Chapter 11
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Sammy stared at her watch for the umpteenth time.
Anderson, who was sitting on the floor in the nursery, looked at her and finally suggested, “Just text him.”
“And I would, except I feel very much like I would be interrupting something.” Then she flushed. “I guess I’m not exactly sure what that would be.”
He looked at her in surprise and then chuckled. “Not whatever it is that you’re thinking it might be.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, with half a laugh. “I really don’t want to get in the way of whatever he’s got going on.”
Anderson shook his head. “I’m thinking he’s checking for bugs and you’re thinking … what?”
She sighed. “He was flirting with her.”
Anderson held up a hand, shaking his head. “You got it all wrong. He’s not a flirt. Ever. Maybe he was just being friendly, warming her up for the questions to come.”
“I don’t think so.”
Anderson smiled at her. “Sammy, Burton is sweet on you. No way he would blow that by flirting with some woman he just met and right before your eyes. Listen to your gut.”
“We just met too,” she replied.
Anderson turned to face her. “So you really like him, don’t you?”
She sighed and took a bit to respond. “I can’t call him because I would be interrupting something,” she repeated.
“You might be interrupting, but it certainly won’t be something like that,” he stated, again with a smile. “That I can guarantee you.”
She frowned. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” He pulled out his phone and then frowned too. “But … you’re right. He’s been gone too long.”
“And yet maybe not,” she muttered, waggling her eyebrows.
He chuckled. “No, but keep that sense of humor. That’ll get you through this.”
“Not sure I want to get through anything,” she argued. “At this point, I could just go back to the hospital and forget all about you guys.”
“And I wish you could,” he replied immediately. “I really do because I think that might, in many ways, be a much-better deal for you.”
“It absolutely would be,” she agreed, nodding, “but I’m not too sure such a deal would be coming my way. There appears to be a whole lot more going on in this craziness than I ever expected. I mean, there’s no reason for that woman’s bedroom to be bugged.”
“Just like yours?”
That had her racking her brain, and he was right. “Well, there has to be a reason.”
“Exactly. We just aren’t privy to what that reason is.”
She nodded. “Still sucks though.”
“That’s because you’re looking at it from the perspective of an invasion of privacy,” he explained.
“But, for the men who put the bug there, that wasn’t on their minds at all.
That’s not to say they may or may not enjoy their job of listening in.
They’re after information, and that’s what they’ll focus on.
Nothing so rude and crude as this woman’s nightlife. ”
“And yet they’re after pillow talk stuff, right?”
“Yes, generally that’s what it’s all about.” He looked over at her and asked intently, “Did he tell you that?”
“He mentioned something about it, and he’d mentioned that might be why the one was at my place.”
He nodded, his gaze was watchful.
“We are not to that stage in a relationship,” she shared primly. “And, even if we were, I wouldn’t be one to talk.”
“Neither would Burton, but nobody ever really understands what people do until they’re in that situation.”
“I guess,” she muttered, “still—” She took a deep breath and added, “It’s all a little disconcerting.”
“It’s a lot disconcerting,” he confirmed, with a nod. “I get it. Not exactly what any of us want to go through.”
“No, it’s pretty ugly.”
Just then, her phone buzzed. At the same time, so did Anderson’s. He smiled as he looked down at his phone. “Well, there you go. See? That’s him now.”
She read the message. On the way home. She took a deep breath. “Well, that’s a good thing.”
“It is, but what we don’t know is what happened. And, like you, I suspect something happened. I just don’t know what. And anything that happens in this scenario is bad news. So, let’s wait until he gets home, and then we’ll find out what really went down.”
When Burton walked in a few minutes later, they were both sitting in the living room, waiting for him. He greeted them both and then told them all about the newest details. At the mention of a gunman, Anderson frowned, and a look of shock crossed Sammy’s face.
“He really did that?” She stared at him. “You’re kidding, right?” She couldn’t get her mind wrapped around how fast that visit went south.
He nodded as he looked over at Anderson. “Jonas Clarkson.”
He frowned as he thought about it. “Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”
“That’s the competition. He’s the guy who used to work for Colbert but now has set himself up for business.”
“Wow. Okay, so he used to work for somebody. Then he decides to shaft him and take up his own business. Is that the deal?”
“Pretty much,” Burton stated cheerfully.
“And he’s not a particularly nice guy either.
He has now taken off. I don’t know whether he’s really gone or he’ll come back around and go after us.
” At that point the humor fell from his tone, and he stared at her.
“So, you have to be even more careful too.”
“Right, … okay,” she muttered. “I’m really thinking I should just go back to the hospital and stay there for a few days.”
“Can you do that?” Burton asked. “Could you sleep in the ward with Talia? We could look after you still, as we watch over Talia.”
“Sure. If things aren’t too crazy busy,” she noted, with a groan, “then I might have some access to sleep there. Conversely I can also expect that, if it’s busy, and I’m sleeping there, I’ll get called to work if they need me.”
“Of course,” he muttered. “I think that goes for anybody all over the world.”
She smiled. “That’s just one of those things that we don’t necessarily want to sign up for too quickly.”
He nodded. “I get that too. At the same time, if it keeps you safe …” He left it open-ended.
“I guess the real question is, how unsafe am I?”
“And that is something we can’t answer,” Anderson replied, turning to her. “In my mind, you are safest here with us because somebody will always be here, while we’re looking after the babies. But, yes, I can understand that you may not want to have anything more to do with us.”
“Not at all,” she said immediately. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Well, maybe you should,” Burton countered, staring at her with an intensity that made her uncomfortable.
She wasn’t sure what was going through his mind, but obviously something was. “Trying to get rid of me?” she asked, only half joking.
“No, I’m not trying to get rid of you,” he declared, his tone harsh. “But I’m certainly aware of the fact that, for you, this may not be a good deal.”
“It’s not a good deal for anyone in my situation,” she pointed out, staring at him. “I’m not sure about anything right now, and I’m not at all sure what I’m supposed to do about it.”
“Of course you have every right to be angry and frustrated,” Burton shared. “I’m sorry for my part in it. I didn’t think that talking to you at a hospital would get you into this situation.”
“It’s not your fault,” she replied. “Please don’t think that. I’m not blaming you.”
“Maybe you should,” he said bitterly. “God knows, I am.” He sank down to the floor, stared at the triplets, and added, “Maybe it’s time to consider moving them out too.” He turned to Anderson, who frowned back at him. “Don’t tell me that you haven’t been thinking about it.”
“Of course I’ve been thinking about it,” Anderson agreed. “I was trying to not disrupt them as much as I could and figured that, if three of us were here, we would keep them safe.”
Burton nodded. “As this case progresses, we have to decide if our efforts are proving worthwhile or not.”
“Well, you are safe though, aren’t you?” Sammy asked Burton in surprise. “And so are the babies. So, keeping them here in their home, where they’re comfortable and where you have a routine going on, is surely the best answer.”
“Until somebody decides to come here and change it,” he pointed out to her.
Anderson nodded. “Not something any of us want to think about, but, of course, it’s something that I have thought about a lot too.”
“Yeah. How do you feel about that now though?” Burton asked, with a wry smile in his buddy’s direction. “I’m not sure we’re staying ahead of the game.”
“Absolutely you are,” Sammy countered in surprise. “Look at what you found out tonight.”
“Sure. Look what we found out.” He snorted. “And yet there is still so much more to go.”
“That’s just the business,” she muttered. “It’s like medicine. You have to keep going and doing what you’re doing because it’s the only path presented that you can work with. You guys are the same. It’s not a whole lot different, if you think about it.”
Anderson started to laugh. “Well, she’s right there. Absolutely that’s where we’re at. We had just hoped to be a little further ahead than this by now.”
“Of course,” she confirmed, a smile on her face. “Nobody wants to consider that you’re fighting a losing battle, and I don’t think you are. I just think there are more challenges than expected, making me reconsider things.”
“Of course, and, if you’re rethinking, we are too,” Burton said. “We have to prioritize your safety.”
“And I appreciate you for considering that,” she replied, a bit more formally, as she eyed him. “I’m not sure if that’s paramount though.”
“Sure, it is.” He shook his head, waving his hands. “It’s one thing for me and Anderson to fight this battle. We’re fighting for Talia and for these babies,” he explained. “But they aren’t your family, and I don’t want you to get hurt in the process.”
She smiled. “Neither do I,” she stated cheerfully. “Yet we also have to understand that something here is starting to smell rotten, and that odor isn’t something we can get rid of, at least not anytime soon.”
“Not until we solve this,” Anderson noted.