Hey guys! I'm so sorry it has been so long. I hope this isn't too short. I've already started working on this next chapter, so hopefully it'll be up in a couple days. It's my birthday tomorrow, so I'm going out to dinner tonight. I'll try to work on the next chapter tonight if I can though. I hope you enjoy! :-D
Chapter Fourteen
The days have passed, and they've turned into weeks. Eli hasn't really mentioned that night again. I don't know if he's waiting for me to bring it up or if he just doesn't know what to say. He's been so sweet though. He was at my house every day after work when I was off sick. He cooked for me, made sure I was resting and just tried to get me to accept his company. In another lifetime, I could see myself married to someone like him. He sort of reminds me of my poppa. Caring but very strong. He hasn't once shown any anger or disgust. He's always just been so caring and supportive.
I'm not going to go as far as to say I trust him, but I'm accepting him. He sort of hasn't given me a choice really. He hasn't given up on me, and for once, I'm glad he hasn't. He just keeps going, like he knows that by hanging around I'll eventually accept him. I do have to be honest and say that I don't find his presence as scary or as intimidating as I used to, but then again, he knows not to come too close to me. He hasn't pushed those boundaries, so I don't actually know how I would react to that.
I'm back at work and I do feel a little better than before. The Captain seems to be warmer to me, not like he was horrible before, but Eli told me the Captain missed me a lot. He actually calls him 'Cap' which makes me smile inside. They seem closer, a concept I find rather odd for a cop and his commanding officer. I have no experience to call on with commanding officers or even friendships, so I don't really know how either usually work. Ash has quietly been keeping an eye on me when Eli's not around. I think he thinks I don't notice, but I do. Since the bathroom incident we've had some sort of unspoken understanding I guess. I hope Eli hasn't told him anything. I don't think he would, but I know never to trust that.
Trust is such a strong word. I mean, you can never fully trust someone, can you? I have seen some of the most awful things in life, from people who I was told to trust, from people who were supposed to take care of me. If I couldn't trust them, who am I supposed to trust? Who's to say that someone isn't going to betray that at any moment?
Someone appears in my line of vision, breaking my thoughts, and causing me to panic. My breathing automatically kicks up and I find myself quietly counting without even thinking about it. I'm so focused on my breathing that I let out a squeak when someone says, "Dani? You ok?"
I try to take deep breaths and I whisper, "Yes sir, you just scared me Ash. I was thinking."
He smiles and says, "I saw... The Captain said you had the results from yesterday's training scenario?"
"Oh, yes sir."
"Anything we should be concerned about? What's the shot accuracy like?"
I bite my lip, not wanting to say anything. Ash said, "If you don't tell me now, I'll just ask Eli to ask you... You want to save yourself from that, don't you?"
I whisper, "Yes sir... Cain's accuracy has fallen below 80%."
"Really? I didn't think it was that bad. Surely it can't be his shoulder still, can it?"
I shrug, not really knowing what to say. I can honestly say I've never had to deal with a gunshot wound. At least there's something I haven't had to deal with, huh?
"Dani? You spacing out on me again?"
I feel my face heat up and I whisper, "Sorry sir.... You won't tell anyone I told you, will you?"
"No ma'am, I won't. You have the results so I can show Eli?"
I push the file to his side of the desk and he picks it up. "Thanks Dani. We have a routine security detail later on but Eli should be around after that."
I nod and he thanks me again before leaving.
I start thinking about the variety of things this team covers. They provide hostage rescue, riot control, VIP protection details, resolving high risk situations, and assisting with arrests and that just names a few things. Then I start thinking that if I can just find the people who took me, then maybe I can put it on to the team's radar and I can be free from the fear that they'll find me.
I know it's an outrageous thought, and I know I'll never be brave enough to do anything like that. But the fact that the thought even entered my mind proves that there has been a small change in me. I would never have had such a bold thought before.
My intercom interrupts my thoughts and I jump as the Captain says, "Dani, I need you in my office please."
"Yes sir."
I knock on the door before entering the Captain's office. He smiles and pushes a file towards me.
"We have security for a Nigerian diplomat. The route is outlined in that file. I'd like you to follow the route and the team just to make sure nothing is missed. The entourage is set to go through our area at 5:07pm. That gives you 3 hours to prepare. Is that enough time?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. I need your other files completed by the end of the evening though. I have to check all the threats before the morning."
"Yes sir. I'll make sure they're done. Anything else?"
"Coffee would be great."
"Of course sir."
I take the file and grab the Captain's coffee before heading back to my desk. I sigh before I get cracking on my work. I access all the surveillance cameras along the diplomats route and keep a watch for anything of interest while I work on my other files. This is one of the reasons I didn't want anyone to know about my photographic memory. I know the Captain probably doesn't mean to, but he's giving me an overabundance of work. I'm not complaining so much as pointing it out. It means I work later so I miss the rush of people and I get to walk home in relative quiet. Well, as quiet as New York City gets I suppose.
I guess I'm just struggling at the moment. Fighting with my demons, trying to not be so scared around Eli, worrying about people being near me, worrying about freaking out in front of anyone, and then adding my huge workload on top of the fact that I don't sleep well and it just gets a bit much. I rub my hands over my face and freeze when I hear a pair of boots stop in front of my desk. I slowly drop my hands, hoping it's Eli and not someone else who is going to try to talk to me.
It's not Eli, but I'm surprised to see Cameron standing there. He shoots me a small smile and I quickly look down at my desk.
Cameron quietly says, “Hey Dani. I wanted to catch you when the guys weren't around...”
I feel the panic rise in me.
“I've just moved into a new apartment and I'm having a house warming tonight after our shift has ended. I'd like it if you came too. It's just going to be the team there. No one that you don't know. The Captain might even stop by. What do you say?”
I stutter, “I... er... I... I... I can't. Sorry sir.”
“You have other plans? I knew I should have asked you earlier. Well, if your plans change, just stop by. I'll leave my new address with you before we leave. I have to head to the team meeting now.”
Cameron leaves just as quickly as he arrived and I breathe a huge sigh of relief. That was a close one; too close for my liking. The team must think since Eli is being more friendly with me, that it's ok for them to try to befriend me as well. This isn't good. I need to do something about this. For now, I have to get back to work and keep a close eye on the diplomat's route. It's almost quarter past 4, so I need to get my mind focused on the task at hand.
The Captain leaves me an ear piece so I am tuned in to the guys' radios. I notice that I relax a little when I hear Eli's voice. Just knowing that he can hear me seems to help me more than I probably should allow.
I hear Eli say to Cain, “Anderson, you're on coms.”
I hear the confusion in Cain's voice as he questions, “What?”
“You heard me. Don't question my orders. You know someone has to do it. Scott, you're with me in the car. The rest of you have allocated spots along the route. They're noted on this map.”
I'm sure there's looks being shared in the van. I sure would hate to be in there. I wouldn't want to cross Eli, heck, I wouldn't want to cross any of those guys. Especially not while they're suited up with all their tactical gear. I dread to think what is going to happen when they all return. I know enough about the system to know that no one is supposed to question their commanding officer, especially not in front of everyone. When a direct order is given, you follow it first and ask questions later if you need to. That's the way it's supposed to go.
Eli breaks my thoughts, “Romanov?”
“Yes sir?”
“You see anything we should be aware of?”
“No sir. It all looks clear to me.... Hmmm, that's odd.”
“What's odd? Talk to me.”
“There's a car that has passed round the same corner 5 times in the last 5 mins. There's no parking there, so I can't see why they would be circling.”
“You sure it's the same car?”
“Yes sir, but I can double check the plate... Yes sir, it's the same car. It's a silver Prius, should be passing by your van in the next couple mins.”
I read the plate number to Eli. I heard him radio the cops that were on the ground and tell them to stop the car and pick up the driver.
I sighed, hoping I'd made the right call. I knew I wouldn't find out until the guys were back at least, so I just pushed it to the back of my mind and kept a close eye on my screens.
Eli and Ash were supposed to jump into the diplomat's car behind a hotel, where all the high end clients stop. That was supposed to make it look less suspicious and not upset the flow of the entourage too much. They would stay in the car until the diplomat was dropped off at the apartment he was staying at, which would be where his meetings would also take place. The rest of Alpha and Bravo teams would be situated along the route, some on the roofs of buildings. Eli and Ash would make sure the diplomat arrived at his apartment and was safely settled before they would relinquish responsibility to the leading team in the 13th Precinct. After the hand off was done, Eli and Ash would be free to come back to Midtown.
This whole process was supposed to take a couple hours, but it felt like much longer before I saw the teams head to the debriefing room. The Captain has been waiting for them all. When the guys pass my desk, Eli, Ash and Cain are all carrying scowls on their faces. Either something has already gone down, or it's about to. I decide to keep myself well out of the way and I head to the ladies room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Eli's POV)
As I'm heading to the debriefing room, out of the corner of my eye I see Dani slip into the ladies bathroom. I haven't really seen her today; it's been crazy busy. I must stop by her desk before I pick up Monday's schedule. For now, I need to sort this Cain problem out. I can't believe he has let his aim slip so much. I can't trust him to sniper if he's that inaccurate.
I take a seat next to the Cap and he congratulates us on a job well done. There were no glitches and everything ran smoothly. Even routine details go wrong, so you always have to be on your guard. I tune back in just as the Cap says, “Guys, you can go. Just make sure all your gear is locked away properly... Eli, I need to see you.”
“Yes sir.”
I wait until everyone clears the room and the Cap says, “What was the problem with Cain?”
“His accuracy has dropped below 80%. I can't put him anywhere else except coms until I know he's safe to do so. I had to make a quick call. I didn't get the information until a few hours before the job.”
“Right. Talk to him, see if he's still suffering with his shoulder. I'll speak to the department shrink again and make sure everything is ok. Get Cain into the range and put him through the ringer.”
“Yes sir.”
“And Eli?”
“Yes sir?”
“You should have known earlier. That wasn't right to just call it at the last minute. You also should have noticed his aim wasn't up to scratch.”
“I know, Cap. I know.”
“Good.”
The Cap leaves and Cain appears in the doorway. I sigh, knowing this isn't going to be pretty.
“What is your problem, Eli?!”
“It was a judgement call, Cain. Your accuracy is below 80%. I can't let you go out shooting if I think you might miss your target....”
“That's a load of bull! You know I'm a good shot; you know I'll hit my mark...”
“That's not what the training results say. I have to go by the statistics, you know that.”
“Maybe I was just having an off day, ever had one of those?!”
“I've had plenty, but my work hasn't suffered because of it. Listen man, you're carrying dangerous weapons, I have to know that you're fit and able to wield those weapons. The department can't risk you getting it wrong. And as for it being a bad day? There's been a steady decline in your accuracy. I should have noticed it before, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt. You need to get back into the range and work your butt off to get your accuracy up to at least 97%. Understood?”
“Whatever.... Sir.”
Cain storms off, and I should probably rag on him for disrespecting his CO, but I think I'd be peeved if the Cap told me I wasn't good enough. Although, I don't think I would talk to him the same way. I rub my hands over my face just wanting to go home. I still have to file the reports and make sure everyone's gear is locked away. Speaking of gear, I really need to get out of this suit.
As I make my way to my locker, I notice Dani still isn't at her desk. I hope she's ok. I'll have to check on her later.
Once my gear is safely put away, I check all the guys' gear and make sure the guns are all locked away properly. I head to my desk to fill in paperwork.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(END of Eli's POV)
When I return from the ladies room, the Captain brushes passed my desk and says, “My office, now.”
My eyes widen and I just know I'm in trouble. I don't know what I've done wrong, but I know it's something. I try to steady my erratic heartbeat and irregular breathing, but it doesn't seem to be working. I knot my shaking hands together and hope that the Captain doesn't notice my panic.
I quickly enter his office and stand while he drops into his chair.
He looks angry as he says, “You didn't give Eli the training results until this afternoon?! Do you know how important those statistics are?! If he had briefed everyone earlier and given Cain a sniper role, that could have gone horribly wrong. How would you feel if Cain shot a civilian because his aim is off?! These stats are extremely important and when I give you a job like that, I expect it to be done urgently. Do you understand me?!”
I whisper, “Yes sir.”
“Don't ever let something like that happen again. This is not a joke; this is the difference between life and death. Do I make myself clear?!”
“Yes sir.”
“Good. Make sure those files are completed before you leave.”
“Yes sir.”
I quickly escape from the office that seemed to be getting smaller and smaller.
I head for the stairwell, knowing no one uses them and I won't be seen. I slide down the wall and rest my head on my knees, trying to control my breathing and the sobs that are begging to escape from my body. I can't cry here, I can't lose control; not now, not here. I've already done that too much.
I eventually manage to get my emotions under control and I stand up, brushing myself off. I decide that today is going to be the last time that happens. I will do everything within my power to make sure no one suffers as a result of my incompetence.