Katie had been right. Rainey was distracted by her absence. She replayed that first sweet kiss over in her mind, each time experiencing a tightening, hollow feeling in her chest. Mackie remained in his seat, diligently monitoring the video feeds. Junior returned from the office with a paper bag full of fresh vegetables from Ernie’s garden. He refilled his tea and retook his post. Rainey cut up the squash and made salads. When it was time to cook the steaks, Mackie would not allow her to go out on the back deck, where her gas grill was located. Instead, he insisted grilling was man’s work and took the plate containing the steaks and squash from her hand.
When he left out the back door, Rainey was alone for the first time in days. She had become so accustomed to a solitary life; she usually enjoyed the peace and quiet, but not today. Freddie came in from his morning wanderings, for his midday nap. He was happy to see her home and rubbed against her legs incessantly, until she had to pick him up and love on him a little. She fed him, refreshed his water, and after a snack, he went to his favorite spot in the front window for a nap.
The quiet began to close around her and the thoughts in her head became so much louder. Left alone, with nothing more to do after setting the table, she wandered into her bedroom and sat down on the bed. She looked in the mirror at her reflection for a long time. She left Katie with no goodbye, no explanation. What could Katie be thinking? Now that Rainey was gone, Katie might have time to reflect on what happened between them earlier. Maybe she would decide she really was not attracted to Rainey, that Rainey had been right, it was the circumstance they found themselves in that caused this to happen.
A horrible thought crossed Rainey’s mind. What if she never saw Katie again? What if that had been their one moment? What if she had just lost something she had not known she wanted so badly, until this morning? The ache she started to feel overwhelmed her. She needed to do something, get her mind thinking about something else. Rainey had to come to terms with her feelings for Katie or they were going to get her killed. Finally, she told herself, the best way to handle this situation, whatever the future held for them, was one step at a time. First, she had to get rid of a major obstacle between them, concentrate on catching the Y-Man.
“Here kitty, kitty,” Rainey said out loud, to the unknown killer.
She changed into sweats and a tee shirt and returned to the kitchen as Mackie was coming in the back door. They called Junior in to eat, with Mackie insisting on sitting in his chair in the main room, so he could keep an eye on the monitors. Rainey found him a TV tray and he happily munched away, while Junior and Rainey sat in the kitchen. After eating, Rainey filled the dishwasher with the dinner dishes and cleaned up.
Roger and his team arrived shortly after, deploying around the residence, relieving Junior of his post on the deck. Rainey and Junior spent the afternoon cleaning all the guns in the house. Her father had a M1 carbine, two shotguns, a thirty-aught-six, a 357 Smith and Wesson revolver and a Ruger forty-five. Billy Bell was a true believer in the second amendment. Rainey retrieved her own two pistols and shotgun from the Charger, under the watchful eye of an agent. They cleaned them and added them to the other weapons strategically placed around the house. In case they needed them, she did not want them locked in the trunk of her car. There was enough firepower in the little cottage to take on a small army.
Danny called during the gun cleaning fest. “Rainey, we got the source from the newspaper guy. You were right. It leads nowhere. He used a disposable phone.”
“When did he call?” Rainey asked.
“The same night you called me. The paper guy was going to contact us, after the story went public. That was generous of them,” he added, sarcastically.
“The media is so helpful, don’t you think?” Rainey said, joining him in his disgust. “So, let’s use them. Did you plant the story?”
“Yep,” Danny said, “They lapped it up. They now have the inside scoop on your disdain for the FBI and our concentrating the investigation on the Wilson’s. You are merely a distraction, and we are glad to be getting you out of our way.”
“Do you think he’ll go for it?” Rainey asked.
“I think so. Once we pull all visible support it will work,” Danny said.
“How are you making sure he knows I’m here, alone?”
“We alerted the media that we were removing our support as of three tomorrow afternoon. That will give tactical time to set up. There should be helicopters watching us leave you on your own. We’ll make a big show of it. It’ll play on every newscast in the area,” Danny said, proud of his plan.
“Do you think I should do an interview? Tell them I don’t think he’ll come after me?” Rainey wanted to help more.
“I included that, in the anonymous statement, quoting you,” Danny answered, with delight that he had thought of it, already.
“We should have Junior drive Mackie’s Escalade away too, but I want Mackie to stay with me. You couldn’t make him leave anyway,” Rainey said.
“Okay, are you locked down out there?” Danny asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Rainey said, checking the slide action on the shotgun she was holding, while balancing the phone on her shoulder, “locked and loaded.”
“Be safe,” he said and hung up.
About six o’clock that evening, a large black SUV pulled down the driveway and parked. Everyone was alert, because there had been no call to say someone was coming. Men’s voices were raised outside. Rainey went to the front window to see what all the fuss was about. She was shocked to see Katie leading two agents, with boxes of what appeared to be food, toward the cottage steps. Roger and one of the younger agents were in a heated argument.
The agent was saying, “We didn’t have a choice, sir. We had to bring her or she would have come on her own.”
Katie paid no attention to them. She marched up the stairs, unconcerned about the commotion she was causing. Rainey disabled the alarm and unlocked the door. Katie walked through the door, passing Rainey and went straight to the kitchen. With her hands on her hips, she ordered the agents around and in no time organized a spaghetti dinner buffet. She did not speak to Rainey, just fed the troops and ignored Roger’s protestations. It appeared that Katie spent the time they were apart cooking. Rainey filled her plate and ate with the rest of them, silently watching the blond woman filling plates with seconds. Mackie was as appreciative as he had been of the omelet. With every mouthful, he praised Katie’s sauce and salad dressing.
Rainey made eye contact with Katie only a couple of times. They held each other’s gaze for a moment, and then looked away. Rainey had no idea what to expect next. Katie had not just come there to bring food, even though Katie had said she knew Rainey would not have enough at the cottage, and wanted to make sure the agents were fed well. When the food had all been eaten and the dishes cleared away, the agents left for their posts outside. Mackie resumed his vigil at the camera monitors, leaving Katie and Rainey alone in the kitchen.
Katie finally spoke directly to Rainey, “Is there somewhere we could talk privately?”
The master bedroom was the most secluded place in the house, so Rainey led Katie into the room and shut the door. When they were alone, they stood and stared at each other until Rainey broke the silence.
“This sort of defeats the purpose of my leaving you at your house.”
Katie snorted, “A little rudely, I might add.”
Rainey was quick to retort, “You slammed a door in my face.”
“I came here to explain that,” Katie said.
“You couldn’t have called?” Rainey asked.
Katie looked down at the floor, “What I need to tell you can’t be said on the phone.”
“Okay, let’s have a seat,” Rainey said, motioning to the dressing chair in the corner for Katie, and taking a seat on the trunk at the foot of the bed.
Katie sat down, looking around the room, obviously trying to find the right words. Rainey waited patiently. In a moment, Katie began, “I don’t remember the accident or much of what happened just before it. I must have fallen asleep. At that time in the pregnancy, I was so tired. I had been on my feet all night. Really, the last thing I remember was JW handing me a bottle of water when we got in the car.”
She looked around the room again. Rainey knew not to say anything. Katie was opening wounds she must have tried so terribly to close, for the last six months.
Katie swallowed hard, “I woke up in the hospital. I was told right away, I had lost the baby boy that I had carried for six months. I was in so much pain they kept me doped up for days. When I finally came home, I couldn’t sleep, so they gave me more drugs.”
She was approaching a difficult part of her story, even though Rainey could not think of anything worse than the loss of a child. Yet, Katie swallowed hard before she continued.
“JW begged forgiveness for the accident, which I didn’t have the strength to blame him for. He tried to make me comfortable. He dutifully gave me pills around the clock and was by my side always. I didn’t notice him. I couldn’t feel anything. The doctors prescribed more drugs. I was dead inside.”
Rainey’s heart broke for Katie. She knew that feeling all too well, she had experienced it after the attack, a deadening numbness enveloping her being. It was her mind’s way of not letting her feel the depth of her pain.
“I stayed drugged for weeks. It wasn’t for the physical pain, which had passed. I just couldn’t function. I barely moved. I had to be helped to wash, to eat, simply to get out of the bed. I really don’t remember much from that time. Then one night…” she paused, “one night, I woke up with JW on top of me.”
Rainey held her breath. She did not want that image in her mind. She concentrated on shutting it out.
Katie continued with much difficulty, the tears flowing steadily now, “I was under heavy sedation and barely remember it. I couldn’t move my arms and legs. I was unconscious as far as he knew and he was raping me.”
“Oh my God, Katie, I’m so sorry,” Rainey softly said, her own eyes beginning to well up.
Katie went on, “I blacked out. I woke up the next day and began to remember. I started refusing to take any medication, from that moment on, and when I was strong enough, I told him I knew what he had done. I despise him and I’ve told him so, and I will never trust him again.”
Katie let that sink in, and started to pull herself together. She said, after a moment, “Our marriage is finished. I agreed to stay until this proposed Senate campaign is over, but now I’m leaving as soon as I can get a divorce lawyer and file the papers. I am done with JW Wilson. I told him that this afternoon, before I left.”
That was a lot of information for Rainey to process at one time. She was horrified at JW’s behavior. Rainey had assumed the distance between them had been caused by the accident and the loss of a child, a common occurrence in couples where that happened. She would never look at JW the same way again. Katie had every right to hate him. It took a lot of courage for Katie to tell her about this. Rainey wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be all right one day, she would see. She was frozen there on that trunk with Katie sitting across from her. She knew nothing she could say would erase the pain Katie was feeling. Only time could do that.
Rainey stood up and crossed the room to Katie. She stopped in front of the chair and Katie stood up. Rainey wrapped her arms around Katie and held her close. Katie fell into her arms and laid her head on Rainey’s shoulder. They stood there in the embrace, Rainey just holding Katie as long as she needed to be held. No words were needed. They understood each other completely.
Rainey waited for Katie to release their embrace, before she let her go. Katie took a step back and looked up at Rainey.
“I needed you to understand why I reacted the way I did and to apologize for it,” she said.
Rainey brushed a stray hair from Katie’s brow, saying “No apology necessary.”
Katie put her arms back around Rainey’s waist. She said, “Now, about the other elephant in the room.”
Rainey smiled down at her, “One thing at a time, okay. I want to give you all my attention and I can’t right now. Katie, you’re not safe here.”
“My god, there’s an arsenal in this cottage. I think I’m pretty safe here,” Katie laughed when she said it.
“For today, yes, but tomorrow they all go away.” Rainey could not let anyone know what was happening with the tactical team, not even Katie. “You’re going to hear some things on the news attributed to Danny and me. All I can say is don’t believe everything you hear.”
Katie’s jaw dropped, “They’re going to leave you alone as bait. What kind of fucked up plan is that?”
“I can’t talk about it, but I’m fine with the plan and I’m sure we’ll catch him. Then we can go on with our lives,” Rainey said.
Katie was about to protest, but Rainey silenced her by kissing her deeply. She surfaced for air and said, “Katie, if I’m what you want, you have me. Just let me finish this.”
Katie searched Rainey’s eyes. Rainey tried to let her know that she had regained control. She was a highly skilled Special Agent and she was prepared to do what it took to end this. Rainey would not be caught off guard, not this time. She had a goal and was focused on it. Kill this motherfucker and put it to rest, all of it.
Rainey did not speak the words; she just squeezed Katie a little tighter and whispered, “I’ll be alright, I promise.”
Katie took her hands from Rainey’s waist and put them gently on Rainey’s cheeks, her eyes still searching back and forth between Rainey’s. She must have seen what she was looking for, because she pulled Rainey’s mouth to hers and kissed her as passionately as Rainey had ever been kissed. It left Rainey weak-kneed and breathless. It had the same effect on Katie. They let go of each other and caught their breaths.