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Spike swung a door open to a sation room, sparse, stark and a helluva lot less dirty and dark than its counterpart in Rubistan They’d already exchanged the basic info on Chris’s situation out in Spike’s office before the OSI agent had gone silent, then suggested they take the rest of the conversation to a
JT dropped into one of the unrelenting chairs in the less rooain for cohter"
"No problem" Spike sat across from hi sharp, clear eyes "Had to coht"
"I’ll take that as a good sign" JT downed the dregs of his java, his fourth cup of the day
"You’d be right" Spike tipped back his coffee "DEA ca back clean Until last night, we couldn’t figure out how they were offloading the drugs Turns out, they were packaging up the stuff and placing it in the shri loose on one side so the drugs drop into the harbor Net comes back empty Looks like a bad throw to the casual observer They repair the net and keep right on trawling for the rest of the day--or in this case, evening"
"And how’s the exchangethat, but we’re pretty certain a small underwater craft, minisub, retrieves it and runs it up the coast It’s freaking genius when you think about it Without this tip-off, who the hell kno long it would have taken us to figure it out? Noe just need to pinpoint who’s receiving on the other end We’ve already connected two independent shrimpers and a market here We expect more to fall"
"And do you think this ties in to what Chris saw?"
"Could be Based on yourwoman, Miranda Casale, has already been picked up for questioning Everyone at the restaurant will be questioned sometime today A lot of base kids work at that place Could be coincidental Could be so for a new contact With any luck, that coirl’s necklace will lock in the final connection"
JT nodded, cru the disposable cup in his fist These bastards had coht have brought stress to his holad he’d played a part in bringing down scum like these
Spike placed his cup on the table "Hey, dude, noto be okay and your son’s going to be okay Chris stepped up in tiet in trouble--just like anybody else’s kids He gave us a heads up on another lead He’s a good kid who got stuck in a bad situation"
"Thanks for looking out for him"
Memories of those days in a Rubistanian cell hummed in the air, whispers of thetheir captors enough to buy Spike an extra couple of hours before his round of questioning
Now the time had come for JT to buy some of that time for his family To keep the heat off them until the threat passed
Spike smiled "Hey, dude, it’s e do for each other" He drained his coffee and stood "Your part’s finished here Go ho her work clothes for stretch pants and an over-long T-shirt, Rena turned her back on her reflection in the bathroo herself and her mistakes wasn’t easily done, and she would have plenty of that soon enough
Time and excuses had run out She and JT would have to come to a firm decision on their future It wasn’t fair to Chris to string things out
The trip to and from the base had been quiet, as if JT understood any talk would require full attention--and likely be too long to accoed her hair free froh a basket by the sink for ahair scrunchie Purple? Black? No Gray, like hera quickie before they opened Pandora’s box Rena gathered up her hair and--
Huh? She focused all her attention inward--
There it was again The tickle inside her Gasping, she dropped the hair scrunchie and savored those butterfly whispers of life within her she’d never expected to feel again
She pressed a hand to her sto repeats Her baby became all the more real--hers and JT’s--this new person who deserved so much more than a couple of parents who pitched plates and storht?" JT asked fro the bathroom to their bedroom
She hadn’t even heard hi the sensation inside her Her lip treotten what it felt… How incredible… I just…" Her chin treed "Our babys His hands clenched and she kneanted to touch her, even if he wouldn’t be able to feel the flutters yet
She hated that he had to be hesitant, but if he touched her right now, she would weaken She would forget all about her resolve and give in when she needed to make a stand more than ever for the baby For theled past into their bedroo table "I never got the chance to show you this last night"
He took the slick black-and-white i her breath
A sht This is incredible Evento thank ray eyes sos to thank you for"
Oh God, he could be so sweet sometimes She walked into his arms, where she’d wanted to be all day anyway Tension left his bunchednone of their iuided his hand to her stoainst their child Cars drove past outside Trees rustled in the breeze But they both stood still and quiet for--she had no idea how long
His hand slid away and up to sketch knuckles along her cheekbone "I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you No ht say to each other, I want to make sure you know that"
She melted Like a bowl of peach ice cream abandoned on the table, sheup, she led down to kiss her