Tangled Web
by Sarah & Lanie
Chapter 5
July 7, 1999
Tess's Apartment
Tess stifled a yawn as she buttoned the jacket of her dark teal suit. She walked to the full-length mirror and turned to the side. Tess lifted up the bottom of the jacket and twisted the short skirt so that the slit was in the proper place on the left side. She ran her hands over the soft silk fabric, smoothing the lines away. She slipped into a pair of black, patent leather high heels, then walked back to the mirror to survey her hair. She had taken great pains to straighten it and decided to leave it loose today.
Tess walked to the living room of her apartment. She rubbed her eyes groggily and picked up a thick manila envelope, which lay on the table behind the sofa. There was only one reason she was up this early and those reasons were inside this envelope. She tapped the edge of it with one long, perfectly manicured finger.
"It's time to rise and shine, Mav," she said out loud as she took out her cellular phone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cory Kitchen
Cameron sat on a barstool reading the morning paper. He was dressed in black nylon jogging pants and a charcoal gray muscle shirt. He shoved another spoonful of cereal into his mouth as he picked up a section of The Herald. Helen bustled around the kitchen, but Cameron barely noticed her. This was his moment of peace before the entire household awakened. It was just the two of them. Helen had gotten used to him taking breakfast in the kitchen instead of in the dining room. He was quiet and stayed out of the way. Cameron had finally gotten her to quit calling him "Mr. Sinclair", but had yet to get her to drop the formalities altogether. For now, he was "Mr. Cameron".
He turned the page, noting a picture of Emanuel Logan. He studied the man that they were watching so carefully. The man was nondescript. Without the knowledge of his "business" dealings, one would consider him another entrepreneur. There was something in the eyes, though. It was something that even a black and white photograph could not disguise. Cameron had so many surveillance photographs of Logan that Cameron felt he knew him. What was this man hiding? Why couldn't anyone figure it out? An entire team of the most skilled agents was on this one case. There had to be more. Devlin had to know something more than she was telling him. Cameron jerked the paper as he turned another page. Maybe he would pay a visit to Cory today and find out that information.
Cameron wanted this whole thing over with so he could quit looking over his shoulder and quit jeopardizing his relationships with those closest to him. The sooner they were on their way out of Bay City, the sooner his life could get back to normal. Normal. Now there was a word. Cameron had no idea what leading a "normal" life was all about, but he was sure willing to try.
"Good morning, Cameron," Carl greeted as he strolled into the kitchen. "Morning, Helen. Looks to be a lovely day today."
Cameron continued reading the paper not acknowledging Carl's presence. Carl eyed him closely. Helen swept past them with breakfast for the others on a tray. When Carl did not follow, Cameron narrowed his eyes.
"What is it?" Cameron asked not bothering to look at him.
"You're up awfully early."
"I'm always up early. You should know that by now," Cameron spat as he turned to the "Sports" section.
"Yes, I suppose I should. Tell me, Cameron, when do you sleep? I see you prowling about at all hours."
Cameron snapped the paper down on the counter. Carl did not jump, but looked at Cameron with amusement. Cameron's nostrils flared as he glared at Carl.
"Are you spying on me, Hutchins?"
"'Spying'? That is a curious term, don't you think? Or shall I say, 'isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?'"
Cameron continued to level his most intimidating gaze on Carl. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come now, Cameron. What disturbs your sleep patterns so? A few demons to exorcise?"
Cameron smiled a humorless smile. "Let me be blunt with you once again. I don't trust you."
"Yes, yes, I do recall that conversation. After what I've seen, I don't feel very trusting of you, either."
"Quit talking in riddles and say what you have to say," Cameron demanded.
Carl laughed. "I was a bit puzzled when I detected the familiarity between you and Ms. Richardson. Care to explain?"
Cameron's gaze did not waiver, though his stomach lurched at the question. "There is no 'familiarity' between Ms. Richardson and me," Cameron told him in a steady voice.
"It was rather suspicious when the both of you exited your bedroom such a short time apart."
Damn! Someone had seen them. Cameron bit his tongue as he silently admonished himself. Cameron thought quickly.
"Amanda sent me to check on her. Why are you trying to read something more into the situation than what there is?"
"Forgive me, I have several years of age on you and a lifetime of watching my back. For now, I'll give you that one. But that still doesn't explain the feeling that I just can't shake."
Cameron was boiling inside and trying to hold back his fury was almost impossible. "I can't explain your 'feelings', either. Maybe what you felt was the fact Amanda had introduced Ms. Richardson and me the day before, and she and I seemed to hit it off."
Carl pursed his lips. "Could be. . . .I suppose. Well, Cameron, we should greet the day, don't you think? I'll bid you adieu."
Carl slowly walked out of the kitchen with his hands clasped behind his back. A wry smile twisted his lips. The look was not lost on Cameron. Hutchins was suspicious and that was dangerous.
Cameron seethed silently. How dare Hutchins question him about anything? Still his perceptions had hit a nerve. Knowing the things he did about Hutchins, it did not surprise him that Carl had noticed the familiarity between him and Tess. The reason Tess and he had always been such effective partners was their closeness. They had posed as a married and unmarried couple convincingly so many times that he could not remember all of them. They were going to have to be much more careful in the future. Not only could the revelation of their true relationship destroy all hopes of completing this assignment, but it could also cause irrevocable damage to his relationship with Amanda and all the people who loved and trusted him.
Cameron glared at his cellular phone as it rang. Not now. Cameron grabbed the phone up punched a button to answer it. He knew Gary must have something for him to do this morning.
"Yeah, Gar, what is it?" Cameron asked impatiently.
"Wrong partner, Mav," Tess told him flatly. She was not a morning person, and she did nothing to hide the fact.
"What do you want?" Cameron asked point blank.
"You, of course," she said with no glimmer of amusement in her tone. "The results are back from D. C. Meet me at the morgue in twenty minutes."
"Why there? And why the short notice?"
"Don't ask me questions. Just get there," she replied without further explanation and ended the call.
Cameron listened to the dead air on the other end of the line for a short time before he said, "Okay, Gar, I'll be there."
Carl leaned back into the shadows of the hall as Cameron got up and jogged toward the stairs. He was sure that a call that early in the morning would only mean something noteworthy. He was disappointed as he turned and walked toward the dining room.
Cameron smirked slightly as he quickly walked up the backstairs.
Cameron opened the door to the bedroom just as Amanda exited the bathroom. She was towel drying her hair as she walked along, completely oblivious to his presence. Cameron quietly closed the door and softly sneaked up behind her. He quickly wrapped his arms around her from behind bringing forth a startled gasp. Amanda turned around in his arms. Cameron did not give her time to say a word before he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own. His kiss was slow and drugging. Amanda grabbed at his shoulders as he leaned away, fearing her knees would collapse.
"Good morning," he whispered against her lips, stealing one more kiss before he stepped away.
Good morning," she beamed. "What do you have scheduled today?" Amanda asked, hoping that they might spend some time together.
Cameron glanced down at his watch as he quickly changed shirts and grabbed the jacket that matched his jogging pants. "I'm working on some cases today. In fact, I should have left five minutes ago."
Amanda's shoulders slumped. "Would you have time….."
Cameron did not give her a chance to finish her sentence. He stopped her words with a hard, brief kiss. "I'm sorry. I've got to go."
Cameron waved at her as he closed the door behind him. Amanda stared at the closed door as she bit her lip. Something was going on with Cameron. He was trying his best to hide it from her, but she knew that there were things that he was not sharing with her. She jumped slightly as the phone rang. Maybe that was him.
"Hello…."
"Hey, you. Good morning!"
Amanda sighed, unable to hide her disappointment. "Hi, Gary. How are you?"
"It sounds like I'm doing a lot better than you. Is that worthless brother of mine around?"
"You just missed him. He ran out of here, saying that he was late."
"Late? Late for what?"
"He said that he was working on cases today so I will assume it is a case."
"Has he been acting strangely to you?" Gary asked.
Amanda paused before answering, then pushed ahead. "He's been very distracted lately, but I just owe it to all the things Stark did to us."
"Maybe, but I think there's something more, Amanda, and I will get to the bottom of it one way or another."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tess looked at her watch as she walked toward the office area of the morgue. Cameron fell into step beside her. Both threw politeness aside and offered no formal greeting to one another. The only acknowledgments of the other's presence were slight nods and sideways glances.
"So do you want to tell me why we had to meet here?" Cameron asked.
"It's as good of a place as any," Tess responded refusing to elaborate further.
Cameron clenched his jaw, then walked ahead of her to hold the door open. The drop in temperature was immediate and the overwhelming smell of disinfectant assaulted their senses. They approached the tall counter. A guy in a lab coat and green scrubs sat behind the desk. His hair was cut close to the scalp and stood straight up. The man glanced up at the two of them. His eyes were small and close together. A faint scar zigzagged across his forehead.
"Hi Arty," Tess greeted. "Is everything ready?"
Arty smiled at her. "Of course," he said, but made no move to take them into the morgue.
Tess opened her brief case and pulled out a large stack of bills. She shoved them at Arty who eagerly grabbed them from her hands.
"Why don't you follow me?" Arty said and led them toward the back of the morgue. They faced numerous stainless steel doors with large handles. Arty tugged at a handle, pulled the door open, then reached inside and pulled a sheet covered body out on a cold silver gurney. "Will there be anything else?"
Tess shook her head. "No, I think we have all we need. That will be all, Arty."
Arty nodded and left Cameron and Tess alone. Once outside and out of their range of sight and hearing, he walked to a phone near the freezer where he could see into the room. He dialed quickly.
"Hey, boss, it's me Arty. She's here and she's got some guy with her……..She's a real looker, boss. One of the best lookin' babes I've ever seen……..And that guy……yeah, I know where I've seen him. He married that rich broad a few weeks ago. Their wedding picture was in the paper. It was that Cory chick."
"Very good, Arty. Go back where you can observe them," the man on the other end of the phone instructed.
"That's what you pay me for, boss," Arty responded, then laid the receiver back on the hook.
The man who Arty had called propped his feet up on the huge mahogany desk. He blew the smoke of his cigar into the air and laughed under his breath.
"Sinclair……Cameron Sinclair……now there's a familiar name," he said out loud with a cold edge in his tone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tess and Cameron walked toward the center of the room. Hawk and Scout seemed to appear magically from another entrance to the room. Tess handed the manila envelope to Hawk.
"That's the test results. I haven't looked at them. I thought we should do that together. Go ahead. Open it," she instructed as she reached for a pair of surgical gloves.
Hawk broke the seal on the envelope and quickly pulled the contents out. He and Scout sifted through page after page of information. Cameron watched Tess as she approached the body. Tess gingerly pulled the sheet away from the face, revealing a man who looked like Grant Harrison.
"It grosses me out when you do that," Cameron told her.
Tess jerked her head around and glared at him in undisguised annoyance. With a roll of her eyes, she turned back to the body. Tess leaned down to study the fine almost undetectable lines at the edge of the hairline. The decomposition of the body had accentuated the scars.
Without looking up from the file, Hawk directed Cameron, "Leave her alone. You know one of the reasons she's here is because the FBI yanked her out of college early when she started passing the forensics classes like they were grammar school."
Cameron sighed heavily, feeling duly chastised by the man who he considered a father figure. He watched Tess for a moment as Hawk and Scout continued to leaf through the file. He did not want to be here, knowing full well that whatever happened in this room was going to affect the rest of his day.
Hawk began reading the report out loud. "This says that guy is Augustus Redding. He was on Emanuel Logan's payroll for years. There is a statement here that says Redding was Logan's right hand man."
"So why would this Redding guy get plastic surgery to impersonate Grant?" Cameron asked.
"That's the question. And that's why I called you all to this place to hear this report. I want you to form your theories on why Redding would do this. What was his motive and who has something to gain from this?" Tess asked them as she walked away from the cadaver, pulling off the surgical gloves.
Scout walked to the body, kneeling down to look at the face. He shook his head. "Could Grant still be alive?"
"That's what I want us to think about. Let's meet tonight at the warehouse around 8:00. I want us to discuss our theories and form a plan as to where we move from here," Tess told them.
The three men nodded in agreement. The theories were already forming in their heads, unfortunately not one of them had a positive undertone to it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cory Enterprises
Tess looked at her watch and cursed silently as she quickly walked down the hall toward her office. She hated being late. Being late brought unwanted attention, and she needed to be as discreet as possible. She noticed the door to her office was slightly ajar. Tess cautiously walked to the door and pushed it open. She frowned deeply when she saw Matthew Cory sitting in the chair behind her desk.
"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Cory?" Tess inquired in an icy tone.
Matthew looked up from the files he had in front of him. He was stunned into silence for a moment as his eyes swept Tess. The teal green of her suit brought out the beauty of her eyes. He was mesmerized. When he realized that he was gaping at her, he mentally shook himself out of his trance.
"Good morning, Tess. I'm sorry. I was looking for a file. I don't normally go through people's desks," Matt explained quickly as he stood.
Tess strode across the office, stopping beside Matthew. "Which file were you looking for?"
"Uh….the sales figures from Australia….I…..I….had an investor on the phone and….."
Tess leaned across the desk to retrieve the file. Her hip brushed against his. Matthew's mouth went dry and his breathing became shallow as the contact radiated through his body. As Matthew contemplated how he was possibly going to move, Tess quickly grabbed the file causing the contents to fall to the ground. Both Tess and Matthew scrambled for the numerous pieces of paper as they floated to the carpet. Instead of paper, they grabbed one another. Matthew's hand rested on her wrist as the palm of her hand closed over his wrist. Their eyes met and something intense flared between them. As the moment stretched, Matthew once again could not break the spell. And again Tess came to his rescue breaking the moment by quickly jerking away from him and reaching for the papers.
"Here, let me help you," Matthew offered.
"I can do it," Tess responded, bristling.
They both leaned forward to pick up the papers. Their shoulders bumped together. Tess gave him a hostile glare, but her silent warning did not frighten Matthew. As they picked up the papers, their arms, fingers, and bodies brushed repeatedly. Each time they touched Tess seethed silently with mounting rage. Although she was silent, her body language hid nothing. Matthew was remorseful at first, then with each new contact between them, his amusement grew and he kept his jaw tightly clenched to hide the smile that threatened to escape.
They stood together and Tess shoved the file at Matthew. He touched her hand as he took it from her. She recoiled as if he had burned her. The beginning of a smile tipped the corner of his lips.
"Thank you for your help, Tess," Matthew told her, then turned to leave. He grinned then turned back around. "I'll meet you in the conference room in fifteen minutes. I have some sales figures from the London office that I want you to go over with me."
Tess did not say a word. She glared at his back until the door closed behind him. Then she fell into her chair silently cursing Matthew Cory.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sinclair Investigations
Gary leafed through a file. Every once in a while he would glance over at Cameron's empty desk, then up at the clock on the wall. When the doorknob finally rattled, Gary leaned back in his chair.
"Hey, Bro," Cameron greeted as he walked inside carrying coffee and a sack of donuts in his hands.
"Hey, yourself, where have you been?"
Cameron did not look at him as he laid his purchases on his desk. "I stopped by Carlino's and picked up some food, why? I'm not that late."
Gary leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk. "No reason in particular other than I know you left the Corys' over an hour ago in some big hurry."
"What is this? The Inquisition?" Cameron asked. His voice was inflamed and belligerent.
"No, it's not. Do you ever think about how your behavior affects your family? We notice when something is wrong with you because we care not because we're spying on you or being nosy."
Cameron looked down at the floor, trying to compose himself. "There's nothing wrong with me."
"Bull!" Gary said tersely as he stood up and walked around his desk. "All of us see it, Cam."
Cameron leveled his eyes on Gary. "It's nothing, Gar. It's something I've got to do so just leave it alone."
"So that's all you're going to say?"
Cameron nodded slightly. "Yeah, it is."
Cameron's unwavering stare met Gary's. As they stared at each other in silence, each knew that as much as Cameron was determined to hide everything, Gary was just as determined to uncover it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cory Enterprises
Three Hours Later
Cameron swiftly walked through the outer offices sweeping past the office staff giving them brief nods and smiles. The door to Amanda's office was open so he held the large bouquet of red roses tied with a purple ribbon in front of his face and walked inside. He paused in the portal awaiting her response.
"I prefer forget-me-nots," a silky familiar voice told him.
Cameron pulled the flowers away from his face and stared in disbelief. Tess sat behind Amanda's desk. A secretive smile curved her lips.
Cameron rushed inside the tiny cabin. He looked around for her and wondered where she could have gone. There were few places to hide here. The bedroom, kitchen, and living room were one room. The indoor plumbing was crude and the "bathroom" was a weathered building several yards from the house. Tess was not happy with this situation, and she made no pretense about it. Cameron smiled when she finally appeared, climbing down from the small loft, which was used as a storage area. She wore a black turtleneck and black pants. Her hair was clasped in a knot on top of her head. Her eyes gleamed with displeasure as they rested on him. Cameron held out a bouquet of flowers to her.
"What the hell is that?" Tess spat.
Cameron walked toward her with the stems of the tiny flowers clasped tightly in his hand. He stopped in front of Tess and held them out to her.
"They're for you."
"Quit trying to cheer me up. It isn't working."
Cameron smiled and tilted his head. "I think it is," he whispered. "You know forget-me-nots usually grow in very rocky soil. They make a landscape that could be cold and desolate beautiful."
"What……are you a gardener now, Mav?" she demanded sarcastically, then turned to walk away from him.
Cameron grabbed her arm and Tess turned back to him in irritation.
"Look how pretty and delicate they are."
"Cameron……"
Cameron reached up and removed the clasp from her hair causing it to fall gently around her shoulders. He began running his fingers through her hair as Tess gasped in protest.
"Cameron, stop…."
"Stop what?" he asked as he removed his fingers and began placing the pale blue flowers in her hair. As he placed them there, Tess's face drifted closer to his and……
"Cameron? Cameron…." Tess said as she snapped her fingers in front of his face.
Cameron jumped. "What? What did you say?"
Tess shook her head. "Where did you go?"
Cameron stared at her for a minute. "Nowhere. Where's Amanda?"
Tess tilted her head toward the door. "She and Matt are meeting with a client in the Matt's office. They should be about finished."
"I was going to take her to lunch since I obviously won't be spending the evening with her," he told her.
Tess laughed low. "Get over it, Mav."
Cameron lowered his voice. "We've got to be more careful. Hutchins saw us coming out of the bedroom not too far apart and he said he noticed the "familiarity" between us."
Tess's eyebrows shot up. "He is a menace!" she railed then walked back toward the desk. Cameron followed.
"He's suspicious. Just like everyone around me is suspicious since you decided to show up."
Tess raised her eyes to look at him. "This is our job."
"Yeah, and some job it is. It's a great thing to be able to put on your resume. Can lie convincingly without hesitation….."
Tess smiled. "I have never heard you complain about the money. Does Amanda know that……"
"Shhhh…." Cameron interrupted her. "Don't say it."
"Ah, so I have my answer."
Amanda walked toward her office. As she got closer, she could hear voices inside. She knew Tess had moved in there temporarily to work on some files. She peeked around the door and was surprised to see Cameron and Tess engaged in what appeared to be a serious discussion. Amanda watched in confusion. They were talking like…..like old friends…..people who had known each other for a while. She could not hear their discussion, but she could tell by the tone that it was something serious. She pushed away her concerns and walked inside.
"Hey, I wasn't expecting you," Amanda said as she walked into the room and laid some files on her desk. "The two of you look like you're getting along just fine."
Cameron and Tess moved away from each other, but it was not an obvious gesture. Cameron picked up the discarded bouquet and held the roses out to Amanda.
"I was hoping that I might steal you away for lunch," Cameron said as he placed a kiss on her cheek.
Amanda smiled broadly. "Look at these. Thank you, that was very sweet. And I accept your invitation to lunch, because I know we're not going to get to have dinner together."
Cameron shot a glance at Tess in disbelief. She shook her head slightly.
"Oh, it's not Tess's fault," Amanda said with a laugh when she saw Cameron look at Tess. "One of our authors is in town and Matt thinks that it would be a good idea if we gave her a little TLC, and I agree with him."
Cameron nodded. "I see. So you're mine for lunch, then?"
Amanda nodded. "Let's go."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cameron stuck the notes he had made about the case inside his jacket. He checked his shoe strings again, then walked to the door. It was pure luck that Amanda had a meeting tonight. He did not want to tell her one more lie. He quietly walked down the stairs, hoping to exit the house unnoticed. He stepped into the foyer and breathed a sigh of relief as he reached for the doorknob.
"Cameron?"
Cameron stopped in his tracks. The best laid plans…… Cameron closed his eyes, then turned around. He quickly walked into the living room.
"Hello, Rachel," he greeted, then placed a quick kiss on her cheek.
"Were you going out?" she asked.
Cameron smiled as he sat down beside her. "I was going out for a run. Care to join me?"
Rachel laughed. "After chasing after the twins all day, you think I could run?"
Cameron's smile widened. "Just checking. Just let me know if you ever want to. I'm going to go."
He pressed a kiss on her cheek then disappeared out the terrace doors.
"I do believe you're fond of that boy," Carl observed as he walked into the living room.
Rachel smiled. "That boy, as you call him, has saved my daughter's life more than once, and he is very committed to this entire family. In fact, I….."
"Go ahead, darling, what is it?"
Rachel looked toward the terrace doors and laughed quietly. "I often see myself in him."
Carl raised an eyebrow. "Stubborn determination and undying loyalty……..your best features, my love. I guess I can see the boy's charm, then," he mused as he lifted her hand to his lips. But I still think he's hiding something. He added silently.
Cameron ran along the edge of the Cory property. He approached an iron gate and wiggled the mechanism. It creaked as it swung open and he walked through. A car was waiting beside the old road. He walked to the car, opened the door, and crawled inside.
"It's about time. What took you so long?"
Cameron looked at Scout impatiently. "Rachel caught me on my way out."
"How is Rachel?"
Cameron glanced at him in annoyance. "She's fine, Scout. Very happy that Carl is home."
"Hmmm… So have you got your theories prepared for Devlin? She's expecting us to move mountains with this meeting."
Cameron sighed. "I know, but what are we doing? I mean, we don't even know who we're supposed to be protecting, watching, or anything? This is the most unorganized case I've ever been involved with."
Scout nodded. "Sometimes cases just don't fall into place nicely and neatly like we want them. This is one of them. If it were easy, Grant wouldn't be involved now would he?"
"Yeah, you're right. I'm glad I never had to deal with the man."
"Count yourself lucky."
Scout stopped the car in the alley beside Carlino's. He looked at Cameron expectantly.
"What are we stopping here for?" Cameron asked.
"I ordered food," Scout told him with a smile. "And you're going to get it."
Cameron gave him a disgusted sideways glance then exited the car. Scout laughed softly as he watched Cameron disappear around the side of the building.
Cameron walked stiffly into Carlino's to retrieve the food. He wanted to get this meeting over with.
"Hi, Cameron," Paulina sang out.
Cameron forced a smile. "How are you? I'm here to pick up an order."
Paulina looked around. "Oh, here it is."
She opened the white sack and looked inside. "Hold on just a minute. I know how you like extra onions. Let me run back here and fix you up."
Cameron smiled. "Thanks, Paulina."
Paulina was back quickly. "Here you go. I threw in some canolis, too."
"Aw, you didn't have to do that, but I'm glad you did. Talk to you later," Cameron replied with a grin, leaning forward to press a kiss on her cheek.
Paulina smiled widely. "See ya later!"
Cameron waved as he walked away.
Paulina shook her head. "He is something else."
Cameron hopped back in the car with food in hand. Scout barely waited for the door to close before he put the car in motion.
"Man, that smells good," Scout said as they sat at the stoplight.
"The canolis are mine," Cameron told him flatly.
"Oh yeah? I'll wrestle you for them," Scout replied in a brotherly tone.
Cameron shook his head.
In five minutes, they were at the warehouse. Scout used a transmitter and pulled the car inside. He and Cameron got out and walked toward the room where they held their meetings. When they got there, Tess was pacing impatiently as Hawk munched on potato chips.
Tess swung around as they entered the room. "It's about time!"
Cameron shoved his thumb at Scout. "He had to stop for food."
"We're all here now so let's get started," Hawk said effectively stopping the bickering before it began.
Scout unpacked his food, pushing a canoli toward Cameron. Cameron grabbed it and smiled.
"Okay, let's hear what you have been putting together," Tess said as she sat on the edge of the table.
Scout took a big bite of his food, then made a horrible face. "Onions! Who put……Mav….." he said warningly.
Cameron shrugged and grinned. "I like extra onions and my sister-in-law knows what I like. Maybe next time you'll get your own food."
Scout glared at him.
"Are we going to have this meeting or bicker?" Tess asked with disgust.
"All right, Tess, don't blow a gasket," Hawk told her once again trying to gain control of the situation. "What have you got, Mav?"
Cameron leaned back and took out the notes he had made. "The way I see it that stiff creates a million more questions than we had before. But I think we write down the obvious ones. First off, is there any connection to Emanuel Logan or was Redding working for Grant? Secondly, does Logan know that Grant is alive, and did he help him fake his own death?"
"Then there's Banocek. Did Tito know about all of this? Was he involved in any way or just an unwitting pawn of whomever is responsible?" Hawk asked.
"If Grant is alive, where is he? When will he make his move? And why would he fake his own death?" Scout added.
"As for why Redding would agree to the plastic surgery, the motive has to be money no matter who paid him. I'm sure promises were made to him that were never intended to be kept. They traced the exotic poison in his system to the Island of Tanquir. Apparently, it is the only place that this plant grows," Tess told them.
"We need to identify who is most vulnerable should Grant decide to seek revenge. And we need to find out what Emanuel Logan knows about all of this," Hawk said as his eyes swept the room for responses.
"Who isn't vulnerable when it comes to Grant?" Scout asked with disgust filling his voice. "Vicky, Jake, Carl, Paulina, Joe, Cindy…"
"The one person that is at the top of Grant's list is Kirkland. We all know he is obsessed with him," Hawk told them.
"Okay, then we tighten the security around these people. I am going to see Emanuel Logan and get all of these questions out of the way," Tess stated.
"No!" Hawk and Cameron yelled at the same time.
"What? What is the big deal? We're never going to have answers to these questions if we don't confront him first thing."
"You may be in charge of this operation, Devlin, but I am still the senior operative on this team. You will not go to Logan without back up. That is far too dangerous. You will completely blow your cover if you do. Am I making myself clear?" Hawk demanded his tone rising with anger.
Tess looked down at the table, then back up at Hawk. "Perfectly clear," she said defiantly.
"I'm serious, Tess. Don't go off on your own or you will suffer the consequences."
Tess stared at him and raised her chin. "Fine, I heard you the first time," she spat.
"Good, there will be no vigilante stuff in this case. All of the people involved in this case are not criminals. They just had the misfortune of getting mixed up with Grant Harrison and don't deserve to suffer any more. We are here as a team, and we work on this as a team," Hawk told them, then his eyes swept the room to make sure his point was taken.
Each nodded in agreement.
"Let's finalize our plans and get out of here," Scout said.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Amanda and Matthew trudged up the stairs. They parted at the top of the stairs going separate directions toward their bedrooms. The meeting had lasted longer than she anticipated. Lola Bright had been extremely talkative tonight and Amanda and Matthew had stayed until they felt it was a comfortable time to end the meeting.
Amanda slowly walked to the bedroom hoping Cameron was not already asleep. His car had been in the garage so she knew he was home. She was looking forward to spending some time with him. Amanda twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. She was surprised when she looked around and saw there was no sign of Cameron.
"Where is he?" she asked to no one in particular as her eyes swept the room for a sign of his whereabouts.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Matthew walked to his bed in his shorts. Their meeting with Mrs. Bright had gone well. He knew that their authors and investors were concerned about Cory despite the positive changes. He lay back on the navy sheets and stared at the ceiling of the darkened room. He was not sleepy. He missed Jasmine…..and Lila. He missed having someone to come home to. Matthew closed his eyes, trying to force sleep to overtake him.
Matthew's eyes popped open when he heard a strange noise in the room. He sat up quickly and gasped when he saw the source of the noise.
"What……"
"Shhhh….." she whispered, placing a finger over her lips.
Matthew's eyes swept her from head to toe. Her hair hung loose in soft curls. She was wearing a black trench coat. Matthew's mouth went dry as she untied the belt of the coat and let it drop to the floor. She was wearing a black, lacy teddy underneath. She crawled across the bed toward him. Matthew leaned toward her meeting her halfway.
"…..First
I wanna take some time
I just wanna look at you
Girl you are so fine
I can't believe you're mine
And all I wanna do…..
I wanna make love to you….."
"Tess…." he whispered as she pressed her lips to his expressing an urgent, aching need.
As they teased each other with soul-searching, intoxicating kisses, their hands explored and caressed. Matthew pulled her against him. The contact of their bodies sent fiery sensations coursing between them.
"Matt," Tess breathed against his neck.
Matthew leaned away. "Say it again," he commanded.
Tess kissed him gently, then whispered against his lips. "Matt…"
"…..Let
me
Show you how sweet it's gonna be
I wanna show you things that you
Never, ever, ever seen before
Put your nightgown on
Let your hair hang low…..
I'm in the mood to love you all night long…."
His fingers burned into her tingling skin as he brought her down to sheets with him. Matthew twisted so that Tess lay on her back. She rose to meet him in a moment of uncontrolled passion. Matthew was drugged by her kisses, needing to get her closer and closer.
"….You
got me saying
My, My, My
My, My, My
You sure look good tonight
And you're so damn fine
I gotta say
My, My, My
My, My, My….."
As he leaned down to kiss her once more, she began to fade.
"Tess…Tess…don't go…. Tess!!!!"
Matthew sat up, looking around the room. A light sheen of perspiration covered his body.
"It was a dream. Just a dream…" he said out loud. The disappointment echoed in his voice. He looked around his bedroom as if he could conjure her up out of the darkness. He lay back on the sheets and stared at the ceiling once again, hoping that when he closed his eyes, she would reappear.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cameron crept inside the darkened kitchen. He quietly closed the door behind him, and headed toward the backstairs when the lights came on, blinding him for a moment.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Author's Note: The lyrics quoted are from the song "My, My, My" recorded by Johnny Gill. Click on the hyperlinked title to listen to a MP3 clip from the song.