Thank you for all the feedback, it is greatly appreciated!
The next chapter will be interesting, and it causes their feelings for each other to get a bit more real, leaving Jamie to answer some tough questions from Frank. :)
Breaking the Rules: Chapter Five:
It had been over 48 hours since Eddie was caught in an unfortunate situation during a decoy assignment, which caused a painful, but minor sprain in her wrist. Since then, she'd been going stir crazy around the apartment to keep her distance from the precinct, as she knew Jamie would be working the beat with Bethany, the very same rookie cop that he rode with the day she worked as a decoy with Jenkins.
She was itching to get back out on the beat.
To start, the doctor finally gave her the clearance to at least continue the undercover assignment with Jamie. A partial decoy in a sense, but at least this one appeared to be a bit safer on the surface, and even if it didn't turn out that way, Jamie would have her back.
Eddie then stood before the mirror, holding up a few dresses to see which would be the best.
Mark Jacobs was the male target for their assignment, someone who only appeared charming on the surface. It was clear after their last encounter with the couple that they were both as manipulative as they come. Eddie knew the dress she picked out for the night would need to draw his attention almost immediately.
"This is definitely the one."
"His description of what happened doesn't add up, "Jamie spoke loudly to his brother Danny, just before firing another round of bullets at the target 7 yards in the distance from where they stood. "He convinced her riding along as a decoy was a good idea, and then after they caught their perp he turned his back? Something is missing." He paused briefly. "Anything could have happened out there, Danny."
It wasn't the words coming from his younger brother that worried him, it was the tone in the voice.
Danny and Jamie continued to shoot a few more rounds in silence.
"From everything you just told me, it seems like this guy is a solid cop. You know that Eddie can hold her own out there, I think she's proven that. What's your beef with this guy, huh?" Danny yelled over the loud vibration of bullets hitting the target from several at the shooting range.
The two shot a few more rounds.
Jamie focused solely on the target, trying to delay answering the question from his brother.
"I don't know much about Jenkins, but my concern is with Eddie, not him."
Again, Danny sensed a strange tone in his brother's voice. This wasn't typical, as Jamie usually gave everyone the benefit of the doubt and didn't question their actions on the job. There wasn't always the time to think every step out in critical moments. Despite this, Danny gave him a sideways glance before returning to fire another round at the target, now 25 yards away from where they stood.
Jamie then continued, "The whole situation could have ended badly, not just for Eddie, but for the little boy and his mother. She saved their lives."
"Right, she did her job," Danny responded back, not sensing the problem.
Shrugging, Jamie couldn't argue with the simple statement. It was true – Eddie did her job out there, putting her own life on the line to save others. It was what they were taught at the academy, it was the risk they took every day they put on the uniform. And while he had nothing but respect for what she did in the moment, it bothered him to no end that Jenkins stood idly by and just let her wrestle with that young boy over a gun, one that could have gone off and left either one of them with a bullet wound.
Maybe this was the reason behind the struggle – he knew she could have gotten severely wounded.
Danny finished his round, and then set the gun down before turning to Jamie.
"Am I missing something? Eddie did her job, she saved lives, and then escaped any real harm to her own life in the process. Shouldn't you be grateful? If I'm missing something here kid, fill me in," he asked in confusion, who had just finished his round as well.
How was Jamie to respond to this?
He knew he couldn't.
Over the past few days, he'd questioned his own reasons for the anger that was boiling inside him. Was this really about his partner on the job, or was this more about the emotions behind Eddie on a personal level? He was invested in her, that much was clear.
To him at least – and he couldn't exactly express this feeling to anyone.
Finally, Jamie turned to his brother and said, "You're not missing anything."
The two picked up their guns, and then made their way out the doors of the shooting range before stopping at the corner of the sidewalk. Neither were quite sure they were on the same side when it came to what went down with Eddie and Jenkins.
This was for a reason.
Jamie was unable to tell his brother the full reason behind the irritation.
"Listen— "Danny stopped Jamie before they went their separate ways. "If you want me to dig into what happened with Jenkins a little further, I'm going to need you to tell me the full reason this bothers you and why." He noticed how uneasy Jamie appeared at this suggestion. "Is this only about what happened out on this undercover?"
Jamie was silent.
Maybe that was a giveaway.
"If you ask me, and I'm not saying that is what you're doing, but if it were me and I was emotionally invested in my partner— "Danny noticed Jamie's attempt at denial, more with his actions than actual words. "I'm just saying, if this is personal for you, then you need to make sure you understand your reasons." Jamie nodded, hearing what his brother was trying to say. "You're the smartest cop I know, so I'm betting if that is what's going on, you've already thought it through."
Jamie halfway smiled, nodding lightly as they turned and went their separate ways.
Inside her apartment, Eddie slid into the dress that was sure to turn a few heads that evening. However, she struggled with the zipper in the back, knowing that her hand just wouldn't turn in the direction needed to zip it to the top.
The wrap around her wrist was getting in the way.
It did, however, give her a nice excuse to stay off the dance floor with Mark that evening.
Before trying to twist her body too much to zip up the remainder of the dress, there was a loud knock at the door that caused her to panic slightly, until she realized it was probably Jamie.
Eddie took one last glance in the mirror, and then after a breath, quickly made her way to the door and opened it to face whoever was on the other side.
A small smile appeared once she saw him.
"I need some help…"
He let out a chuckle as she wrinkled her nose through the smile, and then his eyes landed directly on her partially exposed back as she turned and stepped further into the apartment. He tried not to let on that he was very affected by that vision. Instead, he quickly grabbed the door as it almost closed right in front of him.
His thoughts had quickly been interrupted.
"What…do you need?" he stammered, catching the door with one hand, and then stepping inside the apartment, letting it practically slam behind him. At that moment, he wasn't too worried about the vibration the door made throughout the hallway.
She turned her back to him, holding her hair up to reveal the full cause of the problem. "The zipper."
Jamie exhaled as he stepped to her in silence.
Her eyes closed at the feel of his fingertips against her skin, a part of her almost wished he was zipping it down rather than upward, which closed off any exposed area of her skin. This electricity between them was difficult to ignore, and she was sure he felt it too.
"Thank you," she said softly when turning around to face him.
He nodded, pressing his lips together for a second. "You…you're welcome."
From his roaming eyes, it was clear that he approved of the dress she had picked out for their operation that night, which was slightly fitted and rested just above the knee. "I got a call from the doctor today, he cleared me for tonight."
Jamie gave her a skeptical look.
"He did," she repeated with a little laughter, knowing that he didn't exactly believe it. "What do you think, though?" she asked, taking a step backward so he could get a full view of what she was wearing. "Do you think it will draw him in enough?"
Did he?
He could barely contain his own breathing by the sight of her.
"I think so," Jamie breathed, and she threw him ones of those smiles that almost made him wish he had her to himself for the night. "I think you'll turn more than just a few heads tonight."
Eddie stepped to him, knowing full well that the closing the proximity between them was a dangerous one. Ever since they became intimate, they didn't seem to be able to turn off this burning attraction between each other. "We have a few minutes before we have to leave."
He felt her hands rest gently against his chest, with her head tilted just slightly and that smile that he craved. "And?" He knew they didn't have enough time to start anything, besides she was fully dressed. "I wouldn't want to put a wrinkle in that dress of yours."
One thing she always loved, he was always respectful of her, but sometimes too much of a gentleman.
"But you do, don't you?"
His eyes lowered to her lips, knowing that yes, he wanted to undo the zipper and pull that dress right off her. He wanted a lot of things when it came to her, but at the same time he knew he had to keep his composure, at least while they were still partners and working together.
Normally, though, behind closed doors, he could show her all the ways he wanted her.
But not now, as they needed to leave for the case they were working on.
"Don't you?" she asked again, even though by the way his eyes kept focusing on her lips, she knew the answer to this question was a definite yes. However, she wasn't going to push him to answer for a second time.
When her hands dropped from his chest and she stepped around him, this caused him to turn around as well. He watched her for a few seconds, as she leaned down to pick up the handbag in the corner of the sofa. "Eddie— "
Her eyes shifted to him, waiting for what he had to say.
"I met with Danny today, and I wanted to tell him about us."
This left her frozen, especially knowing that they had decided to stay partners and keep what was going on between them as a secret. Otherwise, they knew what was ahead for them, new partners and possibly new precincts. "Jamie."
He sensed the tone in her voice as she stood upright.
This was not a good move, even if he didn't go through with it.
"I didn't say anything," he divulged, just as she stepped back to him. "I can't say that it isn't something that I haven't thought about. In a way, I want my family to know. So, when Danny and I were discussing Jenkins, I got a sense from him that he sort-of knew. I didn't confirm it for him, but I didn't exactly deny it, either."
They both knew that their situation couldn't stay as is forever.
It just wasn't possible.
"Maybe we broke all the rules for nothing," Eddie said with a sadness, turning slightly from him.
He grabbed her forearm before she could step away completely, as he wasn't sure what she was trying to say and he wasn't about to leave it at that and go off on this assignment. "What are you saying here?"
She stood, halfway facing him. "Silently, we risked our partnership for something more," she declared, meeting his gaze. "I don't know. What did it mean? What do we mean? We've both said we don't want to let go of the partnership and risk our jobs for something that is uncertain. So, what are we doing?"
It was true, they didn't want to let go of their partnership.
That didn't mean they wanted to let go of this personal side, either.
"I thought we decided what we were doing the other night," Jamie responded, hands in both pockets as he watched her every move rather closely. "Didn't we decide to move forward, together? Keep what was going on between us a secret – for now? I guess I thought we did."
They did – in the moment, when their physical need for the other was undeniable.
She turned her body around to face him, knowing that while a part of her felt guilty for him lying to his family, she knew that this is how it would be for the time being. "You're right, we did." She interlaced their fingers together, leading him toward the door and on their way to the assignment for the night.
...