BEEP BEEP
"No—damn—" Sophie muttered, rolling over and hitting the clock a bit harder than necessary. Once it was silenced she rolled back into the position she had awoken in. It took her a moment to realize that that was in Bobby's arms.
"What time?" Bobby asked sleepily as he tightened his hold on her.
"Seven. Don't have to get up yet."
"Mmk." With in a few seconds Bobby had fallen asleep again. His hand was resting on her hip, underneath her shirt. It was useless for Sophie to try going back to sleep, she was awake now and very aware of her bedmate's proximity.
She took a deep breath as she looked around the room in the morning light. The ceiling fan had been turned off, probably Bobby, sometimes Sophie forgot that not everyone kept their bedroom at a breezy 78 degrees. She noticed something else too.
"Bobby?" She whispered, nuzzling her face against his chest.
"Hmm?" He asked, not lifting his head from the pillow but loosening his hold on her so that she could move a bit closer.
"Did you open the vent?" Sophie asked quietly, resting her head against the pillow so it looked like she was snuggling with him.
"Vent?"
"Yeah, the fan's off and the vent's open," as she spoke her hands moved to undo the last few buttons on the dress shirt he never changed out of the night before.
"Wasn't me, I like the fan on. Thought you had turned it off." Bobby was starting to come to his senses a bit more, turning to face her while slowly tracing his hand up underneath her blouse. Both were quiet for a moment before Bobby closed the distance between them and kissed Sophie. It was a hard embrace, one of a man who had been away from his wife for two years. She didn't question it, to the contrary, she decided to enjoy the act and roll onto her back, pulling him with her.
"Recovered from the car last night?" Sophie giggled, running her fingers through his hair.
"I'm ready if you are," he replied in a gruff tone that went straight to core. Sophie couldn't help herself, she pulled him into another kiss as one leg curled around him.
"Oh fuck, you are ready."
"Shower?" He questioned, reaching down to grab her ass and pull her roughly against him.
"Yeah," she nodded in a daze, slipping out from under him and hurrying out of the room. Once in the bathroom she looked around, noticing the vent was open in there as well. Climbing onto the toilet she reached up and pulled the latch to close it.
"Anything?" Bobby asked quietly, closing the door behind him.
"No, but I—" Sophie trailed off as she lost her footing and found herself falling towards the floor only to end up encircled in a strong pair of arms. "Sorry."
"That's all right. You okay?"
"Yeah. Except we've been bugged. What should we do?"
"Find the other cameras and close the vents."
"Check for mics too."
"Yeah, that camera looked too small for any attached microphone but they might've placed some separately."
Sophie nodded, staring up at him seemingly at a loss for words. He couldn't seem to look away; her long curls were messy and wild from their tussle in bed. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, a faint trace of redness on her skin after brushing against his stubble-covered face. Her chest was heaving still while she tried to decide what to do with her hands. She suddenly decided to grab a hold of his now visible undershirt and pull him close, swiftly moving to stand on her toes and press her lips to his once more.
"Sorry—sorry, I don't know why I—sorry."
"It's all right," Bobby reassured her.
"We should probably—," she gestured vaguely towards the door. "I'll take the den."
Bobby tilted his head and watched as she ran off. He smiled for a moment before making his way downstairs. It was a satisfying feeling to have made a tough FBI agent fluster so easily. Sure enough there was another camera found in the den and one in the living room. The two spent almost an hour looking around for any more but turned up with none.
"I have a meeting with Harris on Monday morning. We should just leave the cameras where they are and keep the vents shut until then." Bobby nodded in agreement. The two wearily collapsed on the couch in the living room. Most of what they cleaned up last night was pulled apart again to check for recording devices.
'The club tonight, does Eddie hang out there?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe I should rough him up a little for messing up the house."
"Well it would be the proper thing to do. I could consult Emily Post."
"Did she write an undercover etiquette edition?"
"Should've. Probably would have been more interesting than table settings and what to say to a woman bold enough to wear pants."
"Would've been an interesting chapter on undercover marriage."
"So, I thought that today I'd show you the rest of the town. There isn't much but just so you've got an idea."
"Sounds good."
"All right, I'm going to get changed."
"I should too." They took turns using the bedroom to dress. When Bobby returned downstairs he found Sophie straightening up the living room.
"Ready?" He asked.
'Yeah, let's go."
Sophie was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a Ramones t-shirt. She layered with a sweater and a leather jacket before leaving the house. Bobby too had settled for more relaxed clothes, jeans and a black sweater, his own leather jacket to finish up. During the night more snow had covered the ground and the temperature had fallen significantly.
"Can't wait for spring," Sophie mused as she climbed into the drivers seat. They drove around for a little bit so that Bobby had a better idea of the area. The ride was quiet, they chatted on and off but for the most part nothing was said. About 20 minutes outside of town they stopped at the mall in search of lunch.
"Can I ask you a weird question?" Bobby suddenly said, breaking the silence of their meal.
"Go for it."
"Were you a debutant growing up?"
"How on earth did you figure that out?" Sophie laughed setting her glass down.
"Uh—well, you expressed an extreme dislike for etiquette books this morning. Also last night at dinner when you came back to the table you crossed your ankles in a way that seemed unconscious. Obviously something you were taught growing up. I'm willing to bet that you've got them crossed under the table now."
Sophie started blankly at him for a moment before laughing in disbelief. He was right about her ankles, crossed like a proper lady in public should.
"I was a deb growing up. My mom pushed for it and my aunt continued. Spent a ridiculous amount of time going to silly parties and having tea. Nice work, detective."
"So you did the whole white dress, coming out party thing?"
"Oh yeah, big white dress and a grand staircase to descend from." Bobby smiled at the image. "Bobby?"
"Sorry," he apologized, realizing that he had been staring at her. "Just lost in thought."
"You've been after her for a while now?" She asked her tone falling much lower.
"Yes," he answered simply.
"We'll get her," Sophie said reassuringly, resting a hand over his on the table. After all of his years as a detective Bobby had learned to remain pessimistic until the jury said 'guilty' and the cell door swung shut. Some how he believed her. They finished their lunch and decided to walk around the shops for a bit.
"What's John's club like?"
"A lot of classic rock on the juke box and dollar pitchers of beer. They tend to be lax with checking IDs so the underage girls can get in."
"Which works out well for John and Charles."
"Exactly, nothing brings teens running like cheap beer and good music. If I was a teenage girl I'd be trying to get in too."
"What do they need security for?"
x-X-x
"Underage girls in, underage guys out," John explained as he leaned against the door that led into the back office. The bar was loud and surprisingly packed for a Sunday night. Every surface was covered in dark, splintered wood. It was a strange country bar, the kind that one would be over priced and trendy back in the city.
"Just the girls in?" Bobby questioned as he kept an eye on Sophie at the bar. She was gesturing to the bartender to bring her two bottles of Miller but was repeatedly ignored. There was a certain charm to Sophie and the ease she wielded in the dingy hovel. She was as comfortable in a dive bar as she was in the more upscale restaurant they were at the night before.
"Soph explained the other business to you, right?" John asked, shaking Bobby from where his focus had drifted.
"Ah, scoping out the options?"
"Exactly. Think you can handle it?"
"I think so, yeah."
"Sunday through Wednesday night."
"I'll be here."
"Great. I'll be back in a few."
Bobby turned and watched as John made his way through the semi-crowded bar towards Charles. It was then he noticed Eddie lurking at the other end of the room.
"Eddie," Bobby greeted, sitting down next to him, the bartender immediately bringing the taller man a beer.
"How're things?"
"Fine thanks. Interesting thing happened last night though. Soph and I got home from diner to find that our house had been completely trashed."
"Well that sucks," Eddie shrugged.
"Know anything about it?"
"Why would I?"
"Soph was telling me the last time the house was trashed she found you there," Bobby shrugged casually as he took a swig of beer.
"Doesn't mean I did it this time. Your wife carries a gun by the way."
"I know and she's more than capable of using it. I don't need the gun. I'm more than happy to inflict damage without the help. Especially if it's some pervert who rifled through my wife's personal items, am I being clear here?"
"Perfectly."
"Good," Bobby clapped him hard on the back, causing Eddie to spill his drink.
"Robert," Sophie called from behind them.
"There in a minute, babe," Bobby replied. "Have a nice night, Eddie."
"Charles wanted us to have a drink with them," she said as his arm wrapped around her waist. "Said there's something he wants to talk about."
"I hear you're coming to work for John," Charles began as soon as the couple joined the two men in the back corner table. There were only three chairs so Bobby took the last one available before guiding Sophie into his lap.
"You heard right."
"You understand the business going on?"
"Yeah, you've got nothing to worry about. I'll do what's asked of me."
"Good." A cell phone ringing cut off any further conversation, prompting everyone to look and check their own.
"Mine," Bobby said pulling his phone and checking the caller ID. "I'm going to take this outside.
Sophie stood and watched as he walked towards the door, a knot of worry forming in her stomach. When he didn't return after a few minutes she decided to check on him. Pulling her jacket tightly around her body, Sophie pushed the heavy wooden door open and surveyed the sidewalk. Finally she spotted him leaning against the side of the building, staring blankly at the street, his phone clutched in one hand.
"Everything okay?" She asked, leaning next to him.
"Uh—" he glanced towards the door to make sure that no one was around. "It was Logan, he's working with Eames while I've been gone."
"Did something happen?"
"There was an accident. She's in the hospital, Logan's going to call when he knows more. I have to go back."
"Bobby, you can't."
"She's my partner, I have to be there," he argued sounding utterly defeated.
"I know she's your partner and that you're worried, but you can't leave," Sophie's tone was level and firm.
"She's—"
"You can't."
"You don't get it."
"I've been working undercover for a long time, I've got a better understanding of this than you could ever imagine," Sophie sighed and reached into her pocket pulling out the car keys and handing them to him. "Here, I'll see you at the house."
With that she turned and started walking down the sidewalk, her heeled boots clicking against the wet cement. Bobby watched her go, conflicted until his phone rang again.
"Logan? Eames! What happened?"