Sorry guys, crazy month, but here goes an even crazier chapter.
Tommy and Yeager stepped out of the car both dressed up in tuxedos, prepped for the evening ahead. They'd come in Yeager's car having figured that Bubonic was less likely to identify Yeager's car than Tommy's. They had already made plans to meet up with Lindy, George, and Sophia inside of the museum.
Sophia had been their latest addition to their plan. One that Yeager hadn't been too happy about. Since she was pretty much aware of everything that happened at the precinct because Lindy kept her up to date, and since Yeager needed a date to better blend in, it was decided that she was the best person for the job. She had agreed, although hesitant, and had then gone on to be cleared and briefed by Catherine.
The two detectives followed the stream of well-dressed people heading into the museum. It was a bit bizarre to see everyone so dressed up in fancy dresses and tuxedos, their faces hidden behind beautiful and extraordinarily detailed masquerade masks just to go see a bunch of paintings and artifacts created by long ago dead people.
Tommy and Yeager finally stepped in to the museum's foyer after having shown their invitations to the guard at the front door and had then had them verified to make sure they weren't fake by another guard.
The museum had been decorated beautifully for the event. There were flowers arranged in ornate vases dotting every available flat surface, a chandelier hung from above that Tommy had no doubt was made from real crystal, gold curtains hung from it that then spread out to connect to the corners of the room, forming a sort of canopy. To the side there were tables covered in gold tablecloths set with fine china and crystal polished so brightly that it reflected the lighting. On the other side of the room there was string quartet playing low melodic music. The grand sweeping staircase in the foyer of the museum that led up to the second floor had steps made from shining marble, the banister had been decorated with gold ribbon with more flowers interwoven in between.
Yeager gave a low whistle as they gazed around the room. "This is supposed to be a museum? Where's the art?" he whispered so that only Tommy could hear.
"Apparently this used to be a mansion that belonged to some oil baron in the turn of the last century. When he died it was converted into a museum. As for the paintings they should in the auction room on the second floor." They made their way closer to the main floor where there were a few couples on the dancefloor already swaying back and forth in time to the soft music as others milled around socializing.
Tommy surveyed the room looking for Lindy. "So tell me, man," Yeager said. "Are you still mad at, Lindy, for not telling you about seeing you-know-who sooner?" Yeager didn't need to clarify to tell him he meant Bubonic.
"Yeah, a little," he admitted," still looking around the room for her. "I just wish she had told me, you know? At least when I was explaining to her about why he's after me." His eyes passed over an old couple who were sipping wine and chatting quietly and hadn't bothered to put on a mask, over a man wearing a mask that reminded him of the one worn in The Phantom of the Opera, and a woman who already looked like she had had too much to drink before finally landing on Lindy.
She and Sophia were both laughing at something George had said. Sophia was wearing an emerald colored dress that just barely brushed over the floor and a glittery gold mask. George was in a tux, a red mask, and a matching red bowtie, having decided to wear one despite the fact that Yeager and Tommy had refused to, but it was Lindy who took his breath away. She was wearing a flowy black dress that stopped just above her heels, the fact that she was even wearing any surprised Tommy since he knew she preferred to wear heeled boots, having told him once that wearing heels felt like death traps for her ankles. Her hair was done in soft curls and she had on a white mask with glittery gold curlicues.
He felt rooted to the spot, he couldn't seem to look away. Seeming to sense his gaze on her she turned and their eyes met. Tommy swore he felt an electric shock go through him. He had never felt anything like it before. He had never felt like this about anyone before.
Yeager followed his gaze and grinned. "You know," Yeager said, clapping a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Somehow, I don't think you'll be mad at her for much longer." He made his way toward the group with Tommy following at a slower pace behind him.
"Hey," Tommy said a little breathlessly when he was finally in front of her.
"Hey," she said. She sounded a little breathless too.
"You look-" Stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, but what came out of his mouth was, "-nice."
She smiled at him. "Thanks. You clean up pretty well yourself." She stared at him rather intently. There was something different about him, but she couldn't tell right away what it was. Then as he turned to say something to Yeager she realized what it was. "Oh my, God," she practically shrieked.
"What, what is it?" Tommy asked, looking around frantically trying to find what had made Lindy react that way. He had reached for his hip where Lindy knew he had his gun hidden away.
"Nothing," she said coloring slightly. She hadn't meant to alarm Tommy or make such a big deal out of something so small, or to cause a few people nearby to turn around at the spectacle she had made. "Í just- you shaved," she said, trailing off lamely.
Tommy rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I didn't want to make it totally obvious that it was me. Apparently, my stubble is a trademark. Besides, this is a very formal event."
"You look good, Tommy. Younger even," Sophia told him. "Why don't you do that more often?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. "I like my look."
"Well that looks good too," Lindy stated, "but if you really didn't want people to recognize you you probably should have done something about your hair."
"My hair?" he reached, patting it self-consciously. "What's wrong with my hair?"
Lindy bit her lip. She had definitely just stuck her foot in her mouth. "Nothing."
Tommy continued to glare at her. He knew his mom didn't like it. She always commented on it in a very unsubtle way that he should change it whenever he went home to visit. He didn't think it was that bad. He liked it. But now Lindy was looking at him like she was trying hard not to laugh and it made him wonder if maybe it was time for a change. "What's wrong with my hair?" he asked again in a mock stern voice.
"Nothing, if you like that whole slicked back punk look," she said, avoiding his rather intense gaze.
"I didn't even style it that way tonight," Tommy protested. Tonight he had parted it to the side in order to look more formal.
"Tommy," Lindy said laughing softly. "It's fine. I was only joking around. You don't have to get all worked up about it." Now Tommy blushed, which was never an easy thing to get him to do. He was being ridiculously defensive about his hair. They were both oblivious to the exchanged knowing looks between George, Yeager, and Sophia as they watched the easy banter.
"You know," George said addressing Tommy and Yeager. "If you guys had followed my lead and worn a bowtie like I had suggested, you would both look even better, regardless of hair," he added, throwing Tommy a pointed look. "The ladies would be all over you." Sophia shot him and Yeager an unamused glare to which Yeager responded by pulling her close and whispering something in her ear, making her smile.
"So when is my date getting here?" George asked, leaning toward Tommy confidentially. "I mean I did make quite the entrance by arriving with these two beautiful ladies on each arm," he nodded towards Sophia and Lindy, "but now I have to give them up to two bowtie-less guys. I should at least get to keep one." Lindy shoved him playfully. "Someone should have the honor of being my date."
Tommy rolled his eyes. "Detective Pascal should be here any minute." As if on cue Pascal strolled up to them. She looked gorgeous in a dark blue dress and silver mask, her blond hair done up in a chignon. George just stared at her looking awestruck.
"Hi. Sorry, I'm a little late," she said, greeting everyone. "Catherine was going over some last minute details with me."
"It's fine. You haven't missed anything," Tommy reassured her. "Pascal, you remember George," he gestured to George who seemed to be breathing normally again.
"Yes, I remember George. We worked together for a bit at the Reconnoiter party," she sidled closer to him. "So you're my date and partner in crime for this evening. Can't say I'm disappointed." She looped her arm through his. "We do have to act the part of a couple," she told him deadpan.
"Yes, we should really do that." George said, looking everywhere but at her. "That's not a problem. None at all." Well this was a shock. Lindy didn't know of many girls who could make George go quiet and falter in his easy flirtation.
Pascal had reminded Tommy that he needed to act the part of a couple with Lindy. Yeager and Sophia didn't need any reminding. They already looked and acted the part, although Tommy knew they weren't pretending. He scooted closer to Lindy. She looked at him in surprise as he slid his arm around her waist, taking a cue from Yeager. He raised his eyebrows up at her and she nodded in understanding, leaning into him. She fit perfectly against him. When he tore his gaze away from her he saw Yeager giving him an amused look. Tommy shot him a glare but didn't let go of Lindy.
"We should get going," Pascal told the group. "We'll meet up and report later."
"You know your assignment?" Tommy asked. He knew Pascal was efficient, but he asked anyway. Since he was in charge of this mission he needed to make sure everyone knew their assignments so that all would go well.
"Completely." She nodded at everyone in parting before tugging George away, but not before he pointed at his bowtie, grinning widely at his friends, before disappearing into the throng of people.
Sophia grinned. "That boy, he can always make me laugh."
Yeager shook his head, amused. "C'mon," he told Sophia. "We've got to get going. We need to make our rounds too." They waved goodbye to Lindy and Tommy and made their way through the crowd to their positions.
"So," Tommy began awkwardly. "You wanna dance?"
Lindy stifled a laugh. "Dance?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah, why, you think I can't dance?"
Lindy bit her lip to keep from laughing and avoided his gaze. "What?" he asked moving around to face her. "I'll try my hardest not to pass out this time, absolutely no wine."
"It's not that." Now he could definitely tell she was trying hard not to laugh. "It's just… you're a terrible dancer."
"I-I'm not a bad dancer!" he stammered. He was so surprised. "I'll prove it." She didn't look like she believed him.
He took her hand, but only to keep up the appearance of a couple, not because it was almost like an instinct to do so. Lindy hesitated at first, not really used to being so platonic with him, but she forced herself to loosen up. She knew she had to sell the part of being a couple.
They made some small talk along the way with people who had come here to be entertained, see the art, and if they were drunk enough or really just had that much money in their bank accounts, to bid for the art.
They were on the dance floor near the string quartet who were playing soft lilting music, but that somehow still managed to sound old timey. Probably because most of the people here were old.
"Is this what we're supposed to be doing?" Lindy asked looking uncertain. "Isn't there something or someone we should be scoping out?"
Tommy tried to not take the fact that she didn't seem to want to dance with him personally. "Honestly, Lindy. I'll try not to step on your feet if that's what you're worried about." That got a laugh out of her. "As for our assignment it's to blend in and watch out for any suspicious activity and then go upstairs and check on the art. Same as everyone else. Only Pascal and George are going to be checking out the art first thing, then Sophia and Yeager. We'll do that later."
"Okay," Since she was wearing heels her head reached just below his chin, allowing her to look into his eyes more easily. "Let's dance."
She stepped closer to him gingerly placing a hand on his shoulder. He took her free hand in his and placed his other hand on her waist. She felt so awkward now. She didn't know why she couldn't just act the part of the couple. It's not like it was serious, but as she felt Tommy's warmth against her and looked into his eyes, her breath hitched in her throat. What was happening?
He led the dance and was surprisingly good. When she told him so he chuckled. "Honestly, I'm just copying what everyone else is doing."
"I knew you couldn't really dance."
"Actually, I told you that I'd prove that I could and as far as I'm concerned I'm doing pretty well."
"I guess," she mumbled not wanting to admit he was right. Her eyes roamed around the room trying to catch sight of Yeager and Sophia but she didn't see them. They were likely already upstairs scoping out the art.
"So about my hair," Tommy began.
Lindy groaned. "Not this again."
"You see, you just don't appreciate it."
"You can't be serious." She wondered if he was joking around or if he was really just that protective of his hair. She looked at his face. It was dead serious. She rolled her eyes and reached up, patting his hair nicely, feeling ridiculous the whole time. "I'm sorry hair."
Tommy grinned, looking pleased. Sophia was right, without the stubble he did look younger, relaxed even but Lindy knew he was on high alert, his eyes always searching for any suspicious activity. A couple passed too close to them and Tommy pulled Lindy closer to have her avoid being bumped or her dress stepped on but didn't pull away after they'd passed.
"Tommy," Lindy said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"I want us to make an agreement."
"What kind of an agreement?"
"Since we're friends and we're going to be working together… I don't want there to be any secrets between us."
Tommy felt like there was a weight on his chest. He couldn't agree to that wholeheartedly as much as he wanted to. He would always be keeping a secret from her. One that he didn't plan on ever telling her but he agreed anyway because what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. This wasn't like Operation Magnifly or him finding something out about her sister and not telling her. He would be completely honest with her like she wanted, except about his feelings for her. Keeping this would just hurt him.
"You know," Lindy said after a while of dancing quietly together, Lindy feeling content and Tommy with a somewhat guilty conscious, "that woman keeps staring at you."
This sounded familiar. Tommy turned them slightly so that he could see who she was looking at. It was an older woman who hadn't bothered to wear a mask, in a fuchsia dress and lipstick to match. She raised her glass of wine when she noticed Tommy looking and winked. Tommy quickly turned them away again and swept Lindy farther away from the elder woman.
"She's not my type," Tommy said, not looking Lindy in the eye.
"Right. You said your type is smart and not easily afraid, right?" She was smirking, clearly amused by the older women having her sights set on Tommy.
"When did I say that?"
"You told me at the club before the blonde took you out to dance." Her face was neutral, but Tommy thought he had heard an undercurrent of something in her voice but he couldn't pinpoint what.
"Yeah, that's part of it," he said softly, holding her close.
"There's more?" Lindy asked raising an eyebrow challengingly.
"Definitely. Not that you need to know." He was afraid that he was going to say too much and that she would figure it out.
"I bet I can guess."
He tilted his head at her. "Oh yeah?" He said feeling a little alarmed. "This I have to hear."
"Well," she began. "You're right about needing someone who isn't easily afraid. You can be a pretty intimidating guy sometimes, especially when you're on full on cop mode." She leaned in close to him so that he could feel her breath on his chin. "I also think you need someone who can keep you grounded because you can get pretty invested in your job. You need someone to remind you that it's okay to relax."
Amazing. She had just described some of her qualities and she didn't even know it. "That sounds really nice," he drawled. "But I know this girl wouldn't ever give me a moment's piece."
"You seem certain about that. Have you been thinking about this a lot?" she asked curiously.
"I just know what I want." He was feeling increasingly uncomfortable, he felt like they were getting into dangerous territory.
"You know that person you want could be right in front of you."
He looked down at her, startled. Did she know? "What?"
"Yeah you could find her somewhere unexpected." She was staring at him curiously. When Tommy saw that she hadn't meant anything specific by what she'd said he sighed inside feeling relieved, but couldn't help but add, "Yeah, she could be right under my nose." She was completely oblivious to the way Tommy was looking at her.
"If you found this girl, what would you be willing to do for her?" It was an odd question but one that he answered without hesitation.
"Anything." He said looking into her eyes.
"Would you fight for her?"
Tommy pulled her closer, not wanting to let go, knowing that this wasn't going to last. Why was it that whenever he acted with Lindy the way he really wanted to it was always just for show? He exhaled softly and in that one breath Lindy could hear sadness and regret. "If only it were that easy, Lindy."
Tommy's face was tinged with sadness. She wanted to ask him if he had already found this girl and if something had happened to make him believe he couldn't fight for her when Yeager's voice came through the earpieces they both had concealed.
"It's all clear. No suspicious activity. Ten minutes." Throughout Yeager's report they had kept dancing trying to seem normal despite the fact that it felt like someone was inside their heads.
"What did he mean by ten minutes?" Lindy whispered to Tommy so they wouldn't be overheard.
"In ten minutes we have to go up there." He was all cop again, alert. The easiness with which he had been talking with was gone, the spell had been broken. Lindy found herself missing the way Tommy was when he let his guard down. He was more easygoing, more vulnerable, but she knew it was a side that he didn't show very often.
Suddenly she felt Tommy stiffen. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
"I see Hamish."
Lindy's breath froze. Hamish? What the hell was he doing here?
As if reading her thoughts Tommy said, "He must be here to buy some of the art. He certainly has enough money to throw around." Tommy started to lead Lindy back. To anyone watching it just looked as if Tommy was sweeping Lindy across the dancefloor. It looked elegant even. Eventually they reached a pillar and slow danced behind that.
"Do you think he saw us?" Lindy asked, her heart beating hard at that thought of their cover being blown.
"I don't think so, but I didn't want us in his line of sight, just in case. He'd be likely to recognize us."
"I don't trust him." Tommy looked down at her, a smile tugging at his lips.
"That makes two of us." He edged slowly around the pillar, looking in Hamish's direction. "Coast is clear. He's busy talking with someone, heading away from us." Tommy held his arm out to her. "C'mon we have to start making our way upstairs." She threaded her arm through his and they steadily made their way towards the stairs.
Just as they were about to reach them a man wearing a green mask, covering his whole face accidentally bumped into Tommy.
"Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," he said, his voice a little muffled by the mask.
"It's fine." Tommy said brusquely, trying to make his way past him.
The man looked back and forth between Tommy and Lindy, taking them in and the way Tommy's arm was looped around Lindy's waist. "You two make a lovely couple," he told them. His voice had the hint of a smile although his mask made it impossible to tell.
Tommy smiled tightly. "Thanks." Apparently they were doing a good job of selling this couple act Lindy thought feeling a little disconcerted since that she couldn't see the man's face. The man made his way over to the dancefloor. Tommy watched him go until he lost him in the crowd, feeling uneasy. Lindy tugged on his arm and they continued on their way not saying anything to each other.
By the time they reached the top of the stairs they were two minutes behind schedule. Lindy looked over the railing to see some guests in groups chatting while others danced. The beautiful decorations along with the way everyone was dressed with elaborate masks over their faces made Lindy feel as if she was in another time, in another place, making it seem ethereal.
"Lindy, you coming?" She turned to see Tommy waiting for her. She realized she had stopped and was just staring at the people below.
"Yeah, let's go." They made their way to the end of the hall where the art was in exhibition. One couple was coming out of the room, smiling satisfactorily like they had already decided which piece of art they were going to buy.
It was a large dimly lit room located at the back of the mansion. Every individual piece of art stood on its own pedestal spotlighted from above and below. Some pieces were absolutely beautiful while others made Lindy wonder why they were even fit to be seen by the public. She knew that just one piece was worth more than the apartment building she lived in. As she looked around the room something kept nagging at her. She couldn't place what it was right away, but she felt like something was…off.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that when Tommy placed a hand on her shoulder she nearly jumped out of her skin. Tommy looked at her like she was crazy but leaned in to whisper something in her ear. "You would think that the guards would be a little more alert considering they're guarding millions of dollars' worth of art." Lindy looked around and saw that Tommy was right. Two of the guards looked half asleep, another was looking at his phone animatedly, clearly playing some kind of game on it, and another was sneaking bites of a sandwich, if the crumbs at his feet indicated anything.
"I can't believe this," Lindy whispered in disbelief. "Do you think they're being paid off or are they actually bored out of their minds?"
"I don't know, but I don't like it. Anyone could easily sneak in here, knock them out, and make off with the art. The alarm wouldn't even be raised until much later."
Lindy nodded in agreement gazing around the room, taking everything in. There was only one other man besides them. He was admiring Van Gogh's Starry Night painting. Apparently, it was being auctioned off. Sara had once told her that it was her favorite painting. It was also hers.
Suddenly, she heard Tommy's sharp intake of breath. She whirled around wondering what the matter was. He looked like he had seen a ghost. She followed his gaze to the man across the room. He was slightly turned towards them, giving them a clear view of his mask.
It looked just like Bubonic's.
The man turned to look at another painting. Tommy took a step forward as if he were going to charge at him. Lindy grabbed his arm before he could take another step.
"Tommy," she whispered urgently. "Don't. It can't be him. He's not stupid enough to wear his actual mask."
"I know," he said, sounding frustrated, "but-"
"Don't," she repeated.
The man was completely oblivious to their tense exchange. He continued to stare at the art. "Let's just get a little closer. Just to make sure he doesn't do anything." And he called her reckless. This just screamed trap.
"It has to be a coincidence, Tommy."
"Lindy, there are no coincidences." She knew that Tommy was a skeptic but this really wasn't the time or place to be discussing it. "Bubonic is supposed to strike tonight. That man in the bird mask is like a message."
"It's more like a decoy," she shot back, feeling increasingly frustrated.
"Let's just get closer."
"Fine," she agreed reluctantly.
She stayed close to Tommy's side as they made their way closer to the man, pretending to admire the art they passed on the way. They stopped in front of a Picasso painting. Tommy leaned in, pretending to inspect some miniscule detail- despite the fact that the painting made absolutely no sense- but he was really watching the man out of the corner of his eye. He looked like he was waiting for something…or someone. Tommy tensed. Lindy put a hand on his arm, sensing where his thoughts were going. She gave him a warning look.
Sometimes, he hated that she knew what he was thinking.
They made their way closer. "So, honey." Lindy said in an overly sweet voice. Tommy quirked an eyebrow at her. "Which painting do you like best?" Tommy nearly laughed out loud, despite how tense he felt. He knew there was no way that either of them could afford any of these paintings, but he didn't laugh because he didn't want to blow their cover. Most of the people here could afford the paintings and still had a lot more money to spare.
"I really like that one." He pointed to a painting behind Lindy. She turned to see another Picasso. It was a painting of a man that looked like someone had taken a mixer to his face.
She bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Yeah, it'd definitely look good over the fireplace." Tommy snorted. The closest thing he had to a fireplace was a furnace he had to kick in order for it to work half the time. He turned to look back at the man just in time to see him disappear behind a painting. Tommy walked quickly but quietly toward him so he wouldn't raise the guards suspicions despite the fact that he looked exactly like what he was, an angry cop. All he needed to do to make it blatantly obvious was to take out his gun. Just as Lindy thought this she saw Tommy reach into his jacket.
Lindy walked quickly after him, trying to catch up, her heels clacking the whole way. This was another reason she hated heels, she couldn't walk comfortably in them, much less run, but Sophia had threatened her bodily harm into wearing them and when that hadn't worked she'd threatened to hide her laptop.
She managed to catch up to Tommy just before he reached the painting the man had gone behind. "Don't touch your gun," she hissed. "Just calm down. You're making it glaringly obvious that you're a cop right now." He brushed past her and yanked off his mask but didn't reach for his gun again. They inched around the piece of art and saw the man crouched down by the base of the stand the painting sat on. He looked as if he were planting something.
Before Lindy or the man could react Tommy hauled him up by the front of his shirt and slammed him back against the wall. "Who are you and what are you doing?" Tommy hissed.
"I-" Tommy yanked off his mask before the man could finish his sentence. It wasn't Bubonic. The man had curly brown hair like he did, but that's where the resemblance ended. He had an angular jaw and green eyes whereas Bubonic had a boyish face and light blue eyes.
"Why are you wearing that mask?" Tommy demanded. He was right up against the man's face. The guy looked scared. Lindy knew Tommy's terrify the suspect interrogation method wasn't going to get them anywhere. What was worse was that this wasn't a method. He was just pissed and he wanted answers. She placed a hand on Tommy's rigid arm.
"Tommy," she said softly. "Calm down."
Tommy risked a glance at her. "Calm down? You want me to calm down? How am I supposed to do that when this guy here's wearing a mask like Bubonic's and looks like he's about to steal a painting?"
"I wasn't going to take anything, I swear," the man piped up, his eyes darting frantically between Tommy and Lindy before finally resting on Lindy. He still looked terrified albeit with good reason, there was an angry cop pinning him to the wall. Lindy realized she was still wearing her mask. She pulled it off and let it drop to the floor. The man looked slightly less terrified now that he could finally see a face that wasn't glowering at him, but not much since Tommy still had him gripped tightly. Lindy could see that the guy was hoping she could talk some sense into Tommy.
"Then what were you doing?" Lindy asked him. Despite the fact that she had known he wasn't Bubonic, the man had still been acting suspiciously. Like Tommy had said, it was too much of a coincidence that the man was wearing a plague doctor mask and had been hiding behind the paintings.
The man bit his lip, his eyes darting wildly over Tommy's shoulder as if expecting to see a monster come up behind him. "She asked you a question," Tommy growled, shaking the man a little.
"I'm not supposed to say anything or else he's going to kill me."
"If you don't say anything you're going to go to jail," Tommy threatened. The man looked like that was a risk he was willing to take.
Lindy looked around the room and noticed something. "Tommy." There must have been something in her voice because he looked at her in concern.
"What is it?"
"The guards are gone."
His grip on the man loosened. "What?"
"The guards. They're gone." Lindy repeated, although she knew he had heard her clearly. He looked around the room, never letting go of the man's shirt. There was nobody where the guards had once stood. Nobody to guard millions of dollars' worth of art.
"What do you know about this? Why are the guards gone?" Tommy demanded, directing his question at the quaking man.
"I don't know anything," he responded. Tommy didn't believe him for a second.
"Tommy let go of him so that he can actually talk," Lindy said, trying to reason with him. There was a dangerous glint in Tommy's eye that she didn't like. Tommy let go of the man slowly never taking his eyes off his face.
Lindy knew this was hard for Tommy. His search for Bubonic wasn't making Tommy think straight. She knew how badly he wanted to catch him, to end the threat on his life, but she had seen Tommy angry enough times to know how intimidating he could be and that usually the people he interrogated were not really willing to answer many if any of his questions.
"What's your name?" Lindy asked the man in a much less scarier voice than Tommy had used.
"Richard." He looked relieved that he wasn't being pinned to the wall anymore. Lindy could see Tommy reaching for his gun under his jacket. The man noticed at the same time and reflexively took a step closer to Lindy. He obviously considered talking to her safer than talking to Tommy.
"Don't move," Tommy told him in a deathly calm voice. Somehow that was scarier than when Tommy yelled. Richard froze. If Lindy hadn't known Tommy any better, if she didn't known how caring and gentle he could be, she knew she would have likely been a little scared of him herself by the way he was acting right now, not that she would have shown him. Lindy shot Tommy a dark look and he grudgingly dropped his hand back to his side. She knew he wanted answers but the way he was acting wasn't going to get them any.
She turned back to Richard. "You need to tell us why you're wearing that mask."
"It's a masquerade." Lindy crossed her arms at him. She could tell he was lying by the way he wouldn't meet her eyes.
"If you don't tell me the truth I'm going to have to turn you back over to him." She nodded her head toward Tommy who had his arms crossed against his chest and his face was a mask of fury. Richard paled.
"I swear I don't know anything about the guards," he stammered out. "He just told me that if I switched masks with him and came over here and planted that thing near the painting just after I saw you guys come in he'd pay me a lot of money, but that if I said anything about what I did to anyone he'd kill me."
Tommy whirled around to where he had thought Richard had been hiding something earlier and crouched down picking up something that gave off a dull shine. Lindy could see Tommy's face pale. "What is it, Tommy?"
Wordlessly, he held it out to her. It looked like a dog tag but it was shaped like the mask Bubonic usually wore. It was a message to Tommy she was sure of it. "Tommy?" she could see the anger growing on his face and knew he was one second away from grabbing Richard again. "Who paid you?" she asked Richard at the same time Tommy asked "What mask did you give him?"
"I don't know who he is. He didn't give me his name." He described how the man looked like. It matched Bubonic's-Derek's- description perfectly. "He's here," Tommy said so quietly that only Lindy could hear. She nodded.
"What mask did you give him?" Tommy asked again, taking a step closer to Richard. Richard reflexively took a step back and hit the wall behind him.
"It was green." Lindy's breath hitched. Tommy froze.
"It was green?" Tommy finally managed to ask.
"Yes and since it covered my whole face he said it was perfect for his needs and so we traded."
Lindy looked at Tommy's face. It was a mix of disbelief and white hot fury. Lindy could feel herself getting angry too. Bubonic had walked right in front of them. He had talked to them and had made a fool out of them, again.
"We've got to go after him." Tommy told her, ignoring Richard.
"Call for back up, Tommy," Lindy urged. She didn't want them going after Derek and his cronies alone. Tommy started to raise his hand to his mouth where the mouthpiece was hidden.
Then the lights went out.
Downstairs they could hear screaming as people's sight was whisked away.
She heard feet running away from them and Lindy knew Richard had made a run for it.
"Tommy!"
"I'm here. I'm right here." She felt something brush her arm and nearly kicked out until she realized it was Tommy searching for her hand. She held on to it tightly.
"Richard?" Tommy called. They both heard a cry of pain on the far side of them and then a thud. Tommy gripped her hand harder and pulled her toward him so that she was right against him. "Who's there?" Tommy called out. They both heard the sound of something being dragged.
"Richard?" Lindy called out. No answer. "What the hell is going on?" She whispered to Tommy.
"It's Bubonic. He's here." She knew that but she had no idea how Tommy had managed to voice it. She couldn't even bring herself to fully think about it. Lindy could hear the rustle of fabric and knew that Tommy had taken his gun out. "Don't let go of my arm." She gripped the fabric of his tuxedo tightly. "There's someone in here with us. I think they took Richard. We're going to make our way out of here, okay. We will get out of here." His voice was utterly serious. "Don't let go of me, okay?"
"I won't." Her eyes were getting used to the dark and she could tell that Tommy was looking at her although she couldn't make out the expression on his face. They moved off in the general direction of where Lindy remembered they had come in through.
They couldn't hear anything else. It was eerily quiet in the room besides the sound of their ragged breathing and the people panicking downstairs, although that didn't mean that no one else was in the room with them. Tommy needed back up. Risking their general location to anyone else in the room with them, he raised his arm to his lips again and tried to make contact with his team.
"Yeager, are you there?" Tommy said into the small microphone hidden in his sleeve. There was no answer, not even static. "Yeager?" Nothing. "Pascal? Come in, Pascal." He tried next, with the same result. Tommy knew then that someone had cut their connection.
"What's going on? Why aren't they answering?" Lindy asked.
"I think someone cut our line. Either Bubonic already knew we were coming or he figured it out quick. Either way I can't reach them." Lindy could hear the fear in Tommy's voice. They walked closer to where the doorway was supposed to be. She could still hear the sounds of people panicking downstairs as they tried to fight their way out of the museum. Her vision was getting used to the dark and through the gloom she was finally able to make out the doorway.
She tugged on Tommy's sleeve. "Over there," she pointed. He looked and quickly led her that way.
He didn't know what it was. Maybe it was being a cop for so many years, of having been in danger so many times, or the fact that it was dark and his senses were heightened as Connor had once told him they did when one sense is taken away, or the fact that Lindy was holding tightly onto him and was trusting him at least temporarily to get her out of here safely, and he'd be damned if he didn't do it, but some animal instinct that told him that he and Lindy were in danger.
He managed to jump out of the way, pushing Lindy aside before the hammer hit the air where his head had just been. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for him. The man that had attacked him was still swinging the hammer in mid-air. Tommy reacted without thinking. He kicked out, his foot connecting with the attacker's ribs, sending him sprawling to ground. He followed it with another swifter kick to the man's stomach. Then he was on him, punching him, knocking the night vision goggles off his face. He heard Lindy gasp as she realized what was happening. She heard the man grunt in pain as Tommy hit him. He didn't stop until the attacker was out cold.
Tommy stood up and faced her. "He was wearing night vision goggles. That's how he could see us," Tommy told her, breathing heavily. "We've gotta get out of here." He took her hand and together they ran to the doorway.
They had almost reached it when Lindy felt herself yanked back roughly. She crashed onto the floor landing roughly on her side, the wind knocked out of her. Tommy whirled around to see what had happened and was promptly hit in the chest, knocking him back. It felt like a truck had slammed into him. He thought it was the guy he had knocked out earlier but Tommy could still make him out lying on the ground a few feet away but this was another larger guy also clad in night vision goggles, but thankfully no hammer.
Tommy didn't have much to be thankful for right now.
The man punched him in the jaw and Tommy saw stars. The attacker hooked a leg behind him, tripping him, making him land on his back. The back of his head hitting the ground hard. He lay still, pain shooting through his head. He blinked through it, trying to get his bearings, but it was still hard to do with no lights on. He rolled over on his side and saw the attacker heading for Lindy, who still lay on the ground, a purpose in his every step, a gun in his hand.
Tommy saw red.
All he could think about was not letting him get near her, not letting him lay a finger on her. Lindy was still sprawled on the ground trying to regain her breathing. She raised her head to see the man coming for her. She scooted back trying to get away.
Tommy charged and tackled the guy sending them both to the ground. "Lindy," he yelled, ducking a punch. She could hear the desperation in his voice. "Get out of here. Find Yeager or Pascal, they'll get you out. Tell them to send for back up." His fist connected with the man's nose and she heard a crunch.
"I'm not leaving you here!"
"Lindy, for once will you just listen to me?" He saw her hesitate. "Don't worry about me. Go!" She didn't want to but she needed to get Tommy back up. He couldn't hold off the guy forever and who knew how many more were coming? Somehow, Bubonic must have found out they were here or they hadn't been careful enough blending in. She hated him. She felt it so deeply in her it scared her.
She rocketed across the remaining distance to the doorway and made her way out into the hall where she saw another man also wearing night vision goggles heading her way, already having spotted her. She felt her stomach sink. Another one? How many more were there? She shook herself. There was no way she was going down without a fight.
She spun around and made as if to run back into the auction room. Before she could take a step he had her in a bear hug. It was exactly what she wanted. She pretended to struggle for a bit and he tightened his arms around her like she had predicted. She lifted her heel clad foot and scraped it hard down his shin and stomped it on his foot. She heard a satisfying crunch. Immediately, he loosened his hold on her and howled in pain. She had just effectively broken his foot. But she wasn't done yet. The cronies' mission to go after Lindy had been completely forgotten, he was bent over clutching his foot. As he was distracted Lindy drove her elbow into the back of the man's head and he crumpled. She just might have to thank Sophia for making her wear her heels.
She ran down the hall, shadowy flower vases rushing past her and made her way down the stairs, grabbing onto the railing the whole way down. It wouldn't do to fall and crack her head now.
All she could see when she reached the bottom were the shadowy shapes of the last few people rushing out of the museum. "Yeager!" she screamed. She saw a shadow detach itself near a pillar and rush toward her. She felt Yeager's hands on her shoulders before she was fully able to make out his worried face in front of her.
"Lindy, are you okay? Where's Tommy? Where have the hell have you guys been? I tried contacting you when I saw Hamish to warn you guys but it didn't go through and then the lights went out."
"Yeager," she said a little desperately. "You have to go help Tommy. He's upstairs in the auction room. Bubonic knows we're here." Yeager flinched. "He sent us a decoy and then when the lights went out he sent people after us with night vision goggles. I left him fighting someone. You have to go to him." As soon as the last sentence left her lips the lights flickered back on with no warning.
Yeager and Lindy blinked hard at the sudden brightness, trying to get their bearings. Yeager rubbed his eyes, having taken off his mask when the lights went out. "Go with George and Sophia," he told her. "They're outside in a police van. It's the black one at the corner. He'll take you." He gestured for an undercover to come over. "I already called for backup. I'm going to go help Tommy."
She grabbed onto his sleeve before he could leave. "I'm coming with you."
"Lindy…"
"No, Yeager, I'm going." She turned and ran up the stairs before he could say anything else. She heard Yeager grumble something about how he could understand why Tommy was usually frustrated with her half the time and ran after her, taking two steps at a time. He reached the top first and rushed down the hall, Lindy managing to keep up despite her heels. Yeager stopped suddenly at the entrance of the auction room, almost making Lindy collide with him. He was blocking the entrance so she ducked under his arm to see what had stopped him and gasped.
Tommy wasn't fighting anyone like Lindy had expected. There was nobody in the room. No sign of any of the attackers that had been hurt or knocked out. She could see the masquerade masks she, Tommy, and Richard had dropped. There were empty spaces where some of the paintings had once stood, a few of the remaining ones were ripped or bent as if someone had been shoved into them. There was a hammer lying on the floor half way across the room as well as a pair of night vision goggles beside it. What was worse was that there was a small pool of blood on the floor. Whose it was Lindy wasn't sure, but she hoped to God it wasn't Tommy's.
A little ways off near the entrance was something that glinted in the light. Lindy walked towards it with shaking legs and picked it up. It was the tag Tommy had picked up earlier from Richard. The bird seemed to be mocking her. She knew Tommy must have dropped it during his struggle but couldn't help but feel like it was a message. She turned toward Yeager whose features were stretched tight. "He took Tommy," she choked out.
Yeager shook his head roughly from side to side, refusing to believe what she had just said. "We're going to search this place from top to bottom. He could still be here." Even though Yeager said this in a calm, steady voice he didn't look like he believed himself.
A man, who must have been an undercover, came up to Yeager and started talking to him urgently. Yeager whispered something back and the man took off running. "He's an undercover," Yeager explained to Lindy. "We're going to start looking for Tommy now."
He didn't bother to tell her to go with George and Sophia like he wanted to since he knew she wouldn't listen, even if it was safer. Yeager knew, although he was sure Lindy hadn't figured it out yet herself, that she had strong feelings for Tommy. That maybe even she was in love with him the way Tommy was in love with her. There was no way she was going to sit still while Tommy was missing and they were out looking for him.
Lindy followed Yeager out. All of the guests had already left. The auction had never even taken place. They searched the floor they were on, while the other detectives searched the first floor and the basement. They looked in all of the rooms but sound nothing. Lindy had a tight feeling in her chest that only got tighter with every empty room she looked in. Yeager was frantic, barking orders, while trying to offer Lindy a few comforting words, but they fell short since Yeager needed comfort himself.
Lindy was starting to head downstairs when something caught her attention. There was a door she and Yeager hadn't noticed because it was blocked by a stand with a vase of flowers on it. The flowers in the vase had been put in haphazardly some were even strewn on the ground, the vase wasn't perfectly centered like the others, and the stand was pressed up right against the door while the rest were set apart from the wall. All of the arrangements except this one were arranged uniformly. In an event like this Lindy figured the curators would want everything perfect, down to the last detail. It was like the person who had arranged this had had their eyes closed while doing it…or as if it had been too dark to tell.
With a rising sense of panic she pushed the stand roughly aside knocking the whole thing to the ground. The vase shattered sending shards flying. Yeager looked over at her startled but ran over to help her when he saw the door hidden behind the arrangement. As soon as they got the door open Lindy peered in. It was dark in what appeared to be a supply closet. She felt against the side of the wall searching for the light switch, her fingers brushing over it and she flicked it on, flooding the room in light and revealing the scene before them.
There in the back of the room with his shirt torn and missing a shoe was Tommy. He was laying on his back, unmoving, a pool of blood under his head.
Lying next to him was Bubonic's tag, identical to the one in her hand.