Chapter 14 – Folly and Ignorance

JT whipped out the business card that Evan had given him. He almost groaned when he realized it was the number for the morgue. He didn't know what he'd expected – that Evan would have given him a personal cell number? Still, this was risky at best, trying to reach him at work for a Vincent-related emergency. He'd have to discuss contact info with the good doctor once this crisis was over. He punched in the numbers and heard the line at the other end begin to ring.

"Marks," was the greeting as the phone was answered.

"Geez, do you ever sleep?" JT asked. He rolled his eyes mentally; he always said the dumbest things when he was nervous.

"Occasionally," Evan replied, stretching the word out and squinting thoughtfully as he wondered who was on the other end of the connection. "Who is this?"

"Hey, sorry man. It's JT. Look," he rushed on, "we have a bit of a… situation brewing. Thought maybe you could help, since it involves Cat."

Evan stood up straighter, a new alertness in his bearing. "Listening…"

JT relayed what had happened with Vincent in as vague a way as possible. "Anyway, I can't just leave him here alone. Who knows how he'll be when he wakes up? Could you go check on Cat? He was convinced she's in some kind of danger."

Evan was already in his coat with keys in hand when JT asked. "I'm on it," was all he said before slamming the phone down on the wall receiver and bolting out the door.

Harris swung out of the driver's seat and hit the pavement running, following the dark figure that had helped him escape. He heard the other officer shouting for him to stop, accompanied by a gunshot, just as they rounded the corner. They continued running in silence for another block and into an alley where a car was waiting for them. Jumping in, the car lurched forward before they could even shut their doors.

"Dammit, Harris, that was too close! What in hell were you thinking?"

"Look," Harris retorted, "not that I don't appreciate you saving my ass back there, but how the hell did you know where to find me?" For the first time he looked at the eyes in the rearview mirror and actually groaned out load. "Kelly. I should have known. You stalking me now?"

Regan Kelly gave a throaty chuckle. Harris was such an uptight kind of guy, she just loved getting under his skin. "In your dreams, Harris. GW got one of his infamous hunches and had me track you. Looks like he was right again." She paused. "Oh – and for the record… if I was going to stalk you, you'd never know about it." She smiled wickedly, hoping to unnerve him a little. She wasn't sure why she took such perverse pleasure in tormenting him, except maybe because he made her feel things she didn't want to feel. Annoying the hell out of him was a way of keeping him at a safe distance. She was perfectly happy with her career and her computers, thank you very much. She didn't need a man screwing up her life. Literally.

Harris glared at Reynolds, who was riding shotgun. "Was it really necessary to bring her along?" he groused.

Reynolds rolled his eyes as he looked out the window. It wouldn't do for Harris to see the smirk he was wearing at the moment. "Hey, she's the techno-nerd. What do you think I know about all this tracking stuff? Nothing. I'm a hired gun, nothing more, nothing less. Besides, someone had to drive the getaway car." He chuckled. "I swear, someday Harris you're going to get us both killed. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I saw an opportunity to bait Keller, and I took it. I still don't know what the hell happened. If no one else knew about it, how did the cops get on to me?"

"Bait him?" Reynolds turned in his seat to look at the other man. Regan looked at him in the rearview mirror, and he saw genuine concern in her beautiful moss-colored eyes… He shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to be noticing Regan Kelly's eyes. The woman was the very bane of his existence.

"I've been on surveillance detail with the ex-fiancée. Tall, sexy red-head with legs that go on forever," he related in a dreamy voice. He was rewarded with daggers coming from the eyes in the rearview mirror. He silently congratulated himself for the victory. "At any rate, she apparently saw Keller early this morning, screaming his name across the lobby. I didn't see him, but figured I could flush him out if I nabbed the ex, so… I did."

"How'd that work out for you?" Regan sniped. "Oh, right. We had to come save your sorry ass for your stupidity. Like I don't have better things to be doing right now." Wow, he must have really touched a nerve with her. Usually her banter was more sarcastic than mean. Was it possible her caustic attitude was a cover for her real feelings? He wondered…

Still, it wouldn't do to back down and let her think he cared that he might have hurt her. "Like what? Reading the latest issue of 'Hacker's Weekly'? Writing new virus codes to release on the unsuspecting public? I'd say I'm doing society a service keeping you occupied."

Regan snorted and mumbled under her breath, "As if you could." Harris struggled to keep from laughing out loud. Good, they were back on normal footing with that remark.

"If you two are quite through with your little lover's spat…" Reynolds started, and – wait for it – yes, there was the satisfying gasp from them both. He smiled to himself again and finished, "Just where do you have the ex stashed, Harris?"

"Uh, well, she was kind of in the trunk of the car…"

"Another perfectly executed disaster. Good job. Ghostwalker will be impressed." Harris could see the corners of Regan's eyes crinkle in the mirror at the other agent's assessment. Damn her, she was laughing at him! He didn't know why he even cared, but he did. There, he finally admitted that much to himself. But that was as far as it would EVER go. "So basically, we can forget about using her as bait in the future. I can't believe she'll be left unguarded from here on out. We're going to have to find another way to flush Keller out. It's just a shame that 10 years of surveillance on the ex has been a wasted effort."

"That's not necessarily true," Harris objected. "Hell, Silverfox nabbed that cop Chandler right off a main street without incident. We can still get the hottie in the future."

"Perhaps," Reynolds agreed, letting his attention shift to watching the streets go by in a blur as he looked out the car door window.

Evan Marks burst into Catherine's hospital room. "Cat I came as soon as I-" He stopped abruptly when his gaze slammed into Tess' questioning eyes. "Oh uh, hi Tess. Didn't know you were here."

Tess crossed her arms and leaned her perfect backside against the window ledge. "Do go on, Evan," she coaxed. "Don't let me interfere with what you were going to say."

"I uh.. well that is.." He shot Cat a desperate look.

Catherine rushed in to save the day. "It's nothing, Tess. I just asked Evan to do a little checking on something for me. Nothing important that you need to worry about. It's not even directly work-related. So don't worry it's going to end badly with you on desk duty for a month or anything." She smiled weakly, still worn out from her earlier episode.

"If you two are conspiring together, it's always cause for worry. I used to have hopes for the two of you as a couple but instead of fireworks, you definitely have more of a TNT vibe going on here. It's scary." Tess jumped when Joe's voice came over the radio.

"Vargas, I need you down here immediately. The perp got away but one of Sinai's doctors was the intended victim. She's been recovered, but we need to set up a protection detail until we know more. Since you're temporarily without a partner, you're pulling the short straw on this one, for the time being."

Tess glared at Cat and Evan as she responded, "Be right there." She clipped the radio to her belt. "Don't think for a moment this is over, do you hear me? I know the two of you are up to your necks in something and I intend to find out what it is."