Shout-out to my reviewers:
probably a reader: Although I am not an E/O fan, I do still love their partnership. More soon!
Ghostwriter: Yes, an appearance from Elliot, 'cause I'm good like that.
Mistra Rose: No review or thoughts on this? I hope you'll like this chapter better!
Previously, in "Persuasive Tactics", Maggie and Jubal share their first kiss after running into Elliot Stabler, a former detective with N.Y.P.D.'s Special Victims Unit and in-law to Maggie's deceased husband Jason.
Chapter Six
"Jubal, you're scaring me. What kind of a situation are we talking about?" Dana's successor Isobel Castille asks, as her eyes follow Jubal's nervous, furious pacing in front of the Joint Operations Center, also known as the J.O.C. "Jubal. Talk to me. Which kid are you more worried about?"
All of them, including Maggie's two girls, Jubal thinks to himself, worry etched in his face. At her desk, Maggie alternates between picking up her phone to check the screen and setting the phone back down. In concern, Maggie's partner Omar Adom "O.A." Zidan reaches over to take her hand into his much larger one. Maggie doesn't flinch as he does this, managing to flicker a tiny smile in his direction and turning the palm of her hand over to intertwine their fingers together with a trustworthy, sibling slash work partner kind of gesture. "We will figure out who is behind this," O.A. reassures both his partner and their boss.
Jubal nods and, walking over to Maggie, kneels to her level. Taking the hand O.A. isn't holding, Jubal gives the woman he'd shared an unforgettable kiss with just a couple of hours ago a serious and professional look. "How do you want to handle this, as a mother or as an FBI agent?"
"Am I going to sound selfish if I say that I want to do both?" Maggie asks the man in front of her, a sheepish smile flickering across her lips.
"Not in the least. We'll follow your lead on this," Jubal replies, returning Maggie's smile with one of his reassuring ones. With that said Jubal, with help from O.A., guides Maggie to her feet. Bringing her up to the front of the J.O.C., Jubal remains glued to Maggie's side as he watches Isobel work her magic in order to get all of her employees to turn their attention toward the front. "As many of you may or may not know, I'm a divorced father of four. And right now I'm also informing you that Maggie has twin girls as well. And, at the moment, the elementary, middle and high schools are being held hostage by the family of some criminals Maggie helped put away back when she was still just a cop in Indiana. We'd both like it if you'd help us bring all six of our children home safe and sound."
The room is silent for a few minutes before agents, technicians and analysts erupt in chaotic frenzy of hard-working people yelling out orders and questions to the people who sit in their "row" of work stations. Jubal looks at Isobel, who just gives a brief shrug for a response. "I guess they want to solve this quickly and quietly for you two. Speaking of, why don't both of you hang out in my office for the rest of the day?"
Jubal looks down at the woman standing before him and Maggie gives him an affirmative nod before looking at Isobel. "Thank you. Bring them home, please," she says, her voice soft.
"I'm planning on it. Go relax and let me handle it," Isobel replies.
Maggie nods before she and Jubal head to Isobel's office. Just inside the doorway, Maggie wraps her slender hand around Jubal's much larger wrist to stop his movements. He turns toward her, confusion & curiosity making the lines in his forehead crease into worry wrinkle lines. "What is it, Maggie?"
"When this is all over and they're home, safe and sound, I want to stay the night with you," Maggie tells him. "As more than colleagues."
Before the words were even out of her mouth, Jubal's head lowers down to Maggie's, his lips laying claim to hers with the firm intention of being searing and downright scorching. "That's just a preview, Agent Bell," Jubal whispers against her lips. "There will be more where that came from later."
"I look forward to it, Valentine," Maggie responds, her vocal tone a low murmur. A soft smile tugs the corner of Jubal's lips before he lifts his head to press an affectionate kiss to Maggie's forehead.
At the middle school, despite the teacher telling he and Jordan to sit still, Tyler makes his way over to where Tali LaCroix is occupied by a conversation with her friends. Tali glances up and over at Tyler, going back briefly to her conversation with her friends before turning to him. "I thought a lot about what you had mentioned earlier on the school bus, and I think it's a great plan. One of my dad's coworkers is a great hacker. I can have her hack into Dad's and your mom's phones in order to send the messages."
"Great. We need to think of the first message," Tyler says, moving over to get an empty notebook from his backpack.
Pacing back and forth, and alternating by sitting on the edge of a desk at FBI's field office headquarters, Jess LaCroix finds himself fixated by the email which has just appeared in the inbox. His eyes skim through the message itself, frowning in concentration at who this "S" person has to be before he goes back to read. Removing his reading glasses from the front pocket of his flannel shirt, Jess finds himself an empty desk to occupy for the time being before increasing the tiny font of the email's contents just a bit and begins to silently read through the email.
Dear J,
How can I really start this letter besides the insane attraction that I feel is brewing between us? To feel your strong fingers running through my red hair as our skin touches and we're rolling around on your bed.
- - S