Author's Notes: Still don't think I really have a handle on how to write Cooper, but oh well. Any feedback is much appreciated.
Chapter Fifteen
An uneasy silence had fallen upon the apartment as the door closed behind Danny and Delinda. Both Cooper and Ed found themselves silently staring at each other; each trying to get a read on the other man, only really knowing the other's name and a few details of their shadowy pasts.
"So," Ed said, figuring he should break the ice. Deline hadn't told Danny, but the former CIA operative had read up on the man standing in front of him (or as much as he could anyway); he was curious as to who would be running "his" casino while he was gone. Much to his frustration, Ed really hadn't been able to find much. "I, uh, I hear that you've been taking good care of my kids."
"Wouldn't exactly call them kids." Cooper nodded, having heard many stories from his employees about Ed Deline as well as doing his own research. There was something about the gray-haired man that made him want to trust him, but there was also something about Deline that set off Cooper's alarm bells. He'd have to keep a close eye on this one.
"Eh," Ed shrugged, trying not to show his frustration with Cooper's aloofness. This guy is hiding something, he thought to himself. "Somewhere along the way, they've become like my family. How's the casino?"
"Had a good quarter." Cooper replied, crossing his arms across his chest. He really didn't feel like sharing much about the inner workings of the Montecito with someone he considered no longer involved, but decided to give the other man a few details. "Danny's doing a fair job as your replacement."
"Only fair?" Ed raised an eyebrow.
"You trained him well." Cooper smiled slightly, "But, seeing as how he's a fellow Marine, I can't help but expect a lot more out of him than I would another person."
"Danny won't let you down." Ed nodded, thinking about his protégé, and Mike, Sam and Delinda too. "None of them will."
"Danny?" Delinda said, noticing the sudden change in her boyfriend's demeanor and the way he stood as if frozen to the very ground he stood on. "What's going on?"
"It's nothing, Dee." Danny lied, turning himself away from her (and Frank's watchful eye) very slowly. He could barely contain the anger in his voice. "What in the hell do you want?"
"Can't a person call up an old friend?"
"I would hardly call you a friend." Danny replied, running a frazzled hand through his hair. "I'm going to ask you again: what do you want?"
"I do so enjoy our little games, Danny." The Professor laughed, "I can always predict what you're going to do or say before you actually do it! Sometimes, I suspect, before you probably even know yourself." Danny narrowed his eyes in anger as the laughter stopped. "Before you hang up, which we both know you're going to, do tell Ms. Delinda that she looks absolutely stunning this evening in that yellow top. It does compliment her a lot more than that one she had on earlier today."
Feeling his heart jump into his throat, a wide-eyed Danny slowly turned back towards a puzzled Delinda. She had been wearing a different shirt earlier, but had changed into a yellow one after Ed and her had gone back to the condo.
"There's no way…" Danny said to himself, realizing that there was no way the older man could have known that information unless he had been watching the place.
"Figured it out, have you?" The Professor chuckled, "I always did like hide and seek."
"Where are you, you son of a bitch?" an enraged Danny shouted as he started looking around frantically.
Dial tone from the other end appeared to be the only answer McCoy would receive to that question until he, Frank and Delinda were suddenly bathed in light. Squinting his eyes against it, Danny could see that someone had not only started up a car that had been parked across from the group, but had immediately turned on its fog lights. The connection solidified in his mind when the driver flashed their lights as well as honked the horn.
"Damn it." Danny swore as he started running after the car, which was now pealing out of the parking lot. However, Frank, who despite being older was a lot stronger than Danny, grabbed on to him as he tried to run past. "Let me go!"
"Easy, kid!" Frank said, struggling to hang onto him. McCoy was trying his damnedest to get out of his grip. "You'll never catch up to them!"
"Danny…" Delinda said, trying to pacify him as Ed and Cooper ran out.
"What in the blue hell is going on out here?" Ed said, looking at the worried expression on his daughter's face to where Frank was still restraining Danny, who appeared to be calming down slightly. "Frank?"
"Kid got some sort of phone call…" Frank started to explain.
"It was the Professor." Danny interrupted, hanging his head as all fight went out of him. Even if Frank let him go now, it would be useless. He'd never be able to catch up to the car, and he had no clue on where it could be heading. "He's been watching this place."
"What did he say?" Ed asked, nodding at Frank to let Danny go.
"He knew that Delinda changed her shirt today." Danny sighed, again feeling all eyes on him. "He's had to have been here at least since you two came back to the apartment."
"Creepy." Delinda shuddered.
"Nothing else?" Ed asked, clenching one of his hands into a fist. The gray-haired man thought to himself that the breach of privacy would have to be added onto his list of reason to make the Professor (and Henderson too, for that matter) pay. He also noted the fiery anger he still saw simmering in Danny's eyes and made a note to keep an eye on him. The kid doesn't always think straight when he's amped up like this, Ed thought to himself.
"Just the same old tired crap." Danny shook his head.
"All right." Ed sighed, "Frank, looks like I'm going to need you to double the patrols around that place we're sending the girls to. We can't be sure if that idiot gathered enough information to even guess at what we're doing."
"Got it." Frank nodded.
"Danny, I'm, uh, going to need you and Cooper to head back upstairs for now." Ed said, softening his tone as he turned towards his protégé. He knew that hanging tight was probably the last thing McCoy wanted to do right now, but Deline also knew that he couldn't afford to have the younger man take off on some wild goose chase. An exchanged glance and slight nod from Cooper signaled to Ed that he was thinking the same thing. "If it's all right with you, I, uh, think I'll crash here with you tonight, instead of staying at the Montecito…"
"Why not go home?" Delinda interrupted, "Does Mom even know that you're back in town?"
"For now though," Ed continued as if he hadn't heard his daughter. "I'm going to go with Frank and Delinda to the airstrip. Make sure her and this Piper get off safely."
"Sounds like a plan." Danny said reluctantly, hugging Delinda to him one last time. He had a million things in his head that he wanted to say to her, but found himself speechless. "Dee…"
"Shh." Delinda said, putting a finger to his lips to quiet him. She was about to tell him that she loved him, but she already felt like she had said that a billion times that night. A sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes to fend off tears that were threatening to fall. This just couldn't be their last moments together! McCoy HAD to be here when she returned.
"I will be here." Danny replied as if he could read her thoughts. He planted a kiss on the top of her forehead before shaking his head. "I'm not going anywhere, Delinda. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"Same here." Delinda sniffed.
After sharing another kiss with Danny, a sobbing Delinda slowly turned and got into the backseat of the waiting car. However, the moment she sat down, she could feel the baby inside of her kick and instinctively she rested a hand on her stomach. Danny, who was watching her from the other side of the door, must have understood what that meant as he rested his hand against the window. Tears flowing freely now, Delinda rested her free hand in the same spot.
"It's for the best." Cooper said, watching Danny, who sighed and watched helplessly as the car disappeared down the street. For the second time that evening, McCoy found himself wanting to take off on foot after a car.
"Somewhere in my head, I know that." Danny nodded, cutting himself off before admitting that his heart was calling him all sorts of names for letting Delinda go, even for an instant. Sighing again deeply, he turned back towards the other man.
"So, what's your plan?" Cooper asked, watching the younger man in front of him carefully.
"Not sure." Danny admitted, turning back towards Cooper.
"I was just about to call you to see what was up." A worried Mike said as the car with Ed, Frank and Delinda inside pulled up to the airstrip almost 45 minutes later than anticipated. Worry gave way to confusion on the bald man's features as Ed stepped out of the car. "Thought you said that you weren't going to come, Ed."
"Change of plans." Ed explained as Frank began unloading Delinda's luggage onto the plane. "We, uh, had a little incident at Danny and Delinda's place." Seeing Mike start to open his mouth, the gray-haired man held up a hand. "The Professor showed his face, but bastard got away before we could get him. Mikey, I'm going to need you to haul ass to the Montecito and see if you can't track him down. Get Mitch to help you."
"The Professor." Mike repeated before worry renewed itself in his face. "What about Danny? Did he…"
"He tried." Ed nodded, knowing Mike was asking if Danny had taken off. "He still might, but I left Cooper with him. Hopefully, he won't let him do anything stupid."
"You should have been here a half an hour ago, old timer." Leo sneered as the Professor stepped out of the backseat of a Lincoln Town Car. Broder was referring to the arrangements the older man had made to meet himself as well as Bill Henderson at a private ranch somewhere along the Arizona/Nevada border.
"My errand ran a little longer than expected." The Professor said, glaring at the younger man. A manila envelope was firmly grasped in his hands as the two walked into the main house and headed towards the back. "You should also know that I don't have to explain myself to you, Leo. I must make it a point to have your employer remind you of that."
"Whatever." Leo rolled his eyes as they reached the back patio. Henderson was waiting for them; seated a round, concrete table. A bottle of red wine and three glasses sat on top. The curly-haired man got to his feet as they approached.
"Good to see you again, my old friend." Henderson said warmly, shaking the other man's hand.
"Likewise, Bill." The Professor said before looking pointedly at Leo. "As was so gently pointed out to me, I must apologize for running late. I ran into a little bit of a hiccup while traveling through Las Vegas."
"It's all right." Henderson assured, giving Leo a look that said they would talk later about his lack of manners as the three men sat down. "Did you find out anything interesting in your travels?"
"Well," the Professor said, handing the envelope over to Henderson, who immediately opened it up. Inside was a series of photographs; the first being one of Ed and Delinda walking into the apartment building. "As you can see, our sources were correct: Ed Deline has indeed returned to Las Vegas."
"Unknowingly playing right into our hands." Henderson chuckled, flipping to the next picture: this one of Danny and Frank loading the car with Delinda's luggage. "Looks like someone's headed out of town."
"Ms. Deline." The Professor nodded as Henderson moved to the next picture; Danny and Delinda walking out of the apartment building. "As you can see, it certainly looks like Delinda and Danny have been busy since we last saw them."
"They do look like a happy, little family." Henderson smiled, his eyes zeroing in on the pregnant Delinda. "I bet Ed is ecstatic; he's always thought of McCoy as family." He looked from the photograph to the Professor. "I assume that they're sending little Delinda away for her own protection?"
"That's my guess as well." The Professor replied.
"I'll get our men on it." Leo exclaimed, reaching for his cell phone. "They'll have her here by this time tomorrow."
"Put your phone away!" Henderson snapped.
"Why?" a confused Leo asked, still holding his phone in his hands.
"I think we'll be generous and let Ed and Danny Boy have this small thing." Henderson replied as Leo put his phone back in his pocket. He turned his gaze to the Professor. "After all, we can always take it away from them, should they prove ungrateful."
"Sounds good." The Professor agreed.
"I see." Henderson chuckled, realizing what the hiccup had been. "That's why you're late! You just had to take a moment to mess with the poor kid's head, didn't you?"
"He makes it way too easy." The Professor confirmed with a smile, "I thought the fool would follow me here on foot." He casually shrugged his shoulders. "Probably would have if Deline's paid dog hadn't interfered."
"I wish he would have." Leo shook his head, "We could have had some real fun with him."
"Patience, my young friend." The Professor said, pouring himself some wine. "We will have PLENTY of fun with Danny McCoy soon enough."
To be continued...