Learning to Drive... Him Crazy (18 page)

"No, it's okay. I'd actually come to that
conclusion. Not about the boxes, but I assumed they were shooting
at me. After all, I knew entirely too much."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," John said. "I was a little
upset when I first came to that conclusion, but I'm okay now. I
didn't know I had some cardboard to thank for helping me get away,
though. I figured they were actually shooting at me, not the
cardboard," he added with a bit of a laugh. Getting serious again,
he asked, "Okay. I assumed that was the case, and that leads me to
this next question. Why did they go through this whole charade?
They could have gotten rid of me—" He swallowed and squared his
shoulders before continuing. "They could have gotten rid of me and
the other three without going through this whole charade. The four
of us have gone out to eat or on other outings semi regularly, and
we usually all go together in one vehicle. Why go through all
this?"

"We've wondered the same thing, John, and
we're asking questions to that effect. We'll keep you informed of
anything we find."

"Okay, thank you. One last question. I know
you wanted us to stay here while you investigate and make sure you
have everyone involved. Last night you said you were hoping the two
who were caught breaking into Cal's house were the two missing
officers. That didn't register until after I'd gone to bed. Were
you suggesting two of them that were at the scene left to go to
find the ruby?"

"We were hoping maybe that was the case,
since they wouldn't really need them all there, seeing that in
reality it wasn't really a stakeout. But that wasn't the case. We
think the two at Cal's house may have been the actual thieves that
stole the gems. Apparently how the whole system worked is the
officers found the jewels and did the surveillance so they knew
when the best time was to send the guys in to steal them. The
officers also found the gemologist that made them into jewelry so
they wouldn't be recognized, and set up the sales. We think some of
them even served as lookouts during the actual thefts."

"Wow," John said. "So who of the nine men
that were there last night don't you have?"

"The two that somehow managed to escape were
your partner, Joe Decker, and Patrolman Nate Cooper. Is there
anything you can tell us about any connection there may be between
them?"

"Not really. Joe never mentioned Nate that I
can remember."

"Okay. At this point we don't know if
they're together somewhere or if they both slipped away on their
own. If you think of anything at all that may help locate
them—"

"I'll let you know," he assured them. "So
you got Chief Nelson?"

"We did."

"Is he the leader of all this?"

"We're not sure yet, but we don't think
so."

"Really?"

"He denies it, although he admits being
involved. His name hasn't come up much, though, so we don't think
he is. Or was."

"Okay, that's all the questions I have right
now." They both got up to leave, when John stopped. "You know, Nate
is divorced, but he still cares a lot about his ex-wife, and I
think she has similar feelings for him. You might want to talk to
her, see if she has any idea where he might be."

"Okay, we will. Thanks."

* * * * *

The agents were always in the house, a
minimum of two, occasionally a third if they were bringing a
message or food or something, but they gave the four of them as
much privacy as was possible. They always made sure their 'guests'
knew where they were in case they needed them, however.

The first day at the safe house John and
Alana were together almost constantly. Cal and Kelli were just
about as desperate to be together. The two couples spent time
together, all four of them, but they also made sure they had time
alone. The house had a living room, a den and a library full of
books for anyone who liked to read. The den and the library had
doors and made a good spot for a private conversation.

They all spent the morning together. Cal,
who was the head of the marketing department at a local
manufacturing company, was concerned about not being at work. The
FBI had called all of their employers. They told his company that
he was a witness and under their protection until the suspects were
all arrested, at which time he would be released and could go back
to work. Cal had a meeting with a potential new client in three
days, though, and hoped to be out in time to prepare for the
meeting.

Kelli was an administrative assistant and
hadn't been happy with her boss lately, so she wasn't real
concerned what they thought. The FBI agent told her if they tried
to fire her for not being there to let him know and he'd talk with
them. The way she saw it, she was getting a vacation from her
boss.

Alana wasn't too concerned, either, because
Marilyn didn't have much coming up in the near future, so she could
handle it herself.

John knew he had nothing to worry about as
far as his job being in jeopardy, but he sure would like to be a
fly on the wall and see what was going on within the police
department right now and who was saying what about whom.

Kelli and Alana searched the kitchen and
found something to make for lunch. They ate in the living room so
they could watch the news at noon. The big story all the stations
were talking about was how the FBI caught the jewel thieves last
night, and the fact that the thieves were members of the local
police department, including the police chief. It was reported that
another member of the police force played a crucial part in
exposing the theft ring and working with the FBI, but he was not
being named until they caught the last two officers thought to be
involved. They then showed pictures of Joe and Nate Cooper. The
mayor said he would have a comment later in the day, including
something about the police force. They were all anxious to hear
what he'd have to say later.

After lunch was over and the dishes were
done Cal said, "Kelli and I found some DVDs in the library, and
we're going to watch a movie. You guys want to watch, too?"

John quickly declined. "Thanks, but I have
something I want to talk to Alana about. We're going to go to the
library so I'll have her undivided attention."

"Okay," Cal said. "We'll be in the living
room if you change your mind."

John took Alana's hand, noting the nervous
expression on her face, and led her to the library. He sat down on
the couch, pulling her down with him and putting his arm around her
shoulder. He gently pulled her up next to him and she laid her head
against his shoulder. "I've missed this, Alana."

"Me, too," she said, snuggling in against
him.

He was content just holding her for a little
while like that, but she was suspicious, and a little nervous about
what he wanted to talk about. After about five minutes of quietly
cuddling, she tentatively asked, "What did you want to talk
about?"

He noted the concern in her voice. "I just
wanted to hold you and make sure you're okay, honey."

"That's it?" She sounded relieved. "I told
you I'm fine."

"I know that's what you said, and I know
physically you are fine," he agreed. "I just want to assure myself
that you're okay emotionally, as well. You've gone through some
pretty rough moments here lately that would upset anyone. Knowing
someone went through your apartment, trashed it from what I hear,
has to be upsetting. I know you were worried about me last night.
Are you sure you're okay? It's perfectly okay to feel scared or
upset, or a whole host of other emotions. I would like to know
about any feelings like that, though, so I can be there for you and
help you through it."

She looked up at him and smiled. It was a
big smile that was full of love. He couldn't stop himself from
leaning down and kissing the end of her nose. "What's that big
smile for, honey?"

"You're always concerned about me. You went
through more than I did last night, but you're concerned about
me."

"There's a reason for that, you know."

"There is?"

"Yes, an explanation of sorts. You see, I
love you."

She had been cuddling up against him, but
when he said those words she was quiet, and became still. He became
concerned, until she whispered, "You do?"

"Yes, I do," he confirmed. "The events of
the last few days have made that perfectly clear to me, and that's
what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to make sure you know
my heart. I'm not trying to rush you, or asking you to reciprocate,
but I do want you to know how I feel about you." He chuckled a bit
as he said, "And that probably explains why I'm concerned about
you. I not only care a great deal about you, but I care because I
love you."

She turned around to look him in the eyes,
eyes that were full of love and sincerity. She kept his gaze as she
said, "Thank you. I'm really glad to hear that because last night
while I was so worried about you, I realized the reason I was so
worried is because I love you, too."

Without saying a word, John cradled her face
gently in his hands and leaned down to kiss her. Softly at first,
the kiss soon took on a life of its own. It became very passionate,
and his tongue was soon seeking, no, demanding entrance, which she
allowed. He knew he should back off, but he didn't seem to be able
to pull himself from this wonderful lady that had stolen his
heart.

When he finally found a way to pull back and
end the kiss, there was no question in either of their minds as to
their love for each other. They sat there staring at each other.
"Wow," he finally was able to mutter.

She smiled and simply repeated, "Yeah.
Wow."

She laid her head back against his shoulder
and he pulled her against him and they cuddled again, both
recovering from their declaration of love for the other, and the
very emotional kiss that seemed to prove the truth behind the
words. They stayed like that for several minutes, both content to
feel the closeness they felt at the moment, and deep in their own
thoughts.

"Honey, because
I love you, I think it's important that we talk about some of our
thoughts and fears over the last couple days," John said, giving
her shoulder a squeeze.

She looked up at him, but didn't say
anything.

"One thing I think is vital in any
relationship is communication," John continued. "I think it's
important for us to talk. We have to talk about our feelings, let
each other know how we feel, and be totally honest with each other.
We've had a very traumatic experience, so I think over the next few
days we need to share our feelings about that experience. We don't
necessarily have to right now, right this minute, but over the next
few days I think we need to share our thoughts and feelings, okay?
That's important to any relationship, but in the relationship I
want for us it's even more important."

"What do you mean, the relationship you want
for us?"

"I really want this relationship to work,
but I think I need to explain to you my thoughts on how
relationships work best. I'm sure you've already realized I have
what many people would consider to be old-fashioned ideas, and I
will admit that, but I think they work and I'm not willing to
abandon those ideas. If you don't think you can live with any of
those ideas, we need to know about it now and talk about it."

"Okay."

"First, I believe the man should be the head
of the relationship. Now, before you get upset, let me explain what
that means to me. It means that I love you with all my heart and I
see it as my responsibility to make sure you're safe, healthy and
happy. When we have a decision to make, we will talk about it. If
we agree, no problem. If we disagree, I will listen to what you
have to say. If what you want will make you happy and I see nothing
dangerous or unhealthy about it, that will more than likely be my
decision, because I want you to be happy. If, however, what you
want is dangerous or unhealthy, I will not allow it, because I feel
I need to protect you and keep you safe. When we disagree, I will
be the one making the final decision."

She looked up at him, eyes narrowing. "So
what you say always goes?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "But it
will always be with your happiness in mind. Unless something is
likely to cause you injury or pain of some type, I will more than
likely go along with it. I know it sounds scary that what I say
always goes, but I think you have to give it a chance. Have I been
so terrible about that so far?"

"No, but—you mean you've been doing
that?"

He chuckled as he said, "I have been. I have
no intention to micro manage you or your actions in any way. The
only things I will stop or try to redirect are things that can
cause you harm. For instance, you spending the money you had saved
for a car. That will hurt you, if you can't become the event
planner you were meant to be because you spent the money and can no
longer afford a car. I'm trying to steer you in a better direction
there, because I love you and I want to see you succeed as an event
planner."

She smiled as she heard those words.

"And I haven't wanted you to take your
driver's license test again because I didn't feel you were ready
yet. You still needed to become more comfortable behind the wheel
and to master stopping at stop signs before I can feel comfortable
letting you drive places yourself. Again, that's because I love you
and I don't want you getting hurt."

"And you've been helping me with that.
You've taken the time to teach me what I need to change, and I
appreciate it. That's one of the reasons that I fell in love with
you."

"And I want to keep doing that. But that's
what I mean when I say I will make the final decision about things.
It will always be for your benefit, but what I say will be final.
Are you okay with that?"