Author's note: Thank you to all of my followers. Looks like I picked up a few. Hopefully, I didn't lose any. Between Thanksgiving, my birthday, and getting ready for Christmas, I've been busy and neglectful about writing lately. I've also been trying to make some decisions about this story. I'm still going to write it, but I'm changing a few minor things from my initial plan. I think it will be better because of these small alterations. I'll be finishing this story in a few chapters and then starting a sequel that picks up a little later.
Chapter 24
Sebastian parked the car beside the house. Heather opened the back door and led the dogs out and onto the front lawn. "This is your new home, guys. Do you need to go potty? Go tinkle and poop-poops before we go inside, okay? Then I'll introduce you to the kitties and show you around," she told the dogs.
Sebastian and Jim walked inside. "Jim, are you sure she's ready to be left alone tonight? Do you think one of us should stay until the guys get here? Just to be sure."
Jim sighed. "I know what you're saying and, yes, I would like someone to be here with her, but we both really need to get back. You said the cameras here are going up tonight after we leave for the airport, right? And the cameras and trackers are going in her car tomorrow morning?"
Sebastian nodded. "She's going for an oil change tomorrow at 9 am and that's when the cameras and tracking stuff will be installed by our guy. She's dropping the car off and Kate's picking her up and they're going shopping. The shop is supposed to call her when the car's ready."
"How soon can our guys get here?"
"I going to try to get them here by Monday. It'll be tight, but I think it's doable. I'm going to have to work my ass off to pull it off, but I've done more with less time."
"Call Deakon to start working on it now. Let's see how much he can get done before we get back. I want them here ASAP. The fewer days she's alone, the better." The two men heard Heather walk in the front door and turned to her.
"Everything okay with the dogs, my dear," asked Jim.
Heather grimaced, "So far, so good. Now the hard part. Where are the cats? This is NOT going to be pretty. Calypso, Downey. Come meet your new brothers." The cats lazily ambled out of the kitchen and, seeing the dogs, froze in their tracks. Downey arched his back and began hissing loudly. Calypso ran underneath the coffee table and growled a demonic moan. Both dogs sat still and didn't react to either cats' misbehavior. Heather released both dogs from their leashes and hung them up by the front door. She started to walk towards Downey, sweetly calling his name, but the cat backed up and continued his hissing. She turned towards the coffee table to try to reach Calypso, but the cat reached out and swiped out at Heather's ankle.
"Okay, you two. These are your new doggie brothers, Atticus and Finch. They are staying. You will be nice to them. You will not bully them. They will be nice to you too. Everyone has to behave. If you don't like this, just wait a few days because Mommy is going to have some house guests who you will have to be nice to because they will be here to protect Mommy from bad people. So, deal with it you two." She turned towards Sebastian, "Bash, these guys are okay with cats and dogs, right? No allergies. The dogs probably won't climb on them, but if the cats get comfortable enough, they might get on their laps. They can always pick the cats up and move them off their laps, but the cats will keep trying."
"No, they should be fine. None of them have pet allergies that I'm aware of."
"Ok, good. How about some lunch? What about Chinese? We can order for take out and one of us can go pick it up or we can go eat there. What do you think?"
Jim thought for a moment. "Let's eat here. Sebastian, will you go pick it up for us if we call the order in? I feel like we've been running around all morning long and I haven't had a minute alone with Heather."
"Sure. Heather, do you have a menu?"
"Yeah, it's on the fridge. It's that place we always go to down by the CVS. In the strip mall. I know I want the General Tso's Chicken with brown rice. You guys go ahead and get whatever you want and then call the order in."
Jim and Sebastian looked through the menu, made their choices, and then Jim called the order in. Sebastian left, and Jim sat down on the couch next to Heather. The dogs flanked the left and right sides of the couch and perked up their heads momentarily when Jim sat down. Heather flashed them the "settle" hand sign and they laid their heads back down. Heather laid her head down on Jim's lap and sighed. "Do you really have to leave tonight? I just met you and now you're leaving me," she said with a light whine in her voice. "I'm going to miss you. You and your kisses. Where am I supposed to get my good morning kisses now? From the dogs?"
Jim lightly ran his hands through her hair. "I know, but yeah, Sebastian and I really do have to leave tonight, love. There's a lot we have to take care of back home. Criminal Consulting is kind of a 24/7 job and as much as I want to stay here with you, I can't. But, hey, you're coming to visit in 2 weeks. That's not very long and I promise we will spend a lot of time together then. I'm already trying to find a way to clear room in my schedule for us. I think I might introduce you to my brother and Davin."
"Oh, Jim, I'm not sure if I'm ready to meet your family. What if they don't like me?"
"Beau and Dav are going to love you. You and Dav can talk about culinary stuff and you and Beau are so alike. Besides, how can someone not love you?"
"Umm, may I remind you that the whole reason you came over here was to kill me? That's just one example of how someone can not like me. A bit extreme, yes, but still."
"I was wrong. Treasure hearing that because I will never repeat that statement. I promise they will like you and if they don't, then I'm sure you will win them over with your charm. Now, stop worrying about it. Only happiness for the rest of the day. I insist, and I always get what I want."
"Ok, only happiness today." Heather laid there enjoying the feel of Jim playing with her hair. It was one of her favorite feelings. It was both very sensual and deeply relaxing. Heather's eyes started to get heavy as Jim continued stroking her head. She soon felt them closing involuntarily, as a deep sense of calm overtook her. Jim looked down after a few minutes and saw her eyes closed and a faint smile on her face. "Blimey, she falls asleep easily. I wish I could sleep like that." He smiled and thought to himself, "She looks so peaceful when she sleeps. She's like an angel. My angel. I would do anything to protect her. Jim reached for his phone. He texted Deakon to start working on the plans to get the men over here this weekend and to tell him to take care of Patterson himself before they returned. Jim put the phone down and relaxed back against the couch, wrapping his arm around Heather's body.
Sebastian returned after a while with the food. Jim woke Heather up and they all went into the kitchen and served themselves. After lunch, Heather tried to coax the cats out from their respective hiding places with treats, but the cats were standing firm in their rejection of their new housemates. Heather gave up and the trio took the dogs outside and ran through the commands with the dogs for practice.
They returned inside and played board games for a few hours. Heather beat both of the men in both games of 90's Trivial Pursuit, but Jim came out on top during the game of Perfection with the fastest time of 37 seconds. Heather came in second with a best time of 56 seconds, and Sebastian's best time was 59 seconds. Calypso finally came out from hiding when Jim went into the kitchen to get Heather another drink. He returned with a Coke Zero in one hand and the dark-haired cat curled up in the other.
Handing the soda to her, Jim said, "Calypso came running over to me and started meowing furiously until I picked her up. I tried to put her back down, but she kept trying to climb onto my back, so I guess I have a new friend now." Heather laughed and reached up to take the cat from him. "Lipsky, did you find yourself a new daddy? Huh, little girl?" Jim sat down next to her and put the cat on her lap. Calypso climbed back onto Jim's lap and began purring loudly. "Well, I guess I've been replaced," said Heather. "You can take her back to London with you if you want. She seems to prefer you now, the little traitor."
"Tempting, but I'll have to say no right now. She would probably just turn on me then one day. Maybe rat me out to the Yard in exchange for some catnip."
"Speaking of returning to London, when did you guys want to leave for the airport? Your flight leaves at 6, correct? I would recommend leaving here no later than 4."
Sebastian spoke up, "4 o'clock sounds good. Jim, you are all packed, correct. I have a few little things to add to my carry-on, but otherwise I'm done."
"Same here. So that gives us about an hour before we need to leave. Is there anything you two want to do in that hour? I want to make a few calls before we leave, but outside of that, I'm good."
"I just want to hang out with you for as long as possible, Jim. So, make your calls and then come back to the couch. At the risk of sounding clingy, I'm already starting to miss you," sighed Heather.
"Jim, do you need me to handle those calls for you," questioned Sebastian.
"Yes, call Deakon and check on Patterson and ask him about the progress he's made with Heather's security."
Sebastian nodded and excused himself into the kitchen. Jim picked the cat up off his lap and placed her back on the floor. She hissed at Atticus and ran upstairs. Jim pulled Heather onto his lap and kissed her deeply. "I'm going to miss you too, love." They made out for a few minutes until they heard Sebastian clear his throat. "Excuse me boss, but I have a status update for you." Jim nodded, and he and Heather turned their heads towards the tall blond. "Patterson has been handled. Clean-up is taking care of the scene now. Everyone has plane tickets and two hotel rooms have been booked. Deak thought that two would be best, so that the man returning from his shift could sleep while the third individual could be up and active. Two cars have been reserved. The men are set to arrive Sunday night at 1130 pm. I still have Deakon on the phone. He would like to know how you would like to arrange for the men and Heather to initially meet up. Would you like to speak to him, sir?"
Before Jim could speak, Heather did. "Hand me the phone, Bash. I will coordinate that aspect." Sebastian looked at Jim and Jim nodded. Heather took the phone and spoke, "Hello, this is Dr. Weire. Is this Deakon?"
"Yes, ma'am. I was expecting to speak to Mr. Moriarty or Mr. Moran regarding this."
"Well, since they will be working with me, I thought it would be best if you spoke with me directly. I assume this will not be a problem."
"No, of course not, ma'am. Ma'am, the security men will be arriving at BWI at 1130 Sunday evening. When would you like for them to arrive at your location?"
"Well, I imagine that they will be a bit tired after such a long flight. I understand that they will be renting two vehicles for their stay here. How about all three of them come over to my house from the airport. I live approximately 20 minutes away. It sounds like I should expect them sometime around 1215 or so, depending on the speed of baggage claim and such. Please give them my cell number and have them call me when they are about 5 minutes away from my house, so I can open the security gate for them when they arrive. I will give them a quick tour and answer any immediate questions, then the two not working the first shift can go to the hotel and settle in. The individual working the first shift can start immediately. I will probably go to bed shortly after they leave. He is free to sleep in my guest room if he would like. I don't work Monday, so after I get up, which probably won't be until 9 or 10 in the morning, he and I can talk some more and go over some things. I understand they will be working 16-hour shifts, is that correct?"
"Yes, ma'am. That's accurate. The men are not permitted to sleep while on duty, though. Their job is to protect you as the asset."
"Well, I do appreciate that, but the flight from London is long and travel can be tiring, so I don't mind if that first person naps Sunday night. When the other two work their first shifts with me, we will sit down together and discuss things as well. I know that the men are working, but this is my home and I would like for everyone to be comfortable here. Has Sebastian given you a rundown on the security measures I currently have in place?"
"Mr. Moriarty did, ma'am. I will include that in my briefing of the men. Do you have any further questions?"
"No. Hold on for a moment. I will hand the phone back to Sebastian in case he needs anything further. Thank you for your work on this matter." Sebastian took the phone and walked back into the kitchen.
"Kitten, my men are not to be sleeping while on duty. Promise me you won't let them. Thank you for your hospitality, but their job is keeping you safe, not relaxing and treating this like a holiday. These are not your houseguests. They are your employees. Please treat them as such."
Heather rolled her eyes. "Deakon said essentially the same thing. Fine, no sleeping while they are at work. Can they at least call me by my first name? 'Ma'am' makes me feel about 80 years old. Dr. Weire in the hospital, but outside of the hospital, I insist on 'Heather.' Also, if they're not working, can I take them out drinking with me? Obviously, the one on duty is the designated driver, but the other two can get hammered, right? Do I have any rules I have to follow? I've never had private security before, so I don't know the rules. Well, that's not totally true. Because of my dad, I did have security of sorts, but they were more for my dad than me. And they were government agents, not private security. I didn't really like them. They reported everything I did back to my dad, which was really annoying, but on the upside, they were pretty easy to slip. Man, they got so mad when I would get away from them." Heather laughed at the memory of that one night the summer before her senior year in college. "It took them 4 hours to find me and by that time, I was home and the effects of the cocaine had already worn off. Mostly. If Daddy had listened to them and taken me for a drug test, my ass would have been so busted. Thank God, he didn't think me capable of being that wild." She shook her head and smiled. "Good times. Good times. Anyway … what were you saying, honey? Something about sleeping or something. Sorry, I wandered off for a moment."
Jim stared at her for a few seconds. "Um, yeah. We're going to talk about that later, but my point is my men are not permitted to sleep while on duty. Also, since you brought it up there, no trying to get away from them either. They are assigned to you for a reason. If you have a problem with them, give Sebastian or me a call and we will take care of it. Now about the cocaine …"
Sebastian walked back into the room at that moment. "Okay, unless you need anything else from me, I'm going to head upstairs for a bit."
After Sebastian walked upstairs, Jim resumed holding Heather in his arms. They sat back and listened to the classical music playing through the stereo system and just enjoying each other's company. Though neither one spoke it, they both knew that the following two weeks would be tough and feel too long. After a while, Heather glanced at the clock and reminded Jim that he still had a few things to pack. They walked upstairs, and Jim finished his packing, while Heather stripped the bed and tidied up, all the while trying not to get emotional. She chided herself for feeling so sad. "C'mon, get it together, girl! He's not leaving for war. You'll see him in a few weeks. Chill out! You are setting feminism back 1,000 years acting this way. You're not some helpless waif. You're a Rockstar. Get yourself together," she fussed at herself.
Sebastian stuck his head in the room and asked if they were almost ready to go. Heather picked up the sheets and Jim grabbed his bags and they walked out of the room. Heather put the sheets in the washer along with a soap pod and started the laundry. She joined the guys downstairs and they walked out to the car. Sebastian loaded the luggage into the trunk and slid into the front seat. Jim joined Heather in the back seat. Heather leaned against Jim and closed her eyes. She took a deep inhale of Jim's scent and held it for as long as she could, knowing that this was one memory she wished could freeze in time. She felt the tears prick up in her eyes, but blinked them back. Heather remembered Jim's words of "only happiness today" and swore to hold to them for as long as possible. Jim dipped down and kissed the top of her head and rubbed her arm, whispering "two weeks." She nodded.
Traffic was relatively light going to the airport and they arrived slightly earlier than planned. Sebastian pulled up to the departure drop off area and parked the car. Sebastian opened the trunk and got the luggage out, while Jim and Heather remained in the car for a few minutes alone.
"So, I guess this is goodbye for now, huh?" said Heather. "Just for right now, love, just for right now. Two weeks will fly by, I promise," said Jim. "I know, but … I … I'll still miss you. I'm sorry," Heather replied, the tears starting to slowly spill out of her eyes.
"Hey, Kitten, don't cry! Everything is going to be okay. We'll see each other soon. I promise." Jim enveloped Heather in a tight embrace and rubbed her back. "It's only two weeks and we can call and text whenever. C'mon, let me see a smile before I go. I can't leave a beautiful woman crying like this. I'm not a monster. A very bad man, yes, but not a monster."
Heather smiled at the bad joke. "Alright, come on now. We shouldn't leave Sebastian out on his own. Lord only knows what kind of trouble he'll get into without supervision." Heather wiped away the tears and they exited the vehicle. Sebastian was standing a respectful distance away, ever aware of every detail surrounding him. He handed the keys to Heather and gave her a hug. "Bash, thanks for coming. And thanks for bringing Jim. Do you have everything you need? Did you tell Kate you were leaving?" Heather asked.
Sebastian nodded and said, "I gave Kate my mobile number, my personal mobile number. She said she would be in touch. Thanks for having me. This didn't go exactly the way I had planned, but I got to meet Kate and she's definitely a positive. I'll see you in two weeks, I guess. Be good!" Heather pulled him in for a very tight hug. "Bashie, keep Jim safe for me, okay? Promise? He's very important." She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. Sebastian kissed the top of her head and promised he would. Jim and Heather embraced tightly one more time and kissed each other deeply. Neither one wanted to let go, but after a few minutes, Sebastian quietly cleared his throat and called for Jim. Heather felt the tears pricking back up in her eyes, but refused to allow them to flow. She plastered a large, cheery smile on her face and said goodbye to her two favorite guys.
She stood there on the sidewalk until they disappeared into the crowds and then got into her car and started the drive home. Halfway home, she decided that home was the last place she wanted to be and decided to indulge in some retail therapy. She drove to Target and spent the next two hours wandering the store buying things. Just random things. She knew that most of what she bought would be returned the next day, as she had no use for it, but it occupied her mind and kept the grief to a manageable level. As she sat in the parking lot, she tried to figure out what to eat for dinner. Nothing appealed to her. She drove to the grocery store and bought some Ben & Jerry's, a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough, and two bottles of wine. It was going to be a drunk and fat girl kind of night. She drove home and brought her bags into the house and set them down in the kitchen. After feeding the animals, she checked her voice mail. There was a message from Jim, saying that he and Sebastian were safely in the air and on their way home. He said that he loved her and was going to take some sleeping medicine after he got off the phone, but that Sebastian was planning on staying awake for a while longer if she needed to get ahold of him. She texted back to Sebastian's phone that she loved them both and to have a safe journey. She asked Sebastian to not wake Jim to deliver the message, but to make sure that he ate a sensible breakfast and to call or text when they landed in London. She also reminded him that phones are supposed to be fully off during air travel. Heather walked into the kitchen and opened one bottle of wine, poured some into a large coffee mug, and got a spoon and the ice cream, and carried it all into the living room. Flopping down on the couch, she turned on the tv and directed the voice app on the tv to turn to Investigation Discovery channel. A new episode of Homicide Hunters with Lt. Joe Kenda was just starting and Heather settled in for a long night of wine, ice cream, murder, and self-pity.
