Chapter Ten - Old Feelings Die Hard
Danny and Stacie were silent as he drove her back to her apartment and accompanied her upstairs. Kicking off her shoes, Stacie collapsed on the couch. Danny sat down next to her, lifted her legs across his lap and began to massage her feet like he used to when they were dating. It was quite intimate, but as comfortable as it had always been. Giving him a tired smile, Stacie leaned her head back against the sofa and whispered, "Mmmmm. I've missed this."
"Don't fall asleep on me now. You're doing mine next." Danny teased, glad to see the tension draining away from her face and shoulders.
"I guess it's the least I can do." She said, closing her eyes and enjoying the slight pressure he was applying to her feet. "I may not be acting like it, but I really am grateful for all you and the team are doing for Maggie."
"We're going to find her, Stace." Danny switched over to massage her left foot. "Martin located Natalie's parents. They're down in Monterey. Turns out they've been looking for Natalie for months. He found a description of their search and a missing persons report. They even put up a small reward, whatever they could afford."
"So they didn't sell her?"
"Nope. Big, fat lie." Danny responded, matter of factly.
"Wonder who told it." Stacie remarked dryly. "Did they get a photo?"
Danny nodded and Stacie closed her eyes again. She was quiet for a few minutes before whispering, "I could have killed him."
"But you didn't." Danny said quietly, knowing that they would get around to this topic before long.
"Only because you arrived with the calvary." Her eyes remained closed and he could hear the terror in her voice. She had frightened herself with her actions tonight. "But I went there with every intent on killing him. I systematically went home, found my dad's gun, and took it there planning to use it."
"Stacie..."
Stacie swung her legs off of Danny's lap and sat up. She buried her face in her hands and shook her head. "I took an oath, Danny. 'First do no harm.' I wanted to harm him in the worst way imaginable."
"But you didn't." Danny repeated. "You came to your senses and handed over the gun." Danny put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "Come here. It's OK. It's over now."
"It won't really be over until Maggie is home." She whispered, settling in next to him. He was warm and familiar and smelled like Danny. A slight smile came to her face. She had always loved the way he smelled...so rugged and masculine.
"What I want to know is...where the hell did you get a gun? And when did you learn how to use it?" Danny teased, trying to lighten the mood. "If I remember correctly, you and I have had a few choice arguments over gun control legislation."
"Do you remember where I lived while I was at Harvard?" She asked him incredulously. "It was scary. The first time my dad came up to visit, he told me to move. Then he looked at my finances." Stacie laughed at the memory. "When I came home from my clinical the next day, he had purchased the gun and was showing me how to use it."
"Your dad?" Danny laughed, shaking his head. "The straight laced accountant? Was showing you how to use a gun."
"We had a 'Daddy and Me Day' at the gun range that afternoon." Danny chuckled and Stacie snuggled in closer, enjoying the comfort his closeness was providing. "As soon as he left, I put it back in it's box, locked it up, and never touched it again." She paused. "Until today." The tears suddenly welled up again in her eyes and she whispered, "I almost shot him, Danny. I almost lowered myself to his level and was going to take a human life." She wiped away the tears that had spilled out onto her cheeks. "God, all I seem to do is cry. I'm such a lightweight."
Danny pulled her even closer, and wrapped his arms around her. "I promise not to tell anyone."
With that one statement, Stacie released the damn of emotions inside her and buried her head in Danny's shoulder. She cried for all that she had lost, all those she had loved, and for the battle for a normal life that her sister was going to have to endure.
Danny just held her through it all, never once demeaning her by telling her that everything was going to be alright. In truth, no one really knew if anything was going to be alright ever again. Her sobs quieting, Stacie moved her head and just rested it on Danny's shoulder. Danny looked down at her and asked, "Better now?" Their faces were only inches a part.
Stacie looked up at Danny, and their eyes locked. It seemed as if the last ten years just melted away. In her eyes, Danny saw a glimpse of the girl he had once known...the girl who's entire life was in front of her andhad yet to be touched by tremendous sorrow. The girl who opened up his broken heart and reminded him that life was worth living.
"I'm always better when you're here." Stacie instinctively reached up and touched his face, tracing his strong jaw line with the tip of her finger. "I've missed you, Danny."
"I've missed you, too." In his mind, Danny knew this was wrong. She was, despite their past and his feelings for her, the family member of a victim. Which meant she was off limits. His duty to her was to do everything he could to find her sister.
But in this moment, after all the hell she had been through in the past twenty four hours, the Stacie he had fallen in love with so many years agoneeded him. And Stacie James Callahan was a woman who prided herself on not needing anything from anyone.
Pushing all thoughts of the F.B.I. out of his mind, Danny responded to this woman he could never seem to get out of his heart. He finally admitted to himself that he needed her to need him. He needed anything from her that she was willing to give. Danny closed the short distance between their lips in one swift motion. He met her tongue with his, and ran his free hand through her hair. The kiss was as sweet and familiar as he had remembered. As Danny pulled her closer to him, Stacie responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and caressing the tender skin at the nape of his neck. Danny let out a low groan and they lost themselves in the passion that had been simmering between them since they had re-entered each others lives.
It was at that moment that the ringing of Danny's cell phone broke through the haze of passion they shared. Stacie sat up and tried to re-gain control of her emotions as Danny flipped his phone open. "Taylor." He said, trying to clear his throat and head.
Jack's voice came through the receiver of Danny's phone. "We've got a location on Mother."
Danny sat up straighter and looked at Stacie while talking to Jack. "Bobby Harris gave up his sister?"
"No," Jack replied, "but we got some more test results in. There was high traces of lead tin oxide in Natalie's hair."
"Isn't that the lead in old paint?" Danny asked
"Specifically in houses built before 1955. Ty accessed the county assessor's office, plugged in his formula and came up with a house in the southeast corner of Yonkers."
Danny wrote down the address and stood up. "OK, I'll be right there."
Stacie stood up, alarm in her eyes. "They found them?"
"Yeah." Danny said,brushing her lips with a quick kissand heading for the door. "I'll call you as soon as Maggie is in our custody."
"Oh no you won't." Stacie said, following him out the front door of her apartment. "I'm coming with you."
"No." Danny spun around and stared her down. But the look on her face told him that if he didn't bring her, she'd find her own way there. He sighed, and said, "OK, but you have to stay in the car."
"I promise." She said, heading for the elevator.