Disclaimer: All the characters you recognize from the Stephanie Plum books belong to Janet Evanovich. The Inferna Angelus' on the other hand are solely mine as is the tiny terror tiger that rules them.

A/N: There are two things to celebrate: For one Silent Cry had its one hundredth review - High Five to mjsmama; we're still slurping champagne here :) ... Also I want to send some applause to my beta suzq515 for editing with lightning speed - next Christmas you'll get a superhero-cape ;)

Chapter 42 – Operation Lurk

Great Falls, Virginia

V and Rev were sitting in front of their stations and listening in on the phone calls and office traffic of Jones, Moore, Terrell and DuPuits.

"Damn, kill me before I die of boredom," V let his head drop down onto the desktop.

Rev raised a single eyebrow as he looked over at his brother. He was in SEAL-mode; looking good, being cool and doing his job. It was the fourth day of operation 'lurk' as they had named it after some heated discussion and a final secret voting of 'lurk' over 'smurf.' Rage and V were no happy campers afterward.

"I mean it Rev; how can you sit so stoically and listen to those dumbasses and there office chit-chat. I feel like I'm short of … duh," and again V let his head drop on the desk.

Without moving a single facial muscle, Rev conjured two lollipops out of nowhere, unwrapped them and handed one of them to V. Once the sucker was safely secured in his mouth, he ran his hands coolly through his hair, put his sunglasses on and looked at V.

"The secret of my success, man," and with the same extra coolness he turned his head back again.

It took exactly two seconds before both men bent over roaring with laughter, suckers in mouth. Visual surveillance was a strain; but audio surveillance with nothing to watch was a killer. They were still doubled over with fits of laughter when Rev suddenly jerked up and sat stock-still. He lifted his hand for V to be silent and intently listened into his headphones. DuPuits had come into his office and smashed something onto a surface, probably his desk, while uttering a long string of expletives. Now Rev could hear the telltale sound of ice clinking in a glass and a drink being mixed. He heard DuPuits crossing his office, his footsteps barely perceptible on the lush carpet, and then the creak of his leather chair. Rev closed his eyes, concentrating hard. There was a muted clatter then the barely discernible sound of someone typing a number. As he opened his eyes he saw V stiffening next to him fully alert. Their eyes met the moment the call was connected.

"Moore."

"We need to talk," DuPuits answered and the next moment the line went dead.

"FUCK," Rev burst out. "Fuck, Fuck, Fuck." Nodding to V he stalked over to the closed door, opened it, stuck his head out and shouted in the direction of the kitchen. "YO! Anybody get the boss here."

A few minutes later T stood between V and Rev and listened to the happenings.

"We don't get anything from this fucking surveillance shit," Rev ranted, letting go of his pent-up anger. With a forceful sweep, he cleared his desk from pens, papers, the keyboard and mouse.

Calm down, Rev. It's OK. We'll get them, T hugged him close from behind and pressed a kiss on his temple. Her guys had a hard time with being shut down in front of a desk, listening to noises and chit-chat for hours on end. Without immediate progress, feelings were on a rampage in these highly trained men of action.

It was the third time in the four days the IAs were listening in on NISE that DuPuits initiated a phone call to order someone to a meeting. The last two times, the men being called were unknown to the IAs; but with Moore being the addressee, they could be sure the meeting concerned NISE.

Alright, I want to know what this meeting is about. Two men, two cars; one follows Moore and is responsible for the audio tapping, the other one follows DuPuits and takes care of the visual monitoring. I want pictures of every man DuPuits talks to, T turned to Furor who stood behind her and immediately started to organize the surveillance and distribute the equipment.

Rage? T looked around to see where her other reconnaissance specialist stood. Rage, I want you to go back to the other two calls; we marked the tapes. Find out whom DuPuits called. You have a name, see whether you can work out the called number. It looks like we have to change tactics. DuPuits and his men are extremely cautious. They won't talk on the phones. Our best shot are the office bugs; but I bet they will solely meet outside on neutral ground. Perhaps by identifying the callers and following DuPuits on every step we can at least find out who else belongs to NISE.

Ay, boss.

Guys, T pushed to everybody, I know this surveillance is a killer; but I ask you not to fade. We might not get the info we originally hoped for; but we are making progress in little steps. NISE is after me, after us, after Rubén – we can't let them get away. I need your help to bring them down. You with me?

"HOOYAH!", "OORAH!", "HOOAH!" The IAs bellowed in unison and immediately busied themselves. It was easy to give their best with the way they knew their work was valued.

Rangeman, Trenton, New Jersey

"Les, man, this isn't working," Manny insistently talked at Lester. "We are practically unguided."

Manny had asked for a meeting and they were sitting in Lester's office on four. Lester's Bond Enforcement department was in chaos. Everything worked out fine after Ranger took over command weeks ago; but with resuming the command over the mission team, Ranger had no longer cared for managing the Bond Enforcement workload. Without morning meetings to get everyone on a par and detailed briefings how to progress, things quickly got out of control. Now Lester had to acknowledge that three of 'his' guys were in the hospital with gunshot wounds which could have been avoided with better preparation.

"I will talk to Ranger to get you back under my control. In the meantime, I assign you and Hal to straighten things out. First thing you will conduct a meeting this very day. Let everybody put out a summary of what they are doing. Make notes on the overhead projector. Then you tackle one Bond after the other and see whether anyone has any knowledge about the person, family, friends and whereabouts. Collect the information and discuss how to proceed, again with notes. When every case is finished, you and Hal will write the minutes and forward it to every single man so they know what they have to do and what their colleagues are doing. Send one to me, too," Lester advised Manny.

"You expect Hal to step in front of the men and take command?" Manny asked skeptical. He liked Hal; but … "Hal hasn't been himself since T left. I'm not sure he's up to that task."

"He'll be. I'll talk to him. I'll also send an email to the men announcing your assignment," Lester rummaged in the papers in front of him then looked up at Manny. "Manny, I expect you to succeed. Hal has a great organizational talent. Be the voice and let him stay in the background putting the puzzle pieces together and tidying up loose ends. Everything will be fine."

Manny nodded and left the room. Ten minutes later Hal knocked and supported by his crutches hobbled into Lester's office. Three weeks ago he lost the grip on a rope when they were training on the compound. The following drop broke his left leg. It was a complicated fracture that needed surgery and canceled any chance for him to go on the mission. Hal was heartbroken. It was T who got him upright and kicking again. She talked with him for hours and suddenly Hal was back, mentally stronger than before it seemed. That was until T left and Hal crumbled like someone pulled the plug.

"Take a seat, Hal," Lester motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. Hal had remained in a crutch-supported parade rest just behind the door and positively looked like shit. Now he hobbled to one of the chairs as ordered and let himself glide down with his splinted left leg stretched out.

"How are you doing, Hal?" Lester looked at him sympathetic.

"I'm fine," Hal murmured while his gaze remained averted.

"Hal look at me, please." Damn, T had really done a number on me, Lester thought internally rolling his eyes. Now, I'm even saying please.

When Hal looked up, Lester held his gaze and tried not to let his bad mood show on his face.

"Hal, I need your help. I want you and Manny to take over the command of the Bond Enforcement Department with me being in the background to help when needed." Lester saw Hal's eyes widening. "Before you refuse listen to me," Les said and comfortably leaned back in his leather swivel chair.

"Way before Rangeman was founded, I met a man who at that point had already been a legend and we became fast friends. I'm talking about Rodríguez. From the first day on he believed in me. He saw strategic skills in me I never knew existed. Each time we met he pushed me, brought me to my limits and showed me what I was capable of handling. It was an exhilarating feeling. Rodríguez was also the one who insisted that I become one of Rangeman's founders. He was convinced I could succeed and I strove to prove him right," Les insistently talked at Hal. "I have a similar feeling when I'm watching you, Hal. I know the guys tend to give you a hard time and that you lack self-assurance in front of audiences; but you are skilled. You are great at organizing, Hal, and at putting puzzle pieces together so that suddenly a picture arises. I need these skills. Manny is a good tactician and can do the talking; but I need you in the background to keep the overview and channel the information. Are you up for the challenge?" Lester looked at Hal expectantly.

"I don't know," Hal squirmed in his seat. "I feel honored by your trust, Les; but I don't know."

Lester watched Hal uncomfortably averting his gaze again. He knew Hal could do it; but how could he get him out of his insecurity? Suddenly Les had an idea. He grabbed his cell and dialed a well-known number.

"Hey bro', watcha doing?" He asked Bobby as soon as the call was connected.

"Les, man. You must really miss me. This is the second time you called today," Bobby laughed. He and Esme were lying in the big hammock on the deck roof and were holding siesta.

"Dream on, Bobby. I need T's help," Lester came back. The moment he mentioned T, Hal's head snapped up and Les smiled at him. "Is there a chance she could get on a PC and have a little chat with Hal? She knows my Skype account."

"Sure." Lester could hear rummaging in the background. "Give her a few minutes to put some clothes on and get down to one of the offices," Bobby groaned.

"Damn, Bobby. It's noon and you have her naked and you're groaning. I didn't know you were such a sex fiend," Lester laughed while Hal's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Shut up, idiot. It's a hot day here and we were sleeping until some dork woke me up."

Four minutes later the picture of Tigger appeared on Lester's notebook-screen. Les clicked a few buttons and turned the notebook to Hal so he could write comfortably from where he was sitting.

"Here, go on. I will get myself a cup of coffee and wait for you in the control room to tell me you agree to my offer," he said to Hal, then stood up and wordlessly left his office while a big smile spread over Hal's face as he saw T winking at him through the webcam.

Half an hour later Hal entered the control room and hobbled over to Les. When he straightened up and looked Les straight into his eyes, Lester could see a spark of new confidence in Hal's eyes. Whatever T had said to him, it had worked.

"I'm meeting with Manny now to compose a plan of action," Hal nodded to Les with a small smile.

Lester nodded and returned the smile. "Haven't expected anything else from you. I'll send an email to the men announcing the change in command. Make sure to meet with them today."

"Will do, boss," Hal openly grinned back at him. It was a seldom sight.

When Lester returned to his office, the notebook was back at his place and a little sticky note was left on top of it saying 'Thanks for believing in me'. Lester couldn't help the smile that spread over his face. So this was what it felt like to be a caring helpful person? Shit, he had to work on wiping that pussy smile from his face. That was so not good in his line of work.

Great Falls, Virginia

It was late afternoon. T sat with Furor in the smaller office and listened to the conversation he was having with Agony and V who were following their corresponding targets through DC's rush hour traffic.

"OK, we arrived at a bar downtown. It's jam-packed with some pumping beats. I'll try to get some pictures; but I'm pessimistic about V being able to listen in to them," Rev reported.

"Alright," Furor answered. "You got that, V? Just try your best."

"Will do."

When V finally stepped into the bar, he was hit by an ear-deafening mix of music and chatter. Rev wore high tech specs with a camera integrated into the futuristic temples and stood in the shadows of a corner near DuPuits and Moore. V ordered a drink and casually made his way through the crowd, admiring the prepped and polished bodies he accidentally had to graze. Damn, batting for both teams had its advantages he thought at the lustful feelings swirling through his body. A couple tables behind DuPuits a clique of women was laughing and kicking back. With his best ladies' man smile, V went over to them.

"Excuse me, ladies. May I perhaps have a seat at your table while I wait for my friend?" V winked and flashed his panty melting smile.

The women nearly swooned. V was a good looking man who fastidiously cared for his body. He was able to magically work a room to satisfy his passion. Wistfully, V thought how much fun he could have with those women; but he had a job to do and T would hand him his ass if he fucked up. Internally shaking his head at what he was about to do, V smiled apologetically at the enraptured women.

"Perhaps I should add I'm waiting for my boyfriend?" He unveiled his best crooked smile.

Before the stumped women could ask questions or he could succumb to temptation, V sat down on the empty seat and turned in the direction of DuPuits. What a crying shame, V ruefully thought with a sigh while he zeroed in on the mouths of DuPuits and Moore two tables over. With the noise around him, his equipment was worthless. He would need to read their lips. Neither he nor his brothers were as proficient as T; but they could follow conversations sufficiently enough. Focusing on the two men V cussed internally. They were sitting sidewards to him, their mouths moving in and out of his field of sight. Acting as if he had to roll his neck and shoulders he quickly spoke into the mic fastened under his collar, "Tell Rev to watch Moore's lips. I can barely keep them in sight."

"We need to get him into the team," DuPuits' face left no doubts how serious he was.

V narrowed his eyes in concentration and leaned slightly forward; not exactly what you would call recon on the down low.

"And how shall I do that? Deputy Director Green and Ranger are friends. The negotiations have been between the two of them. I just don't see how I can interfere without risking drawing attention to me," the lean African-American Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Branch at the FBI looked questioningly at DuPuits.

DuPuits gazed at the man in front of him with an emotionless face. V tried to act not too suspicious while he strained to get the gist of what NISE's mastermind was saying. "Moore, I'm sure I don't have to emphasize how important this is for NISE. You have two very beautiful daughters. Don't you want them to grow up in wealth and safety?" DuPuits looked at Moore with innocently raised eyebrows.

Fuck, V wanted to look at Rev to communicate his problems with him; but he couldn't risk missing a single word of the few he understood.

"DuPuits," Moore growled, "are you threatening my family?

Unfazed, DuPuits gulped down the rest of his drink and stood to leave. He leveled Moore with an icy glare, "I'm just directing your focus on what's really important in life. Make sure the laughing stock, that calls himself Junior, gets on the mission team. After all, it's in your daughters' best interest." DuPuits finished with an adamant posture, turned and without another glance back left the bar.

Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! V searched for Rev's eyes and raised his shoulders. He had barely understood anything, their faces again and again turning out of his field of vision. Something about Ranger and FBI Deputy Director Greene being friends. Moore organizing something; but doesn't know how. Something about a laughing stock? And then DuPuits threatened Moore's daughters' lives. What a goddamn fuck, V clenched his teeth. T should have been here. Without her mind reading abilities they were quickly reaching their limits.

The sun was setting, sending her last warm rays over the Torres estate. Now in the evening, when the air started to cool down, the fragrance of the flowers was multiplied. Bobby lounged with closed eyes in his patio chair and let himself get lost on the birds' lullabies. They had a wonderful barbecue with meat, fish and lots of grilled vegetables; but now T was discussing the day's events with her team and he couldn't listen to them. Even without mind reading abilities he knew what T's decision would be and he didn't like it. A small hand on his arm woke him out of his reverie. Opening his eyes he looked into the most wonderful face on earth.

"Hey there, My Love," he murmured while he rejoiced in every inch of Esme's beauty.

Hey there right back at you, she smiled at him. Would you come inside with me for a moment? I'd like to talk to you.

Sighing, Bobby worked himself out of the comfort of his chair and followed his woman into the kitchen where she pulled him down onto the bench at the table.

"You're going back to work, aren't you?" He asked a little more defensively than he wanted.

Esme watched Bobby for a moment. He tried to hide his hurt from her; but that was fruitless. "Why did you withdraw outside and not participate in our planning?" She finally signed at him without any anger or reproval.

Bobby was stumped. "Because," he shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not part of the team. My input would make no difference. In the end, you have to do what you have to do," he answered.

"That's not true," Esme signed back. "I mean, it's true you are not part of the Inferna Angelus team; but you are part of our family and you are my man. Your input counts as much, if not more, than everybody else's opinion."

Bobby let his head hang and took a deep breath. When he looked back up, his eyes were shining with emotions. "I don't want you back out there where danger is lurking around every corner. I want you here, with me, shut away on this beautiful property. I want to keep you safe, want to make sure nobody can ever harm you again. I understand that you are an amazing operative, better than all the others put together; but for me you are MY EMSE. Fate allowed me to find two loves of my life. I have lost one, at least for now. The other one seems to challenge death every opportunity she gets. I have a hard time dealing with that, Baby. I want to comfort you, make you happy and carefree for the rest of your life. I … I want to shrink you so I can put you in my pocket and carry you around with me all day." Bobby felt desperate. He had promised to support her; but …

Hey Baby, stop. Esme nuzzled Bobby's nose. I haven't decided anything yet. The guys and I talked through our options and now I am here to discuss them with you. I said I want my decisions to be our decisions and I meant it.

"OK, tell me your best option and I'll put in my two cents," Bobby gave her a small smile and kissed her nose.

Our bugs obviously aren't getting us the wished information. There is no NISE related communication over the telephone and it seems that DuPuits is playing his cards close to his chest. So provided that you agree I will go back to the DEA and FBI and remove the bugs from Jones and Moore. Esme could see Bobby's eyes widening. Then back to the Pentagon where I will switch the existing bug in DuPuits telephone for one much more high-tech that will not just tap into the call; but also get us the telephone number called respective calling. That way when DuPuits calls in a meeting or someone calls him, we can find out whom the called number belongs to and by that perhaps find the missing members of NISE. When a meeting is ordered, I will get out there with Agony and Rev and tap into their thoughts. I promise I will stay way out of the action and the moment the meeting is over I'm all yours to take care of again. Would that be something you can live with? Esme cautiously watched Bobby. He was struggling, torn between supporting her in all her decisions and putting her away in a glass globe so nothing could happen to her.

"Is it really necessary to break into these high security buildings again?" Bobby whispered while he caressed Esme's face. He was so scared she could get discovered. No money in the world could get her out of that trouble.

Baby, the longer NISE is in the dark about our investigations, the safer we remain. Removing those bugs will increase our chances to stay undiscovered. Going back to the Pentagon is a risk, I know; but we see no other chance to get more information about who belongs to NISE. DuPuits obviously is the mastermind. If he willingly and even more so easily threatens one of his closest second row members, then there won't be much exchange between the single members of NISE. Too much fear they could get discovered. DuPuits works with this fear. Our only chance to get behind the schemes of NISE is directly through him.

Bobby looked at her, fighting with his own fear. "You will ask your friend, Peeves, for help again. You will wear that face mask so you don't attract attention with your scars and nobody will be able to recognize you later." He took a deep breath to slow down his pulse.

I will, I promise! You will wait here again with CP and Button and Agony and Rev will bring me directly back to you as soon as we are finished.

"Sorry for being such a pain in the ass," Bobby crunched his brow and bit his lip. He hated to be such a pussy.

Nah, you're not a pain in the ass. Though that shrinking part got me worried a bit. I mean, I just wonder how are we supposed to do this when I'm stuck away in one of your pockets, and she kissed him first tenderly, then with much more passion.

When they finally had to come up for air, Bobby smiled against Esme's lips. "I can see where my plan has flaws," he murmured while nipping at Esme's luscious lips. "You just can't go without kissing me, right?"

It would be my demise! How about I tell the guys that you are OK with everything and then you take me upstairs and we work the kinks out of your plan?

A languorous eye roll and soft moan was all Esme got for an answer as she sweetly kissed Bobby's full lips one last time before going back out to the terrace. With a lustful smile on his face, Bobby watched the woman he loves practically bounce back to her team. Oh yeah, we will definitely be working out some kinks when you get back, he thought as he heard her giggles in his mind.

A/N: On a sidenote - I'll be on vacation for the next two weeks. Though I'll have a notebook with me I can't say how regularly I will have a chance to write.