovan," Frank began in his 'boss' tone.
That irritated her further. "And don't you get all bossy, Agent Donovan," she replied harshly while at the same time poking his chest with her forefinger. "My husband is in there somewhere...and I want to talk to him," she demanded.
Frank grabbed her hand to keep her from poking a hole through his chest. "Baby." He spoke softly, trying to calm her and make her see reason. "Do you want to take the chance? Do you want the babies put in danger if there's another attempt?"
"No," she whispered, bowing her head slightly. The last thing she would ever want is any harm to come to their children. "But..."
"No, buts, Ash. I think it would be best if you take the kids to Dad's for awhile."
Shay nodded. She could not bear to look at him. He would know she had no intention of leaving him, even for a short while. Yes, she would take the children to her father's, but she would stay at her husband's side.
************
To be continued...