"Alex thinks what?" Frankie cried in disbelief. "That's...preposterous."
Jake nodded and voiced his agreement, but Frank sat stoically silent. Shay's reaction to the monitor that day had astounded him. No, he did not believe his wife wanted to harm him, but whatever caught her attention in that monitor turned her ice-cold. He would be lying if he said it did not bother him.
"Look...I know it's a lot to ask, but if you can swing it...can you ask around? See if you can find out if anyone knows about a new hitter in town? One working freelance? Anything," Frank asked, almost defeated.
Frankie's gaze washed over her friend. Surely he did not believe Shay, his wife, her 'sistah', had anything to do with this. "I'll do anything for you, Frank Donovan, but know this...I will never help prove the woman you married, someone who is the closest thing I have to a sister, is out to kill you."
Frank's eyes locked with hers in understanding. He had no desire for her to prove that Shay wanted him dead. He wanted her help in disproving it. "Ash is not behind this, Frankie. I don't need anyone's help on that score. What I need is help finding the shooter. You know the people on the street better than any of us. You have more connections with the CPD. I need you to use those connections. Help find this hitter before his gun finds me."
Frankie nodded, satisfied. "As long as we understand that I refuse to investigate Auntie Shay," she said, her voice softening as her baby daughter toddled into the room, followed by Deirdre.
"Understood...and appreciated," Frank replied. He stood and hugged mother and daughter softly. With a whispered "thank you" he headed for the door. "Stay home, Jake. I can make it back to the nest alone."
Jake tried to protest but the stern, icy look bestowed upon him by Frank caused him to stay put. "Have it your way, Donovan." They exchanged nods as Frank closed the door behind him.
The drive back to the nest was uneventful and Frank found himself alone with his wife. "Where are Cody and Alex?"
"Alex disappeared hours ago and I told Cody to go home because it was my turn to baby sit you." She chuckled slightly when he took offense to being 'baby sat'. "And now that you're here..." she punched the security system up on Cody's terminal and set all the exterior alarms. With that done, she retraced her steps back to her husband and wound her arms around his neck. "How ya doin', Tiger?"
He smiled and kissed her forehead softly. "I'm alive. That's a start."
"A damned good start," she whispered and trailed her hands tenderly down his chest.
He groaned softly when her breath fanned the shell of his ear. He knew she wanted to make love, and heavens knew he could toss her to the floor and take her on the cold cement, but something just was not right. He pulled away from her and headed toward the small room that contained several cots for those nights they just could not make it home.
"Frank..." Shay began.
He sat down on the nearest cot and stretched his long body out on the uncomfortable device. Reaching for the cot next to the on he was in, he pulled it butt up against his and indicated that she lay down next to him. When she did, he cradled her within his arms as best he could. He just wanted to hold her, hold his lifeline and never let it go.
"Frank...I called Dad today."
"MmmmHmmm," he murmured. He tenderly rested his chin on the top of her head as he caressed her arms.
"I asked him to...to find out who ordered the hit on you," she admitted.
Frank's body stiffened. "Then you think the government is behind this?" It was the same thought that had spun in his head since day one. "What makes you think that, Ash? Why haven't you said anything?"
"I..." How did she tell him when she had no idea why she felt the way she felt. In her experiences within the factions she had worked, they used you until you were no longer worth anything. If you were not literally dead, you were dead enough inside that you were no longer a threat. She was afraid she was headed toward the latter. She knew he was going to be in the former if the hitter was not stopped.
She tried again. "I don't know...just a feeling. After you saw him today...he feels the same way. If you had been...just as you are...FBI...Justice department...I might not feel this way. But...you went deeper...into the darkness of the government. And you know things they need to keep hidden. You scare them. If they can't control you...by God, they'll kill you."
By the time she had finished talking, she had pulled away from him and was sitting cross-legged on her cot with her back to him. She was crying and it tore at his very soul. He moved over to her cot and straddled her from behind. He pulled her back against him and wrapped his arms around her. "You know me now, Ash. You've glimpsed into the dark recesses," he whispered against her neck. He was beyond caring about what the people he used to work for felt about him. She was all that mattered to him in his life. "Can you still love someone who has touched and tasted such evil as I have?"
He gasped when she pulled from his embrace and lifted herself from the cot. For just a brief moment, he was afraid of her answer and the way she had moved away from him so quickly. Then he smiled. That smile turned into a devastating grin when he watched her push the cots around a bit and removed a few of the small mats from their surface and placed them on the floor.
She returned to stand in front of him and held out her hand to him in invitation. "Can I still love someone such as you?" She leaned down until her lips pressed gently against his ear and whispered, "Let's find out, shall we?"
What plagued him earlier had disappeared. Subconsciously he had dreaded her discovering the things in his past that she had uncovered while searching for possible suspects. And what she had seen was only the tip of the iceberg. He knew now, without a doubt, that whatever discoveries she had made about him, made little difference in the way she felt about him.
He was lost in her beauty and love as she undressed for him and knelt on the thin mat awaiting him. That she could love him so unconditionally still amazed him. That he could return that love with such intensity that his entire being begged for her nearness, astounded him. She held such power over him and yet he did not fear her power. She ruled him. Heart and soul.
Shay cocked her head to one side as she waited while he shed his clothing. His effortless beauty affected her with the same force every time she saw his body in its natural state. She found herself wishing, as she did most times, that she were an artist who could capture such exquisite splendor to share with those unfortunate souls who did not have such grace in their lives.
As he knelt before her and gathered her into his arms, she whispered, "I can answer your question, if you'd like." His hands roamed freely over the silky skin of her back and she felt him nod and murmur something unintelligible against her throat. His touch was magical and her pulse quickened with each touch and kiss. "Quelqu'un comme vous; je vous aimerai pour l'éternité."
Frank went still when he heard the sweet testament of her love. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. There was nothing as precious to him, save his children, than the woman he held in his arms. "L'éternité n'est pas assez longtemps pour notre amour," he whispered, staring into her bright blue eyes while he lowered her to the mat. Together they showed each other the depth and power of their love. Not with their words, but with their bodies.
--
"Quelqu'un comme vous; je vous aimerai pour l'éternité = Someone such as you; I will love thee for eternity.
L'éternité n'est pas assez longtemps pour notre amour = Eternity is not long enough for our love.
************
to be continued...