Until Time Runs Out

Chapter 8

“He’s staying here?”  Bailey whispered to me.  We were standing behind the door of the master bedroom with the door opened just a crack.  Bailey was lined up to see out of it, leaning against the door frame.  I nodded.  “Is that really a good idea?”

                “I don’t know Bails. But, if they are all after him to get to me to get to Christian, he has to be safe.  He hasn’t the slightest- well, I guess he does.  But he’s still confused on this whole thing.”  I walked towards her and my eyes found Tony.  “Just for a few days.”  I think.

                Tony plopped down on the couch facing the window, obviously lost in thought. 

                “Maybe we should go back.”  Bailey whispered suddenly.  I turned to look at her.  “Back home, I mean.  Maybe Tony will be safer there and he’ll be back home, away from all this.”  She crossed her arms over her chest. 

                I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.  “I guess.  But Ethan said to stay here for a few days while he tries to clear things up.  I knew I should have killed him.”  I shook my head at myself.  “Although, I think that would have just dramatized Tony even more.” 

                “He’s a big boy.  He can take care of himself.”  Bailey said as she sat down on the bed.  “Speaking of Tony…” 

                “Haven’t we been this whole time?”  I chuckled and laid down on the bottom of the bed whereas she sat on the pillows. 

                “You guys stopped talking for some time when you were ‘cleaning up’.”  She gave me a pointed look.  “I may not be a special agent like you, but I have ears.  Miss ‘It’s Complicated’.”

                I rolled my eyes.  “I only said that because it is complicated.”  I mumbled as I rolled over and shoved my face into the bed. 

                “It’s not.  You’ve been waiting for him for way to lose, Elise.  You need to move on and forget him.  If he really, truly still loved you after all this time as much as you do him, then I’d say screw Tony and we’d stay here in Italy.” 

                She paused and I turned my face to look at her.  “But we don’t know.”  She whispered.  “He could have sent that stuff to just say he was still alive, to tell somebody.”

                “If he was trying to get a rise out of someone how would have send that necklace to the authorities or to Ethan.  And you know that.”  I snapped. 

                “All I’m saying is,  Tony’s here.  He’s right on the other side of the wall on the couch.  He’s here for you, he protected you in that run-in you guys had.  He cares.”  I sat up and let her words sink in.  “Christian’s gone, Elise.  He’s disappeared.  I’m not saying he doesn’t love you anymore, because I’m not sure if that’s the case.”

                “But-“

                “No buts.  Just listen.”  She snapped.  “All I know is Tony’s here, and he obviously cares for you.  A lot from the way he looks at you.  What you and Christian had was special, but don’t you think you should let that go?”

                “I’ve tried.  And I can’t.”  I sighed.  “Every time I think about it, I find myself picturing him walk up to me the very next day and everything goes back to normal.   Well, as normal as it could be.”

                “Just think about it. “  Bailey rubbed my shoulder and I nodded.  We walked back out to Tony and at that exact moment, my phone rings. 

                “What Ethan?”  I snapped. 

                I heard him chuckle from the other end.  “I’ve spoken to Scotland Yard.  We both agreed that it would be best if you, your friend, and this Tony fellow came back to America.” 

                “Right now?” 

                “As soon as possible.”  His tone was very demanding, and I knew something bad was up.   A new piece of information, probably.  He ended the call and right as he did, I started a new one.

                It rang twice before I heard Mason’s voice say, “Hello?”  Mason was the only person in the whole New York Headquarters I completely trusted. 

                “Mase!  It’s Elise.  Are these lines tapped?”  I asked him first. 

                “No.”  He said simply.  I heard a few papers ruffle.  “What can I help you with?”              

                “What’s going on?  Ethan’s on my ass about coming home and I need to know why?  Is there a new file or picture or what?”  I asked.  I looked over at Tony and Bailey, who looked deep in conversation.  Good.  Bailey will keep him busy.

                “Earlier today a call came through with the voice distorted.  All the voice said was that if you didn’t tell them where DeLeop is, it wasn’t going to be pretty.  Ethan wants you back here for information, that’s it.” 

                I thought it over for a while, looking back at Tony and Bailey.  Bailey wouldn’t mind, she’d get to see Kevin again.  I’m not sure how Tony would feel, but I’m sure he wouldn’t want to stay somewhere where people were trying to kill him.

                “Set up an identification-match station at my office.  I’ll be there as soon as I can.” 

----Back in New York, 3rd Person---

                Mason placed the phone back down on the table, and looked at Ethan.

                “Well?” Ethan asked him.  The rest of the team was seated along the conference table, waiting for an answer.  Mason sighed and hung his head down in pity for himself. 

                “She’ll be here as soon as she can.  But she asked for an identification-match station in her office.”  He took a seat with everyone else.  Ethan’s eye brows rose and he started pacing.  Mason’s heart was racing, he never liked Ethan in the first place, but having him do Ethan’s dirty work was low. 

                It was a few minutes of silence before any one spoke.  Everyone who worked here knew it wasn’t very smart to interrupt Ethan while he paced.  He seemed too deep in thought this time to even notice if anyone did try to talk to him.  “Why?”  He stopped and turned to Mason.  His face was slack and as serious as Mason had ever seen it. 

                “I didn’t ask.”   Was Mason’s response.

                Mason felt guilty for what he’d done.  Elise had been his friend at the headquarters since day one.  They never lied to each other, but Ethan had just made him cross the line. 

                Any respect she had for Mason would be gone, and Mason knew that.  It made him sick to his stomach that he had just lied to her that way, about someone she loved.  Ethan all but placed a gun to his head and made him do it. 

                Elise thought she was coming back to her office, but he knew she would be coming back to an interrogation and a bunch of men with guns.