Undercover (20 page)

“I know. But I shamelessly relied on you and went back to my dreams.”

They sat in silence for a moment. He looked about to fall asleep. “You know, this is making me sleepy too, and the waiter is looking suspicious. Would you like some coffee?”

“No, I really don’t. But I think I should have a large mug.”

The restaurant only had petite little espresso cups, and since they were the only guests, she decided to bring the entire pot. Alex opened his eyes when she put the things down on the table. “Have I told you I love you?”

“Yes, but I would be happy to hear it again.”

He smiled. “Okay. I love you.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

They went home from work early that day. Lindsay was tired from a long day playing, and dozed in the front seat. Her father was just as tired and dozed in the back. Jenny pulled up outside the store and told them in a cheery voice, “Hey guys, I’m just gonna pick up something for dinner. I’ll be right back.”

Lindsay yawned and said, “I wanna come.”

Alex stirred too. He looked better. It was probably worry exhausting him. He was in too good a shape to be this tired from some lost sleep.

“I’ll come too.”

It ended up with all of them shopping for groceries, and they filled an entire cart with things they didn’t need. Everything they bought either looked funny, or had funny colors. Jenny giggled when Alex stowed their finds in the car, and she thought sending Lindsay and him shopping together when he was tired was an interesting idea. Their daughter basically wanted everything with colors, and he would say, “Why don’t we take two.”

Once everything was loaded into the back, he said, “I’ll drive home.”

Jenny shrugged and climbed in through the cargo door. He pinched her butt, and she turned around to look down on him from her elevated position. He put up an innocent face. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened. It was this guy over there, want me to kill him?”

She laughed and stuck her tongue out at him, and that made Lindsay laugh too.

When they pulled up in front of the house, Alex said, “You two stay in the car for a few, okay.”

Jenny leaned forward to put a hand on Lindsay’s shoulder, preventing the girl from jumping out of her seat. She wanted to tell him to be careful, but he was already by the front door. He held a gun. Where did he hide
that
all day?

Lindsey squirmed. “What’s Daddy doing?”

Jenny forced herself to smile, and wondered what it would be like to have two inquisitive little people to answer to. “He’s making sure the house is safe. It has to do with the responsibility we talked about earlier.”

“Oh… Why? He never done that before.”

“Well, you told him about a man standing in the dark last night, and he wants to check that it wasn’t for real. He wants to make sure the house is really empty.”

The little girl sounded astounded, “Just because of my dream?”

Running a hand over her daughter’s hair, Jenny smiled. “Well, pumpkin, you are precious to your father. He loves you much more than he would ever have thought possible.”

Lindsay stared. “Oooh, the whole house?”

Jenny nodded. The house was empty, of course, but this was the first time in the seventeen years she’d lived there she wanted to lock the front door.

*****

Jenny unpacked the groceries. Alex spent hundreds of dollars on foods none of them would eat. She’d probably end up giving it all away. He came into the kitchen, leaned against a counter, and smiled. “She’s watching TV. What should we make?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, and the way he looked, combined with his ever so sexy accent made Jenny feel weak. She shook her head in an effort to return to reality. “What?”

She shook her head a little more, and wondered if she was blushing. “Nothing.”

“Yes, something. What?”

Taking a step closer to him, she glanced into his warm eyes and confessed, “I just want you very much.”

The content look on his face made it even worse, and she turned her back on him. If they didn’t feed Lindsay she’d get too tired.

Alex reached out his hands and ran them along her body, inching her backwards towards him. She wanted to purr when he wrapped his arms around her and whispered, “I want you too. Right here would be good, or maybe on the kitchen table after she goes to sleep.”

Jenny mumbled, “Mmmmm…” She leaned against him and he rocked her a little from side to side. “So, my very sexy darling, what’s for dinner?”

She closed her eyes and relaxed, certain he would hold her. “I have no idea. We have so many… interesting… things.”

He spun her around with him, so they could peek into the cupboards. “Yes. But what harm can it do.”

Jenny wondered if Lindsay would notice if they snuck away for a while. She probably would. “No harm. And you never know when you’ll need six cans of red beans.”

“I don’t like beans.”

One of his hands cupped her breast, and she mumbled, “If you eat the beans, I’ll eat the meatballs.”

Alex trailed a finger around her nipple. “Or maybe the other way around, since you don’t eat meatballs.”

They moved on towards the fridge, and Jenny finally gave up on thinking altogether. It was clearly a day for
feeling,
and not for being a brainiac. “I have no idea, but we have to give her
something.
”

She felt him sigh, and he put his hands on her hips and pushed her away. It made her want to pout; she wanted to stay in his arms, and she definitely didn’t want to support her own weight. He sounded tired again. “I don’t know either. I still don’t feel all that good. Maybe we can ask her?”

Placing decisions on the four-year-old’s shoulders seemed like a really good idea, and they went into the living room together. Lindsay glanced away from the TV. “What’s with you two?”

In Jenny’s head a voice echoed, “We want you to go to bed so we can have sex in the kitchen.” She glanced up at Alex and asked, “Are you sure she’s only four?”

He nodded. “I think so. Nearly four.”

“I thought I might have missed ten years or so.”

Lindsay stared at them, clearly wondering if both her parents had gone mad, conveniently at the same time so they could do it together. They did everything else together, so why not lose their minds too?

Alex kept a very serious voice. “We need your advice in an important matter.”

Lindsay didn’t even bother with answering; she lifted her eyebrow in a nearly perfect imitation of Jenny, who filled in, “What do you want for dinner?”

It was funny to see the little girl roll her eyes. “I want Mommy’s chicken casserole and a salad with grapes. Make pineapple pie for dessert.”

Alex laughed. “Asking her was a good idea. It makes sense.”

Jenny nodded, and tried to look as if he said something deeply profound. He hauled her up over his shoulder and carried her back to the kitchen. She hung there laughing, waving at their daughter, who again rolled her eyes.

Lindsay came running into the kitchen about five minutes later. “Mommy, can I help?”

Jenny pretended to think about it. “Yes, you can. Fetch Mommy a beer from the fridge.”

“Okay. Can I have one too?”

Jenny stared, trying not to laugh. “Are you sure you’re only four? You get that from your father, don’t you? You can have a 7-Up. It’s almost the same thing.”

Lindsay scurried over to the fridge and used both hands to pull it open. She asked over her shoulder, “Daddy?”

Alex stood by the counter, cutting vegetables. “No, pumpkin. Beer for Daddy would make him fall asleep with his face on the plate, and that would look funny, and make Mommy sad.”

She giggled as she considered it. “It would look funny, but why would it make Mommy sad?”

He laughed softly and scooped her up in his arms. “You are an inquisitive little one. It would make Mommy sad because she likes to talk to Daddy, and she won’t get any answers if I’m sleeping with my face in the food.”

Jenny smiled. Listening to them always made her feel blessed. Alex put his daughter down and said, “Now, why don’t you run upstairs and play a little? We’ll call you when it’s time for dinner.”

She ran off, holding the precious can of soda. “Love, why don’t you go take a nap, and I’ll wake you when dinner’s ready?”

He shook his head and ran his hands over her shoulders. “No. It’s a very dear husbandly duty to do things like these together with you.” He kissed her and teased, “You taste like beer.”

Rolling her eyes, she made an effort to sound exasperated. “I’ll brush my teeth before I go to bed.”

He chuckled and smacked her butt, “I didn’t say it was a bad thing, I only stated the fact.”

Dinner turned out well. It tasted good, and no one fell asleep with their faces in the food. Alex did however fall asleep in front of the TV. Jenny went to get a blanket for him, and when she wrapped it around him, he woke and mumbled, “Come here a while.”

He turned over on his side to give her room next to him in the sofa, and she laid down on the edge. He hugged her and whispered that he loved her, and was soon sleeping again. Within minutes, it made Jenny tired too, and before she knew it, she drifted off to a world of dreams. She woke hours later from someone poking her. Lindsay said, “Mommy.”

Jenny mumbled, “What?”

The mousy voice sounded accusing. “I went to the bathroom, and none of you were in bed. Why are you sleeping on the sofa? And you have the TV on.”

Jenny didn’t get it. She mumbled, “What? Wait…” She tried to turn around, and almost fell on the floor. “Oh, you’re right. We
are
sleeping on the sofa.”

Lindsay stomped a small foot in the floor. “
Why?
”

Her shout woke Alex up. “What’s all the fuss about?”

Their daughter glared at him. “You’re sleeping on the sofa. You two are impossible, you’re like… children!”

He laughed heartily. “We are, aren’t we.”

Jenny managed to sit up without falling off the edge and turned off the TV. She ran her fingers through her hair and mumbled, “We’ll be coming up now, pumpkin.”

It was in the middle of the night. Alex hauled the girl up in his arms. “Come, I’ll put you back in bed.”

He carried her upstairs, and Jenny plodded after them, thinking she really should brush her teeth.

Alex came back as she was undressing, hugged her and murmured, “She’s sleeping again.”

He was so handsome it almost hurt. “I know it’s very early in the morning, but would you like to make love with me?”

He trailed his lips over her neck and answered, “Oh yes. I thought about it yesterday evening, but I sort of… fell asleep…”

*****

When morning came for real, Jenny told Lindsay they’d be going away for a couple of days. The girl frowned a little, as if wondering if throwing a fit and screaming no would do her any good or not. It was time to be a little psychological. “The cat will be going with you to Theresa’s, so now it’s your turn to be responsible and look after her. Can you do that?”

All rebellion ran off Lindsay and she nodded, clearly trying to look much older than she was. She did a very good job with it. “Of course I can. At least
I
sleep in bed, you two sleep on the sofa…”

Jenny smiled and ruffled her hair. It would be strange not to have her with them. She had never been away from her daughter.

Just before lunchtime, Jenny was packing, fretting over what to bring, and Lindsay played in her room. Alex came into the bedroom and ran his hands over her shoulders, and when he wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her close she leaned backwards. He carried her weight easily, and she was just starting to enjoy herself when he said, “I think you should take the pumpkin down to the village and pick up some food for us. Buy her some candy.”

That didn’t sound right. She turned around so she could see him. He looked almost normal, but she didn’t fall for it. “You want us out of the way so you can open that package.”

He seemed perfectly unfazed by both her words and her expression, “Yes. I have to. You know that, don’t you?”

“No. What if it’s something that will… I don’t know… blow up when you open it? And they’ll know you’ve tampered with it.”

Alex pulled her close, clearly trying to woo her. “It’ll probably be alright. And what if it
is
something that will explode and kill all three of us, or a lot of innocent people? Or, something that gets stuck in customs, lands us both in jail and leaves no one to care for our child?”

She hadn’t even considered the thought of a bomb meant to get rid of
them.
A potential ticking doomsday device waiting to devour her daughter made her shudder. These were good arguments, difficult to counter, but it didn’t matter. Breaking free from his embrace, she marched over to the window and stared out at the peaceful scenery spreading out beneath them. It was difficult to imagine anything evil lurking in the bright sunshine, but it was still there, resting in a drawer in their very own kitchen.

She whispered, “And what if it’s something that blows up and kills you?”

“That’s exactly why the two of you should go away for a little while. Fifteen minutes. Take her for a drive around the lake. I’ll go away from the house and open it.”

Yeah, that wasn’t happening. “No.”

He tried to spin her around, and she struggled to keep her face turned towards the window, in vain. She didn’t want to, but she still followed him over to the bed and sat down next to him.

“You know I love you, right?”

“Yes. And I love you. You
know
that I love you. How do you think I would live without you?”

He flashed a smile. “You’d do just fine without me. You did fine without me before we met.”

That irritated her, and she wriggled herself free from his hands. “Don’t say things like that. It’s crazy and you know it.”

Alex caught her hand and lifted it up to kiss it. She let herself be soothed, but she wasn’t going to give in. He sounded amused, “You would be fine. I, on the other hand, would be lost without you.”