Timing Part 3
Garrison drove the staff car toward the German headquarters compound, Goniff in the front seat beside him and Actor in the back. He stopped about a mile from the compound and let Goniff out. The pickpocket disappeared into the woods, intent on reaching the communication tower where the military wires joined with the main communication line.
Goniff lugged the heavy bag of tools through the brush and the trees. It was too bloody complicated, he thought, to have to hit four different targets within minutes of each other. And it weren't just them. The Warden had explained there were other groups doing the same thing at other installations. He hitched the bag up again and looked at his watch for the first of many times.
Garrison pulled the car to a stop at the barrier to the German compound. He sat, unsmiling and staring straight ahead as one of the guards approached Actor in the back seat. The con man looked coldly at the young man.
"I am Col. Hoffmann to see Col. Stein," Actor said, showing annoyance at the delay.
The soldier stammered as expected. "Your papers, Sir?"
Actor glared down his nose at the man. "I am SS. I do not need to show you my papers."
Terrified, but determined to do his job correctly, the soldier stated a bit more firmly, "I am sorry, Herr Colonel, but I must see your papers."
Actor waited a full five seconds, watching the young man's unease increase before pulling his papers from his inside pocket and handing them over with a countenance full of annoyance. The guard looked at the papers and quickly flashed eyes back and forth between the photo of the colonel and Actor. Satisfied, he hurriedly handed the papers back and motioned the other guard to raise the barrier.
"I am sorry, Herr Colonel," the guard said nervously, right arm flashing out followed by a "Heil, Hitler."
Actor looked at him as though he were an insect to be squashed and dismissively raised his right hand in return. He then stared straight ahead as Garrison drove past the barrier. Craig stopped the car in front of the headquarters building, got out quickly and opened the door for Actor with the right amount of deference. The two men mounted the steps and went through the door that was held open for them by another guard, Actor ahead of Garrison.
The tall, thin, dark-haired, bespectacled lieutenant at the desk in the hall sprang to startled attention at the approach of the stern SS colonel. Garrison remained a step behind and to the side of Actor, a closed look on his face.
"Col. Stein's office!" demanded Actor.
The lieutenant pointed to a cross hall to the left and stammered, "The office on the right, Herr Colonel. I will let him know you are here." The man reached for the phone.
"No," barked Actor.
He and Garrison strode down the hall to the office and entered without any preliminary. It was a war room, complete with maps on the long wooden table in the middle of the room that was surrounded by a colonel, a major and several lieutenants. All eyes looked up at the intrusion. Actor stepped up to the graying older officer, who stood at least six inches shorter that the con man.
"Colonel Stein?" asked Actor imperiously.
"Ja," replied the officer with suspicion.
"I am Colonel Hoffmann," said Actor. "I am here to advise you of a change in plans. We have received reliable intelligence that the Allies have planted false information and are planning a major assault in a different location. You must move your troops to the new coordinates, sofort!"
Actor stepped to the table, his size and bearing effectively moving two Lieutenants out of his way.
"Excuse me, Colonel . . . Hoffmann?" objected the German colonel with arrogance equal to the con man's. "Why are you here? Why did I not receive this information by telephone?"
Great, thought Garrison, we have to find a colonel with balls. The objection did not seem to faze Actor other than to show an aggravated countenance at the questioning of his authority. With haughty exaggerated patience, the con man said, "The Resistance has been monitoring our communications and disrupting them at will. Any communication of the new coordinates other than face-to-face would result in the Allied forces ambushing our troops."
As if on cue, the telephone rang. A lieutenant answered the phone and held it out to Stein. "Col. Grundig for you, Col. Stein."
Keeping a distrustful eye on Actor, the German colonel walked over and took the receiver from the aide. "Col. Stein here." He listened a moment, eyebrows rising slightly. "Yes, yes, they are here also. Yes, it concerns Operation Baumgarten . . . Yes, right." Stein hung up and returned to the table, the expression on his face showing his dislike of the situation. It always annoyed the Wehrmacht officers when the SS thrust themselves in the midst of their plans and changed them.
"All right, Col. Hoffmann, what are the new coordinates?" The tone sounded as though the words were full of bile.
Actor leaned over the map on the table and pointed out where the troops and artillery were to be deployed. Stein followed where his troops were and where they had to be moved to, an aide writing down the new coordinates.
Garrison was keeping a stealthy eye on the clock. The timing was getting tight. If Col. Stein did not wire his field commander in the next two minutes, Goniff would be cutting the lines and the change of plans would not be made. Craig's face did not betray the feeling of relief when Stein had his communications man relay the message to the commander at the front.
One minute later, Goniff clipped the wires from the military telegraph and then shorted out the telephone lines. Quickly grabbing up his bag of tools, the Englishman snuck a peek out the door of the hut that protected the junction boxes, decided it was clear and exited, heading back to toward the road.
Actor straightened and said with his usual disdain, "Thank you for your cooperation, Col. Stein. I must get back to headquarters."
Stein was still leery of the SS colonel. "General Metzinger should be arriving shortly. I am sure he will want to hear of this change in plans from you, Col. Hoffmann."
"I cannot wait for the general," said Actor, putting his gloves back on and taking the riding crop out from beneath his left arm. "A messenger has been sent to intercept him and apprise him of the situation. I was informed General Metzinger is experiencing car trouble and will be detained." He clicked his heels expertly and gave a nod to the colonel before striding to the door, Garrison hurrying ahead to open it for him.
They left the building without any interference, making an unhurried exit from the compound, Garrison driving and Actor lighting a cigarette as though neither had a care in the world. Once safely on the road away from the headquarters, Garrison glanced in the rearview mirror at the calm confidence man in the back seat. He had to admire the way Actor had bought them a bit more time by telling Stein the general was going to be late. The man was worth all of his six foot four, hundred and eighty pounds in gold. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last time Craig was thankful he had chosen the Italian for his team.
They picked up Goniff where they had left him, the pickpocket nodding that his end of the caper had been completed. He dropped the heavy bag on the floor behind the seat, just barely missing Actor's booted toes, on purpose, returning the con man's glare with a wide grin. Garrison just shook his head. Now if the rest of the mission could go off without a hitch . . .
GGGGG
Terry's hands on the steering wheel were a little damp. She remained at the curb, ready to pull the big car out when her intended victim got a little closer. She had glimpsed the black Mercedes with the twin red flags on the fenders bespeaking 'general', as it had turned the corner two blocks up. It was slowly approaching the stop sign at the end of the block she was parked on. Terry cast a glance at traffic behind her and saw the street was clear. With a deep sigh, she eased the car into the lane and started to move forward. The Mercedes stopped at the corner and then proceeded to cross the street. Eyes glued to the oncoming vehicle, Terry did not see the troop truck until it was in the intersection. It had not stopped and was travelling at a high rate of speed.
The truck hit the Mercedes broadside right where the general was seated. There was a loud crash of metal and the screeching of protesting tires that slid sideways. The Mercedes was shoved on an angle out of the intersection, barely missing two Wehrmacht soldiers walking across the street, who scrambled to get out of the way. The other side of the staff car slammed into the back of a parked supply truck, coming to rest partially under it.
Eyes wide in shock, Terry pulled her car back to the curb and parked. People were running from all directions. She got out and joined the crowd that was gathering around the wreck. As she eased her way toward the front of the throng of bystanders, she saw the crushed remains of the back half of the Mercedes. The general was a bloody mangled mess. Satisfied he wasn't going to be reaching his intended destination, Terry eased back until she was free of the gawking people around her.
Going back to her car, she started it up and eased it into the street, working it around to go back the way she had come. Approaching traffic stopped and allowed her to maneuver as drivers saw the way was blocked. She nodded her thanks to the drivers and made her way sedately out of the city. Once on the dirt road to the safe house, she gave it some gas and hurried on. Judging by her watch, she would reach the farmhouse before Casino left.
The beautiful old car was left hidden in trees up a dirt track a quarter of a mile from the safe house. Terry trotted through the woods to the house.
Tapping the signal lightly on the door with her knuckles, Terry let herself inside, but still found herself facing Casino's pistol. He made a sour face and put the gun up.
"What are you doin' back so soon?" asked the safecracker. "You were supposed to take care of that general. Did you miss him?"
"Not exactly," said Terry. "If he isn't dead, he should be."
"You weren't s'posed to off the guy," objected Casino. "You were s'posed to slow him up."
"I didn't do it," said Terry with a funny look on her face. "Somebody got there ahead of me. I made sure he wasn't going anywhere and got out. He was hit by a troop truck. I don't know if it was a hit or a real accident. Either way, the general won't be at headquarters."
Casino looked at the girl and realized he had a problem. What was he supposed to do with her now? He was leaving in a minute to go blow up the railroad tracks. Did he take her with him or leave her at the farmhouse alone? Neither was safe. To take her with him meant he could keep an eye on her, but then he would have her around explosives. If he left her here and the Krauts showed up, she would be dead or captured. Trusting himself with the explosives more than he trusted the Krauts, Casino decided to take her with him.
"What's going on in your head?" asked Terry with a narrow eyed look. "Your mouth is usually running away before your mind." The last was said with a grin of affection to ease the sting of the insult.
"I was thinkin' I'd take you with me," broached the safecracker, ignoring the remark.
"You going to teach me how to blow things up?" Terry asked with a tinge of eagerness in her voice.
"No," replied Casino firmly. "I'm gonna keep an eye on you. You wanna stay here by yourself?"
"Not particularly," admitted Terry. She looked down at her dress and pumps. "I got time to change?"
"Yeah, I guess," he replied. "Hurry up!"
Terry disappeared into the bedroom and was back in a couple minutes dressed in her trousers, a blouse and boots. The switchblade harness was on her right forearm and the spare knife was in the sheath of her boot.
Casino shrugged and picked up the bag of his supplies that was atop the table and the rifle. "Well, come on then."
"Lead on," said Terry was a dramatic sweep of her hand toward the door.
"You been hangin' around that damn Italian too much," grumbled Casino.
Terry laughed.
Casino led the way at a hurried clip, impressed that Terry was managing to keep up without any problem. Terry, coming behind the man, was impressed he kept up the pace he did carrying the rifle and the bag of explosives material. They reached the train tunnel with plenty of time to set the charge.
Terry stood by, rifle propped on her hip, alternately scanning the area around them, and watching what Casino was doing. He worked carefully, molding the plastic explosive between the rails at the switching connection. Satisfied with the amount and location of the explosive, he inserted the fuse and connected the wires on the timer. The clock face said they had ten minutes to get well away before the big bang.
"Come on," Casino said quietly.
Taking the rifle from the girl, he took the point as they ran back along the track toward the woods that bordered the rocky hill capping the tunnel. Casino was satisfied with the plan. Blowing the exit of the curved tunnel would make it almost impossible for the engineer to see the damage before he hit it, or at the very least not see the debris until it was too late to stop. The resultant wreckage would be mainly in the tunnel, taking a great deal of time to be cleared up before any undamaged tanks and vehicles could be moved from the accident up to the road.
Terry was following about three yards behind the demolition expert when the unexpected happened.
The blast threw them both off their feet. Debris of rocks and chunks of railroad ties rained down around and on them. Casino was momentarily stunned, not only by the blast, but by the fact that the blast had occurred. Pushing himself to his knees, he shook his head to clear it. Suddenly he remembered Terry and fear raced through him. She had been even closer to the blast. He swung his head around and looked behind.
The girl was alive, rolling slowly onto her back and bringing one knee up.
"Terry!"
Casino scrambled over to her side. She looked up at him with some confusion on her face, eyes blinking as she tried to gather her wits about her. He ran hands down her arms and legs, checking for fractures. There was blood, but her limbs seemed to be intact.
"Babe, talk to me!" said Casino in urgent concern. "Where yuh hurt?"
Terry let him grab her arm and help her to sit up. She shook her head, clearing the shattered thoughts in her brain. "I don't know. I can't hear right."
"Come on. We gotta get you outta here."
Casino got behind her and grabbed her under the arms, pulling her to her feet. She wobbled, but stood. There was blood in the auburn hair on the back of her head and bloody tears in her clothing. Tossing the bag into the woods, the safecracker made sure his rifle was slung over his right shoulder before pulling Terry's right arm around his neck. They started off at a loping run, Casino trying to take as much of her weight on him as possible. The fact that she was not trying to pull away from him scared him even more. She was silent, limping somewhat on her left leg.
The hike back to the safe house seemed to take twice as long as it should have. He didn't even try to make a stealthy approach to the cabin. Goniff met him in the yard, rifle pointed at the pair until he recognized them. His eyes widened at the sight of Terry.
"What 'appened?" he demanded, leading the way to the door.
The Cockney opened the door and held it as Casino half dragged Terry into the room. "Actor!" Panic was evident in Casino's voice.
Actor and Garrison were at the table, guns drawn.
"Merda!" exclaimed the con man, dropping the gun on the table and rushing over to scoop the young woman up in his arms.
"Terry!" Craig was right beside him. "What happened?" he demanded in fear and anger.
"I don't know. It blew too soon." Casino couldn't take his eyes off the girl as Actor disappeared with her into the bedroom.
Garrison followed the tall Italian into the bedroom. Casino stopped at the door and watched from a distance. Goniff moved up and tried to guide him away with a hand on the safecracker's arm.
"Come on, Mate," he coaxed. "Let Actor get 'er fixed up."
Casino jerked away from him, unable to tear his eyes from the girl. It made him sick something he had done had hurt her. He just wasn't sure how badly she was hurt.
Terry lay on the bed, her brother hovering by her head and Actor hurrying to get supplies. Her mind was clearing and she looked around. Her eyes fell on the openly worried safecracker, nothing abrasive about him now. She reached a hand out and motioned him to come over with her fingers.
Garrison looked accusingly at the man, but said nothing as Terry took Casino's hand.
"Are you hurt?" she asked.
"I'm okay," Casino said. "You took most of it."
Terry quirked a little grin. "Next time, I'll run point."
Actor returned with a basin of water, towels, and the aid kit. "Where are you hurt?" he asked.
"My head hurts," said Terry, starting to take inventory of her injuries.
As Actor helped her to sit up, Casino said, "There's blood on the back of her head."
As the Italian gently parted her hair to find the wound, Terry continued. "The hearing's coming back. I feel like I'm a little cut up on my back and the backs of my arms. And there's something sharp sticking in the back of my left thigh."
"What the hell happened?" demanded Craig.
"I don't know, Warden," said Casino, shaking his head in frustration. "It was set for ten minutes. It blew at one."
Terry winced as Actor probed her scalp. "Hold still," he said quietly, but firmly.
"Are you sure you set the timer right?" asked Craig.
Casino knew what he had done and that he had done it right. "I set the timer right," he shot back defensively.
"He set it right, Craig," said Terry. "I watched him do it."
Garrison turned on her in his worry. "And how would you know. You don't do explosives."
"I've never touched them, but I was shown how at the Farm." She eyed her brother. "Casino's the expert, not us."
"It wasn't my timer, Warden," said Casino defensively and angrily. "Whoever put it together did it wrong."
Actor lifted part of Terry's hair up on top of her head. "While you are arguing about it, one of you hold her hair up."
Casino absently reached out to secure the hair with a hand atop the girl's head, his attention bull-doggedly on the Lieutenant. "I don't like relying on somethin' somebody else made, Warden. Not with explosives."
Terry was trying to keep an eye on the two men beside her and the one behind her. Actor picked up the scissors from the kit and moved toward her head.
"Actor, you are not cutting my hair!" exclaimed Terry.
"Basta, Teresa!" he countered sharply. "I am trimming around the wound so I may suture it closed without getting hair in it. Your hair is long enough to cover it so it won't show until it grows back." He began trimming the auburn tresses away from the laceration. "Unless of course, you would like me to shave it." He was frustrated and trying not to show he was upset that she had been injured.
"Damn it, Warden," continued Casino.
Terry sighed. She didn't have enough arms. Her right hand reached back to rest on Actor's knee, while her left went up to hold Casino's forearm. She tried to look back at her brother, but Casino had a firm hold on her head.
"Come here and sit down, Craig." Garrison stepped around the safecracker and looked at Terry. She raised her eyebrows. "Come on, Guys, I'm the one who's wounded. I say it wasn't Casino's fault. I should know; I was obviously there."
Craig took a calming breath, sat down on the bed next to Terry's knee and rubbed her leg. There was a moment of silence that Terry welcomed with a smile.
"Ouch!" she tried to duck.
"Hold still!" ordered Actor.
Casino tightened a grip on the top of her head.
"Well warn a person when you're going to stick a needle in their head," Terry shot back at Actor, grimacing as he injected procaine into her scalp.
"Would you rather I stitched it up without?" asked the Italian wryly.
"Yes," replied Terry seriously. "That stuff burns like fire."
"Then you should not be getting yourself blown up."
"Hey . . .!" started Casino hotly.
"Enough! Both of you!" said Terry. She saw Craig start to open his mouth. "Don't you start now, Brother." Head still a little fuzzy, but rapidly clearing, she tried to distract the men by changing the subject. "How did the rest of it go?"
"Fine," said Craig. He eyed her with a puzzled look on his face. "Why were you back in time to go with Casino?"
"If I didn't know better," said Terry, "I'd think someone was helping us. A troop truck wiped out the general before I could reach him. Funny thing was the truck was empty and by the time I got close enough to see what happened, the driver was nowhere to be seen. Kind of odd, if you ask me."
"Resistance?" pondered Craig, not sure he believed that one.
"Maybe," replied Terry. "Or the general seriously annoyed somebody and they bumped him off."
Actor's needle hit a tender spot and Terry winced reflexively. She watched his right hand reach out to lay the suture on the sterile towel and reach for the syringe of procaine.
"Just finish it," said Terry.
"Teresa . . ." Actor objected firmly.
"Actor . . ." she objected just as firmly.
With a put upon sigh, the Italian picked up the suture and continued stitching. The rest of the wound was still numb so Terry gave no further indication of discomfort. Actor finished and motioned for Casino to release Terry's hair. The auburn tresses fell into place, covering the wound; the only evidence of its presence being the matted blood in the hair.
"Let me clean up your back and attend that leg," said Actor.
Terry looked between Craig and Casino. "Okay, Gentlemen, I am not undressing in front of all of you. You two, out." She patted Actor's knee. "He's my doctor so he stays. Now give me some privacy."
Craig suddenly wasn't sure about leaving his sister alone and undressed with the con man. Sensing this, Terry made a face and motioned with her head for him to go. She trusted Actor, seriously doubting the older man had any designs on her body. The look on Casino's face said he wasn't too sure either. Terry gave a crooked smile of affection at both men.
"Come on, out," she insisted.
Somewhat reluctantly Craig and Casino left the room and shut the door. Terry removed the knife harness from her arm, then unbuttoned her blouse and allowed Actor to help her out of it. She did feel a little funny sitting in front of the man in just her bra, but strove not to show it.
Actor inspected her back. The smooth pale skin was marred by small, bloody cuts and abrasions. None were deep enough to require stitching, but they were scattered in a way that had the back of the bra and its straps in the way of his cleansing them. He reached up and unhooked the bra. Terry calmly crossed her arms in front of herself to keep the garment on with the ends dangling. Actor smoothed the straps off her shoulders.
"How bad?" asked Terry clinically.
"Not bad," replied the con man. "I am just going to clean them up so they do not become infected."
He took gauze pads and wet them with peroxide, wiping the wounds. He knew it burned, but Terry made no move. Actor tried to approach it as clinically as Terry had sounded, but he could not help noticing the smooth skin of her back, ribs slightly prominent on her thin frame. None of them could be accused of being fat with the food rationing, though Teresa did her best to feed them well. He would have liked a little more meat on her, but she was still attractive enough to catch his attention. He pushed that thought from his mind and continued what he was doing. Finished, he pulled the ends of the bra together and hooked them before helping her back into the blouse.
Terry buttoned it back up and stood up. She was a little uncomfortable with this part too, but the man was being very doctor-like she thought as she unbuttoned her pants and allowed them to drop. Twisting around, she tried unsuccessfully to see the wound on the back of her thigh.
"Ah," said Actor. "You have a large splinter. Lay down on the bed and I will remove it."
Terry lay on her stomach atop the bed, head turned to the side so she could watch him. Actor sat down beside her, picking up forceps from the kit.
"This will hurt," he warned her.
"I'm fine," she said, bracing herself. It still hurt as he removed the wood.
Actor dropped it on the small pile of used gauze. "We will have to observe it for awhile for infection. It appears to be from a railroad tie. Creosote."
"Wonderful," said Terry.
Actor gently pulled the edges of the wound apart and dribbled peroxide into onto it, watching it bubble up. Giving the peroxide time to penetrate, he noted the plain modest cotton undergarment revealed below the edge of the girl's blouse. He gave a mental shake of his head. Cotton, he thought with disgust. He realized with the rationing it would be difficult to come by, but the girl should have enough money by now to afford a couple pair of silk drawers. He could not imagine cotton drawers under the Christian Dior gown he had purchased her. It had never occurred to him the girl would not dress in silk; all the other women he knew did. The wound had begun to bleed pinkly through the peroxide. Actor wiped the wetness away and placed a folded gauze pad over it, holding it in place.
"You will have to turn over so I can wrap it," he said matter-of-factly.
Great, thought Terry. She rolled over, trying to keep her shirt tails as far down as possible, yet bring her knee up so he had access to her thigh. Actor seemed to take no notice. Obviously he wasn't interested in her as a woman. She didn't know if that made her feel good or bad.
As for Actor, he noticed. Again it was the cotton drawers. Maybe it was a good thing they were cotton. They covered things better. Pushing that to the back of his mind, he took roller gauze and wound it tightly around the girl's thigh to hold it in place.
Casino and Garrison had gone into the front room while Actor finished caring for Terry's wounds. Garrison had tried to stay calm, but the thought of his sister being almost blown up was too much. He turned on Casino again. Terry could still hear parts of the conversation the two men were having through the closed door and it made her angrier.
"Okay," said Garrison. "Tell me exactly what happened."
Casino was angry. He knew he was being blamed for Terry getting injured. It was one thing for him to blame himself and another for the Lieutenant to do it. "I was settin' the charge. Terry was standin' watch next tuh me. I put the fuse in and set the timer. I set it for ten minutes. I know the difference between ten and one," he said belligerently. "Terry and I left runnin'. We wanted to be as far away when it went off as we could. I was a ways in front of her. It blew early. Both of us went down, but Terry was closest to it."
"So why were you in front?" demanded Garrison.
"Why d'yuh think?" shot back Casino in frustration. "I was runnin' point in case we come up on a Kraut patrol. What? Yuh want me to put her on point?"
"Why was she with you in the first place?" questioned Garrison.
Casino looked at him with cocked head, hands on hips to keep from taking a swing at the officer. "I didn't think I should leave her here by herself. Besides, if I didn't take her she'd'uh just followed me. This way I could keep an eye on her."
"That was a good eye you had on her," shot back Garrison before he could stop himself. He knew he was being unfair to the safecracker when it was his fault for allowing the girl to come along.
Casino blew up completely, "Damn it, Warden! You gotta know I would never do anything to hurt Terry! None of us would! And if you don't know that by now then yer a damn fool." Casino knew he had overstepped himself with that last. He turned on his heel and went out the door.
Actor finished tying the knot on the bandage around Terry's thigh. She pulled away from him and stood to yank her trousers back up. Her head was throbbing and her back and leg felt like she'd tangled with a porcupine, despite the Italian's interventions. Craig's attack on Casino threw her over the edge. Totally ignoring Actor's warning that she should be lying down, Terry strode to the door and went into the front room with a good head of steam. She came to a halt in front of Garrison.
"Will you quit already!" She glared at him. "You know it wasn't Casino's fault. What's the matter with you? I don't see you yelling at the guys when one of them gets hurt."
"I shouldn't have let you come along," admitted Garrison. "I should have kept you out of it."
"Well I got news for you, Brother," said Terry. "You can let me come along with you, and you can all 'keep an eye on me', or I can go find another team to work with. I seriously doubt I would have any trouble getting recruited by OSS or SOE for that matter. I told you before I'm in it now and I'm staying in it."
Just at that moment, Goniff let himself into the cabin. "What's up Casino's arse . . .?" He paused at the scene in front of him. Garrison and Terry were squared off at each other and Actor was standing in the doorway to the bedroom, not bothering to hide the tightlipped look of anger on his face, his eyes on the girl. "Oh, bloody 'ell," the Englishman muttered and walked away to get himself a drink of wine. He sat down on the edge of the table, eyes darting between the three.
"Give over, Craig," said Terry with only a little less heat. "I think I'm doing pretty good at pulling my own weight, but if you don't think so then I can just go find somebody who does." She limped to the door and let herself out.
"Uh, Warden," broached Goniff gingerly. "Casino might be kinda mouthy 'n' all, but he would be extra careful if he had Terry around. 'E wouldn't do anything to 'urt 'er. None of us would."
Garrison noticed the Italian for the first time and looked at his response. Actor shrugged his eyebrows in agreement with the pickpocket. Craig said nothing, but walked to the window and carefully peered around the curtain. Terry had disappeared. She must have been picking things up from Chief.
GGGGG
Terry eased her way through the woods to where Casino was now standing watch. She gave a short low whistle to warn him she was there. He shot a glance at her, going back to scan the area as she moved over beside him. She leaned against the tree, head throbbing, but she pushed that discomfort to the back of her mind.
"It wasn't your fault," she said softly. "Craig knows it. He's just reacting to me. He'll get over it once he settles down. You're not to blame."
"Yes I am," replied the safecracker. "It was my explosive."
"But it wasn't your timer," persisted Terry. "Maybe from now on we shouldn't accept anything someone else makes."
"At least that way, if I blew you up, I'd know it was all my fault," he said, avoiding her eyes. "You know I wouldn't ever hurt you?"
Terry looked at his profile, eyebrow tilted down in a frown and full lower lip prominent. She smiled. "Of course I know that," she reassured him. "You can be a mouthy pain in the rear sometimes, but between you and me, you're a nice man."
He darted an embarrassed look at her and scanned the area again. Terry watched him. He was solid and strong and right now she was very aware of her own mortality and needed to lean on some strength. Actor did not strike her as the hugging type and she wasn't about to show any weakness to Craig. Goniff liked a good hug, but he was with Craig.
"Anything out there?" asked Terry.
"Naw," Casino replied.
"Well, in that case, if you're careful of my back, can I get a hug?"
Casino turned a startled look at her. She was watching him seriously. She wasn't joking. Her right arm slipped slowly around his waist. Tentatively, he put his left arm around her shoulders, only touching her lightly.
Terry slipped her other arm around him and pulled close, her forehead tucking into his neck. He smelled of leather and warm man, not a bad combination. And he fit pretty darn good too. He made no move to push her away so she rested against him, savoring the moment. Not wanting to press her luck, she started to pull back, but couldn't resist pausing to place a little kiss on his lightly whiskered cheek. That got a look of surprise from him.
"What was that for? I didn't do nothin' to warrant that," he said.
"Guess I need to come up with a good reason, huh?" She screwed up her face as though concentrating. "I guess it's thanks for the chicken coop and the chickens. Even if you did have a unique way of getting the chicks."
Casino grinned at her impudence. "Hey, I came out ahead on that deal."
Terry tried to swallow a laugh. Casino's grin widened.
"You're rotten," said Terry.
"That's not what she said," he shot back at her.
While Terry shook with silent laughter, Casino turned away to scan the area again. He had a strong urge to kiss her.
"I better get back before Craig comes looking and shoots the both of us," said Terry.
He looked back at her with a crooked grin. Terry was looking back at him. Unable to resist, her hand reached up to brush the stubborn curl back off his forehead, chuckling when it sprang back to its former position.
"Spring steel," she said with humor.
Casino said nothing, surprised at the gesture and the feelings it evoked.
She looked down, embarrassed by her boldness and wondering where it had come from. "See you later."
He silently watched her limping form disappear back into the woods.