Sue woke with a start. She raised her head from its comfortable position and tried to pinpoint what it was that had awakened her. A pair of strong arms tightened around her and she felt a rumbling beneath her shoulders. Turning, she met Jack's concerned eyes and he was asking if she was okay.
"Yes. I…something woke me up." She wrinkled her nose at him. "I'm pretty sure it wasn't your snoring."
"Ha ha," he replied as they sat up on the couch.
Levi rose as well and stretched. The retriever went to the door and looked back at them. Sue glanced at the clock. It was after six.
"Oh my. Jack, could you please take Levi for a quick walk? I need to make a phone call."
"Something important?" At her nod, he grinned and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Wonder dog and I will be back in a few then." Grabbing the lead, the pair left quietly.
Sue reached for her blackberry. There were no messages. No one had called. What had awakened her? She called up Hector's number and waited for the connection. When it read voicemail she left a message. "This is Sue. Are you all right? I know Althea is coming in later. Do you need me to come? Call me."
She couldn't shake the feeling that something was…off. Not wrong. Not dangerous. Just off. In the kitchen, she pulled a frozen pizza from the freezer and popped it in the oven. Nothing like a good deep dish to calm hunger pains.
Wandering back to the living area, she decided to check her email. There were two messages, both from James. She clicked the first one.
To: Sue Thomas
From: Undisclosed
Subject: Sailorboy
Time: 16:00
Angelface,
Sailorboy had a small setback this afternoon. I hope you are okay.
Stoneface
She checked the time of the message. Four o'clock. No. Apparently, she'd slept through that. She opened the second one.
To: Sue Thomas
From: Undisclosed
Subject: Sailorboy 2
Time: 18:05
Angelface,
I think you should stay home. Sailorboy is holding steady. Cargo is due to touch down around seven. I will call if we need you.
Stoneface
Sue stared at the monitor, putting the time into perspective. Shortly after six was when she awoke. The email was sent around then. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Nothing. Feeling of unease was gone. A cold nose touched her hand and Levi pushed his head under her hand.
"Hey boy, you're back." She turned to see Jack leaning against the couch with an eyebrow raised in her direction.
"Angelface?" He gestured toward the computer.
Sue blushed. "It's a name a blind man once gave me."
'I like it. It suits you.' "And Stoneface?"
'A friend.' "So Sparky, I've got pizza in the oven and movie to watch. Hungry?"
A sparkling brown eye winked slowly. "Oh yeah."