CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Saturday, October 7th
Sam watched Judit bury her nose in the grass that lined the sidewalk and wondered what she was looking for. Deciding it wasn’t a question that was ever going to be answered, he glanced over at Lucky and saw her looking at catalogs as she sat on the steps that led to the front door.
“Which one are you looking at now?”
“LL Bean.”
“Planning an outdoor adventure or are you looking at socks?”
“How honest do I have to be?”
“Very.” He saw her close the catalog and set it in a pile and figured she was adding to her collection.
She had the coldest feet in all the world and he knew there was only one answer. “Heated floors.”
“What?” she called out as she picked up the next catalog.
“When we move to the suburbs, we’re getting heated floors, so I don’t have to feel the shock of your ice cubes tangling with my feet in the middle of winter.”
“Are you complaining about the tangling of our body parts?”
Looking around, he noticed that the people who lived one house down glanced away the moment he caught their eye. “No. All I’m saying is heated floors.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“Didn’t think you could.” Whatever had been interesting a moment ago no longer was and Judit moved down to the next patch of grass, so he followed. Feeling the sun beat down on his head, he wondered why it was eighty degrees in October. Hopefully, it would be a little cooler tomorrow when he was hosting the Santorini men at the Bears game. It was the first time he’d be seeing them since the family lunch and he had a lot riding on the day going well. After all, they were his future in-laws and he would probably be spending a lot of time with them in the years to come. Tomorrow marked the beginning and he wanted it to be a success.
Feeling a small hand on his arm, he looked down and saw Lucky studying him. “Did you finish with your catalogs?”
“No, I just came over to see what you were thinking about because you seemed worried.”
“I’m not worried; I was just thinking about the game tomorrow.”
“They like you, Sam, and they’re all pretty easygoing.”
“I know, I just want it to go well.”
“You’re spending the day at a football game and, as far as the men in my family are concerned, there is nothing better.”
“Any topics I should avoid?”
“Not that I can think of.”
Nodding, he looked down at Judit and then over at Lucky. “I’m usually not apprehensive, but I have to admit, I’ve got a few nerves.”
“Just makes you more swoony,” she replied with a smile.
“That seemed to work in my favor last night, so I’ll take it.”
“Have you ever done anything like this before?”
“You mean take a girlfriend’s family to a sporting event and hope they approve and welcome me into the family, thus sealing my fate and ensuring my everlasting happiness?”
“Yes.”
“No, I haven’t, and I’d be a lot more comfortable in the mountains of the Hindu Kush looking for rancid Taliban leaders who want nothing more than seeing my head on a stake.”
“As long as you’re keeping this thing in perspective, I guess it’s all that matters.”
“Yeah, I’ve got a ton of it. No problem.” Sam noticed that Judit was done inspecting the neighborhood and was ready to go back inside. “I think she’s ready for her mid-day nap.”
Bending down, Lucky looked deeply into Judit’s eyes. “I hope all these naps only mean you’re only resting your glory and nothing more.”
“What does resting your glory mean?”
“It’s a saying that DJ Khalid always uses and I like it. It means sometimes you need to rest, so you can rise again and bless the world with what you’ve got to offer.”
“I think everything I’ve ever learned in my life is the opposite of that. Playing sports at a collegiate level, embracing CrossFit, joining the army, and then qualifying for the Rangers, Delta, and HRT never offered me the opportunity to rest anything. Seems I might be overdue to rest some of my glory.”
“Well, you can rest it on me because I wouldn’t want you to feel like you were not making the most of it.”
Slinging his arm over her shoulder, he walked back to her house and followed their dog. “I like the sound of that.”
“Thought you might. It marries your love of performing at your highest level and outright naughtiness and debauchery.”
“It only took you a month to figure me out.”
“Barton, it wasn’t that hard.”
Putting his hand on his chest, he looked down and frowned. “You could’ve pretended I was at least a little mysterious.”
“Yeah, I’m not that good of an actress.”
“I’m wounded.” They climbed the stairs, entered the house, and he locked the door behind them. “In fact, I’m going to have to prove how surprising I can be.”
Dropping her stack of catalogs, she then moved toward the stairs. “I can’t wait.”
“I’ll give you a two-minute head start and then all bets are off.”
Watching her run up the stairs and laugh made him want to rest his glory all up inside her. Twice.
***
“Go downstairs,” Lucky instructed Sam.
“Why?”
“Because it’s date night and I want to impress you, so go down, have a beer and watch ESPN, and act annoyed by how long it takes me to get ready.”
“Are we going to do this every Saturday night?”
“Only if you’re very fortunate.”
He pulled his sweater over his head and slipped his feet into his loafers. “I’ll be waiting.”
She patted his chest and smiled. “Be down in a bit.”
Watching him back out of the room slowly made her want to laugh, but deciding that wouldn’t speed up his departure, she kept a straight face. The moment he cleared the door, she closed it and turned around, ready to transform herself from a regular woman to one that was irresistible. Not confident that she had what she needed to make it possible, she forged ahead nonetheless.
Pulling out a sheer pink thong, she slipped it on and then dropped her fuzzy robe. Next came a matching bra that lovingly cupped her breasts to heights they’d never achieved. Finally, a filmy lavender dress that Stazi had insisted she buy a couple of years ago. It was as simple as it was elegant and featured the all-important empire waist. Slipping it over her head, she twirled and decided it was going to have to do. Putting on a pair of silver sandals that she hardly ever wore, she decided the outfit was complete. One last tweak of hair, a final slide of lip gloss, and she was ready.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she tilted her head and hoped it would do. She’d never been one to dress up much and she hoped it was going to be enough to impress the very handsome man sitting in the living room. She grabbed her purse and then slowly walked down the stairs; when she hit the landing, she looked over the railing and saw Sam petting Judit as he watched Sports Center and knew this was a view she would see for a long time to come. She’d thought it a couple of weeks ago, and it was even more true today.
Sam Barton was the puzzle piece that completed her picture.
Walking down the last few steps, she stood quietly as he turned. “Ready.”
He stood and then walked around her in a circle. “Damn, woman, you are showing no mercy tonight.”
“You’re a big boy, I’m sure you can handle it.”
“I’ll die trying, that’s for damn sure.” He lifted her hand, twirled her around, and grinned. “Let’s go, so I can show the city of Chicago that I’m the luckiest man alive.”
Blowing a kiss to Judit, she grabbed her sweater and headed for the door. “We’ll be back late, so don’t wait up.”
“She’ll be snoring before we get our seat belts buckled,” Sam replied as he followed her out.
They walked down the stairs and Lucky noticed the cool crisp air that signified that fall had arrived. “I haven’t been on a real date in a long time and I’m excited to try Bavette’s because I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.”
“We’ve been on dates, Lucky.”
Once they were settled in the car and driving down the street, she replied, “I know, this just feels like a first date.”
“Despite the fact we’ve had a lot of meals together, traveled to Europe, taken down a couple of mobsters, and slept together, I’ll let you have it and won’t argue.”
“I didn’t say it made sense; it just feels special.”
Lifting her hand, he pressed a kiss to her skin and nodded. “That’s how I want it to feel.”
They walked into the restaurant and Lucky decided that it was perfect as Nina Simone played on the speakers and the low-lit leather-booth interior oozed old-school style. They were quickly escorted to a table and, as she slid into the booth, she saw Sam follow. The hostess gave them each a smile and then departed.
“What do you think?”
“I love it.”
“Simon recommended it and I have to say he did a good job.”
“Your boss, Simon, thought we should come here?”
“Yes, and don’t look so shocked. You made quite an impression on him and he told me in no uncertain terms that if I didn’t marry you at the first opportunity, then I was the biggest idiot to ever have lived.”
“In those exact words?”
“Yes and, as far as I know, I’m the only agent he’s ever dispensed dating advice to.”
“I’m not sure what that says about you or us, so I’m going to leave it alone and just enjoy the atmosphere.”
“Good idea.” The waitress approached, and Sam ordered their drinks along with a shrimp cocktail as an appetizer. Picking up the menus, he handed her one and then glanced quickly at his.
Waving it back and forth, Lucky asked, “Should I bother or are you going to order for me?”
“Very funny.”
Giving him a smile, she lifted it in front of her face and studied it carefully. There were a lot of good options and she decided to go with the classic. “What are you going to have?”
“I’m going to have the lamb chops with a side of mashed potatoes and then I thought we could share the creamed spinach.”
“Oh, good because I’m going to have the ribeye and frites.”
“Wonder if they’ll be as good as what we had in Brussels.”
“Doubt it. I think those were the gold standard.”
“Probably right.” Their drinks were delivered Lucky took a sip of her old-fashioned. “Delicious.”
Sam raised his glass of scotch and said, “Here’s to Russian mobsters and their demise.”
Tipping her glass against his, she closed her eyes said a silent prayer of thanks. “I hope that’s the end of it for me.”
“Me too,” Sam replied as he took her hand under the table, and linked their fingers. “I don’t need to see you anywhere near the group anytime soon.”
“Any news on Vazov and his indictment?”
“Nothing since I left. I know he was denied bail and is being kept in a secure facility as his case makes its way through the courts.”
“How long do you think it will take before he’s taken to trial?”
Sam shrugged and then drank some of his scotch. “It’s going to take years, as far as I can tell. The discovery phase is going to take at least eighteen months and, after that, it depends on how many continuances each side requests as they slog through the initial motions.”
“Is the news about the Besiaj shooting accurate?”
“I had a brief conversation with Theo this afternoon and apparently the shooting did happen, though no one knows if he survived. The police were never called and he didn’t show up in any hospitals.”
“How did the news outlets get ahold of it?”
“Eyewitness accounts and then an ambitious blogger acquired the footage from the CCTV cameras that are on the street.”
“This is a huge vacuum and it will be interesting to see who rises to the top to take over.”
Their shrimp cocktail was delivered, and Sam ordered their meals. Handing her a fork, he pushed the dish closer. “The next couple of months should be very illuminating because whoever takes over probably is responsible for the hit.”
“Has any of the intel from the Trojan I installed been useful yet?
“Absolutely. The financial transactions from Vazov’s account at Societe Generale alone were enough for the arrest warrant. The sheer amount of money backwashing from numbered accounts indicated he was laundering funds. The level and breadth of evidence the Federal Police wanted weren't typical, but there wasn’t much we could do about it. It was their jurisdiction and their rules. Here in the States, it’s more a matter of convincing the AG to pursue the case and, for that, you need an airtight case because they hate to lose.”
Popping a shrimp into her mouth, she chewed slowly and congratulated herself for staying in the private sector. “I don’t know how you have the patience to jump through the hoops to accomplish your goals.”
“We both know that I don’t always manage that part of my job that well, but knowing that the rules are in place so that the constitution doesn’t get trampled on motivates me to do the best I can.”
“Yeah, that little document certainly is a good thing to defend.” She took a sip of her drink then asked, “What about Yolkin?”
“Owen and I are going to start digging into the evidence we collected last week and see what we have to build a case. I think between the intel from Vazov and what we’ve been collecting here, it won’t be long before we can make a move.”
“I hope so because I know how important it is.” She pushed the shrimp toward him and nodded. “You finish because I want to have enough room for dessert.”
Scooting closer, he put his arm around her shoulder and dropped his mouth against her ear, “I thought we were going to go home and have dessert.”
“Possible but not guaranteed,” she said as she patted his leg.
Kissing her gently behind her ear, he then moved his mouth back to her ear. “Guess I’ll just spend the rest of the meal trying to convince you.”
Feeling her face heat and her panties dampen, she cleared her throat and straightened her spine. “I’m playing hard to get right up until the minute we get home. So, you behave and treat me like the lady I am until then.”
Turning her face gently, he cupped her cheek and smiled like the devil. “I wouldn’t dare do anything less.”
He gave her a quick chaste kiss and then released his hold and sat back. “Are we a couple that dresses up for Halloween or not?”
Glancing over, she let out a snort and knew she was never going to be able to keep up with Sam and his quick-moving mind. “If we’re invited to a big party, we will and, if not, we’ll skip it.”
“Okay. Thanksgiving here or in Washington?”
“Here because it’s a short holiday, but we can host your family.”
“Christmas in Washington then.”
“Every other year,” she replied.
“I can live with that.”
“What are we doing, Sam?”
“Negotiating the rest of our lives.”
Pushing her empty glass away, she signaled for another one. “I may need a second drink.”
“It certainly won’t hurt.”
“I knew when I saw you in the Athletic Club you were going to cause me trouble and I was right.”
“Honey, I’ve only gotten started.”
Throwing her head back, she let out a laugh and then looked over at Sam’s sexy smile and knew he meant every word. “Good thing I like trouble.”
“I love you and I promise to keep your pieces together when you fall and to love you to pieces when you’re together. This is it, Lucky, you and me until the end of time.”
“All right.” He cupped her face with his hands, pressed their mouths together, and made the sweetest promise with his tender kiss. “I love you and I’m ready to take you on.”
He tipped his head against hers and nodded. “I won’t let you regret it.”
“I know.” Pressing her hand against his chest, she felt the steady beat of his heart and knew he’d be true to his word. Sam Barton was her answer and for that, she would be eternally grateful.