small bass expertly, bringing it in without tangling the line or picking up a snag. The heron, seeing Jean was bringing in a live one, moved to watch right over her shoulder. Gus laughed at the sight of the little girl with a dog on one side and a blue heron hovering on the other. Nick picked up the line as the fish thrashed around in the shallow water. He unhooked the fish and threw it over in front of Charlie. The happy heron scooped it up and moved down the way to savor his treat.
“I’m going to throw the Frisbee for Deke, Nick.” Jean handed him the pole.
“Okay, Danger, we’ll kick back for a little longer. Stay in sight.”
Nick sat down on the other side of Rachel.
“The bank looked business as usual when I did my rounds,” Gus said. “I didn’t spot any new people except for one of the managers filling in for Rene. I drove by the warehouse area. There’s still no interest there. Did you two get any calls?”
“Nope,” Nick answered. “Not since I closed the loop between the Benoits and the Marshalls. I’m hoping for some news soon though.”
“Grace and Tim are probably in shock you sent them copies of the drives too. I bet Grace hasn’t slept since you delivered the info.”
“Be grateful for small blessings,” Gus cautioned. “At least there isn’t a manhunt for all the missing people around here.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Rachel said. “Wouldn’t it be nice if they nailed the big fish, and we could relax without any more worry?”
“Yeah, that’ll happen,” Nick scoffed. “I’d like to see -”
Nick’s satellite phone rang. Nick picked it up with a smile, knowing only one man had his number. “His ears must be itching.”
“Flash drives incorporated,” Nick answered.
“We had a deal!”
“I’m going to hang up if you plan on speaking to me from that alternate reality of yours, Frank.” Nick noticed his device read green. “I take it the US Marshalls are helping the DOJ probe your little love nest, huh?”
“There’s a firestorm up here. You’ll be incinerated along with the rest of us, you moron!”
“I didn’t see your name or my name on the drives, buddy, and I was looking for yours real close. Is Bidwell setting you up for the fall, Frankie?”
There was silence on the other end of the line until Nick started humming the ‘Beat The Clock’ theme song, as both Rachel and Gus waited anxiously.
“I can give you Bidwell, Nick.”
“I’m not too crazy about your gifts, Frank.” Nick watched Rachel shaking her head and mouthing the word ‘no’ silently. He gave her his annoyed look while waving her off. “I imagine things are moving rather quickly.”
“Let me send you the info. You see what you think and get back to me…quickly.”
“I’ll take a look.”
“Nick, have you seen Kate Fuller and Sam Jessops?”
“Who?”
“You bastard!”
“Hey, you,” Nick whispered, putting a warm hand on Rachel’s hip as she lay next to him, “It’s almost five-thirty. You’d better creep into your own bed.”
“Uummmmmmm…” Rachel moaned sleepily, shivering at the feel of Nick’s lips tracing paths along her neck. “You’re getting up, aren’t you?”
“Diego’s calling to me. I only have a couple more scenes. Then I can start assembling it to send out.”
“Assembling?” Rachel questioned, turning over on her back, with Nick shifting alongside her. “What’s there to assemble?”
“I have editing notes for scene breaks and chapters. When I finish the novel, I separate the chapters. Then I begin outlining my timeline, character list, and synopsis according to chapters.” Nick moved his left hand over Rachel’s stomach, followed by his lips with whisper soft kisses. “When I…finish with those items…it’s time for the first…editing pass.”
“I thought all you…oh…Nick…”
At seven-thirty, Nick typed at a furious pace, the excitement of his novel’s finish obliterating all other thought. Rachel held her place instead of rounding the hallway corner. She watched Nick type, intrigued by the smile spreading on his face as he typed. It was at that particular moment an even more curious Deke silently goosed Rachel, his cold nose contacting bare skin under Rachel’s robe.
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” Rachel squealed, flattening against the hallway wall.
“Deke!” Nick called out. “Get away from her, you perv.”
The dog shook himself. He padded over to head butt Nick’s thigh.
“Okay, okay.” Nick stood up with exaggerated effort. “It’s time to walk Rachel and Jean’s dog again. I wonder what Rachel and Jean did before they had a dog walker.”
“We had more time for mundane things like dog walking before we took over the first two places on everybody’s hit parade. Sit still. I’ll take him out.”
“Dressed liked this?” Nick separated Rachel’s robe, his hands running up her sides. “I don’t think so.”
Rachel shivered, pulling up Nick’s t-shirt as he drew her close. Nick held Rachel off, allowing only the nipples of her breasts to contact his bare skin as he leaned forward to kiss her. Rachel swayed side to side against him, their lips meeting, parting, and joining again.
“I’m hungry,” Jean stated emphatically, giggling as Nick and Rachel collided, burst apart, and turned to the little girl guiltily with Rachel snatching her robe together.
“You are this close, Danger,” Nick growled, holding the index finger and thumb of his right hand a fraction of an inch apart, “to having all video game privileges revoked until you’re eighteen. I’m walking Deke.”
Nick made as if to throttle Jean, while circling around Rachel with Deke on his heels.
“Can I help make pancakes, Mom?” Jean asked the red-faced Rachel.
“Ah…sure,” Rachel answered, moving around Jean and into the kitchen. “You do realize, you little sneak, between you and Deke, I’ll have a heart attack before I’m forty, don’t you?”
“You really like Nick, don’t you Mom?”
“There’s an understatement.”
Nick brought Deke back from their morning jaunt in time for breakfast. He unfastened Deke’s leash and sat down at the dining table with Jean, who had just begun eating her pancakes.
“Want some pancakes, Nick?”
“Sure.”
Rachel came in a moment later with her own plate and one for Nick. She returned to the kitchen for coffee, as Nick slid his cup from next to the notebook computer to where he was sitting. Rachel filled his cup and hers before sitting down.
“Is Gus coming over tonight again?”
“He wants to do a drive by at our favorite dock. Then he’ll stop by to see what I’ve decided about Frank’s offer.”
“Oh come on, Nick, you can’t be seriously considering doing his dirty work again,” Rachel argued, giving him a disgusted look.
“Actually, our dirty work too,” he corrected her. “I checked the Internet news. The Feds hit Tanus this morning. If they can’t nail Bidwell, we’ll be looking over our shoulders forever. I don’t play that game. Frank’s intelligence was very good on the Denver deal. Granted, he threw in a takeout team, too, but -”
“I’m afraid your luck’s going to run out,” Rachel interrupted, seeing Jean watching them with wide eyes. “We’re so close, Nick. Can’t we give Grace and Tim a chance to do this legally?”
