Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: I am now working on chapter 13! I think there will be between 15-16 chapters total for this story, so as soon as it's finished, I will be able to post more frequently. Thank you for your patience in the meantime! I'm writing as fast as I can! In the meantime, I hope you read and enjoy this chapter, it has a lighter side to it, I just had to play with them a little bit! :) Thank you!!
Things Best Known—Chapter Six
"Brennan!"
Brennan did his best to ignore the hissing voice in his ear as he blinked the sweat out of his eyes, staring hard into the face of the contact Lexa had arranged for him to meet. He had been hoping to get more answers, but instead, the figure standing back in the shadows had only probed him for information he had gained from Allison.
"Brennan!" His ring hissed again.
"Is that all?" The figure did not sound pleased.
"Brennan, answer me!"
He was having trouble concentrating with Shalimar's voice ringing in his ears. He activated his comlink.
"That's all I've gotten so far." He watched as the figure frowned deeply.
"What?" Her voice echoed again.
He forged a cough, half turning as he held his hand up to his mouth. "Not now!" He gritted into his ring between coughs.
"You have to move faster. This is a matter of life and death, as I'm sure we don't need to remind you."
Brennan glared at the man in front of him. He did not like threats. "Yeah, I know."
"What?"
Shalimar. He tried answering her again, half-twisting his body to fake another coughing spell. "Later!"
The man stared at him in disdain. "I suggest you pick up the pace and get answers for us quickly. Or else we will have no choice but to bring in the feral."
"You leave her out of this!" He lunged forward, grabbing the man by his lapels and knocking him roughly against the brick wall he had been leaning against. Instantly, five other figures stepped out of the shadows, dust spiraling up from their footsteps.
"Put me down, Mulwray." The man struggled to breathe as Brennan pressed a hand into his windpipe.
"Brennan?"
She sounded confused. Damn. He had forgotten his ring was still activated.
"Brennan, are you ok?!"
Brennan drew in a deep breath as he forced his fingers to relax their hold on the man in front of him. He released him slowly, deliberately, eyes never leaving his face.
"It's cool." He spoke deliberately loud, to them both.
The man glared; face red with anger as he took a step back and straightened out his rumpled suit.
"Brennan?" Shalimar's voice came again. "I've been waiting here for over an hour and nothing. I'm going back to the hotel."
"Stay there!" Brennan hissed into his ring.
The man turned back toward Brennan, eyebrows raised. "What did you say?"
"Brennan?"
"Uh, nothing," He held up placating hands to the six figures staring back at him.
"Well, if it's nothing, then I'm going back."
"Just wait!" He tried to stall her again.
Again, the men whipped back around toward Brennan, striding back with barely concealed patience. "You got a problem, Mulwary?"
"No, no problem." He searched his mind for a cover as sweat trickled down his shoulder blades. "Just ah, just wondering what the code will be for our next meet."
"Code? Brennan did you say code? I can barely hear you!"
The man growled in frustration. "We'll be in touch, that's all you need to know."
"Brennan, what is this code? It would have been nice to know that an hour ago!"
"Remember," The man jabbed his finger into Brennan's chest, "You get me answers or I won't be responsible for what happens to the feral." He turned and walked away.
Brennan swore profusely under his breath, lungs heaving in anger. He had to find a way to keep Shalimar out of this.
At the Cheating Heart, Shalimar's eyes widened as she heard Brennan's muttered words through the crackling connection. That was the code?!
"Uh, Brennan? Did I hear you right?" She tried to reach him again, but he had suddenly disconnected. She frowned in annoyance. How the hell did he expect her to use that for a code? And how was she supposed to know who to use it on? She debated whether to stay and wait longer as he had wanted her to do or if she should just go back to the hotel. She felt like she was wasting her time here as she turned down one drunken offer after the next. She took a sip of her flat drink, eyes roaming the smoky room. The bar was crowded with a dozen gruff men that reeked of sweat and lust. She wrinkled her nose, eyes bypassing the lot arguing over the pool table and landing on a man sitting quietly in the corner, looking uncomfortable and out of place in a business suit. Hmm. She raised her eyebrows in interest. He had been sitting there for over an hour, nursing his single drink, looking as if he was also waiting. She debated for a moment longer, before deciding she wasn't getting anywhere just sitting there. Rising to her feet, she smiled as she made eye contact and strolled over to the man. Here goes nothing. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth.
Brennan was more shaken then he would have liked to admit. Being blackmailed into this mission had been one thing, but to now have Shalimar here in the midst of it all was almost more than he could take. As stubborn as she was, he knew it would be nearly impossible to get her to leave. He sighed tiredly as he climbed the steps back into the hotel, groaning as he saw Allison waiting for him, legs elegantly crossed and toe tapping impatiently against the floor. She brightened, lunging to her feet the minute she spotted him coming through the door. He cringed, forcing a smile to his lips as she gushed at him.
"Darling! Where have you been? I was worried about you!" She threw both arms around him in a melodramatic gesture. He coughed slightly; patting her back as she nearly choked him with her slender arms and heavy perfume.
She pulled back suddenly, nose crinkling as she caught a whiff of him. "Darling! You're all sweaty!" She clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Come along, we simply must get you cleaned up."
Brennan reluctantly allowed her to lead him up the stairs, shaking his head as he wondered what had happened to the teenage girl he used to know that had loved to play in the streets and didn't care about sweat or dust. She had changed over the years. While she remained as beautiful as ever, she had become brittle and hard inside, disguised only by a thin layer of sickly sweetness. She was not the same girl he used to know, and he did not trust her for a moment. He prided himself on his ability to judge people, and he knew that she was acting with him just as much as he was acting with her. Now he just had to figure out why.
He managed to peel her off his arm at his door, closing it gently in her face on the pretense of going to bed. He didn't know if he could hold her off much longer, she clearly wondered why he didn't invite her to stay with him. She would get suspicious very soon. Yanking his tie off, he quickly shed his clothes and stepped into the shower, bracing his arms against the wall and hanging his head down as the water pounded against his back. He groaned as Shalimar's scent was still lingering in the small space, playing teasing tricks on his mind. Shalimar! He suddenly realized with a start that he hadn't heard back from her in a while.
"What did you say?!"
Shalimar nervously cleared her throat as the man in the business suit stared up at her, mouth open in shock. She repeated the words quickly, just in case. His jaw dropped open further, and the hair on the back of her neck suddenly rose in warning as angry footsteps sounded behind her. She whirled around, almost running into a wall of heaving anger as a large-boned woman stood directly behind her. Her eyes distractedly took in the tattooed "Marge" on the woman's flabby crossed arms as her eyes rose up and up to meet the glaring eyes towering above her. Oops.
Brennan quickly dried himself off and redressed, feeling worried as Shalimar again failed to answer his call. He grabbed his keys from the dresser and quietly stepped out into the hallway, pausing in front of Allie's room to make sure she was still there. He held his breath as he listened, satisfied when he heard the faint murmur of the TV through her door. Tiptoeing down the rest of the hallway, he blew out a breath as he rounded the corner, running down the stairs and out the door.
"Jesse!"
He called for help as he started up his car and headed towards the bar.
"Hey, Jess!"
"Yeah?" Jesse's voice came sleepily back at him.
"Wake up, bro, I need your help."
Jesse yawned loudly and Brennan could hear the rustle of sheets as he sat up in bed. "What's up?"
"I need you to track Shalimar for me. I can't get ahold of her."
"Yeah, ok." Jesse answered. Brennan raised his eyebrows as he could hear a feminine voice inquiring softly in the distance and Jesse whispering an answer back. "Ok, I'm at the computer now," Jesse spoke again a moment later.
"Hey Jesse?"
"Yeah?" He yawned again.
"Do I dare ask what you guys are up to?"
"Shut up, Brennan."
Brennan chuckled at Jesse's tone. "Ok, ok, I get it. Now just find Shalimar for me, and I'll leave you guys alone."
"Huh." Jesse's surprised voice came back at him a moment later. "You'll never guess where she is."
Brennan stared up at the nondescript building in front of him. He had no idea what Shalimar was doing here, but he had a bad feeling it was somehow his fault. He hunched his shoulders as he climbed the steep steps of the local police station. He spoke briefly with the clerk at the front desk, chuckling in disbelief as he handed over his credit card and paid the bail. Bar fight, huh. The wry laughter died in the back of his throat a moment later as he followed the officer around the corner and the holding cell came into view. How the hell do I explain this one?
Inside the cell, grasping the bars with white, clenched fingers and flashing, angry eyes stood the formidable figure that was Shalimar Fox. He didn't stand a chance.