Author's Note: I just want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed my
story so far. I had a huge case of writer's block and wasn't sure I was
going to finish the story until I went back recently and read all of the
reviews. I really appreciate all of your kind words, I hope you know how
wonderful it feels to know people have read your worked and liked it enough
to ask for more. You guys were all the motivation I needed to continue.
So for now, I leave you with just little bit more, but don't worry, I'll
have more ready in a day or so. Thanks Again! - Angie
"Considering that she is still recovering from her previous incident, she doing pretty well," I could hear the doctor tell Frank. "She has a lot of bruising and her ribs may be fractured again, but other than that, she's in good shape. She needs to rest though. That much is certain. The amount of emotional and physical abuse she has undergone lately is enormous. No one should have to endure all this. I surprised she's still able to go one with this." He continued to speak of my condition for a while longer, but I stopped listening. I knew I was in a horrible state and I knew that I should not have been holding up as well as I was, but I felt that I could not stop now. Carter was still out there and I was still alive. That meant nothing had changed. Everything was as it was before the explosion. As for that, Frank was still marching around trying to figure out how it had happened. From what I overheard, Agent Hill's body had been found in the surveillance car about two blocks from the safehouse. Agent Turnquist had still to be found and it was assumed that he was Carter's inside man. My mother was moved to another safehouse and it was determined that since she was obviously not a target at the moment that she should be kept away from the threat. Unfortunately the threat was myself. I never thought a day would come that being of my acquaintance would put someone's life in danger. It bothered me that I was not told where she was sent, but Frank assured me that it was for security purposes. This time, he said, he sent only his own people to look after her. Apparently the two women I had met the previous night in the safehouse. The thought of watching that place burn to the ground and how close we had come to death was unsettling to say the least. I was sitting in the doctor's office on the second floor of the hospital. I let my eyes wander over the many certificates on the walls and bookshelves and I then stepped over to the window. Below was a small fleet of government vehicles waiting to escort us to yet another "safe place." The days of fall were turning slowly towards days of winter and I could almost see the cutting chill in the air. I turned from the window as I heard the office door open and watched the doctor and Frank enter. The doctor feigned a meek smile and nod in my direction, but Frank's expression caught me off guard. He had a scowl marked across his face and did not once look in my direction. His pensiveness I understood, but there was something more immediately pressing in his demeanor that worried me. Eventually he looked up and smiled softly when he saw my concern; secretly hoping I'm sure that he could dissolve my own alarm. But this tactic did not work. I already knew what was at stake. Carter meant to rid the world of us both now and he would not stop until he either succeeded or was killed himself. I admit that I held out all of my hope that the latter would be the case. After the doctor had given me the medication I required and explained my health situation to me yet again, I was hurried down to one of the waiting cars. A small army of agents and police were on hand for escort off the premises. But there was one thing that had changed; Frank was being escorted as much as I was. He was not the one calling all of the shots on this move. He was herded into the center of the mass of people along with myself and showed his disconcertion openly. He was not used to being the one that needed the protecting. But it all made sense. Carter had infiltrated a government operation. No matter of how little importance my situation was to the higher-ups in the Bureau, their pride had been attacked that night and they were looking to prevent it from happening again. Also, Carter had targeted and only nearly missed taking down one of the top agents in his field. Frank Donovan was on many a criminal's list for revenge, but none had gotten this close with such little fanfare. It was becoming evident that Carter was becoming less a vengeful husband and gunrunner, and more the head of an apparently far- reaching crime syndicate. His actions had been, over the years, of such little news that it was never conceived that he was capable of leading such a large operation. But his ability to take over the school and worm his way into the safehouse situation proved beyond a doubt that he had more power and posed more of a threat than anyone could ever have imagined. As we neared the car, I noticed a man standing in front of the door, looking straight at Frank. He was an older gentleman, wearing a gray suit and black raincoat. His hair was combed exact and his stance was official and practiced. This was a man that prided himself on looking intimidating. From the look on Frank's face I could tell that he recognized him. He did not appear surprised by this man's presence, but he still held his concerned scowl. As we reached the car, the man greeted Frank pleasantly but formally. "Hello Frank," he began, "Good to see you again. Sorry it has to be under these circumstances." Frank nodded, "Good to see you Tom. I was glad to hear that you would be heading up the search." "Yeah," the man said nodding, "I know it's strange for you considering your.background, but the bosses thought it would be best if someone else was watching your back for a change." "I can't imagine anyone else could do the job better. Thanks for doing it." "Hey, how could I not. You saved my neck plenty of times. Besides, they're right you know. You shouldn't have to handle all of this on your own. You can't possibly be objective enough right now to deal with this man." Frank tensed a little at this revelation, but quickly composed himself, knowing full well that the man was right. Coming out of his private thoughts Frank looked at me and shook off his uncertainties. "Tom, let me introduce you to Miss Connor," he said gesturing towards me. "Kate, this is Tom Borders with the FBI." Mr. Borders nodded to me and stepped forward to receive my hand. "It's a pleasure Miss Connor. I assure you that you are in the safest company you shall ever know. My men and I will look to your and Mr. Donovan's every need, I promise." I noticed a slight British accent in his speech and with his gentile manner I could not help but warm to him immediately. Mr. Borders opened the back door of the black SUV for Frank and myself and informed us that he would be in the lead car for the duration of the trip and he expected no stops or delays in our travel. He did not mention where we would be going, I assume for security reasons, as was with every bit of information that was withheld from me. Frank and I climbed into the car and settled in for the mysterious journey. The car was warm but I shivered repeatedly, my hands as cold as ice, more from nerves than temperature. Noticing this, Frank reached over and placed his hand on top of my own in my lap. I stared at this picture for a moment, uncertain as to its meaning, until I looked up into his eyes. I could see his despair flicker in and out of his gaze, fighting against his composure for recognition. I could tell he was uneasy about letting someone else handle the situation, that he had to be looked after, and mostly that he could not be the one to assure me as to my safety. Everything was completely out of his hands for the time being and he was going to have to deal with it. Although it was obvious that this was not something that Frank Donovan was used to having to deal with. We drove for about an hour before I felt myself start to drift off into sleep. I tried to stop myself, telling myself I had to stay alert, but the warmth of the vehicle and the security I felt from having Frank so close to me, pushed me to rest and eventually I lost my fight and fell into a deep sleep. When I awoke I found that I was resting my head on Frank's shoulder and that he had both of his arms wrapped around me and was sitting at an angle on the seat so that I could rest completely against him. I looked up slowly, thinking I would find him asleep, but soon found that he was wide- awake and concentrating on the scene outside the window. I sat for a second watching him when I realized that I could feel the gentle pressure as he softly rubbed my arm with his thumb absentmindedly. I took a deep breath; taking in his aroma that almost smelled of pine yet was spicy in its undertones. I closed my eyes again, knowing this moment would be one of few for now and all too fleeting. I felt him become aware that I had awoken and looked up to catch his gaze. He smiled sweetly, brushing away his previous thoughts that looked to be so worrisome, and with one gloved hand gently brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen into my face as I slept. As his fingers combed the strands back and then traces their way to my cheek I reached up with my own hand and pressed my cheek into his palm, slightly nuzzling the leather of the glove. After a moment, he gently persuaded my head to rest on his chest and wrapped his arms around my back tightly as I wrapped mine around his waist. For the first time in my life I felt as though I had spoken volumes in a brief moment in which I had not said a word.
"Considering that she is still recovering from her previous incident, she doing pretty well," I could hear the doctor tell Frank. "She has a lot of bruising and her ribs may be fractured again, but other than that, she's in good shape. She needs to rest though. That much is certain. The amount of emotional and physical abuse she has undergone lately is enormous. No one should have to endure all this. I surprised she's still able to go one with this." He continued to speak of my condition for a while longer, but I stopped listening. I knew I was in a horrible state and I knew that I should not have been holding up as well as I was, but I felt that I could not stop now. Carter was still out there and I was still alive. That meant nothing had changed. Everything was as it was before the explosion. As for that, Frank was still marching around trying to figure out how it had happened. From what I overheard, Agent Hill's body had been found in the surveillance car about two blocks from the safehouse. Agent Turnquist had still to be found and it was assumed that he was Carter's inside man. My mother was moved to another safehouse and it was determined that since she was obviously not a target at the moment that she should be kept away from the threat. Unfortunately the threat was myself. I never thought a day would come that being of my acquaintance would put someone's life in danger. It bothered me that I was not told where she was sent, but Frank assured me that it was for security purposes. This time, he said, he sent only his own people to look after her. Apparently the two women I had met the previous night in the safehouse. The thought of watching that place burn to the ground and how close we had come to death was unsettling to say the least. I was sitting in the doctor's office on the second floor of the hospital. I let my eyes wander over the many certificates on the walls and bookshelves and I then stepped over to the window. Below was a small fleet of government vehicles waiting to escort us to yet another "safe place." The days of fall were turning slowly towards days of winter and I could almost see the cutting chill in the air. I turned from the window as I heard the office door open and watched the doctor and Frank enter. The doctor feigned a meek smile and nod in my direction, but Frank's expression caught me off guard. He had a scowl marked across his face and did not once look in my direction. His pensiveness I understood, but there was something more immediately pressing in his demeanor that worried me. Eventually he looked up and smiled softly when he saw my concern; secretly hoping I'm sure that he could dissolve my own alarm. But this tactic did not work. I already knew what was at stake. Carter meant to rid the world of us both now and he would not stop until he either succeeded or was killed himself. I admit that I held out all of my hope that the latter would be the case. After the doctor had given me the medication I required and explained my health situation to me yet again, I was hurried down to one of the waiting cars. A small army of agents and police were on hand for escort off the premises. But there was one thing that had changed; Frank was being escorted as much as I was. He was not the one calling all of the shots on this move. He was herded into the center of the mass of people along with myself and showed his disconcertion openly. He was not used to being the one that needed the protecting. But it all made sense. Carter had infiltrated a government operation. No matter of how little importance my situation was to the higher-ups in the Bureau, their pride had been attacked that night and they were looking to prevent it from happening again. Also, Carter had targeted and only nearly missed taking down one of the top agents in his field. Frank Donovan was on many a criminal's list for revenge, but none had gotten this close with such little fanfare. It was becoming evident that Carter was becoming less a vengeful husband and gunrunner, and more the head of an apparently far- reaching crime syndicate. His actions had been, over the years, of such little news that it was never conceived that he was capable of leading such a large operation. But his ability to take over the school and worm his way into the safehouse situation proved beyond a doubt that he had more power and posed more of a threat than anyone could ever have imagined. As we neared the car, I noticed a man standing in front of the door, looking straight at Frank. He was an older gentleman, wearing a gray suit and black raincoat. His hair was combed exact and his stance was official and practiced. This was a man that prided himself on looking intimidating. From the look on Frank's face I could tell that he recognized him. He did not appear surprised by this man's presence, but he still held his concerned scowl. As we reached the car, the man greeted Frank pleasantly but formally. "Hello Frank," he began, "Good to see you again. Sorry it has to be under these circumstances." Frank nodded, "Good to see you Tom. I was glad to hear that you would be heading up the search." "Yeah," the man said nodding, "I know it's strange for you considering your.background, but the bosses thought it would be best if someone else was watching your back for a change." "I can't imagine anyone else could do the job better. Thanks for doing it." "Hey, how could I not. You saved my neck plenty of times. Besides, they're right you know. You shouldn't have to handle all of this on your own. You can't possibly be objective enough right now to deal with this man." Frank tensed a little at this revelation, but quickly composed himself, knowing full well that the man was right. Coming out of his private thoughts Frank looked at me and shook off his uncertainties. "Tom, let me introduce you to Miss Connor," he said gesturing towards me. "Kate, this is Tom Borders with the FBI." Mr. Borders nodded to me and stepped forward to receive my hand. "It's a pleasure Miss Connor. I assure you that you are in the safest company you shall ever know. My men and I will look to your and Mr. Donovan's every need, I promise." I noticed a slight British accent in his speech and with his gentile manner I could not help but warm to him immediately. Mr. Borders opened the back door of the black SUV for Frank and myself and informed us that he would be in the lead car for the duration of the trip and he expected no stops or delays in our travel. He did not mention where we would be going, I assume for security reasons, as was with every bit of information that was withheld from me. Frank and I climbed into the car and settled in for the mysterious journey. The car was warm but I shivered repeatedly, my hands as cold as ice, more from nerves than temperature. Noticing this, Frank reached over and placed his hand on top of my own in my lap. I stared at this picture for a moment, uncertain as to its meaning, until I looked up into his eyes. I could see his despair flicker in and out of his gaze, fighting against his composure for recognition. I could tell he was uneasy about letting someone else handle the situation, that he had to be looked after, and mostly that he could not be the one to assure me as to my safety. Everything was completely out of his hands for the time being and he was going to have to deal with it. Although it was obvious that this was not something that Frank Donovan was used to having to deal with. We drove for about an hour before I felt myself start to drift off into sleep. I tried to stop myself, telling myself I had to stay alert, but the warmth of the vehicle and the security I felt from having Frank so close to me, pushed me to rest and eventually I lost my fight and fell into a deep sleep. When I awoke I found that I was resting my head on Frank's shoulder and that he had both of his arms wrapped around me and was sitting at an angle on the seat so that I could rest completely against him. I looked up slowly, thinking I would find him asleep, but soon found that he was wide- awake and concentrating on the scene outside the window. I sat for a second watching him when I realized that I could feel the gentle pressure as he softly rubbed my arm with his thumb absentmindedly. I took a deep breath; taking in his aroma that almost smelled of pine yet was spicy in its undertones. I closed my eyes again, knowing this moment would be one of few for now and all too fleeting. I felt him become aware that I had awoken and looked up to catch his gaze. He smiled sweetly, brushing away his previous thoughts that looked to be so worrisome, and with one gloved hand gently brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen into my face as I slept. As his fingers combed the strands back and then traces their way to my cheek I reached up with my own hand and pressed my cheek into his palm, slightly nuzzling the leather of the glove. After a moment, he gently persuaded my head to rest on his chest and wrapped his arms around my back tightly as I wrapped mine around his waist. For the first time in my life I felt as though I had spoken volumes in a brief moment in which I had not said a word.