Chapter Eleven
That was the match to the tinder whose flame sparked a firestorm.
"I could care less?" Woody nearly shouted, then remembered Jordan had neighbors who were home during the day "Me? Look who's talking…after the best sex either of has had in a long time….maybe even ever, you tell me I could care less? You'd better watch what you're talking about, Jordan."
"You knew what was going to happen in that hotel room before you even got out of your car. You planned it…"
Exasperated, Woody ran a hand through his hair and turned from her, staring unseeing out of her windows. Maybe he had. Maybe subconsciously he had planned on getting her in to that bed before his feet even hit the hotel stairwell. Maybe he was trying to prove to himself he could still go places with Jordan that Winslow didn't have a chance at. Maybe he was trying to exorcise any leftover feelings of lust or sexual frustration from Leighann…
Or maybe…just maybe….he had wanted to see what Jordan's reaction would be. Would she turn him away, or finally give int o that unresolved sexual tension they had so carefully built up over the years?
"Maybe I did," he growled in a hard voice, turning back to her. "But all you had to do was say no and I would have stopped. Cold. Instead, if I remember correctly, you rode me half the time."
Jordan's cheeks pinked at the memory. But she was on a roll and wanted to stay with it. "You never complained, Detective. You finally got what you wanted…me in your bed. I hope you're happy…"
"Delirious. Now get your shower and something to eat. The trial is at two and the judge isn't going to wait just because you pitched a temper tantrum and wasn't ready on time. Winslow will want us there by one-thirty at the latest or he'll be on the radio riding my ass." He turned away from her again, staring unseeing out the windows, wondering how something that could have been, should have been so good, turned out so terribly wrong.
Silently, Jordan stalked to her room, noting that her appetite, despite not having breakfast, was nowhere to be found. It probably wouldn't show up again until the Krouchkov brothers were jailed and she could get totally out from under Eddie's and Woody's watchful eyes.
Going into her bathroom and turning the shower on as hot as she could stand it, she stepped in and tried to let the stinging spray wash off the feel of the night before still on her skin. For hours after Woody had left, she could feel the touch of his hands on her…the feel of him in her…she had sincerely hoped that it would have been Eddie picking her up and that he would watch over her the last few hours before the grand jury trial. Gentle Eddie…despite the fact it was over between them…Eddie would have comforted her … instead of fought with her.
She needed that now, as she stepped out of the shower and began to get ready. She needed comfort…not antagonism. She needed someone's arms around her as she tried to not only hide out from Dmetri and Yuri, but also as she began to put hers and Woody's relationship in perspective. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes as the realization of what had happened between them hit her hard again. He had pushed her away…for two years they had nothing to do with each other…and then to have things end up like this… a night of cheap, meaningless sex at a cheap no-tell-motel.
That's not the way she had wanted it to be with him…not their first time together. She was no vestal virgin, but she had wanted it to be special…not tawdry…and slow and tender…not fast and furious…Not that a quickie wasn't good…but not for the first time.
Instead of being special, she felt all the night before had been was a cheap, quick fuck.
And she felt Woody despised her for not only pushing him away….but for letting that happen between them.
She emerged from her bedroom a few minutes later, dressed for the grand jury trial. Woody ran approving eyes over her, from the top of her head, where her hair hung in the waves and curls he loved so much, to the soles of her feet, now clad in expensive high heels. In between, she was dressed in a pencil-straight black skirt and a light pink blouse…that somehow emphasized a new fragility that was surrounding her.
For a moment, his eyes swept her face, noting for the first time the dark circles that hugged her eyes…and the slight redness in them and her nose. She had been crying. Not tears…not from her…not again… he thought. "Are you ready?" he asked brusquely. Woody was ready to get the hell out of her apartment and hand her over to Eddie. Then he was going to ask for a couple of days off to get his emotional footing again. His body ached for a long run along the beach to clear his head and put his life back in order.
"Yeah…let me get my purse," she said, snapping him out of his thoughts. She retrieved her purse and her keys. Woody took them out of her hand and locked the door behind them, making sure the door was secure before he led her to the elevators, one hand on her back to keep her close and safe.
"Stay with me, Jordan," he said to her as he put her in the car to drive to the courthouse. "Don't try to run ahead or pull away…" Woody could not push the feeling away that they were being watched. Despite all the efforts of Boston's finest, he couldn't push the sensation away that he and Jordan were being followed. As he started the car again, he radioed in to Roz, who was helping supervise Jordan's transfer to the federal building. "We're being covered, right?" he asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.
"There are black and whites and unmarkeds all the way around you. We have snipers on the roof of the building," Roz affirmed. "How's Doc Witness?" she asked. Roz's concern for Jordan had grew not only as the time for the transfer arrived, but also knowing what had probably occurred between the ME and Woody last night. If Woody had been addled that morning, Roz would bet her next week's manicure that Jordan was an emotional train wreck.
"Jordan's..Jordan's…" Woody glanced over at the woman in question just in time to see her chin go down and her curtain of hair hide her face from him. "Jordan's just as ready as we are to get this whole damn thing over with. Where's Winslow?"
"Waiting on you at the courthouse. Good luck, Hoyt. Keep her safe."
"Roger."
What seemed like hours later, Woody pulled up to the rear entrance of the courthouse. "Jordan…" She turned to face him…her face still a mass of emotions. Remorse for his harsh words hit him hard….this was as difficult on her as it was on him…she had been pulled away from everything familiar…and even after today, it might not end. And if the Krouchkov brothers weren't caught, she may spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulders. He silently cursed himself for being such an asshole. He hadn't stopped to think about the emotional toll this event was taking on her….the one time Jordan Cavanaugh was up to her ears in trouble that she did nothing to initiate herself. She was in it just by the default fact that she was Max's daughter and at one time had been Eddie's girlfriend.
He imagined she was tired of all the lies in her life and had the right to wonder what was real…or if any of it was…
Even last night.
"Jordan," he began again, this time his voice was softer, gentler…"Please…listen to me….we're getting ready to take you up the back way to the courtroom for the grand jury to hear your testimony. I know you do most things by yourself, but this is one thing you can't. Eddie's going to get you out on your side of the car….He and I and a half a dozen other cops are going to surround you…work with us…okay? None of us want anything to happen to you…"
She nodded and turned at the sound of her door being opened. Eddie helped her out and she was instantly surrounded…with Woody being on one side of her and Eddie on the other. She fought back a miserable chuckle when she felt both men's hands on the small of her back. They do their job too well…she thought, wearily.
The elevator ride took seconds that seemed to hang like hours. She was led up a back hall she had no idea existed, even though she had testified hundreds of times in that building on other cases. They rounded the corner when Jordan noticed a tall man standing in the door way. "Dad?" she asked. Her entourage stopped momentarily.
"Hi honey. Heard you were going to testify, today, too. Thought I'd hang around just to make sure you're safe…" Max answered with a sad smile.
"I'll be fine. You didn't have to stay," Jordan said. God…all the men in my life are surrounding me…did anyone think that I may need protection from them?
"You know me…had to make sure…" Max replied as Woody began to urge Jordan forward again. Keeping her in one place wasn't healthy.
"I'll keep her safe, Max. Don't worry," Eddie said, who went along with Woody in pushing Jordan toward the grand jury room. They rounded another corner…the grand jury room was in sight. Jordan caught a glimpse of Rene' outside the door, waiting on her. But a sudden movement up ahead pulled her attention away. She thought she saw a glint of metal…
But Woody was sure he did. Instinctively, he pushed her to the ground as he fired off a round…
And all hell broke lose.
From her vantage point on the floor with some cop's body bent over hers, she couldn't see a lot…just feet running in all directions….more cops…uniformed and plain clothed…somewhere in all the chaos, Roz showed up and pulled her out of the fray and into a small side room, checking her over, making sure she was okay.
"I'm fine…I'm fine…" she managed to get out after her breath returned. "Dad…"
"He's here," Roz said, her head pulling to one side to indicate where Max was in the room.
"Woody?" she asked, her face clouding up. If he got shot again…and this time defending her…
"He's fine. He's out with Eddie, chasing the bad guys," Roz replied with a grin. "Those two are probably in a pissing contest right now to see who can catch the gunman first." She looked at Jordan with anxious eyes…the ME seemed to be getting more fragile by the minute…very unlike the Dr. Cavanaugh Roz had worked with.
"I need to see him," Jordan said, starting for the door.
"Hey…whoa…you ain't going anywhere, Doc. The Woodman will be back in here to get you as soon as he can…meanwhile, sit tight…" Roz replied, walking to the door to check out the situation. Jordan heard her mumble something in her radio before she walked back to where Jordan was sitting. "Woody will be here in a minute…"
And the minutes once again hung like hours until finally the door opened and he walked in. Woody carefully looked Jordan over for a moment. "They're dead," he finally said, a note of quiet resolution in his voice.
"Dead?" Jordan and Roz asked in unison.
"Yeah." Woody let out a long sigh and ran his hands down his face. "They had gotten blue prints to the god damn vent system in this building from off the god damn internet of all places…and used the vents to travel the length and height of the building to the grand jury room. From what we can tell, they actually entered the building yesterday and spent the night in a broom closet and then climbed in the vent system this morning to wait until Jordan made her appearance…"
"Shit…where's Eddie?" Roz asked.
"With the bodies..they're taking them to the morgue now. Guess I'll be back on desk duty again.."
"You're hurt?' Jordan asked in a quiet voice, full of concern, coming up to stand in front of him.
"No...I'm fine. I shot them, sweetheart. Both of them. So IA will do a review…and until then, I'm pushing papers…again."
Jordan lowered her eyes as Max approached and shook the detective's hand – hard. "Thanks, Woody," the older man managed to choke out. "Thanks for everything you've done to put this case to rest…and taking care of my little girl. Now I can have some peace and finally my daughter can have some peace, too. She was an innocent in all this, you know. Jordan didn't ask for this kind of trouble. Most of this is mine and Eddie's fault, I know…"
"Are you staying in Boston, now, sir?" Woody asked, trying to turn the man's attention away from the shooting…Jordan was growing paler by the minute and he wanted to take her away some place where they could be alone and he could make sure she was alright.
Max shook his head. "No…I'll be leaving today…"
Woody nodded and Max left the room to speak to Eddie. Woody had partially turned to go, too, to find out what else he needed to do before he took Jordan back to her apartment, when he felt a small hand on his back. "Woody?"
He swung around and there she was….relieved, but still looking extremely fragile. Woody could sense the protectiveness he had always felt for her rising to his chest. "Thank you seems so inadequate right now," she said, looking up into his eyes, her own whisky-brown ones swimming with tears. "But I mean it. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart." She tentatively reached out to hug him, not sure if he would push her away.
Instead she felt his arms go around her tightly, pulling her so close that her head rested on his shoulder. "You're so very welcome, Jordan…so very welcome." How long they stood there like that, Woody didn't know. He just knew suddenly he didn't want to let her go. It was Jordan that finally had to pull away.
"I have to go….I guess I'll have to take Dad to Logan to catch a plane…" she was still sniffling back her tears, but looked nearly as reluctant as he did to break their embrace.
"Huh? Oh, yeah…" Slowly his arms slid from around her. She walked out the door to find Max and he followed her. "Would you have dinner with me tonight? To celebrate the fact that you're a free woman again?"
Jordan hesitated …for a minute Woody was afraid she was going to say no. "Are you sure you want to?" she asked in a small voice.
Woody gave her full smile, so reminiscent of old times Jordan felt her heart melt a little. "Of course I do…I'll pick you up at seven…Marasal's okay?" It was a small, Italian place…cozy, intimate, with a dance floor.
Jordan smiled back at him for the first time in what seemed like years. "That sounds really nice."
Dinner was excellent, although later Woody would never be able to recall what he had to eat. But he never forgot what Jordan looked like…when he picked her up at her apartment, he had to remind himself to keep breathing…forget the red dress of so long ago…she had on a strapless black dress that fell right below her knee, with a slit in the side, and a soft, beaded and jeweled wrap that she kept the chilly Boston air off her shoulders with. Her hair was down and once again she let it fall in the waves and curls he loved so much…
For a pair of seconds, he seriously thought about staying at her apartment and ordering in…just to look at her in that dress. Instead, he forced himself to take her arm and they went to the restaurant, eating what Woody knew was a perfectly wonderful meal with excellent wine….it was just the woman in front of him was so much more fascinating than whatever he was putting in his mouth.
Later, he looked at her over the rim of his wine glass…the dance floor was clear. "Dance with me?" he asked, standing up and extending his hand, then curling his fingers possessively over hers when she stood. It was a slow dance and Woody took advantage of the opportunity to hold her close again…feeling her curves through the soft material of her dress … contrasting that to the way she felt last night. He held her that way throughout the dance….and during the next song, he pulled her closer, letting both his arms encircle her waist, making her head rest once again on his shoulder and both of her arms go around his neck. He felt her sigh and snuggle closer. His arms tightened protectively around her.
Woody knew he had screwed up – royally -- from the night before in the hotel to the afternoon he had kicked Jordan out of his hospital room. Things would never go back to the way they were before that day. But he knew one thing for sure: he never, ever wanted this woman hurt again…by anything or anyone.
Jordan didn't deserve to go through anymore hurt…ever.
However, Woody painfully realized he was responsible for causing the woman an ocean of hurt all on his own. His chest tightened. Maybe he didn't deserve her….
The music stopped and she pulled away. There was that awkward moment for them…as both of them knew what passed between them during the dance was far more than just a slow rumba. Jordan took a deep breath. "I think it's time I got home…it's been a long day…and we both have work tomorrow."
Woody nodded. "I'll get your wrap."
They both were quiet on the way back to her apartment. When he reached the red door, he took the key out of her hand and opened it. "Let me check and make sure everything's okay," he told her, still acting out of instinct to protect her. She followed him inside, the door closing behind her.
Satisfied that it was safe, he walked back over to where she was standing at the door. "I guess I need to be going," he said quietly, tossing her keys on the counter behind her.
"Thanks so much…for everything. It seems so inadequate…seeing what you've done for me…but I sincerely mean it. Thank you."
"It really was my pleasure….I think it brought some closure to both of us."
Jordan nodded and closed her eyes. Then it really was over between them…She was so sure of it that when she felt his hands around her waist she was startled and opened her eyes, but didn't pull away as he leaned in. He caught her gaze for a second…but didn't feel her flinch. Slowly he lowered his head and brushed her lips with his. She didn't protest. He did it again, but let his lips cling to hers for as long as she would let them. He stifled a groan when he felt them move beneath his….and the kiss remained chaste for a few moments….then he felt her fingers run through his hair and her mouth open. Gently he tangled his tongue with hers, taking it slowly…giving her time to pull away if things were getting too out of hand for her. She moaned against his lips and pulled him closer. He kissed her in earnest then…long, slow, wet kisses…making her mouth his.
Jordan was lost…awash on a sea of early, deliberate sensuality…entirely different from the night before…her heart was pounding so hard she knew he must feel it beneath the thin material of her dress…she allowed the kiss to become more heated until she remembered….
Woody might not feel the same way about her after their quickie in the hotel room…he may on some level, still despise her.
Slowly…slowly and reluctantly, Woody felt her lessen the kiss. "I think you should go now," she said in a soft voice.
"Jordan? Are you okay?" he asked against her lips.
Jordan wanted to tell him no, she wasn't okay…she hadn't been okay since the day he threw her out of his life…she didn't know if she would ever really be okay again. Not when Jordan herself was so in love with him her heart broke every time Woody walked into the room, knowing that it could be too late for them. "I'm fine," she managed to choke out, despite her thoughts. "It's just that I'm sorry, I can't…."
He was dumbstruck….not that Jordan had pulled away, but that she was stopping now…after the slow dances and him holding her so close he could feel her body's reaction through her dress. Slowly and reluctantly, he pulled his arms from around her and felt her shiver at the absence of his body heat. Hell, what he needed to do was take her to bed and make love to her all night.
Only now was not the best time. But it would come. She needed time to adjust back to her life…and they both needed time to prove to each other that any anger they held was gone…blown away this afternoon at the courthouse.
Gently he moved her from him and opened the door. He opened his mouth to say good night, but she beat him to the punch. Only it wasn't good night.
"Good bye, Woody," she said softly and shut the door behind him.
When she was sure he had left…walked down the hall to catch the elevator, she allowed herself to slide down the back of the door into a heap on the floor. Head resting on her knees, she began to sob. It was over…the Krouchkov brothers were now dead, and Woody could once again choose to be gone from her life forever.
And she would go back to just existing.
Except Woody hadn't moved from beyond the door. He heard her sobs…and wanted like hell to go back into her…but Jordan had been right…they needed more time to work through the issues in their life before…before…
He told her he loved her.