Amy slowly walked over to Face's bed and pointed to the bandage that covered most of Face's upper arm. "Does it hurt much?"
Face shook his head no. "Just aches a bit." The truth was that it was throbbing mercilessly as was his head.
"Can I get you anything?"
"No…I'm okay." Face couldn't tell her what he really wanted; he couldn't even admit it to himself.
The elephant in the room was so large that it was sucking all the air out of the space.
Amy stood awkwardly for a few more moments before announcing, "I think I'll go take a long shower." She was halfway out the door when Face stopped her.
"Amy?" Face wanted to tell her to stay a little longer so that they could talk. But as soon as she turned back around and he looked into her eyes he froze.
"Yes?"
"Um...there are clean towels in the closet." Face swallowed hard. "Enjoy the shower."
Amy waited a second sensing that Face had something more he wanted to say. When no words came she smiled and walked out of the room.
"Smooth, Peck...real smooth," Face chastised himself. He lay there staring at the ceiling and listening to the sounds of the running water from the next door bathroom.
Amy, too, listened to the sound of the shower as she sat on the toilet seat and watched the falling water.
They were separated physically by a wall, but mentally they went back to that same memory of when they were together under the pier almost two years prior.
Neither one meant for it to happen; they had simply gone for a walk to clear their heads after returning from a mission. A full moon reflected off of the water as they strolled barefoot on the sand and talked. Gradually their bodies moved closer and their hands intertwined.
They walked until the pier loomed up ahead. Amy bent down and splashed some water up at Face and then let go and went running with a giggle. Face took chase until he caught up to Amy under the pier and they both fell to their knees breathless.
Blue eyes met brown and no words were needed. Leaning into each other their lips met and lingered softly against each before parting in order to allow for deeper exploration. When they finally pulled away it was Amy who made the next move by unbuttoning Face's shirt. They took turns removing articles of clothing from each other until there was nothing left and they faced each other fully exposed for the first time.
Once again it was Amy who moved first. Pushing Face down onto his back she straddled him and began to rub his chest while grinding against him.
Face reached up and caressed her cheeks and then moved his hands down to her breasts. "You are so beautiful."
"I want you, Templeton…please…I want you."
He had never heard her say his name before and it sounded so right coming from her lips. "And I want you."
Amy backed up off him just enough so she could slowly slide herself back down and allow him to enter her. She gasped with pleasure feeling Face fill her and began to rock gently back and forth allowing him deeper and deeper…
Amy and Face both had their eyes closed wanting to stay in the moment when they exploded with passion and then held each other under the stars.
For those hours nothing else had mattered; not the fact that Face was a wanted man or that Amy had a deadline to meet. Or that Face was a ladies' man while Amy was a one man kind of gal. Or that they were both members of the same team and teammates shouldn't get involved romantically.
In that moment life was perfect…they were perfect. But then reality came crashing back along with the waves. And that same reality forced Amy back into the present.
Amy felt that same anxiety she felt before; the same urge to run. Looking around the bathroom, she saw her way out.
Face had heard Amy say she wanted to take a long shower, but it was bordering on epic. Deciding he better go and check on her, he bit by bit worked his way up until he was sitting on the side of the bed. 'Ugh…damn drugs,' he thought as the nausea flared up again. Pushing onto his feet, he swayed unsteadily for a moment and took a deep breath.
By the time he made it out the door and to the adjoining bathroom, he had a bad feeling in the pit of his already unsettled stomach. He knocked on the door, "Amy…you alright?"
Nothing but the sound of the shower.
"Amy?" he tried louder.
Still nothing. Face wasted no time in picking the lock and entering the steam filled room. It took a few seconds for the fog to clear and for Face to realize that Amy was gone…and the window was open.
He got to the window and looked down to see Amy moving towards his car. "Not again!"
Realizing that the quickest way to get outside would be to follow Amy's footsteps, he ignored the pain, and the fact that he was only wearing pants, and started climbing through the window. He felt his stitches ripping as he lowered himself to a hanging position and then released his grip to fall to the ground below.
It was a short drop, but still the impact jarred his abused body and took his breath away. When it returned he called out, "Amy!", but fell to his knees unable to move yet.
Amy had her hand on the Corvette's door handle, but turned back at Face's yell. Her hands went to her head in horror as she screamed, "behind you!"
Face didn't have a chance to react before feeling the cold steel dig into his back. "On your feet, pretty boy." Turning his attention to Amy he bellowed, "You move, I'll shoot him."
Face recognized the voice as that of Rico, his attacker from the day before. Schooling his features, he slowly managed to get to his feet and put both arms up in surrender.
"Now turn around real slow like."
Face complied and with a wry grin said, "If I knew you were coming I would have dressed for the occasion.
"Don't worry, you'll be wearing a body bag by the time I get through with you…but first I think we'll have a little fun."
Something about the way the creep was leering at him and looking him up and down made Face uneasy. His heart started beating faster as he tried not to squirm under the scrutiny. But he felt like a piece of meat and was afraid that he might wind up being this guys preferred cut.
Face thought briefly about trying to take out his opponent, but with a gun pointed at his chest and his lack of strength the odds weren't in his favor. And then there was Amy. If he failed, she would be left alone and would ultimately wind up at Gianni Morandi's mercy.
"What do you say we go for a little ride in your car…just the three of us?"
"You know what they say, three's a crowd. How about you wait here and…" The gun was jabbed in his direction, forcing Face to start moving toward the car. "And on second thought, the more the merrier."
They drove in silence down the highway. Amy was behind the wheel since the blood staining Face's bandage made her appear the better candidate for the job. Face rode shotgun and was all too aware of the actual gun being trained on them from the backseat.
After driving for a couple of hours they arrived at what looked to be an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere. As soon as Amy stopped the car they were greeted by the other two from the beach escapade.
Face was shaking from the physical strain and Amy from the fear as they were escorted inside. Amy clasped Face's good arm as much to help support him as to give her something to hold onto to keep her from losing control. They were shoved inside a small room with cement walls that was empty except for a long wooden table.
"Mr. Morandi won't arrive until late tonight." Rico licked his lips and winked at Face. "But I'll be back soon to get the party started."
Face cringed as the steel door slammed shut. He fell back against the cold hard wall and slowly slid down to the floor.
TBC…