Snippet #4

He and Joe had been pulled back into the company and were working on a new case involving a local in Boston, their old friend Cyrus who had recently reappeared with a wife and child. Daniel sat in the office and looked over the paperwork Joe had just handed him. In the paperwork were several photos of the wife and child. Daniel could not put his finger, on it but it just did not make any sense to him after all this time Cyrus would reappear.

The photos of the child caught his eye; she resembled someone he thought he remembered, but yet he could not remember. She was a beautiful child and could not have been more than five or six years of age. She was dark haired with the palest of blue eyes almost a clear color. Her eyes captured him almost as though she could see him right through the picture. The photo so entranced him. He had not heard anyone enter the office.

Shannon cleared her throat to get his attention. He jumped at the sound. Looking up at her, as he apologized, “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you come in.” He got up and moved around the desk to her. She turned her head as he kissed her. He asked, “What can I do for you?”

She glanced at her watch then back up at him, as she scolded, “Well, seems you got so busy with your pictures there you forgot about dinner. I have been waiting for you for almost an hour now.”

When he looked at her face, she was glaring at him. He reached for her, but she pulled back. She was clearly upset with him. He reached for her again, as he explained, “I am really sorry. It is this new case. It has me very busy. We are supposed to move on this any day now. I am just waiting for the go ahead. You know I wouldn’t forget about you. Come on let's get some dinner. I am sorry I kept you waiting. I will make it up to you.”

She huffed at him, “Fine, let’s go. Just try not to do this again. You know there are times when I am on call and can’t wait until you are ready.”

Daniel stuffed the picture of the girl into his pocket. He and Shannon left for the hotel restaurant. He had been dating Shannon since his sister-n-law Lyric had his niece. He could not remember a time when he was not with Shannon, but yet he felt empty like something was missing. He cared about Shannon, at least he thought he did, but he was not in love with her, and he knew he never would.

She had mentioned on several occasions about getting married and having a family with him, but he just did not feel it not with her. He wanted a family. He knew it, especially after seeing that picture of Cyrus’s child. He would have to talk to Joe in the morning about this case again. Something about it just was not adding up in his mind. Why now? They had been watching him for years. Why were they putting a rush on this now? None of it made any sense to him.

When he and Shannon were back in their suite, she had gone to change for bed. She had an early morning shift at the hospital. Daniel went to the bar and fixed himself a drink. He did not use to drink, but here as of late, it was the only way he could sleep. The dreams he had been having were making it tough to sleep anymore. Those eyes haunted him, and the voice made him long for the face he could not place.

Standing in front of the large windows looking over the city, he pulled his phone to call Joe. As always, it never even rang, and Joe was there. Joe answered, “Hey man, what’s up?”

Daniel shook his head, as he advised, “You never let it ring. How do you always do that?”

Joe laughed, as he informed, “It’s a gift.”

Daniel laughed back, as he inquired, “I guess it will have to do. Have you found out why we are being pushed so hard in this case?”

Joe replied, “Nope, they are saying it is above my pay grade. Like it is possible! But from the chatter I have heard, it sounds as though Cyrus is getting his hands a little too dirty for his own good. So, they want us to take him out before he can do any more damage.”

Daniel sighed, as he commented, “It is just too generic. They have never withheld information when they have put us on a mission of hostile removal. None of this is making any sense to me.”

Joe replied, “I know it all seems really weird, but every time I ask, they shoot me down. We have no real choice you know so we might as well do what we got to do and move on.”

Without another word, Daniel hung up the phone. He heard Shannon come into the room. He looked back at her, as she asked, “Who was that?”

Daniel shook his head, as he replied, “Just Joe, he was checking to see when I would be in tomorrow. He says he has something to talk to me about.”

Shannon looked at him as she walked across the room to stand next to him, “What time are you going in? What is so important he needs to talk to you about? You know I don’t trust him.”

He regarded her and nodded, as he admitted, “Yes, I know you don’t trust him, but I am telling you, there is no man more trustworthy than Joe. He has always had my back. He didn’t say. I will be leaving to head in when you leave in the morning.  Since you won’t be home, I might as well go to work myself.”

She took his glass and set it on the table. She then turned and wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him. Moving her hand down his arm, she grabbed his hand and led him into the bedroom.

He looked down at the map and instructed team A to sweep the north side of the house. He instructed team B to sweep the south and report back. When both teams radioed back, he gave the go-ahead to enter the house. He and the other two teams waited in silence. Team A radioed they had located the woman and child together but no sign of Cyrus. Daniel instructed them to hold their spot until they heard from him. Team B radioed they had done their sweep, and Cyrus was not in the house or on the grounds.

Daniel radioed team A asked their location and gave the go ahead to secure the woman and child so he could question the woman once he arrived at their location. When he entered the library, the child looked up at him. As soon as he looked at her, he stopped cold. Those eyes reminded him of the ones that haunted him. He forced himself to look away from her, he spoke to the woman.

She never looked at him, so he never got a really good look at her face when she passed him. She spoke calmly and soothingly to the child. Her voice was like a song he wanted to hear over and over again.

Once he had her alone, she looked up at him. He froze, locked in place he stared at her. He could not find his voice. All he knew was he had to have her. He felt a low rumble and realized he had growled.

“Mine!”

He moved towards her, grabbed her, and kissed her. She returned the kiss as though she knew she was his as well. Without breaking the kiss, he began to remove her clothing. Sweeping his arm across the desk, he pushed everything to the floor laying her back across the desk. Quickly removed his own clothing, he moved towards her as she reached for him. He locked eyes with her, moved over her, and she called out his name, “Daniel.”