Chapter 7

John couldn't believe his day. His head was spinning. He quickly got a rucksack out, and threw some clothes and his washbag in. John checked the messages on his answerphone, however there were none. Quickly he sorted through his post - all bills, which could wait. He took his trash out to the bins at the back of the house, and poured himself a glass of water. The phone rang. It was June.

"John, I'm on my way back, are you ready?"

"Yes June, I'm packed."

"Pack for at least 2-3 days. I don't know how long this thing will need to go on for."

"Alright. Talk to you in a few."

John grabbed a few more pairs of boxers and some more socks. He barely had any time to himself to think. Now he was on his way to a sleepover at June's house. It's not that he really minded staying at her place, it was just bizarre the way things seemed to stop and start in this case. John grabbed his scruffy clothes out of the bottom drawer of his wardrobe.

'Just in case I need to play a junkie,' he thought to himself.

He made sure all the lights were off, and turned down the heating. Her car horn sounded from outside. Grabbing his rucksack, he locked the door behind him, and ran down the steps.

"Hello there, hop in." June greeted him with a friendly smile. "Got the place locked up?"

"Yes, everything's in order."

"Good. I need to stop off at a convenience store and get some milk and bread. I ran out this morning. What do you like for breakfast?"

"I don't usually eat breakfast. Black coffee."

"Oh, John, you've got to eat breakfast. No wonder everyone thinks you're crabby."

"What?"

"Nothing, nevermind. Just joking." She grinned at him.

"Ha bloody ha. Anyway, tell me, what's the plan when Spire rings?"

"Well, we're both going to go together. Once we get to meet Spire, area is going to obbo his movements, so we'll have a trace on where he gets his supplies. We know Spire is one of Escoverda's men. Bryant isn't technically working for Escoverda, but could be buying his supplies off of them. We've seen this MO before. A dealer tosses junkie runners towards the cartel, their contact supplies them with the drugs. The contact gets his supplies from the controllers, who in turn are under orders from Escoverda himself. The runners set up shop in the legitimate front-ends that Escoverda sets up, various pubs and clubs. They come in with the drugs, do deals and the profits go directly back to Escoverda via the club managers. When a runner gets arrested in one of the clubs, the owners can claim innocence, claiming that it's a one-off. Escoverda is a silent partner in places like Switcher's Night Club."

They pulled into a parking space. "Be right back, John."

John took in the plan and turned it about in his head. 'It sounds simple enough,' he thought to himself. 'I should have no problem doing this undercover job. If only I can keep her at an arm's length.' It was hard enough knowing that she had feelings for him. The thought of sleeping in the same house as her was starting to have an undesired effect on him.

'If only she wasn't so... her, I might be able to concentrate!' John definitely felt like he was not entirely focused lately, and it was due to her intoxicating presence. 'Why did I have to meet her now, of all times, and why can't I have her now? Sometimes life just isn't fair.' John felt a tinge of worry that, if he didn't manage to get his libido under control, he would be a potential risk to the operation. June, herself, was proving to be an unwitting distraction. Where was the John Boulton fire? The anger and the drive were melting away. He didn't feel as if he had to prove anything around her. He just had to be himself. She truly brought out the best in him, which, unfortunately, wasn't the best for catching criminals. He was feared for his temper, respected for his aloof manner, and people knew that he was not to be trifled with. It was right now that he needed these skills the most, and for the first time in his life, he felt less and less capable of providing them. All he wanted to do was to grab June, hold and kiss her, and whisk her away somewhere where they could live happily ever after.

'Wake up John,' he berated himself angrily. 'This isn't one of the Grimm's Fairy Tales. This is Sun Hill, London, and there are no happily ever afters here. This is the real world. It's a fine time to suddenly locate my heart. What am I going to do when I'm faced with Escoverda, tell him that it's alright, we all make mistakes and let him off with a caution?'

All of a sudden the driver's door opened and June bounced back in the car. "Alright, John?"

John jumped from the sudden intrusion. "Yeah, June. Just lost in thought."

"You know, for the toughest, meanest sonofabitch copper in London, you sure act like a pussycat sometimes."

"Who paid me all of those lovely complements?" John smiled to himself.

"Only everyone I've ever spoken to about you. You came with quite a reputation, which is why I selected you. Somehow I get the feeling that you're on good behaviour around me."

"June. it's because I fancy you. You have me so spinning that I feel like I'm going soft. I'm scared, June." It was hard for him to admit that.

"John, if you don't mind me asking, what made you become a copper in the first place?"

"Can we get back to yours first, before I answer that?"

"Sure. We're almost there."

John never enjoyed thinking about this story, let alone telling it. No one really knew the full story, however, something made him want to tell her.

They pulled into June's driveway, got out of the car, and went upstairs. Keying off the alarm, she set her bag down and removed her denim jacket.

"Would you like a glass of wine, John?" she asked?

"Sure."

June went into the kitchen, putting away the milk and bread. She got out a bottle of Pouilly Fumé and poured both of them a glass.

John gave her lounge a closer look. She had some lovely surrealist art hanging on her walls, probably Salvador Dalí. There were some framed photographs on her mantle above the Victorian fireplace.

"June, who are the people in the photographs?" John asked, taking a glass of wine from her hand.

June pointed to an old photograph, from the early 70's. "This is me with my mom and dad."

She pointed to a few others, "This was my high school graduation, university graduation and FBI academy graduation."

"This one is me with my two best friends back home."

She picked up the last one, sighing gently, she said, "And this was Thomas and my engagement photo. It's common in the states to announce engagements in the local newspapers. We had the photo taken and were going to announce it after we finished with the Escoverda case."

John studied the photograph. Thomas was a tall bloke with long black hair tied back. He was very thin, thinner than June, who was a big girl. He wasn't smiling, but he looked like he was a very kind person, and just by his expression, John could tell that he loved June very much. June, on the other hand, was positively beaming, her love for Thomas unmasked. They were not a conventional looking couple, however they looked beautiful together.

"I know that the rest of the world doesn't understand the death penalty in the US, however, please be assured that it gives me great comfort to know that the mole responsible for Thomas and Gene's murders is now rotting on death row."

John wanted to put his arm around her and comfort her, however, he felt that nothing he could say or do would be welcome. He knew all too well the sort of pain she felt.

"Are you ready to tell me your story yet?" June smiled at him.

"Alright."

"Have a seat." They sat next to each other on the large sofa.

John sighed, letting the memories come back to him.