Jordan and Richard left work together as they had since he'd started staying with her as protection. Although this time they weren't exactly off the clock.
"I don't know what you want from me," Richard said, his tone angry and argumentative.
"I want you to admit we've been seeing each other." She countered "Is that so much to ask"
"Yes." He said sharply. "You knew when we started this relationship that it was going to have to be kept secret. Neither one of us wants to leave homicide and that's what would happen if they find out. One of us would be reassigned."
"What does that matter?" She asked, "Oh I get it, you mean YOU don't want to be reassigned."
"Oh, and you do?"
"I just barely clawed my way out of vice, of course, I don't want to be reassigned."
"Clawed I can buy." He grumbled.
"What the hell does that mean?" Jordan countered as she opened the passenger side door. She slammed it closed once she was inside the car.
"Nice." He said, "No wonder your car never works if that's the way you treat things." He got into the car and started it. Neither of them spoke until they had pulled away from the parking lot and onto the street. "You think he was around to hear that?"
"I don't know but we certainly got the attention of a lot of bystanders. It will be all over the neighborhood that two cops were having a lover's quarrel in public. If he doesn't know now he will soon."
"Hopefully, by the time we're done with this charade, Bellamy will be convinced you're on your own and vulnerable."
She looked thoughtful. " Would Ryan transfer one of us … if he knew we're involved?"
Richard gave her an understanding look. "No. He wouldn't. We might wind up with different partners but he would never transfer a member out of the precinct. If he had his way he'd only have members serving under him. Don't worry about that."
She nodded. "Okay. So where do we go for our next performance?"
"I don't know… you haven't gone grocery shopping since the day Bellamy cornered you in the restaurant. Maybe we should go there."
Jordan nodded. "Alright."
Richard drove to the grocery store. The display they put on there was much quieter but far more dramatic. Neither of them spoke a single word. It was the food that took the brunt of it all. Boxes of pasta skittered across the bottom of the cart, jars clanked together as they put the food in the cart as angrily as possible without breaking anything.
Richard put a 12-pack of beer in the cart and Jordan rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically. By the time they reached the checkout line, they were glaring at each other with jaws clenched. The clerk rang them up and was grateful that they weren't taking their obvious temper tantrum out on her. She gave them the total and Jordan looked expectantly at Richard who simply looked back at her and motioned for her to hurry it up. Jordan sighed dramatically and handed over her credit card to the clerk.
They put the bags into Richard's car and got into the car. Jordan didn't look at him. She stared out the passenger side window until they were far enough away that if Bellamy were watching he wouldn't be able to see into the car any longer.
"Oh god, I almost didn't make it through that without laughing." She said.
"The eye roll nearly broke me." He said "Especially as it was your brand of beer I was putting in the cart. So I figure I'll stick around long enough to have dinner then I'll make a show of leaving in a huff and find somewhere to watch your place from."
"And I will pretend to be having too much to drink out on the patio. The tea looks like whiskey from a distance after all."
"Sounds like a plan."
"What happens if he doesn't take the bait?" She asked.
"Then he doesn't take the bait and we continue on with our lives until he does. I don't think he'll be able to resist for long." Richard said "But you can't take anything for granted. Especially not that it's safe in your apartment ever."
She nodded. That was the part she hated. She hadn't felt safe at the precinct since she'd arrived. Now she wasn't going to be safe in her home either. But it was what it was and she had set this in motion herself. "I just hope he isn't out there stalking someone else while I'm over here being arrogant and thinking he's coming for me and not keeping an eye on him."
"He's playing his game and he's around enough that I don't think he's out there stalking someone else. And if we're wrong it's not your fault."
"Easy to say," Jordan said.
"I know. But there was not and is not anything more we could do to stop him once he was out on bail."
"I know." She said as he pulled into her apartment complex's parking lot.
They stopped talking and carried the groceries into her apartment. They set the bags down in the entryway, and searched the apartment, looking in every conceivable hiding space. Under the bed, in the closets, in the bathroom. Once they were certain that no one was hiding in the apartment they put things away and began to make dinner.
Noriko watched Peter meditate in the zen garden. She had at one time spent hours watching his father do just that. And like his father, Peter left her amazed that there were no footprints in the artistically raked sand. His breathing was slow and rhythmic and could almost lull the observer into a lesser level of meditation if you focused on it.
She was worried about the younger man. He seemed so certain that he was going to die at the hands of the cult. He couldn't even entertain the possibility that he would come through it alive. It was a path that could lead to self-fulfilling prophecy. He would be angry but she would have to speak to Kwai Chang about it. He had to know what Peter had in mind before it was too late to do anything about it.
Peter entered deep meditation. He had only intended to relax and prepare for the next round of tree climbing. Maybe to shake off the blues that had settled over him earlier in the day. Instead, he settled deeper and deeper until he was once again on the banks of the river, staring up at the five peaked mountain. It was the same river, he knew that, but he was nearer the mountain than he had been in his previous meditations.
"The bend in the river is getting closer…" He said, staring at the rushing water. "I thought there would be more time."
"You fear your path." Master Po said gently.
Peter turned, surprised to hear another voice. "Ahm… Yeah, I guess I am." He said honestly.
"Why is that, Grasshopper."
"My great-grandfather wrote in his journals that you used to call him that."
"You did not answer my question."
"Because I think the bend is the river is my next journey," Peter said.
"What leads you to this conclusion?" He asked as they walked.
"I told you my plan when we spoke last," Peter said.
"You told me you were going to free the avatar. You did not tell me how you were going to do this."
"When I'm taken again, if she hasn't decided to force another host on Nag, there's this ritual combat… life or death combat… and if I survive Nag becomes a guest in my head. I am going to destroy the artifact while it's empty."
"Making it impossible for either avatar to be imprisoned within again."
Peter nodded. "They aren't going to exactly be pleased when or I guess I should say if I can pull this off. I doubt they'll let me live after that."
"To kill you would be to release Nag into the ether." Master Po said. "I would think they would be more likely to attempt to control you and Nag rather than lose you both. Especially with the destiny that falls to the last of the line of Kwai Chang."
"I can't even begin to wrap my brain around that," Peter said. "I'm supposed to be able to travel back in time to somehow help the first temple. It gives me a headache to even think about it."
Master Po chuckled quietly. "Then do not think about it." He said and gave a shrugging gesture that reminded Peter of his father.
"Believe me I try not to." Peter sighed. "I just thought there would be more time." He looked again toward the bend in the river then turned his attention back to Master Po. "Is this a real place? I know I'm in my head right now, but this river and the mountain… is this a place in the real world?"
"Not as you think of it, but it is a very real place."
Peter nodded. "Okay… is it somewhere I could take Nag if I get out of there in one piece. I could see a big ethereal snake being happy in a place like this."
Master Po smiled. " I think you are right. It would be the perfect place for someone to heal"
Kellie entered her sister's house carrying take-out Indian food. She had been living there for weeks, but it still felt like her sister's house. Once she had enough money saved she'd be looking for her own place but for now she was living in her sister's guest room and dodging matchmaking attempts.
"Rachel, I'm home. I brought dinner from the Bombay Grill."
"Didn't want Chinese after all?" Rachel asked as she stepped out of the living room and headed toward the dining room to set the table.
"Honestly I can't face it," Kellie said. "I worked in and around Chinatown so much that I ate dim sum the way tv cops eat donuts. Give me a couple of months." She set the bag on the table and started to pull containers from within and set them on the table. "I remembered the Indian place from when I visited you last time and went there instead."
"I'm just as glad you did. It smells incredible." Rachel said. She started toward the kitchen to get the pot of coffee she'd just brewed.
Adam Cross knocked on the door and waited patiently.
Rachel dropped off the coffee pot on the dining room table and went to the front door. "Can I help you?" She asked the stranger standing before her.
"I am so sorry to bother you, my car broke down about a block that way." He said pointing to the east. "I have knocked on every door between here and there and no one else has been willing to let me use their phone. May I please use your phone to call Triple A?"
"I think that would be alright. Unlike my neighbors, I have a police officer living in the house so it should be safe enough to let you in." She stepped aside to allow him to enter.
"Thank you." He said, "So your husband is a cop?"
Rachel laughed "No. My sister is a homicide detective." She said with pride. Their parents didn't understand her choices but Rachel was very proud of her sister.
Kellie frowned, she really needed to talk to her sister about letting strangers into the house. Her generous nature was going to get her hurt one of these days. "Rach, who's here?" She asked stepping into view.
"Hi," He said "I'm Will Kline." He lied "My car broke down and your sister graciously offered to let me use your phone."
"The phone is this way," Rachel said and led the way into the living room.
Shortly after midnight Kenjiro and Caine left the hotel room wearing dark charcoal gray shinobi, but not yet hiding their faces. They put their bags into the back seat of the rental car and Ken drove them toward the high rise.
"Last chance to bow out," Ken said as he parked the car, then laughed quietly at the look he received from his friend. "I will take that as a no."
Caine inclined his head once toward Ken. He didn't like the fact that they were stealing the scroll but there was no choice. He would have to trust his friend's judgment that the man was indeed a criminal.
He parked the car two blocks down from the tower and walked back. They pulled the masked hood over their heads. Kenjiro took the forward position in the climb. He worried about Caine being as able to keep up as he claimed to be. His first attempt at such a climb had been nerve-wracking. He had spent a lot of time free climbing in his teens and had used those skills to transition into scaling modern construction. Fortunately, this building had easy handholds. Well by his estimation they were easy. Occasionally he looked down to see if Caine was alright.
Ken stopped one level below the penthouse. He took out his glass cutter and scored a section of the large plate window big enough to crawl through and pushed it in. The glass fell onto the carpet and even though it broke it didn't make a loud sound as it did so.
He entered the office and went about opening the file cabinets, leaving them slightly ajar.
Caine joined him and gave him a perplexed look.
"If it looks like we were targeting this office they aren't going to investigate the penthouse right away," Ken said softly.
Caine nodded as they went to the office door. He held his hand up, indicating that Ken should wait. He closed his eyes and waited, having sensed that someone was in the corridor. Within moments the soft jingling of keys could be heard indicating that the security guard was making his rounds.
They waited until they heard the faint ding of the elevator and the guard's jingly keys to enter it. Ken opened the office door, made sure that it would lock behind them and they walked out into the corridor. They took the stairs up to the next level.
Caine kept watch as Ken picked the lock. They entered the penthouse apartment and moved silently toward the den, located behind double glass doors. Along one wall was a set of wooden cubicles set on an angle making them a diamond shape. Rare books were layered in most of the cubes but two of them held scrolls.
Ken ignored those made of papyrus or vellum, pulling out those made of silk or washi paper. He quickly unrolled them and scanned the text until he found what they were looking for and tucked it into his shinobi. "Okay, back the way we came." He said and made certain the remaining scrolls were as he had found them.
Jordan tossed and turned in her bed. She had grown accustomed to having Richard beside her. It surprised her how quickly that had happened. She wondered where the relationship would be going if it would be going anywhere at all when all was said and done.
The clock said it was nearly 3 am but it felt closer to 6 as far as she was concerned. She was exhausted but it was far too late to take Unisom if she wanted to wake up in time to go to work.
She sighed and got out of bed, heading toward the kitchen, not bothering to turn on the lights. Her grandmother had always sworn by turmeric milk to help with insomnia. She wasn't sure if it would work but it was worth a shot. Besides, it tasted good.
She took down a cup and started the water heating in the kettle. She turned around and screamed instinctively. Sean David Bellamy stood in her kitchen, grinning from ear to ear.
"You think you're so smart, don't you detective." He said. "Waiting for me to make a move out there in public, you didn't think for a minute that I can get into and out of here any time I want did you."
"Get out of here." She said taking two steps back, putting her back toward the knife drawer. "This is your only chance." She hoped her voice wasn't trembling as much as she thought it was.
He reached forward and grabbed her by the arm pulling her away from the counter "No no… I know where you keep the knives." He said "I know where you keep everything. Including where that tiny little gun safe is hidden."
Jordan glared at him. She knew she had support outside she just had to find a way to alert them to trouble. "So is this where I'm supposed to be scared?" She asked "Oh no, the Pillsbury dough boy's ugly brother broke into my apartment and knows about my gun safe. Scary." She mocked him. She needed him to lose control. Sure it could backfire on her but so would standing there meek and submissive waiting for help that might not come in time.
"False bravado little miss. I can see through you plain as day."
"You couldn't see through a plate glass window pane."
He backhanded her and she used it as an excuse to drop to the floor. She twined her legs with his and twisted, sending him to the floor. He was momentarily stunned. Jordan didn't get to her feet, instead, she crawled quickly past.
Bellamy turned over to his stomach and reached out to grab Jordan's ankle. He grinned as she cried out loudly in what he assumed was fear. If he had known her better he would have realized it was a cry of rage.
Jordan brought her free leg down on his face as hard as she could, once, twice… and a third time before his grip on her ankle lessened enough for her to pull away. She scrambled for the dining room, far enough away that she could get to her feet out of his reach.
The tea kettle began to scream and it drew her attention in time to see Bellamy lunge for her. Her screams joined that of the kettle. She grabbed the vase of roses on her dining room table and slammed it into her attacker's head. It didn't slow him down in the slightest, the man was driven by rage and adrenaline. His hands closed around her throat tightly, and he slammed her into the center bar of the sliding glass door.
Jordan's vision swam, but she continued to fight she didn't have it in her to lay down and die, not even as the lack of oxygen began to take its toll. She didn't hear the front door slam against the wall as it was kicked open. She didn't hear Richard order Bellamy to let her go, neither did she hear the report of three bullets leaving his gun.
She did feel Bellamy's grip loosen as he slid to the floor at her feet. She drew in a deep burning breath and for a moment she thought her body was going to reject it. She coughed raggedly and slid down the sliding glass door to the floor as her world went black.