A/N: This one is bit short but I had to end it where I did… sorry :)
...
Chapter 15: It Starts with a House
"What the hell good is being his bodyguard…" Joe mumbles disgruntled to himself as he searches rooms of the Meretti house "If the guy continually disappears on me. You would think he'd want me with him!"
"What are you mumbling about?" Charlotte's voice suddenly sounds.
Turning, Joe looks at the woman before him "Have you seen Meretti?" he simply inquires.
A smirk plays on Charlotte's face "Aw, did you lose your Boss?" she mocks.
Joe takes in a deep unhappy breath "Have you seen him or not?"
Picking up that Joe is not in mood for jokes, Charlotte turns more serious "Um yeah, Larissa got into one of her 'moods'." She explains.
Confused, Joe questions "Moods?"
Charlotte slightly rolls her eyes at him not getting what that means.
"You know!" Charlotte adds before suggestively pressing "Her um romantic moods."
"Oh." Joe now notes in understanding.
"Yeah and based on previous 'moods'…" Charlotte adds "…I don't expect to see those two again until morning."
In his mind, Joe processes that information Okay, that might end up being a good thing. He silently notes before relaxing a little.
"You ah…" Charlotte continues on "Wanna spend an exciting evening with me watching Nathan and watching something bad on TV?" She hopefully prompts.
Knowing he is stuck at a stand still until there is word from Jamie or Eddie or movement from Meretti, Joe offers Charlotte a true smile "Sure."
…..
With it now dark outside, Eddie sits in The Chevelle straining her neck to watch Jamie up the street bid goodbye to Martha Ryerson at the front door of her house then jog back down the path, out the gate and then quickly up the sidewalk heading back towards her.
Eddie continues to eye him as he opens his driver's door and slides into his seat "Well?" she prompts.
"That house." Jamie replies as he points out the windshield to the house to the left of Martha's.
"She doesn't look home." Eddie notes as she takes in the dark house.
"Martha says she's got a tour tonight."
Eddie glances at her husband "Really?" She challenges "Martha said Caitlin had a tour?"
"No." Jamie rejects "She said she was at work, I…" he emphasizes "…said she has a tour okay?"
"Okay." Eddie accepts "At least with her out on tour she should be safe from Walker."
Jamie nods in agreement.
Beat.
"So we're just going to sit on her house all night?" Eddie queries.
"Well Walker wasn't home." Jamie replies "So yeah."
"Okay." Eddie accepts so a silence befalls the couple as they continue to just sit there.
"It's a nice house." Eddie suddenly offers.
Jamie looks over and really takes it in "Yup." He agrees.
"Cute little porch." Eddie notes "Front yard seems nice – not too big but also not too small."
Jamie glances at his wife "What are we house hunting now?"
"No." Eddie rejects "Well maybe." She admits "I mean we're eventually going to have to find a new place to live aren't we?"
Jamie thinks about that a second "True but I thought you liked apartment living?"
"I do." Eddie confirms "But what's the harm in keeping an open mind."
"Nothing." Jamie agrees.
"I mean if we did get a house…" Eddie then starts to ramble "We might as well start figuring out what we like and don't like right?"
"Right." Jamie agrees as he looks around up and down the street "Seems like a nice quiet neighborhood."
"So quiet neighborhood." Eddie notes as she starts to make a mental list.
Again glancing at his wife, a mischievous little smile tugs at the corners of Jamie's mouth "No I prefer a rowdy neighborhood." He corrects. "I was just pointing out that this one is quiet."
Eddie looks at her husband to see his smile grow so she rolls her eyes at his antics "That's cute." She deadpans out.
Jamie shrugs a little before turning his attention back out the windshield "I thought it was funny."
"Jamie I'm trying to be serious here!" Eddie prompts.
"Okay fine!" Jamie relents before his eyes catch sight of someone walking up the sidewalk from the opposite direction with a bag slung over their shoulder. They stop in front of Caitlin's house and look around "Hang on." He seriously prompts as he gestures forward at the man now reaching to open the latch on the front gate "How much you want to bet that's Walker?"
"Only one way to find out." Eddie adds as the couple both move to quietly open their doors and get out. They silently and cautiously move forward and with the back of the man to them they can't make out his face but Jamie immediately recognizes the style of bag he is carrying so he leans towards his wife whispering "That's the same kind of bag Meretti had Joe and I pack the money in."
Eddie frowns as Walker makes his way into the backyard "Well I can't see Walker being here to give Caitlin money so..."
"So what's in the bag." Jamie finishes as they follow and stop a safe distance away when Walker stops.
They watch as Walker kneels down in the yard, opens the bag and pulls out bundles of white powder.
"He's not going to kill her…" Jamie breathes out in realization as he takes a step to hide behind a tree trunk so he can pull his phone out and activate the camera without Walker seeing the light "He's going to try to frame her with drugs." He adds as he steps back out to start recording but as he does, he in the dark, inadvertently steps on a dead tree branch laying on the ground.
Crrrrrrack.
Jamie immediately cringes as Eddie's eyes go wide at the sound and the couple attempt to move fast and hide but they are too late as Walker's head snaps up and whips over seeing them "STOP!" He demands as he bolts to his feet and pulls his weapon aiming it at the couple.
Knowing they didn't make it, Jamie and Eddie freeze.
"HANDS UP!" Walker barks as he moves towards them.
Slowly Jamie and Eddie raise their hands but as he does Jamie tries to hide the fact that his phone is indeed recording.
"TURN AROUND." Walker demands.
Jamie and Eddie slowly turn around to face Walker.
Walker eyes them "You work for Meretti." He notes in recognition of Jamie.
Jamie's mind runs a million miles a minute at hearing that and he quickly deduces Walker knows who they are because Meretti likely had Walker run a check on them so Jamie decides to take a gamble and run with it as a possible way out of this situation "Yup, he sent us to help."
Walker's eyes suspiciously narrow "Really?" he notes in a disdained challenge "Because he doesn't know I'm here."
Jamie and Eddie both try to hide their winces at being caught in a lie.
"Was worth a shot." Eddie mumbles under her breath to her husband right as a look of panicked realization appears on Walker's face "You're after the drugs." He notes as he cocks the gun in his hands.
"WHOA!" Jamie immediately begins to protest in alarm.
"Yeah, hang on now!" Eddie pleads as they watch Walker continually shift his arm slightly so the barrel of the gun aims back and forth between them "Let's talk about this!"
"Yeah…" Jamie tries to reason "…you really don't want to be doing that. We can work something out."
"WHY?" Walker barks out "So you can kill me first and take them? I don't think so." He adds before just pulling the trigger…
….