"There she is," Cody announced as he slowed the van and parked far enough away from the bronze Impala so they would not be noticed readily.
"That's fine, Cody. Shut it down and set up shop," Donovan instructed. "We'll stay put for the moment."
Cody, Alex, and Jake set up and turned on the equipment in the back of the van. Highly sensitive microphones, cameras, and several computer monitors to view the surrounding area. Donovan waited, making sure he wouldn't be noticed leaving the van by any passersby. He didn't want to take a chance that any of Jeffries' or Drevin's pals would see him, making it obvious the van was there for surveillance purposes.
Jess groaned, spying her new arrival in the rearview mirror. He didn't even bother to hide his presence from her as he sauntered up to the passenger's door and slipped inside the car. "Hey, Handsome."
"You could have saved us both a lot of trouble, Jessica," he insisted, intentionally ignoring her sexist greeting and focusing his attention on the garage a block away.
"Yeah, well...what would be the fun in that?" She shrugged. "Besides, why should I tell you anything?"
"It's a Federal matter now, Jessica. I asked for your cooperation," he stated firmly. "Now, I'm demanding it. You pull anymore shit with me and I'll lock you up."
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Don't threaten me." She uncapped a thermos and poured the hot liquid into a cup. "Coffee?"
"No," he barked irritably.
"Suit yourself," she replied, taking a sip and sitting back against the seat. "Look...I've been through enough shit with this case. I've lost faith in the system, so forgive me for not spilling my guts to the first Federal Agent that shoves his badge in my face."
He almost laughed. Even though he had refused her offer of coffee, she still passed the small cup over to him. He accepted it and took a sip before passing it back to her. "What exactly caused you to lose faith?"
"It's just that every time I'm close...the rug gets snatched from underneath my feet." She braced her elbow against the door and rubbed her left temple. "But, I have no proof, Donovan...Frank."
He watched the amused smile dance on her pretty mouth after tripping over his name. "Jessica, Donovan is fine."
She chuckled softly. "Thanks...it...feels right, ya know?"
"If you say so," he acknowledged. "Now...are you going to tell me what's going on, or do I have to..."
"Oh, please. Do threaten me again, because it's worked so well for you in the past," she joked and laughed at his perturbed expression.
"No more threats, Jessica," he promised. "But you aren't leaving my sight until Drevin is caught."
Jess blinked and favored him with an exasperated look. "You plan on following me, Donovan?"
He shook his head. "No, not following you. I believe I spoke plainly enough."
"Holy Hell...you think you can keep me tied to your side? Oh, no way, Mister," she insisted, motioning to the passenger door. "Get out. Now."
"Mmmm...not going to happen," he replied, noting that someone was leaving the garage. "Shop's closing and no sign of Drevin."
"No shit," she quipped, stretching slightly as she yawned. "That's Jeffries."
"How long have you been watching?" He asked unexpectedly. "Ever since you left the Nest? Alone, with little sleep."
"What's your point?" She sighed and turned to face him. He was so close and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him. To feel the warmth of his skin against hers, his lips as they caressed her skin, his tongue as it danced with hers. She shook herself mentally; he could be her downfall and she needed to get away from him. She needed to stay focused.
"My point is that you may have missed him because you had to do this alone," he answered gruffly.
"I haven't missed him. He's not here," she insisted. "I've watched the garage and Jeffries' home and there has been no sign of him. None at all."
"It is possible that if he even showed here it was for a brief stop and he moved on," Frank reasoned. "I'll interview Jeffries tonight."
"You will?"
He nodded. "Drive. My people will follow in the van."
Jess grimaced but started the engine. He was persistent, she had to give him that. He surprised her by showing up at all. He was following through on a case no one else cared about. Still, she couldn't bring herself to trust or believe in him or his team. Sooner or later, their interest would wane and Drevin would disappear under the countless other more exciting cases that would come their way. She expected that, but she wouldn't give up, not until Drevin paid for what he had done.
Donovan instructed the team over his ear mic to follow Jessica's vehicle. He took in her profile as she drove along, and he wondered if she was purposefully avoiding eye contact with him. She hadn't spoken one word since he stated plainly that he would be the one to question Drevin's friend. She was fuming, as if she were taking this personally.
If it were the bounty she was worried about, he could make it so that whether his team was involved in the capture of Drevin or not, she would still make her mark. He didn't really believe it was the money. There was something that flashed in her eyes each time Drevin's name was mentioned. It came and left so quickly it was hard to put a finger on, however, he had caught its fleeting presence more than once. There was more to this case for her than money, but just what was it that made her take things so personally?
He was startled from his thoughts when the car slowed to a halt in front of a medium sized two-story house. He watched as Tate Jeffries disappeared through the side entrance. "Stay here, Jessica. Jake..."
"Right," she sassed, exiting the vehicle before he could reach out and hold her back.
Donovan growled under his breath and followed her to the house. He had just been about to call Jake from the van to follow him when Jessica jumped the gun and took off without him. "Jake, Alex...stay in the van with Cody. I don't want to scare Jeffries off if he's a little shy of law enforcement."
"Sure thing, Donovan."
Donovan caught up to her and grabbed her forearm none too gently just before she reached out to ring the doorbell. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, releasing her arm sharply.
"I'll not be ordered around by you, Donovan. This is my bounty..." she insisted through clenched teeth.
Inwardly Donovan seethed, but he would not lose his temper. His brow lifted as he moved closer to her, so close he could feel her breath fan his cheek and neck. "Don't speak unless I say otherwise. Do I make myself clear?"
Jess backed up a step, thrown by his commanding presence. He towered over her slightly, but it was more than that. His air of supremacy in this situation was not to be questioned, that much got through to her with just the look in his eye. It told her that he would tolerate nothing, it told her 'Don't push me; you might not like what you see.'
He waited for Jessica to acknowledge his demand. When she nodded her reluctant acceptance, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his credentials. He rang the doorbell and waited the few moments it took for the door to be opened. A young woman, maybe twenty-two years of age, answered the door. A pretty blonde thing, her belly was swollen with child.
"Mrs. Jeffries? Yes, my name is Frank Donovan; I'm with the Justice Department." He wasn't surprised to see her eyes widen in astonishment. "I need to speak to your husband." From across the room, he spotted Jeffries entering, still drying his hands after apparently washing up. He stopped to ruffle the hair of the small boy who was planted firmly in front of the television.
"Millie, take Paul upstairs," Jeffries insisted sternly.
Millie nodded and quickly backed away from the door. She took the boy by the hand and led him upstairs.
Donovan didn't wait to be invited in; he stepped forward and entered the room, followed closely by Jessica. "Mr. Jeffries, as you no doubt heard, I'm with the Justice Department. This is an associate, Jessica Crenshaw." He paused momentarily while Jeffries shook their hands politely. "We're looking for Wayne Drevin, who has been rumored to be in the area."
Jeffries smiled wryly. "Of course you are," he acknowledged shortly. "Funny that you come by looking for him just days after he stops by; I hadn't seen him in ages and he shows up out of nowhere." An irritated scowl crossed his face. "So, naturally, you show up."
"Naturally?" Donovan questioned.
"Sure, Wayne's been on the run for something he didn't do and now that things have been straightened out and he's in the clear, you show up looking for him." Jeffries shrugged uncaringly. "Some kind of harassment, maybe."
"What do you mean? Cleared up?"
"You people are a piece of work, ya know that? Look, he was on his way back home. He's been in touch with his lawyer and apparently there is nothing to link him to that accident. Nothing solid. The only so-called witness can't be found and everything else is circumstantial." Jeffries shot them a look as if they were complete morons for not knowing what was going on.
Donovan felt the anger slowly creep up his spine until he saw red. Furious was an understatement. Why the hell am I being sent on this wild goose chase?
He was about to question Jeffries further when he heard Jessica's voice. "Nooo...." It had been just a quiet whisper of a sound, barely audible to anyone not within inches of her. He cast a glance in her direction and watched as she masked her crestfallen features in a hard, stoic expression. It was a quick transformation that might have been missed by him if he had not heard her painful, although quiet, outcry.
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Jeffries." With a nod, he turned and took Jessica by the elbow, leading her from the house. Once outside, he released her arm and held out his hand. "Give me the keys," he demanded quietly.
Jess looked up into his stern expression. She was feeling far too defeated to argue or fight with him and handed the keys over without a word.
Donovan pulled away from the Jeffries' home after attaching his ear mic. "Cody...we'll be settling in to a hotel for the night. Once there, you get me in touch with Kersh. He has some explaining to do."
"You got it, Boss."
Jess slumped down into the passenger seat and leaned her head against the window. It couldn't be true. All this time chasing Drevin to make sure that he paid for the death of Laura and Tammy Reynolds, only to lose out to technicalities. Ridiculous. It was enough to crush the toughest of spirits.
The silence was deafening and was slowly driving Donovan insane. Why was she taking this so hard? It was just a bounty for Christ's sake. She was a mystery to him and her obvious dismay over the new development in this case had him baffled. "Jessica, what's got you so upset?"
Her head lifted from the glass and she turned an incredulous look his way. "You have got to be kidding me, right?"
His brow wrinkled in exasperation. "I'm sorry, Jessica. I just don't understand why you're withdrawing into a shell over the loss of a bounty."
Jess sighed as she straightened up in the seat. "Jesus, Donovan. Not that I owe you any explanation regarding anything," she began hesitantly. "Look, I just pissed away a year of my life, okay. Excuse me for not being happy about it." Her arms folded over her chest as she looked away, resting her head against the glass again.
"Hostility now? Where is it coming from, Jessica?" he demanded as he slowed the vehicle to a stop in front of a local hotel.
"You don't listen, do you?" she bit out as she exited the car and slammed the door shut. She was inside the hotel lobby before he caught up to her.
"Jessica..."
She turned before she made it to the front desk. "Look...I'm tired, I want to sleep. I haven't really slept in days. Get off me, Donovan."
He released an exasperated sigh. "I'm not on you, Jessica. But if you think I've changed my mind about keeping you in my sights, you're dead wrong."
Jess opened her mouth to tell him where he could go and which route to take in getting there, but held off when the door opened and the three members of his team entered the lobby. "Tell me you aren't going to cram us into one room," she asked in a near whine. Oh Lord, she was tired. The whole world felt as if it was crashing around her and now she was beginning to sound like a titty baby. Damn.
Donovan shot her a perplexed look. "Just go over with the team. I'll handle our sleeping arrangements."
"I want my own room," she demanded as she turned to walk over to his 'team'.
Donovan shook his head. How clueless did she think he was? Something told him the moment he took his eyes off her she would run straight for Drevin's old stomping grounds. What would happen after she found him was anyone's guess, but her feelings in this case ran far deeper than for the loss of a mere bounty. There was no other explanation for her taking this so much to heart. He had every intention of digging further into her background. Something had been missed in the initial check, he was sure of it.
