Chapter Seventeen

Once they cleared the building, Mackenzie whipped out her Blackberry and punched in David’s number. She was surprised that they had infiltrated such a place as this, even if it was obvious it was a scare tactic. She stood just out of ear shot from Jon as he said his goodbyes and pleasantries in the foyer, but her eyes were fixed on him and those around him as she talked.

“Mac I don’t know what to tell you, I didn’t expect them to approach you in such a public domain.”

“I didn’t either, but it was clever. No one could make a scene and they got to threaten him, even if it was just verbally. We need to alert a few people about this.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, you’ll have to notify the security where you are. That was one of the clauses for your clearance to carry a weapon there.”

She nodded, “yes I’m about to that now. Can you run some profiles on the invite list, look for anything Puerto-Rican and do background checks on them. See if we can’t dig anything up.”

“Got it. Have you thought about the possibility that they could be using Jon to make a statement of another kind to the community?”

She blew out her breath, “yeah I have. I can’t work out why they’re so twisted up about the kid being dropped, maybe they were going to infiltrate through his football team.” She quickly pondered and offered Jon a small reassuring smile when he glanced over at her.

“Quite possible. I’ll check with Sam and see if there have been any more intelligence on their movements in Jersey and Philly.”

“Thanks David. Email me anything useful that I should know. Oh, can you get his ex-wife and kids watched? I want to make sure they’re not compromised.”

“Already on the list. His parents?”

“They live down in Florida right? I don’t think so. They’ll go for the kids if anything.”

“Ok, got it. Anything else?”

She chuckled, “you miss me don’t you?” She missed him, they worked fabulously together, like Moulder and Scully, or Bones and Booth, and they too had the team work gene.

“I do actually, it’s far too quiet around here for my liking. You’re heading home right? How is he holding up from all this?”

Mac scanned the room before landing back on Jon. He was smiling, not the one that quite met his eyes. Oh Jesus, you know his smiles now? “He’s holding it together, he’s shaken up but I’ll get him home and see how he is. I better go, email me the deets.”

“Atta-girl. Ok, we’ll talk later. Be careful Mac.”

She tucked her Blackberry back in her purse and re-joined Jon. “Ready to go?” she whispered as she looped her arm through his.

He nodded, keeping the smile widening. “Sure.” Part of this job, he’d learnt to compartmentalize. When something was happening at home and he had to be on stage, at his very best, he’d compartmentalize it so he knew that was the best way to deal with this. He’d had his brush with unpleasant people before but the drilling brown eyes of that Puerto-Rican man and his twisted grin, had his belly in knots.

He hadn’t thought up to this point, about the what-ifs of this situation until it slapped him in the face. What if he had been out there alone? Would the man have tried something a little more sinister? He slipped into the car behind MacKenzie, “are you ok?” It was habitual, he wasn’t used to this being the other way around.

She rested her hand on his knee as the car pulled into traffic. “I’m fine Jon, we’ve got it under control.” She didn’t say much more, as they had to be careful even if it was just the driver. “What about you?”

He put his hand over hers and linked them, and nodded. “I’m alright.” He glanced out the window as the city night whizzed by. “How’s the feet?” He turned and met her gaze, her perfect slicked lips curving into a smile.

“I’m very much looking forward to that foot rub.” The last place she needed to be was near him, touching him, after this. MacKenzie realized quickly, that Jon probably needed the distraction and an opportunity to talk about this, if he needed to. She’d learned quickly he wasn’t a man of many words at times but she’d also learned quickly when he was internalizing things. And he did that often.

He gave her a small smile, “magic hands. Remember?” He tightened his grip on her hand, but he wasn’t sure if it was to reiterate the comment or the need for contact.

They pulled up outside Mercer and were shown to the door, within minutes they were safely inside the apartment and Mackenzie kicked her shoes off. “Mama Mia, that feels good. I don’t know why it’s necessary for such heels, it’s more a guy thing isn’t it?” She glanced behind her, but he was gone and the sliding door to the balcony was a few inches open.

“Dammit,” he flicked his lighter three times before it bloomed. His arm trembled as he held the cigarette into the flame. This was crazy, he was a rock star, not some kind of Sopranos wannabe. All he did was cut a kid from the team, not hustle a drug ring. The city traffic hummed under the twinkling lights and Jon blew out a long slow breath. Were the people around him in danger?

MacKenzie had assured him his family would be looked out for, could he trust her? Could he trust the gang not to try something dodgy there? His hands gripped the iron railing, he was out of his league, and this was out of his control. That’s what the hardest thing about this was, MacKenzie could do her job, and he didn’t doubt that.
He just hadn’t expected her to actually have to do it.

He’d danced with danger back in the earlier days; when at the height of their fame they had the odd psycho fan. There had been some hairy moments, but they were ones that were more likely to see him manhandled than straight out killed. Killed? He lost his footing as the night lights spun before him. Would someone really kill me? For what?

“Thought you could use this,” He hadn’t even heard the sliding door. He looked down as she held out a glass of whiskey.

Please let it be his single malt. “Thanks,” he took a sip and wiped his mouth. “I just needed some air.”

“I know,” she slipped onto the oversized lounger and leaned back. “Now you can see why it was important you tell me where you are going,” she cringed at how “mom-like” it sounded.

“I know Mackenzie, I’ve got it. I’ll keep you informed of all movements in the future, even if I want to take a piss.” He took another swipe at his cigarette. “Can you get someone to check on my kids please?” Christ, he couldn’t even go and see them for god’s sake.

He was impossible sometimes, “That’s been taken care of, and when we’re out in public, yes I will have to know where you’re going. This is serious Jon, but as long as we work together we won’t have a problem.” She got up and joined him at the railing, “I promise you.”

He snorted, “This is all so new to me.” He flicked his ash off the side and took another draw.

“Yes it is, but you hired me to trust me with it, so you’re going to have to. No matter how hard that is.”

He turned and faced her, her hair was a little messy, and she still looked gorgeous in bare feet and the black dress that hugged her body in all the right places. “I’ll try MacKenzie. That’s all I can promise you. I’m not an easy man to live with, and I’m stuck in my own ways... but I’ll try. I have to.”

She nodded and grinned, “Not stuck in your old ways, just a control freak. Like me.”

He chuckled, “except I don’t get to win, you do. Playing is the fun part.” They’d been playing well too, but he quickly realized she did have quite the job he’d tasked her to do.

“Come play a little more, I need that foot rub.” She left him on the balcony and padded to the couch. She moaned in appreciation as she sank into luxury. She couldn’t be attracted to a man that she had to protect, already it had caused complications and a lack of concentration on her part. The two didn’t go well together, but she hadn’t counted on the ease of the attraction between them. He followed her back in a few minutes later and shrugged off his coat. “I really don’t know how you do it, smile that much in one night. Be all charming and polite.”

He snagged her bottle of lotionoff the table, he wasn’t keen to get her scent all over his hands. But he owed her this much, she’d blended in flawlessly tonight and no one had ever suspected a thing. Not even there would be attacker. He pumped a few squirts and sat at the other end of the couch and patted his knee.

She lifted her leg and groaned when his hands started to gently rub. His thumbs dug into the centre point at the bottom of her foot, and her spine tingled. “That is amazing. Why did your wife divorce you again? I would have kept you just for this.”

He laughed and slathered more ginger scented lotion on the top of her feet and smoothed it up her calves. Her legs were toned and silky, as he imagined, probably more than once. “I guess being a pain in the ass weighed too much against it.” He reached up to her knee, he could keep going, slide his hand up to her thigh...

“Yes you’re a pain in the ass, but seriously. I’d have kept you around,” she leaned back against the cushions and rested her eyes. She quickly worked out in her mind what she needed to do once she was back in her room, check her mail and email off some other possible leads, just so she had the bases covered on the movements of these gang guys.

He changed feet and lifted her dress, the split resting mid thigh. He had to respect her more than ever now, still didn’t mean he didn’t want to climb on top of her and bury himself deep. “Good to know Kenz.” When she didn’t answer he looked up, she was fast asleep, hair tumbling out over the cushions. Great, and now he smelled just like her. He needed a shower, more so after he watched the rise and fall of her breasts as she slept and found himself wondering what she tasted like. He stood up shifted his pants, and reached for the blanket above the couch.

“I’m awake, I’m awake.” She stretched and rubbed her eyes, “god I didn’t even realized I’d drifted off. “ She stood and brushed herself off, “I’ve got some paperwork to finish up before I head to bed so I might grab a coffee.”

He nodded, “ok –well I’ll see you in the morning then.” Part of him wanted to ask her to his room, it would make the perfect distraction but yet again, he’d be pounding out an orgasm in the shower.

“Thanks again for my feet, god they are soo much better.” She wiggled her toes and then reached in to kiss him on the cheek, without as much as a thought. She pulled back quickly, but he cupped her chin and dragged her back to his mouth. She let it happen, he was still wound up from the confrontation, his hands dragged up into her hair as he angled deeper.

God he wanted her, he was two seconds away from scooping her up and carrying her to his bed. He didn’t want to be alone, who knew how to after this happened to you? Her breasts pressed against his chest, making his cock twitch. Her hands were on him, she wanted it to, they slid up his belly and onto his chest, and the force of being pushed back startled him.

She smiled, “night Jon.” And disappeared into the kitchen.

If he followed her, MacKenzie wasn’t sure she could ward him off again. It took every inch of a crazy person to push him back and stop. She sighed in relief when she heard the door click shut to the hall. She leaned back against the counter and put her hands in her face. “What am I doing? That was completely stupid Mac.”

Jon, miserable and now hard, disappeared to his bedroom.