Chapter Three

Glancing at her watch as she bounded through the hotel doors the next afternoon, Sam noticed it was only 1:30.  She had gotten through the errands she need to run with plenty of time to spare, and there was just about two hours before she was to meet Paul.

Just thinking about him sent delicious shivers through her.  Sam had been on cloud nine the entire morning, striding through the streets of Alexandria with her head high and an immense sense of satisfaction and pride.   Fully expecting to still be in somewhat of a subservient mindset, Sam wasn't prepared for the feeling of power that flooded through her when she woke up next to Paul in his bed.

Sure, he had been the one holding the leash last night, but she was the one that had made his body ache for her, her name that he had cried out as she obeyed him, bringing him pleasure over and over again.  

Restless energy ran though Sam again as the memories of last night flashed through her head, forgoing the elevator she started up the stairs to see of she could calm herself down.  

Pushing open the stairwell door, Sam stopped short as she saw the door to her room slowly ease open.  Late afternoon plus no housekeeping cart equaled someone who probably wasn't supposed to be there.  Sam ducked back into the stairwell, leaving the door ajar just enough to see who was coming out of her room. 

She blinked in surprise as a man wearing a striped work shirt and khakis, lugging a carryall emerged; it was one of the hotel's electricians. He was a rather nondescript man, on the short side, slightly balding, looking so much like who he was supposed to be that it was only the furtive way he glanced up and down the corridor as he came out that put Sam on alert. 

She waited until he had passed from her sight and heard the ding of the elevator as it arrived, then sprinted out to make sure the car was going down.  Bolting for the stairwell, Sam took the steps two at a time, barely having time to plant herself behind a marble column before the elevator door opened. 

An elderly man and woman got out, but there was no sign of the electrician.  Sam was cursing to herself for losing him when right as the doors closed she realized the man wearing the dark t-shirt, sports coat, and sunglasses was the 'electrician', the carryall set behind his feet.

Back down the steps to the parking garage Sam ran.  Luckily the man got off on the first level, Sam trailed him enough to see him get into a green Ford sedan.  Weaving her way though the parked cars, Sam jogged up the ramp to the street above, flagging down a cab. 

"I need you to follow someone for me," she said, keeping an eye on the ticket booth for the garage.

"You're kidding me," the cab driver said with a deep Pakistani accent.

"No, really," Sam insisted.  "Him, in the Ford Taurus." 

With a long suffering sigh, the cabbie put the car in drive and followed the fake electrician.  "Is this going to get me shot?" he asked.

"Ahh, I don't think so… "  Sam trailed off as she leaned forward in the seat, keeping her eyes on the car ahead of them.

"He's moving over!"

"Don't worry, ma'am, I won't lose him.  So, who is he?  Cheating husband?  Unfaithful boyfriend?  No, don't tell me-- Russian spy."

San didn't say anything and the cabbie fell silent as they passed over the Potomac and made their way into Northwest D.C.

"Foxhall Road.  Very fancy neighborhood," the driver said half to Sam, half to himself.  Sam peeked furtively from the back seat as the Ford pulled up into the circular driveway of a long, low white house with a deep front porch.

"3224 Foxhall Crescent Drive.  Plate H87-158," Sam whispered. 

"It's a rental," the cabbie tossed over his shoulder.

Sam looked back at the house as they passed it, then to the driver.  "The house?  How do you know?"

"The car," the driver said.  "The H.  It means it's a for hire car, like mine, or a rental."

"Oh, okay, thanks."

"Where to now, lady?" asked the cabbie as he turned the car around in the cul-de-sac.

"Back to the hotel," Sam told him, remembering just in time to duck as they passed the house again.

~~~~~

"Hello, Paul."

Proof of his years working in Washington, Paul didn't show any evidence of surprise as Lily Ibarra fell into step next to him as he made his way down 12th Street.  She was dressed in a tailored suit by some designer Paul was sure he wouldn't recognize, and her hair had been cut, falling slightly past her shoulders.

"Lily," he finally said after a block of winding their way through the sparse afternoon crowd.  "You're looking well."

A ghost of a smile passed over Lily's perfectly made up lips.  "So do you.  You're… more relaxed.  But I thought the Air Force didn't allow beards?"

"They're thinking of changing the regs to go with the new uniforms coming out this fall.  I volunteered to try it out."

"I see.  Well, you look dashing in it."

Paul fell silent as they walked further, waiting for Lily to bring up why she was there, but his ex-fiancée remained mute as they passed the Museum of Natural History.  Finally as they reached the Department of Agriculture and the Freer Gallery, Paul's patience snapped.

"What do you want, Lily?"

Lily sighed.  "Not as relaxed as I thought.  I don't want anything, Paul.  I've come to warn you."

"About what?"  A yellow Frisbee arcing over the Mall caught Paul's eye; he watched as a black and white dog jumped up and snagged it neatly in its mouth, earning cheers from a nearby group of kids.

"Samantha.  And her-- "

His attention fully back to Lily, Paul whipped his head around to face her.  "I swear, Lily, if you—"

"Get over yourself, Paul."  Lily shot him a look loaded with exasperation.  "We were through long before she showed up.  I'm talking about her and Kinsey.  Or more accurately, Kinsey and the other high profile women at that so called 'space telemetry' lab she works at."

"What do mean 'so called'?" Paul lobbed back, stalling as he wondered how much she knew.  "Sam's an astrophysicist.  Where else would she work?" 

Lily sighed again.  "I'm not here to argue.  You, of all people, should know I'm not stupid.  I've picked up enough things here and there and while I might not know everything that's going on I can make a few educated guesses.  Besides being a self-righteous power-monger, which I'm sure you're already well aware, Kinsey is also a sick bastard.

"Religious fanaticism, delusions of grandeur, and a desperate need for control can add up to some pretty twisted notions regarding women, especially those in positions of power.  They don't conform to his misogynistic view of where a woman's place is… mostly under his foot, but for them, he prefers a different part entirely."

She glanced over at Paul, making sure he caught her meaning.  "And he isn't above collecting mementoes of theirs either." 

Paul was silent, not quite believing what she was, or wasn't, saying.

"And you know this positively?"

"I don't know anything for sure.  But Stratton and Kinsey can't stand each other, and soon after one of their clashes we had what we thought was an attempted break-in.  Only one thing was missing, a certain something from my dresser drawer, but how can you be sure, right?  The next night at a reception Kinsey was smugger than I've ever seen him.  It wasn't until I learned more about him that I put two and two together."

A small part of Paul mulled over the interesting fact that Lily called her fiancé by his last name as the rest of him digested what she had just told him.  

Stopping suddenly, Lily waited as Paul backtracked to her.  "Sam needs to watch out for him, Paul.  Yeah, I know," Lily went on as Paul opened his mouth, "She's an astrophysicist.  Although I don't know why an astrophysicist would have a Colonel with black ops training as her commanding officer.  Or why she would be working with a threat assessor.  Ms. MacGyver, I believer her name is?  Didn't know the universe out there was such a big, bad, place."

You have no idea… Paul thought frantically.  Lily always had been sharp as a tack, hiding it well under those lush curves of hers.  He desperately tried to keep a game face as she went on.

"The point is, Paul, not only is Kinsey not to be trusted in general, he's certainly not to be trusted around your girlfriend, so watch out for her.  And tell that Colonel to watch out for his Ms. MacGyver, along with any other women who might have crossed Kinsey."    

Paul nodded, looking at Lily as she brushed a strand of hair away from her face.  "So what do you want?"

A mocking smile twisted her mouth.  "Why Paul, I'm crushed.  Really I am.  Can't an old friend help another out?"

"Lily…" Paul warned.

"I don't want anything, Paul.  Our breakup may have been bad but it doesn't hurt as much anymore, and I still think of you as a friend.  Consider this a favor, which doesn't have to be returned."

"Now."

She shrugged.  "If in the future you find yourself in a position to help me or mine, I would hope that you would.  As a friend."  Lily leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.  "Good bye, Paul.  Take care of her."

Paul watched as Lily turned and walked away, getting into a limo waiting at the corner.  His mind was full of the things she told him, and those that she danced around; with a muffled curse Paul took off for Sam's hotel.    

~~~~~

Standing in the middle of her hotel room, Sam frowned furiously and stared unseeing at the pale walls.  She had spent the last forty-five minutes going over the room with a fine-tooth comb but had found no trace of bugs or hidden cameras.  Everything was as she had left it, and if she hadn't seen the 'electrician' come out Sam would never have known anyone had been in her room.

So why had he been there?

"Sam?"

Jack's sudden voice made her jump; spinning around she saw the rest of her teammates in the doorway, all gazing at her with expressions ranging from concerned to amused.

"Ah, it was open, so we just walked on in… are you okay?" Daniel asked, blinking at her startled look.

"Well—"  Sam took a deep breath to steady herself and quickly explained.

"What was the address again?" Jack demanded, coming further in the room as Daniel chided Sam for following the fake electrician on her own.

"I didn't want him to get away," Sam explained before turning to Jack.  "3224 Foxhall Crescent Drive."  She watched as Jack's mouth pressed into a thin, hard line. 

"You know the place?" she asked, amazed.

"Its Kinsey's house," he answered tersely.

"What about Kinsey?"

With a strange sense of deja vue, Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c turned as Paul came into the room. 

"Sam?"  Coming to stand next to her, Paul laid his hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly.  "What about Kinsey, babe?"

She told her story once more, feeling better now that Paul was there, as Jack began a systematic sweep of the room. 

"I've already done that, sir, I didn't find anything.  And nothing is missing, either."

Paul's thoughts flashed back to the conversation he just had with Lily, and his eyes flicked over to the low dresser.  Sam had said nothing was taken, but she wouldn't have thought to check…

"I need to talk to Sam a minute," he said suddenly.  Jack and Daniel frowned at him while Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow.

"Davis… " warned Jack.  "Now is not the time—"

"Sir," Paul interrupted.  "This might be relevant, but if it isn't I don't want to embarrass Sam.  I'll explain, I promise."

Daniel pulled on Jack's arm.  "Come on."  The three men left the room, Sam turning to Paul, puzzled.

"Paul, what's going on?"  He seemed on edge to her, and a small part worried that he had second thoughts about last night.

"Did you check to see if any clothing was missing?"

"What?"  Sam attempted to shift mental gears.  "Clothes?"

"Just check," Paul asked.  "Start with your lingerie," he said as she moved toward the closet.

Throwing him a look that clearly showed she thought he was nuts, Sam changed directions and opened the top drawer to the dresser, swiftly taking inventory.

Paul watched, waiting, as Sam shook her head and shut the drawer. 

"It's all there," she said, moving to the other drawers.

Frowning, Paul tried to figure out why Kinsey's man would have been in Sam's room.  It might have had nothing to do with Lily's warning, but it was too much of a coincidence…

A sick feeling of dread came over Paul as he realized what the intruder could have taken.

"Sam."  The tight, intense tone of his voice made her look up in surprise.

"Where's your laundry bag?"

Eyes wide, Sam slowly turned to her luggage, sitting on the stand over in the corner.  Just as slowly, she walked over to the innocuous suitcase and lifted the top to show a solitary mesh bag sitting limply inside.

"Oh God…"  Sam's hand fluttered up to cover her mouth as Paul came to stand beside her.  "What's missing, babe?"

"The pink pair you had me take off last night.  You're saying he took them for Kinsey?"  Trailing off, she looked up at Paul, distress clear on her face. 

Gathering her into his arms, Paul held Sam as she tried to work her way through this disturbing piece of news.  A knock on the door interrupted them, Jack's voice coming through the metal.

"Are you done yet?"

Reluctantly pulling away from Paul, Sam crossed the small room to let her teammates in.

Teal'c took one look at her pale face and glared at Paul.  "What has transpired?"

Sam glanced back at Paul before answering.  "We found out why the man was in here."

"And?" Jack demanded, not so patiently.

"He took a pair of my … undergarments, sir," Sam managed to get out, but only by keeping her eyes focused two inches to Jack's left.

"You're kidding me."

"And now Kinsey presumably has them," Daniel concluded wryly.

"Probably not just Sam's."  All eyes swung to Paul.

"Mind elaborating on that, Major?" Jack asked quietly.

Straightening his shoulders at the tone of command, Paul faced Jack.  "I just had an enlightening conversation with an old… friend.  She basically warned me about Kinsey's unhealthy obsession with women who he's run up against."

Paul fell silent as he locked eyes with Jack, understanding passing between them before he looked over at Teal'c.  The Jaffa's laid back manner was gone, and Paul could see why he had risen to the position of Apophis' First Prime.

"Senator Kinsey has too long been a thorn in the side of Stargate Command," Teal'c rumbled, his voice flinty.  "I will not stand by and allow him to sully Joanna's honor."

"I've had about up to here with that son of a bitch!  I don't care who he is, he's going down."  Cursing to blister paint, Jack started for the door, Daniel jumping to get out of his way before Paul called him back.

"Sir!  We can't just go storming over the Senator's residence and demand he hand over… certain items."  Paul held his breath as Jack's hand clenched into a fist before he released it with a shake and turned around.

"I am not going back to Colorado knowing that that sick motherfucker is jacking off with a pair of Rose's panties!"  Each word brought Jack closer to Paul until they were nose to nose.  "And if I find out he has the pair with the blue flowers on them, I'm cutting his dick off myself!"

"Which leaves his liver to me," a satisfied Teal'c intoned.

The four nonplussed humans paused a moment before Daniel spoke.

"Ah, liver?"

"The source of one's masculinity," Teal'c explained.  "It will bring me great pleasure in cutting it from his body as he watches."

"Really," Daniel asked avidly, the latent anthropologist in him perking up.  "That's interesting you consider the liver—"

"Danny!"  Jack reined him in.  "Later."

Paul jumped in before the conversation could get any more bloodthirsty.  "We have no proof.  Nothing concrete."

"Then we'll go in and find proof.  I really don't care about the niceties in dealing with this rat bastard."  Pushing back his sleeve, Jack glanced at his watch. 

"It's gotta be tonight.  We're supposed to be back tomorrow afternoon and I'm not leaving without finding out what the hell Kinsey is doing with Sam's—well, you know," he ended lamely.

Nodding tersely, Paul agreed.  "Kinsey usually goes to his club Saturday nights when he doesn't have a fundraiser to go to, I'll call around and make sure.  He stays rather late, but we need someway of getting in."

"What about Daniel?"  The four men turned to look at the previously quiet Sam.  "He could go to Kinsey's house, say that… he has some information for Kinsey, and let us in the back while he 'waits'."         

Jack shook his head.  "Four's too many."

"You're not leaving me out of this," Sam said incredulously.  "He's got MY underwear!  Sir."

Daniel chewed his lower lip as he thought quickly, and spoke to Paul.  "If Kinsey is this paranoid deviant with irreconcilable esteem problems regarding women like your informant says, then maybe Sam should be the one to go to his house.  Although if she's in uniform she could say she's dropping off something for the senator; she could let Jack and Teal'c into the study and they would search for the… evidence.  Assuming it's even there."

"I'm going in too."  Paul was emphatic. 

Jack stared at both determined majors for a moment, seeing more than they probably would have liked.  "All right.  Daniel, you keep an eye on Kinsey tonight so we don't get caught.  Let's get moving, we've got a lot of things to do."